Harder, Better, Faster, Longer

To set the mood, grab every torch in your house, shine them from above your head & pretend you're Kanye West at Glastonbury.....

A week that saw me run harder than I have for a long time. A race experience that couldn't have gone better, or faster. Then I finished the week by running even longer than previously. Whether stronger can also be shoehorned into this awful intro I'm not sure, although it probably applies to both my mental & physical state at the moment.

Yateley 10k

The Yateley 10k had been on my radar for June. Working down in Hampshire for a day or two a week was starting to hurt my training & I was looking for races or organised runs to give me something to do with my evenings. I’d missed the cut off for the June race & joined my colleague Kendra at her track night with Bracknell Forest Runners instead. We’d agreed to run the next one & it was part of a whole list of events I’d been given to consider.

After registering I persuaded Sean that a trip out of South London for an evening 10k was a good idea, to which he agreed & signed up as well. He wasn’t really sure what his plan for the race was, so when I mentioned targeting 50 & he could pace me if he fancied, he did indeed fancy an easy (ish) run for him.

Sean is responsible for my introduction to parkrun back in 2010 & as a result surely accountable for everything else that has followed! We’ve rarely run together though. He’s considerably faster than me so the only times I can recall were for his & Emily’s parkrun celebration last year & some sprints in Battersea Park many years ago. There was also an occasion at Gunpowder parkrun where we ran together for a moment, only for me to overtake him & claim my only finish ahead of him (he was having a bad day, we both got beasted by brother John with all of his youthful exuberance anyway).

Evening running is something I struggle to get on with. Being on the road at 6am & I’m fine. Trying to run after a day of work is something I have to adapt to. My performance is usually hampered by what I’ve consumed during the day, so if I know I’m running I have to make a mental note to lay off the fizzy drinks, eat with a bit more thought in general. I’m certainly eating better, avoiding stodge at lunch (& in general) has left me feeling less sluggish. Not opting for a Coke during the day is more difficult as it’s my only source of caffeine, I might have to develop a taste for coffee instead. Not a problem for Sean who sticks too fingers up to WADA & downs a double Espresso before a run, no wonder he was so chatty!

I picked Sean up from Fleet station & made the simple drive to Yateley, forgetting to make a note of where the hire car of the week had been parked! I can tell how I feel about a race by what my nerves are like. At the Stort 10 three days previously I’d almost forgotten to make a toilet visit beforehand. On this occasion I was queuing repeatedly, checking kit constantly, feeling phantom stones in my shoes, finding non existent injuries, high pitched hellos, chatting away at speed. I’d managed to avoid the warm up by queuing for one of the bouncy castlesque porta loos so Sean & I had a brief run around the school field. 

The nerves made sense, this race & my performance mattered to me, it was a key indicator to how my pace was looking for a PB attempt at Pride in August.

I was also trying something new. I’d been paced previously & found that having my own Garmin meant that I’d still be double checking. On this occasion I wanted to place all my trust in Sean, handing over my Garmin to him. I was running naked (no tech, not no clothes, no one needs that) & my instruction was to not tell me splits, just whether we were over or under target. This made Sean a little bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t need the numbers in my head, the over thinker in me would only consume energy.  Not only did he have my watch, he’d banned me from running with a bottle, telling me it was time to ditch the comfort blanket. I’ve run a few times recently without it, but not at pace or for this distance.

He already had my tech, now Sean wanted to throw my bottle into the tennis courts

The target was 50:00, a simple 5:00/km pace. I felt this would be a push as my best parkrun performance this year is a 24:58. My HBO time was a pleasing mid 52, but I didn’t know how realistic the target was. I’d also told Sean that my PB was 48:20 (4:50/km) & that this could be a secondary aim if my pace was surprisingly good.

My mind was clear, all I had to do was run fast. Observing a narrow first couple of hundred metres I tried to take an outside line & knew that Sean would catch up with me if he couldn't weave through.

The race itself was painful. I’d rested up on Monday & Tuesday. Combined with some physio work on the Tuesday evening to loosen up my calves I found myself in pain from about 1500m into the race! The uphill start was a killer for both Achilles. I should perhaps have asked Sean for his perspective of pacing me, I get the impression I was like the whiny kid that doesn't want to eat his greens!

The pain only abated once we’d got the nice downhill after 3km done. Sean telling me to enjoy the downhill didn't really help as it hurt! Once both Achilles calmed down it was time to get some numb feet for a few km. This can be a regular occurrence for me & normally flexing the toes for a bit will clear it up. Conscious that we were under target I started to think this might be a bigger issue & that the numbness was a sure sign I was just about to faceplant, the pace must be overcooking me.

Sean was performing his role perfectly, letting me know if we were over or under, telling me to focus on his heels if I flagged behind slightly. At one point I asked him what target we were under, he told me the first one but not the margin. I was told off for thanking marshals, he’d be doing that on my behalf to conserve my energy!!

At 8km the course started to climb again, not significantly but enough for me to tighten up a bit. By now I was convinced that I was turning a shade of purple, the silver lining being that the finish was in a school field so an air ambulance would be able to come & get me easily! It wasn’t until we got past the final climb in the tenth kilometre that Sean revealed a sub 49 was on the cards. Hopefully this was the espresso going to his head as I swear in my slightly weary mind I swear I heard him say sub 49……..

My usual sprint finish was not really going to happen, everything hurt, that finish line could not come soon enough. Sean carried on talking to me right to the end, urging me to be strong, drive my arms, preferably not collapse etc. That race clock definitely looked wrong as I passed it, how unfortunate that it would fail, or be counting slowly or something.

Little did I know that until I tightened up at 8km when the course started to ramp up again that he’d told a little white lie. We were on target to challenge my PB for the majority of the run. As I came to a very abrupt halt upon crossing the line Sean was there to prop me up, kind of handy as my legs were all kinds of funky for a moment. A quick check of the Garmin gave some unexpected news:

Watch time: 48:53, chip time: 48:52

One of us was feeling it a bit more than the other.....

Medal & water claimed & we wandered back towards the final turn to wait for Kendra & Callum to finish. I think shock might be an appropriate word. I couldn't quite comprehend the result & even after a high five to Callum & catching them at the end of the finish funnel a few minutes later Kendra commented that I had a beaming smile. I have no idea if this was the case, it might have just been that I had no real control over my face following the exertions of the run!

Needing some support to stand

We grabbed our kit, said hellos, & goodbyes to folks, took photos & started wandering in the direction of where we thought the soccer mom mobile I’d been given for the week was parked. It was later than expected & Sean wanted to head back into London rather than eat so I dropped him at the station & headed into Fleet to search for food. A chippy came into view & before my weary mind could work out whether that was a wise idea I’d parked up & was wandering in. A detour on the way home for some ice (2kg of sweetcorn!) & I was soon back at the hotel. The food was tepid, a bit grim, but in many ways exactly what I needed!

Yateley performance

Club

Over the course of Thursday & Friday the inevitable happened. I've joked about becoming a Bishop's Stortford Running Club member by osmosis over the past few months. Nearly half of the parkrun core team are members, Paul has be working on me since the day he joined as a Run Director, though as club vice chair he kind of has to! Hatfield Forest sees a huge level of participation at the parkrun from BSRC & the friendships I've already formed were reeling me in. 
After the Stortford 10 I'd been approached for some feedback given my work with parkrun & casually mentioned I'd happily assist with future events in any capacity. It seemed logical that given I enjoy the time I spend with Stortford, my intention to return regularly after my move to MK & my offer of help that the next step would be to fill in the forms & hand over some cash. 
The decision is also a selfish one. Given my current form & with Berlin 11 weeks away I want to cash in, make sure the best possible Chris is on the start line on Sept 27th. I'm really happy with my training, but feel some incremental gains can be made. I've always believed that surrounding yourself with better people leads you to improvement, that's why I'm keen to ask advice. I might not always take it on board, but knowing what and why others have done something helps me. So be it intervals, tempo runs, company on long runs, I know that joining BSRC will only make me better, I'm already better for the time I've spent with the guys so far.

Run Commute

The tube was out of action for the day as I headed into town on the train. I’d ditched the hire car as originally I had London meetings scheduled. My best option was to run back from Westminster to Liverpool St & in my mind the most logical route along South Bank seemed like a good idea.

Within 10 minutes as I was realising the folly of my decision making. Progress was near impossible, sunshine, tourists & added to the usual mix, commuters were making even the wide passes of South Bank impossible. I took a right through a food court & found myself running in parallel, only to be thwarted by road works.

The entire run was a farce, all I succeeded in doing was claiming some commuters not paying attention & taking my blood pressure to levels that probably weren't wise. These were junk miles. I didn't want to be running, the strike had forced my hand when what I really needed was rest.

The Downside

Friday wasn't a particularly fun day. Having ridden the high of my Yateley performance all the way through Thursday I hadn't quite considered the trough that would follow the peak. Perhaps it was because the peak was particularly high. Kendra had mentioned my smile was beaming when we wandered to the finish area to congratulate Callum. I'd put this down to being so knackered that I had no control over my face! Apparently not though as Thursday was a breeze, I felt good throughout the day (excluding the run commute). The confidence from the performance left me feeling exceedingly positive. 
Quite what had happened by Friday morning I'm not sure. Maybe I slept badly, I certainly woke up cranky! My mood wasn't improved by heading into work without breakfast. Perhaps it was an impending deadline at work. Whatever it was I needed to try and lift myself, throwing John Grant's GMF as I walked to the station. I've found myself drawn to the wit and humour he brings to music & Greatest Mother F seemingly lists all of my traits. The song is meant to celebrate these supposed weaknesses and one rather cathartic, introspective instagram post later and I was feeling a bit better. By the time I'd made it into the office my friends had lifted my spirits. My Yateley finishing photo providing the inspiration for a comparison to a leek & some Rambo Photoshop work from Len! If I smiled when running I'd provide no humour for my friends!!!
The thing I took away from Friday, once I'd got my work done and had a chance to relax is that I need to find a way to keep the over thinking to environments where it helps me, such as work, parkrun planning etc. Of course if I could switch it off that easily I'd have done so by now! Those Mindfulness books (yes I even overthought that enough to buy two) need to stop gathering dust!

parkrun

It appears that our event at Hatfield Forest is going through the terrible teens phase. I've seen other local events struggle for volunteers as they progress out of the initial honeymoon period. It doesn't help that as a single lap event in a forest we are quite heavy on our roster. I'm quite envious right now of events such as Black Park, when I visited the briefing was simple, no marshals, follow the signs! 

Saturday’s roster saw over half of our roles covered by the core team. Originally I was due to run & target a course PB. Once I realised that the 20 miler the day after was the true priority I dropped the run & added myself to the roster, covering off 6 different roles: Setup, Volunteer Co-Ordinator (mentoring a new core team member), Marshal, Photographer, Barcode Scanning & Close Down. Our team had papered over the cracks in our roster.

I had the monthly Sweatshop announcement to do & then I was on the bike to my marshal point. Yes, back on the bike, wisely or not it made sense & I took it easy, I couldn't afford another fall. 

Ready to marshal & encourage

Taking photos from my early in the course marshal point I was soon able to ride back, collecting signs & at the finish line with plenty of time to test out the scanners.

First timer’s briefing is still my favourite volunteering role, I really enjoy welcoming people to parkrun for the first time, as well as saying hello to tourists. I’m also enjoying barcode scanning role. I like to add the personal touch, reading names off of the barcodes as the runners come in & congratulate runners on their performances. It gives me a chance to chat to our participants that some roles don’t always allow for, a chance to get to get to know more people.

Refreshingly we had a whole army of volunteers for close down & were packed away for 10:15, a new record for us for around 45 minutes. I’ve updated our technical maps in the past fortnight & to see the operation be so slick was very pleasing. If only results were so easy! Our usual pub location was closed, Karl left the stopwatches & scanners in the forest & we had to head into Stortford for another pub with wi-fi. Processing seemed to be easy, not too much correction was required, a nice easy demo to Simon from our core team. The moment we went to confirm we hit IT issues & a quick check with my fellow EDs told me there was a central IT issue.

We parked the results & I headed across to Chelmsford, this time to successfully meet up with Monty for his birthday (I’d made a trip on Friday night, neglecting to check the location was the same, it wasn’t they were in London!). The beer festival was a great choice in the sunshine & Monty was on good form. I was able to sample a couple of halves & a selection box of food from the Japanese stand (predictable). After a few hours of being fried in the sunshine I needed to get some shade & rehydrate.

Beer fest sunshine

I’d tuned back into the Ashes for the drive home & the limp Australians didn’t even have the courtesy to wait until I’d parked & turned on the TV before crumbling to defeat. As I have day 5 tickets for Lords I’d appreciate some rain at some point as it appears neither team are keen on applying themselves! The evening was stupidly warm & I didn’t fancy eating, 20 miles in the morning meant that I had to, throwing together some pasta, veg, halloumi & pancetta.

All that was left for the day was a bath to convince my body it was time to sleep, sorting out my running kit & to set the alarm for 0430.

Long Run

As expected, I wasn’t overly amenable to the half four in the morning alarm call. My plan was simple. Get out the front door for 0500, run 20 miles to get me back home for around half eight, half an hour to an hour to sort myself out, then onto London for Hyper Japan.

The whole premise behind an autumn marathon was that the summer would afford me more time to train, an opportunity for longer days & sunrise runs. If the sun did rise on Sunday it certainly wasn’t in Essex as I peeked through the curtains to a wall of grey. This didn’t help to persuade me out the door, the boot sequence seemed to be stuck in procrastination mode. Not really having a route planned wasn’t helping. Opening up Like the Wind #5 & finding an article called Sabotage by Mirka Markkula probably didn’t help in terms of getting me out the door either. Reading it might have brought tears (LTW has a worryingly high ratio of tear jerking stories), but it also brought focus. A lot has changed for me in the past year & there is always a tendency to regress to my old self, be it self-defence or fear of failure. This quote at the end sums up precisely the attitude needed & any self-doubt of whether I could run 20 miles was parked.

Simon had mentioned running through to Stortford, Spellbrook & then some country lanes whilst at parkrun on Saturday. Without a recce beforehand I checked his Strava for the route, it was agreeable with my distance goal, as long as I didn’t get lost.

It was half five before I got out the front door & headed south. I fancied a different route into Stortford so took on the long climb into Birchanger that would bring me out at the eastern side of town.

As I made my way out of Birchanger I noticed a Bridleway sign. Perhaps this was the route to Hatfield Forest I’d been trying to find. One way to find out I guessed so turned away from my almost planned route. Crossing over the M11 & then under the A120 appeared to confirm this was indeed what I was looking for. To my surprise there was a cycle track running parallel to the old A120, something I’d been blissfully unaware in all of my journeys along the road.

Soon I was in the forest & lost for the first time during the run. It would be a myth that I know the forest well. I know a few 5km runs around the forest very well & the routes needed to get to parts of these routes. The rest of the 1,000 or so acres is all guess work. I was trying to feel my way through the forest in order to get to the start area for parkrun, deciding that a freedom run of 5km would be a nice addition to my route.

I felt I was heading south but that was more instinct than any kind of applied knowledge, it turns out that a lot of the forest appears the same when you’re scrambling around trying to find something. At one point I thought I’d found the ride between 1.5 – 2km on our summer route, only to find a gate at the end. I was getting frustrated, lost & now I might be at a dead end. I went through the gate, turned to my left & noticed something, the bridge from our summer course. 

No longer lost I made my way along the estate road & to the start / finish area. After my first gel I was beginning the summer course. This was the first time I was trying the forest in road shoes & I was pleasantly surprised at the traction I had, even with the rainfall over the morning. We advise runners that trail shoes are the best, but I had no problems on this occasion, albeit at a far slower pace than I’d normally try to navigate around the course.

Another gel taken on & I was finding my way out of the forest, using a route much more familiar to the eastern edge of the forest. From there I was turning west onto the Flitch Way & hoping to find my way into Bishop’s Stortford. This would be easier said than done as I had no clue where the Flitch ended or the alternative routes. With 10 miles clocked I felt fantastic & decided it was time to turn on the iPod.

The Flitch was perfect foil for me, flat & straight, I was able to open the legs up a little bit after the cross country around the forest. I just had to be wary around dogs, one seemed very keen to run with me so I waited for the owner to get them to obey before running once more. As I passed over a road leading to Hallingbury the route seemed to get a great deal narrower & then to an abrupt halt. There was a bridge but it lead to nowhere & appeared not safe for human consumption. For some reason I tried to ease myself down the drop off to my left, which on damp ground & in road shoes was silly, although I made it through unscathed. I followed the field & found myself at the M11 / A120 roundabout, not really an ideal running route, even at 7am! I looped back on myself, heading down the Hallingbury Road, realising the Flitch was a dead end & in search of an alternative.

A footpath soon appeared & as it was pointing to the west I decided to wing it & see where it would take me. A kilometre or so of farm fields was entertaining, though I got the impression I was lost once more. I still had the option to turn back & head through to Birchanger, but part of me wanted to find the right route. As I climbed the left hand side of a large field I could see the M11 running parallel to my right. There appeared to be no bridges, I knew there must be a route across but how far south would I have to run?

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted what might be a tunnel. Aware that having broken my glasses at Yateley my eyes might be deceiving me, I decided to take the conveniently positioned right turn through the field to get closer. Was this the nirvana I sought or a mirage resulting from an overdose on High 5 energy gels?

As it came further into view it certainly appeared to be a portal back to the promised land west of the M11. I had to work to get there though, running through an unkempt area of foliage. I’m not going to lie, there was a bit of excitement once I was sure this tunnel was indeed real! I paused for a photo & then made my way further west, where someone had kindly actually bothered to sign post the route! Farm fields changed to a golf course, but as I didn’t have a Pringle sweater to hand I carried on, finding tarmac for the first time in a while.

There really was light at the end of this

I had no idea where in Stortford I was, but a suspicion that I was close to the BSRC clubhouse. I was now into the final 10k, knowing that I’d want to be crossing the A120 back towards Stansted with around 4km left to go. Returning to pavement & tarmac certainly helped my rhythm, despite being out beyond my usual half marathon comfort zone I found my pace getting better.

After enjoying a downhill of Beldams Lane I decided to head towards the town centre, running through it & onto Rye Street for a nice loop to take me towards home. My fuelling had been decent, the first two High 5 gels had been added to with Nakd Cola Raisins at 19km, one further gel at 23km (ish) & a packet of the Honey Stinger pink lemonade chews in the 27^th kilometre. These were more agreeable earlier on in previous runs, something I should take into account for future long runs. I had plenty more options available should I find myself in trouble as I crossed the A120 & into the 30^th kilometre of a run for the first time.

Distance wise it looked like I would be slightly over, by virtue of my getting lost adventures, so I’d be taking the main road all the way home, without deviation. One thing that has made my running infinitely better was the move to Stansted back in 2011. Sitting on top of a hill, there is no way I can avoid them. This has its advantages, but on this occasion it meant that I had three moderate climbs separating me from home. The first took me past the Birchanger turning & as it flattened I reminded myself of what lay ahead.

After the second there was at least a nice downhill & my legs felt decent enough to stretch out a bit. I had just over a kilometre to go & attacked the final hill. All that lay ahead of me now was a flat, arrow straight pavement before the final approach to home. I let the legs go, they’d done their job now, what, if anything was left. With the last corner navigated my watched did its usual attention seeking routine at the end of a kilometre, 5:37 pace. I afforded myself a smile & some anglo saxon words, easing off as the house came into view.

32.11km, 3:19:34 @ 6:13/km pace.

Breakdown of the run

First 10k – 1:03:33 @ 6:21/km

Second 10k – 1:01:45 @ 6:10/km

Third 10k – 1:01:11 @ 6:07/km

Could I have run further? Probably, but I had run to a goal & that had been achieved. I had fuel left in the tank, something that was very reassuring. Upon finishing I was acutely aware that the increase in mileage had added some aches & pains that were not normally present. Both hamstrings were tight, something I’ve only ever experienced during lap 5 at Endure, so I’m pretty certain this is fatigue related.

Taking the running shoes off was hard work, supported by the kitchen units as I famed lack of flexibility plummeted to new depths! I was quick to source water & a glass of milk, poor planning on my part meant none of the chocolate variety was available! I took a photo. It’s not the prettiest photo, I'm dripping with sweat, but I'm happy, elated in fact. Just because I believed in myself beforehand didn't mean the performance itself wasn't a surprise.

This is a smile, honest.

After some time on the foam roller it was time to try & get myself into London for Hyper Japan. We’d already put back our meeting time by half an hour based on the length of my run & in the end it was a rush to even make it out the door, without breakfast, that would surely be a sensible idea…..

Quotes of the Run

“The Bridge, f*** yes!” – Realising I was no longer lost within Hatfield Forest

Bit of a fist pump – Finding my way into the tunnel underneath the M11

“Just two hills left” – Approaching Stansted, 31^st km

“You sick f***” – A 32^nd km clocked at 5:37 as I ran down my road towards home (not at my most articulate)

Hyper Japan

I’d always somehow missed previous incarnations of Hyper Japan. This time it was “bigger & better” than ever having moved to the o2. With a trip to Japan less than six months away Burak & I were keen to visit. After my 3 hour plus run I was looking to consume every bit of sushi on offer!

In an attempt to be sensible I decided to drive down to Redbridge & take the tube in, feeling that spending a day drinking when already in a massive calorie deficit might not be a good idea. The half hour drive was already causing runger, an emergency Orange Lucozade & White Chocolate KitKat purchase was required before I hopped (well limped like the giant cockroach in Men in Black) onto a train. Only after inhaling the chocolate in record time did I realise I had a Nakd bar in my pocked, for this specific purpose!!!

Once at the o2 the underwhelming nature of Hyper Japan began. Despite having tickets we had to queue to swap these to wristbands & the operation was not entirely slick. The exhibition itself was spread out over a few areas & didn’t feel that special. There were plenty of stalls, but apart from the gaming section nothing appeared to have a theme. The food court was a let-down, half a dozen stalls at best & a sushi van elsewhere offering Maki rolls.

Only a bit of sushi

After a few expensive sweet purchases, a trek to a retro gaming lounge (that really wasn’t worth it), a Kirin & a wander around the Nintendo exhibit we’d had enough, opting for Five Guys for some fuel. Maybe my expectations were too high, it just felt like a slightly disparate jumble sale at times though. The only thing it did do was confirm we’ll be spending a lot of Yen on KitKats! Rum & Raisin was particularly good!

Expecting to bring about this much back from the Japan trip

Mario touched us inappropriately!

The Conclusion

I don’t think I could have asked for a better week in terms of performance. The pace shown at eley still perplexes me slightly given the dearth of speed work I've done of late. I'm already signed up to return in August & the aim is to target 48:00 alongside Kendra & potentially Cindy from BFR. Sean is meant to be pacing us, though at the time of writing he hasn't got an entry. Now that I know the route I'm confident I can squeeze a bit more performance out, looking at my stats, I didn't cash in enough on the downhill 4th km. 

I've also dared to dream ahead of the Pride 10k in August. On a far flatter course than Yateley I'm going to target a 47:00. I believe I can better my PB. I'm going to try & stretch what is possible even further. Last year's Pride performance saw a 1:50 improvement, so I'm going to test myself with an ambitious target for this specific race. Even if I fall short, it has potentially to be a big PB. Yateley has shown me to trust how you are running.

As for the long run, I really enjoyed it. Enjoyment isn't usually a term associated with running for over three hours, but I came home smiling. I ran smiling as well. I got lost, I smiled, I got lost again, I smiled. I found some tarmac, I smiled some more. Even after a very good 18 mile run a fortnight previously I'd prepared myself for coming unstuck, potentially hitting the wall. Instead I found myself running stronger & faster as the run went on.

Physically I feel pretty good a few days removed, mentally I know what I'm capable of. A repeat performance would give me 70 minutes to finish the remaining 10k in Berlin. With a potential three 20 milers left in my training plan Given how well this run & the rest of my training has gone, it is tempting to set a new target for the marathon. You might think after the bold Pride 10k idea I'd agree, but for the marathon I want to be sensible.

More importantly, I don't want to cross the line feeling disappointed. I could change my goal to a sub 4:15 or 4:10. Who knows, I might even cross the line with that kind of time. That isn't the aim though. I chose a sub 4:30 target from day one of the plan & I'm not going to deviate. This goal needs to be achievable & if I divert my attention to something faster I run the risk of failure. The ultimate achievement is to finish, by setting a realistic time target I have every opportunity to be crossing the line with a smile.