He, who would valiant be...

I am not entirely sure how I ended up entering this event again.    Indeed, if look at my blog from last year,  I find I am at pretty much the same stage in this year, new job - great but still in the rabbit in the headlights stage, tired, losing my voice etc.  At least I'm not training for an imminent marathon.  I think that I entered because I decided to do the Giant's Head Marathon next year and thought I'd need to get some trail experience.  I'm only doing the Giant's Head for the medal (go on, have a look, you know you want to!)  26.2 miles on trail is a long way for a confirmed road runner so today I was only taking on the half.  

The weather was fantastic.  I'd obviously misread the weather forecast as I'd thought the sunny, warm weather was over, but the sun was shining and clouds were scudding by as we waited for the start.  We got their early enough to see the full marathon runners off, and I caught up with friends.  I have since discovered, via Facebook, that there were several other people I know there and I am sorry to have missed them.  As they set off they were told to 'watch out for tyre girl' who had set out early for the marathon pulling a tyre behind her.  I prefer to carry my tyre around my middle!  As we had time we had lovely coffee from at the back of a Citroen van.  This of course meant a queue of the loos!  

Soon we were off, having just managed to get to the end of the loo queue and back to the start line in time to sort out  my Garmin.  As we left the start area we passed through the open gate, and my race almost ended there.  I was chatting to a fellow runner and did not see the thin, grey end of the gate pointing towards me (see photo).  I hit it hard with my left shoulder!  It wasn't marked and with loads of people all around it was not easy to spot.  Still, onwards and briefly downwards I went.  Running on the road was easy, nice and wide, easy to pass people.  I'd decided to just see how I felt and not force the pace as I have another race next weekend (and the weekend after).  Which idiot enters 4 races in the first 5 weeks of a new job, with one of them being in another country?  So I pootled along, chatting with people I knew, people I'd never met before.  I made a huge effort to catch up with one lady who I thought was someone I knew only to find she was a total stranger!  I caught up with someone I know from CPRC briefly and was introduced to his running companion.  Only in England would one turn and shake hands with someone one was introduced to while running a race!   

Once off the road it got a bit more serious.  The paths were narrow in places which resulted in having to walk for some sections and during other sections I just concentrated on keeping up with the person in front.  The hills were as sapping as last year, but I think that the weight loss has helped as I recovered much faster.  Not that you could speed down lots of the hills as they were steep and, well, trailey!  I stopped completely to check on two runners who fell spectacularly!  My automatic reaction to stopping running was to stop my Garmin, luckily I didn't stop it for long and the runners were both OK.  The highest point of the run offered absolutely stunning views, I'd say they were breathtaking, but I didn't have much breath left to take!  There was less haze this year and I could see much further.  If I can work out where it was I would love to go back and spend some time there.  

The water stations were well placed, just when I thought I was too thirsty (it was warmer than I'd anticipated) a water station appeared!  The marshals were friendly and cheerful.  I think I managed to thank most of them as I plodded past.  At one point, in the last couple of miles, I overtook someone and realised that I couldn't see anyone ahead of me.  I panicked a bit and called over my shoulder 'Are we going the right way?' and sped up so that I had someone in view.  Soon we were back on the road.  Running past the golf course and up hill to the gate to the field.  I spotted a man in a purple shirt who had passed me way back at mile 4 (in Puttenham).  I caught him up, overtaking several people in the process.  Then I carried on overtaking people as I knew that the finish beckoned.  At one point I overtook a car - shouting 'I'm faster than a car!'  Then it was round the corner and down the hill to the finish.  I heard my name called and I think I waved - but I was intent on catching just one more person.  I threw myself over the line and heard my number and name over the tannoy - a nice touch that.  I'd done it!  And 11 minutes faster than last year!  

The CPRC guys I'd caught up with briefly had finished ahead of me (it was they who had shouted as I came in), so I went to join them.  Apparently they didn't realise I was so fast.  I said I wasn't really, more a case of being too stubborn to give it!  

As I waited for my friend to come in I collected my medal and my tech t-shirt.  Then I totally messed up sorting out my 'phone to take a photo of her as she sprinted to the finish!  Sorry!   After that we went for lunch!  Steak frites and a glass of wine.  Lovely.

So, how many trail races will I have to do before I feel the love?  This was a very well organised event, the views were stunning, there was plenty of cake for afterwards (I was good and did not partake), and I am very glad I did it.  But to say I enjoyed it would be an overstatement!

Farnham Pilgrim Half Marathon

Until yesterday morning I was considering not going for a long run today.  My training plan said that I should run 15 miles, but I was tired and achey.  A new job  and marathon training will do that to you.  The new job is great, but I am still at the rabbit in the headlights stage, where lots of things seem to take longer than normal.  Until this weekend I  hadn't been to bed before midnight since the beginning of term.   Then, at parkrun yesterday morning, we talking about autumn marathons.  'You could do the Farnham Pilgrim tomorrow if you were feeling really keen,' said a friend.  I said, that would be nice but the Farnham Pilgrim wasn't until next week, and I knew that because I was signed up for the half.  Turns out that he was right and I was wrong.  

I don't do trail running.  I like a nice bit of tarmac.  I don't mind hills, but running through mud, dodging puddles, avoiding tree roots is too much like bloody hard work if you ask me!  But... I'd paid £21 to enter the race, and I was supposed to run anyway, so scratching my head and trying to recall why I had signed up, I went to dig out my trail shoes.  My mood wasn't improved by the weather forecast.  Heavy rain and gales.  That made up my mind, this wasn't going to be a race, it was just going to be a run with a medal at the end.   I would wear 3/4 length running tights and a t shirt rather than a club vest and shorts, and take my 'phone with me so that I could stop and take pictures if the mood took me.  

The weather this morning was lovely, but I didn't really take that on board until I arrived at the venue.  I got there early enough to see friends who were running the marathon off on their way.  The start area was well organised, and I met up with various friends and chatted and passed the time for an hour until it was time for the half marathon to start.  The first mile was downhill and on tarmac.  Lovely!  I knew that there were hills aplenty coming up - see my Garmin thingy for confirmation - so I didn't go hell for leather. 

We were soon off road, and uphill!  For lots of stretches it was strictly single file, which was nice as it meant that you could just relax and run at the pace of the guy in front.  There were also stiles and gates, lots of them.  These involved standing in a queue, which was either quite nice because it gave me a chance to get my breath back after a hill, or a real nuisance because I'd just got into a nice rhythm and knew that it would be hard to get going again.  Also, I hate stiles!  Was jealous of the long legged men who seemed to jump effortlessly over them while I struggled.  Running through one village (ah tarmac!) we had the added obstacle of trying to pass a group of riders on skittish horses, and at another point we encountered a group of motorcyclists we had to weave our way around - it seemed that everyone was out to enjoy the sunshine today.

I'd been warned about a hill at 8 miles, that was steep and on sand.  8 miles came and went without much of a hill, but I did see an old friend who was marshalling and managed to lose a contact lens!  Running with only one eye functioning properly is interesting.  The blur is oddly distracting, and loss of 3D vision means that depth perception is non existent.  That's fine on lovely smooth tarmac, but a bit tricky on uneven trails.  This slowed me down a bit. 

Then came The Hill.  I tried to run all the way up it, I really did.  But it was a fairly steep hill (between 9 and 10 miles on the Garmin trace I think) and it was on sand.  I really think that I might have been able to run all the way up the hill, albeit very slowly, had there not been people walking all around me. It was almost as though it was OK to walk if they were.  I didn't loose too much time, and I had time in the bank.  I had a time in mind that I would be happy with.  A friend, who is a much better runner than me, said she had run this race last year in 2hrs 24mins.  I wanted to do better than that time.  (She ran again this year, taking nearly 26mins off that time).   The views from the top of the hill may have been lovely, if I'd had two eyes to see them! 

The downhills were steep and slippery, so no going full pelt to make up time.  The final 2 miles of the race were a steady, but not steep, uphill drag.  The last 3/4m being on tarmac.  I was amazed that I was overtaking people in the last 2 miles.  Running up the road through the village meant dodging some impatient drivers, one of them pulled right across the road forcing me to squeeze myself through an impossibly small gap - I bashed his 4x4 with my water bottle as I passed him.  

And then we were turning into the field we'd started from.  Not quite a sprint finish, but I did up the pace a bit.  As I crossed the line my name was called out - I do like that, makes me feel like a bit of superstar.  At the finish there were lots of people to place medals around our necks, so much nicer than having to dig around in a goody bag to find one.  There were soft drinks, and a vast array of cakes for finishers.  I bumped into the person who, I suddenly remembered, was responsible for me signing up for the race (doesn't take much - just wave an entry form in front of me), he was handing out cakes.   

In addition to a fab medal (on a purple ribbon!) we also got a great t-shirt and mug.   I am still a Road Runner, I am afraid of the woods, and can't say I 'enjoyed' today's little run.  It was a brilliantly organised event though, there were loads of helpful, friendly marshals, more water (and cake) stations than I have ever seen at an event and the Start/Finish area was superbly organised with a great atmosphere.  The countryside is stunning, the entry price is reasonable, I got to see friends I haven't seen for a while.  All in all a good morning out - and it didn't rain until after I finished!