Pero las llamas son peligrosas - Larmer Tree Half Marathon

Pero las llamas son peligrosas. 

As Monty Python has told us, Llamas are dangerous. Yet this didn't put me off entering the Larmer Tree Half marathon during the autumn of 2014. Like a baby distracted by a mobile above it's cot, I'd seen the medals on offer by those crazy folk at White Star Running, entered the Bad Cow event, then seen an even more awesome medal for the Larmer Half. I'd paid my entry & then took a moment to look at the course profile. Bugger. Oh dear, what have I done. Oh, I appear to have roped my friends into this madness as well? Looks like I'm set for a day of pain and a lifetime of excommunication then.
You seen White Star do indeed do amazing medals, but you have to work for the damn things. You want bling? You have to exchange part of your soul for it, but there will at least be cake at the end.
How did I even get to this point? The Cambridge Half the week prior was meant to be the full stop on this training cycle. Forget how, why was I even signing up for an off road half marathon with a huge amount of elevation? I know my comfort zone & all this needed was a pantomime donkey to kick me in the balls every kilometre to make this a less pleasant experience surely?
In truth I wanted to test myself. This time last year I didn't even own trail shoes & mostly ran on my own. Now I had a choice of trails or mudclaws & would be running with one of my best friends so that we could suffer together. The majority of my half marathons have been big events, in the first fifteen I'd wager that maybe less than 1km was off road. In elevation terms, cumulatively they'd probably equal the Larmer.
First of course, I had to get to the start line......

Post Cambridge Half recovery

I'd rather unwisely agreed to a game of squash on Monday morning, feeling that the activity might be a good way to get everything moving again following the half marathon. My opponent hadn't played for years but had the shots, I soon lost the first game unexpectedly. I'd realised that he had little cardio so changed my game accordingly to try and wear him down to get back in. By 0-3 down it was clear that though this tactic was having some effect, there was more chance I'd need to call my opponent an ambulance that my appalling squash rising to the top. The match ended up being the last thing I needed, the more I fell behind the more I pushed, not exactly a gentle easing of the legs following a tough half!
My quads were still complaining throughout the week & it wasn't until Friday morning that I finally felt normal. Lucky then that I'd scheduled a run of the winter route around the forest with Karl from the HFPR core team. I was trying to film the course on a Go Pro borrowed from Notley's Len. Conditions were just about perfect & it was pleasing to see how much better the ground was underfoot. Unfortunately the battery died just after 4km as we entered the muddy phase. One downside to the improved conditions elsewhere on the course is that the muddy crescendo to the winter route had all but dried out, our runners would be missing out on the fun!
After finishing the run I was home, showered & onto the physio table before taking the train into London. I was there for the usual top up, but decided it was time to ask my physio to check on this nagging groin injury. A groin strain was the diagnosis, one that has probably been strained and recovered only to strain again repeatedly since first occurring last summer. No point in treating it on the Friday as that would rule out the half marathon. So I booked up a couple sessions to follow the half marathon, if the the basic diagnosis prodding was anything to go by, it would be damn painful. I was annoyed with myself that it had taken this long to get my physio to look at the issue. I'd put myself through some anguish in the months preceding as the injury manifested itself in different ways, I was just thankful that the injury itself was minor enough to still allow for a half marathon before being treated properly.

parkrun Pilot

Before I could head down to the west I had the small matter of the parkrun pilot at Hatfield Forest to contend with. The whole week had seen parkrun activity shoehorned into any available moment. Be it painting signage at 6am before work, getting home from overtime to build signs, spend the train journeys into London working on paperwork, if I had a spare moment it was filled with parkrun in one form or another. The whole week was tiring, I felt like a plate spinner, just about keeping everything going.
Even at 8pm when I'd got home from work I still had plenty to do. Signs still needed attaching to posts, the whole parkrun paraphernalia needed loading into the Alfa that was bursting at the seams. At half ten I took a dinner break and allowed myself half an hour. Sure the volunteer lanyards still needed making up, but I needed just half an hour.

One whole parkrun fits nicely into the Alfa

I slept pretty well considering, if I get as good a night of sleep for the inaugural I'd be pleasantly surprised. I had started to cut up Lanyards whilst waiting for a cup of tea to cool, but realised it would take far longer than I felt I had available to me so quickly chucked everything into my various boxes & loaded the remainder into the car & headed to the forest. The core team started to arrive at 7am and we set about trying to understand how to setup the course.
We seemed to figure it out & our volunteers added new roles such as stationary support to help get all of the laminates ready. By ten to nine the sun had joined us & we were saying hello to all of our runners.

Never will the parkrun kit be this neat ever again!

Everyone seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, our tail came through in under 30 minutes, perhaps they all knew I had to get down to Wiltshire. Sadly we had some IT issues, but after decamping to the estate office we were able to get the results uploaded to the parkrun test site and after some head scratching got them all sorted out.
We were also able to get some good feedback on the course & some tweaks we could make to the course & our processes. Even the results hiccup was an experience, giving us a chance to try the various options on the processing site to see how the outcome was changed.

The Larmer Tree Half

We've established how I ended up entered for the Larmer Half, blinded by the shiny. All I now needed to do was get there. Paul & Emily had made their way down earlier in the day to see Stone Henge & we'd all booked into a Travelodge nearby for some consistent mediocrity you'd expect. Regular readers will know that I recently added a random factor to my life by buying an Alfa. True to form, the Motor Control System Failure alert started the moment I pulled onto the M11 southbound. Nothing drive wise appeared to be wrong, so funk it, let's carry on. In fact, apart from being a bit beepy every time it is started, the Alfa was a joy to drive on it's first major journey.
I was soon at the Travel Tavern on the A303, catching up with Emily & Paul who wanted the low down on the pilot. After some carb loading in nearby Salisbury & an emergency purchase of plasters, it was time to sleep ahead of the further 40 minute journey down to the Larmer Tree Gardens in the morning.
I'd packed for every eventually, Cold, Ok and really warm, in fact I had enough kit for three runs! I'd also packed extra gels as the trail nature of the course would add time & therefore might need more replenishment.

Be prepared is what I was taught at Cubs

Paul was starting an hour before us for the 20 miler, so we picked our numbers up & mooched for a bit. This led to be purchasing another awesome White Star product, nothing if not predictable! The only pre race feedback we could give is that race category signage above the desks would have been handy & avoided being in the wrong queues, a minor issue though.

Pre race smiles....

Soon it was our turn to start, though the briefing was going on whilst I was still in a portaloo! In fact we ended up crossing the line at the back of the pack, not ideal but the course was wide enough initially to still get into a rhythm.
Emily & I had run together previously when I'd paced her at the HBO 10k last year, this was an altogether more relaxed setting. The nature of the course had led me to the belief that anything within 30 minutes of the Cambridge Half would be a good result. We had the bizarre sight of a pacing tractor at one point. It appears one of the local farmers had just driven straight onto the country lane & was now limited by the runners in front until they could find an appropriate point to leave the road. Fair play to the driver, seemed to be going at a nice 6:00/km pace, shame it was just too far ahead for us to grab a tow!

The pacing tractor

The first few kilometres seemed to fly by. A brief stop at an aid station for Emily to take on water & at one point she even suggested that maybe the 20 miler wouldn't be so bad (more on that later). Our initial pace was decent, though I had to keep reminding myself that this was not a race for the stopwatch, this was an experience race.
I found myself enjoying the run, truth be told, it was flippin awesome. I was completely outside of my comfort zone, technically injured & loving every minute of it. The terrain was constantly changing, the course was a literal roller-coaster, yet we were able to keep going.
Or at least we were.....
Then this appeared.
I've christened many hills in my parkrun career as a #hillofdoom. When this came into view it was a #hillofohthatcanfunkrightoff. The hill was expected, we'd seen it on the course map, but theory & reality are two different things. What didn't help was seeing it from a distance, you could see that no one was running up it. That's a slight untruth, we saw one person start running up it & then succumb to walking very quickly.

The hill comes into view

And then more into view.....

We chose to walk it up, it made much more sense. Perhaps if it had been tarmac instead of soft grass it might have been manageable. Even walking was tough, halfway up my groin made it's displeasure known, just another 8km to get my knackered body through. It didn't help that the painkillers I thought I'd packed turned out to be in the boot of the Alfa waiting for me upon my return. Bit of a failure.

The view from the top of the #hillofohthatcanfunkrightoff

If the ascend was tough, then the descend that followed was probably the most technical I've faced. My lack of experience in trail running came to the fore here. I decided running on my heels to be the most logical way. That didn't last long as the route kept turning & involved lots of branches that even Emily had to evade! Scuttling like a crab became the method & soon we were at the bottom of the hill.
Thankfully the Lovestation was waiting for us. Yes folks, you read that correctly, the Lovestation. White Star don't do normal aid stations. At this point you could hug a man with a kilt and a badger on his sporran, grab a cheeky cider or blackberry vodka. Perhaps a flat coke would take your fancy before you loaded up on cocktail sausages, mini scotch eggs and jelly babies. And of course no one leaves the Lovestation without a hug!

Emily & the badger merkin guy

I opted for flat coke (good idea), a jaffa cake (good idea), a mini scotch egg (bad idea) and some jelly beans (should have been a good idea). The reason a scotch egg is a bad idea, the size of one is roughly the same as your mouth, so chewing it whilst running isn't easy. Secondly, another chuffing steep hill followed the Lovestation, so trying to run uphill, struggling for air with a mini scotch egg blocking the intake seems like a bad combination. Thirdly, they repeat on you for ages, even when you try to wash them down with jelly beans.

The Lovestation

Goodies galore at the Lovestation

Once my attempt at scotch egg asphyxiation had been avoided we were ready to carry on with the rest of the run. With the post Lovestation hill out of our way we were able to get back into a bit of a rhythm. Mud seemed to be becoming the prevalent theme of the remaining miles. We thought some respite was due when we pulled onto a nice country lane, only for it to lead to the last aid station & a turn into more mud.

Won't these hills stop?

The "Say Cheese" function on the new phone generally produces confused gurning from me

The majority of the last three miles appeared to be mostly mud, with a bit of woodland trail mixed in with some hills. By now were we walking up any significant hill, especially the muddy ones as the trail shoes weren't providing much traction. It made much more sense to walk at a pace, easily the same pace as a tired run uphill & useful for preserving the remaining energy. Here the mudclaws would have been handy, but they'd have been pointless on the road sections. An attempted leap over a muddy puddle left both groins feeling it, thankfully no lasting damage, just a moment of pain.

More damn hills?

The miles of mud were starting to impact our pace, the legs definitely tiring. Thankfully we soon turned for home, the trail was coming to an end, it was time to cross the road to enter the Larmer Tree Estate. As we climbed the last gentle hill towards the finish we saw Paul to the side & gave him a wave. For some reason unbeknown to either of us we agreed on a sprint finish & I was pleasantly surprised to find some gears left. The race had been a test for the legs, but the cardio was still good.
No medals at the end, we established why already. Instead a choice of a beer or a buff (though I believe for contractual reasons they call them muffs). As I was driving I opted for the buff, a handy bit of kit for when I'm standing around in charge of the parkrun.
I walked through the finish area & found a post to collapse against. That was by far the toughest event I'd taken part in. At 2:26 & change it was the longest run in terms of duration that I've completed. Just over 300m over elevation gain, yet I loved it. I loved the challenge & the feeling of being outside of my usual comfort zone. The race taught me how to adapt to the conditions & by keeping going I realised that I can make the step up to marathon distance in Berlin. I could have easily not taken part, I had good reason not to, but by getting through I gave myself a confidence boost of knowing that I could win the mental battle, as well as the physical.

One groin knackered on me, one knee knackered on Emily

After 50% extra miles & 66% more elevation, Paul was in an advanced state of seizing up

The Eat

Did I mention that WSR laid on free food afterwards as well? After changing into some slightly more pleasant clothes we wandered gingerly back to race HQ, which was now acting as a food hall. On finishing we'd all been given food tokens & after Paul had mentioned Mac & Cheese there was only one thing on my mind. Combined with a big pint of full fat coke it was precisely what I needed. After the food we were all starting to feel slightly more human & ready to make the journey north, the Alfa beeping all the way!

Under this mountain of food is a magma of mac & cheese

A driving home snack, real men eat quiche

Proper dirty beige food in the evening once home. So much beige

The Conclusion

My slowest half marathon. My longest run. The most elevation consumed in a run. Who cares, it was flipping awesome! The first four years of running were an ode to tarmac & getting faster. This past year I've found myself starting to embrace trails, experiences & the social side of running. Spending a couple of hours running with a friend around some stunning, albeit challenging countryside was a great way to spend a day. Rarely do I run & take lots of photos, that wasn't the case during the Larmer, not taking yourself or the race too seriously was the order of the day.

Stole us some peacocks as a temporary replacement for medals. My peacock, Burt is particularly partial to Mountain Dew & Black Jacks.

The guys at White Star Running made the day just about perfect. A chat to a friendly race official whilat queuing for a post race drink made it clear why the event worked so well. They're all runners & designed the event based on what they'd like to see at events. Cool medals, well stocked aid stations, funny signage, free photos, an event with personality. The Cambridge Half a week prior was the kind of homogenous race that could have been staged in any city, the Larmer Races were one of a kind.
The decision to sign up was on a whim based on the medal, the satisfaction on completing the race was measurable with any other high spot in my running career. I'll be back at a WSR race again in August for the Bad Cow weekend & I for one can't wait.

The course profile. Ouch.

HM Week 9 - Up North

The final straight of the half marathon training. I'm not really sure what the plan has achieved at present. There's been barely any speed work, but a good quota of long runs. I've built stamina rather than pace this time around. Cambridge won't see a PB, but it could be one of my most consistent performances.

The penultimate week before Cambridge saw a change of schedule. I'd planned a visit to the North for the weekend to catch up with one of my Tokyo partners in crime, James. He was going to introduce me to his weekend vice, Burnley Football Club and I'd be introducing him to mine, parkrun.
With all of this in mind it was time to shake the week around a bit. As predicted last week, Monday was indeed full of post cricket aches and after a work trip ruled out Tuesday and Wednesday, by midweek I was hankering for a run. Thankfully core team colleague Paul was game and we arranged to meet at 0645 at the forest car park on Thursday morning.

Before that could happen we had some Wednesday night excitement. Our parkrun website went live, slightly earlier than expected and I spent the evening trying to downplay the inaugural, knowing the limitations of the venue during the winter season in terms of car parking and extolling the virtues of our even more awesome summer course. Locally the genie has already escaped the bottle after the fundraising event, so all of the preparation will focus on managing what will very likely be a large attendance. I was still buzzing by the time I managed to try and sleep, the goodwill from just getting to this point made me very proud of what we'd done so far.

Thursday morning arrived with a reminder that I really could have done with a bit more sleep. Thankfully a stunning forest on a nice spring morning was more than sufficient to clear the cobwebs away. We opted for another lap of the winter route, testing the turn around point once more. I'm hoping the refine the route once we have summer to play with. The out and back section has its merits, as a team we're looking at ways to reconfigure it slightly. It certainly provides a great high five opportunity!

On our way round the forest we bumped into NT Simon, running with the current summer course record holder, his dog Jack. After a brief chat we finished off the course, the muddy section continues to be exactly that, a little icing on the cake, you can't visit a forest without getting a little bit muddy after all!

The last long run

Friday morning marked the start of my weekend. Despite this, the alarm was still set for work o'clock, allowing me to get out nice and early for an extended loop to the north of Stansted.
Another stunning more, but a bitterly cold one. The barriers were down at Elsenham so I scaled the staircase and paused to take in the sunrise with a member of the Greater Anglia staff, he was right, a beautiful day would be in the offing.
Once past Elsenham I continued on the country roads until the junction near Newport, turned and headed back into Quendon. Continuing south would take me home with a basic ten miler. Instead I turned into Rickling and made my way across the ice to Manuden.
At this point the gloves went back on. I was an hour into the run, but my hands were suffering in the cold air. From Manuden I had a simple 4km to return to Stansted. Simple once you remove the climbs out of Manuden, into Bentfield Bower and Bentfield Green itself. With the Cambridge Half being flat, these hills might seem unnecessary, but Larmer Tree a week later offers a whole different prospect.
My pace did start to slip away towards the end of the run. I'd only taken on one gel, at halfway and the climbs did fatigue me a bit. I also wasn't interested in pushing. Getting another two hours into the legs was more important than pace. I have to keep reminding myself that distance rather than pace is the goal for 2015.

Pendle parkrun

After a bargain fiver journey to Leeds, I found myself in what is known as The North. In return for James' hospitality I cooked on Friday night. Picking up supplies meant a visit to Booths, a high end food chain based out of Lancashire. My food bill would be dangerously high if I had one of these within my grasp, please don't expand further south (oh go on, please do). I served up some steak (predictably), with green beans and asparagus, a far more healthy combo than the fish and chips the next evening!
Saturday morning soon arrived and a mere five minute drive took us to Pendle parkrun.
I'm not sure what first alerted me to Pendle having a pavilion named in my honour, but when it turned out to be the most local parkrun it made sense to visit. A brief enquiry mid week on twitter confirmed that trail shoes would be the most appropriate footwear. As ever with parkrun, the weather was grim beforehand, but magically got slightly less grim once the clock struck 0900. The Run Director had promised that if we tried hard and concentrated we could see some sunshine if we looked down the valley.
Me? I was concentrating on the look down. The crew at Pendle appeared well briefed, the course description was a communal effort, down the hill, up the hill (less enthusiastically), then do it all again. It appeared James did indeed live close to a parkrun, one that was according to the locals the toughest in the area. Gulp.
The start was fun, a school like sprint down hill, with lots of bumps thrown in for good measure. I was already experiencing soggy feet, my inner numpty had not allowed the trail shoes to dry out from the forest run earlier in the week. By the first turn I was also experiencing a stubbed toe. I can only think that clumsiness had led to me treating on a stick and slamming my opposing big toe into it, either that or I'd hit a rock. Not fun, took a while to shake it off.
The first half of the lap involved navigating around the rugby and football pitches, every time you reached the end of the length of a pitch you had to turn and climb.A good guide to how a run is going is when you watch rings up a split and it surprises you. When I passed through the one kilometre mark I too was surprised, how can I have only completed just one kilometre??? It was going to be a long & tough day at the office.

Mercifully the long down hill section is all on tarmac, usually I try & maintain shape, but I could see the climb back up that was waiting for me, so why not, just gun it down & enjoy the respite! Sadly it came to an end far too soon & the climb back up to the finish area to complete the first lapt was laid out in front of me. It was one of those hills. The type that starts off shallow, then got steeper as it continued. At least the shallow section was on tarmac, the moment the angle changed we were on to some really rough hard standing, with drainage gulleys every few metres for good measure. I managed to keep running throughout, but given the walkers around me, this might not have been the right decision.

I managed to navigate the first downhill of the lap more successfully this time around, no damage to the toes. The soft underfoot conditions just kept sapping away at my legs, I can understand now why they is so much coverage of soft, firm, good to firm etc in horse racing. This pantomime horse managed to slog around the fields one more time, chuntering to the photographer about there being no hills in Essex! The 20km from the day before were certainly being felt, perhaps not the wisest decision the day before.

Another event at which I moved too fast to be photographed

The downhill didn't feel so generous second time around, but as promised at the start, the sun did start to break through. Sadly it didn't improve my mood once the last uphill stretch came into view. I chose to walk up the final steep section, I wasn't alone, although I think it was a good 18 months since I'd last resorted to walking at a parkrun. Brentwood pushed me close the week before, but this was a proper walk. I tried to march up and still made decent progress up the hill, kicking back into a run once I could see the finish line.

Pendle parkrun course profile. A toughie

Crossing the line for the second successive week over the 28 minute mark. So very slow! Based on the soft conditions combined with the hill, another truly tough parkrun. It appears there is more tarmac being introduced, that'll certainly help drop some times, but it will also lower the challenge. With 107m of elevation over the course of 5km, this event held more climbing over a parkrun distance than I'd completed in nearly four times that the day before, which surprised me as I'd been seeking out hills! Perhaps the steepness of the climb is what did for me. I need to reassess how I approach some climbing, knowing when a fast walk would be more sensible is the key.

Where's James?

I'd not really paid much attention to where James actually was on the course! I'd not collected him during my second lap so assumed he must have been loving it as much as I was! After a couple of minutes I saw him coming into view, I even pointed him out to the Run Director as my debutant friend. Then he stopped, turned and hurled. It was like a projectile scene from Bottom, quite impressive!

Here he is!

In the slowest 100m finish parkrun has seen we eventually welcomed James into the finish funnel. Turns out he'd tried to run up the hill on the second occasion and having taken on too much water, nature took over!

Introducing James to the post parkrun ritual

Once feeling a bit better he told me he'd be back next week (and this post has taken so long I can confirm he did). I'd tried to encourage a name of James the Chunderer, not sure if it'll catch on! To want to come back and conquer that hill again tells you just how warm and friendly the whole Pendle event was. We decamped to the aforementioned Holt House Pavilion where tea was available as well as some awesome brownies (and flapjacks, though one sugar hit was enough). This was a real community event, the kind of atmosphere I'd hope to have at the forest.

I'm kind of a big deal in the north.....

The Conclusion

Pendle can be added to my hill of doom collection. Sure, it's probably just a standard hill to them, but I was yearning for a return to Essex. With over 100m of elevation gain in just 5km, it's a toughie. 

The Football

The last plan for the weekend was a visit to Turf Moor, Burnley vs Swansea. The atmosphere was again good, the kid in front of us losing it at every opportunity was entertaining. The match itself was last in the running on Match of the Day, a 1-0 away win courtesy of an own goal. Not quite an epic! It was probably my first premier league game since the 90's. Sadly my presence wasn't enough to lift a performance out of either team!

EPL Soccertainment

Double Trouble

2014 started with a parkrun, logic would suggest 2015 would follow suit. Why not start with two? The rules of parkrun allow for two events to be registered by a runner on a single day, the only trouble is finding a couple of events timed appropriately that aren't too far apart. Realistically the start times need to be 90 minutes apart, though some London events you could manage with just an hour between.
The other part of the logistics to work out is where would you run, how far are you willing to travel to complete the double. The good thing is, parkrun completely get into the spirit of the occasion and events work together to make sure doubles are possible. In 2014, there weren't many options available in Essex, so Chelmsford went ahead at the normal time of 0900. This year there are now a huge number of events possible.
Back in October I was involved in some of the planning, just in case we were live (newsflash, we're not). On a day when I was meant to be studying at home a rolling messenger conversation between Great Notley, Chelmsford, Maldon, Basildon, Harlow, Colchester, even Ipswich if memory serves me correctly ran for the whole afternoon. You see just because one combination works, doesn't mean others can't be considered. The rules allow for a start to be between 0830 & 1030, very few go early, it's New Year's Day after all. So based on a running time of 45 minutes, you need to be able to get to the second event start line in another 45. So think of the possibilities; Colchester & Ipswich, Maldon & Chelmsford, Great Notley & Colchester, Harlow & Chelmsford, Chelmsford & Great Notley.
With the location of Great Notley, it made most sense to pair with Chelmsford, though Colchester was reachable (and achieved by some in attendance), the drive across to Chelmsford is the shortest possible. You then have the question of what way round to run things. Chelmsford first, or Chelmsford second? Logistically Chelmsford is an easier setup and can be run with no signage and minimal marshaling. Though Notley experienced a sign free event between Xmas and New Year, with plenty of doubling up tourists expected, a full event would be required.

It was becoming clearer that Chelmsford should be the later of the two events, especially when you factor in Maldon Prom & their proximity to Chelmsford. It made sense for everyone to converge on the county's capital, the largest parkrun in Essex as a finale to the NYD double.

NYD is a special day for parkrunners, especially the tourist community. All events are encouraged to advertise their intentions so that runners from both near & far can make plans accordingly. Though my double would be at two of my local events, much tourist chatter could be found regarding the possibilities of visiting two new events in one, bonus parkrun day.

Once the plans were pencilled in, I offered my services to the GN core team to assist with the event running. This lead to me being the tailrunner on the day, able to both volunteer & run, a perfect start to the year. On top of this I gave the First Timers / Tourists Briefing. For those present, apologies if it appeared slightly rushed, I was being made aware that we had time constraints! It did give me a moment to realise a good order to run briefings in. Bring the tourists & first timers together, provide an overview of the course first, then send the tourists on their way & talk directly to the first timers. That way the experienced tourists get the information they need & the briefing is relevant to all.

I still seem to speed up when talking to a group of people, nothing I can't coach myself out of. I think this was the calmest I'd been at a briefing, not bad seeing as it was the biggest one I've had to deliver so far given the high number of tourists from both Chelmsford & Colchester. I also got an opportunity to welcome a school friend to parkrun, I might be a bit too much of a parkrun enthusiast at times, but it is always fun to see friends enjoy their first parkrun experience.

The Run #1 - Great Notley - Tailrunner

This was going to be a challenge of a different kind. My usual parkrun exploits when in decent condition are usually in the low 23 to high 25 mark, 4:35 - 5:10km would be a fair spread of my 5k pace, course dependent. My easy paced runs when training hover around the 6:00/km mark, when I paced Joel at St Neots, we ran at just over 6:30/km. The tail at Notley usually comes in between 40 - 55 minutes depending on the course conditions & with the hill now treacherous following a marathon the day before, I suspected we'd be at the slower end of the scale.

One of our Endure team mates, Paul had tailed in the past & advised that keeping running is the key. To me, it would be disrespectful to do anything other than run unless the person at the back of the field is themselves walking. You have to match the action of the slowest person on the run, walking whilst they run would not be appropriate behaviour in my mind.

I lined up at the very back of the field & gave the RD the thumbs up once all runners on the path had passed me, with the start line being moved for the winter it was always likely we might have late runners, especially with the event needing to start dead on time.

Starting off at the back of the field.

Once we were under way I started running, just dropping my pace so I was a couple of yards behind the back of the field. Before we'd even made the first corner I noticed another runner, so hung back as they were evidently a late starter. As soon as he was through I started up again, only to notice another regular, making his way to join me having run to the event! I stopped once more & then joined him, though in my mind I was panicking about making Chelmsford as he started walking! Thankfully it was just a breather & he was on his way.

So after half a kilometre I joined Dan, one of Notley's Core Team, I'd be his company on the way round. Dan is aiming for a PB on Saturday, but conditions were not on our side on this New Years Day morning. We passed through halfway in decent time, but the hill of doom was going to be walked, both up & down. My job as the tailrunner isn't to cajole anyone to run faster, just provide assurance on the course & encouragement, no one should feel they are the slowest person on the course, for that is the tailrunner's job. As we made our way down the hill we were passed by two ladies, After saying hello, I presumed they'd headed out for some early morning PT, a great new year's resolution. It wasn't until we spoke to a marshal later on that I found out they'd be late arrivals & we in fact catching up! Of course I couldn't have mitigated for this, once we are through the first corner I can't see any new arrivals!

Tail running

Dan's decision to walk the hill of doom was very sensible, I felt the descend was actually more dangerous & lost my footing momentarily on a couple of occasions whenever I ventured from the very perimeter of the path. Once on level footing we started to run again, we'd be on for a 50 minute finish, which would give us just enough time to get across to Chelmsford without having to set any land speed records!

One thing I do need to remember when tail running is to be less chatty. Just because the pace I'm doing isn't taxing me, it doesn't mean that the person I'm running alongside isn't suffering. After all, when I'm at the top of my pace & Paul is pacing me, I'm not much conversation myself, at times I can barely make it past grunting.

I crossed the line in 50:33 & after getting scanned it was time to head to Chelmsford for the second half of the double.

The Logistics

At this point I should provide a bit more back story on how this double was achieved. Alec, my brother in law was also interested in doubling up, so it made sense to try & share transport. Logic would have suggested that as we live further away than him, that I'd drive. But that logic didn't apply once I'd agreed to be the tail runner. So Alec got up earlier, drove out of his way to Stansted to pick me up. I couldn't even do the decent thing of remember any change for the car park. It'd got it out ready & everything, but rules dictate that I always forget something & this time it was £2.50.

The logic made perfect sense as Alec had the car running ready for me once I'd may my way from the finish area. It wasn't quite a case of tights on the head & Drive Drive Drive, but it was a parkrun getaway vehicle.

Luckily spare change was the only thing I'd forgotten as I slipped the mud caked trail shoes off & into a bag. They were followed by the soggy socks & sweatband & I towelled down the feet for a complete pit stop.

I was then into nice fresh socks & lacing up the Saucony Kinvaras for the first time in a while, everything has been trail of late. Had I two pairs of trail shoes I'd have opted for them, Chelmsford has just enough mud to keep them interested. Upon arrival in Chelmsford I ditched my jacket & shirt for a new long sleeve shirt & we were on our way.

My regular human clothes were already packed into the boot of the wife's car, she was due to meet us for breakfast afterwards & I'd planned ahead.

Once in the park I checked in with Gerry, the Event Director who had himself been present at Notley. He'd announced beforehand that the tail from GNPR was also running at Chelmsford.

The Run #2

I had no plan in my mind for how I'd run the second of two 5k. My legs felt ok as the tail running hadn't overly taxed me so I could have run hard. I set off with the intention of just enjoying it, get round & get some much deserved breakfast.
I was comfortable & had spotted Len from Great Notley in front of me as we left Central Park. I pulled myself up alongside & we spent an enjoyable half hour chatting. As my mentor for parkrun Event Directorship, it was great to just chat on a nice easy run together. Given my recent hiatus, a PB was never on the cards so why not enjoy the sociable side of running. It was certainly an aspect to running I hadn't embraced properly until 2014, to start a new year being sociable made perfect sense.

Len was more enthusiastic than I was......

For the second of the two runs I was in road shoes & this only caused an issue twice for me. The section between 2-3km was a bit treacherous, nothing like the Great Notley course, but far from ideal in roadies. The second occasion was in the finish funnel as a result of my own stupidity. By keeping to an easy pace, I had plenty in the tank. As we turned off the path towards the finish funnel, I challenged Len to a sprint. What followed was quite possibly the best sprint finish of my running career. I surprised myself with just how much pace & power I had. Not only did I drop Len straight away, but I calved through a few more finishers. If this had be caught on film in its entirety it would have been a fun watch, all I have is an awesome picture showing me straining everything to get across the line.

The Sprint Face!

The issue with a sprint is that you then need to decelerate through the funnel. This is a challenge at the best of times, I've seen plenty of runners go through the funnel, unable to stop themselves. I have also myself experienced the complete opposite, a complete halt the moment I crossed the line in Helsinki having put everything into a run. Add the sprint to a mud bath of a finish funnel and you have an issue. On two separate occasions I had to right myself in order to not go over before I'd left the funnel. Sprinting is for fools, that's the lesson learnt.

The Eat

Double up means double to food yes? Before leaving Chelmsford I'd consumed the obligatory Gregg's sausage roll (Dunkin Donuts was closed) & then supplemented that with a double cheeseburger. Not sated, it was time for Welsh Rarebit once home, though I need to work more on my method for this dish, not quite getting the combinations right currently.
I promise that in 2015 I'll eat less crap, just need to empty the house of it at the moment....

The Conclusion

A fine way to see in 2015. Two enjoyable runs with company, some volurunning included into the mix. The first time I've managed to score a NYD parkrun double & hopefully something I can repeat in the future.

Claimed by the Hill of Doom

Saturday morning was a sobering dose of reality. Everything had been just fine on Xmas day, potentially all too easy. Perhaps I should have headed back to Chelmsford, kept running there for a little while, I'd have not realised my current limitations for a little while longer. The parkrun route in Chelmsford is everything a runner like me could want: tarmac, flat, well drained so no standing water. Nothing too energy sapping, perfect time for masking my current lack of training.
Instead though I took the car to Great Notley. I wanted to challenge myself, take on the hill of doom and get a true understanding of my current capabilities.
I was second to arrive on site, there to assist with pre event setup, ticking both the volunteer and running boxes. I'm a temporary addition to the GNPR core team to give me ED training so when the volunteer roster was short I was eager to still help whilst not sacrificing a run. So there is was, in shorts and a ludicrous Turkey Trot jumper, trying to comply with the Xmas jumper theme.
Saturday became a waiting game. The core team and volunteers waiting for someone from the on site cafe to arrive so that the event could get setup. Things weren't looking good when we'd noticed the amended opening times and Len, GNPR's ED was none the wiser. So it was time to make phone calls.
By 9am there was still no one in attendance so with a bench as the finish funnel it was time for the minimalistic parkrun. After a short briefing urging tourists and first timers to try and buddy up, it was on the start line. To say I was cold by the start would be an understatement! Under my Turkey Trot sweatshirt was a hot base layer as I'd presumed I would overheat, so with nothing to do but shiver beforehand, the cold was really getting to me.

The Run

It was a far smaller field that usual for the run, the cold temperature and windy conditions kept many people wisely in their beds. Time to start the insanity though.
I opted for a wide right route to try and at least keep dry for the first then metres! The trail path was littered with puddles, I'd probably add distance to the course just with my zigzagging. My first lap was reasonable, there was no doubting just how much hard work the conditions were. The final field of the lap was horrendous as you turned into it, muddy on the turn and then the option to either so substantially inside and cut the course, go straight and get soaked, or turn further and run in the longer, less saturated grass. I opted for the latter and then took an even wider line at the base of the hill of doom. 

All smiles at the start of the first lap. Deluded muppet.

Oh the hill of doom, how I've not missed you. Negotiating the climb was tough, the two runners just in front of me were also struggling, but I had more grip. Avoiding their slips whilst also striving for a vertical base was hard work, I eventually went to the long grass once more, a bit more purchase was available there. The photo of me towards the peak tells you everything about the run on Saturday. I was determined to not stop during the climb, but also aware that the sheer effort involve in achieving this would come back to bite me.
Being a man made hill the Garmin never picks up the climb, but at the peak I took a moment to veer off course to touch the bird, not many of my fellow runners showed such eagerness. The descend was all about not hitting the slick grass, any more rain and I suspect the route would be run without the hill, just a standard two lapper. 

Hill of doom - there to break you

After the climb and following downhill I was completely done, shame there was still another 2km to go. I had completely overcooked the hill. Though commendable to not stop on the climb, my pace had gone, like a cyclist with only first gear, everything was moving but very little was being achieved. My second lap high five to Andrea the bridge marshal was substantially weaker, more being used as a means to get myself going. After the relatively easy return on Xmas Day, this was a crashing back to earth. The lack of miles in my legs & cardio in my lungs was coming back to get me here, the treacle like conditions not making my life any easier!

The remainder of the lap was just a struggle. I was thankful for the low turn out, it meant the underfoot conditions didn't deteriorate too much. My pace was a write off, a 5:58 third km was followed by a 5:34 & 5:39. In fact only a quick first km was under the 5:30 mark. I crossed the line / reached the table in 27:34, over three minutes slower than my previous effort at Notley. Lesson learnt. Stopping was tough, the finish area completely saturated. Had I a change of clothes on me then I'd have been very tempted to Klinsmann my way through the funnel!

Such a happy face

The Eat 

GNPR is surely the foodie capital of parkrun. I regularly contribute a box of sausage rolls & with attendance significantly down, a number made their way home to Stansted for consumption throughout the day. One half of the new RD team Jenna had also attempted Tiffin, something GNPR is famous for. Nothing can be better than finishing a 5k and gorging on some tiffin & sausage rolls. Both were excellent (though I am biased).

Once home it was back to the Xmas carb loading (is nine months too early for Berlin). Fair to say this rest period combined with the festive period has led to a bit of weight gain. Thankfully nothing too drastic & restarting the cycle of training and cutting out the white carbs will return me to a happier weight.

That said, Saturday night was all about the rare roast beef, crispy potatoes (gave them a proper fluff up, though might have cooked at too lower temperature), parsnips, veg. So much food that it is now Tuesday & I'm only just realising we forgot Yorkshire Puddings!

Hmmmmm Beef

The Conclusion

If you don't like the truth, don't make a visit to Great Notley, especially during the winter. The course is tough (Run Britain gave it a SSS score of 5.0 - anyone?), unforgiving & a true test. Can't blame anyone that stayed in bed on Saturday morning, they were the sane ones.....

A good weekend

The difficulty with being told to rest up a bit whilst on a course of medication is that things are already in the diary & committed to. I am genuinely trying to rest & have dropped the number of kilometres significantly since the Richmond Half to at least allow for some rest. The trouble is, when it comes to a parkrun or a race event I am my own worst enemy!

The Non Run

During the week I found myself over in Belfast for work & staying just across the road from the beautiful Stormont Estate. It is a nice venue to run around, offering a nice mix of trails and scenary. With that in mind I packed my running gear & decided I'd treat myself to a gentle morning run.
Unfortunately my research was poor. Sunrise is late in Northern Ireland and it took me until 0720 to get out of the hotel and across to Stormont for a run. Yet there was an issue, all the gates were locked! Without any signage to advise of the opening times & meetings lined up through the day, I abandoned the run plan & headed back to the hotel rather disappointed. I was even more annoyed (mainly with myself) when I checked & found the gates would have been opened at 0730. If only I'd checked this beforehand, I could have taken in an easy kilometre along the main road & then ventured in & still had sufficient time before check out.
I learnt a valuable lesson, research beforehand to avoid disappointment! I clocked 200m back to the hotel, out of frustration more than anything!

The Run #1 -  Panshanger Inaugural parkrun

I'd committed to Panshanger's first parkrun before hearing of the desire to tone down inaugural events & lessen the strain on new event teams. The plans were with good intentions, meeting a friend to make is first introduction to parkrun. Sadly for him he'd got registered but then waylayed with other plans, probably gives me an excuse to visit MK or Bedford parkrun events in the future then!
I managed to tailgate Alec all the way to the A10 & then got parked up close to the start. The event team had provided signage off of the A414 to Hertfordbury Road, where you'd find a decent amount of parking for regular weeks. Joel & Fergie were also in attendance & technically this was now Joel's home run based on distance.

Run Briefing

The team behind the Panshanger event had put together a great video to introduce the course (an idea I'll look to steal for the Forest parkrun). This meant we had a good idea of what to expect. Trail shoes were a must!
The downside to an inaugural is the huge numbers brought to an event. Not only can this put strain on an inexperienced team, but also unexpected demands on the course. This was the case on Saturday as 250+ people converged on a narrow uphill start to the course. On a normal week they'd probably be half that number and you'd have more space, a luxury not possible for the inaugural. This meant a slow start, not something I was overly concerned about having been low on training recently.
The Panshanger course really is worth a visit, beautiful scenery. After about half a kilometre uphill, the entirety of the course was essentially downhill until the end. Once out of the woods we were lapping the perimeter of a couple of fields, underfoot was the usual tractor path. From about 2km my left achilles started to scream, the uneven footing was causing me issues. Being a one lap course there really weren't many options other than to try and carry on. A downhill third kilometre eased the strain slightly, it was time to grit my teeth and just get through. 

Fergie rocking the Orange

After 3km we passed a lake on the left and then the underfoot conditions got even more interesting. Perhaps due to the recent rain, some areas of the course appeared to have been filled in to make them passable. I nearly lost my feet completely though as we went from grass to very fine shingle to bark over a couple of metres! The final kilometre was soon upon us and I was coaching myself through, including chucking water over my unhappy achilles. There were a couple of wooden bridges to negotiate and then the finish was in sight.
Oh boy. The finish. Having been on a downhill course for the majority of the run, logic told me that we'd have to climb at some point. With half a kilometre left the finish came into view. A short sharp ascend, probably all of 200m maximum, but it was a biter! You then turn ninety degrees and get a nice short downhill to ease to the finish. 

Panshanger Hill of Doom

The course really has a bit of everything (except tarmac) and will be one of the tougher courses in the local area, especially over the winter. I crossed the line in 26:02, my worst time since early spring. I wasn't overly concerned with the time though, I didn't feel like I was pushing overly and the dodgy achilles definitely hampered me. I'm going to add Panshanger to the Hill of Doom series, by virtue of position, that nice little bite in the tail at the end of the course that could scupper many PB attempts!

The Eat #1

Burger Saturday returned with some mini slider burgers in brioche buns. Despite a plethora of bread products offered at our local Tesco I had to settle for some mini buns, no decent sized brioche buns for burgers. Think I'll have to research if any other supermarkets stock them.

Mini Brioche Slider Burgers

The Run #2

Another commitment to honour, I'd signed up for the Cambridge Town & Gown 10k as the route was moving to closed roads in the city centre and looked interesting. The day was autumnal, too cold to risk the Um Bongo singlet. The weather had definitely turned cooler, perfect conditions if you could keep warm beforehand. My intention was to just see how it went, get into a pace and see how I felt as the race progressed. I knew I wasn't in PB form and a quick stretch reminded me that I really ought to have iced my achilles on Saturday. Perhaps I'd be better off with a DNS? All of my usual injury anxieties started to come into play, my outlook appears to be get through the remaining events of the year rather than approach any with enthusiasm. Was it really worth competing and returning a result way below my expectations? After a slow parkrun and the Manuden 10k my confidence wasn't where it should be. All of this is nonsensical, I'd PB'd a half marathon only three weeks prior and stormed a parkrun PB a week later. If I'm going to manage a marathon then the one thing I need to improve is my mentality. There are times when I'm not even a glass half empty, more glass smashed on the floor and shards slicing up your feet!

Onto the race itself. The event had attracted around a thousand runners, a good turn out and base from which it can grow into a bigger attraction. I made my intentions clear and said goodbye to Alec at the start line, I wouldn't be trying to keep up! I'd see how my pace was and just try to remain consistent. 

Autumn racing season = cold

I started well, pace just over the 5:00/km mark and a tour of the closed streets of Cambridge was interesting. Mainly flat, it was easy to settle into a five minute rhythm. The course was clever, covering a lot of the city without needing to close all of it to traffic. The first five kilometre loop headed west and then back through to the cobbled streets near the colleges. I know I have one dodgy achilles, wasn't overly aware that I actually have two. At the 4km mark my right achilles started to beg for mercy. I started to wonder whether dropping down to an easier pace might help, would 6:00/km take away the pain or just prolong it?

In the end I opted for stupidity and carried on regardless. The flat nature of the course and beautiful tarmac underfoot wouldn't trouble me too much. I chose to grit my teeth and get to the finish line. I went through halfway at 25:07, rhythm good and other than a nagging achilles everything else was working just fine. I'd found myself in a group all at a similar pace and we seemed to be running nicely, pushing each other along. The second half of the course took us west through a park initially and then back east alongside the river. There was decent support along the route, including a family all whooping at every runner as you entered the park at 5k. Since the town section I'd been running with a guy in a blue green shirt, as we entered the riverside part of the course we were overtaken by a lady in a peach top (the organisers wanted everyone in orange) and she became our defacto pacer. The course stayed riverside for an out and back around the 8km mark, I exchanged a high five with Alec, he was around two minutes ahead of me and looked to be enjoying himself. 

Through the streets of Cambridge City centre we go

My achilles had started to behave and we left the river with a short and gentle uphill back to the main roads. The climb was over at around 8.5km and our Lady in peach was still providing a decent pace. Throughout the second half I'd maintained pace, still wavering around five minutes per kilometre, if anything I found myself getting quicker. 

The section from 8.5km to 9km rolled downhill, providing the perfect impetus for the end of the race. I upped my pace, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel meant I was free to go through the gears. Just before 9km the finish came into view, unfortunately a lap of the park was required before we'd get there. The guy in the blue green top was now alongside me and we worked to the finish together. I told him he'd beat me easily, long legs giving him a natural advantage. He returned the compliment, said I'd dragged him round and then we mutually agreed to both being absolutely funked (or words to that effect). 

The final straight was now upon us, my running buddy then announced "Let's beat the purple lady ahead!" and opened his legs out into a sprint. This was something I couldn't muster, but we shook hands afterwards and it reminded me of the camaraderie of runners, complete strangers using each others as pacers and company through the race. The lady in peach wasn't too far behind, we'd all had an excellent race. 

The question is, just how excellent? My finishing time was a very welcome surprise. A negative split had returned me home in 49:32, meaning a second half of 24:25. This was only my second sub 50 and means the first one wasn't a complete fluke. It also tells me that my base is good, even if I'm just keeping it ticking over at the moment. Alec recorded a crazy 46:15, serious pace there and on his current rate of progression a sub 45 HBO 10k would be a decent bet. 

Post race ice cream - every race should have a van on hand!

I was pleased with being able to maintain and then improve pace. My achilles haven't been thankful in the aftermath, but they'd have still be screaming if I'd decided to drop down to an easier pace. The run bling was decent, a custom medal, though they missed a trick with a blue rather than orange ribbon. A cotton t-shirt was nothing special. Perhaps in future years it should be a tech shirt and dispatched beforehand to encourage everyone to wear it on race day. 

The Eat #2

An easy script to write here. Run a 10k, find sushi. I was tempted by a small independent place up near the Grafton. Instead we got our halves of Cambridge in the wrong order and ended up on the other side of town at lunchtime and sought a table at Yo Sushi. 

Yo Sushi - More style than substance

I'm usually a big fan of Yo, they're a great intro to sushi for a lot of people, but this experience was pretty average. A full conveyor belt is always a good sign, though it seemed a bit top heavy, plenty of expensive yellow plates. We ordered a few hot dishes off the menu as well. Two pumpkin korroke were required as we're both a fan & the pumpkins we'd tried to grow in the garden never did materialise. The popcorn shrimp was poor, mainly batter, minimal amount of sauce. Paula had some Chicken Yakitori, we think there were spring onions on the skewer, they appeared to have been burnt to a crisp though. As for the duck katsu? No idea, it never arrived. Our order got lost in the post perhaps. The raw stuff was decent, though no tuna sashimi appeared to be available, it was salmon or nothing. Overall a disappointing experience, next time we're in town we'll head to the independent sushi place and see how it compares. Perhaps Yo has become just another middling chain. 

Thankfully Cambridge still has a fudge kitchen so the culinary experience was redeemable. The temptation to get a box of four or six was there, but we settled on a single slice of toffee original. A thick slab of sugary goodness that propped me up whilst my eyes wanted to shut watching the grand prix!

The Conclusion 

A really good weekend. The parkrun result is my worst since the start of the year on paper, but given the circumstances and the course, I'm happy with it. In my experience the Panshanger course is genuinely tough and even in the height of summer will provide a challenge. It already looks like perfect training for Endure, more on that later....

As for the Cambridge Town & Gown 10k, very happy with the result. The course was more to my liking, only the Pride 10k has presented better conditions. Despite feeling injured, everything worked. I think a sub 48 at some point in 2015 is not out of the realms of possibility. 

And the last conclusion is that I need a rest. 2015 is already looking busy so I think once I've got these two remaining halves out of the way I'll be toning it down until Christmas. Sure the weight will probably increase, but I'm carrying achilles, calf, knee, quad, glute and groin aches. All kind of expected given the training I've done in 2014, but now I need to repay my body for its hard work with some rest and recuperation. I can keep running down to just parkrun and perhaps not even slog all the time (I'm pacing the 30 minute group at Chelmsford Central in December for example). It also gives me time to volunteer more as my parkrun journey starts to take a different route. Once I'm through the St Neots Half on November 16th it'll be time to untie the laces for a while. 

As for 2015, the year is already looking interesting. I managed to grab a Cambridge Half entry before they went and my early spring training will focus on chasing down a 1:50. Just a week after is the Larmer Tree half down in Dorset. A whole new challenge of hills and trails. I'll happily admit the funky medal had my attention first and the difficulty of the course wasn't really researched until after sign up!! I'm then back in Forest for another White Star event over the August bank holiday weekend. Two races in fact, a Saturday evening 10k followed by a Sunday morning half. 

Trail continues to be a theme for 2015 as we have a team entry for Endure 24. We'd been hoping initially to secure a Thunder place and I'd picked up Endure as an insurance option. As 10,000 people descended on a farcical midnight event launch we unsurprisingly missed out. Doubling up would have been interesting, but thankfully all of our original Thunder team were still available for Endure. So between 8 of us we'll run for 24 hours, a completely new challenge. 

Speaking of new challenges I'll also be entering the Berlin Marathon ballot. They'll be another post on my VLM thoughts, but the time has come to test myself over 26 miles. Fingers crossed I'll have more success with this ballot.