The one where Husbando took a tumble.

The training plan, such as it is, called for a 13 mile run today.  I could run to the next town and have breakfast but, it being the last Sunday of the summer holidays I thought that a bit of bling would be nice.  Phoenix Running had a four day event taking place in West Byfleet so I decided to enter the last day's event.  Husbando came too.  I hadn't run at this venue before and being just 45 minutes away by car we even managed a little bit of a lie in.  The race HQ was at Fulbrook School where we collected race numbers in the school's dining room before walking to the start.  The familiar Phoenix gazebo was ready and waiting for us, but this time with totally compostable paper cups rather than plastic.  I usually bring my own water bottle with me but it is brilliant to see race directors making an effort to minimise the impact that races have on the environment.

Within about 10 metres of the start a runner took a tumble.  He seems to have been made of rubber and bounced straight back up!  Given that he, and a lot of the other runners, had already run marathons (and further) on each of the previous three days I was amazed at how sprightly they all looked.  My aim was to run a half marathon and then see how I felt, maybe run walking the second half to get another marathon under my belt.  Husbando was there to run a half, but said he would be happy to wait if I wanted to run further.  

The course was lovely!  Canal and river tow paths in lovely dappled sunshine.  There was a bridge. With Phoenix there is always a bridge!  This one was black and was really tricky to run up and down as it had ridges on the slopes - despite crossing it many times I never quite got it right!  Most of the path was tarmac with just a short (800m) section on hard packed earth.  The turn around point was by a boat house and, as always with an out and back course, it was lovely to see people coming towards me in the opposite direction. 

The aid station was well stocked.  I was good and ignored all those lovely Haribos in favour of the bananas I had brought with me, one after the second lap and one after the third lap.  I'd only brought two with me so I have no idea what I'd have done had I decided to carry on further.  The running was going well, I felt comfortable and was enjoying myself, chatting with other runners, counting the number of boats we passed (there were 42) that sort of thing.  

Just before I got to half way through my fourth lap, L ran towards me and said 'You're Husbando's wife - he's fallen over!' They'd been running together for the last few laps and I did wonder if she'd tripped him on purpose to get away from him!  As I passed other runners they said the same thing.  I began to wonder if we were talking ambulances, broken limbs and where on Earth were the life insurance documents any way?  I found him, sitting on the edge of the canal, being looked after by the runners in the photo to the left!  They had found a plastic chair and a first aid kit in the boat house and were patching him up brilliantly.  I felt slightly surplus to requirements, so having checked and checked again I ran on.  

My last mile and a half were my fastest.  I wanted to get to the end so that I could make sure Husbando was OK and see if, despite stopping to check he was OK, I could still beat my previous half marathon time from this year.  A mile with an 8 at the end of a run was quite gratifying as was hearing from Rik that Husbando was fine and was walking the rest of his final lap.  I collected my medal and walked back to meet him.  He'd bashed up his face, shoulder and knee - he is going to be a wee bit achey tomorrow - and I suspect he is going to look worse before he looks better!   Thank you to everyone who looked after him today.  It really does say a lot about you all that you stopped and looked after him!  I have horrible memories of falling over at the Royal Parks Half at a really busy part of the course and being unable to get up for what felt like an eternity because people were stepping over me without breaking their pace!  

Thanks to Rik and team for the superb organisation, I love this venue!  The medal is awesome with a detachable section that becomes a fridge magnet.  A fridge magnet and a medal! Amazing!

Dinton Pastures parkrun

Is it just me or does this parkrun look like a sad dog?  If that wasn't reason enough for a little bit of tourism on a Saturday morning it also has a White Swan Lake, a Black Swan Lake and a Tuffty's Corner!  What is not to love?  

Dinton Pastures Country Park used to be a gravel extraction site and prior to that it was a farm - the old farm buildings are still in use today as the cafe, toilets and various other businesses.  It opened as a country park in 1979 after 14 years of gravel extraction had been landscaped to create eight lakes.  As the  lakes and wetland areas were created the area was colonised by wildlife, with rarer birds, such as bitterns and smew being sighted as well as swans, coots, mallards and gulls.  There have been many species of dragon flies spotted in the area and the ponds are home to great crested newts.   

The weather today was perfect for parkrun, beautiful blue skies and a gentle breeze.  We picked up a friend en route and arrived at Dinton Pastures in good time.  There is loads of parking (£1.50 per hour pay and display or RingGo) and loos just a short walk from the start.  While faffing in the carpark we spotted familiar faces from Basingstoke parkrun!  Some of the faces were the same as the faces we bumped into down at Severn Bridge parkrun last weekend!  More than 50% of the runners were running at Dinton Pastures for the first time this morning and about 5% of the all the runners were running their first ever parkrun today.

After a first timers briefing and a run brief, I did not use my teacher voice but I was very tempted due to persistent chattering, we made our way to the start.  The course is run on hard packed gravel paths, which in this weather were puddle and mud free but could get quite muddy in the winter.  We'd been told that the course was two laps, asked not to fall over (apparently at all bar one event somebody has) and warned about a 'short, sharp downhill.'  I spent the entire run looking for the short, sharp downhill and am still none the wiser!  The route felt as though it was almost entirely ever so slightly downhill!  I kept waiting for the up hill bit but it never came.  My Strava has the elevation gain as 7ft - but other people running today have the gain being as high as 33ft!  

I had put my 'phone in the pocket of my running shorts, normally this doesn't cause any problems, but having lost a bit of weight recently the 'phone was just heavy enough to cause me to have to keep yanking my shorts back up, I'd like to think that this slowed me down by a few seconds but I was pleased with my time (25.13, 4th female and 1st old lady) as I'd also had to contend with a runner close to me intent on taking the 'racing line' even if it meant elbowing other runners out of the way as he cut in front of them!  He also very helpfully pinged bramble branches back at face height - pulling thorns out of my face at the end of a run isn't something I have had to do before.  I've got used to running with runners who helpfully warn those behind them of upcoming hazards - it isn't hard to do and it seems to be the safe and sensible way to act as you cannot clearly see things like tree roots if you are following another runner.

Out of focus swan on Swan Lake! 

We weaved around the White Swan and Black Swan Lakes cheered on by marshals.  Without the marshals there is at least one point where I would have happily turned left instead of right.   I took a fuzzy photo to prove that is was a swan lake and very soon we were approaching the finish funnel.  A quick burst of speed (that is a relative term) saw me overtake someone just before the finish line and be given my shiny new style token, before I doubled back to find my youngest child and chivvy her along.  She was happily run/walking with one of the volunteers who was pacing a 2min run/1min walk group so my fears about her making the tailwalker's morning excessively long were unfounded!

We all reassembled in the cafe for coffee, tea, Fanta (my youngest is only 12!) and breakfasts.  Husbando and I couldn't stay long as work beckoned, but I have it on good authority, from people who have sampled breakfasts at lots of parkruns, that today's food was very good indeed!

Thank you to all the volunteers and the parkrun weather fairies for making today's run so much fun.  It is hard to believe that it is the first day of autumn today!

The parkrun without a park.

As a rule I don't travel just to do a parkrun, but as with most rules there are exceptions!    This morning was one of those exceptions.  Severn Bridge parkrun is a relative newcomer to the parkrun family, this morning was only its third running.  Husbando and I decided that, having been home for all of 4 days, we needed a break, so booked a hotel in Bristol and drove down early on Friday afternoon - which is when, stuck in traffic on the M4, we remembered that it was Bank Holiday weekend.  Never mind.  We were excited enough by the prospect of running across the Severn Bridge to make the traffic worthwhile.    The Severn-Wye Bridge is an elegant suspension bridge that crosses both the Severn and the Wye (the clue's in the name!).  It was opened by the Queen on 8th September 1966 (just 18 days before Husbando was born) having taken three and a half years to build and costing £8,000,000 (the bridge, not Husbando - he took the standard 9 months to construct, but has probably cost a lot more over his lifetime).  For 30 years the bridge carried the M4 motorway, but when the newer Price of Wales Bridge was opened in 1996 (to carry the M4) the motorway was renamed the M48.  You can see the newer bridge from the old one - which makes me think that a run taking in both bridges would be rather lovely!    The Severn Bridge was granted Grade 1 listed status in 1999 - there can't be many parkruns where you run on a Grade 1 listed structure!  

The parkrun itself starts in Monmouthshire and the route is an out and back over the bridge.  Whilst running you cross the national border into England, and take in the counties of Gloucestershire and Avon, before turning around and heading back into Wales and finishing in a tunnel! 

As we drove to the carpark (in a local football club car park) I thought I spotted a familiar face, and then as we pulled into the carpark we saw a load of Basingstoke parkrunners getting out of their cars! The parkrun world is very small!  The run briefing was excellent - lots of pertinent information, but sadly I had to use my 'teacher voice' to ask people to be quiet as the noise levels were loud and exacerbated by the echos in the tunnel.   I haven't had to do that in a long time - I apologise to anyone I deafened!  Several people asked if I was teacher!  How did they guess?  Husbando said that they'd probably been able to hear me over the bridge in England!

We made our way up a path onto the bridge and assembled at the start.  I didn't realise how far back I was starting until I saw this photo (taken by Ian Nelson), so was in for a slow start as I weaved my way around other runners.  Once I found a little bit of space I thought I was running quite well, but my Garmin was telling me I was running at 10min/mile pace - I've done a fair few miles this week, but I didn't think I was as tired as my legs were telling me, so I pushed harder.  Nothing, the Garmin kept telling me I was running at around 10min/mile pace.  There was very little I could do but carry on running, when I hit one mile my Garmin decided to work properly and told me that I'd run the first mile in a smidge over 8 mins!  That felt a little more like it!  The outward leg is ever so slightly up hill, nothing to strenuous but enough to make you look forward to the return leg!  

The views are stunning!  We definitely wanted to run this one in good weather and we weren't disappointed this morning, even so there was a definite breeze to run into on the way back!  The finish is back in the tunnel, which seemed a very long way from the bridge by that point!  The echoes make for a great finish and will have the added bonus of keeping a lot of the volunteers warm and dry in inclement weather.  I do feel for the marshal at the turn around point in the winter - I hope there are some pennies in the budget for hand warmers for whoever has that role!  The volunteers were friendly and welcoming coping brilliantly with the 308 runners (a record attendance for this new event) and ensuring we all had a great run.  The event team had the added complication of one of the scanners failing - a fact that was evident from the huge number of 'unknown' runners initially listed in the results.  I was such a runner, but the event team dealt with it quickly and efficiently, and I was honest and claimed the position I had achieved (92nd and 25mins 07seconds) rather than claiming a much faster time!  

Barcode scanning

After the run we walked back to the football club where tea, coffee and bacon rolls were on sale.  We had a quick chat with friends, posed for a 'tourist photo' and had a cup of tea before carrying on with the rest of our day.  A perfect parkrun morning!  Huge thanks to the volunteers - I had a great time.  

Basingstoke on tour!

Hasenheide parkrun - with the only hill in Berlin!

 We bumped into our first fellow tourists in the lobby of our hotel, they were on their way to breakfast and then a simple underground trip to Hasenheide, we decided to run/walk the three miles.  We have a limited amount of time in Berlin and I didn't want to spend too much time underground!  Berlin is very flat and we were looking forward to a welcome change from our regular Alice Holt hills.

As we entered the park we noted that it wasn't quite a pancake flat as the rest of Berlin, but the undulations were gradual.

Rose garden

We found the start location - always a good start and had few photos taken.  I love the 'visitors whiteboard'!  There are loos (basic - but they are there) and a large covered area with benches where you can leave your kit.

The park has some interesting associations, one of which I will mention later, but it was where the German gymnastic movement, headed by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn began when he opened to first gymnasium in Prussia - there is a monument to him by the north entrance to the park.  It is still popular with athletes today - there are a state park, a roller hockey court and baseball courts, there are wide open spaces for informal games of football.  I also spotted a small zoo and a dog exercise area along with a rose garden.  The park's name originates from 1678 and its use as a rabbit warren where the Great Elector came to hunt poor little fluffy bunnies.  It fell into disrepair/disuse but was rebuild for the Olympic Games by the National Socialists in 1936.

The run briefing started shortly before 9am, splitting into an English and a German version.  Most of the runners seemed to be tourists, but probably a quarter were locals.  I won't lie, the course sounded incredibly complicated (even though I'd looked at the map on the course page of the parkrun site) so I decided to just follow whoever was in front of me and hope for the best.  There was also mention of a hill!  On the start line a man asked me where my 'normal' parkrun was - turns out he thought he recognised me from Basingstoke - but wasn't sure because he hadn't seen me for ages, which is my fault because I've been running at Alice Holt or gadding about all over the country.

The course, not as complicated as it sounded is 2 and a bit laps of the park.  The 'and a bit' is the interesting bit!  Most/all of the course is on tarmac or hardpacked gravel, and has some very gentle slopes.  There were lots of other people using the park - walking dogs, cycling, running but not parkrunning (why?) the marshals warned where positioned at key points to ensure that we were all safe and didn't go the wrong way!

Part way through the second lap you get to do the 'and a bit' park!  We were told that this was up the hill.  It was quite interesting in that you run up the hill, go round it at the top and rejoin the main path before you left it (if that makes sense).  But what makes the hill really interesting (and which I only found out later when I thought about writing this blog) is its history.  It is a man made hill.  It is a 69 meter high 'pile of rubble' called Rixdorfe Höhe which was made from 700,000m²of rubble from the Second World War.  It is now landscaped, but it was build as a memorial to the 'debris women' but Katherine Szelinski-Singer in 1955 and commemorates the cleaning up work that was done, primarily by women, after the war.

That hill is short, but steep!  I had no idea how long it was going to go on for as it winds around in such a way that you can't see the top until you get there, so I didn't push it too hard!  I was happy with my time (25.40) and position, 5th woman and 1st in my age category.  After we'd had our bar codes scanned we pootled off to Cafe Blume, just outside the park to wait for it to open (at 10am) for coffee.  Several tables inside were reserved for parkrun and it was lovely to chat to other tourists from the UK and get to know the locals.  The coffee there was good and the cakes, especially the cheese cakes, looked awesome.

Thank you to all the volunteers for an excellent parkrun!  

Oh what a carry on!

Another epic medal!

Up early this morning, after a thoroughly enjoyable evening meeting up with school friends yesterday - hard to believe it is 30 years since we took our A'levels and set out to conquer the World!  Getting up early on a Sunday is never fun, but until a race director decides to start organising races on my doorstep it is just a fact of life!  We were on our way to Walton on Thames for another of Rik/Phoenix Running's events.  The concept is simple, six hours to run as many or as few laps as you feel like running to get an awesome bit of bling.  Today's race was 'Carry On Up The Tow Path' and a fair number of runners had decided that, blazing hot temperatures not withstanding, fancy dress would be a great idea.  Hats off to them!  An extra layer of polyester, not to mention one gentleman dressed as Spartacus complete with plastic armour and a helmet, wouldn't have been my first choice today!

While we waited to start I chatted with other runners, you see a lot of 'repeat offenders' at these events which means that there is always a friendly face and someone to talk to.  I had a clear aim in mind, given the state of my toe (still broken) and the fact I've done very little training and because Husbando and our friend were running a half marathon, a half marathon was as far as I was planning to go.  I had decided, given the temperature to run/walk (9mins/1min) from the start.  

The tow path is lovely and flat, with a mixture of shade and blazing sunshine with the occasional and very welcome light breeze.  I forgot to take my first walk break!  The rules are quite strict - if you forget a break you have to carry on until the next one is scheduled.  This is primarily because it keeps the maths nice and simple.  Lots of people think that running laps is boring but in reality the idea of running laps is far worse than actually doing it.  You get to talk to lots of people, you know exactly when you are going to get your next bit of shade and exactly how long it is to the aid station.  I tend to spend my first lap looking at the ground underfoot (to make sure I don't fall over) and after that it is a case of just keeping going - I try to find something different to pay attention to on each lap (counting boats for example) but invariably I get distracted and forget.  

Husbando - relaxing after the race

Today it was really hot out there.  The towpath was quite busy, with lots of cyclists going up and down as well as rowers on the water and people picking blackberries.  There were dogs and small children to avoid tripping over - plenty to watch to take one's mind off running!  The aid station was kept busy supplying us all with water and snacks and we were given our wrist bands (1 for each completed lap) but an Egyptian goddess!   Husbando was running and chatting with a maths teacher, my friend was running well (on track to get a massive half marathon PB), the sun was shining and everything was going well.  If we hadn't all agreed on a half I'd have been tempted to keep going.   Husbando was the first half finisher, I was the first woman half marathon finisher and our friend smashed her previous time by 13 minutes!  Once all three of us had finished and collected our bling, grabbed yet more water and handful of sweeties (for some of us) we made our way back to the car - which always seems to have been moved further away during the race - and a quick stop for something to eat on the way home.  

Thank you, as ever, to Rik and his amazing team of marshals for putting on another great event.  I know we'll be back for more soon.... hopefully I'll be back to running marathons again soon!

Not so grim 'oop Norf!'

Husbando decided, a couple of weeks ago, that a trip to the Ilkley book fair would be a good idea.  My entire experience of Yorkshire is a few trips to York and this scene from a Monty Python film.  I may have caught the occasional episode of 'Last of the Summer Wine' but really my knowledge was pretty sketchy.  Husbando dangled the website of the Devonshire Arms Hotel in front of me and I was pretty much sold on the idea.  The prospect of walking and running appealed to me and there was, of course, the small matter of a bit of parkrun tourism to consider.  

We arrived in Ilkley on Thursday at lunchtime.  Ilkley is a lovely town, enough big name shops to cover all basic needs but plenty of interesting independent shops too.  And the locals were shopping, eating and drinking in the town - it was really thriving.  We grabbed some lunch and then I abandoned Husbando at the book fair and returned to the hotel to explore.  I went on a walk to recce a run route for that evening - just up to Bolton Priory and back.  The scenery was stunning!  Our run was eventful!  Lots of stopping for photos, and I swear I was fine on the stepping stones until I stopped and turned around.  The thunderstorm that followed was amazing!  The rain came down in stair rods and we were drenched within seconds.  But it was wonderful to have rain after so long without any.  We hoped that the temperature would drop a bit - but we were on for another very warm night.  

Friday was another scorching day,  I spent a pleasant couple of hours in Skipton - another beautiful, bustling town with a castle and canals - before lunch and then headed off for a wee walk up to the top of Beamsley Beacon.  I hadn't brought any walking kit with me, because I thought that my broken toe would preclude any walking, but the pull of a visible and achievable peak on the horizon was too much temptation.  The heat, more than the terrain, made it quite a tough walk, this combined with a couple of blocked footpaths (barbed wire and bare legs are not a good match) led to a couple of detours on my way up.  The views from the top, after scrambling over loose, rocky paths were stunning.  I covered 6 miles in 2 hours and didn't see anyone else for the entire time!  Utter bliss until, while descending from the Beacon, I suddenly wondered what would happen if fell over....  As it was I didn't fall over, but my poorly toe complained vociferously and I spent most of the evening with my foot on ice!

It rained again on Friday evening, and off and on again all night.  We woke up to torrential rain on Saturday.  Did we have to parkrun?  Of course we did!  Off we went to Skipton, spare clothes in a bag in case we needed to change!   We were met at the car park by two very friendly and helpful parking marshals.  Loads of parking was available, the leisure centre was open so we could use their loos and put our bag of clothes in a locker.  Or rather, Husbando did this while I went to the start.  As a result he didn't get caught in the biblical downpour but I did!  The fact that I had my sunglasses perched on the top of my head looked very optimistic!  

I'd heard lots of tales (thanks to the old parkrun show) of 'Yorkshire tough' parkruns - but could not remember whether Skipton fulfilled the necessary criteria!  It is 4 and a bit laps of Aireville Park.  It is all on tarmac, which was a little slippery in places after the rain, and starts and finishes with an uphill.  It has less overall elevation gain than my local (Alice Holt).  Each lap had one short, sharp incline followed by a gradual downhill and then a long, gentle uphill - that long, gentle uphill seemed somewhat longer and a little less gentle the fifth time around as I approached the finish!   I did manage to pass  the tail runner twice - he was the friendly parking marshal I'd met earlier.  We had a bit of banter about the relative merits of Geography and Biology...   Given the state of my foot I was fairly pleased with my time (27:33) and 65th out of 142 runners.  I was also glad of my sunglasses - the sun came out during my second lap!

Skipton parkrun is one of the friendliest parkruns I've visited.  We arrived knowing no one, but everyone was chatty and friendly and we enjoyed a nice cup of tea in the leisure centre cafe with some of the parkrunners.  It is lovely to run at smaller events.  Skipton now is roughly the same size as Basingstoke was when I started parkrunning.  I know that all parkruns, big and small, are inclusive but a smallish parkrun seems much more open and easier to navigate as a newbie/tourist.  I'll probably get some flack for that comment... 

Thank you to all the volunteers today.  We had a marshal playing music at one corner which was lovely.  All of the volunteers did brilliantly today, standing around in the unaccustomed rain can't have been too much fun!  We had such a great time in a beautiful part of the country that we have decided to come back next year.... where we parkrun then has yet to be decided!

Flip flop running!

Before

There are good things and bad things about running in flip flops.

Good: if you get a stone in your shoe it falls our really easily.  Bad: you get lots of stones in your shoes.  Good: your feet don't get hot and sweaty on a hot day.  Bad: your feet get REALLY dirty.  Good: you use lots of muscles that you don't normally use.  Bad:you use lots of muscles you don't normally use and they ache a bit the next day. You also get lots of strange looks which leads to starting conversations with people you've never met before.  One gentleman cycled past me, stopped, waited for me to catch up and then said 'You do know you are wearing flip flops don't you?'  Well, knock me down with a feather!  So I am!  How silly of me to forget to but my running shoes on this morning!  

After

So, yes, I ran a race in flip flops.  Why?  Because in a contest with our sitting room door my toe was the looser and I ended up breaking my little toe.  As a result of this I can't get a trainer (or any other shoe) on without causing me enough pain to turn the air around me blue!

I'd entered Phoenix Running's 'Space Race' early last week (before my toe v. door fiasco) with the intention of getting away from the children for a few hours and running a marathon.  I mentioned this to Husbando and a 'non running' friend who said they would come along and 'run a couple of laps.'  We'd decided to take two cars so that they could go home when they were done and so that they wouldn't have to hang around waiting for me.  In the light of my poorly foot we decided to take just one car. 

Phoenix's events are lovely, low key and friendly events.  In the 6 hour challenges you can run as many, or as few laps, as you like and you are still a winner.  That meant that I could walk a lap and still claim my rather epic bling!  And that is, honestly, what I intended to do.

I made a fatal mistake though.... I put on running shorts and a running top rather than 'normal' clothes.  Thus when I stood on the start line and everyone started running it seemed unnatural not to at least give the running thing a bit of a go.  It was hard work.  Every step required thought and concentration to ensure that feet and flip flops hit the ground simultaneously, but I was actually running - not fast, but definitely faster than a walk!  The weather was warm, but not excessively so and there was, at times, a pleasant breeze coming off the River Thames.  The tow path was not terribly flip flop friendly and it was very dusty!  I ran the first out and back, chatting to other runners, seeing Husbando and my non runner friend as we passed each other and arrived back at the aid station.  I stopped my Garmin - one lap was more than enough.  I faffed a bit and thought that, as the other two were going to do more than one lap I could probably walk the next lap before they were done, so off I went.  Of course I didn't walk.... I ran.  I completed the two laps (6.6miles) in 1hr 8mins  which wasn't too shabby.  

I rang the bell and collected my fabulous bling!  Then came the serious business of supporting the people who were still running.  I sat on a wall and took photos!  Hopefully I got at least one photo of everyone who was still running.  I've just got to find the time to look through them, get rid of the out of focus ones and upload them to Facebook for everyone to have a look at. (Link to the photos is here)
 There was some amazing running going on.  One lady completed a half marathon on crutches (see - I am not the only person who doesn't let broken bones stop her running a race she's paid good money to enter!) and there were lots of smiley happy runners on the Thames tow path.  

Husbando ran a half marathon - the furthest he has run since Giant's Head Marathon a few weeks ago.  My amazing 'I am not a runner' friend ran a half marathon off the back of running a couple of miles once a week!  She's now talking about future half marathons - there will be no stopping her!

Thanks to all the marshals - that aid station got pretty busy at times and you coped admirably.  Thanks to Rik for putting on yet another great event.  I am sure we'll be back soon!