Monday 20 April 2015

Brighton Marathon 2015

Ran 26.2 miles for charity, raising funds for Coeliac UK. Ran those 26.2 miles as a personal challenge and resolution for 2015. Ran 26.2 miles in under 5 hours.

The Brighton Marathon was a brilliant experience. Stayed at The Neo, a boutique B&B in Brighton, suavely neo-Baroque, with an excellent DVD collection, and offering up both a comfy B and a scrumptious B, going the extra mile to get in some gluten free bread for me. Just around the corner from the Brighton Centre for the Marathon Exhibition, which featured a wealth of products and knowledge. Finally got around to trying the Beet It shots, havibg drank Beet It juice to start my day nearly every morning for the last year.

The run itself on the Sunday was very well organised, offering up an intoxicatingly fun atmosphere at the start and keeping me perfectly hydrated along the course, under crisp, sunny skies. Maybe a bit too sunny, but on behalf of the rest of Southern England, I wasn't complaining.

The course had a couple of segments that did double back on themselves, which was a bit tedious but always much easier when running the backtrack. After looping Preston Park and running through town, you're taken along a brilliant stretch out east along the shorefront towards Rottingdean and back. It helps that I am so naturally drawn to the sea so found the sights and sounds immensely soothing. We were rather lucky with the weather as Monday saw Brighton blanketed in a dense fog. I think I passed along the northern side of the Finish line as Duncan Maiyo won and there I was, half way through. We ran through some residential areas, always great to see the locals making thousands of strangers feel beyond welcome on their doorsteps. The last stage of the Marathon is looping through the industrial area out west along Basin Road, a somewhat grim place for people to hit their walls. But thanks to a second Lucozade Elite Running Gel, was able to soldier on without stopping (save to wave to a fellow Coeliac UK runner). The last 2 miles saw some amazing and much welcome support along the promenade and back up along King's Road to the Finish.

Ran 26.2 miles, loved it, and am already contemplating when I might do it again.

Thursday 9 April 2015

Bite down the line

Tuesday night is gluten-free night at Brockley's Rock down in SE4. I'd been through Brockley once before, to see an endearing production of The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre a couple of years ago and I'd vowed to return. I took another jaunt down the Overground for some fish n chips this time around.

The eat-in area was quiet upon our arrival but staff were at the ready and definitely hold allergen awareness in high regard. All the stops are pulled to ensure little to no cross contamination in the kitchen, including special batters, as well as separate fryers and heating windows. The gluten-free batter on the plaice I had was well flavoured and welcomingly crisp, though next time I will definitely opt for a more fleshy fish as plaice is admittedly rather flat. They doublechecked ingredients of the salad dressing on hand that night, which was not gluten free, but even the plain side salad itself was a very generous helping to accompany what is otherwise your typical guilty pleasure of a night out, without the effects of coeliac kryptonite.

Offering a BYOB option with a minimal corkage fee, Brockley's Rock is still a takeaway joint at heart and by the time we were leaving there was quite the crowd waiting for their box of goodness. Glad to have it practically around the corner but would happily venture from far any Tuesday.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Two words

Menstrual cup. Tried it a year ago based on recommendations from two dear friends and I never looked back. The Femme Cup was a perfect match but everyone is different and it's not surprising that some women don't find the right fit on the first go. It takes some getting used to but as someone with a heavy flow, I can attest to its comfort, cleanliness, and utter convenience. I have never slept better whilst on my period. The menstrual cup also enabled me to get through 20 mile training runs without a hitch and it will do so again on the big day this Sunday in Brighton. I can feel it coming; particularly strong sign was on my evening run home, all I could think about was hummus. The 3 mile runs home will be perfect to keep the legs loose this week. Female runners, two words. Menstrual cup.