Race: Race for life – Delamere Forest
Distance: 5k
Date: 20th June 2018
Supporting Runners: Mum & Fran Vickers
Fundraising to date: £3,615
Finishing Time: 00:30:00 (ish?)

Race number 19 takes place tomorrow morning so here I am, scrambling to get the blog done for race number 18 before it’s too late.

A midweek race was fun and stuff but I’ve struggled to fit this in between working and catching up on Love Island… Priorities.

Before we get onto race details… There’s something minging to discuss. I was going to spare you the details but hey, I think it is important to lay it on thick about how difficult this challenge is actually getting now.

Last weekend, in between races, I did a training run from my new flat to my family home (around 8 miles), to keep the distance in my legs. It was after this run when I sadly lost my first toenail to running 😩 Repeat: I LOST A TOENAIL.

Despite running lots of races in my current trainers with no drama, I presume they must now be classed as ill fitting? I guess the heat makes feet swell and therefore, maybe they don’t fit as well? WHO KNOWS. But it is gross.

I would share a picture but the internet does not need to see the state of that.

Having a 5k race 3 days after, and a half marathon the following week, I went to my nearest running store in a state of panic and had some expert help picking some new shoes that will take over and hopefully save my feet from looking any worse than they currently do.

So the 5k race on Wednesday eve was a kind of ‘running in the new trainer’ race, and hoping for the best…

Mum, Fran and me (rocking new trainers)

The Race

This race was one of the first ones I had booked after discussing the ‘couch to 5k’ app with Fran in work. Delamere Forest is a great location and we figured doing an evening one in June would be really nice. Fran wanted to support 30for30 and complete her very first 5k ❤️

A couple of months later, I had persuaded Mum to sign up too – she had originally planned to walk it with a friend who could unfortunately no longer make it.

We arrived in Delamere Forest at around 7pm, 30mins before the race start.

We met with Fran’s Mum and Brother and after some quick introductions and toenail horror stories, we headed to the start line to partake in a little warm-up to the ‘Cha Cha slide’.

The atmosphere was really laid back with a starting lineup split into ‘runners’, ‘joggers’ and ‘walkers’. We were giddy and ready to get going and plonked ourselves in the walkers category so we could all start together.

The couch to 5k apps were out and the race began with that really emotional music from the Race for Life advert. Having lost 3 close family members to Cancer growing up, it also felt really good to be crossing the start line, supporting another cause.

We power walked together for the first 5mins before we broke off to complete the race at our own paces.

The race was great – getting used to my new trainers and enjoying the scenery – I finished in around 30mins. I grabbed my medal and a bottle of water and went back into the forest to find Mum. I soon bumped into Fran who was looking good and I hoped I would find Mum in similar spirits.

The race overall was quite up and down and it was another warm eve so I was worried Mum would just be hating it.

I carried on a little further and was very surprised to see her that far into it, jogging and with a big smile on her face. There was just under 1km to the end so we did that bit together. I kept telling her how happy I was that she had enjoyed it and it was one of my proudest moments to cross the finish line together…

It meant so much for Mum to do a race with me – even if to just walk one. But the fact she did some running and enjoyed it was just amazing.

We had a quick debrief with the Vickers fam and took some nice pics with our new friends before the shivering began and it was time to go.

A massive well done and thank you to Fran for taking part in her first 5k to appear on the 30for30 blog 😉

I will be sure to remind Fran and Mum that they both left saying they would do this race again next year…

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So my remaining toenails survived this race…

My trainers went into the sale the day after I wore them in which is just typical. And we are entering another heat wave just in time for my feet to be sandal inappropriate. But it is all worth it.

Tomorrow I will take on Wilmslow half marathon for the first time. This was the race that was cancelled in March when I decided to do Bram Vs Snow. Let’s hope all goes well tomorrow and I can complete this race in my new shoes. Wish me luck…

If you would like to sponsor me (or Mum or Fran on their amazing efforts) then please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EmmaBramwell2