2013 Challenge: The Ronnie Bowker 10k

Cannon Hill Park

At last, as part of my 2013 Challenge Series I had a race in my home town Brum, with the Ronnie Bowker 10k. This was a 2 lap race around Cannon Hill Park, one of the nicest parks in Brum and familiar territory, as I regularly go through the park on training runs, and it's also the home of my local Park Run! So I was really looking forward to the race, particularly as it was a nice day with decent weather!

I had high hopes for the race: I had beaten my PB for a Park Run 5k the previous day (23:39) with help from some fantastic pacing from a great guy from my running club, and as the course was flat, I was aiming to go under 50 minutes for the first time, something which a few months ago I would have thought was way beyond me (and it probably still is!!). I started off slower than I had hoped, with the crowded start line proving a problem, but then settled into a nice pace, which I kept going for most of the race. In fact I kept it fairly steady until about three quarters of the way through when I seemed to slow, but was able to speed up at the end, with the help of a little "dual" with another runner; a really good way to finish the race, but ending with a time of 50:58, a PB for this distance, but quite a bit outside the time I was hoping for!

Smera

It was also a great encouragement to be joined by a colleague from our Birmingham Office, Smera, who was also running to raise money for NYAS. She's the Senior Advocate for one of our services in Solihull, supporting children and young people who are in Care. Not being a regular runner, this was Smera's first race, and she did brilliantly to finish the course, putting in a very gutsy run! I'm trying to persuade her to do the Birmingham Half Marathon next.......

As I've been joined by volunteers and staff from NYAS in this series of races, I've been really impressed by their commitment to NYAS and to the young people they work with, and Smera is no exception. She runs a great service in Solihull, helping young people when they have problems with their care from the local authority, ensuring their views are heard and negotiating on their behalf to have their issues resolved. These can involve, for example, problems with schools, homelessness, sudden move of home, contact with their family, or difficulties around access to services when children move into adulthood. All or any of these issues can really impact on the lives of the most vulnerable children in our society and Smera and the hundreds of advocates within NYAS do a fantastic job in supporting them, as these quotes from young people show:

"NYAS has helped me a lot and they have got me through situations that I couldn't deal with by myself"

"Thanks for your help, you helped me to get heard otherwise people don’t listen"

"Thank you for your help, it really did make a difference."

This is why Smera and I have been training and running: to raise money for the work of NYAS and the work we do supporting vulnerable children and adults. If you can, please do visit our BT Donate page, and give generously! Thank you!

2013 Challenge Series: The Flitwick 10k

Well, it was never going to be a quick time......... I've still got niggles with my left knee and have not been running a lot recently, and I had spent the last few days locked in a theatre, having a cameo role in a local community production. So come Saturday night, I felt pretty drained, and then had to get up early to travel to Bedfordshire for the race..... and then the sun came out and instead of running in layers and tights, it was 18 degrees and WARM! There was also a bit of a gale blowing, which although was great for taking the edge off the sun, seemed to be going against me for three quarters of the run! So, although a time of 53:51 was not quick, I was pretty pleased!

Having said that, I really enjoyed the run. The event itself was really well organised and very friendly: the race marshalls were great and there were plenty of people lining the course, cheering us on. In fact, it was a fairly large event with some 600+runners and there was a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed the course as well: pretty quick, and "undulating" and going through some nice countryside. There were plenty of hilly bits, but not at all steep and I began to value the fact that in Brum there are plenty of slopes to run up! But most importantly, the weather was wonderful! It was SO GREAT to be running in sunshine and warmth: I really enjoyed the experience of just running. I had forgotten what it was like to actually enjoy running without freezing and without tights! So a great day.... next week, running in home town Brum!

2013 Challenge: City to City Race

Sunday, Easter Day, and the day of the biggest challenge for me so far in my 2013 Series, the City to City run! This is a 16.5 mile run from Ely to Cambridge along the rivers Ouse and Cam: most of which is a trail run amongst some beautiful countryside. I was really looking forward to the run, particularly the experience of running in the open, and you cannot really get more open than running in fenland. However, I was also approaching the race with a bit of trepidation due to the distance, the weather (it had been freezing the week before the race) and the terrain!

Ely Cathedral

It was an early start as we met in Cambridge for registration and then bussed to Ely. It was cold and I'd got on 2 or 3 layers for the run, but as the race progressed, it really did warm up (in relative terms), so that by about half way round I was regretting wearing so much. It would be good to get it right sometime! In addition, there was really hardly any wind, which was a real blessing, as particularly the first section which was along a raised dyke, was incredibly exposed and I can imagine it being dire in the rain and wind! However, the sun even came out and it could not have been better weather, which really added to the enjoyment of the race.

As stated, the first part of the race was along a raised dyke, the ground being quite hard and bumpy, not at all like pavements! It was also quite difficult to pass people, so I ended up feeling and hearing the breathing of a queue of people behind me. Quite disconcerting! The second part of the race was down on paths by the river bank, and was a bit softer underfoot, but still uneven. I definitely found this the hardest part of the race, and had to concentrate quite hard on my footing as the paths worn out in the ground were quite narrow and rough. To some extent I therefore missed out on some of the countryside, as I was focussed on the few feet in front of my feet! After about mile 11, the terrain changed to recognised paths as the route entered Cambridge and the finish, and although I was getting even slower by this stage, at least it was easier!

Midsomer Common, Cambridge

Well, I was hoping for a time of 2 1/2 hours. At 6 miles I was at about 55 mins, and at 10 miles I was something like 1:32 at at 13, about 2:03, so I knew I was behind on time. I finished with a time of 2:34:07 (53rd out of 79!!) .......... I think I was a little disappointed with this, but really pleased that I'd completed the 16 miles, the furthest I have ever run, feeling as though I could run a little further (at a snails pace!). I think my time was a reflection of several things: a lack of proper preparation leading up to the race, due to the snow and cold in Birmingham. I did not run consistently at all throughout March, frustrated by the snow fall and niggling injury, perhaps once or twice a week at the most. I therefore took the (probably unwise) decision to run 13 miles on the Wednesday before the race: whilst this was a great confidence boost, I think running such a distance in the week running up to the race may not have left me as fresh as I could have been. I also did find the trail run more difficult and probably draining than road running, so that may well also have had an effect.

So, overall a really good run: in the main the race was really well organised and in lovely countryside. Good also to experience a trail route and I completed the longest run I've ever done! Learning from the weekend? To prepare well for races and not to put jelly babies in my pocket without some form of wrapping!!