Maria Runs - Maria Runs

Marshalling and memories

First of all, thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post about the Cambridge half. I’ve not done a race for a while (as the lovely festive five was cancelled due to snow) and it was nice to carry the post-race feel into the week.

My legs did take a while to recover, and I felt really tired all through the week. I wasn’t going to be back in time for our club run on Tuesday (and I felt pretty stiff still) so I met Andy in town and we tried the new Starbucks rooibos tea lattes- I’d had a normal one in South Africa so I went for the red apple one, which I actually quite liked although it is fairly sweet. The chai latte is still king. I did a fair bit of foam rolling, and of course walking around helped too.

On Wednesday yoga was just what I needed, with a focus of twists and back bends- I felt so much better after.

On Thursday I actually managed a run- it’s been weeks since I’ve managed one on a Thursday for one reason or another. I wasn’t home particularly early and I still felt so tired so I did just over 3 miles (I have a bit of a mental block where I don’t want to run for less time than it takes me to wash my hair after, so 3 miles is normally my lower limit).

On Friday I had booked a shoulder and back massage- I find these really help with my lower back too as I have had issues with it before, and having fairly regular massages (and I am sure yoga) has helped loads. The masseuse kept apologising to me as she kept finding huge knots- I normally have a few as she will mention it to me after and check I am OK, so it had to be bad for her to talk to me about it during the massage!

The other bonus of booking a massage is that it’s in St Albans, so I am just around the corner from The Pudding Stop. I hadn’t done any baking and so I treated us to the peanut butter and salted caramel brownie- honestly it’s just divine (we shared it because they are massive).

On Friday I was still feeling tired, but I wanted to go to parkrun as the memorial for Taff, the runner who had passed away, had been put back to this week (as last week was cancelled due to the snow). I checked the roster and they still had one marshal gap, and as I was meant to marshal last weekend when it was cancelled I felt like I owed them one, so I messaged Carrie (our run leader and the RD for that day)- she was happy to have another volunteer.

I had worn wellies so when I got there and was told I was at “the boggy bit” I was very glad of my preparation! It was so wet and muddy everywhere, but I was by the bit where the course goes around a right angled corner and then down a narrow, rutted path (I actually fell over there during a Sweatshop run and badly banged my head and cut up my shoulder- I still have a big scar there)- so a marshal to shout warnings to the runners was much needed.

I nearly didn’t bring a hat but it was pretty windy out there (I was trying to show it in the pic with my hair going everywhere)- I only grabbed it at the last minute. We were all given daffodils to put out on the course, as the runner was Welsh. My marshal point was probably less than a km from the start as the crow flies, and I could hear the clapping at the start (they did a speech and applause for him). My point was around 3.5km in, so I had a while to wait, and I did think for a while about him. I didn’t know him well, but at the parkrun volunteer evening last year I spoke to him for ages about his life and how he got into running, and he was just so friendly towards everyone. Sometimes if I got to parkrun early I would head off on a short warm up run around the housing estate nearby, and he would jog up from where he lived, so if we crossed paths he would run the rest of the way with me (once I had run past in the other direction as I wanted to run to the roundabout and back, and I didn’t realise until I turned around that he was waiting for me to run back). The last time this happened was only a month or so ago- he was training for the London marathon so I was hearing about how his long runs were going. It was good to have time on my own to reflect- something about being out in nature, and also out at a parkrun (which he loved) felt like time well spent.

Anyway, back to the parkrun. The photographer position was empty on the roster too (they don’t tend to have someone each week) so I got my phone out and decided to try and photograph everyone as they ran past. I was having to call out warnings as it was slippery, so I wasn’t looking at my phone screen at all. Within the first 10 people, 2 had already slipped but they called out to say they were fine when I shouted after them- they were just covered in mud.

A few runners had worn Welsh flags or colours, and that dog covered in cotton wool is apparently dressed as a sheep. The finish area was decorated with photos, flags and daffodils.

It didn’t feel like long before the tail walker came through, although this was probably around 9.45. I walked through a shortcut to the finish with another marshal- he’d seen a walker slip down and scrape her face on the barbed wire fencing that she was holding on to, but he’d spoken to her and she said she was OK to finish, so he’d rang the RD to warn them to get the first aid kit ready.

The rest of Saturday was spent walking to Aldi (it’s not far from the parking at parkrun), getting on with a load of work, walking into town to stretch the legs, and then more work, finishing at around 7pm.

On Sunday I had planned a 5 mile run, but as is the way at the moment, it turned out to be 6.5 miles. I just can’t seem to remember routes, or add segments together to work out the total distance.

I only needed a t-shirt and although it was cold (I could see my breath) it felt like spring was on the way- loads of crocuses poking through.

On our walk back from town on Saturday we saw people painting these cool murals on the factory, and they were finished on Sunday morning. I have no idea if they are keeping them or it’s just to look interesting while all the building work is going on.

I had a lovely breakfast of panettone French toast with some maple butter and summer berries (Aldi do some lovely frozen mango, which I’d gone to buy, and then saw the summer fruits which was blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants- nice and tart), and then we were off to the cinema. We’d booked an 11.30 showing of Red Sparrow. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most cheerful of films, and some of the more gory scenes meant I had to close my eyes and block my ears!

We spent the rest of the day at mine and then Andy’s parents, all very relaxing.

Did you have a good weekend?

Cambridge half 2018

On Saturday there was still plenty of snow on the ground, but the main roads looked clear, so in the afternoon we headed to Cambridge. I didn’t think the race would be cancelled- the cynical part of me thought that a big company like that wouldn’t want to deal with the fallout, but also the race takes places on closed roads, and the traffic does a good job of clearing snow away. The Welwyn half marathon was due to happen on the same day, but they postponed it (until September) on Friday as it is run on pavements and paths so they couldn’t clear it all.

After leaving our bags in the hotel, we walked into the centre, to the race HQ, and around some of the parks. There were loads of very sad looking ducks wandering about on the grass and it turned out that the rivers were frozen solid- poor ducks!

We went out for dinner (pizza) and then to the cinema, to see Ladybird (which I really enjoyed). The cinema were trialling new recliner style seats, so there were only 8 seats per row. The seats had buttons to recline them and lift the footrest up, and even a huge tray to move around (a bit like when you are on the exit row of a plane) and rest all your snacks on. We’d smuggled in a few m n m’s, but the people next to us took up the entire tray with very noisy food like hot dogs, nachos, and something in a foil wrapper.

When we got back it was time to get my race kit out.

I had packed a range of clothes as I could not decide what to wear. Initially it was due to be milder but raining, but by Saturday evening the rain wasn’t due until gone midday, and as the race started at 9.30 I should be OK. (I’d spent ages looking for my gloves with the flap cover as those are waterproof, and could not find them anywhere- they turned up in the boot of my car on Wednesday so they must have been there since a parkrun)

I found my OH Snow top, which was made for the London Winter run- I thought it was appropriate!

I opted for a long sleeved top, the vest (and number) over the top, a long sleeved zip up to tie around my waist, and a headband to keep my ears warm. I wore my rain jacket to the start and Andy took it off with him (we had read that last year the bag drop queues were horrendous and I didn’t want to be waiting for 45 mins after finishing).

I had a bit of malt loaf and a nuun tab in some water for breakfast. We’d timed the walk from the start to the hotel, so we left at 9am and had plenty of time in the race village to find the start pen (there were big inflatable arches corresponding to the colour of your bib).

I was fairly warm on the walk there, but I got quite cold stood around in the pen. They had been handing out foil blankets but I thought I was OK with my extra top, although I took it off at 9.30, thinking we would be heading off promptly. When I crossed the line the race had been going for 12 minutes already so I was a bit colder by then.

I had decided to be optimistic and aim for between 2 hours and 2.05, similar to my time at Brighton last year, so I needed to keep between 9 and 9.30 min miles. The first few miles wove through the town, around fairly big roads with lots of crowd support. I thought it would thin out but it was very busy until around the 4 mile mark. For a lot of it we were running on one side of the road, with only cones separating us from the traffic on the other side, and at one point a guy jostled me with his elbow and nearly pushed me out into the road. I could manage the rather British response of muttering “excuse me” under my breath. I was already getting warm and so I rolled up my long sleeves and took off my headband and I did wonder if I had overdressed with the two layers- time would tell.

Miles 4-6 saw us running out of Cambridge and into the countryside toward Grantchester. There were some very empty parts, but then as soon as you got into a village there would be a big crowd of people cheering, with people playing music. The business of miles 2 and 3 had slowed me a little, but I picked up the pace once it thinned out a bit, and the various music stations lifted the spirits too.

Miles 7-9 saw us running back towards Cambridge. The route was fairly flat with a few gentle ups and downs but nothing taxing, just enough to get a bit of variation. At around mile 7 (over half way!) I bumped into Paula from my running club, although we only briefly ran together as she had a bit of a stomach ache from a gel. Of course there was the obligatory steel pan band, playing Octopus Garden which then got stuck in my head for the rest of the run (there are worse things to hum). At times we were quite exposed to the winds, and there was still snow on the ground in places- my worries about being too hot didn’t come true and I was fine with just me sleeves rolled up.

The final few miles were back in Cambridge, some of the beginning was run in reverse, but there were a few bridges to go up and down. You always hear someone saying “only a parkrun to go” now, which does make me smile, and I started to visualise our parkrun routes although I am not sure if that makes it feel shorter or longer. At one point we ran through some meadows with wonderful views of a big building (either a college or a church). By this time my quads were really stiffening up and I was worried I would get cramp. I passed the final water station (close to 11 miles I think) and had a couple of sips of water, and then got a bit of a stitch. I spent the next mile feeling rather grumpy- the race handed out water bottles with the silly sports caps, and the little plastic wires from around the tops were all over the floor. There were big recycling bins and runners were trying to aim them into the bins, but they were also being filled with gel wrappers so the waste is probably contaminated anyway. Had there been cups I could have chosen a cup with hardly any in it, but instead of that the rest of the water in my bottle went to waste. I did consider carrying it, but it was so cold that it made my hand ache. Anyway, rant over. The crowds in the centre were big and so I occupied myself crowd-watching. I saw my favourite sign; “Pain is just a French word for bread” which made me smile and helped push me on to the end.

I knew that I wasn’t close enough to 2 hours, but that if I kept pushing I could get under 2.05, so I tried to use my arms as much as possible. As I came up to the final corner, lots of people (walking past wearing their medals) were saying “just around the corner and the finish line will be in sight” but in fact it wasn’t! The finish straight felt so long, and it took a while to even reach the 13 mile marker.

I crossed in 2.04.40, and pretty much as I crossed the line I got a text message confirming it. Then you had to walk for a bit down the finish funnel, through another funnel and finally to collect a bottle of water, a goodie bag, medal, foil blanket and can of (alcohol free) beer. They were handing out cups of beer too but I didn’t fancy any- I was ready for breakfast!

There was a banana in the goodie bag so I ate that while we were walking- I always love a banana once I have finished a race.

The field was a total quagmire of mud- my legs were a bit jelly like at that point and it was hard to walk across the field to the hard path- I think all of the snow had melted overnight and so the ground was totally sodden.

Andy met me on the path and we walked into the centre to Bill’s as we had booked a table. I changed clothes and then enjoyed pancakes and tea, we shared a carrot and ginger juice, and Andy even gave me some of his sweet potato fries- they make a good addition to the pancakes.

We had a walk around Cambridge after, and I was excited to find that the Cambridge Hotel Chocolat has a cafe (their hot chocolate is the best). This was an Easter special and even came with a little chocolate bunny- the lady in the shop handed it to me as I don’t have the cream on top so there’s no-where for it to balance.

Then it was time to walk back to the car, drive home and have a shower. I thought all of the walking was helpful, but by Sunday evening my legs were feeling pretty sore. I made sure to do plenty of foam rolling, but they only started to feel better after yoga on Wednesday.

Goodie bag with a graze box, Eat Natural bar, quavers (so weird- took them to work), beer and a man’s razor (did some bags get female razors? It seemed a strange item to be in there)

Overall I enjoyed the Cambridge half marathon. The route was varied enough, well supported, and it generally seemed well organised. I didn’t use the bag drop but I didn’t see big queues so hopefully they have sorted that this year. It was nice to be able to get home fairly quickly (it’s about an hour drive), and of course having the hotel was a bonus. I’m not sure I would do it again, but it’s probably got pb potential as it is fairly flat, you’d just need to try to avoid the crowded parts. They did have pacer runners but I didn’t see any in my starting pen (and I am sure they ran to chip time as a 2 hour pacer finished a little behind me). When I finished I did think that I would like to run Brighton again next year- there is something about running by the sea that I do really enjoy.

Do you like to run the same routes/races again, or do you prefer to run new ones? Did you have much disruption from the snow this weekend? What is your ideal post-race meal? What do you like to see in a goodie bag?

Snow-ga (don’t worry, we weren’t actually outside in the snow)

In case you have not seen more than 20 seconds of new footage this week, you will know we have had a fair bit of snow this week. I couldn’t run on Tuesday evening anyway, due to a late meeting, but because I was on a course that day (which started a bit later) I did think I could run first thing instead. When I woke up and saw snow and icy pavements, I gave that a miss!

It does make for some beautiful sunrises though.

On Wednesday yoga was on- my first time in a few weeks due to the half term break and work meetings- and I found it pretty tough in places. We look out over a communal garden lit with fairy lights so it looked so pretty in the snow.

Mostly my car has been showing -4 on my journeys to and from work, but to yoga it was down to -5! I made sure I took extra layers, but thankfully they were only needed for the journey as the room has a heated floor that had warmed up nicely.

We had some sad news this week – one of the regular Ellenbrook parkrunnners died in his sleep. He was such a friendly character and always chatted to everybody- I got to know him a bit better at the parkrun volunteer event last year and always said hi to him at parkrun. A few times during my warm up jogs he’d pass me in the other direction and jog back so we could run to the start together. He was training for the London marathon and appeared a very fit guy, only in his 50’s. The core team were planning a memorial to him at parkrun, but due to more snow the parkrun has been cancelled- I am sure they will have a tribute next weekend instead.

On Thursday I left work as soon as I could as the snow got heavier during the day and the roads were not great to drive on- there were gritters out but the snow was settling so I was basically trying to follow the tyre tracks left by other cars. Ages ago I had ordered a new chair for the living room and it was finally delivered.

I made the most of my longer evening by making a pot of tea (Bluebird rooibos), sitting in the new chair and looking out at the ever increasing snow (and spotting a few birds feeding). We even put the fire on in the evening.

School was closed on Friday, and luckily I had taken a folder of work home with me the other day, so I got some work done in the morning, and also had a look in the garden (loads of footprints were left overnight- some were pretty big – see my foot for comparison- and I did wonder if any were the foxes, but I think it’s all cats)- I also cleared the path and a bit of the driveway but as more snow was falling it seemed to be making things worse.

We walked into town to get a few bits for dinner before the worst of the weather set in- it was meant to get bad at around 1pm and that was pretty accurate.

After lunch (mmm, quesadilla with apple, chutney and cheddar) I did some more work- it was good to work while looking out at the garden- all the footprints that I had made in the morning were completely covered. (Late on Friday night we saw a fox walk through the garden- as it was all still snow-covered so it seemed so light) so I am pretty sure those are some of the footprints.)

The snow got really heavy- the road out the front was clear in the morning and it was then covered in snow after a few hours. I did try and take some photos of the birds feeding in the snow- the robins keep visiting the seeds and fat balls, and there is a very acrobatic blackbird who jumps up and almost hovers by the fat ball hanging from the little apple tree (top pic) but it’s all a blur.

The poor birds must be wondering what is up with the weather. It has been sending me a bit stir crazy- no running all week. I could have potentially run on Friday during the day, but even walking into town wasn’t easy as a lot of the pavements were slippery, and risking falling over just doesn’t seem sensible when in the long run I’ve done all my training. We are still going to Cambridge today even if the race is called off (although they keep on updating that it should be fine- just wet and cold), as we have cinema tickets and can enjoy time wandering around the city (or maybe brisk walking if it’s still so cold). Although I was originally down to marshal at parkrun, Ellenbrook was cancelled, but Panshanger was on- it’s all off road and running through the snow sounded like fun, but having another rest before the half marathon isn’t going to do any harm (I hope- have my legs forgotten how to run in this short space of time??).

So, a week of no running (so far)- hopefully the thaw will happen sooner rather than later and things can get back to normal.

Did you have a lot of snow near you? Did you brave running in the snow?

Letchworth parkrun and a Very Good Idea

On Friday night I made the last minute decision to visit Letchworth parkrun. I had messaged my dad, but he was away for the weekend (and ran at Bakewell parkrun)- next weekend I am volunteering as it’s the day before the half marathon, and then they are off on holiday for a bit, so I decided to re-claim Queen of Herts, as this was the newest Hertfordshire event. They launched at the end of January to a big crowd (388) but since then numbers have levelled off a bit (135 last week, 136 this week). I’d seen pictures and it looked like a very muddy course, so the frost this weekend also added to my decision. It’s not my NENDY (nearest event not done yet) as I live too close to London, so using the parkrun tourist tool (google it- you can add in your parkrun number, it looks at your location and shows the parkruns nearby) I still have 8 that are closer including Ally Pally) but it is the easiest one to get to (no idea what acronym that could have)- I just need to drive up the A1 a bit further than Stevenage.

Thankfully the parkrun flag was on the verge by the road to direct runners into the park.

Of course as it was a last minute decision I hadn’t even looked properly at where to park. Their website showed a small car park, but when I looked into it, it was for 25 cars, so I didn’t think I’d find a space. Nearby were what looked like residential roads so I thought I would leave plenty of time and once I found the car park, drive away from it and find a space in the street. Of course I left later than planned, and had to scrape my car. Google maps thought it would be 30 mins, so I was going to leave just after 8am, but by the time I’d scraped my car it was 8.15, and then when I plugged in the satnav it said it would take 40 mins which was cutting it very fine. In the end the journey was quick, and as soon as I realised (by the road name) that I was on the road for the car park, I found a space and ran along- I was only a third of a mile away so no need to panic, and when I got there the car park had loads of spaces. It was a bit like a flashmob parkrun- at 8.50 there were hardly any people about- I chatted to another tourist for a few minutes (he’d come from Wimpole), but then as we headed across the field to the new run briefing, the field was suddenly packed with runners. The weather probably had a lot to do with that- I had on three layers and kept them all on for the run as it was freezing, and I would have waited in the car for longer had I known how close I was.

The course was really enjoyable. The run briefing started on some playing fields, but to start we walked through a gap in the hedge to farm fields. The route was two laps, running down the side of the farm fields (with lovely countryside views), along a track, then up the other side, then through some trees, a short section across the playing fields (I think this was a change from previous weeks as they were still working on the best route and welcoming feedback) before running along a path lined with trees at the edge of the field (then repeat). The ground was very rutted in places, with some huge icy puddles, and I would imagine that on wet days it would be really slippery and tough. A few people ran through the puddles and must have been in up to their ankles. Even when I was walking back to the car, any grass in the shade was still frozen solid and crunchy. I quite like two lapped courses as for the first lap the scenery is great and everything is new, and then the second lap you know you only have this and that to go before the finish. I stopped a few times to take a few pictures too, and was pleased to get in under 30 mins with 29.41. I’m sure I’ll be back as it is one that Dad would enjoy too- we like less laps and less busy ones.

Onto the Very Good Idea. A few weeks ago, walking back to my car after running at Panshanger I saw someone sitting in their car drinking from a hot flask. What a good idea! I usually take water with me, and although these parkruns do have coffee vans, the hot drink is then too hot to drink and so I would end up taking it home, where I may as well make one there.

This time I made a cup of tea before I left – I use these cups at work and usually make my tea at about 6.45 and drink it at about 10/10.15 and it’s still nice and warm.

It was waiting for my in my car (not with the lid off…)- it did fog up the windscreen when I took the lid off though! I’d taken a jumper with me to put on after, so I put that on and had my tea quickly before driving home. It was so good to have something warm so soon after I had finished running- I shall be doing this again I am sure.

The other thing I liked was that Letchworth had new style finisher tokens- they are purple and say “I belong to parkrun” on one side, and “please return me” on the other side. This seems a good idea to me seeing how many tokens get lost each week.

After breakfast we quickly walked into town to get a few bits. I had a fair amount of work to get through, so I took my laptop into the dining room so I could look out at the garden (it’s also warmer there than in my office).

This may make the work take slightly longer as every time I would see something flitting about I would stop and look at it (the wren came back!) but it makes it more enjoyable.

Sunday was the final long run before the half next weekend. Ideally I wanted to have done another 13 miles (or maybe 14) in training, but last weekend I only did 10, so I decided to do 11 this week. I am terrible at knowing the routes at the moment, so the one I did ended up being 11.5 miles. All nice and slow (although according to Strava I have run it already and this time was faster)- once home I had a short amount of time to shower and have breakfast as we were off to see I,Tonya (which I found very interesting).

So, another parkrun visited and I re-gain being able to say I’ve done all of the parkruns in Herts. However, I didn’t need it for the parkrun alphabet as I already have already been to Linford Wood (Milton Keynes).

Another lovely weekend in Brighton (and a course pb!!!)

On Friday after lunch we headed down to Brighton. The train takes just under 2 hours, so as soon as we arrived we checked in to the hotel and then headed out for two Brighton essentials- tea lattes from Bluebird tea (I got the Earl Grey creme latte which reminds me of the gorgeous London fog lattes you get in Canada), and a walk by the sea.

The weather was perfect- clear skies and no winds so the sea was like a millpond. We walked along to the beach huts by Hove and then walked back and went for dinner.

I didn’t actually sleep that well- the room was warm despite having the window open, and it sounded like lorries going past (I think it was rail replacement buses from early in the morning), but of course I was off to parkrun in the morning.

I’d been to Preston Park before, and last time tried to keep up with the 28 min pacer, and finshed with 27.55. I thought I would aim for something similar as a measure of fitness, and when I got there it turned out they were having a pacing event. It was super busy though, with (I think) their second highest attendance of 588 as they had events from several running clubs on. Anyway, I could not see the pacer once I got to the start area, although they do have signs up near the start area to help you know where to line up according to your estimated finish time.

It was the perfect morning for running- nice and cool, sunny skies, no breeze, and I think all of the super speedy runners somehow pulled me along. I didn’t look at my watch at all, but just focused on keeping a high pace and trying to overtake the person in front, steadying for a bit and then going to overtake the next person. I was pretty surprised when I peeped at my watch a few metres from the line and saw a 26 on there!

My official time was 26.47! Anything beginning with 26 is a rarity for me so I was over the moon! I had offered to write the run report, so it’s here if you are interested. After finishing I jogged back to the hotel, and after a shower it was time for breakfast at the best place- Cafe Coho. They always do amazing pancakes- the last few times I have had them with berries and greek yoghurt, but I spied a new option this time- caramelised banana, chocolate marscapone and hazelnut praline. Oh yes. It was really good, but very sweet (obvs), so I think probably the more sensible choice was the berries. Anyway, good to try.

The weather was just as beautiful, so we walked along to Hove, then back along the seafront, this time getting iced drinks from Bluebird (we shared a strawberry lemonade and an iced chai as decisions are too tough in there).

As we’d had a late breakfast, we didn’t have lunch, stopping for a bit of tea and cake a few hours before dinner, and then we got the train home on Saturday evening. I ended up with a headache, I think probably from not drinking enough, so instead of my planned 13 mile run on Sunday I thought I would see how far I would manage.

I was actually OK when I woke up on Sunday but I went out a bit later than planned (around 9am) so I did just under 10 miles.

When I got home it was time for a nuun tab in water, a smoothie, and a date filled with peanut butter- these are quite salty because I made with the peanut butter at the bottom of the tub and it all seems to sink there. That was enough to keep me going so I could have a shower before breakfast.

As it was such a lovely day we had planned a walk for Sunday afternoon, and we ended up doing 5 miles, so I still had a lot of time on my feet.

The rest of this week has been very busy with work things- I managed one run after work on Tuesday, and a couple of walks in the evening, but yoga wasn’t on and I was home too late for a run on Thursday. A few photos: (Clockwise from top)-I tried the blueberry nakd bar and was pleasantly surprised- I don’t always like blueberry muffins as the blueberry flavour can be a bit fake/sweet. A few Bluebird purchases including lovely red velvet tea. Wuntu were doing free Costa drinks so I stopped on Friday on my way home. Crisps made with chickpeas- I approve of the salt and vinegar flavour!

What do you have planned for this weekend?