In the lap of the Gods

I think I'm enjoying running too much at the moment. Pretty sure this stuff is meant to be hard work, yet I keep finding ways to have fun whilst doing so! This week included my first club run & a visit down to Dorset for more White Star Running insanity.

Cross Training

Perhaps spurred into action by the knowledge that Team Um Bongo Teamaster General Paul had been struck down by a back issue, Monday morning I decided to get in a DDP Yoga session in front of tv before work. I'm still yet to grasp fully the concept of core work, like broccoli I know it's good for me, I just haven't been able to fully embrace it.
I could feel the benefit straight away, lots of clicks as my back freed itself up. A slight cause for concern was my left shoulder, still playing up a bit after my Evil Knievel stunt show at parkrun.
The day had started well, before the yoga I'd hopped onto the scales and I've now lost half a stone since the start of the marathon cycle. In truth, I've simply clawed back to where I was before the break up binge. I'm happy for the progress though, heading in the right direction. I'm not trying to lose weight in a rapid, unsustainable way, more so just get a bit healthier, the marathon training is certainly having a positive effect.
After work I'd decided a gym visit was necessary, double PE after a long run! The Stansted gym is a bit smaller than Dunmow so I had to settle for a conventional bike over a recumbent. I had a very clear purpose, turn the legs over to aid recovery. 30 minutes of sloth like minimal effort cycling. I kept myself amused by trying to work out Coronation Street with subtitles, podcasts and a blog update. It was only in the final few minutes that I pushed myself, even then just a little bit. The whole point was to ease my legs into a bit of activity. The long run had left me with tight hamstrings, I was hopeful the cycling would cheer them up. I covered all of 6km in 30 minutes, I could have technically run faster!
I got home and constructed an almighty salad, once more being a bit off when it comes to portion control.
Satisfied with my efforts, Tuesday was a full day of rest. I'm managing to just keep myself on the right side of the line in terms of injuries. I have aches and pains, calves that are over worked certainly, but nothing pressing.

The Debut that nearly wasn't

Wednesday night is now club night, the main night of the week for Bishop's Stortford Running Club. I had left work early with a view to getting some errands done & leaving plenty of time to get down to the clubhouse. As I arrived at Tottenham Hale it became apparent that my plans were going to fail. Every train north was cancelled, no trains for at least an hour. Even then it would be onto replacement buses.
I had a brainwave, but it would require an almighty favour. Back southbound to Liverpool St I went & made a call to my Mum. A lift from Braintree was arranged & I was soon on another train out of town. I'd be due to arrive at 1828, giving us 62 minutes to navigate the A120 & for me to get to the club, ready to run.
Traffic was calm and I was home just before seven, with a promise of lunch at a future date the thank you to Mum & Steve for their help. My housemate had also kindly put some running kit together so after a very quick turnaround I was out the door and heading south. Some short cuts through an old estate I used to live on & I was soon parked up. I even had time for a quick kit change as my yellow Stort 10 (only thing I owned with a BSRC club badge) shirt was attracting every thunder bug in Hertfordshire.
The advantage of knowing so many people through parkrun was immediately clear, I was completely at ease, no newbie nerves. There was a huge turnout and the format of the runs was simple, find a group running a similar pace and distance to what you fancied. I was chatting away with guys I'd consider faster than me (Karl beat me in our showdown, Bekah was of a similar pace over parkrun distance, Denise & I had run together at the Stort 10, Simon got within touching distance of a 3:30 marathon, Mark was a regular 21 minute parkrunner, Matt was of a similar standard to Simon, Adam had won our fundraiser back in January, Lee & Pete were often varying degrees of distance ahead of me). The talk was of nine minute miles, 5:35/km in my language. This is the beauty of the club runs, everyone has different goals, some of the guys were coming back from injury, some were there for the social and the food that followed. I could hang at that pace with relative ease so joined them.
The plan was to head to the forest, reach The Shell House & then head back. This worked perfectly for me as I'd had fun getting lost finding my way back in Sunday.
Once into the forest we stitched together some of the various parkrun routes, pausing for some water at the fountain before turning for home. The second half was quicker as we embraced the tarmac and a group of us (Bekah, Denise, Mark & I) forced the pace a bit more. It was good to still chat to the guys as we ran, firstly it was an indication that we weren't pushing too hard, secondly I was familiar with all of them through parkrun but hadn't chatted at length. Mark being the fastest of us continued to drive us, soon Bedlams Lane was upon us and he kicked for home. Not knowing the route as well I waited a bit longer before I followed suit, embracing the chance to really stretch the legs out, finishing with at a 4:20 pace.
After a stretch it was into the clubhouse for refreshments. The setup is simple: run, eat, drink, club announcements, chat, home. Karl has stated the food is good enough that he'll sometimes pop down just for the after run social. For a fiver you get a hot meal and a cupcake, an idea that makes perfect sense as there's no need to go home and rustle up something later, or worse, find a cheeky takeaway. Chilli & rice were an excellent refuel, especially having run a bit further than expected.
After the announcements Karl, Paul & I ran through some parkrun stuff as others had headed off. Paul has been working on me since he joined the parkrun team, extolling the virtues of how the club could accelerate my improvement. So he was a happy man to see me walking away from the evening with new BSRC kit in hand.
I couldn't have enjoyed my first evening with Stortford more, or have been made to feel more at home. Phil, the club chairman extended a warm welcome during the notices, it dawned on me that being the local parkrun Event Director means there is no where to hide! I went home happy, very pleased with my decision to join.

The green & gold

Dorset Invader Half

We were originally signed up to the Bad Cow Half later in the year. Yet for a White Star Running event it appeared to be a bit *whispers* dull. Seven laps and pretty flat for WSR. After Larmer Tree was a lot of fun Emily suggested we transferred to the Dorset Invader, a new addition to the calendar. It appeared to follow the WSR script: Trails, a shittonne of hills, fun, fancy dress, awesome medal. I was easily persuaded and the team at WSR were obliging with the transfers.
Despite the long distance runs, this had potential to be the toughest of the marathon cycle. Even more so when you factor in fancy dress. Paul had mentioned he wanted us to have inflatable armour and weapons, then nixed the idea as the heat might lead them to be discarded. I decided to take up the mantle, my aim was to run for fun, no time targets here. An eBay search for men's toga yielded some interesting results before I settled on this.....

Sure there would be soldiers and standard Romans a plenty, they needed a God to worship though! Conventional wisdom is to not introduce any new kit into a race scenario. What this doesn't account for is picking up a fancy dress kit from the post office en route down to Dorset! I'd be unsighted to the state of my kit until we got to the hotel, so had packed (or so I thought) a full set of running gear just in case. The journey south west was decent enough, the usual gruel around the M40-M3 was to be expected.

Bad Fuel

It was just after seven when we made it to the Travelodge in Amesbury & headed straight out for food. Rather than drive into Salisbury we chose a nearby retail park and with Harvester or Pizza Hut on offer, opted for Pizza. Deciding I needed the carbs, I ordered a large deep pan. About halfway through the second slice I realised how dumb the decision had been. Too much of a good thing, or in my case a little bit of a good thing and I suffer. The heavy carbs were bloating me. The problem is one of my own making, I like pizza, but my body doesn't. Had I opted for a thin crust I might have got away with it. Instead I'd naively gone for the carb loading option to my own detriment. 

Paul smiling away, might be due to the drugs attempting to calm down his back

The fear in the eyes, realising this was a bad idea

Better race prep

An appalling night of sleep followed, stomach cramps, toilet visits, feelings of self loathing. This was all my own fault & when I woke in the morning feeling empty in the stomach I knew the worst thing I could now do was try and eat too much for breakfast.
There was one benefit to bring awake between 2-3am. Over dinner I'd discussion my flirtation with a September half marathon to try and PB before Berlin. Emily & Paul had sensibly suggested this was foolish & that the goal was first & foremost Berlin. As I was feeling confident, I was starting to book in races after the marathon. Their solution, look for something in October or November instead. Having a website that lists all running events globally and is searchable bookmarked is both useful and dangerous. It means when constructing plans I can usually find a couple of races that fit my goals. It didn't take long for me to find the River Thames Half in Walton. Fast, flat and three weeks removed from Berlin, it offers me the chance to cash in on my marathon training. At least the hour awake wasn't completely wasted.

Race Day

It was soon time to head to the race itself, I wasn't changed into fancy dress yet, just had the base of normal running kit. I didn't pack a shirt so picked up the one I ordered from the WSR shop & Emily put it into her running pack. Toilets dealt with and back to the car we went to make final preparations. For the first time in my running career I was lubing my knees in case the toga rubbed & also my ears as the elastic for the beard looked like it could rub. Some extra safety pins held my sash in place and I was now ready to run, resplendent in purple!

Fear not humble Romans, your God is here

The weather was turning out to be perfect for a summer's day, not ideal for runners, especially those in wigs & beards!!!

After being called forward for an all fancy dress photo & a short run briefing we were on our way. Gary was joining Emily & I for a slow but purposeful run. From our Larmer & Dark Ox experiences we had established a walk run strategy to tackle the hills, accepting that there was little to achieve in running the climbs. 

Team Um Bongo, ready to go

We had no real concerns over time, a desire to beat our Larmer Tree time and set a new WSR best would be nice, but not a priority. What was apparent the moment we started is that comedy beards are not advisable when running. Within the first kilometre I found myself struggling to breath and the whole beard was an unwelcome distraction. In the heat and sunshine I was dripping with sweat already! 
We had started to get some space on the course only to be bunched as we caught the back of a group waiting to cross a road, little did we know this was all of the tarmac we would see until crossing back. After a first venture through some woods it was time to climb over a stile. It would be fair to say I'm clumsy at the best of times, add a wig and knee length toga to the mix and the chance of injury increases. 
Note there was no mention of the beard. I think it lasted all of 3km. I'd looped it with my sunglasses to try and secure it better (perhaps lubing the ears was a bad thing). As we had entered the shaded woods I didn't need the sunnies & in taking them off the beard came off as a result. I couldn't be done with faffing so tucked it into my flip belt and enjoyed the respite. Now I just resembled Brian May at a toga party!!!
Once through the stile we enjoyed a downhill, wider trail and got into a nice rhythm. We were running well as a group,  alongside where the path allowed and in formation when not. At one point we enjoyed a downhill so much that our pace dropped into the low 5:00/km territory and it took some effort to rein this back in before we got too silly. 
At about 4 miles we stopped at the first check point, taking on some water, jelly beans & I had the opportunity to take the wig off momentarily to through some water over myself. Progress was good and spirits were high. Running through wooded areas was a test of both concentration & technique. It felt like we were the only three in the race for a while as we were blinkered by woods. We gave ourselves more space in order to both see the roots & avoid any whiplash from overhanging branches.
Once out of the woods we knew the worst of the course was to follow, but confidence was high. At one point Gary scaled a 4 foot gate. Me, feeling clever, unlooped the rope and walked through, only to be surpassed by another runner taking a route around a hedge to avoid all gate. My smugness lasted all of a second! 

Once through this gate & after a short descend we were due to hit what would become two miles of climb. Progress was decent & soon the signs you most look forward to at a WSR event were coming into view.

LOVESTATION AHEAD

The normal WSR aid stations are excellent. The Lovestation though, that is the cherry on top. Stop. One water to top up the bottle & spray over my head, one to drink, one cider, some jelly beans & babies, amazing watermelon, some photos, readjust wig, Lovestation completed proceed onwards to complete your run. We were afforded a fast kilometre before the climb resumed. At least I hadn't repeated my mini Scotch Egg faux pas from Larmer Tree so wasn't feeling the need to throw up!

Feeling good after Lovestation ciders

Lovestation offerings - decided against Schnapps

More Lovestation

Soon we were walking again & then the moment the course appeared to flatten we were joined by about 4 foot of foliage on either side. We tried running, soon realising it made little sense & conserved our energy. Aid stations excluded this would be the slowest part of the run for us.

From 15km onwards our pace whenever we ran was good & presented no problems for us. Emily was really driving her arms as she ran  & we all seemed to be running with purpose where the course allowed us to. 

Brian May filming the new series of Springwatch

There were times in run where my wide stride meant I had to seek alternative routes, some of the farm tracks were too narrow for me & the slight angle I run at on my left side due to hip rotation. From about halfway my hips had been aching from the awkwardness of the terrain & the constant uneven landings. After short stop at the final aid station in the 18th kilometre it was time to carry on & get the race finished. We repeated our post aid station custom of low fives & got focused once more. Some more farm track that we'd run out on had provided us with a nice surface to push on, allowing for another relatively quick kilometre.

This God Can

Unfortunately we weren't following the track back & were soon diverted off course & uphill. It was only now, in the dying moments of the race that Emily mentioned our walking stride wasn't offering her much respite. Being a bit shorter than us, my aggressive walking pace was forcing her back into running more often than not. Once Gary & I knew this we reined it in & asked Emily to set the pace, we didn't want to be leaving anyone behind at this stage of the race. Another run through a wooded area brought us into the final kilometre. 

Approaching the finish line

Soon we were emerging into daylight & one almighty hill came into view. This time though it was a massive downhill, easily the steepest we'd seen all day. A thirty metre drop was hard work, a struggle to not lose all semblance of form & stay vertical. I had to take a wider line in order to make the gate at the bottom & file in behind Gary, a more direct route would have seen me either collect him or the gate. Emily filed in behind & we kicked for home with the finish line in sight. Gary & I had kicked too much, so we slowed our pace to ensure Emily was with us as we crossed the line together.

Finishing with a smile

Once the almighty medal & goody bag had been acquired we had time to cool off. I was keen to get changed out of my outfit, the base layers had done their job, but were now really quite disgusting!

Awesome run bling

The Eat

A post race cider seemed like a good idea, whether Emily & Paul agreed quite so much as I snored my way home in the back of their car I'm not so sure! It was the finest west country cider you could find, chewy, you could barely see through it, it made for perfect refreshment (and counted as one of my five a day). A farm shop on site also provided some clotted cream fudge & some local sausages that would be perfect for dinner (I wasn't going to make it to my friend's BBQ, I'd be poor company sleeping away in the corner & smelling like a field). A small pot of rum & raisin ice cream was well received, as was the excellent muffin provided with the goody bag.

A very happy Chris post race

Saffron Trail Volunteering

After an early night & a bath to soothe my weary legs I was up at regular weekday time on Sunday. One of our local running event companies were looking for checkpoint volunteers & on scanning the route I'd realised one was only a few miles from home. After negotiating down a 0200 start time to 0630 I found myself sat in the Alfa, in the rain on a Sunday morning. The gazebo didn't look that appealing, despite all of the goodies laid out.

Lindley the Race Director explained the first runner was probably an hour away & to just relax. Luckily I'd prepared for such an occasion, writing a lot of this blog & churning halfway through Ed Smith's book, Luck over the course of the morning. 

Reclining in the Alfa

Intervals between the runners were long, this was the final check point, 65 miles into a 70 mile race & with a field of under 20 hardy souls taking on the route. I was in awe of the competitors, taking mileage to levels that I personally can't fathom. My stint on the aid station was due to end at 1100, I decided to stay on though until Nicki, one of Great Notley parkrun's core team made it through. Shortly before midday she emerged, smiling as always, slaying the demons from the same race last year & indulging in some custard before taking on the final 4.9 miles into Saffron Walden.

I made my way into Saffron Walden myself & ended up parking right next to the finish line. Seeing Rich from GNPR, his family & Nicki's sister there, I quickly did a lap of the town as planned & joined them to see Nicki finish. I gave a lift to a station to a chap who'd travelled over from Australia for a week & just happened to fancy an ultra whilst here!

Add station full of good stuff for ultra runners

With my first marathon approaching I've learnt throughout my time running to never say never. That said, I simply can't comprehend the step up into ultra running. Yet I find myself hurting more from speed than from distance & enjoying the mental challenge of more miles. I don't see an ultra in my future, but then again 5 years ago I didn't see a marathon either.

The Conclusion

Another very enjoyable week on the road to Berlin. I only ran twice, recognising that some rest was required. At this stage I'm very satisfied with my progress & want to make sure that every run has purpose, no junk miles is the goal.

Post race hobbit feet, appears my trail shoes allowed a lot of dust & dirt in

A time of 2:19:50 for the Dorset Invader would worry me without any context. 21 kilometres of non stop trail made it the toughest terrain I've run across. Sure Larmer tree was a bit slower, but the mud was a massive factor back in March. I couldn't care for the time though, we were actually 10 seconds under our nominal target. This half was my most enjoyable. I fully embraced the WSR ethos & dressed up for the occasion, loving every second of it. I ran with two good friends & the worked as a team throughout. There is no point in running this kind of race on your own, you miss out on the fun. Emily had suggested I could run ahead if I wanted to based on our current training levels, to me though, spending time with my friends was more important. We started together, we crossed the line together.

Definitely a hilly one

A year ago I was buying my first pair of trail shoes, now I find myself looking forward to insane trail races. Maybe it helps that WSR are a bit insane themselves, adding humour & camaraderie to what would otherwise be some pretty tough races. I don't associate trail races like this with time chasing, I think that allows me to enjoy them more. Running a road race the same way would feel a bit pointless.

This was also my first half since the marathon training has kicked in. This made for a noticeable difference, probably mentally rather than physically. Having run 20 miles the weekend prior for the first time, I knew this race couldn't defeat me. This was also Emily's first half since her marathon in May & well Gary, he'd probably just finished another fifty miler the day before or something! So all three of us combined were pretty strong.

If you're looking for an almighty challenge with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure, I can't recommend White Star Running enough. I'm already looking at their 2016 calendar (Bad Cow doesn't quite fit for my training), a family wedding clashes with the Dark Ox, I'm told it would be poor form to miss the evening reception for a night of getting muddy in Dorset! I can see a return to Larmer Tree in my future though, perhaps it is time to take on the 20 miler as well.

Please keep doing this guys, you're flipping awesome

Triple Bling Weekend

Strap yourselves in for one massive blog post folks, I could easily chop this into sizeable chunks, but given the gargantuan effort of the last week, it makes sense to keep it all together. The past week has been one of the most fun I've experienced, hard work throughout, but I wouldn't swap it for anything. The weekend especially left me with such a euphoric runner's high that it seems weird even writing about it now, a day removed with a slightly more melancholic outlook.
Whilst BBQing yesterday we were asked by a non running friend if running was fun. Sometimes fun is the wrong word, there are times when it is just about perfect though.

Making a change

Who'd have thought that a Vauxhall Astra might provide the inspiration I needed to make another change to my lifestyle. I'm spending a fair amount of time on the road at the moment & over the course of a 6 hour combined journey I found myself losing focus. As the M25 crawled delightfully on my way home I stopped off at my usual halfway point, the megalith Sainsbury's / M&S in London Colney. Normally when I head in, I pick up some chocolate & a sugary drink in an effort to wake myself up a bit, then get back on the road. Ok so on this occasion I still picked up a Toffee Kitkat (who wouldn't?), but I also picked up something that would change the course for the rest of the week.
I was due to work early for the rest of the week & leaving at twenty past six normally means that breakfast will be either a banana (unlikely), oatmeal & raisin cookies (more likely) or pain au chocolat (very likely) for the rest of the week, or a combination of the three. As my journey to Berlin continues & life itself is taking me in a completely new direction, I've started to look at myself a bit more objectively & think more about what I do & perhaps sometimes why. One conclusion I'm starting to make is that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I don't eat big at meals, but I snack or at least I call it snacking, perhaps at times it is more of a binge. I'm also aware that I might be being overly harsh on myself, I do plenty of exercise these days so the occasional reward isn't to be condemned. I suspect the shitty past eight months have been a contributing factor, stress, anxiety & depression can manifest in different ways, some starve, some consume. I feel I've left the darkness behind me, got my head around everything now & feel in the best condition mentally I've been for a good time.
With this in mind, it was time to acknowledge that my snacking is more by way of habit currently & that I just needed to break the cycle. So rewinding back, my horde from Sainsbury's included a melon, some grapes & a pineapple. Once the M25 had released me from hire car mediocrity I was soon home & rather than let these items gather dust & rot away I chopped them all up & packed them into boxes. The idea being that I'd take some into work every morning, alongside a yoghurt (and not a Cadbury's Buttons one), removing the temptation & expense of a pain au chocolate.

Normally I only opt for chocolate covered fruit

Sure it is a minor change, but as someone that usually views fruit as the work of voodoo, one that is far healthier long term & might have a benefit in the short term as well. I'm also trying to remove that mid afternoon chocolate bar from habit, another baby step. As Monday moved into Tuesday I was sceptical that either would finish the week.....

To the forest

Core team member Paul had missed our summer route launch as a shortage of volunteers at our neighbouring in Harlow meant that he parachuted in to take on Timekeeping duties. I'm hoping he doesn't think the cost of the helicopter hire will be covered by our donation pot! We arranged to meet on Tuesday evening so that we could cover a lap of the summer route to run through the marshalling positions & cover off any other questions he had.
My walk home from the station an hour beforehand had involved hale stones, wind, flash flooding & by the time I was home I had to peel clothes off. The next hour involved rain checking constantly, even on the journey home there was another deluge. Thankfully for the run itself the sun came out nicely & the rain stayed away as we took on the Forest at an easy pace. It was good to catch up with Paul & discuss marathon plans. He was keen to know what my plan entailed & the thinking behind it, whilst I was equally keen to get his thoughts on his London experience & what lessons he'd learnt.
Soon we'd chatted our way round the route & onward back to the car park. I was genuinely pleased to be feeling no after effects from the long run on Sunday.

Have I ever mentioned how awesome the forest is?

And another change

On Wednesday evening I found myself parking in a place that I never knew existed, ready to take on something completely new to me. Josie from Unique Running Results had chatted to me briefly during a visit to parkrun about a new group she was trying to establish in Little Canfield. The aim was not a beginner's running group, more of a tune up for those already running.
Wednesday evenings work nicely for me & the opportunity for some structured coaching appealed so after missing the first two weeks due to work commitments I found the community centre on a shiny new housing estate ready to try some tempo running. I've been a fan of speed work for a couple of years, so to have a coach alongside to add some structure to it was something I was looking forward to.
There were just two of us in the class & we headed down to the Flitch Way. I was introduced to some new dynamic warm ups & stretches. We soon started with some 300m tempo runs, broken up by an easy 300m & some rest. For once my efforts did not resemble an increasingly diminishing return, in fact my last tempo was the fastest. It certainly got my heart rate going up into the 170's!
After a warm down I was back in the car & heading home. I'd felt the benefit of pushing myself straight away & looked forward to making another return to the group in the future.

A good start to tempos

A Long Saturday Begins

I'm realising that once you're an Event Director, if you find yourself at your home event, no matter the situation you're never really off duty. Out setup was a bit frantic, it looks as though we need a bit more time to put the summer route together. I had a few announcements before the run briefing & true to form I managed to remember most of them, only to recall once the runners had started there was something else to mention!
The run started in an interesting manner as everyone filtered through the setup for the finish! The joke became that I'd bought a new notebook to the event for ED notes & that I'd have filled it by the end. The event got even more fun as our scanners both decided to fail at various points & I stepped in from another role to take over scanning. Thankfully we have some awesome volunteers & one of our regulars assisted once she'd finished running to ease the strain on Paul as the Run Director for the day.
As the clock moved closer to 10 I started to realise that we were getting close to an attendance record. When runners 186 & 187 entered the final field without the tail runner we knew that today was going to be something special. With the final figure taking us to 190, a new record over our inaugural by 2.
To be up & over our inaugural total in just week 10 is extraordinary. The efforts to down play our first event certainly contributed, but the continued success & intrigue in parkrun shows just how appealing a run around the forest is.
We'd expected results to be migraine inducing. To our surprise & relief we had the tidiest set of results seen in some time. We knew runner #5 was missing & after publishing the results we've been trying to reach out on social media channels to reunite this runner with his time.

The Dark Ox 10k

I got home just after midday, just over three hours until I would be picked up for a trip down into Dorset. I had time to get all of the kit I needed set out for the weekend, making for the obligatory photo.

For once, having lots of kit made the weekend easy

My weekend had been planned for a while. The HBO 10k is a permanent fixture on the Bank Holiday Monday & this year I'd opted for the Westminster Mile to occupy my Sunday.
So when fellow Um Bongoist Emily suggested White Star Running's inaugural Dark Ox on the Saturday night I tried to decline. I didn't want to hotel it as I needed to be in London so I was good thanks. But wait, we're heading there & back in a day, driving straight back once finished. No really, I'm good, the WSR races are mental, surely I should conserve energy. You can have a lift so that you don't need to put the Alfa through another Dorset trip. No I really am good, I mean this mile thing, I could break Steve Cram's record couldn't I?

Yeah, but have you seen the medal?

And with that I signed up. I'm like a running Golum, show me the shiny & I'll subject myself to silliness.

We arrived with plenty of time & that gave us the opportunity to chat with some of the WSR team, claim another Um Bongo member (another parkrun ED in the making, showing that we really are all a bit daft) & also chatted to the team behind the Nuclear Races, who for fun visit WSR to run all the events in a weekend.

There was no Congo flag, so Team Um Bongo adopted South Korea, and a new idea was formed....

I'd mentioned to WSR Supremo Andy about the glow in the dark face paint he'd mentioned on Facebook & it emerged just before the start so I distributed to the masses & we started making ourselves look even more silly. It turns out writing Team Um Bongo on your arms is beyond my skill set so I opted for smeared arms & a silly face (to which I then added face paint, yes readers I even beat you to that punchline). I then spotted some blue paint & quickly added a Hulk Hogan style moustache that will surpass any real facial hair I will ever attempt!

Emily decided against the gurning contest

Once everyone was gimmicked up with paint it was time for the race to start, which it did so accompanied by a drone filming for a WSR promo. You'd hope that the drone had returned to ground & not seen everyone miss the first turn & then the field being send back upon itself! This made for a funky few minutes as those who were at the front had to make their way through on narrow trails.
The three of us had originally intended to run together, but Paul soon got separated from us & it made more sense for him to head on at his own pace. The early introduction to the trails appeared to have claimed several runners & we'd been slowed to a stop for a couple of narrow passages in the opening kilometres. Soon we were on wider trails & this allowed the field to spread out & runners to get into a rhythm.
There were a few puddles & as they were early on I decided on avoiding them. For this I was teased in jest by some ladies in front of us, to which I pointed out that they'd also taken evasive action. I'm not sure my line of I'll run through the next puddle if you do really counts as a chat up line! No one said singledom after 15 years would be easy!

Nope, no idea either....

Just before 2km we had a descend that required some discipline to get down. I was just about managing with some sideways running when the angle seemed to get a bit steeper. There was potential for damage here as with the slight change I felt myself building too much momentum. I had to find a way to bail out here & thankfully at the bottom of the hill was another path. Knowing that I didn't have the knowledge or technique to halt my movements I instead embraced it & took off down the hill & used the other path like a Formula 1 driver uses a run off area when they over cook a corner.
With use of the other path I was able to turn myself around & wait for Emily to make a far more sensible descend, after which we took on the accompanying hill. Yep that's right. Descend straight into a climb, par for the course with White Star Running!!! This hill didn't see too bad, though by the top of it we agreed that we might have been better served by easing off on this one. Thankfully the prospect of further hills was easily predictable so we'd have a chance to test out that theory.
To be honest I'm probably all over the place in terms of what happened & at what point during the run. The whole experience was new, night trail running, reliant on my head torch for the first time was a fun one, though I doubt I could have chosen a tougher course to complete my night running initiation on!
The idea to use the buff to keep warm seemed like a good idea before the start. Within the first couple of clicks I was handing my water bottle to Emily so that I could move it up and use as a bandana, it was causing me to overheat whilst around my neck.
After a view of the golf course we were back into the woods & accompanied by the smell of wild garlic, something Emily had read or heard about beforehand. After a climb that required a walk rather than a run based on diminishing returns we were down to single file & getting accustomed to shouting ROOT to warn other runners behind of hazards. The root suggestion came from a runner behind us, both Emily & I were being a bit to vague or descriptive to be of much help to our fellow runners.
As 8km approached we were treated to what felt like a massive hill, a 50 metre climb that we chose to walk, there was nothing to gain here. This accounted for our slowest kilometre, 8:02 & my suggestion of finishing in just over the hour was very much looking like wishful thinking. The tactic was now very much in the format of the Larmer Tree Half, walk the uphill, run the rest, just with the added factor of darkness thrown into the mix. Another climb, just after 9km to overcome & then we ran the gentle incline back to the start / finish line. We knew it was approaching as you could hear people.
Soon we emerged into the field & like the perfect running partner I'm not I got finish line fever & strode out, apologising to Emily once more for my ungentlemanly conduct!!!!!

Post run, with the bandana in tow I was like a trail running Hulk Hogan

Once over the line at an unofficial 1:12:59 we were reunited with Paul who had potentially achieved a top ten finish with a mid 52 (did I mention this was with a broken toe).
We picked up our luminous race t-shirt & glow in the dark medal & made our way back to the car. It was time to clean up a bit before the three hour journey back home. We'd stop for food somewhere en route & in order to appear slightly normal I suspected the bright blue moustache might have to go. Of course if I had planned ahead I might have a towel available to me. Instead I had to innovate & for once I was happy for sweating profusely during the run & christened my new Um Bongo t-shirt by wiping the face paint from my face!

Awesome Run Bling

After a celebratory Gu chocolate milk shared between us it was back into Emily's car & time to head north. We made quite the sight when we arrived at Fleet M3 services for about the best food we could manage at midnight, McD's. We weren't the only Dark Ox survivors there! I opted for my usual combo of 6 nuggets & a cheeseburger chaser. It was grim, but when laced with plenty of BBQ sauce it was at least effective! The guys dropped me off just before 2am & I could have easily Flair flopped into bed! Before I did that I had a quick scan of train times & set an alarm, for this was just chapter one of this weekend's story.

Dirty Food. Mmmmmmmmm dirty food.

Our next visit to a White Star Running event is for the Dorset Invader Half on July 18th. I've been assured (or potentially lied to) that it's completely flat & all on fresh asphalt. What I do know for a fact is that the medal is a Roman Shield, 4 inches by 3 inches!!! If I keep doing WSR events then I'm going to need more physio work on my neck!
I cannot recommend WSR events enough. In a world of homogeneous races that could take place anywhere, the guys at WSR stand out. They go the extra mile to put as much enjoyment & humour into some truly brutal courses as they can, rewarding you with awesome post race goodies & exceptional medals. I'm expecting the Dorset Invader to be the toughest weekend of the marathon plan, it could also be the most fun.

Westminster Mile

Thankfully my body clock's penchant for half five wake ups did not interfere with the need for a few more hours ahead of race 2 of TBW. I didn't make it all the way until 9am, but did get myself around six hours & enough time to scan through the test match highlights before driving down to Stortford to pick up a train into London.
Green Park is easy to get to when everything runs to plan & that is precisely what happened on Sunday, leaving me with at least an hour to kill before the parkrun wave started. I think this was the first race I'd be attending without anyone alongside so I wandered the park & dozed in the sun listening to podcasts to pass the time. On a lap of the park I spotted fellow parkrun tourist Steve Stockwell (copy7t on Twitter). He's now part of the core team at Dartford & on a slight hiatus from touring whilst the event establishes itself. We swapped parkrun stories & I thanked him for the advanced warning that Dartford was cancelled at the start of the month, leading to my Lullingstone visit.
After a toilet visit I found it was time to drop my bag off & make my way to the start. I still had plenty of time to go & spotted parkrun's Mr 500 Darren Wood, taking an opportunity to shake his hand. A remarkable achievement that he modestly puts down to being in the right place at the right time. A pat on the back from parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt as he passed me & after a slight wait for the Sweatshop wave to clear ahead of us I took an opportunity to take in the surroundings.
I spotted another parkrun tourist Mike Bristow (urglecom on Twitter) & checked in with him following his Run Director debut the day previously. He's seen me tweet about the fun we'd had the day previously, being on the other side of the fence certainly increases the sympathy you have for other events when you hear of their issues.

parkrun wave starting to fill up

For the last few minutes I kept myself to myself, focusing on getting loose, running a mile would be a new experience for me. My only strategy was to hammer it, assume 100% fitness & treat it like the first third of a parkrun. Put everything in & see just what was possible.
There is a kind of unadulterated joy about running such a short distance. I knew that I could run as close to my limit as possible, just let the legs go & to hell with the consequences. What was the point in holding back, the opportunity to run a timed mile is a rare one.
After the first corner a steel band was on hand, cranking out Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody, an interesting adaptation! I found myself in a decent rhythm, not that my Strava output suggests this. The first km was completed in 4:33 & with the finish just a corner away I carried on pushing, dropping the pace down to 4:12/km as I crossed the line in 7:13.
I chatted briefly in the finish area with Paul Sinton-Hewitt, extending the invite to Hatfield Forest & thanking him for parkrun & the enjoyment it brings, quite how this came across with the post mile recovery I'll have no idea, but as parkrun has been around for over a decade I'm sure he's used to dealing with barely coherent runners!
I spotted Mike once more & chatted on the way back through goody bag & luggage pick up. He did the honours with the obligatory Buckingham Palace photo & we agreed that visiting each other's events would be forthcoming. After chatting to a Fulham Palace based tourist I got myself changed into slightly more normal attire & headed out of Green Park.

Apparently the Queen was watching all races intently

I was very satisfied with my time, knowing I'd pushed myself as far as I could at present. My fastest 5k sits at 23:08 & this measures up very nicely with that, though there is no chance I could sustain this pace over triple the distance. I'm tempted to pay Chelmsford parkrun a visit as that would give me a fair impression of where I stand in terms of speed at the moment.
I had a mere 4 hours to get home & turned around back out to the Forest so wanted to find food as quickly as possibly before heading out of London. I'd made my mind up to visit either Jamie Oliver's Hot Dog stand or wrap heaven at Jumbo Eats, both near Piccadilly Circus. As I wandered in that direction I had a light bulb moment, just before the hot dog place was the Japan Centre. That was the decision made then & I picked up a salmon sashimi & rice bowl for consumption on the train home & treated myself to a big platter of random sushi for the evening.

Might have overdosed on sushi. Still no idea what some of them were

Oh hello again Forest

After a quick spin of Stortford to pick up BBQ essentials (had kind of forgotten charcoal up to that point) I found myself with a bit of time at home to start tidying up ahead of guests arriving on the Monday. My pile of filing had gotten so large that one of the cats had chosen to sit on it. With the cricket on the TV I felt this was a perfect opportunity to watch a bit of the action & make a start on sorting paperwork. Topper felt he could assist as well, laying across me or on various piles, I suspect that as a cat he's not completely aware that his assistance might be viewed as a hindrance!
It was soon time to head across to Hatfield Forest & give the proposed special event alternative route a spin. I was met by fellow RD Paul, Simon & Amy who are also heavily involved with the volunteering side of HFPR.
After our walk the week previously I'd made a couple of adjustments virtually to the route in order to get the distance spot on without the need for every decreasing circles in the finish field. Now the route follows a familiar start that is used for all of our courses, keeping a nice bit of consistency.
Some nice easy running was all I could muster & I felt like I was holding everyone back, but they were kind enough to stick to my very gentle trot.
The route was well received by all & finishes in a nice style around the big tree in Shell House car park. I think our runners will like it a lot & if it provides us with another option then in the long term the extra work will be worth it.
I asked the guys for their thoughts on my Saucony Kinvara's as we debriefed in the car park after the run. My fear is that despite only 350km in them, their lightness combined with my heaviness has brought them to the end of their useful life. They were fine on the mile earlier in the day, but the long run of a fortnight previous had been a painful experience. My suspicions were confirmed, neither Paul or Simon would run in the shoe in the state it is now, so it looks like my super fast & light shoes are heading for retirement. Turns out I'd picked up the Mizuno's just in time & I'll now think about my trainer strategy before introducing another pair as Berlin grows ever closer.
Once home, I found that I was well & truly knackered. I struggled my way through the funky sushi platter, a combination of eyes being bigger than stomach & tiredness. I realised I could achieve nothing with the evening, ran & bath & took an early night. I could tidy up in the morning, rest was a priority.

Hatfield Broad Oak 10k

I was up at around quarter past six & the decision made the evening before to take an early night was immediately vindicated as I had some energy! A quick double take of the mirror & I realised that I had quite an awesome bed hair mohawk. I'm not quite ready to unleash that kind of look on the public but it did give me a giggle.
The early start also gave me a good two & half hours to tidy the house & get the pulled pork for the BBQ into the slow cooker. I achieved most of what I needed to before leaving the house & also ensured I'd packed my flip flops for the post race so that my feet could get some air.
One thing I didn't check was the weather forecast beforehand, presuming it would be warm & cloudy like the past couple of days. As I loaded up the Alfa I was oblivious to the slightly sinister clouds & more concerned with getting the right tunes on! Music has been a constant throughout life (listening, I have bugger all talent) & after the performances so far over the weekend I was in a really positive mood so wanted something to reflect this. I flicked through the selection of CDs in the Alfa (2003 tech at it's finest) & found the perfect bit of pre race funk....

Playing today on Radio Alfa....

As I got into Takeley I realised that in the car ahead were Jim & Katrina who helped get the parkrun off the ground. I was suddenly self conscious, hopefully they'd not spotted me enjoying the music a bit too much!
I followed them into Broad Oak & we chatted briefly, Katrina was coerced into taking the big parkrun photo in exchange for an ice cream. In my brief tenure as an ED I'm learning that bribery can work wonders!
Emily & Paul had spotted me & we wandered around the village to acquaint ourselves with the new start / finish locations before heading onto the village green. Suddenly I noticed the difference between this & previous years. I now recognised far more people from the parkrun & made an effort to say hello & wish folks well in the upcoming race. We visited the t-shirt table to ask for a sneak peak of the this years colour, a slightly blue grey, very similar to my Stockholm Half shirt from 2012. The quality of the print appeared to have been improved & the event emblem was now the sole feature of the front, with sponsors on the back. We enquired about the medals & were told that they were just for the kids race, this was confusing as we were sure they'd been some special 30th anniversary bling advertised. After a brief joke about leaving it was time to focus on getting race ready. Toilet, car to drop stuff, warm up, toilet, line up for the start. The provision and / or positioning of the toilets could do with a a bit more thought. I think the number of portaloos was similar to previous years, but they were previously supplemented by the village hall. There were queues, but then that is also a good way to kill 10 minutes before the race begins.

Team Um Bongo pre race

I had no real plan going into this race. I knew that I wasn't in PB form & lined up in the 55 minute pen with the idea that if I can hang onto that pace for as long as possible then with a perceived slower course I'd be relatively happy with that kind of time. Alec made his way further forward, he'd be looking for a sub 50. Paul stayed by Emily's side, looking to run an easy 55 with her as well, though both weren't feeling 100% after the marathon the week previously, Paul's toe breaking yoga exploits & the brutality of the Dark Ox (at least they'd not run twice since then).

Reservoir Dogs style....

The crowd lurched forward a couple of times as the timing pens closed up with the race start imminent. In previous years the start had been loud & clear, I think they'd even been a PA system blasting Chariots of Fire or something to add to the race start atmosphere. This time around there didn't appear to be that luxury, but given the movement of those ahead the race appeared to have started.

Suspect my race pace might have been improved by performance enhancing hair....

The course layout intrigued me. The old figure of 8 still existed but was being run in a different order, the smaller loop first, then a reverse of the larger loop, guaranteeing a nice downhill finish. This would also remove the biting uphill finish of old & the congestion around the village hall that was becoming a bit too much in the past couple of years. The question remained, how would this change the race itself, I was sceptical about the five minutes slower statement.
I started pretty much bang on target pace with a 5:28 kilometre, following with a 5:34 on the drag of a climb out of the village. This used to be the 6.5 to 8km climb & was always the lowest point in the race for me previously. Here the pace was still good & having a start of a race atmosphere certainly appeared to help me. I was making progress through the field & knew that I had some shade (not really a factor today) & downhill to follow. In the early stages of the race my competitor chip felt like it was rubbing & having seen the damage done to a fellow runner a month previously I was determined not to look down just in case I was slowly shredding my own ankle.
I caught up with HFPR super marshal Andrea & paced with her for a little while. She was handicapped with the lurgy & implored me to carry on & not let her slow me down. With the course flattening out & my rhythm feeling pretty good I took her advice, said goodbye & got my head down.
A third km of 5:12 & a 5:22 to follow surpassed my expectations. It was ok though, to get to half way I had to climb what used to be the finish & then head up into the village itself. Descending past where the finish used to be my right shoulder was becoming next to useless. It felt a bit dodgy during a pre race warm up, here it was being of no help. I dropped it to my side to see if not using at all would alleviate the issue.
That was pointless though as you need to use your damn arms! Despite the discomfort, Vicky from Harlow parkrun was at the top of the hill to support us & I made a point to head across & high five (left arm), my attempts to mask the pain with a smile appear to have failed spectacularly given the resulting photo! My high five claimed another victim, I really should have forewarned Vicky that you have to really commit when offering me a high five, my enthusiasm for a mid run high five is similar to that of Todd from Scrubs.
I knew that as the pain wasn't in my legs & directly stopping me running that I just had to carry on regardless & the crowd support was actually lifting my performance with a 5th kilometre of 5:06. I threw some water over myself at the aid station, hoping the cool water might have some benefit to the shoulder & begun the gentle climb out of the village as the bigger loop begun. Halfway through in 26:47, under target for a 55 minute run.

Approaching 5km (we started downhill), was not in a happy place

We'd be climbing until the 8km marker & it was the 6th kilometre where I started to feel the post village atmosphere malaise. The pace slowed down, well reverted back to the target pace of 5:30. It was between 6 & 7km that Paul passed me, approaching with the Um Bongo theme (he's made it his mission to memorise the whole thing before Endure 24) & after a brief chat leaving me to it having been let off the leash by Emily at halfway.
Jim had come into view, giving me some focus. I find I run better when I identify other runners & attempt to match or surpass them & this was no different. The fatigue of the weekend's efforts was starting to manifest in my legs & the water bottle was limited to one arm now, but cardio seemed fine & the mind was fully engaged. I'd hazard a guess that this was the best I'd felt whilst running this year. I had no time pressure, easy 6 minute clicks would get me home within target time & my ailments were manageable.
I slowly started to reel Jim in, with a 5:24 followed by a 5:13 8th kilometre. At around 8 I drew level, just as he was looking to tail off to the side & walk for a moment. I caught him at just the right time & urged him to stick with me, encouraging him that he was on for a great time & we could run this in together. I knew that the course was going to favour us shortly & Jim found his groove again. We chatted for a bit to pass the time before the final push, the conversation providing a distraction from a marshal imploring us there was just a km left (try 1.5) & that I was slowly taking us through the gears.
As we finally did pass that last kilometre marker the descend got even more favourable & I decided it was time to give it everything. It was time for one final push & my pace dropped down below the 5 minute mark for the first time in the race. Weirdly I found myself tearing up a little on the downhill, I'd like to think this was just a cross wind & my sheer speed rattling my eyes around a bit too much. In truth I think there was a bit of elation at how well the run had gone & a realisation that it would have been Dad's 61st birthday.
I'd started running on May 25th 2010, bizarrely not realising it was his birthday until after the first run, it was all a happy coincidence. Back in the here & now I found myself storming to the finish line. I was smiling as I approaching, at least I thought I was until Vicky saw me & shouted at me to try smiling, I suspect I was pulling my usual race photo face! I tried even harder to smile & got ready for a finishing pose, only to realise there wasn't a photographer! Jim followed momentarily afterwards, using the large hole I was punching in the air to good effect!
I was slightly flummoxed by the time on my Garmin, only to then have it confirmed by the official results. 52:37!!!! This mean a return in 25:50 & a massive negative split!
Post race there was a bit of a queue to get through t-shirts, water & oranges, I cooled down a bit too much in a sweaty vest, not overly ideal. Despite the huge amount of space now available, this wasn't quite as slick as it could have been. This was the first year of the new finish area though & teething troubles are natural. It made a huge amount of sense to move & once the t-shirt was collected there was plenty of space to mill about & catch up with other runners.

Post run smiles

There was indeed no medal & it appears this is due to a communication issue. The HBO 10k is all kinds of awesome, but communication isn't their strongest suit. I spent 3 months prior to the event trying to contact them to head down to the parkrun to promote & recruit runners and / or volunteers & got a reply only for my response to hit a postmaster fail. I think the changes they've made this year made a lot of sense & with further thought will improve the racing experiences. As for the medal itself, I counted the t-shirt as my run bling.
I was euphoric with my time & was eager to hear how everyone else had got on. Paul had gone on to catch up with Alec & give him the boost he needed to get a sub 50. Emily wasn't far behind me with a mid 53, shelving all of her ailments once more to deliver a very solid time. Everyone seemed to be happy with their results & the consensus was that the course definitely wasn't a whole five minutes slower.

A justified reward

We made our way to the car park in order to get layered up, then took on the obligatory post race ice cream. We had time to complete a lap of the village festival before heading back to the ice cream van for our Hatfield Forest parkrunners photo. At quarter to one we had assembled 30 of us (another 5 were stuck in the burger van queue) & quickly posed in our post race shirts before everyone escaped for the warmth of their cars or the pub. Lot's of post race smiles in between the shivers!
With the photo done it was time to head home & get the BBQ stuff ready.

Hatfield Forest parkrunners post race photo

Post Run BBQ

For the past 5 years my HBO visit has been combined with a bank holiday BBQ to follow in the afternoon. Just because I was flying solo this year didn't mean that the BBQ would be scuppered. Emily & Paul were heading back to assist, Suz & Matt also showed up in advance to help with any preparation. Vicky also turned her one functioning hand post high five to put a salad together. With some funky music in the background it was like a BBQ sweatshop! In truth, without their support I'd have probably still been preparing stuff into the evening, I was perhaps a bit too ambitious!!

Post BBQ refreshments

We might have also over delivered on the food front, meaning I have a week of leftovers to look forward to! I now need to ask Suz what her marinade recipes are as I gave her carte blanche to use anything in the kitchen & she created two amazing mixes to accompany the BBQ cornflake chicken.
As was apparent during the HBO, the sun had decided not to shine upon us on this bank holiday so Paul & Matt stayed outside on BBQ duty whilst everyone else enjoyed some relative warmth inside.
To enjoy some great food alongside friends, old & new really put a cherry on top of what had been an awesome weekend. In the background the England team even won a game of cricket, you couldn't make this stuff up!

No need to cook for a week, or two, or three....

The Conclusion Part One

A weekend that surpassed all of my expectations. The Dark Ox was even tougher than I thought & the sense of achievement in finishing irrespective of the time is something I'd have struggled to contend with even a year ago.
My performance over the mile was far better than I could have imagined. Running free can be hugely empowering. I had no idea how fast I could be, now I'm intrigued to see how much faster I could be!
As for the HBO, it remains my favourite event in the running year. This year added a whole new dimension in terms of engagement & I think it positively reflected in my performance. Not sure my mega quiff was quite so performance enhancing, it was certainly a bit more aerodynamic!
Mentally I feel I'm in a good place at the moment. Good might even be an understatement, I have a confidence with my running & around running that I've not experienced before. I might have had quicker races but I'm not sure that I've had a better race than Monday's 10k. My positivity got me through the physical pains along the way, teaching me that winning the mental battle will get me across the line in Berlin. It's as if after five years the penny has finally dropped & in answer to the question posed earlier, running is indeed fun.

The Conclusion Part Two

I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable weekend. To do something you enjoy & share it with friends is something special. The past year hasn't been the kindest, but I'm rebuilding & I've discovered that by approaching things with a more positive outlook you in turn open up more opportunities.
Don't worry, I'm not going to become all preachy, my inner cynic still exists! Sometimes life takes a different course & now that my head has got round that I'm embracing the change.
Before, during & after the race on Monday I realised just how awesome being a parkrun Event Director is. In ten short weeks we've seen a community start to build, you start to notice regulars, regulars start to notice other regulars & suddenly you realise just how great that is.
Len & Gerry had touched upon the positives from the role. On Monday I got to see the happiness others had from their results, having an interest in how they performed & feeling pride in their achievements. As we got ready for the photo it astounded me that in such a short space of time we already had the community that every parkrun aspires to achieve. Over the course of Monday, even as we moved away from the event & the photo made it onto Facebook & folks start tagging themselves you realise that not only do you think there might be a community, but others want to be part of that community. When I was spluttering incoherently to Paul Sinton-Hewitt the day prior, this is what I was trying to thank him for, but then again, he probably knew that. As my chat with Len shows, being an ED is awesome, you could be one too.

Len & I get very deep with some of our chats

Well done for getting to the end, sadly there is no prize.........

Oh alright then, you can have a prize