Summer Running!

Well since St Albans, I've been taking it a little bit easier and experimenting a little. A friend told me about a book called Slow Burn, which I have started to read; although I've not got far into it, one of the things the writer talks about is running slowly. Now I thought I did this already, but he sort of talks about it as running at a speed where you can appreciate your surroundings and not just focus on your running. I've yet to really get into the book, and I know there is more to it than that, but that is where I've got to so far......

The return of runners nipple

Anyway, even though I run slowly, I am still focused on running and trying to get enough oxygen into my lungs, so I thought I'd give it a go....... So now I'm running incredibly slowly! But I have enjoyed taking things slower, and I have also managed to take in more of my surroundings. I've also had less of a reaction from my left knee, which has been troubling me a little, so I'm pretty pleased, as this is really positive and I've also felt a little stronger and have recovered more easily after a run. I don't know if this is just my mind playing tricks, bit that what it's felt like at any rate. However a down side of all this was that because I was running so slowly I was getting worried that I'd forgotten to how to run at anything resembling a decent pace...... and that I was now running more slowly than when I first started just over a year ago. So I did try to slip in a 10k this week and push it a little and was pleasantly surprised that I could run back at something like my normal-ish time.

The last two weekends I've also attempted to combine running slowly with some longer runs on routes which are probably the nearest thing you'll find in Birmingham to running in countryside. So last Saturday, I ran along the canals towards Stratford (not too Stratford). A really pleasant run, if a bit wet/muddy in places, but really pleasant scenery and very peaceful with only really a handful of people about. It was pretty muggy, but refrained from raining until I was about 10 miles in, when it started, another reminder about the great summer we're having. I also had the dreaded return of runners nipple: although I had greased up well, it was obviously not enough. And then this Saturday, another longer run along the canals into the centre of Birmingham and back. Almost 18 miles in just over 3 hours: hard work, slow, but the longest run I've ever done, and pleased to have done it, particularly as it was such a lovely morning. It also brought back memories of the last time I did this route last year: nice weather, being overtaken by numerous runners, a particularly agile young woman trotting along with pony tail flapping behind, and my success at "gliding" past a (very slow moving) barge. The difference with the run this time was that although I felt like giving up at about 14 miles, I didn't, so I must have made some progress.

Canals by Northfield

Past of the reasoning behind doing these longer runs is that I still have at the back of my mind the possibility of running the New York marathon in November. I seem to be failing in trying to raise money for my charity, and part of this might be that the "challenge" I've set myself is not challenging enough in other people's eyes.... It certainly is in my eyes, but there is no doubt that running a marathon is a totally different ball game, not just in fitness and training, but more so with the mental aspect of believing you can run that far. Even in running these last two weekends I've been struck by how I've had to change my thinking, or at least stop my mind from thinking in certain ways. And then there is also the training: I know that I need to get many more miles under my belt to get my legs stronger, so if I'm going to do this, I need to be running more regularly and for longer distances. Now I don't know if I'm going to do this marathon, but my runs over the past two weeks were a sort of test. I haven't made my mind up yet, but I will have to soon.

2013 Challenge Series: The St Albans Half Marathon

The St Albans Half Marathon was the last in my Challenge Series of runs before I take a bit of a break from racing (well, running in races) during the summer months. I've now run in 8 races since the end of February and have a little bit of "race fatigue": getting up in the early hours on Sunday mornings and traveling across the country was beginning to lose its appeal and sense of excitement! So, although I was looking forward to running in St Albans, I was not particularly looking forward to the "race" aspect of it, particularly as I felt my preparation in the weeks leading up to the race had not been great for running a half marathon. 

At the start of the race.. about half way back

So when I arrived in St Albans, I was not really "feeling it" and was really just looking to complete the course, rather than try for a PB. I took this feeling into the race itself, and maybe partly as a result of this, started slowly, and continued slowly well into the run. Having said that, I found the course to be really pleasant, far from the urban experience I was anticipating: it really did go through some nice woods and parkland and out into the countryside surrounding St Albans, so it was far removed from the urban courses of Sheffield or Birmingham and was really enjoyable. It also presented a bit of a challenge, as although it was not particularly hilly, it was definitely not flat, and I certainly felt it to be a bit more than "undulating". However, it was excellent weather for running, feeling cool to warm and certainly not hot, with a little breeze: so yet another day where I've been fortunate with the weather in this series. 

The race was also very well organised, with excellent information beforehand, great parking, loads of loos, plenty of water stations, friendly volunteers and brilliant marshals, who were fantastic at clapping and encouraging us as we went round the course. Although not on the same sort of scale as some of the other races I've been to, there were approximately 2,500 runners, so it was not a small field to get ready for the start, and there was also a 5k race, wheelchair race and 13 mile walk. So, all in all, there was plenty going on: a really well run day.

Although the race was well organised, I wasn't. I forgot my watch, which meant that I wasn't able to time and pace myself properly, and I therefore had no idea how slowly I was dawdling along. Although I had my phone with my "Runtastic" running app with me, earphones were strictly not permitted, so I was straining to hear my times and pace above the other noise. In addition to this, the music on my phone suddenly decided to turn itself on after about a couple of miles, which meant, to my chagrin, that I was the only runner to be blaring out music. The fact that it was Pink Floyd, Genesis and Supertramp made it worse. Although I got one comment of "great music" (I was not sure if this was sarcastic), I was incredibly embarrassed and got fed up of apologising to everyone else. So in the end I had to stop to turn the music off, probably costing me about 30 seconds, but helping me to run the rest of the race in peace, and with an easier conscience. 

Shirley and Gareth before the start

Anyway, it was clear that I wasn't going to break any records: despite starting somewhere near the back at the start, I was overtaken by more people than I overtook during the first half of the race, so I knew that I wasn't running brilliantly. The second half was slightly better, although my legs felt pretty weak from about 8 miles, right until the finish. Anyway,I sped up a bit towards the end, encouraged by the great support from the people of St Albans  and the knowledge that I might be able to squeeze a few more pennies out of my son, to finish with a chip time of 1:59.10........ quick enough to get my son to make another donation to NYAS, so not all was in vain!

Shirley and Gareth - with medals!!

Although I was not really in a great mind to run the race, I WAS hugely encouraged to be joined by a NYAS volunteer, Shirley, and her friend, Gareth. Shirley had gone through the training to become a volunteer, but had postponed starting with NYAS due to family complications: however, she was hoping to look at starting to volunteer with NYAS in a few months time. It was great to meet someone else with a connection to NYAS, and to hear her obvious enthusiasm for the work of the charity and the role of the volunteer Independent Visitor. 

"The hardest thing I've done since child-birth"

For both Shirley and Gareth, this was their first half marathon, and it was humbling to see both of them wanting to run, not just to raise money for the charity, but also as Shirley said, to raise the profile of NYAS and to tell more people about what the charity does. They both did brilliantly as well, on a difficult course for a first half marathon, with Shirley finishing in a time of 2:36 and Gareth in a time of 2:08. This really was a great effort and it meant a lot to me that they were prepared to put the effort in to train, and then go through the pain of running a half marathon, because they believe in the work NYAS does with vulnerable children and adults. As Shirley said at the end of the race, "That was the hardest thing I've done since child-birth!" I think for me it was great to see how pleased they were at finishing the race and to see their obvious sense of achievement, particularly as it was their first long run. It was also great to hear that this had not put them off running, and that they were looking forward to the next run!!! Good stuff! If you want to support their achievement and the work of NYAS, visit the BT Donate page, and please give generously!

As for me, I have a break from racing until the end of September, but will be running and training in preparation for the final races in my Challenge Series. I think I will just mainly enjoy running (hopefully) in the sun: should be great!

2013 Challenge Series: Woodhall Spa 10k

The Woodhall Spa 10k, the latest race in my Challenge Series, came after a week of holiday on the West coast of Scotland, where I was able to run for fun in some of the most wonderful countryside in Britain. This really was great training landscape, as it involved running in some "undulating" terrain, which in fact included some of the most demanding routes I've run since I started a year or so ago. So, this was good preparation, marred only slightly by the fact that I had to come back to Birmingham on the Friday (a 10 hour drive) and then get up early to drive to Lincolnshire (another 2 - 3 hours) on the Sunday, so was slightly "car-lagged". However, I was still hoping that I would be able to break the 50 mins target I'd set myself for the 10k and therefore get some more donations from my son!

At the start of the Woodhall Spa 10k

So, the day of the race came, and I was pleased that it promised to be warm and dry, but not so warm that it was uncomfortable to run in. My journey to Woodhall Spa was uneventful until about the last 1/2 mile, where the amount of traffic and the narrow roads caused tremendous traffic jams, to the extent that this last 1/2 mile took over 1/2 an hour to complete. As a result, I felt rushed and a little flustered, and I only managed to get to the starting line just before the race was due to begin. However, although I briefly considered taking it easy and just enjoying the run for its own sake, I soon dismissed that idea and was determined to "go for it", as all the reports I'd heard indicated it was a flat and quick course. I really did feel that this was the best opportunity I'd have to break 50 minutes this year.

As for the actual race, it started a few minutes late, I presume to account for people who were still struggling to park up and get there. I did not particularly find the start well organised, as there were spectators standing alongside runnners right at the start, which created even more overcrowding in an already busy race. The first couple of kilometres were therefore pretty busy, and I found myself yet again (and somewhat frustratingly) getting a slow start. I was aiming to run at just under a 5 mins per km pace, and found myself running behind the clock right from the start and although I attempted to catch up on this during the first half of the race, I never really did, and it was only in the second half that I managed to pace myself better and run at a slightly quicker tempo. 

Fortunately the course was flat and fast, perhaps the flattest I've run this year. In fact I really enjoyed the course as a whole, as it went through some pretty countryside around the outskirts of Woodhall Spa, and certainly did not even come anywhere near being an "undulating" course. I also felt reasonably OK throughout the race, apart from from around the 8-9 km, where I struggled a bit. However, this was also the part where I ran quickest, so this perhaps explains why! Perhaps the best part, for me, was a "mini dual" I had with a guy towards the end of the race: he had caught me up at about the 8 km mark and then we kept on overtaking each other as we neared the end of the race. He had overtaken me (again!) as we entered Woodhall Spa, but with about 200m left, I finally overtook him: it was most satisfying to hear him groan with despair as I "sped" past him, as he clearly was not expecting me to come back at him again!

And the result? I finished with a chip time of 50:38, so a PB, but still frustratingly outside my target of under 50 mins for a 10k. So I came away with mixed feelings, pleased at gaining a PB, but sad that on such a quick course, in good conditions, I did not do any better.

However it was an enjoyable experience, and apart from the issues surrounding the car parking and the start, it was a well organised event, which was well attended and supported by the local community. It also left me with 2 very different running experiences and challenges in the space of a few days, with the hills and peace of Scotland contrasting with the flat of rural Lincolnshire. I have no doubt that my next race in my Challenge Series, the St Albans Half Marathon on Sunday, will provide me with yet another type of running experience, as this will be a much larger race in an urban setting. Then, after this, I will have a small break from racing over the summer, until the end of September, when I will renew my efforts to run in order to raise money for my charity NYAS!

Ardnamurchan

Click to enlarge!

For our May holiday, I was fortunate enough to end up on the West coast of Scotland, in fact the most western edge of mainland Britain, Ardnamuchan. This proved to be an inspired choice of destination, not least because we had some amazing weather, whilst it appeared that the rest of the UK suffered rain (for at least part of the week).


We had a fantastic time, surrounded by wonderful scenery, hills, mountains and sea together with great company and time to relax. 

There was also plenty of time for running, in what was really perfect running weather: sunny but not too hot. I did a couple of 4+ runs and an 8+ one: I didn't want to overdo it as I had a face at the end of the week, as part of my Challenge Series. I really enjoyed just running for the fun of it, running out in the open in what must be one of the most remote and beautiful parts of Britain. It was great to be running so close to nature: coming across plenty of sheep, a couple of deer bounding out in front of me and over an electric fence, and even a snake....... but the highlight was definitely the mountains and the sea. Stunning. It was also great for training, as there were plenty of hilly bits. It certainly wasn't flat and it felt like there was an added mile to each of the routes just because of the "undulating" nature of the terrain! Anyway, great fun, and good preparation for the Woodhall Spa 10k!