HM 8/12 - Starting to add some distance

With a rest week over it was time to start adding some miles into my training as the final approach for Richmond looms. Yet again I'll be going into a major race thinking I'm lacking those long runs, but I'll have to just accept that is the case and be confident in my speed, if not my stamina.

The plan was to run on Monday, a nice long run to make up for a missed Sunday, then some speed work during the week & a parkrun on Saturday if work allowed for it. Instead on Monday morning I just wasn't feeling it. Struggling to get out the door I decided to run the usual loop & then deferred my long run to Wednesday as I'd be working from home & time wouldn't be an issue.

Run #1

Once out of the house I got into a rhythm and shook the complacency out of my system. I even deviated my route, deciding to head out to the Forest Hall Estate upon reaching the end of Lime Kiln Lane rather than the usual run back through the village. Having a slight change of route made for a more interesting run, reminding me that it won't be long before I have to pack away the country routes & stay within the street lights for the winter months.

After a good few climbs & descends I made my way home, clocking 7km & in a better mood than when I'd left the house.

Run #2

With a day of study ahead of me and an important running related meeting also planned I needed no further motivation to get out the door for a long run. The plan was to complete 100 minutes, so at least ten miles was required.
So I packed a couple of gels and headed out the door, making my way out of Stansted through to Quendon. Despite making my local council aware just how bad the plant growth is alongside a busy main road over a month ago the footpaths remained impassable in places. Thankfully it was early in the morning so I was able to run on the road at times without too much risk. Once through Quendon I was able to take a right and head back into Elsenham.
My pace felt decent throughout, consistently just under 6:00/km. For once luck was on my side as the level crossing at Elsenham station opened just moments after I got to it, negating the need to climb the stairs.
It was coming through Elsenham that I started to get some pain, not enough to stop me but a reminder that not every run will be smooth. Pain aside, the run was largely positive, I took on a gel at around 50 minutes and felt strong until the end, even managing to drag myself up Chapel Hill without too much pace being lost.

Run #3

Any attempt at a parkrun on Saturday would be dictated by work commitments. I was working overnight on the Friday and had decided that if I could get to sleep by 4am then it would be worth trying to get to an event. I'd sounded out Sean on a visit to Hampstead Heath parkrun but as he wasn't game, that idea was parked & I headed east to Beckton instead.

I'd considered Beckton a few times after realising just how close to central London it is, plus being near Stratford makes it an east commute home for me. The park is barely a minute or two walk from Royal Albert DLR and parallel to London City Airport.

A nice view of City Airport from Royal Albert DLR

I was one of the first to arrive and as nine o'clock approached more people started to appear and soon we had a nice group ready for the brief. 

First timers briefing was entertaining, the only time I've seen two 50 club members be the sole participants! The course was relatively simple, two laps of the park essentially. 

As we made our way to the start I decided to not be so conservative and pushed myself further forward in order to get a decent get away. With little ceremony we were on our way and I had no idea what would happen on minimal sleep. 

The first half of the lap was on grass as we skirted around the edge of a couple of fields. Once on tarmac we had a long out and back stretch that included a high five from the marshal as I navigated my way round a lamppost with a turning circle no one would be proud of. With most of the lap scouted now I pushed on the solid paths and made up time on those around me, it was looking like a solid, if unspectacular sub 25:00.

The Beckton parkrun route

The guy in front of me was starting to flag towards the end of the first lap so we ran alongside each other for a moment and I encouraged him to keep going. As we started out on the grass again I tried to stay steady and be stronger for the final stretch on more agreeable surfaces. The guy I'd been alongside had rediscovered his mojo and was pulling away from me with ease, my focus was on what appeared to be a decent time. I did however notice that there now appeared to be no one running in my vicinity. By the finish around a minute spanned the two places either side of me. 

I finished reasonably strongly, urged on by the Event Director and assembled runners at the finish funnel. I stopped the Garmin as was pleasantly surprised. My official time turned out to be 23:51, something I was quite blasé about at the time.

Finishing strong, not so sure!

I started charting to the other 50 club guy who was significantly quicker. In fact Peter from Cambridge was so fast he came home in first, a minute nearly in front of the rest of the field. Not only did we share the tourism but he'd also worked an overnighter in town, perhaps a lack of sleep is the answer!!! We shared stories of events local to the M11 corridor and notes on where is quick and the Wimpole Hill of Doom. 

The Eat

I made my way north on the train and met Paula at Audley End and we headed into Saffron Walden. They'd at least be some good cake taken home. For a much needed breakfast we stumbled upon Mocha, a tardis of a greasy spoon hidden away from the main drag in Walden. I opted for sausage, egg & chips with mushrooms (banishing the beans). Sure chips are normally off the menu but these were awesome, classic home style deep fried and worth falling off the wagon for!

After picking up a huge slab of millionaires shortbread from Cafe Cou Cou we were on our way home to chill out before the first of two bbqs in two days. Fair to say it was a good weekend for food. I did at least steer clear of burger buns though. 

The Conclusion 

This really was a decent week. Glad to get a ten miler banked. The parkrun result was also exceedingly good. I walked away blasé with the result, pleased but not overly surprised with the time, almost taking the current run of good form for granted. 

I think it's a result that took a while to sink in. A 23:51 is in fact my second best time over 5k. To do this on essentially three and a bit hours sleep is insane!

Hopefully a couple more distance runs will combine with my current decent pace and I'll arrive in Richmond with a great chance of taking time off of my PB.

HM Training 7/12 - A week of rest (ish)

In order to recover from the Pride 10k exploits & learn lessons from last year week 7 was going to offer 6 days of rest. Then a gentle parkrun & perhaps a nice long run on Sunday. As with all plans, there has to be some wriggle room & by Wednesday I was packing my running kit in my work bag & heading out for a lunchtime run.
As the week was aimed primarily at rest I won't go into huge detail about every run. On Wednesday I was slow & lacked rhythm. Thursday evening I ran after work at a new location & with new company, though those details will be saved for a blog a long way in the future.
Saturday's parkrun didn't come to fruition. A group of us were stopping in at Black Park on the way to the ladies cricket at Wormsley, but the game situation made the 4 hours driving for 2 hours cricket not so appealing. Instead of running, I headed to Great Notley to volunteer & shadow Len, the Run Director. I got to see first hand everything that goes into a parkrun, before, during & afterwards. I even got to give the first timers briefing, welcoming newcomers to the event & to the hill of doom! Again though, more on these events at a later date.

Clipboard & a floro vest, a nice look

Sunday's long run has been deferred. I'm working lates this week & from home on Wednesday so that will provide a perfect opportunity to run the planned 100 minutes and start building some distance into the legs as we approach Richmond.
The past couple of weeks have been very interesting, more from a run admin side than the actual running. I leave you with this image and a promise that things are looking interesting for 2015.....

A bit of a tease. What could this be?

Pride 10k - HM 6/12

I guess as I'm halfway through the road to Richmond, now would be an opportune time to look at progress and assess where I am, a half term report if you'd like. The week just passed was one of the highlights of my running journey, achieving something I still can't quite believe was possible. The effort has surprised me, left a smile on my face as I contemplate what else could be achieved.
This would be the first week in a while that hadn't involved any parkrun duties as I'd entered the Pride 10k down in London for the third time. In hindsight we could have volunteered at a local event or even had a slow warm up run! The Pride 10k is a highlight of the running calendar. Held in Victoria Park it is ideal for quick times. Pancake flat, wide, tarmac & shaded park paths, the perfect mixture to run fast. When we first competed there in 2011 I was surprised by a mid 51 time & after a date clash owing to London 2012 we returned last year. My 2013 time was a low 51, close to lifetime PB which was also a surprise given how far away from my best I was only months previously. With all of this in mind I'd targeted a 49:30, a first time under the 50 minute barrier.

Run 1 - Lunchtime in London

Working an early shift during the week leading up to the event curtailed my ability to run. I was originally intending runs on Monday & Thursday, but found myself involved with some project work that made Monday impossible. With early shifts I now try to run during my lunch time as getting up earlier isn't feasible & I've never got on with evening running.
On Wednesday I headed out with my colleague Steve and we decided to take on Battersea Park. Steve ran VLM in 2013 & last year dragged me around my first attempts at tempo running. This time the roles were reversed slightly as the marathon experience left him disillusioned & needing to recapture running for fun. There were no great attempts at pace during our 7km trott, we hovered around the 6:00/km pace as I was using this as one last easy run before race day. No significant niggles to report & when we started to push a bit, there was plenty in the legs to call upon.
That should have been it, nothing silly to get in my way before Pride. Unfortunately my lack of form with the squash racquet had me reaching for the ice on Thursday Already losing significantly in the match, I saw a ball sat up perfectly & out of frustration put everything through it. The problem is, squash is a touch game, there is no need to leather the ball. The end result was pain straight away & off to find ice. Would an arm injury keep me from the start line on Saturday?
Thankfully the injury appeared to be muscular. I rightfully got no sympathy from the wife for my idiocy & spent the rest of the day applying Ibuleve or my medical bag of peas. By Friday morning my movement was still partially limited, but the pain had subsided.

Run 2 - Pride 10k

On the approach to the day itself I'd been chatting regularly with Joel. He's always hesitant when I recommend a race as they're usually hilly. But buoyed by my stupid claim that it was so flat I might target a 48:30 he decided to see if breaking the hour would be possible.

Pre run selfie

You did indeed read that right, 48:30. Despite the plan suggesting to run a minute slower, I was that comfortable with my recent parkrun form that I felt it was worth exploring the possibility of a 48:30. This would mean an overall pace of 4:51/km. Whether it was a positive or a foolish mindset, I had decided to try parkrun pace for as long as possible to see at what point I'd hit the wall. My expectation would be 7km, perhaps 8km at this pace & then a coast back to the finish line.
I lined up at what I thought was a decent position, Joel and Paula taking places further down the field. For the first time in a couple of months I was running with music, having found my iPod in a still unpacked London 10000 goody bag. I felt a bit of music would be a handy addition, adding a bit of focus. The start was steady, through the first kilometre just outside of target at 4:59. The course is a simple one. First km is straight, followed by three laps of the park. By the second marker I was into a nice rhythm, bringing my time close to on track with a 4:47. A third in 4:50 meant I was over target by 3 seconds, but also noticing the course was measuring slightly short, something that might be in my favour later on. The first lap was completed and just past the start finish was the 4km mark. I went through in 4:39 and feeling good. A fifth kilometre in 4:45 meant I'd completed the first half in just over 24 minutes, a parkrun time I'd be happy with!
I was expecting to start feeling it but the rhythm was still good and my sixth kilometre was still under target with a 4:49. The next three were slightly slower at 4:52 and two 4:56, but the wall wasn't there yet. As I went past the 9km mark I looked at my watch and at 43:30 knew I could claim a time. Final Countdown by Europe had just kicked in and I was now talking to myself, as I had been for a while to count myself in to home.
A few of us started to run through the gears as the home straight approached. I'd been in quite a solid group for a while and we were all jockeying for position as the final 400m were entered. As Europe faded out I skipped through to Real American and tried to grab as much energy as I had left for home.
I crossed the line at around 48:40 on the gun time, though unsure what my official time was as I'd not managed to stop my Garmin in time. I grabbed a medal and a goody bag and then quickly had to sit down, I was completely spent. I took a few minutes to recover, sure that I'd at least hit 48:30. 

A less pained expression this year!

I got to my feet and got back to the finish line to see Joel finishing. He'd come through unofficially under the hour and soon after Paula was following. We walked away from the finish area and found that the results were already appearing online. 

Post run. Rather knackered.

Joel was exceedingly happy, a chip time of 59:57, he'd broken the hour for the first time. Paula was happy with a 1:02, a decent outing on zero training.
My chip time didn't sink in to start with. 48:20. Under even my silliest target had been smashed. We tucked into the post run snacks of bagels and bananas and took in the results. I was dumbfounded, couldn't wipe the grin from my face.

Post run smiles

The Eat

I should point out that the run was fuelled by chips. Well chips, battered sausage & saveloy to be precise. We couldn't be bothered to cook on Friday and I fell off the low carb wagon. The chips were great, though within minutes I was bloated & remembering why low carb works better for me.

Plantain tacos

Joel drove us across to Westfield and our choice for food was easy. The escalator from parking took us straight to the door of Wahaca. They had a table ready so that sealed the deal. An hour later and we'd consumed a fair amount of Mexican style street food. The food was quick & easy, though becoming a bit of a chain Wahaca serve up some decent dishes & we weren't disappointed.

Steak something & pork something

We chose to wander Westfield some more & found an ice cream stand on the concourse. Once that was consumed it was time to head home, for an afternoon of relaxation and an evening of steak, I felt it was deserved!!!

The Conclusion

This result surpassed all of my expectations. I knew from prior experience that the course was quick, I just didn't expect my own pace to be that good. The time justifies every hill sprint, fartlek session, tough & hilly 10k I've done. The hills of doom at Great Notley & Wimpole have also played a part.

You'll rarely get perfect conditions, but when you do, make the most of them. That's why I did on Saturday. I felt good, I ran well. In hindsight the 48:30 plan hatched the week of the race was probably too cavalier, but for once I was able to match a goal with a performance.

Team Um Bongo results

With 6 more weeks left to Richmond it is now time to follow this up with a stronger performance over half marathon distance. I won't be able to sustain such a plan over 21km, but I can take the confidence with me.

A week of hills - HM 5/12

The past week has certainly followed a theme. Plenty of climbing in an attempt to improve my form uphill and also hopefully my pace on the flat. As the Pride 10k approaches on the 9th I feel that my pace and stamina are good, with an attempt at a sub 50 definitely feasible. Last weekend also saw the 2014 edition of the Thunder Run take place. A group of us want to get a team into the 2015 event and the blogs, photos and videos have just increased the hype around the event.

Run #1 - Long and Slow

My LSR was due to take place on Sunday morning. Instead I found myself in bed until half nine! It's rare that I lie in by that much, 7am is considered a weekend bonus, so I must have been needing the extra time. With other things planned for the day, slotting in a long run was impractical so I awarded myself a rest day and moved week 5 around to accommodate.
Hill sprints were moved to Thursday and a change of shift allowed for a nice long run on Tuesday morning. The target was 100 minutes, a gentle ten miler. Unfortunately my pre run procrastination took hold and I was out of the house far too late to complete 100. Rather than abandon the plan completely I amended my route. I had intended to run north out of Stansted, through Quendon and then take a right back down to Elsenham.
Instead I turned right at the Ugley Checkers pub and headed into Elsenham from this direction, chopping 3k from the route. 

A beautiful morning for running

My rhythm appeared to be pretty good throughout, every kilometre between 5:47 and 6:06 apart from a slower warm up. I think the penultimate kilometre was even the fastest, despite including the climb up Chapel Hill. I coasted home with 13.1km in 1:18 and rewarded myself with some Cacao Chocolate Milk from Denmark. The benefit to the change of route was another hill discovered. A nice half kilometre 30m climb as the country lane rises from underneath the M11 will be ideal for some extended hill work, especially if the Thunder entry does happen!

Run #2 - Hill Sprints

I do question my sanity at times when I review my run plan and see what activities I signed myself up for. Deferred to Thursday from Tuesday was a hill sprint session. Not just any hill sprints, a whole perfect ten of them. I don't thinking ever completed a full ten before and certainly when I started on the Thursday morning I considered cutting short on plenty of occasions! I first started hill sprinting on Water Mill Lane next to Farnham cricket club, but then realised that in just running back afterwards this included a further three climbs. Then I moved to the start of the lane, now with time being a premium I've just picked a nice 200m stint along Lime Kiln Lane out the west of Stansted with a 9m climb of varying angles.

The short but sweet Lime Kiln Lane sprint section

Let's not mistake this, hill sprints are hard work! By halfway through I was already counting down to the end. The efforts were strong, I felt that I was pushing hard up the hill and not pressuring myself to jog down, taking as much time as I needed to be ready for the next ascend. The effort was there until the end, although the final climb back into Stansted was lacking in momentum!

An excellent set of hill sprints

Being a recent convert to Strava I was very happy with a segment record for the hill sprint. Stansted doesn't have a huge number of segments, normally I'm mid table to bottom half as most of my local runs are slow and easy. My sprint work had put me top of the tree for the Lime Kiln Lane hill sprint, best of 40 seconds. Exception my penultimate climb,  everything was between 40-45 seconds.

Strava course record!

Run #3 - Wimpole parkrun

My plan on Saturday was to head north west to take on one of the notorious parkrun Hill of Dooms, at the National Trust Wimpole Estate. My work earlier in the week and recent exploits at Great Notley had left me confident that I could cope with the hill and return a good time.
There was a bit of rain on the drive across, but the weather was perfect for running. After an intro from the Run Director we were off to the start line.

Wimpole parkrun - September 2013 route

I'd made a mistake straight away by lining up too far back. This resulted in a slow and frustrating start, lots of chopping around as I tried to negotiate my way into some space. I caught up with a Thunder Runner and had a brief chat with her about how awesome the event was, would be a shame not to get a 2015 team entered. 
The hill was approaching, though my pacing was good and I was slightly confused. I sensed that the course had changed slightly, I was sure the hill started the second kilometre. This time we were through 2km before starting the climb, probably better for banking some pace. In two previous attempts I'd run once and succumbed to walking once so I was determined to run all the way up. The first section of the ascend is fairly shallow, you then turn ninety degrees to the right and the steepness begins. 

Wimpole parkrun - August 2014 route, slight change at the start & a simpler finish

I dragged myself up and used the following downhill to recover, some decided to walk up and almost sprint down, that can't be any more sustainable. The descend then gets steeper and I allowed myself to coast down easy and started to kick in to a decent pace on the flat. Conditions under foot were good, the trail shoes were handy but not mandatory.
There was a brief, shallow climb up to a footbridge and then we were all heading back into the final kilometre. As we ran across a gravelled driveway I was sure the course had definitely changed, I certainly didn't remember this! I then saw the finish, no linger in the field, but right where the start was. This was a vast improvement as previously you had to turn into another field, finish and then walk back to the start to get scanned. 
This time it was just a straight sprint finish. I was alongside a lady who was also kicking for the line so I urged us both on to finish strongly & I got a nice kick to my finish. 

Kilometre splits - spot the slow start & the only marginal reduction overall in the uphill kilometre

Unfortunately I managed to not stop my GPS so I wasn't fully aware of my time until the official text came through later. At 24:40 I'd run a PB for the course, taking 36 seconds off of my effort in September. Though the course was slightly different, it still includes a damn steep hill to haul yourself up! The hill sessions are definitely paying dividends & according to my runbritain profile that was my 2nd best run in terms of overall performance.

The Eat

Once I'd picked up Mrs H following her night at the Newmarket races & made it into Cambridge it was time to take on some breakfast. We headed to Afternoon Tease, a local cafe near the heart of the city that I was aware of from twitter & instagram. Mrs H was opting just for strong coffee for some reason, whilst I polished off avocado, feta & chilli jam on sourdough toast. Not a combination I'd think of myself, but it was a plateful of awesomeness. If you're in the centre of Cambridge & want to try something away from the standard fayre, give Afternoon Tease a visit, the cakes also looked magnificent.

Avocado, feta, chilli jam on Sourdough toast. Awesome!

We finished the day with a Ploughmans, stopping at the excellent Gog Magog Hills farm shop on our way south from Cambridge to pick up some cheese. An excellent day of running & food combined!

The Conclusion

Another solid week. Very happy with the progress being made in distance & speed. If I can keep my dodgy glute under control alongside those dodgy calves & ITB then I should be on for a good return at the Pride 10k on Saturday & Richmond in another 6 weeks.

Half Marathon training 4/12

Nearly a month into my Richmond Half training. According to the plan I should have completed 14 runs, got some miles and some pace into my legs.
The week beginning July 21st was meant to be a four run week. Two speed sessions sandwiched by longer slow runs.

Run #1

Starting on Monday I was targeting 80 easy so picked the well known route out of Stansted, to Manuden, Rickling Green and then back to Stansted. This is a nice 12th route that includes a long climb up the hill as you leave Manuden. As I'm entered into the Manuden 10k later in the summer any practice up this reasonably tough climb is worthwhile. Once at the top you get a brief moment to relax downhill before a second, shorter climb as the lane undulates. In truth you then continue climbing for another kilometre or two, almost until Rickling, but the gradient isnt noticeable.
Though the pace was intended to be easy, I found myself consistently below 6:00/km without any effort. Rather than rein in my enthusiasm I kept up the pace and stayed relaxed. After having the country lane completely to myself I turned right as soon as I entered Rickling Green and started heading back south.
The next couple of clicks are alongside the main road, not normally a problem. Unfortunately with the weather recently everything has overgrown and the local councils haven't got on top of this. At one point I was thankful for a grass verge as the pavement was impassable. There were plenty of occasions where I was forced into running on the main road or found myself ducking and weaving more overgrown vegetation.
The last two kilometres were up the familiar Pennington Lane and back into Stansted. My pace had remained good throughout, so finishing my '80' in just over 70 minutes, clocking the 12km at a rate of 5:47/km. The run was very pleasing, it was the longest distance and amount of time I'd been out in a couple of months. To get progressively faster as the run continued was also very satisfying.

Run #2

Wednesday morning brought some speed work to the table in the form of fartlek training. As the format is easier with lampposts around I opted to stay within Stansted rather than head out into the country. I'd also noticed the climb from the train station up to Forest Hall School was now a section on Strava, I had to get myself on that leaderboard!
It took time to haul myself out of the house, I really didn't feel with it. The slightly later time meant that commuters heading to the station were greeted with some mad man sprinting, walking and doing some horrific jogging in between! I ended up doing nearly three laps of the Forest Hall estate, a perfect venue with neatly laid out lampposts to provide the fartlek markers.
This was the first time I'd completed a 40 minute fartlek session. Naturally my sprint pace tailed off a bit to the end, but the effort was strong throughout.

Run #3

Friday morning was another speed session. This time the target was just to run at tempo so I headed out on the Stansted loop. The weather was much cooler in the morning, though the humidity was still horrific.
There wasn't really much to write home about, a consistent 5:34/km pace. The legs were strong and I felt decent. A nice second tempo session for the week, perfect setup for the weekend.

parkrun Volunteering

My parkrun stint for the week started on the Friday evening. The Great Notley parkrun has already established a reputation for two things. Firstly the infamous hill of doom, secondly the table of cakes that greet runners (and volunteers) at the end of the run. 

Marshal position H, plus sign just in case the marshal is incompetent

With our kitchen finally serviceable, I wanted to add a contribution to the table. I'd normally try millionaires shortbread, but previous attempts had resulted in caramel that wouldn't set. Rather than bring disaster to my second volunteering stint I decided to take a safer option. A sausage roll is always a good way to finish a run and using a recipe I'd picked up on instagram from Elly Pear I put some together for post run goodness.
The volunteering went to plan this time, no one running inadvertently off course! When I got back to the race HQ the sausage rolls were fast disappearing and appeared to be going down well. 

Batch of sausage rolls (more sausage boats) for post parkrun enjoyment

The recipe for those interested: sausagemeat (I usually just take some regular sausages and skin then, this occasion they were the Cumberland variety), puff pastry, add a bit of chutney alongside the meat. Wrap the pastry round, glaze with milk (or egg) and then sprinkle a combination of smoked salt, garlic granules, nigella seeds, dried onion & sesame seeds (the last two ingredients were missed out on for the parkrun batch). Cook until awesome!

Mega sausage rolls at home for lunch with the leftover sausagemeat. Added some stilton for extra awesomeness!

Another PB, new kit, KT Tape & Medals in the Toilet? HM Training 3/12

Just two runs to report on for the week beginning July 14th. So with that in mind we might meander off course at some point to discuss where everyone displays their run bling.
The exploits and exertions of the Stansted 10k left me feeling rather tender as the week started, the plan being to run on Tuesday, Thursday & then Saturday. Tuesday's run didn't happen as my left achilles was still tight following the hills of Stansted. Tuesday was a revelatory day though. I had my regular physio planned, once my back was sorted I asked if I could have my IT Band checked over. Although Paula had experienced a bad ITB previously, her pain was generally in the knee itself where as mine was manifesting in the ITB itself. After some necessarily painful massage I was told that yes, I have some ITB inflammation & though I'd caught it before it had become Runner's Knee, I'd need to treat it regularly with the foam roller & tape it up to aid recovery.
It goes without saying that this is self inflicted. Tight calves have caused most of my issues since 2010 & a combination of that & some dodgy glutes will also be adding to the pain. The good news is this pain has been with me for a couple of months, so I can't land the blame at the door of the new trainers. So it is time to lean sideways on the foam roller for some excruciating strengthening, or use a handheld roller. To this point I've been more successful with the hand held massage stick, mainly due to the muscles being very tender after the massage.
When I did venture out on Thursday I felt reasonable. I had some new kit to break in, some New Balance trail shoes to accommodate the variable conditions faced at the Great Notley parkrun. With a visit due on Saturday I attempted to navigate around Stansted in search of grass to run on. Albeit this stretched as far as a lap of the recreation ground, not a huge success! I'd also see a hill segment from the train station up to Forest Hall School on Strava so gave that climb a go to see how I'd fare.

Great Notley parkrun

Saturday morning saw me returning to the scene of my volunteering crime the week previously, this week to the relief of many (including Len) in running gear so that the only race I could spoil would be my own. The journey over had brought rain, so many of us were in hope that we'd at least get some to break the humidity of the morning. I was tempted to run in a vest, but the lure of the parkrun 50 shirt was too much. My knee and ITB were covered in KT Tape, one of the world's most expensive forms of sticky tape, especially in the UK. I'm still sceptical as to how much good it does, time will tell.
I lined up alongside Paul, though he was doing his own thing, no pacing duties on this occasion. We were soon on our way & finding out that the heavy rainfall had left many puddles around the course. At first I avoided them, then remembered I had the trail shoes on & could be more direct with my running. After chatting to Len who was running for the first time having been Race Director for the first three, I settled into a rhythm, hoping rather than expecting to run strong. The most solid surface was the brief sand pit section. Usually tough, the overnight rain had left it like a beach with the tide out.
With this being my second outing at Notley I was still getting to know the circuit and the various turns involved. My pace seemed reasonable though, just under 5:00 for the first kilometre. With a sub 25 being a hopeful target and a big hill to follow I knew my pace needed to maintain or preferably speed up to accommodate the climb and subsequent recovery.

Lap 1 - Smiles & Thumbs Up

I was able to give a thumbs up as I passed the photographer near the lake but disappointed as my second kilometre wasn't any quicker, a negative split post hill would be required. As the hill of doom approached I seemed to adopt a rather cavalier attitude. I attacked the hill, driving myself up it, overtaking a couple of runners on my way. Perhaps it was Stockholm syndrome but I appeared to be enjoying the climb! The unrelenting Stansted 10k had given me even more confidence with my ability to ascend and a bemused Paula was able to picture me giving another thumbs up after she'd walked to the top just to take photos.

Finding some kind of enjoyment in conquering the hill, need my head checking!

There was no bird touching to be done this week, a PB was in sight! Despite the peak being the highest point of the park there was still no rain to be found so I descended in the dank, humid conditions. The trail shoes certainly helped, giving a firmer base to navigate down, knowing you're unlikely to slip is an added bonus.
The descend was potentially slower than the ascend as I tried to fill my lungs once more and recover. A third km of 5:09 was both good and bad news. Bad in that I would be over a 25:00, but good that I'd lost minimal time on the climb, even if Strava is trying to tell me I was only a second faster than my first attempt!
On a normal parkrun my fourth kilometre is usually my weakest as I grow weary before a final push. I couldn't afford that to be the case on this occasion and got back down to a 5:00/km pace. In theory if I could maintain pace I'd be in touching distance of a 25. I carried the pace into the final click, finding a decent rhythm. Soon I was approaching the finish, a length of a grassy field before a ninety degree turn and last sprint to the line. As I entered the field I passed the cheerful tail runner and then gave some encouragement to core team member Dan. A glance of the watch told me I could maintain and should be absent cross at 25. Despite knowing I'd started my watch just before the official start (always a good motivating tool, rob yourself of vital seconds in a cheap psychological trick), my competitive juices kicked in, I couldn't help but put everything into the finish! A strong end to the field and I was turning for home and into another gear to the finish. The photographic evidence suggests I might have even raised my knees properly, something Sean has been trying to get me to do for years!

Approaching the finish line, less smiles......

I crossed the line and realised just how disgustingly soaked I was. The humidity was off the scale, I'd not been like this on a run since the Reggae Half in Jamaica!!! I'd clocked an unofficial 24:48 so was in a great mood after the run as I slumped on a bench!

The Eat

If you're not a fan of hills then another reason to visit Notley is to take on the post race spread of cakes. Once I'd recovered slightly I approached the table and made a predictable choice of tiffin. I'm told the other cakes are equally good, but unless a lemon drizzle is going to start being chocolate covered I'm only going to opt for the magnificent tiffin! Being on volunteering duty next week I might have to contribute to the cake table. Unfortunately my millionaires shortbread can be notorious for not setting so a savoury addition of sausage rolls might get the vote. 

Cake table - Although I only have eyes for Tiffin...

We definitely didn't head into Tesco's straight after to pick up some chocolate milk and a donut afterwards. That definitely did not happen!

The Conclusion

Although I've not covered any significant distances so far & we're a quarter of the way to Richmond, I feel decent at the moment. All of my injuries are in check & manageable. My pace is really good & if I can get some long runs under my belt then I'm confident I'll be able to deliver a PB in Richmond. My climbing is getting better, which is only going to pay dividends on flat or fast courses. 

Run Britain handicap - shows my 2012 - 2013 decline quite nicely

The recent mass updates to the Run Britain website also means that my handicap is finally up to date. The Southend parkrun time of 23:31 meant that my handicap dropped below 15, to 14.9 for the first time (think of it like a golf handicap). Surprisingly the course conditions on Saturday were deemed more favourable than the first event (though I still don't get how they work that work), yet the 24:44 is the 6th best run I've ever completed in pure handicap terms. If I can get down to a 24:30 in this current training cycle then a visit to Chelmsford to attack a 23:30 could well be on.

And Finally

Some debate in the Holt household current regarding how Run Bling should be displayed. Our house is currently being renovated and this has led to a difference of opinion. I'd like to hang our medals and some bibs in a part of our dining room that'll double up as a home office. Paula on the other hand wants the shiny to be consigned to the garage, as it is too showy & boastful. I quite like the idea of being boastful, after all we've worked hard for each of those medals!

The renovations have also provided a potential third option. Our utility room / downstairs toilet is probably going to end up painted in brilliant white or something to that effect just to maximise the light in the room. With that in mind we'll need to accessorise the room to give it a less clinical feel. Why not put the medals in there? Might as well put the medal mooses on the wall behind the toilet, it's either going to be that or some horrendous stuff we paid tourist tax for in Jamaica!!!

So where do you keep or display your Run Bling?

Stansted 10k and some disastrous volunteering. Richmond Half 2/12

We're a sixth of the way to the Richmond Half. This meant it was time for a four run week. Working an early shift meant lunchtime runs as I wasn't prepared to wake at half four and evening running has never agreed with me. The week started well, fartlekking around Battersea Park probably drew some confused expressions. My pace was pleasing though, the sprint sections held strong throughout. I dropped Wednesday's run as I had a cricket game in the evening and didn't know how involved I'd be. After scoring two with the bat and not being required with the ball I probably could have snuck out at lunchtime.

On Friday I again had cricket in the evening but with an eye on the forecast and the rain overnight I suspected that would be a non starter. So a colleague and I retraced my Battersea steps, just at an easy pace though in order to preserve the legs ahead of Sunday.

parkrun Volunteering

My new schedule allows be alternate Saturdays off, with Paula at Comic Con I headed across to Great Notley parkrun for my volunteering debut. As numbers allowed all of the regular places to be covered I was able to head to the top of the hill of doom to offer encouragement and high fives to everyone as they got to the peak.

pre parkrun briefing, awkward moment when we realised all our outfits matched

Unfortunately things didn't completely turn out that way. As the leaders approached the front runner asked which way round, I presumed he meant round the bird, the large plinth on the top of the hill, so I said either way is fine. I didn't realise they'd headed down the back of the hill until a non parkrunner doing hill work pointed out they're going the wrong way. Luckily everyone else headed on the usual course and the two guys that had an inadvertent detour were back on track with a 5.2km parkrun.
I was absolutely mortified, forgetting that this is a new event and that not everyone will know the course, researched beforehand or might not have heard the brief. There isn't usually a marshal at the top of the hill so I'm not sure what would have happened either way.
Once I'd repositioned myself to avoid confusion and reminded myself mistakes happen I got on with my task of cheering folks on. The top of the hill is where you're at your most knackered and I hope a smile and some kind words to encourage everyone downhill at least brought some cheer to people. Not everyone touched the bird, but I managed some good photos and encouraged anyone that wanted it.
At the end of my duties I told Race Director Len about my directing debacle. For another week I made the race report, for all the wrong reasons though! I managed to catch up with some of the guys thrown off course and though they could be rightfully pissed they accepted my apologies.
My first volunteering experience certainly was an eye opener though. I guess the number of volunteers you need depends on the course and event size but there appeared to be a dozen of us to cover the event. The amount of organisation and dedication from the core team needed to make every single parkrun go smoothly is immense and I'd recommend everyone tries to give up at least one Saturday morning to be the other half of the parkrun story.

Stansted 10k

Having an event literally on your doorstep makes it rude not to compete. The Stansted 10k takes place every 2 years and starts and finishes all of 5 minutes from our house. I'd cajoled Joel, Paul & Emily with the offer of BBQ, warning them in advance that the course was a tough one. Joel had seen a map my run of a previous event and declared in advance that it didn't appear to be too bad.

Pre Race Team Um Bongo photo - Joel, me, Paul & Emily

Heavy overnight rain and a majority trail route left me opting for some old Adidas Supernova Sequence trainers rather than write off some of my newer pairs. We were all expecting even more heavy rain during the event, to the point of nearly running in jackets. My mind was cast back to you the 2012 edition that featured nearly every season. By the start the sun had well and truly put it's hat on, Paul, Emily and myself lining up together with the intention of Paul pacing us to a 54:00. Regular readers will find this pacing strategy bizarre, after all just a month ago we were tearing up the HBO within 52:00. This was a testament to just how tough the course was. In 2012 I clocked a 56:23, just weeks after a 51:38 HBO so I felt a 54 was a fair target to aim for.

Less than 1k in, we were almost enjoying it at this stage!

We started well, taking in the first couple of kilometres to bank some time & then having a really good third which was essentially downhill all the way. This led us to the first climb of the day, Watermill Lane alongside Farnham cricket club. I've always found this to be a tough ascend, but attacked it climbing up 21m in 300m travelled. I was able to recover my pace straight away & still return a 5:18 kilometre, adding more into the bank. Unfortunately my caviller approach to the first hill meant we left Emily behind, but Paul was happy to continue pacing me. The Grade Adjusted Pace was 4:48/km, in hindsight perhaps this was too fast!

The course then travelled towards Farnham, including a nice decline before heading off the road just as the ford approached. At 25:45 through 5km I was feeling good, but knowing every second banked would be needed as the course would only be getting tougher from this point on. The next climb appeared to finish after 400m but after consulting my post run stats I can see it continued way past Farnham church, a full 1.1km over which we ascended 18m. I joked at the time that Paul was lying when he said the hill had ended!!!

At 6km we passed another water station, thanked the volunteers for their support and enjoyed some downhill respite. The descend was gentle but brought us to a climb I'd forgotten about from my 2012 attempt. Another 17m up over the course of 400m. Probably means nothing to most ardent hill runners but by the peak I was beginning to labour & was thankful that the course flatten out as we approached the road between Stortford & Manuden. The next kilometre was nearly all downhill, but my pace didn't recover as well as expected & the need to cross a footbridge at walking pace in single file also killed my momentum.

Not an ideal time to lose momentum as a morale killing hill was to follow. You could see it from the point at which you emerged from the footbridge. Run along the field, turn ninety degrees and start climbing. In 2012 this climb & the downhill were crazy as the heavens had opened leaving the course a mud bath. The climb itself on paper doesn't look too bad, 10 metres over the course of 200, barely a scratch surely? But everyone around us was succumbing to walking pace. I was determined & as we reached the peak Paul encouraged me to recharge & carry on. My words of "I'm struggling" and a quick scan of my face persuaded Paul that was indeed the truth and at that point the aim of the race became to finish. My head had become very light with the effort of the climb, something I've not experienced in race conditions for a while. The fourth climb of the run nearly finished me off, but in my mind it was a case of one more, then a medal.

It is only when you look back that you can see the truth. From the footbridge, the start of the 4th climb to the end of what I thought was the 5th at Bentfield there was actually another climb. Each has a mere 200 metres of light descend before you're called upon to climb again. So in truth, from 8.0km to 9.4km you ascend a total of 30m. Ok that's only one Great Notley hill of doom, but it's at the end of the 10km!!!

My 9th kilometre at 6:03 at the fact the course appeared to be measuring slightly long meant the target of a 54:00 wasn't on, but that wasn't going to stop me pushing. At the final water station I took a bottle of water & threw it over myself. It wasn't pretty though it provided me with the slap in the face needed. The support as we finished the last hill and entered Bentfield Green was a great. It gave me a chance to kick & I attempted to drive home to the finish line. Of course there had to be a cruel minor uphill to finish the event & a high curb to negotiate, but I dragged myself over the line in 54:28, nearly two minutes faster than my 2012 exploits.

Medal. Knackered.

Paul was thankful that I hadn't collapsed on him & I was equally thankful that he'd given me the extra push needed to a very tough course. I was also thankful for a picket fence someone had installed on their front garden as it propped me up whilst I sat post race. Emily came through moments later & soon we were joined by Joel, the first person to finish a race claiming they hated me!

The Eat

Of course the only way to adequately reward people for hard work is to fire up the bbq. Numbers were lower than expected, though this allowed me the luxury of having ample food already in stock and not needing to make homemade burgers. I'd put together some nacho bean patties for Emily & Paul though we reserved these for last as their consistency suggested they might not grill well!

We laid on a spread of standard sausages and burgers and supplemented it with a number of creations including zesty chicken, coconut prawns, stuffed mushrooms, cajun and chilli asparagus and courgette completing our efforts. These were added to by Emily with some stellar guacamole and some always popular halloumi kebabs. It's fair to say no one went hungry!!!

Post run milkshakes. Still knackered.

Post run we all enjoyed a milkshake, though if I was the perfect host this would have been some specially purchased Cacio or Mr Shericks!

The Conclusion 

Without doubt the Stansted 10k is the toughest event of that distance I've competed in. I'd forgotten just how brutal the course was, 100m of climbing across the whole distance. In total there were six climbs and all but one were in the second half of the run. This was definitely an event for going out hard in an attempt to bank time. In hindsight perhaps an energy gel taken after 3km would have helped. Or even more hill sprints. To put the result into context, I was 4:10 slower than my best of a month ago, the fact that the gap is a minute closer than 2012 tells me I'm a much stronger than two years ago. 

The best reaction was Joel's. Back in November he hated the Greenwich Mo Run due to its severity. This was tougher and took longer, yet he was able to savour the experience and vowed to come back faster and stronger for the 2016 edition. The sense of achievement in conquering a tough course is something you can't explain. Sure I was slower than usual, but for the course I did the best I could. My aim with this event is to run it every time it occurs and chip away at that time. I think this has set me up perfectly for a sub 50 at the Pride 10k in four weeks time.