Park-tail-running, parking panic, pancakes and anti-decorating

Last Saturday, for the second week in a row I had signed up to do the new runners briefing and then tail run at Ellenbrook fields parkrun- I was going to do one but as they were short of volunteers and I can do both, it made sense. Just like last week I planned on getting there early and running a couple of miles, to get the total up to 5 miles. However when I got to the car park it was coned off (we have permission to use a University car park on Saturday mornings). As there were no cars I thought they had been left out, so I got out of my car to move one, and got shouted at by a man at the other end of the car park. Personally I felt he was quite rude- I explained that the runners have permission and he told me he was here to stop people moving the cones, so I would have to go to reception- he pointed but in fact when I drove around the corner it was in fact a dead end. Helpful. So I put a message on the parkrun facebook page, hoping that the RD would see it, and then I drove off, and as I knew the area I found a residential street to park in. This all took time, so in the end my leisurely two miles was rather frantic as I wanted to get my breath back before doing the briefing!

I called everyone over at around ten to 9, like I was asked to do last week. I had only tourists, no new parkrunners, which made it easier. Then the RD waved at me, I gave her the thumbs up and she announced I was about to do the briefing- I had to shout that I had already done it! I thought she was waving to check it had gone OK! I then had one new runner come over, which was probably good for them as she could ask me questions about the course and timings. It’s nice doing both jobs as I could reassure her that I would be at the back- it seems to be the main worry of most people.

This time there was a girl running at the back who I chatted to- she had only been running since January and had run a couple of 10k’s, so we chatted a lot about races. It was all very enjoyable, and very speedy for a tail run- a few of the marshals told us we were very quick, and I think we got in around 42 minutes- very impressive! My watch beeped for 5 miles just as we finished which was perfect as that was what I was aiming for. I walked back to my car, changed into a t-shirt and then drove to my mum’s house. Mum was making pancakes for breakfast which is my absolute favourite, so we had a lovely breakfast and catch up, before they lent me their wallpaper steamer.

After a quick shower at home, we started with the wall paper stripping (what do you call it? Because we aren’t decorating. we are anti-decorating…). The steamer could only be used for 80 minutes as then it would overheat, so we left it for a bit and watched some tennis.

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Mum had told me that Dad was down to do the ladies final at Wimbledon (he does the line judging there) and so I was trying to spot him- he was at the end opposite to the main cameras but I did catch a glimpse of him at a couple of points, and when they give the trophy they all line up at the end.

We only managed to strip two walls as in the afternoon we were off to see Andy’s brothers, but we are in no rush and will carry on next weekend.

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I was looking at my parkrun profile later on, and I am sure I have earned my purple shirt, but I have not had the email yet. Ah well. This weekend I am marshalling so I might borrow something from work again- not sure it will be a tambourine again. Any suggestions?

Midsummer 5 mile series round 1

Some of the event team at Panshanger parkrun launched a midsummer series of two 5 mile races on Thursday evenings. The first one was last Thursday, in the ground of Hatfield House.

It didn’t start until 7.30, but I didn’t want to have dinner before. We had sports day at work and then went out for lunch, but I didn’t fancy any of the vegetarian options (a brie panini- I don’t like brie, or a cheddar baguette, which didn’t sound that exciting) so I had a huge iced bun instead, and some tea. I didn’t get home from work until nearly 6pm, so I had a few nakd nibbles, a couple of crackers and some coconut water, before changing and heading out.

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As it was so local, lots of the club were running and supporting. They also had a kids race which is always a nice addition.

I had not really thought about time at all, and I was chatting to my running buddy Elaine when the race started- we were right at the back but I think that is always best, especially when it is chip timed.

I had looked at the map but as I have only run in the grounds a handful of times, I didn’t really know the route at all. It started off uphill towards the house, then down, parallel to the start. Then the route went through some fields, gently uphill for the first mile. Then came a bigger hill- it was only when I got to the top that I realised it was a hill that we ran down on our Tuesday night club run- I a glad I didn’t know at the beginning as I think psychologically it would have been tough knowing how long it went on for. As I had started right at the back I was steadily catching up with some of my club mates- it is lovely to know faces at events like this and gasp a quick “hi” between breaths.

After the longer hill (which I think finished around the 2 mile point) it was a flat path through woodlands- it was a very scenic place to run, with foxgloves towering over the ferns and shrubs in the woods- some of them were well over 2 metres tall! I was smiling all the way through! I had managed to keep Elaine in my sights (she is normally much quicker, but has been training to swim a relay of the channel so has not done as much running recently) and eventually caught up with her.  We had some lovey downhill sections too, although I did feel like I was being cautious and was overtaken by quite a few people here- I think I am still worried about falling. The loop finished on a track through more fields (more lovely scenery) and then we re-traced our steps for the final mile- an uphill section to the front of the house, and then a lovely downhill to the finish. On the uphill I was really gasping, and running alongside me were some other girls who were equally noisy! On the downhill I could see the cheer squad and so I tried to really push on and I felt like I was sprinting- the photos may suggest otherwise!

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At the finish someone cut the chip from my shoe, and then I got a bottle of water and a banana (hooray!)- Elaine finished around the same time as me (I can’t remember which was we finished) so we had a little chat and a photo (of course). I got my print out right away- 45.25 was my chip time, so in fact I think that was only 40 seconds off my 5 mile pb (which was from a very flat course)- not too shabby!

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I then wandered over to the club cheer squad where I was given the most amazing flapjack- it had caramel sauce, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate chips on the top. So good.

So it seems like the iced bun was a good option in the end! The next one is in two weeks time, at Panshanger, so I think it is likely to be a bit more hilly…

By the time I got home and had a shower, it was gone half 9, so I had some toast and watermelon- it felt very late to be eating though. I don’t think I have ever done an evening race before- the Bournemouth 10K was at 4pm I think, so a bit too close to lunch time. This was better being later, although personally 6.30 or 7 would have been preferable.

Have you ever raced in the evening?

A summery salad

A while ago I was contacted by Sainsbury’s to see if I could make a visually stunning salad, as they have teamed up with food artist Amber Locke to encourage people to be more creative with their salads.

At the moment we have been enjoying halloumi cheese, often grilled with a salad and some quinoa. Then on Sunday after the 10K we went to Bill’s and I had one of their specials which was a salad with grilled honey peaches and halloumi. The sweet fruit and salty cheese went so well together, so we decided to make a similar version at home.

Halloumi and Watermelon Salad

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For two servings we used:

Watermelon, cubed (we bought a whole one, but had loads left over)

One pouch of Merchant Gourmet red and white quinoa (for extra colour although it is more black than red)

One pack of salad leaves

Half a pack of halloumi

A sprig of mint leaves

It was very quick to prepare:

Slice the cheese and put in a pan, Heat for a few minutes on either side.

Heat the pouch of quinoa in the microwave.

Slice the watermelon.

Tear the mint leaves.

Assemble on the plate.

Enjoy.

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I loved it and we both agreed that it is something we would make again. The watermelon and cheese just went perfectly together- I think the texture of the watermelon was even better than the peaches at Bill’s. It was also good to have a mixture of warm (quinoa and cheese) and cold (salad and watermelon). I don’t normally think to add herbs to salads either, but the mint just went so well and I am glad we used it. Andy did comment that we should have bought some blueberries too, and then it could have been a 4th of July salad (we had it on Monday) but we were eating it by then- maybe next time!

Do you like cheese and fruit in salads? Or salads with warm and cold ingredients?

*I was sent a voucher from Sainsbury’s to cover the cost of the ingredients. All opinions are my own.

WR10K 2016- my, that was hot!

This was my third time of running the WR10K event. I really enjoy it- the setting is nice (around a lake), it is easy to find (not far from the motorway, around a 50 minute drive), there is great support, the marshals are fab, the goodie bag is full, you get a medal and a technical t-shirt- lots of positives!

For the last couple of years it’s been the same day as the British Grand Prix, so one year Andy dropped me off on his way, and last year I drove myself as I didn’t want to wait around for him to finish. But this year the Grand Prix is next weekend, so he drove us up there. It was such a warm day- we are not used to this! I had put on sun cream but once we were out of the car and walking around I wished I had brought my visor with me as it was so bright.

They had the warm up but I stayed away for that, although to be fair it is a proper warm up and not static stretches and Mo-bots. The start was not that organised this year which was a shame- they have pacer runners for 50, 55, 60 and 70 minute 10K times and there is a 5K too, which is one lap, so you divide the time by two if you are doing the 5K. In previous years they called groups over, but this year the 50, 55 and 60 minute pacers were all at the start line, and only the 70 minute pacer was further back. I didn’t want to fight my way through, so I just thought I would use my Garmin. I had planned on keeping the 60 pacer in sight for the first lap and then seeing how I felt, as I ideally wanted to finish in under 60 minutes, and maybe beat my time from last year.

I enjoyed the first lap although it was very hot, so I was mindful of not going too fast. I was overtaking a lot of people at the start and it seemed more congested than previous years. The marshals all had cowbells which was great. It also had the friendly feeling of a parkrun with lots of runner thanking the marshals which is always great. The scenery was lovely, especially in the sunshine, and I loved seeing all the geese and goslings. At the half way point some of the 5k runners were finishing, and I saw one of the girls from my running club (she thought she was marshalling, but they didn’t need her so she just came to watch)- I think I shouted to her “it’s so hot!” as I ran past.

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The second lap felt tougher because I was just getting hotter. There were some parts in shade, but a lot was very exposed with little breeze. I saw some people in full length tights and long sleeved tops which made me feel hot just looking at them! There were a couple of water stops but I didn’t have any as I knew I would be given some at the finish too. Around the 8k mark I suddenly felt really tired, my stomach ached and although the time on my watch meant I could still make it in under the hour, I really felt like I could not be bothered, which is not like me. I had to tell myself that I didn’t feel sick, I was just imagining it. At 9k I thought we were going through the woods but we had another out in the open bit first, so I started counting to 100. As you come up to the finish you run in front of the hotel and pub, and so there were lots of people out supporting which was great. I had really wobbly legs and tried to push through the finish line, but Andy told me I looked like I was taking it easy! Not sure if that’s a complement or not, because it didn’t feel easy!

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I was then given so many things! Water, a medal, a goodie bag, a t-shirt (I chose a medium which is perfect- it’s lovely and soft but also technical- and a much nicer fit than last year), a WR magazine, a Buff bag and some leaflets.

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The medal is engraved on the back like last year too, which I love. I had some water, caught up with Donna from my club, and then found Andy and we headed back to the car. It was pay and display and I only had 2 hours so we only had around 20 minutes after finishing. I changed my socks and shoes, and wiped my face, but the rest of my change of clothes would have to wait. I had a nuun tab in some water, and then we drove to the shopping centre. In the toilets I used more face wipes (honestly I cannot tell you how much I love to use a face wipe after a race- especially in the heat I get salt all over my face and it feels so good to wipe it away), changed into jeans and the t-shirt I had just been given, and looped up my hair (my ponytail was sopping wet). We bought lunch (I had the lovely super greens and red sandwich from Pret which is my absolute favourite- baby kale, avocado, red pepper, red tapenade, flaked almonds) and did a bit of shopping. We then braved Ikea as we needed another bookshelf and wanted to look at armchairs and a few other bits, before finally driving home.

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I surveyed my goodies! There was also a little pack of Urban Fruit dried pineapple, which I had in the shopping centre before lunch.

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I had looked into marshalling the London one, but it is the same weekend as the Disneyland Paris half marathon, so I can’t, but maybe next year. I loved the look of the cowbells!

After a shower and a cup of tea, we chilled out for a bit before walking into town and going to Bill’s for dinner- the novelty of being walking distance to town is not wearing off at the moment!

When I looked at the results later, my official time was 59.15, so I was pleased to be under the hour in that heat. It was not as quick as last year, but I am happy that I enjoyed it and still managed a decent time (for me).

Speed training, Canada and more parkrunning

But first, afternoon tea (sort of). When we had breakfast at Bill’s in Manchester we were given a voucher for a free piece of Victoria sponge or scone if you bought a hot or soft drink, but it was only valid in June, so on Monday after work we met in town and enjoyed some afternoon tea. I chose a scone, which turned out to be two, warm from the oven- lovely. Andy had the cake (which came with a little bit of cream and a pot of fresh strawberries). I had driven as it’s on my way home from work, so once we got home we managed a walk before it rained.

This week our Tuesday evening club run was speed training. Of course it had been pouring with rain most of the day, so our leader decided to change it slightly. We ran the larger loop of the parkrun course (around 4k I think), and then some of our runners were running 100 miles in June, so they headed off to do some more miles, and a few of us stayed for a bit of speed training. We used the old taxi-way to do various things- a single file game where the person at the back has to run to the front, then we used the gaps in the concrete to run out to the first one, then back, then out to the second one, then back and so on. This was tricky as the floor was slippery in places so the stopping to change direction made it harder. We practised pumping our arms for a bit (which then gave me aches for the next few days) and a bit of core strength balancing. Finally we did a time trial where we ran out for a minute as hard as we could, and then turned around and tried to get back before the next minute was up. We then did this for 30 and 15 seconds. I think I managed it once! Need to work on the pacing! Again the turning was hard- we had been warned to be careful but I was being very cautious as I didn’t want to fall. It was dry for most of it, but near the end it started to pour and I had left my tennis visor in my car. Whoops. I struggled to get my jumper on over my soaking wet skin and clothes, and then realised as I was half way home that my watch was still on. Whoops again! I did manage to edit it later in Strava, and delete the last bit, otherwise it looked like extremely speedy speed training!

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And if you listen to this week’s marathon talk you can hear a little discussion about tennis visors- honestly those guys don’t understand how annoying rain is when you wear glasses! (I feel I need to email this to them because it’s not a green plastic thing, it’s nice).

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In support of Canada day (or just a coincidence) I bought a lot of Pip and Nut peanut butter- EarthMiles had an offer for 15% off (you earn earth miles by linking up to Strava or Garmin etc- activities earn miles to be exchanged for deals on various health and fitness products), and they had some limited edition crunchy pb with maple syrup. It is pretty amazing. I also got some of the normal peanut butter, and a little mixed mini case with three types (I think maple, coconut and almond, and one other)- I shan’t be running out of peanut butter for a while.

I normally run after work on a Wednesday, but my arms were aching and it was raining, so I decided to have a walk instead, and enjoy spending a bit more time at home- I feel like I hardly sit on my sofa at the moment. I had also started thinking about the 100 mile challenge, as some of the girls had already signed up to run it in July. So resting before that started would be a good idea.

On Thursday I was off to Pump- our instructor was away so they had a replacement, who does a lot of the 30 minute pump classes. She was a bit scary at first- we asked her if it was the new or old release, and she told us that our instructor should not be doing the same release each week, but changing it all of the time. This made me nervous as I had only been once since falling over, and I got a gauge for the weights I should be using, but as soon as it is something new I tend to go for lighter weights to see how I am, as I can add more the following week. So I was fairly conservative in the end. It was still good, and the instructor was encouraging, but I really prefer to do the same one for a while so I get the hang of it.

On Friday I decided to sign up for the 100 mile challenge (here if anyone is interested). I figured that as I finish for the summer holidays on the 22nd, I will have a week to catch up any mileage if I get behind. I do have a few races coming up, and I can always add a mile or so on to a parkrun to get the distance up too. So when I got home I headed out on a run (later than planned because I had not used the Bluetooth headphones with my new phone, so I then had to find the box, do the activation code, pair them together…). Anyway, the run was fab- nice and sunny but a breeze so I wasn’t too warm.

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I did some stretching in the garden when I got home too (also I noticed that my nails matched my shoes). It is so lovely to be able to cool down outside in the privacy of our back garden.

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I have been sent some Savse smoothies to sample, so I had one of them after- this one was made with purple carrots, plus berries and it was lovely (I will do a proper review later).

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My personalised vest also arrived on Friday- perfect timing as I was down to tail run and do the new runner briefing at Ellenbrook. (I have a Panshanger t-shirt, so I thought it was only fair to get an Ellenbrook vest- I had to wait about a month though). It’s a perfect fit- nice a long, and loose- it is a small but they are generous, like the milestone t’s are.

Because of signing up for the 100 miles in July, I decided to get to parkrun early and do a mile or so before it started. I passed a few of the people setting up who looked a bit confused to see me going the other way! I think I ran about 1.6 miles before going to get my high viz vest and tail runner lanyard. I had to shout to attract the new runners as the RD was positioned at the entrance to the field and not at the start, and I had a big group of people (37 first timers listed on the results), and it was windy so I felt I had to use my best teacher voice! I am so glad I plucked up the courage to do the new run briefing last year at Panhanger, because it is really enjoyable to welcome brand new parkrunners, and interesting to see where the tourists come from. I had a few late comers asking about barcodes- I think when I first went I imagined I had to run through the finish tunnel waving my barcode, so I can sympathise with how it is hard to understand how it might work.

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My tail runner view of the start.

Then it was time for me to switch roles and stay at the back to tail run. I wanted to do this as I have a 10k race tomorrow, so didn’t want to be tempted to push myself, and I’m doing the same next weekend too, as it’s the 10 miler next Sunday. I ended up walking around, accompanying a lady who had been to a couple of parkruns before, and had been doing a new to running group at a local running club. It was lovely to chat with her, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

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Beautiful!

As we came up to the finish, one of our club members shouted for her name, and then all of the people at the finish gave her a big cheer as she crossed the line- it was great to see. I quickly got my chip scanned, and then jogged back to my car- my watch beeped for 5 miles on the way- only 91 to go!

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I was very pleased with my new top! I might even get another vest as I much prefer running in vests to t-shirts.

I then rushed home for a quick shower and breakfast before going to school, as I was manning a stall at the summer fair. I bought some plants on the way home, so after a late lunch and a walk into town, I spent some time outside doing some weeding, and planting a few flowers (poppies, foxgloves and cornflowers) to add some colour to our garden. I also got scratched by a very evil rose bush.

Would you be tempted by a distance challenge? I know a lot of people like run streaking, but I know it is not good for me to run every day. I did the poppy challenge last year (run as far as you can in October) and that was good as it encouraged me to go out for maybe a bit longer, but without being silly.

If you volunteer at parkun/ races, what is your favourite role?