10 Hotpod Yoga Sessions In 11 Days: What I Learned

Do you yoga? It’s always been one of those things I “know I should do”. And – when I get round to it – I love it. But for various reasons, it’s never stuck. However, the older I get (especially since I still lift pretty heavy), the more I “should” do yoga.

So when a new hot yoga studio (Hotpod Yoga Folkestone) opened up a 5 minute walk from my house, I was excited!

And then I realised the owner was a schoolfriend of mine who I haven’t seen since the 90s (no, not the 1890s, although sometimes it does feel that long ago).

Done deal.

I booked myself in for a taster session, not knowing what to expect. Would it be too hot? Would I be able to do it? Would it actually hold my interest more than any of the gym studio/village hall yoga classes I’ve previously done?

Verdict: I loved it!  So I took Hotpod Yoga Folkestone up on their intro offer (a 10-day pass for £14)…. and challenged myself to going every day for 10 days. Because we all know I don’t do things by halves, and a 10-day pass is like a red rag to a bull. (A chilled out, zen bull, obvs.)

I didn’t end up making 10 classes in 10 days (but I’m totally chilled about it…!) However, if we count my taster session, I did 10 classes in 11 days.

(The day I missed was due to doing Stand-up Paddleboarding so….hopefully that’s a good enough excuse).

Here’s how I found it – and what I learned from doing 11 hot yoga sessions in 10 days.

(I’ll write a Hotpod Yoga FAQ type post soon – but if you have any specific questions, leave a comment and I’ll answer)

Day 1 (Sunday): taster session

Ooh, this is a bit different to yoga in a hall. The hot pod itself is like a big, room-sized inflatable inside the studio building. Intriguing. Inside, it’s warm – very warm, but lovely. The pod is dimly lit – which is nice because it means I can zone in and focus on myself without worrying what anyone else is doing. No mirrors – I like that. 10 minutes later: man this is hot! So sweaty! Note to self: bring a larger towel. 60 minutes later: I LOVE that. I could do it (it was challenging, but everything was explained well and lots of options given). I feel relaxed, energised, stretched, and like I’ve had a good workout. I haven’t been this sweaty in years. How is there sweat in my EARS?

Day 2: Monday morning

I’m legit excited to get to yoga. I haven’t fallen in love with a new form of exercise like this for ages. Monday morning session is an incredible way to start the week. No phone, no notifications, no chance to check anything or be distracted. Time for me, to focus on myself, and to start the week with a calm, clear mindset.

Day 3: Tuesday lunchtime

Today’s session seemed slightly easier, and I didn’t sweat nearly as much. Is my body getting used to it? Will I eventually stop sweating altogether during class? (This saddens me – I like the sweat).

Day 4: Wednesday morning

Lovely session today, these classes are already becoming a highlight. Part social, part switch-off, part exercise. We did some balances – and I managed to stand on one leg holding onto my outstretched foot. No mean feat for me!

Day 5: Friday evening

I’ve only missed one day but I can really feel it! Physically, but mentally/emotionally too. Hotpod yoga really is such a lovely short escape from the outside world, my to-do list, phone, noise, and stimulation. I’m having the most stressful work week in living memory, and I actually don’t know that I would have coped without hotpod. Today’s class was wonderful – the teacher is obviously trained in mindfulness and the emotional side of yoga, too, and her words really resonated with me.

Day 6: Saturday morning

A very hot and sweaty class (my theory from the other day was completely unfounded!) The flow (the main section of the class) was a lot faster than usual. Each teacher does things slightly differently, although the structure of the class and the core poses are the same. Note to self: bring a second towel (big one to lay on the mat, small one to actually mop self with). I went to the gym later in the day and the session felt very hard. Must drink more if I’m training and doing hotpod on the same day.

Day 7: Sunday morning

Finally – a class with my friend Ruth, owner of Hotpod Yoga Folkestone. Bought a proper yoga towel (little rubber dots on the underside so it doesn’t move around on the mat). Shit’s getting serious!

Day 8: Monday morning

Ahhh my favourite class. I really like this teacher’s style and the way she adds some mindfulness in, plus the Monday morning timing means this class is pure me-time, a pause to set the week up properly before life rushes in. It’s calming and grounding. Back at home, my work stress continues apace but I actually took time out to lie down for 5 minutes in a yoga pose, and do nothing. I would normally have carried on stressing (and wasted more than those 5 minutes just being stressed).

Day 9: Tuesday morning

At yoga for 7am, who even am I? I don’t get up for 7am anything unless it involves an overseas flight or perhaps a good breakfast. This class was very sweaty. So a) my body isn’t getting used to it and b) first class of the morning sessions can be hot! My body is looking and feeling different – leaner? I know the heat doesn’t sweat fat away or anything like that (!) But I can notice subtle changes since starting yoga and doing slightly less gym work.

Day 10: Wednesday morning

Feeling slightly bereft at reaching my final day of the 10-day pass. Hotpod yoga has me hooked. I love it. LOVE it. It’s changed the game for me: physically (more flexible, that persistent bit of my back which always needs cracking has GONE, even my “arthritic” toe is amazingly better), strength wise (I’m doing body weight moves I haven’t tried in years), peace, calmness, focus, clarity.

7 Lessons From 10 Hotpod Yoga Classes

1 Yoga is not a cop-out.

Yes, yoga is relaxing, quiet, and tranquil. But it’s doesn’t have to be easy (unless you want it to be). My 10 sessions of yoga worked me hard. Some days, my triceps still hurt from the day before (all those chaturangas!) After day 2, my abs hurt in new and interesting ways (serratus?) My hamstrings, shoulders, glutes all felt the benefit.

2 Sweating is lovely

I might not be able to convince you on this one if you’re squeamish about sweatiness. But I love it (as long as I can get a shower and a change of clothes reasonably quickly). The intense sweatiness of the 37*C heat (plus humidity from a steam machine thingy) leads to unbelievable sweatiness. This helps you get deeper into the poses, wasting less time on warming up. As a bonus, my skin was really lovely after just a couple of sessions!

3 Hydrate properly

Don’t underestimate how much you need to rehydrate after hotpod yoga. I took a 1.5 litre bottle to every session and got through it easily. I started just taking my traditional “weak apple squash”, but soon graduated to an electrolyte drink or coconut water (I used this from Project E2 – full disclosure, they’re a client so I got it sent free, but it is very good! – and this coconut water powder from Bulkpowders). Fluid isn’t enough – use electrolytes, especially if you need to do anything else active that day.

4 Your appetite will be affected

Well, mine was anyway. I lost a bit of weight over the couple of weeks I did hotpod yoga, but it wasn’t to do with the yoga itself (and definitely not to do with the heat/sweating – you can’t sweat body fat away!) It was to do with a bit of extra walking (I walk there and back), plus the fact that my appetite was noticeably reduced. I don’t know if this due to the heat and sweating (ever noticed how you want to eat less on hot days?) Whatever the reason – the circumstances and knock-on effects of adding yoga into my routine meant I ate less.

5 Two towels

I really advise two towels. A big one to lay on your mat (hotpod provide the mats btw). But a smaller one (hand towel size) to use as and when during class. You’ll probably want to wipe your face, and dry off your knee/shin before you try to hold on for balances!

6 Hotpod compliments other training

During my 10-day stint, I did significantly less gym training and cardio. But I didn’t lose any strength, size, muscle tone (and nor did I suddenly pile on 20 stone). If you think yoga is “just stretching”, think again. It’s essentially a series of bodyweight exercises done over and over again. I ached from it. I felt it in my triceps, shoulders, upper back, quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, core. But it’s also wonderfully restorative and healing. My 10-day run of yoga cured an annoying “click” I’ve had for years in my thoracic spine (and it hasn’t come back!) My arthritic/whatever is wrong with it toe has more range of movement and hurts much much less than before. I can turn my neck further than before. I can move my spine more easily than before. I just feel… more athletic.

7 You might “have a release”

Not like that! Like this. OK, so this is weird, but apparently not uncommon so I don’t mind sharing.

In one class early on in my 10 day stint, the teacher was doing a bit of mindfulness chat with us. Out of nowhere, a word came into my head. An emotion. It’s not something I’ve ever associated with myself before. It’s not something I was aware that I was feeling. But it was a very strong feeling and made me… not upset, exactly, but definitely thoughtful. Luckily, the pod is a very calm and safe feeling place to have a “moment” – a bit dark, quiet, enclosed, and private. On the way home, I rang my yoga-loving friend and told her about my odd experience. Ooh, she said. You had a release! (It’s a thing)

I have since had another release (not that – stop it). This was in a Friday evening class, at the end of a full-on week, and before a significant weekend. The teacher was saying a few lovely words which really resonated with me. Suddenly, as I lay there on my back in savasana, I started to cry. Not out-loud “boo hoo” type wailing. Just tears coming out of my eyes and trickling down my face. It felt fine. I just let it happen. And there was so much sweat all over my face and neck anyway that it hardly mattered. Afterwards I felt calm and as if my brain had sorted a few things out.

So – there you have it. Hotpod yoga UK is an amazing new addition to my life. It’s helping me maintain strength (in different ways to weight training). It chills me out on stressful days. It gives me an escape from the bleeps and bloops of phones and outside distractions. I love it!

If you’re local to Folkestone and want to try a free class, click here. Select single class pass and enter code THEFITWRITER in the discount box – and your class with be totally free.

Stay tuned for a hotpod yoga FAQ. If you have any questions about the classes, how it works, what to expect – leave a comment or message me.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 14 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

A New Sport Every Month: Aerial Hoop

October’s “A New Sport Every Month” was Aerial Hoop: a sport epitomised by strength, grace, and flexibility. Well, I decided that possessing one of those three things was good enough, so booked myself on a taster session.

Nouvolution is a new multi fitness studio in Folkestone, offering all sorts of aerial skills classes including Hoop. I like the idea of that strength/grace combo (even though I’m built like a….well, like a bodybuilder…), so I went along to their open day.

(The first person I saw when I got there was a lady from Roller Derby (last month’s A New Sport…) – apparently we are destined to bump into each other at niche sports which lead to bruising!)

After a brief cardio warm up and some mobilisation work, we paired up and headed to a hoop. There were super-high up ones, and ones a bit lower to the floor. We opted to start with the lower ones – a wise decision!

We learned a “basic seat”, “stag seat” and a “scissor seat” with both legs extended – all of these poses with no hands. There was a lot to think about: how to position yourself in relation to the anchor point, hands/grip, balance, and controlling the hoop as you get into the move.

The final move we learned on the low hoop was the “man in the moon” which looks very pretty and relaxed, but feels painful at first. The hoop is a lot harder and thinner than I imagined (I don’t know what I was expecting!) For some of the sitting poses, you need your coccyx and spine aligned with the hoop, your arms tucked behind the hoop, and at least one of your legs hooked around it.

Apparently the pain gets less as you train more (when I did a couple of terms of Pole lessons, I did find that I got used to the pain plus I just managed to ignore it a bit!)

Halfway through the class, we left the low hoop behind – and with it any hopes of looking serene and graceful. The higher hoop was all about inversions, upper body strength, and attempting to hook our legs around a swaying hoop.

The main challenge on the high hoop was using upper body strength and core strength to pull yourself up, let alone actually get into the pose! We did a straddle (an inverted move where you hang from the hoop, then put both your legs up and over your head…) and a few variations of the “Delilah”, including the one in that photo…. The high hoop moves were easier than I imagined – once I stopped over thinking it and just gave it a go, it actually worked. But it was difficult to keep going – my strength and grip gave out!

The taster session was just long enough to get a feel for hoop without running out of energy or hurting too much!

Before I left, I asked our aerial hoop instructor Lucy Shaw at Nouvolution in Folkestone all about Aerial Hoop so you’ll know what to expect if you give it a go. (This is her in the picture!)

Lucy, how did you get into Hoop?

“I discovered Aerial Hoop 4 and a half years ago. My sister and I wanted to try a new fun form of fitness that we could do together. We were instantly hooked, and over the years have performed in art exhibitions and wedding fairs. There are lots of exciting opportunities you can work towards in Hoop, including various competitions and showcases around the country.

“I’m really interested in the circus side of hoop, and that is another route people could go down with this sport. The next step would be to join a circus school (like The National Centre For Circus Arts in London). But you can take it as far as you want – it’s fundamentally a great hobby to enjoy at your own level.”

Do people need any specific level of fitness or strength to start aerial hoop?

“Not at all! You can start aerial with no experience or fitness background. We follow a syllabus to ensure you learn all of the foundations to be able to progress, and always work to your level.”

What can people expect from training in Aerial Hoop?

“A really good cardiovascular workout and increased strength and flexibility. It’s very rewarding, because people tend to notice results and progression very quickly – especially as a complete beginner. Hoop is really addictive!”

Is it all about upper body strength?

“There is a lot of upper body strength, but hoop is about much more than that. And it’s surprising how quickly you build it up. I would say it is predominantly a core focused sport, and we do lots of conditioning exercises to help with this in our classes. So you’ll get stronger, more flexible, and fitter.”

Thank you, Lucy!

A quick mention for Lucy’s next aerial event – The Night Circus at Sutton Valence in Kent, where she’ll be performing aerial arts at a circus-themed pop up restaurant for two nights only (16th & 17th February 2018). It sold out last year, so grab your tickets!

Go and visit Nouvolution’s website and Facebook if you’re in Folkestone – or find your local Aerial Hoop classes wherever you are! It’s a fun and challenging workout. Thank you Lucy & Nouvolution for the taster session 🙂

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist with 13 years experience in writing content and direct response copy for the fitness industry. Get in touch via Facebook, by sending a message here.

thefitwriter on local radio Academy FM Folkestone

Morning! Just a quick one to post up a link to a radio interview I did last weekend

I was invited in to speak to the guys on the morning show at Folkestone’s Academy FM and we managed to quickly rattled through the sports I’ve been involved in, from Channel swimming to endurance sports like triathlon, to my recent bodybuilding win at the INBF Worlds.

If you’ve ever wondered what I sound like (my opinion=”weird”!), would like to hear me speak about my feelings on going to the Worlds, or are interesting in finding out how a Channel swimmer becomes a bodybuilder, have a listen. The interview is just over 9 minutes long.

Thank you to the guys at Academy FM for inviting me in!

thefitwriter on local radio Academy FM Folkestone is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Three Hills Sports Park supports community sport in Kent

At the end of last year, I moved “back home” to Kent, where I grew up, after 17, er quite a few um… “some” years away.

It’s been strange to drive around the areas in which I lived and went to school. Familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

And so it was with a mixture of nostalgia (for Folkestone of the 90s) and excitement (for Folkestone’s future) that I went along to the grand opening of the Three Hills Sports Park, just a short drive from my house. As you drive through the entrance, there on the right-hand side is the old cricket pavilion, the site of many a sixth-form “free period”. It was adjacent to the boys’ school and a supermarket, you see. Win/win.

If sitting on the clapped-out old pavilion and arguing the merits of Oasis vs Blur represent the past of the Three Hills site, the grand opening made very clear that its future is full of opportunity.

Three Hills Sports Park is an impressive and rather beautiful community facility available to people living in Shepway and the surrounding areas.

Entirely funded by a donation from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust (with the land provided on a 125 year lease from Shepway District Council), the £7.8m facility is owned and run by The Cheriton Road Sports Ground Trust, a registered charity comprising volunteers from Folkestone Cricket Club and Optimist Hockey Club. The result is a centre of excellence for cricket, hockey and netball, with some of the best sporting facilities of their type in the country.

It will be home to Folkestone Cricket Club, Folkestone Optimists hockey, Folkestone Running Club, Folkestone netball and Folkestone Dynamos youth football teams. But Three Hills is also – in fact primarily – a community facility, available to anyone in the area who needs indoor or outdoor space to practice or play sport.

Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport and Tourism, opened the facility, congratulating the designers for “a cutting-edge design that not only looks fantastic but really works well.” The Three Hills project began back in 2005, when we won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. In his speech, Hugh Robertson said that Three Hills embodies the Olympic Legacy – a term we often hear overused and misused, but don’t often see put into bricks and mortar. “I think taking sport to young people and helping them achieve their ambitions is exactly what the Olympic Legacy should mean,” he said. “Three Hills Sports Park brings a fantastic opportunity to young people in Folkestone that simply didn’t exist beforehand.”

I loved going on a tour of the brand-new facility, which includes a pavilion, sports hall, small gym, outdoor pitches, a function room (with great views) and facilities for disability sport. There were more than 300 primary school children there on the day, playing hockey, football and cricket indoors and outdoors. The place was buzzing and it was clear that every inch of the space will be a huge boost to grass-roots community sport in the area.

Freedom Leisure will manage the outdoor pitches at Three Hills, which are designed for national standard hockey, county and club cricket and regional netball. Freedom will also manage the indoor facilities (a first-class indoor sports hall supporting cricket, hockey, netball and other sports, a gym and a dedicated youth area). Three Hills is Freedom Leisure’s 34th site (its third in Kent).

Jeff Hart, Managing Director of Freedom Leisure said, “We are delighted to be working with The Cheriton Road Sports Ground Trust to operate the Three Hills Sports Park. It offers first class sporting facilities for the local community, nearby schools and sports clubs as well as national and international athletes. It is an exciting development and we are looking forward to fulfilling its many objectives.”

If you work with kids or have kids of your own and live in Shepway or nearby, take a look at Three Hills Sports Park’s website, Three Hills Sports Park on Twitter and Three Hills Sports Park on Facebook. It’s a great facility and we’re lucky to have it.

3 Hills Sports Park supports community sport in Kent is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.

Folkestone half-marathon PB (No Garmin, no cry)

Back in February, I ran the half marathon held in the town in which I now live. So I thought I really ought to go and run the half marathon held in the town in which I grew up. Today was the day of the Folkestone half-marathon.

As I recently admitted in a Women’s Running article, my half-marathon PB is a shameful 10 years old this year. And it’s not even that good: 1:47:53. I know I can run faster than that. My 5K PB is 21:45 and my 10K PB – from an off-road race – is 46:20. I decided 2010 was the year to get a new half-marathon PB, and where better than my home town?

So I carefully planned my target pace, did various training runs at and below it, worked out all my splits and then…realised my Garmin Forerunner wasn’t working. (Again). Fellow Garmin-owners will know what it’s like: once you get used to the endless stream of detailed feedback whilst you’re running, it’s almost paralysing to consider trying for a PB without it. And, once you’re used to getting home and downloading all the data, thinking about having nothing to pore over post-race is enough to make you cry.

I pressed the buttons, I touched the bezel, I shook it, I plugged it in. My husband hit it against the wall. To no avail: I was going to be running blind. Or without data, which is kind of the same thing. I borrowed my husband’s stopwatch so I’d at least know, y’know, how long I’d been going. Back to the old skool!

The Folkestone 1/2 is a great course: out and back along the pan-flat and traffic free seafront, with only a (very steep) hill in the first and final mile to contend with. But, seafronts being what they are, the course can be windy. I woke up and looked out of the window at my Dad’s house to see every tree and bush in his garden gusting and bending in the wind. And it was pretty cold.

As we walked to the start, I whinged to my husband “why am I doing this again?” and he quite rightly said “for Henry”. My 7-week-old nephew was going to be out there on the course somewhere cheering me on, and a cool new baby nephew needs a cool Auntie so I had to at least try and get a PB, right?

It really was rather cold and windy as I lined up somewhere vaguely near the start (and wished the race was chip timed). After a brief welcome by the race director, we were sent on our merry way. The course starts on the Leas and winds its way around Folkestone for a mile or so before heading down the Road of Remembrance. Now, I don’t know how steep this thing is but I’ve weaved my way up it many a time in my younger days, heading up to civilisation (?) from the dodgy nightclubs down on the beachfront, so I knew it was steep. However, on the outward leg we were going down it, so I pitched myself forward and made the most of gravity, passing a good few people and telling my knees to hush up.

I passed mile 1 and looked at my old skool watch. 7:25. Ah…my target pace was 8:05/mile. Oh well. There was no mile marker for mile 2 so I ran as I felt, which was really quite good actually thanks. I could tell I was running fast (raggedy breath and slight spots in the vision is always a bit of a giveaway) but I had no way of knowing how fast. I was expecting the mile 3 marker around 24 minutes so when I passed it before 23 minutes had elapsed I was a little surprised. I saw my husband and the dog as the race went through the lovely Coastal Park, and then we were heading out towards Sandgate.

Once we hit the seafront, the blustery wind became a full-on headwind. I feared for my peaked cap, I tell you! My eyes were streaming from the wind. At least, I thought, it will be a tail-wind on the way back (although things rarely seem to work that way).

At miles 4 and 5, I was still well under pace and doing GCSE-level mental arithmetic. I was averaging 7:50minute/miling and on for a sub 1:45 finish. Nice!

By mile 6, we were heading into Hythe and the supporters were out in force with little kids reaching their hands out for high (low?) fives, adults clapping and all the marshals smiling and encouraging us. I went through mile 6 in a fraction under 47 minutes and the lead runner came past me, heading back towards Folkestone. Before too long, the first few women came through and I let them know how many women were in front of them. I always do this on out and back courses, and never really know whether it’s helpful or annoying. But today the 4th lady looked really grateful (and happy!) when I held up four fingers as she ran past so I shall continue to do it!

The half-way point was signposted, which I thought was a nice touch. I went through it in 50:something and saw my sister, brother-in-law and nephew which gave me a real boost. As I ran past I said “My watch is broken so I’ve no idea how fast I’m running”. My B-I-L very sweetly replied “really fast!” and then they told me I was 15th woman at that point. I was flabbergasted but decided not to worry if I was overtaken by any female runners, but to concentrate on holding my pace if I could. It was incredibly irritating to not be able to monitor my pace as I ran, though. Doing a quick bit of number-crunching at every mile marker doesn’t really do it for you once you’ve owned a (functioning) Garmin.

I ran off, doing some comedy “Auntie-running” (I come from a long and prestigious line of silly Aunties). A bloke ran past me and asked “are you OK?” The route turned away from the seafront briefly and ran through a couple of residential streets before popping us back out on the seafront to head for home. Hooray!

Erm, the headwind hadn’t really turned into a tailwind for some reason. Defying the laws of physics, it was now kind of from the side, despite the fact we’d turned 180*. Still, a change is as good as a rest.

I saw my sis, B-I-L and nephew (who was being held aloft in an attempt at “cheering”) and realised I was nearly at mile 9. Yay! My legs were feeling very heavy, my hips were hurting and there was something funny going on in the region of my right hamstring. “Drop It Likes It’s Hot” by Snoop came on my iPod and I realised it was exactly the right tempo for my sub-8m/m pace. So I played it on repeat for about 20 minutes. Yeah, I kind of never want to hear that song again now. Sorry, Snoop.

I went through 10 miles in just under 79 minutes, and calculated that I’d dropped off my initial pace a bit (at some point – we’ll never know when) but that, if I could hold this pace, I’d still get a PB and possibly even sub-1:45. Unfortunately, at 10 miles, a horrible stitch hit me (what is the point of stitch, anyway?) and I ran on in a kind of bent-over, crippled style for a bit. I then realised it probably wasn’t going to go away so I had better just straighten up and run through it. I think it went in the end, I’m not sure.

Mile 11. 1:27:something. Nearly there. I walked through a water stop and two chaps passed me. I started running again, caught them and passed them. The route went back up into the Coastal Park via a horrible sharp little ramp which gave the legs a rude awakening after 10 miles of flat, and I saw my husband and dog again. “Well done,” he said, “keep this pace and you’ll be mumblemumblesomething!” I thought he said “sub 1:50” and I thought, erm, and the rest! Turns out he said “top 15” (women).

Mile 12 is just before the cruel climb up the Road of Remembrance. I worked out I had just over 9 minutes to get a PB. But, honestly, that hill is steep. I started to run up it and then realised I’d probably be faster to walk. So I did. I actually overtook one guy, and no-one came past me. At the top, with about 1/2 a mile to go, I realised I had to get a move on. My legs were like jelly and of course we were back into the headwind again. I really wanted to just fall down in the road and just lie there.

Finally, there was the 13 mile marker and then shortly afterwards the finish line. Hooray! The race clock said 1:45:00 and I wondered if I could scrape under 1:45:30…. but my legs just wouldn’t go any faster. I crossed the line in 1:45:33 (watch time) and promptly had to lie down very quickly.

(If the dog looks guilty, so he should. He kept us awake half the night stamping around, whining and sniffing loudly because he’d seen a cat somewhere around the place several hours earlier. Gah!)

Results aren’t online yet but it’s safe to say I finally have a new half-marathon PB, and we think I was 15th lady. Hooray!

ETA: results are out. Top 10 in my age category!

Time: 1:45:33
19/133 female finishers
10/61 female senior age group
154/503 in race

I gave away my medal (here’s an idea for runners with new babies: baby mobile made out of medals! Dragon’s Den, here I come!)…

Thanks to Folkestone Rotary for a great race.

Did you run the Folkestone half marathon today? How did you get on?

Folkestone Half Marathon PB (No Garmin, no cry) is a post from The Fit Writer blog