Category: Running

They do love advertising this as “the lolly run” as you get an ice lolly at the end.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a sandbagger (and you will see from my time, I am not one) but I knew my training hadn’t been perfect. I was gradually building up my long runs after Brighton, and a month ago did 12 miles. But then I had a holiday, so missed two weekends of longer runs, and then last weekend did the 10K stampede, so no long run that weekend either. I did manage 8 miles on Tuesday, but I knew I was not in pb form.

I was aiming to meet my course best, of 2.10.09- set in 2013, so I looked up the pacing and tried to keep the number in my mind. It was 9 something miles- helpful.

Anyway, added to the usual pre race nerves, I had a new car to drive which I had picked up on Saturday. I had my last car for 12 1/2 years, and so getting used to the new gears and things was adding to my stress. Not perfect timing! Anyway, I drove to a town centre car park and the walked down the hill with all the other runners. Some other runners asked me for directions so I chatted to them as I walked down the hill, which helped to keep my mind off the miles ahead. The race is pretty well organised, but for some reason the bag drop queue was immense- I was in it for 25 minutes! I had 5 minutes after that to get to a starter pen, although they the announced they would delay the start by 10 minutes.

I was so cold! It was drizzling, and a bit windy, so although good conditions for running, not good for standing about and waiting. I’d only packed my long sleeved top for the finish, but wore it until I had to sort my bag for the drop.

The course goes through the park, up a hill to a golf course (at this point there was the first water station, with a Hawaiian theme- they all had flower leis and grass skirts!), before going back down, past the end of the park, and then up a long hill. In fact, up and down is the theme here. I never think it is too bad (I have run both Berkhamsted and Ashridge which are both way hillier) but it is not a flat course, and some of the hills are particularly steep.

I was doing OK, and got to the half way mat in 1.04, but then I just struggled a bit. I have had a bit of a cold, so I had to stop and get tissues out of my waist pack thing. The drizzle stopped and then it seemed to get so muggy- I felt like the sweat was just staying on my face and not coming off at all. I stopped at the final two water stations to have a proper drink- one of these was on a hill so I walked up that one instead of running. In the end I wanted to enjoy it, so I didn’t mind walking for a bit. I had a few jelly beans too, but they made my stomach ache right away, so only had about 4.

I never have any idea where I am in the lanes, so tried to enjoy the views of the countryside. I passed a few of the walkers (the walking half marathon set off at 8.30am so the speed walkers finished just after the runners started). Just after 11 miles (or maybe 12) we came out at the top of one of the biggest hills- I knew were we were! Just run down this hill (much more enjoyable than running up it at around mile 3), double back, run up a bit, into the park, and head for the finish.

Andy was waiting near the finish line and I managed a wave before heading under the archway to receive my medal and lemon ice lolly. My mouth was so hot that when I first tried to lick it, my tongue and lips kept sticking to the lolly and I had to peel them off with my hands! Not good. I had packed a nuun tab in my pocket, so added that to the water, collected my t-shirt (a gorgeous purple technical top) and then headed to the bag drop.

I didn’t have high hopes, but while I was waiting in the line someone brought my bag out to be- much better! Then I changed, used a face wipe and met up with Andy, before walking up the hill (that was tough) into town.

My watch said 2.11, and Strava agrees, saying 2.11.03 (although moving time was 2.08 something- I am not sure why that is so different). Not quite what I was aiming for, but close. My chip time was 2:11.03, so only a minute slower than the last time (probably due to walking in the water stops near the end). I am pretty pleased with that.

I love the t-shirt! I don’t normally wear purple but I would for running in.

After getting into town I fancied a warm drink, and while I was in the queue a lady behind me complimented my hair (I sort of french plait my fringe out of my eyes on one side), and then asked me if I had done a marathon (I was wearing the medal and top)- I told her I had run Brighton earlier in the year, and her first question was my favourite- how long is it? The same as London?

It’s funny, while I was running I did enjoy it, but the middle part is fairly hilly and I was thinking that I have run it 3 times now, and perhaps that is enough. But of course, as soon as I finished I was thinking about the good things- it’s so local, it is quite pretty, and now the t-shirt is technical it is better value (they introduced that last year, so the other times I ran I got a big old cotton one).

Will I sign up for it next year? I am not sure!

What are you favourite questions that non-runners ask you?

Would you be tempted to sign up for a walking half marathon?

I was really looking forward to seeing some funny signs at this race, but, alas, there were none to be seen.

On the plus side, it was a great race, with the added bonus of the race entry fee including admission to the zoo, so it was a proper day out.

Luckily it was not too far away, so after getting up at 7.15 and having some toast, I could take my time to get ready. I had taped the timer chip to my shoes, as it was one of the plastic strips that is meant to slot together, but in reality will come off fairly easily. I am still loving the event clips for numbers, instead of safety pins, too. We left at around 8.15, and arrived ready to park at 8.45. A small gripe is that spectators were meant to be able to buy tickets at a discounted price, in advance, but yesterday when we tried to book a ticket for Andy the discount code wouldn’t work.

Anyway, having a race somewhere like this meant ample real toilet blocks, and no queues either.

While we were waiting we looked at some of the photographs from a wildlife photography exhibition, and also watched the muntjac deer resting in the sun.

The race had a jazzercise warm up (no, I didn’t partake- I just kept my top on until the last possible moment as it was a bit chilly in the breeze), and then we were asked to line up by approximate finish times. I went for 55-60, as yesterday I did parkrun in 29.59, so thought that would be realistic. Promptly we were walked to the start line, and then we were off. I was glad I had read the instructions- it was a three lap course, and I didn’t hear the megaphone that clearly so I am not sure if they reminded everyone. Although to be fair there was a marshal at the end point asking you to keep right for laps 1 and 2, and turn left for lap 3.

The course was around the main loop of the park. After a few minutes a lady screeched and jumped out the way as a little deer came running in the other direction! I enjoyed spotting the animals as I ran past the paddocks. Although I was so busy craning my neck to look at antelope I almost ran into a photographer crouched in the middle of the runners!

Probably 1k in you had lovely sweeping views across the Dunstable downs. It was almost like a trail run, but run on tarmac if that makes sense!

In my mind I thought I knew the course, but in fact the last time we went to Whipsnade was March last year, and so where I thought was half way around the loop was more like a quarter or a third. The road was a bit undulating, but nothing steep, although towards the end of each lap was a slight hill where you were running into the wind, which did make it feel tough. There was a water station (with cups- I approve) but even though it was getting warm, I didn’t stop.

At the end of the first lap I saw Andy and gave him a wave, and headed off on the second loop. I was still enjoying the views and the animals- some sort of antelope were galloping about which was entertaining for a bit. I also saw a bear (un-escaped), and lots of other herds of deer and things. The fastest runners lapped me at this point, but there were huge gaps between them, and I think probably only a handful went past.

The km markers were very clear, although number 4 surprised me as I hadn’t seen number 3 (it was there, I was it on a later lap)- it was a bit strange reaching the 7km mark before the 1km marker, but it seemed to make them come faster too.

The third lap was a bit tougher- I have not run that far in a few weeks, and I think my legs were feeling it a bit. Plus the sun was getting stronger. Some of the route was shaded, but some of it was right in the blazing sun and my hair was starting to get all wet from the sweat on my back- I hate it when that happens. I saw Andy further around, so that gave me a bit of a boost. I had glanced at my watch a few times, but I didn’t really have much of an idea, apart from to keep under 10 min miles, and each time I had looked it had said 9-something, so I thought I was OK.

After the 9k marker I was trying to pick up my pace, but I was just struggling a bit- my heart felt like it was going as fast as it was going to thank you very much- and I was overtaken by loads of people sprinting for the finish.

The very helpful marshal who was directing runners was shouting “you can get in under the hour if you shift it” so I tried!

My watch said 59.19, and I am very happy with that. I think my 4th 10K to finish under the hour. The official results have not been published yet. (Edited to add- chip timing was 59.19)

 

The finish area was well organised too- people were waiting to hand out medals, and more people were handing out bottles of water. I had packed a nuun tab in my pocket, so I added that to my bottle right away. There were tent with boxes of bananas, and Eat Natural cereal bars for you to help yourself too. (I much prefer this to a goody bag- I could at least choose the flavour I liked the sound of, plus no annoying leaflets for things I don’t want to know about).

I met up with Andy, and had my banana sitting in the sun.

I then went to change and make use of the baby wipes I had packed, and then we headed off for another, more leisurely lap of the park!

The annoying chip.

Penguins!

After this I bought a cup of tea too- even though it is sunny, it gets pretty windy right by the Downs so it was fairly chilly.

Pygmy hippos! (There was a baby one inside but I didn’t take a photo)

Giraffes! We sat here for a bit while I had some lunch- I had bought a lovely butternut squash salad thing from M&S yesterday as I knew I would get hungry.

Zebras.

Spot the red panda (right in the middle).

Elephants! And a baby one!

After a few hours we had completed a leisurely lap, so headed back to the car.

After a shower at home, we had some tea and lemon cake.

And then fell asleep watching Have I Got News For You- all that fresh air I think!

All in all, it was a really enjoyable race. It was well organised, and the scenery was lovely too. It was a bonus being able to go around the zoo afterwards too.

Where is the most unusual place you have raced?

 

The weekend before we went away, I decided to volunteer at parkrun. I had seen they had new roles that allowed you to run, including a tail runner. I liked the sound of it, as I love encouraging people.

The weather was lovely- a bit breezy so clouds kept on rolling over, but mainly sunny and not too hot. I had worn a long sleeved top but tied it around my waist.

The start was interesting- obviously I had to start at the back, but probably even 5 minutes after they had started, people were still running into the car park and up to the starting corner. I think I ran quite fast for the first bit, because the last few people were pretty speedy. But soon I caught up with a couple of families with young children (two were 5 or 6, and one child was probably about 3 I think)- they were doing pretty much a walk (and the little one was having piggy back rides for most of it), so I hung back and gave them a bit of space. (I did try to cheer them on a bit, but they seemed fairly shy and I think it didn’t help, which is why I stayed further back after that).

I had been asked to pick up any signs along the way, and hand them to the marshals as I passed them. I got to the second marshal point (at nearly 2k in) and another person overtook me- they shouted something like “this is what happens when your alarm doesn’t go off!”

At the top there are some beautiful fields, so I took a few pictures, and let the families go ahead, before running fast to catch up.

I could never tire of the views from this place.

The first few marshals were heading off back the way I had come, but after half way they walked the route of the end of the course, so we walked together, collected signs and chatted. I think I even managed to recruit a new member to OH ladies, because the lady (who runs for another club in Welwyn) had a neighbour who was interested in any Hatfield based clubs. Nice work!

As we were heading up to the finish (a good 50 minutes after the start) just behind the families with little children, another runner appeared and headed up the hill! We could not believe it- she either started very late, or got lost although we are not sure how.

My dad (who had picked me up, and then run it in 25 minutes) was waiting for me at the top, and shouted “don’t get a token as it will mess up your average time”, and then as the last runner appeared we all started chatting about it. I was going to ask if I could get a token as it was my 40th run, but I got distracted and so didn’t. So although my 40th parkrun, it didn’t count towards my total.

It was very enjoyable to tail run, although I must admit I thought I would do a little more running. Of course it depends on the week- sometimes the final finisher is at around 40 minutes, but you never know who will come along. I had a 12 mile run the next day, so I didn’t want to run hard on the Saturday anyway, so it was perfect timing for me. I did miss the anticipation of the results text and email, although you get a text as a volunteer too, thanking you, which is always nice, and unexpected.

I did consider a quick run when I got home, but by the time Dad dropped me off it was about 10.30, and I was so hungry, and had a big pile of work to start on, so opted for breakfast instead.

I think on balance I prefer marshaling, because then you can cheer on everyone. Plus I wasn’t quite sure what to wear because I didn’t know how fast I would be going. I got to walk/ run the whole course though, so that was a bonus.

I love that there is a tail runner, because then no-one is the last finisher. It is something that will encourage people to join if they are worried about being last.

Anyway, parkruns are basically brilliant. A free timed run every week, run by volunteers, in a beautiful park setting. What more could you want?

Which roles do you like to do when volunteering? I like doing the barcode scanning too, as you get to see everyone, but the thought of being a timekeeper is very stressful indeed!

Howdy peeps!

I am back from a week in sunny Florida (more on that another day)- it was fab, but I didn’t take my running things with me as I knew I would not have the time while I was there. This has meant a bit of a shock to the system this week!

The week before we went, on the Tuesday I was home too late for the club run, so went out on my own for 4 miles.  On the Wednesday I didn’t do Sweatshop as didn’t want to be back that late, so I did 3 wet and windy miles on my own. On Thursday we had to pop to the shops to get a few bits, and also pack as we were going straight after work on the Friday.

(Skip past the holiday for now)

We landed at lunch time on Sunday, and of course Monday was back to work- tough with the jet lag. So it is really no surprise that for the club run yesterday I felt pretty tired. I ran with another girl and we chatted on the way around which was lovely, but after those 3 miles I felt shattered!

Today my legs were really stiff, so instead of risking a longer and probably faster SRC, I went out on my own, again for 3 miles. By the end I was willing the road to turn into a conveyor belt so I could get home sooner!

I am hoping that after this weekend I will be back in the swing of things. I have 10K this Sunday, but it is strictly for fun, no pb chasing here (it’s around the grounds of an animal park), so I am not worried about that. But the week after is a half marathon and although I did 12 miles the weekend before I went away, that will be 4 weeks before the day of the half- probably can’t count as a long taper! So the plan is to do a medium run (8-ish miles) one evening next week, so give me a bit of confidence.

 

So after running Brighton, we went out for dinner with my mum and dad, who then mentioned that they would like to buy me some new trainers for my birthday- I think they could see the hole appearing above my big toe!

This weekend, they picked me up and we headed to Sweatshop (did you know, by the way, that if you are a member of a UK Athletics club, you get a 10% discount there? I didn’t until this weekend, which left me frantically trying to find my card for a few minutes).

A few years ago I did the whole treadmill thing, and got a pair of Mizunos which I loved. When I replaced them, the people in the shop just told me to get the next version of the same shoe, but I never really liked them- they felt very stiff and strange. Around that time I bought some Asics trail shoes, taking a gamble (they were cheap and I wouldn’t wear them that much I thought)  and really liked them, so instead of getting fitted, I ordered some new road shoes (Asics) from Wiggle, and they turned out to be fab too. But I tried to work out which were the newer version of that shoe, and could not. I could not even work out if they were supportive/ cushioning/ something else type of shoes.

In the shop, even though I showed them my old shoes, he decided I should go on the treadmill (rolling up my jeans so he could see my ankles- not the easiest to do), first in neutral trainers (I think they were Adidas Boosts)- for three minutes, at a gentle speed, and then faster. He then showed me the video, which was really interesting (last time I don’t remember them even filming it, but that was a few years ago)- slow motion really showed my leg kicking to the side, which I have seen in race photos but can’t see myself. Anyway, I needed a shoe with some support on the inside. I tried some Brooks (back on the treadmill for another 3 minutes) which were comfy but felt like the arch in the sole was slightly too high, then another pair (I forget what), then the Asics. They felt really soft and comfy, and when he showed me the video he even drew lines on the screen to show how the alignment of my feet and knees. It was really interesting to see. Finally I tried a pair of Mizunos. To me they felt stiff (although I didn’t say anything) and after about 30 seconds he slowed down the treadmill and told me they weren’t for me. It is so clever that he could tell that right away.

In the end it was a toss up between the Brooks and Asics, and as I have loved my last two pairs of Asics it seemed sensible to go with those ones.

It helps that they are very pretty too, although the Brooks were a lovely hot pink, so really I would have been happy with either!

I was so tired though- I must have run in total for about 15 minutes on the treadmill- I really should have worn sports clothes as the jeans and big hoodie made it very tough indeed.

On Sunday morning I was very excited to be up and out on a run, to try them out.

Well, they were fab!

 

(Just back from my run trying to work out how to take photo with sweaty fingers on the touch screen!)

And for once I was very co-ordinated- I bought this vest in H&M last weekend, and it matched my headband and shoes so well. What are the chances?

10 miles in the bag, first double figure run since Brighton, and I felt fine (apart from being very thirsty). Next weekend I am going to aim for 12 miles, then I have two weekends off (a week away), and then a 10k the following week, where I may or may not run long on the Saturday, before the half the following week. I think I will be OK for the half, especially if I do a few medium runs mid-week at some point.

But, what to do with my old trainers? I still have the old Mizunos that I loved, just in case- of what I don’t know! Do you keep old trainers and sports equipment?

Also, I am going to buy a new pair of sports headphones- I like the neckband style ones (not sure if you can see in the picture but they have a sold band around the back of your head) but they don’t do the same ones any more, and all the reviews on amazon are making my mind boggle! Any recommendations would be gratefully received.