A very satisfactory week would be an apt description of the week that was May 11th. Only two runs, but a couple of changes that should improve things moving forward. The week ended with a massive confidence boost.
DOMS
I ended the prior week by doubling up a long run with an afternoon of cricket. My last entry stated how the run wasn't great, the post run itself painful as well.
Monday & Tuesday I was in pieces. I'd worked from home on Monday & struggled to function, knowing I should be moving regularly but with pain every time I did so I found myself not being proactive. Not only did I ache from running, I had the first cricket game overlay, pain along my sides, shoulders, all those extra bits my unnatural bowling action brings into play.
By Tuesday I was on the road with work, an evening of parkrun admin ahead of me and the need to do something on Wednesday to keep myself ticking over.
The week previously I'd used the Nike training club app, doing a short core strength workout, but finding it had lots of dead space and rest.
What a difference it makes when you actually turn the volume up, the dead time was for repetitions, not rest! Suddenly the short session was a bit more worthwhile!!!! My core (once likened by a physio as like a jellyfish) felt a bit more energised!!
Monday & Tuesday I was in pieces. I'd worked from home on Monday & struggled to function, knowing I should be moving regularly but with pain every time I did so I found myself not being proactive. Not only did I ache from running, I had the first cricket game overlay, pain along my sides, shoulders, all those extra bits my unnatural bowling action brings into play.
By Tuesday I was on the road with work, an evening of parkrun admin ahead of me and the need to do something on Wednesday to keep myself ticking over.
The week previously I'd used the Nike training club app, doing a short core strength workout, but finding it had lots of dead space and rest.
What a difference it makes when you actually turn the volume up, the dead time was for repetitions, not rest! Suddenly the short session was a bit more worthwhile!!!! My core (once likened by a physio as like a jellyfish) felt a bit more energised!!
Active Uttlesford
On Wednesday evening, after more motorway fun I made my way to my second Active Uttlesford meeting. The group is only recently established and I'm there to add input and feedback from a parkrun perspective. It was also the first meeting since the event launch so there was plenty of interest in how participation is going. Lot's of positivity was returned in my direction, something that I still find bizarre and very humbling. I just wanted to run locally and maybe have a lie in on a Saturday! I've achieved one of those goals, though the enjoyment and satisfaction from seeing others also enjoy it mean I'm not too concerned about the extra sleep!
One thing I impressed on the rest of the group is that if attendance continues on an upward curve then we'll need to look at further event actions both in ours and neighbouring districts. I'm looking forward to the day when someone approaches me and asks how they can setup a parkrun themselves.
A Forest Preview
After another wrestle with the M25 I found myself at Hatfield Forest on Thursday for a summer route preview we had arranged for Bishop's Stortford Running Club. I'd also extended the invite to our tail runner as I wanted to ensure they knew the route in advance of Saturday's launch. Typically with it officially turning to summer for us the weather was atrocious! Our lead bike volunteer Adam nearly didn't make it to the start as he stacked it on the boardwalk, confirming my natural suspicion for bicycles!!
Around a dozen of us headed off in grim conditions, Karl leading, me firmly at the rear of the group. This was ideal as I was able to be a back seat driver, shouting if necessary (just once) if a turn was missed. It was nice to spend some time with our parkrunners away from the hustle and bustle of a Saturday morning, as the event matures we're starting to get to know our regulars.
Around a dozen of us headed off in grim conditions, Karl leading, me firmly at the rear of the group. This was ideal as I was able to be a back seat driver, shouting if necessary (just once) if a turn was missed. It was nice to spend some time with our parkrunners away from the hustle and bustle of a Saturday morning, as the event matures we're starting to get to know our regulars.
The feedback on the course was largely positive, it is certainly more challenging than the current winter route, although a mudbath in December might persuade a different view point.
And now for something completely different
I stepped out of my comfort zone on Friday. Realising that my quality cross training sessions weren't really coming to fruition, I decided it was time to try something different. After giving it some consideration over the past few weeks, I called 1life in Dunmow to sign up to gym membership. The pool is far superior to Stortford & I can also make use of the Stansted facility. I've made a short term commitment as a trial to see how and if it will enhance my running.
Friday evening involved commuting across London with my cricket kit for an evening of T20. LMS, under our unofficial nickname of The Martians were entering a friendly t20 league for the second year. We even had eleven, usually a requisite but for us an achievement.
We batted first and I made my first run of the season before perishing soon after by being too timid and not hitting the ball hard enough. We scored 115 so had a chance to defend the total. In truth our opposition were always in charge, though we couldn't get frustrated as the friendly nature of our league meant points are awarded (and deducted) for gentlemanly behaviour.
My bowling was standard medium slow filth. In my second over I started to get into it and was pleased when my even slower ball actually worked and nearly brought a wicket. I'm acutely aware of my limitations as a player, but I fell in love with the game as a kid and my final ball of the over was the kind of thing you savour. When I get things right, I have potential to sneak some wickets. A ball that pitches on middle and leg breaks away, bouncing more than expected with top spin (I genuinely have no idea how my action works or achieves the end product) top clip the bail and leave a batsman dumbfounded is the stuff you dream of as a bowler. Sometimes it becomes a reality and you get to be embraced by teammates who'd like to know how you did it. If only I knew!
We lost as our total was never enough to put pressure on the opposition, but even in defeat I had a wicket to be proud of.
Finally, the summer route
Some numpty asked the course setup volunteers to arrive at the forest for 0630 due to the course being unfamiliar. As my second alarm went off at 0510 I realised that numpty was me and that I had to haul my arse out of bed.
Thankfully Karl, Steve & Oliver realised I wasn't joking and we were soon trying to apply some logic to course setup. Our winter route allowed for a lap of the forest in a car, though we used a car for the north of the run, a lot more walking was required for the summer course. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was to setup, not too laborious once we'd split the course into two logical segments. One factor to content with now is cattle. The final stop on my route with Steve was soon engulfed by a group of cows & the clapping technique to disperse them didn't appear to do anything other than amuse them! Signs in place, they set about finding out what was going on, giving all of the flags a nudge & a lick.
Having felt organised & on top of things, by 0815 the earlier alarm call was taking effect & I was feeling rather dishevelled. Perfect for when all of our volunteers & runners start to appear! I tried to wake up a bit & begun to brief my technical volunteers, relieved that we'd added a volunteer co-ordinator into the mix as explaining the positions to marshals would probably have been beyond me.
Soon it was 0900 & time to get the show on the road. Once the runners had departed I realised that I'd forgotten to mention the Henham 10k, despite having a big note on my clipboard & speaking to Monica from the event who I'd specifically invited down. I really wasn't with it & when Sam suggested we visit the newly refitted cafe I agreed that would be a great idea.
The NT brought the cafe in house just before the parkrun started & we purposefully don't suggest bringing cakes or snacks too much. After a major facelift the cafe was looking far better & it seemed rude not to try one of their sausage rolls, fresh out of the oven. I've now learnt that there is no point ordering one until RD duty has ended, it took three attempts & one reheat to get all the way through the huge & tasty pastry! I need to remember that I'm there to talk to people & scoffing pastry doesn't really work with that.
We had a slight panic, the lead runner finished 2 minutes ahead of the rest & our second scanner hadn't arrived back from their marshal point. Thankfully Adam our lead bike rode back out to retrieve the barcode reader & I got the opportunity to scan for a while. Despite volunteering at parkrun for a year, this was the first time I was doing the role & I started to get into it, remembering to say well done to all the runners & say their name if presented on the barcode to add a personal touch. When our marshal came back to relieve the position I realised that a cock up on my part by printing inaccurate information had led to the confusion over marshalling positions. Note to self, proof read before printing, don't print things at 11pm! By happy circumstance Karl had looked at marshal positions from v1 of the course so had ended up in the position intended for the other marshal!!!
Once all of the runners had passed through, an impressive 176 of them, the course packed up & the sausage roll finally consumed, Karl, Sam & I walked what is known as Route G. With another event at the forest on the 6th we were faced with the dilemma of cancel or find an alternative route. The NT were happy for us to run practically anywhere as it's the summer now & the forest is in good condition. With that in mind & 3 weeks to play with I'm determined not to cancel. We've negotiated that the other event will start a bit later & their route works nicely with our alternative.
The first version of G is just about 5km, though it involves a Cumberland sausage style whirl of the a finish that might not be popular with our runners. It is probably the flattest incarnation of a course we can create & after a quick play on Strava I think we've got ourselves a good alternative route without too many shenanigans at the end. Now to walk it, run it, risk assess it & produce the paperwork!
With that it was off to the pub to process the parkrun results & as it was midday it seems fitting to take in a pint of Erdinger, especially as Karl was driving the parkrun super computer this week. So the results were being sent by carrier pigeon to the secret parkrun hq island and we were able to reflect on another enjoyable morning of parkrun.
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| First time we've had to contend with cattle during parkrun setup! |
Soon it was 0900 & time to get the show on the road. Once the runners had departed I realised that I'd forgotten to mention the Henham 10k, despite having a big note on my clipboard & speaking to Monica from the event who I'd specifically invited down. I really wasn't with it & when Sam suggested we visit the newly refitted cafe I agreed that would be a great idea.
The NT brought the cafe in house just before the parkrun started & we purposefully don't suggest bringing cakes or snacks too much. After a major facelift the cafe was looking far better & it seemed rude not to try one of their sausage rolls, fresh out of the oven. I've now learnt that there is no point ordering one until RD duty has ended, it took three attempts & one reheat to get all the way through the huge & tasty pastry! I need to remember that I'm there to talk to people & scoffing pastry doesn't really work with that.
We had a slight panic, the lead runner finished 2 minutes ahead of the rest & our second scanner hadn't arrived back from their marshal point. Thankfully Adam our lead bike rode back out to retrieve the barcode reader & I got the opportunity to scan for a while. Despite volunteering at parkrun for a year, this was the first time I was doing the role & I started to get into it, remembering to say well done to all the runners & say their name if presented on the barcode to add a personal touch. When our marshal came back to relieve the position I realised that a cock up on my part by printing inaccurate information had led to the confusion over marshalling positions. Note to self, proof read before printing, don't print things at 11pm! By happy circumstance Karl had looked at marshal positions from v1 of the course so had ended up in the position intended for the other marshal!!!
Once all of the runners had passed through, an impressive 176 of them, the course packed up & the sausage roll finally consumed, Karl, Sam & I walked what is known as Route G. With another event at the forest on the 6th we were faced with the dilemma of cancel or find an alternative route. The NT were happy for us to run practically anywhere as it's the summer now & the forest is in good condition. With that in mind & 3 weeks to play with I'm determined not to cancel. We've negotiated that the other event will start a bit later & their route works nicely with our alternative.
The first version of G is just about 5km, though it involves a Cumberland sausage style whirl of the a finish that might not be popular with our runners. It is probably the flattest incarnation of a course we can create & after a quick play on Strava I think we've got ourselves a good alternative route without too many shenanigans at the end. Now to walk it, run it, risk assess it & produce the paperwork!
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| A preview of Route G. It's a wee bit pretty |
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| This might be why results get a bit funky..... |
Upping the distance
After an early start on Saturday and some reticence on my part to succumb to an afternoon nap, I found myself in bed pretty early after a well deserved soak. Although I wanted to get 15 miles in before surprising Emily & Paul to cheer their marathon exploits, I knew that I needed sleep and to not force the issue in the morning. Basic maths suggested 1200 at the marathon turnaround point, -20 to get there -30 to get ready -150 for the run, I could leave by half eight and get my run in.
Despite my tiredness the body clock decided to opt for a 6am wake up, I did at least negotiate a top up & eventually rose at half seven, straight into my running kit. No bananas to be found in the house so a cocoa Nakd bar had to be sufficient. I loaded up with four gels and a box of Haribo gummy bears as I continue to experiment with various options to see what I get on with.
I knew 15 miles was on the cards but I hadn't given routes any thought. I could go to Stortford, but the temptation to turn and shorten a run is always there. A quick scan of google maps and I noticed a road just to the west of the main road through Newport that headed back south to Rickling. It looked about 15ish so I looked at street view to give me an idea of the correct turning & headed out the door.
This was just my second run of the week & expectations were low given the number of minor complaints I'd had the week prior. I certainly had a bit of foot pain to start with, but soon found this ironed itself out by the time I was through Quendon and half an hour into the run. I was probably confounding all running logic by using the run to break in the Mizuno Wave Rider's, only the second run in new shoes. The new experiences continued as I passed the turn towards Elsenham and continued north. South of Quendon the pavement is in horrendous condition, running in the road was a necessity as the local district, parish and highways departments continue to neglect and allow disrepair and overgrowth.
I soon found myself in Newport and approaching 10km at just over the hour mark. My pace was in line with my intended marathon target of 4:30, which given I have weight to lose, pace to gain & miles to bank is a very pleasing sign.
After turning west I appeared to be running quite a distance in search of this left turn. Finally Wicken Bonhunt (no really) appeared and I ran through the village to eventually find the turning after a few up and downs to get to that point.
I was finally heading south, though I had a nice climb ahead of me. At this point I was one hour twenty in so found the gummy bears to see how I'd get on with them. They were a bit too solid, overly chewy and took 15 minutes to consume the box. Certainly an option, though I'm not sure they're the right one.
As the road took an age to get to Rickling, I was considering other options for getting home should the distance be greater than expected, I didn't want to be taking the run into the realms of 16, 17, maybe 18 miles in what appeared to be increasing heat. My original plan was to head from Rickling Green to Maunden, a loop that was around 8km. The road kept winding & I couldn't work out if I was now running west or south. My form & pace still felt good & I even managed to finish the box of Haribo as I finally entered Rickling with 16km on the watch. Of course just because there was a sign it didn't mean I was actually anywhere nearer to making a decision on a route home. I started to recognise the northern part of Rickling from the Manuden 10k route & as I made it to the cricket field I'd clocked 17km so turned right towards Manuden rather than heading back to the main road.
I was now on one of my most familiar routes, though quite an exposed one in the sun. I knew the score, a bit of a climb for another km, then a gentle downhill, more of a downhill, a climb to match & then for once, the chance to run down Mount Manuden. The track is narrow & by running into late morning there were a few more cars around & at one point a group of cyclists who decided that giving way to anyone wasn't there thing, not ideal when trying to maintain form ahead of a hill to climb.
I decided to cash in on the descend, knowing that the next two km would be the last easy ones of the run. A gel before leaving Rickling had maintained my energy levels & my pace downhill was excellent. As I begun to climb out of Manuden towards Stansted I'd completed half marathon distance & had a mere 3km left in order to get home. Of course I was aware these final kilometres would be hard. Hard as the climb into Stansted is one that always feels unrelenting & doubly hard as I was into completely unknown territory in terms of distance & duration.
I was now on one of my most familiar routes, though quite an exposed one in the sun. I knew the score, a bit of a climb for another km, then a gentle downhill, more of a downhill, a climb to match & then for once, the chance to run down Mount Manuden. The track is narrow & by running into late morning there were a few more cars around & at one point a group of cyclists who decided that giving way to anyone wasn't there thing, not ideal when trying to maintain form ahead of a hill to climb.
I decided to cash in on the descend, knowing that the next two km would be the last easy ones of the run. A gel before leaving Rickling had maintained my energy levels & my pace downhill was excellent. As I begun to climb out of Manuden towards Stansted I'd completed half marathon distance & had a mere 3km left in order to get home. Of course I was aware these final kilometres would be hard. Hard as the climb into Stansted is one that always feels unrelenting & doubly hard as I was into completely unknown territory in terms of distance & duration.
I had to talk myself through the penultimate climb into Bentfield Bower, my pace & energy were really starting to dip. I had to remind myself that this was the furthest I'd run & that it really wasn't that far to go, I'd tackled these hills plenty of times previously. I'd soon made it up & into Bentfield Green, not even my worst effort on the ascend with a sloth like 2:17 (I'm between 1:57 & 2:27 in 42 attempts). In theory it was now flat(ish) back to my front door & as if by some virtue of amazing route planning, 24km flashed up on the Garmin just as the house came into view.
I dragged myself inside & started rehydrating, the rising temperature had started to bite. In a complete contrast to the previous long run, everything felt in good shape no need to reach for the medical peas. I took sometime to recover, then remembered I had a prior appointment to cheer some marathoning friends so hauled myself from the sofa into the shower & out of the house. A quick stop into Tezzos to pick up some goodies for them & much needed replenishment for myself.
I dumped the Alfa somewhere in Takeley & made my way onto the Flitch at around midday. A friendly face was manning the aid station, Nicki from the Great Notley parkrun core team. We chatted all things parkrun (would you expect anything else) whilst waiting for Paul & Emily to arrive. Nicki had noted that Emily was the most nervous competitor beforehand & after I rattled through the list of ailments she was suffering from it was understandable.
Just after quarter past two human sized cartons of Um Bongo started to make their way towards us, turning out to be Team Adams. They were on good form & looking strong, I could tell that Emily was going to be just fine, especially with Paul at her side to support her to the end. They'd enjoyed the previous aid stations so didn't want the Jaffa Cakes I'd brought (I'm sure I could find a home for them). After a brief refuel it was time for them to turn back & head for home.
I also make my way home & found myself in a completely ravenous mood for the rest of the day. The long run had left me feeling like I had worms or something as I kept consuming anything I could lay my hands on food wise during the day! It was like a hunger I've not felt before. This wasn't standard snacking or binging, more a genuine hunger sensation. Weirdly my arms ached as well, the extra miles had add strain to me that I hadn't anticipated.
I dragged myself inside & started rehydrating, the rising temperature had started to bite. In a complete contrast to the previous long run, everything felt in good shape no need to reach for the medical peas. I took sometime to recover, then remembered I had a prior appointment to cheer some marathoning friends so hauled myself from the sofa into the shower & out of the house. A quick stop into Tezzos to pick up some goodies for them & much needed replenishment for myself.
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| Post run refuel! |
Just after quarter past two human sized cartons of Um Bongo started to make their way towards us, turning out to be Team Adams. They were on good form & looking strong, I could tell that Emily was going to be just fine, especially with Paul at her side to support her to the end. They'd enjoyed the previous aid stations so didn't want the Jaffa Cakes I'd brought (I'm sure I could find a home for them). After a brief refuel it was time for them to turn back & head for home.
I also make my way home & found myself in a completely ravenous mood for the rest of the day. The long run had left me feeling like I had worms or something as I kept consuming anything I could lay my hands on food wise during the day! It was like a hunger I've not felt before. This wasn't standard snacking or binging, more a genuine hunger sensation. Weirdly my arms ached as well, the extra miles had add strain to me that I hadn't anticipated.
The Conclusion
The first step into unknown territory. The extra 2 miles at the end, when combined with an uphill finish back home really did feel like a slog. My focus was just on keeping myself moving & to get home without pausing or walking feels good. The gradual increases in distance will certainly be interesting, the confidence of getting through this helps win the mental battle.
This was the first week where it felt like marathon training, Berlin suddenly became a bit more of a reality.
Great blog! The support and Jaffa cakes were appreciated even if I couldn't face eating them at the time! :)
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