Another day, another race!

A couple of months ago I called to Husbando from my office 'Name your top 5 1980's films!'  Of course 'The Breakfast Club' was one of those mentioned.  It seems incredible that it was released, in America, 31 years ago today.  To celebrate the lovely people at Phoenix Running planned a themed race - Husbando and I were keen to sign up, but there was a problem.  Number 1 son has been away in Canada for 5 weeks and today was the day he was due back and it seemed churlish to make him negotiate trains and buses to get home.  We had a think, and a plot, and came up with a plan.  The Breakfast Race was a 6 hour timed event consisting of 3.25 mile out and back laps.  In order to 'finish' this race one need only complete one lap.  So the plan was that Husbando would drop me at the start, drive down to Heathrow, pick up our son and then pick me up.  I would run until I saw them at the start/finish area or until I dropped.

The race HQ took up residence inside The Weir Hotel - very sensible given how chilly it was out this morning.  Lots of tea and coffee was drunk, and it was nice to catch up with a running friend I haven't seen for a while.  Lots of people there had run 3 marathons in the last 3 days and were planning to complete another marathon today.  I felt quite wimpy only having run 20 miles the day before!  After a brief pre-race brief (basically - if you can't see the river you are lost, find the river again and then carry on!) we were off.  My legs were not happy about being made to move at more than a staggering pace!  There was a lot of mud on the first part of the course - it got worse every time we passed that section as more feet churned it up.  With the river on my right, the sun shining brightly and the wind behind me it was quite pleasant.  We ran under Walton Bridge - a very attractive bridge and on to the turn around point, coming back we had the wind in our faces - this was not so pleasant, but it was great to see other runners - lots of people I haven't been in touch with since I came off Facebook who I realise I miss quite a bit!  I tried to explain that I wouldn't be there for long due to the 'airport thing!' I regret that I couldn't chat more.  

While I was resigned to the fact I might only get one lap done, I really wanted to run at least two, so I tried to run quite fast.  It certainly felt fast, but it wasn't really.  At the end of the first lap there was no sign of Husbando and the prodigal son, so I set off again.  This time the lorry that had virtually blocked the path by The Swan pub had gone, to be replaced by a man feeding loads of swans - they hissed at me (the swans, not the man!) as I passed.  Like dogs, swans seem to know I am nervous around them!  Coming back felt much harder this time.  I'd already seen the sights 3 time, the wind was stronger and my legs were so tired.  I told myself that if I had to do another lap I'd run out and walk back.  The beauty of a 6 hour challenge event is that you can pretty much do what you want within that time limit! I suspect, had the flight been delayed, I'd have stopped for a quick lunch at a pub along the way before carrying on!  

I was thrilled to see Husbando and child at the end of my second lap - and not only because it meant I could stop running!   I'd been running for 58 minutes - more than enough after yesterday in my book and was rewarded with a big hug from my boy and a huge medal from the race director (which reels that spin!)

I can't run Phoenix Running events on a regular basis, as they are often on weekdays.  This was my first run with them.  I wish I could have stayed for longer (a marathon is still a marathon however long it takes), and I will certainly be back again.  Well organised, small and friendly events are such a treat to take part in!  

What's the catch?

It isn't often that you get something for nothing, so when I first heard of the AMBA City of London Mile I was sceptical.  Surely there was a catch?  How can anyone offer a free race, in the centre of one of the more expensive cities in the world, that offered chip timing, medals, closed roads etc. etc?  Were we going to be expected to donate an organ after crossing the finish line?  Would we be subjected to three hours of hard sell that would result in me becoming the proud owner of a time share apartment in some far flung part of the globe that I have no wish to visit?

It seemed not.  So I signed up.  What did I have to lose?  I couldn't find a timetable of the races on the website, so to be on the safe side I signed up to run two miles.  One based on the time I thought I would complete in (I guestimated 7 minutes) and the other was the women's mile.  That way I doubled my chances of getting there on time.   And it wasn't as though it was costing me any extra!

With my tendency for arriving slightly early, I found myself at the race village before the race village had arrived!  Pret still wasn't open, so I had a nose around the area, which has changed considerably since I worked in the City!  One New Change offered lovely loos part of the City of London Community Toilet Scheme, it shows how early I arrived because I am now fully informed about this excellent scheme - more communities should adopt it!  Having educated myself I emerged into rain, bumped into a strange man who told me, apropos of nothing at all, that he was aiming to run sub 5 mins, he then looked me up and down and told me that there was no way I'd run it in less than 8mins 30!  Cheek.  But not exactly a confidence builder!  I collected my race numbers, grabbed a coffee and croissant at Pret and planned how I would get from the end of one race to the beginning of the next one and change my number and timing chip.  I figured I had about 30mins.

After that it was the normal pre race routine, nervous wees, bag drops and warm up.  We assembled 10 minutes before our start time and were walked to the start, right in front of St Paul's Cathedral.  The starting gun was loud!  So loud that on both occasions I was shocked into starting my Garmin on the gun.  A few seconds after crossing the line I heard a quieter 'gun' - was this the echo?  I tried to calculate what the sound could be reflecting from and how far away it might be - but my physics brain was not playing ball!  I did make a note to listen again next time to see if it really had been an echo - not just a distant car misfiring.

The roads were slippery, but I still went off too fast.  It was just a case of hanging on, and on, and on!  It did seem a very long way until we got to the sign saying we were half way. It was then just a case of keeping going until the finish line.  As I approached the line the clock said 6:58 and I instinctively dipped to cross the line - daft really as that put the timing chip further back.  I was desperate to run faster than 6:58, but I had no time to wait and check as I had to get to the baggage check, retrieve my bag, swap my number over etc. and get back to the start.  In the queue my phone chirped at me - a text with my official time!  6:54:48!  A new PB.  Only 4 seconds - but a PB non the less.

The women's mile had a very different atmosphere.  Lots of women who were taking part in their first ever race, lots of nervous faces amongst a smattering of club vests and race t-shirts.  Hopefully they all had a fantastic time.  I decided to run this one for fun.  While I think I could run faster than 6.54, I don't think I could do it on the same morning as I had just run 6.54!  I listened out for the echo - yes, definitely there - and chatted to a few people as I ran round (and pulled silly faces for the photographers!)

As this wave wasn't based on predicted times, the start was a bit bunched up with trying to get past slower runners, but pretty soon it became a lot more spread out.  I was overtaking people constantly, which was lovely.  I finished 20 seconds slower (7.13.58) than the first mile and those 20 seconds made a huge difference to the way I felt!   After my first mile it was all I could do to stagger to the railing, hang on and gasp for breath, snatching a brief conversation with a fellow Fetchie before ambling to the baggage tent.  After the second race I was a little bit out of breath, but perfectly capable of nattering away to a lady from the Wimbledon Windmilers!

Again, my results text came through within minutes.  Not only did we each get a medal we also got a goodie bag!  The organisation was amazing.  There really was no catch.  I still have all my organs and don't own a timeshare apartment anywhere.  I would definitely do this race again.

So, what's next?  I seem to have signed up for a very early start next Sunday, but it isn't every day that you get to run on a runway, then on the 26th June I have the Giant's Head Marathon.  After that, the diary is a little bit empty, but I am open to suggestions….  I'm also plotting fundraising ideas for The Royal Parks Half Marathon which I will be running for my favourite charity, UNICEF.

Alton 10.

I entered this race by mistake!  A few months ago a friend said that the race was full already.  This sounded odd as historically it has been possible to enter on the morning of the race.  So, just to check I clicked through the site and found myself entered in to the race.  Not a problem, I thought, I like this race, it is on my doorstep, why wouldn't I want to enter it?  Well, there was the matter of that little race I ran last week, and the fact that I had a ball, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of my children's school, the night before.

I dithered for a while.  I've run this race every year bar one since 2010.  I missed one year because I had a hurty hip, that year I went along with my camera and took photos - I reckon I must have got a picture of every single runner, it was a lot of fun supporting so many people I know.  This was an option for today.  It was an attractive option, but.... well, I need to run today.  I may have just done a big race but I still have to train for a marathon.  If  was going to have to run I might as well run with lots of other people.

I woke up at about 7am, my calves were tight from dancing in stupidly high heeled (but very lovely) shoes the night before.  I moved my head from side to side - I didn't seem to have a hangover - which was a bonus, so I flexed my calves a bit and went back to sleep, setting the alarm for 9am.  An utter luxury on a race day.  I bravely dressed in shorts and a vest top, deciding that it couldn't really be as cold and windy as the forecast predicted.

I arrived at Eggar's with loads of time to spare, collected my number, checked my bag in, realised that I had forgotten my sweat band, queued for the loo, chatted with friends and made my way to the start line.  This race isn't chip timed, and as the numbers taking part in the race seem to have grown over the years, it was going to take me a while to get over the start line (30 seconds).  I wasn't too worried.  I was aiming for around 1hr 35 to 1hr 45mins so a few seconds lost at the start wasn't a concern.  

For once in my life I started at the pace I intended to start at, and stuck with it.  I'd like to say that this was through choice, but in reality my legs were tired and the thought of running any faster was enough to make me feel a bit sick!  The route was well marshalled, but there were very few supporters out there - more thoughts about this later!  I still have to learn how to drink water from an open cup while running though.  The weather was relatively kind to us.  Drizzle, sunshine and wind.  Lots of wind.  At one point the wind blew my sunglasses off the top of my head.  If I'd been going for a PB I'd have noted where in the field they'd landed and come back later in the day but, as I was just getting round, I thought that losing a pair of Oakley sunglasses was not an option!

I overtook loads of people in the last 2 miles, I hadn't picked up my pace very much at all, just kept going steadily.  I run this route so often, but I always run facing oncoming traffic rather than on the left hand side as mandated by race regulations.  Coming down the last hill I drifted across to the 'normal' side of the road as I came around the bend at the bottom and managed to get myself boxed in by cars that were waiting for runners to pass!   It is always hard to run past the end of my road but there were a few people ahead of me that I thought I could overtake if I pushed a bit harder.  

I was so glad to see the finish line.  It seems to have moved further back as the years have gone on.  I couldn't see the timing clock as I approached the finish so can only go from my Garmin time of 1hr 32 - eight minutes slower than my time last year.   I collected my medal - quite a change from previous years when the medals have all been similar to the one shown here, i.e specific to Alton 10 and with the Alton Runners' club colours on the ribbon.

This is a great little race, although the organisation felt a bit more haphazard than normal this year.  I didn't hear any pre race announcements at all.  It always surprises me that it isn't better supported.  I live in the village the race passes through, but if I wasn't a runner I wouldn't know about the race at all.  And as a village that likes a bit of a fete, has a very active cricket club and so on I am sure that we could get a few more people out to make some noise to support the runners.   We also have quite a few local and not so local businesses that I am sure could be persuaded to provide freebies for goody bags.  I think I've been spoilt by races that, while small in terms of numbers taking part, are big on support and big on medals.

Today is officially the start of my taper for the Kent Roadrunner Marathon - perfect timing for me to get tooth ache!  It wasn't too bad this morning, but has got steadily worse as the day has gone on.  I have to get an emergency dentist appointment in the morning - seems I could be staring in my own remake of the Marathon Man!