A pub....or two....

It's never that much fun when you start thinking about how to get fit again after a good break from training and racing, but my friend Rosie had previously mentioned that she "races herself" fit  hence I thought I'd try a race when visiting my sister for Christmas in Winchester (I'd also been inspired by two people at a muddy crosscountry Christmas Day parkrun - 1 was a 14 year old girl who led the guys for almost the entire 5k run, finishing in 18 minutes and change, and the other was my father, who also completed the three lap course despite slipping and sliding around on the hills, finishing first in his category).

The Ship & Bell

It was a sunny, if cold, day as we drove along beautiful winding Hampshire country roads to Horndean village. There was no obvious evidence that a run was scheduled for that day, but I spotted a man in a high-viz jacket near the Ship and Bell Hotel. He wasn't exactly chatty, but when I asked him where I could enter the "pub to pub" roadrace, he thumbed over his shoulder at the village hall.

The race was being held by the Portsmouth Joggers, but what really impressed me was the ethos of the race. All proceeds from entry fees, raffle tickets and mince pies/coffee/tea (well I couldn't miss out on those could I?) went to the Portsmouth Hospital's Rocky Appeal. In the 30 years that the race has been happening the Rocky Appeal has raised about £15 million for the hospital (though it seems quite sad that vital hospital funding has to be raised through charities), with this year's appeal going towards a new digital keyhole operating theatre at the Queen Elizabeth hospital. 

One of the best race signs I've ever seen!

I think this added to the friendliness of the run, as the marshals were volunteers who wanted to be there, there were no fancy timing systems (and hence no accurate course measurements so it was advertised as an approximate distance) and no policed road closures (so iPods/headphones were banned). 

The uphill start

After a very short briefing we were off....straight up a hill! Some people still hared off, while others seem to soon regret excesses of the night before (I passed a man bent over double within the first half mile so I believe that was the end of his run). My friend likened it to a "trail run on tarmac" as the initial couple of miles were on a single track road strewn with branches and mud. Most people, including myself, settled into their running within the first mile and so I spent the next 6 or so following the same man by a lesser or greater distance. He pulled away from me on the steep half mile downhill (the pack of cyclists toiling up it didn't have much breath to reply to my "hello"!), but I gained to within a few metres when it came to ascending it on the return leg.

The Red Lion

It was an out and back course with a drinks station at the far pub (the Red Lion), though unfortunately this was outside the pub rather than inside it. It was rather fun to run around a man standing on a crate in the road before heading back the way we'd come. It meant that everyone got to see everyone else in the race, though I nearly made myself hoarse by trying to say "well done" to everyone on the way back in! I managed to refrain from commenting on my poor speed to a horse rider when I passed her in both directions (she was wearing a high-viz jacket which asked you to "slow down when passing") but it did make me smile!



And so the downhill finish...



When you run a route in both directions you realise how deceptive appearances are....it's very rare that anything is actually flat, as you're usually either climbing or descending. Still, there was no doubt in my mind that the start had been uphill, which meant a nice run down into the finish (approximately 7.3 miles later) to get the legs turning over (and to earn more mince pies and coffee)!



It wasn't called the "pub to pub" for nothing!!





All in all, a nice morning out, running in the Hampshire countryside, meeting new people, yet still making it back to my sister's in time for a lunch of Christmas leftovers!

The "Off Season"....

 I seem to have done a great job of timing the end of my running "season" with the end of any decent training weather. Well, it wasn't that great between the 50K and the 100K if I'm honest, but I admit it has been nice to look out at the rain, wind, ice, hail etc without worrying about having to go out and run in it.

My parkrunning parents!

Not having to think about running or recovery has again given me time to catch up with family and friends....and go out to play a lot! One weekend, I nipped over to surprise my father for his birthday......and got to cheer both of my parents on as they took part in their first ever parkrun. My dad "adopted a run-walk strategy" and actually finished ahead of my mum who ran the whole way, but she didn't mind as it was his birthday (and I took them out for cake to celebrate afterwards!).

I also spent a weekend in Spain catching up with a skiing buddy from many years ago who know lives and works out there running "sea to ski" tours. I haven't skied for several years so it was great to give it another go.....and luckily I managed to avoid any accidents!

Our original skiing day was scuppered by bad weather, so we found a race that we could just turn up to, and enter on the day. From reading their flyer, it appeared to be a low-key road 10K that I could use to see how far back my fitness had slipped, but we soon realised our mistake.

The race did start on tarmac in the small village square, but within a kilometre we were on a muddy trail winding through vineyards and other crops. As we started to head up a steep hill, we were then directed off on a very undulating rough trail loop of about 3Km. It was then back along the muddy paths back to the village with a final sprint up the hill to the square.

It was rather unusual for me to turn up to a race and run without knowing the terrain, the surface or the distance and so be wearing totally the wrong shoes, but it was fun anyway. I also realised how much I have become used to having my "normal" amount of food and drink around if I'm running. I generally keep my cupboards full at home as I have rather a large appetite, but my friend shops as and when he needs things as he doesn't eat nearly so much as me. I was hungry when we got to the village, never mind after running, but luckily always have some bars stowed away in my bag for emergencies (thankyou Creative Nature for saving me both pre- and post-run) so disaster was averted!

Prize-winning bookends!!

It was certainly a testing run, and I did feel rather unfit, but then again my road shoes were getting get heavier and heavier as they accumulated mud. I overtook a man on the final climb back to the Square, but he was obviously not one to be chicked, so he sprinted past right at the end and beat me by a fraction of a second. Still, it was a great way to spending what would otherwise have been a miserable cold, rainy Sunday morning - and to be reminded that with a common interest, you don't need a common language, as everyone was so friendly!

Paella and beer - bliss!!

What's more, by the time we made it back to the seaside afterwards, we both felt that we'd earned a good plate (or two) of paella!

World 100K Champs....Doha revisited....

Two and a bit weeks back at work seemed to have flown by, and I found myself back on a plane heading out to Doha again, though this time I wasn't going solo and was proudly wearing my Team GB kit. This time, I found it harder to get my head round the fact that I was going there to race - partly because 100K seems like an incredibly long way to run, never mind race, when you actually stop and think about it - but partly because I'd been out there so recently on my own. This meant that I was one of the most "experienced" team members. I'd sent everybody feedback on the course, the turns, the underfoot surfaces, the heat, the humidity, the customs, the food, the feed stations etc etc before we travelled, but I also took several of them on recces around the route when we got there.

Room 606 shenanigans!

Ellie (Greenwood) and I had requested to share a room and, as we hadn't seen each other for a very long time due to both of us having injuries at different times (though we've kept in touch via the internet), we had so much chat and gossip to catch up on that we didn't sleep much the night we arrived. It was great to see Carolyn and her girls again, and to be able to show my team-mates Ellie and Emily (Gelder) both the souks and the Corniche, but less great that at least 4 people in the hotel restaurant welcomed me back.....anyone would think that I like my food!!!

The few days before the race provided an excellent opportunity to catch up with running friends old and new - and I also really wanted to attend the medical conference and tour of the sports medicine hospital that had been arranged. Unfortunately it was not to be - as that was the morning Ellie and I were summoned early in the morning by a knocking at our door and "drugs testing!!".

Waiting for blood tests

I hoped that this would be slightly more organised than after the 50K, and indeed was for "biological passports", ie blood tests, rather than urine testing......but my hopes were dashed. Forms were copied over people's shoulders as they weren't sure how to complete them, some people didn't have ID, we ended up spending about 2 hours there, and I got a large bruise on my arm for my efforts....not exactly what you want the day before a big race, but I guess I was glad (in principle) to see them doing it......though certain natonalities seemed to slip through the net! And, what's more, I was then way too late to go to the medical conference ;-(

Go Team GB (with Ellie and Jo M)!

All too soon it was the calm before the storm - Ellie and I were getting ready in our room, pulling on vests and shorts/hotpants...then attacking them with scissors as we realised they weren't really going to be comfy enough to run in for hours, and pinning numbers front and back! To my great chagrin, there had been no chocolate fountain at lunch....but luckily I'd managed some brownies to top up the chocolate levels. We'd handed in our drinks and gels to the GB support crew and so there was nothing to do except head down to the start area.

Oddly enough, we were all made to walk across the start line and back again to check that the chips were working - we were tightly packed as a group so I have no idea how they would identify if one wasn't. No big deal was made of the start and suddenly we were off.....

Don't worry, I'm not going to give you a K by K or mile by mile account of the race....or even a lap by lap one (as that would really help anyone with insomnia), mainly because I cannot really remember the whole run that distinctly. I would sometimes find myself running past the feed stations having covered a lap wondering how I'd got there as I was sure that I'd only just passed them! I'm not sure that I can really claim that I was "in the zone"....more like I'm just a bit of a space cadet!!

Emily, Ellie and myself pre-race.photo:irunfar

There was even more reason than normal to start slowly at the back. Not only were there over 200 runners in the race, but the mens' and ladies' fields started at the same time. Even though we were going to run 20 laps, many people still get caught up in an adrenaline rush and set out as if it's a 5K race! I also remembered from the 50K that the initial straight of each lap, wasn't especially well lit. There was such a crowd early on, that it was hard to see where anybody was in the race. I wove my way up round people and tried to settle into a pace in the first couple of Kms. The switchbacks helped me spot people and so I saw a Norwegian lady (who had been 4th in the 50K) taking an early lead, with Ellie and reigning 100K Amy (Sproston - from the USA) running together not far behind. I wasn't in the top 10 in the ladies' field but that was fine with me as we had a long way to run.

Although there was a large number of participants in the race, and a good competitive ladies' field, I found myself running alone by halfway round the first lap. This was at total odd to my only other 100K when I had ladies to chat to for about the first 40K. I guess I've done many lonely runs since then, so it didn't really bother me  and I just tried to settle into a comfortable pace. Some things were the same as the 50K - that familiar hard surface underfoot and the call to prayer sounding eerie in the night - but others were new to me - the temperature was a good 10 degrees cooler, the cooling stations had moved, and even the official feed station was in a totally different place!

1 bottle to drink, 1 bottle as a shower!

Our support team were great at looking out for us heading into the feed station (as it wasn't especially well lit, and they couldn't move away from the front of the table) as we sometimes had to negotiate not only other runners ducking in and out of their tables, but also supporters wandering around or crossing the course. Walter Hill (GB Team Manager) started off "feeding" me my drinks/gels, and then Andi Jones took over for a while before handing back to Walter as the night progressed.

We had all agreed to look out for and support each other during the race (which was another difference from the 50K, when I only really had Paul Martelletti to wave/chat to) - and we had decided to do it in a rather tongue-in-cheek American way, so there were plenty of "Good Job!"s and "awesome"s as we spotted each other. I didn't want to offend anyone by accident, so when I was running near Meghan (Team US), I gave Ellie an encouraging "Jolly good running old Bean!" shout instead! It was nice to recognise so many runners from other countries as well, so it was actually quite sociable with all the waving and cheering.

I hadn't quite covered 25K before I was lapped!!! The young Russian (Vasily) was flying, but he did seem to be working very hard so early on in the race (if he'd carried on at that pace he'd have lapped me 4 times!!)...and indeed, he paid for it later as he faded back to 8th place! Incidentally, he (along with a couple of Russian ladies) wasn't wearing his National vests, so it wasn't clear until you were right up next to them (so you could read their numbers, names and nationalities) that such runners were competing in the World Champs. A little while after he passed, a huge chasing group containing Americans, Japanese, Italians etc nearly ran me over as they motored past. I was surprised not to see any Brits amongst them, but on a positive note, it meant that I then had the anticipation of being lapped by my teammates so taking my mind off running several more kilometres.

I could see that Ellie had moved smoothly into the lead a way ahead of me, and Jo was running strongly a few places behind me. I had steadily progressed up the field and gradually closed up on a couple of ladies as we approached the 50K mark. Without changing pace, I moved past them, which put me into second place in the field....not really where I wanted to be at this point in the race. The Japanese lady that I'd just drifted past then suddenly shot past me 2K later. I felt like I was going backwards....either that or that she was running a 10K, as it was an impressive sudden burst of speed, which certainly meant I had no inclination to go with her. I was slightly worried she'd power on up to Ellie, but no fear of that with  Ellie was looking so strong and comfortable.

Not exactly a 5K "loop"!!

I have to confess that by the time I had got to 45K, I was kinda wishing it was only a 50K race, but then I due to being nearer other runners, I found I'd gone another couple of laps without really noticing! The 5K loop is not really much of a loop, although we did start and finish at the same place every lap - it was rather a twisty course with many 180 degree turns. Almost ever turn seemed to be in the same direction.....and this had caused me some problems after the 50K. In the few days after the race, it wasn't muscles that bothered me, but actually my right ankle joint and I had it manipulated  (along with my painful "locked" lower back) so that it felt better. The same thing started to happen again, but this time I could feel it in my right shin on every impact with the hard surface - I started to worry that this was what a stress fracture felt like as it developed. Before the race, Ellie had suggested stopping for painkillers if necessary, but unfortunately my lower back had also rather locked up, and I knew that if I actually stopped moving, it would totally seize up and I wouldn't be able to start again. I focused on trying to do pelvis tilts and stretches while I ran, which took my mind off my ankle and shin, and hence they settled down (though my back didn't and I did get rather stuck in an awkward position after stopping later!!).

There were other things to notice to while away the time, such as a Swedish guy who had decided to run for a while carrying his shoes before replacing them on his feet, and a Latvian guy who was doing the whole thing in "barefoot" shoes! The mens' race was also heating up, and I could see positions changing at the front end when they came past me. I was so jealous of them when I realised that they were almost finished whereas I still had several laps to go, but at least none of the British men lapped me more than once in the whole race!

I know I definitely slowed down for a couple of laps later on in the race (and my splits confirm this). I guess I could blame my stiff achy back, but if I'm honest, I think that I mentally switched off for a bit. Ellie was motoring away up front....so much so that I no longer saw her at the switchbacks, and there seemed to be no real movement in the field around me, whatever lap the runners were on. I found myself take a quick stock of my body in the penultimate lap.....my legs felt ok, I wasn't running out of energy, my back wasn't that bad as long as I kept moving.....so the problem was definitely in my head.....I guess that if I include the 50k and other runs while out at both the events, I was almost on my 40th time round the route - enough to drive anyone insane!

Woohoo....made it!

On the last lap, I knew that it was time to force myself to switch back on, knuckle down and refocus. I realised that Ellie wasn't going to lap me (phew) but the Japanese lady in front was out of sight. We seemed a shoe-in for the team Gold as we were still running in 1st, 3rd and 4th positions, but I'd noticed the look of determination on Jo Meek's face as she chased me down. With about 2.5 K to go, the gap between us was rather small - I was running out of the road 180 degree turn as she was running into it. I'm known within my family for my stubbornness, and there was no way within my power that I was going to run 50k in 3rd position and then lose it in the last 2 (though I'd rather lose to a team mate than anyone else). If she was going to pass me, then she'd have to have a very strong finish (as she'd already run a great race to that point). How hard could it be for me to put in 2K of effort? Rather hard actually, after 98k already in the legs. It probably wasn't much of an effort to those watching, but I put my heart into it, and ended up actually closer to the 2nd placed Japanese runner, than Jo was to me! Jo's husband was at our feed station with about 500m to go and he shouted "Well done, you've got it Jo". I didn't realise that he was cheering for me, but thought she was on my shoulder and it was all over, so I was delighted to find I then had a clear run into the finish, with our team manager Eleanor waiting just over the line. I'd managed 3rd place overall (1st in the masters race) in a time of 7:41:55 (how consistent is that? Both 100ks run in 7:41 and change!).

Team GB on a name budget - Eleanor/Jo/Eleanor/Jo

Ellie had run a fantastic race, and just got stronger and stronger to win with a huge margin in 7:30:44 with Jo also excelling to finish 4th in 7:43:30, which meant that we were easily the leading team. The Japanese ladies had a great day for silver team medals, and the American ladies took team bronze (the Russian ladies would have had this honour, but unfortunately they had not obeyed the race rules by not wearing their national vests and so were disqualified from the team results)!

The Masters' Podium

Some things seem to only happen in events of this distance/nature. For example, it was slightly odd to lap a man after having run 97K and have him comment on how "nice my legs were"!!!! I'm not sure that runners competing for different nations would be as encouraging and supportive of each other in a shorter race either, though I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

4:30 am - Photo:irunfar

We were buzzing afterwards, and so instead of going to bed (as most sensible people would have done), Ellie and I went back to the course for some food with Eleanor, interviews with Bryon Powell for irunfar, and then we went out and encouraged Dennene (a friend of Ellie's who was running for Team Canada but wasn't having the best day out there!). We eventually fell into bed at about 6am, though my stomach was reminding me that it was actually time for breakfast........no matter how far I run, some things never change.....

Danger in Dumfries!!!

Some people dread running in the summer, as they fear dehydration, or just looking unattractively red in the face and sweaty. Others worry about the winter, and the hazards of snow and ice, slowing you down and causing slips and falls and hence injuries.

One season that a lot of people forget about is the autumn - this brings to mind beautiful sunny days, with cool crisp mornings. Leaves are turning to beautiful shades of golds, browns and reds and all is well with the world.

?Early Lyme Disease

I know that I have been referred to as "Calamity Jane", but I have found this particular fall to be rather a dangerous time to be running in Dumfries.....not because of the people or the neighbourhood (though there are your usual dogwalkers with extendable leads, those with dogs not under control, teens etc that like to shout out of car windows, drivers that scare you beeping their horns to say hello etc etc) but because of the environment and "acts of God".

Sniper attack!

If you venture out to the woods, you can spot deer jumping across in front of you (though sometimes you wonder if it's the same animal laughing at you when you've become rather disorientated and lost as I did one cold, misty, rainy day) but you may also come back with a passenger....as ticks are around and can lead to Lyme Disease in the unwary.

Running round housing estates can also be dangerous.....I ran to my local polling station during the Independence Referendum, and thought I'd been hit by a sniper on my way in. It was a nice wasp sting to the neck which took a couple of weeks to fully settle.

Steeplechase?

Owwwwww!!

The wind can be an issue, as roads can become blocked with fallen trees - it seems that we have had rather more than our usual number of gales and so I've had to develop my steeplechase skills, and the wind also causes some minor head injuries when conkers pelt down on top of you.

Bubbling up in the path

A disappearing path..

I love to run alongside the river, as it's usually beautifully tranquil, but sometimes the river has seemed to bubble up through drains in the path in front of me, and at other times I have been forced to backtrack when the path disappears from sight under floodwater.

Actually, now I think about it, a lot of these incidents occur on the one day a week when I run into work, so maybe the actual issue is not running in the autumn time, but more that someone is trying to tell me not to go to work!!!

Cynical about a supplement? Me?

I admit to being rather a cynic.......well, I guess some might say that about me in life in general, but I mean about supplements, special diets and other things people swear by to improve their training and racing.

It was the same for CurraNZ (a New Zealand blackcurrant supplement from Health Currancy Ltd), as I first heard about it from a runner I overtook in the later stages of the World Mountain Running Championships at Pike's Peak in August. Because of this, I was in two minds about the supplement, but  by the very next morning, he was out running again in the mountains with no ill effects, and certainly seemed to have recovered very quickly. I, on the other hand, am not so good at eating and drinking to aid recovery after a race or a hard run. This is partly due to the fact that I do not like to drink milk/milky things, and so have an aversion to many of the recovery shakes on the market.

More info on www.healthcurrency.co.uk

I did a bit of research into CurraNZ, including reading some papers about how it had affected elite level cyclists in their training and recovery, and made sure that it did not contain any banned substances (every batch is submitted to HFL Sports Science for testing).

CurraNZ only contains concentrated NZ blackcurrant powder - no sugar, fillers, preservatives or additives (and no, it doesn't taste like Ribena!) with anthocyanin being the high-potency antioxidant it contains. 

It also appears to have benefits on brain, eye, gut and vascular health, and improve the immune response (beneficial for me as I come into contact with so many illnesses through work).

Decision made......I would try CurraNZ after my running break, to see how it helped me build up for my next challenge, the World 100k Championships.

I regained my fitness fairly quickly after my break, but was unsure whether I could put any of this down to the supplement, or whether it was just thanks to having had some well-earned downtime. I'd certainly had no ill effects, so decided to carry in taking it. 

I had a slightly unorthodox training plan in the buildup to the 100k, as time was limited. I was going to increase my race distances in training, so had a half marathon, followed by a marathon a week later, then a 50K three weeks later, and then finaly the 100K three weeks after that. I wanted the buildup races to be hard runs, but not flat out as I needed to train through them. I was worried about picking up a virus from work and needing some timeout, and also about needing time to recover from the efforts.

Packed for the 100K

Having started as a self-confessed cynic, I would now not like to be without my CurraNZ. My immune system has kept working well through the past couple of months, and I've had no breaks from training. I've been able to run the day after racing, and I mean I've been able to "run" rather than doing a death shuffle.

I have had some good results in the races themselves (who would turn their nose up at winning an unexpected silver medal in the World 50K Final?) and moreover, had some good training sessions straight afterwards. For example, I ran some 800m reps on the track with my clubmates only 5 days after the marathon, and again some fast (for me) 400m reps the week after the 50K.

I cannot say how the 100K itself will go, as there are so many variables on the day, especially in such a long distance race, but I'll definitely be taking CurraNZ before and afterwards so that I can celebrate with Team GB without the pain of DOMS!

World Trophy 50K Final

Race Day for the 50K in Doha turned out to be rather a long day.
 



Andi leading the way in the 10K

I started out as a supporter for the 5 and 10K races which kicked off at 7am. I met my new-found relative Carolyn and we watched and cheered as her husband (Ron) and daughter (Natasha) set off to run their first ever 5K race. The course was slightly different to the loops that we were due to run that evening, but it meant that we could see the runners at several points and cheer them on. Andi Jones had a clear lead when we saw him for the first time just after the 2K mark, and I wondered if he would get round his second lap of his 10K before the others finished their run, but the conditions slowed him down (first 5K in 15mins, second 5K in 17:20). Ron ended up with a surprise 3rd in category prize, while Natasha was 9th in hers, but had taken it easy with her friends for most of the run and so knows that she has plenty in reserve next time she gives it a go (I was glad she hadn't tried harder as it meant that I could use 9th place as my target for later on)!!

With Natasha post-race (pre-8am!)

The temperature was starting to climb so I didn't stay around and socialise for too long afterwards......OK, OK, I confess I wanted to get back to the hotel dining room before they closed after the 4 hour breakfast buffet!!

An evening race is not something I'm familiar with - I'm used to getting up, having breakfast, panicking and then running - so I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself for the rest of the day. Somehow I managed to pass the time dozing, snacking, reading etc until it was time for a late lunch. I figured that this might give me time to digest my food properly without being too hungry pre-race....and from the number of us in the restaurant, it was clear that many of the others had a similar ideas!



Pre-race carb loading!

I'm not sure that partaking of a chocolate fountain and popcorn stand is recommended pre-race nutrition, but I figured that it would give me some much needed energy later....and was just plain too good to miss!!!

We had been told to muster in the Athlete's Village at 5pm - this was really just an enclosure outside the hotel, right by the race start, and as the race wasn't due to start until 6pm it didn't seem necessary to stand around in the heat. Paul Marteletti and I wandered out at about this time to claim a "table" on which to place our drinks/gels, and were amazed to see people "warming up" and doing some strides. I thought it was all about keeping your body temperature as low as possible for as long as possible, and so retreated back to my room to get ready.

It was dark when we made our way back to the start area at 5:45pm, but it was a friendly sociable atmosphere as we joked with other international runners and those in the open race - and it was nice to see Andi and his family who come back to support us fellow Brits (there were 2 British men and 2 British ladies in the Elite field).

I started in my usual position - away to the side and several rows back from the front. The darkness made it seem more likely that some trampling could happen, but luckily people were sensible and realised that there was no point haring off at the start of a 50K race (the 19 first leg relay runners only had 10K to do, but thankfully the organisers had arranged for them to start 5 minutes after us).

My main goal in the preceding day or two was to identify Emily Harrison so that I didn't go off and run with her in the race. I knew that if I did, then I would live to regret it as she's such a speedy runner - (having a 2:32 marathon and a 3:15 50K qualifier to her name, and thinking of targetting the US 50K record of 3:12 depending on conditions).

2 of the lovely running surfaces!

The intial part of the race was rather dark but as we passed by the roundabout at the front of the Hotel and headed round the complex (on some lovely cobbles), the lighting improved and it was easier to see who was around and running at a similar pace. It turned out that we had formed into a group of about 8 of the international ladies and ran the whole of the first 5K lap together (we were due to run 10 x 5K loops each one containing three 180 degree turns). As there are a couple of switchbacks en route, it was easy to spot people running slightly behind our pack, such as the two Russian ladies I knew from previous runs (both at Comrades and at the 100K in 2011). We passed a guy wearing the vest of the Doha Bay Running Club (whose colours are identical to Dumfries Running Club, so I initially found it quite offputting when I kept spotting them) who warned us all that we were going much too fast and should pace ourselves.

Due to the timing of the race, we heard the "Call to Prayer" early on through the loud speakers around the park - it was slightly surreal to be running in heat and humidity, in the dark, over tiles, while listening to that....we really fel that we were truly in the Middle East!

We passed the international feed tables just before the end of the lap, with several runners calling out their requests to their support crew as we ran along parallel before turning and passing the tables. Having no "crew"I had left bottles out lined up on a table (some with gels attached) so that I could just grab them myself as I passed. As I approached the table, I couldn't spot the bottle of water I'd wanted for that lap.....it just wasn't there anymore. As only the elite men had passed by, I figured that some local kids might have moved it, but I later found out that it was one of the men, who'd turned up to the race with no drinks or nutrition of his own - and just thought it was OK to take other people's!

We were still running comfortably at a pace where we could chat, so when I mentioned my missing drink, Emily made sure that I knew where the next  feed station (provided by the race organisation) was, so at least I knew I could get some water in a little over a mile's time. I made sure that from then on in, I would always avail myself of any feed station I passed, usually grabbing one or two bottles of water - one to go straight over my head to try to keep my core temp down, and the other to sip a bit of before sending it the way of the first.

After 10K

On this lap, the group started to fragment a bit, and so by the time we reached the 10K mark, there were only 4 of us running together, though Valeria (the other British lady) kept catching up with us and then dropping back slightly. I figured that Emily had just been warming up for the first couple of laps, so when she and Catrin (of Canada) moved away from me in the third lap, I let them go. I wanted to keep them in sight as they seemed to be taking turns at leading and hence working together, whereas I was all alone in "no woman's land". After my experiences at Glasgow in the summer, I knew that this was a dangerous place to be, as it would be all too easy to switch off and forget I was actually "racing". They did, however, seem to stay the same disatnce ahead of me once they'd opened up a gap, so we were probably back to running at the same speed.

I felt that I was maintaining a steady comfortable pace, so when Valeria shot past me again, I wasn't drawn into picking up the pace, and she was behind me again by the next switchback. The nature of the course meant that you had several opportunites to see those behind you, and so I could see the field spreading out. The next couple of laps seemed to tick by with us all maintaining our relative positions - though at one point Catrin opened up a gap, but it subsequently closed up again. I don't like to have too much liquid in my stomach without eating, so i was glad of the slight seedy nature of the gels I'd brought with me (when I got them, it was joked that they would last an extra long time, as I'd be spending most of it picking seeds out of my teeth due to the real fruit components!).

The switchbacks also enabled me to see the leaders of the men's race approaching from behind me, but I really wanted to get past the 25K mark before they lapped me, as that meant that they (hopefully) wouldn't lap me twice within the same race! The leading pack (3 of them running close together) didn't catch up and pass me until 28K so at least I'd achieved one of my targets!!



Passing the "international" tables

Emily had moved ahead of Catrin in my race, but I don't think that she had really picked up her pace, as I also then caught Catrin and moved past into 2nd place, though I didn't really move very far ahead of her. Coming through the start/finish line at 30K, I heard them announce Emily as the race leader......and then I crossed the line....to silence!! A few paces down the road into my next lap, I heard the announcement that they were waiting for the second placed lady (and they expected Catrin) to see what the gap was. I felt slightly aggrieved that I'd run by unnoticed, but it turns out later, my chip hadn't registered on that occasion (as happened to several of the men). Some people following back home seemed to think it had taken me 42minutes to do a 5K loop, though luckily most people worked out that that was my time for 2 laps, ie 10K.

By then, it became a countdown of laps to the finish. I could usually see Emily up ahead of me (with a cyclist accompaniment) and I could see that I was starting to stretch the gap from Catrin when we ran the switchbacks. Another man passed me, but then I overtook the Kenyan man who had been leading the race (well, when I say "overtook", he had been lapping me!). Due to the nature of the course, I had seen Paul and the Irish runner behind him for a few laps, but was surprised that they didn't speed by me, so they must've been slowing down (relatively) in the heat and humidity.

I looked forward to the end of each lap as you got to see familiar faces at the feed stations (one of whom commented that - as in Glasgow - I always seemed to be smiling) and you got to take on your own nutrition, so I was very unimpressed to get there and find out that my bottles and attached gels had disappeared. I was feeling a dip in energy (and surprise surprise, my stomach was protesting that it was empty!!) so this was a major blow. I put it down to runners in the open race, or local kids, but again found out later from other athlete's support teams, that one of the international runners had been helping himself to my supplies! Not very sportmanlike behaviour - it could have cost me a place, and certainly gained him places...and hence prizes!!

Carolyn and Ron had come back to support me after the morning's race, and so it was lovely to see them for my last few laps - a familiar face is always a great boost!

Paul finally caught me at just before the 43K mark and so it was nice to be able to chat briefly. I was so jealous of him being on his final lap, whereas I still had a further one to run. Paul suggested that I use any of his remaining gels to make up for my missing ones as he was about to finish, but I wasn't keen to use any other competitor's nutrition, especially without really knowing how my stomach would take to it. I gave Paul a shout to finish strongly and then waved one finger at Carolyn and Ron telling them I had one lap to go. Unfortunately Paul didn't move over to the righthand side to the finish funnel, and didn't hear me shouting at him, so he then had to leap over a barrier in order to cross the finish line. As I started my last lap, I gave him a cheer and a wave, saying that I'd "see him in 5K"!

I didn't think that I would be able to catch Emily so I tried to run as comfortably as possible on the final lap, though I was worried that Catrin might have something in reserve and shoot past. It was rather reassuring to get to the 3k marker on that lap and see her at the 2k marker, as I knew then that my position was pretty safe.......though I guess a race is never over until it's over (as several people did drop out quite late on in the race).

Surprisingly, Carolyn and Ron were still out on the course - I had thought that they might have moved to the finish. It turned out that after I'd told them I was going for my last lap, they'd gone to the finish, but been told that I still had 2 to go, and so they thought I must've meant that it was my "last lap before the last lap"......again, due to that chip mis registering earlier!



The "flower ceremony"

The organisers saw me running fast down the finishing straight and realised what had happened, so checked and confirmed that I had run the full distance.....and so I finished in 2nd place, less than a minute behind Emily (who finished looking fabulous, and had obviously paced herself well). After that it got a bit surreal....starting with being given a goodie bag containing a finisher's medal, tshirt, some boiled sweets and a plum of all things!



Post-race recovery?

The top 3 ladies were presented with flowers and a miniature statue of the Torch hotel on a podium....and then I was given some lovely refreshing frozen yoghurt and fruit. Then off to drug testing......and when this had been done successfully, they gave us a "Qatar drug testing" tshirt and thermos flask to say thankyou! One of the other competitors became unwell after finishing, vomiting and dropping her blood pressure, so I switched into "race medic" mode, while still finding time to eat a pizza and ride a camel!



On returning to the hotel at about midnight, there was still more food laid out for us, before we all finally headed back to our rooms to collapse, though as it turned out, nobody could actually sleep due to the adrenaline high! 

The result didn't really sink in for me......I'd come into the race with no expectations, ranked well down in the field, and just wanted to have a good long run and see how the conditions affected me. I guess I did all that I'd set out to do, but also finished with a silver medal, a confidence boost, and some great new friends.......and I'll take that anyday! 

All in a weekend's work

Just talking to some runners and then going for a long run yourself doesn't sound like a busy weekend, but it certainly seemed to turn into one!!!

As I'm not a very polished speaker, the talk was shaping up to be the most nerve-wracking part of the weekend, so I decided to go for a stress-relieving run first. I've driven through Consett many times when travelling between Dumfries and Durham, but have only just found out that there is a parkrun there, so I decided to check it out.

Blackhill parkrun (you pass the
bandstand 4 times!)

It's not exactly a fast course (the run director describing it as "like a rollercoaster" as you're always going up or down), but it was beautiful on a cool crisp morning with the sun shining through the autumnal trees. The NE XC league was starting that afternoon and so a lot of adults were saving themselves for that, so there were large numbers of juniors making up the field. The run starts by climbing up a long hill from the bottom of the park to the top (and then there are three laps that involve the top half of the park and some playing fields, with the option of taking the steps if you dont like the slopes). I made this climb seem like a steeplchase with my dislike of starting at the front - as many of the juniors love to start as far forward as possible, sprint off and then start zigzagging/walking as they tire. It was great to see them all taking part, and we were all treated to cake afterwards as it was one of the lads' 8th birthday!

 

Then it was on to Durham for a Skype birthday chat with 4 year old Cecilia - my parents and I sang to her and we watched her open cards and presents while sitting on my sister's knee. The volume/mute function was playing up slightly so with any luck, they were spared our lovely singing!

Next on the agenda was the dreaded talk - to the Durham University Athletics and Cross Country Club at their pre-season training day. I didn't really know if anything I had to say would be of interest to them, having not been a runner at university, and with neither track nor XC running being my forte. However, I talked a bit about how I started running, my progression, things I've learnt to do and not do (often by trial and error), and the different types of running and races that are available out there. they asked several interesting questions, eg about injuries, nutrition, training, recovery, cross training, sleep, work etc - and it was amazing to see that over an hour had flown by (and they kindly gave me a piece of cake before I left, so they must have known about my favourite food group!).



My TV snack - well, the strawberries
are healthy!!



On to York - the drive to the city didn't take long, but getting to the university (multiple road closures) and checking in (it was a maze of paths and buildings with minimal signage) took forever, but luckily I made it in time for a quick media interview and a chance to meet the other Elite British ladies (Shona and Becky) for a race briefing. Unsurprisingly, eating was then my main priority - first while catching up with a Harrogate friend and then with other runners/staff for dinner (and I even managed a "carryout" of a plate of cakes as snacks while watching TV in my room later).

Race morning didn't start well - there had been warning about a possible delay of the 9:30am start due to fog (to enable people to arrive safely), and I could hardly see across the grass to the cafeteria. Still, I headed over for some breakfast at 7:15 and the next disaster happened. My key card didn't seem to work, so I rang the "kitchen" doorbell. No answer.... so I rang again. Still no answer, so I have to admit I rather kept my finger on the bell at this point as I was starting to get worried. Still no answer, and then all the lights were switched off in the building. I was now quite worried (and starving) as the run was due to start in less than 2 hours (though now I was hoping it would be delayed). Luckily my card still accessed the accomodation block so I could get back in and make a panic phonecall to Steve, the Elite organiser. Other runners had either stayed at home the night before (if they lived locally) or eaten earlier.

I headed down to registration, as Steve had promised that if the worst came to the worst, he would refund anything I needed to buy at Costa. The cafeteria by registration was open, but only serving sausage butties, and registration just had Danish pastries and fruit (fruit would be a very healthy choice, but not ideal pre-marathon). Luckily Steve talked them into giving me a couple of packets of Alpen, so this (along with some croissants and pain au chocolats) soon had me full of energy again. A couple of coffees later and I was ready to go up to the start with the other girls - not exactly the ideal race preparation, but luckily it wasn't a target race!

The girls gossip and the guys......

Matt Dawson counted us down and set us on our way with only about a minute of delay - and it was easy to see why people had commented about the fast start in the previous year's race. There was a long downhill (and the fact that we would have to climb it again right at the end still seemed a long way on) stretch, followed by a 90 degree bend which had us heading right into the old town. I commented to Shona that I could see why she said they had got carried away 12 months earlier, as there were many people out in town to cheer us on, and it was interesting to run through historic York, round markets etc, so it was hard to hold the legs back.

As we left the built up area and headed into the countryside the runners spread out and the fog became much thicker. Shona had targetted this race for a fast time (and hopefully the First Brit position) and was feeling fit and strong, so I was happy to see her striding out up the road from me. Becky (who had the home turf advantage, being from York) seemed to go with her initially, but then dropped back a bit. I had planned on a steady run aiming for about 6:30miling, but a few things conspired to make me run faster. A major one was the weather - when it's only 4 degrees and you're wearing a vest and shorts (the other girls had sensibly started in arm warmers and gloves ready to peel them off as they warmed up), you tend to run fast just to keep warm. The thick fog also meant that you didn't want to drop too far back from those in front so that you had some idea of which way the course was going to go - especially important for me, as I didn't know those country roads at all. A positive spin on the fog from many people who had run both this and last year, was that it kept the hills hidden until you were on them, so you didn't dread seeing them looming up ahead. There was a male runner from a certain North Eastern running club who seemed to be there purely to take me out of the race. By the time he'd cut across in front of me for the 4th time, causing me to cut my stride/stumble yet again, I did comment to him. His repsonse was that he could run diagonally if he wanted to, and it was up to me to look out for him. I admit that this did push me on slightly so that I didn't get caught up with him again!

It got lonelier as the race progressed!!

We settled into a bit of a pattern, with Shona up ahead appearing and disappearing out of the mist, and Becky running with a man about 20-30m up the road from me. I thought I was running a fairly constant pace, but would catch up to Becky from time to time, whereupon she would put a little burst in, and within a few seconds be back 20m ahead of me, only for me to gradually reel her back again.

I knew that the Kenyan and Ethiopian ladies would be some considerable way up the road ahead and so I was happy to be staying in 5th place, though I had no idea if there was another lady just behind me. I found myself in a comfortable zone trotting along a few metres behind Becky as we approached the halfway point when Mark (Shona's husband) appeared. All credit to him, as he was really there on his bike to support Shona round the course but he kept dropping back to encourage us as well. He let us know that the Kenyan lady was really struggling with cramp just up ahead, and sure enough she came into view a few minutes later. She was really limping and appeared as a small lonely figure. As I passed her, I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she was ok. She looked like she was really suffering, but there was little I could do there and then so I decided to let the next marshal know. She obviously dropped out at the halfway point and got a lift back to the university (as I failed to spot her again with the route doing a short out and back section).

Shona looked strong coming back along the road as I was going out, and I also managed to spot the girl behind me. At the 14 mile point, Mark counted back to let me know she was 2mins 50 behind me. The fog closed in again and so I tried to make sure that me didn't lose sight of Becky ahead of me....again I'd closed up but then she'd moved away again. I had been told that we had a gradual drag up an incline to peak at 16 miles, but it didn't seem so bad when your vision was limited to 50m in front of you. Well done to the people that braved the weather to come and support us though.

Miles 17-20 were on another out and back section, with runners heading gradually downhill to the turnaround and then climbing back up again. As I entered this section, the leading men must have already been away and clear, but I did see the top Brits heading in the opposite direction to myself, so we encouraged each other with a shout!

It seemed that the turnaround point would never come but the long stretches did enable me to work out that the first lady (an Ethiopian) was about a mile and a half ahead of me. I caught up with Becky as we reached the turn and this time she didn't push away......in fact she tucked in just behind/alongside me.

It was nice to have someone there with me, and I checked our pace with her. I knew I'd been going at a pace that was faster than my planned low 2:50s and she confirmed we were on for sub 2:50. A film crew on a motorbike drove along just in front of us and we managed to run almost side by side while they were recording. When the camera switched off and they motored away, I lost sight of Becky out of the corner of my eye, and so figured she'd just tucked in behind me.

When I next saw Mark on his bike at mile 21, he said that Becky had dropped right back from me, and that we'd extended our lead over the next girl to 3mins 30 in the out and back section. We chatted for a few minutes as I was running without anyone in sight ahead of me at this point so I gave him some encouragement to pass on to Shona up the road for the final few miles (as she'd struggled from the 22mile point the previous year) and off he went.

Woohoo - made it!

Strange as it may seem, I really enjoyed the last 5 miles. I felt comfortable and strong, unlike some of the other poor runners I was reeling in. There were a few interesting running styles as people got more and more tired - sideways leans, hunched over, some run/walking, but I seemed to pass an average of 2 men per mile. It really helps your confidence when this happens near to the end of a run. I tried to give everyone a freindly word and enjoyed waving and bantering with supporters and marshals along the final sections of the course as we headed back into York itself. Marshals were telling me that I was doing well, but I thought they'd done a much finer job of standing out all morning being cheery despite the cold and the fog!

The final hill seemed to be a long time in coming - probably because it had been built up so much in my mind. Not only had we had to hold back running down it at the start, but several people told me that they had been "broken" and had to walk up it in the previous year's race. I somehow didn't think I'd manage to gain another 2 places in this final mile, but somehow I sailed past 2 guys just as we started up the hill. It didn't feel that bad to me, but I could see how it would be a horrible sting in the tail of a race when you'd given your all and your legs were shot. Having passed them at the bottom, meant that I had empty road in front of me and so I thought that there was nobody to chase to the finish so it would be a nice run in.

As I crested the hill, I heard the announcement of the first lady finishing.....and it was Shona! Yeay - I was so happy for her, but they also said that they "hadn't expected to see her winning" as the Ethiopian was leading at 30K. I guessed that this must mean the Ethiopian had also dropped out, hence I was going to be second lady - what a total surprise!

I cruised round the final corner, past a traffic island, into the last 80m of finishing straight and spied the Finish Gantry. Unfortunately, I also spied the Ethiopian lady still running and also approaching the finish. I put my foot down and sprinted as hard as I could (admittedly, I'm a rubbish sprinter) for the last 50 or so metres..... I managed to close the gap down to 5s but just ran out of race, which was such a shame as I felt like I could've definitely carried on for a few miles!

Pretty in Pink on the podium



Media attention on the line



Slightly gutting finish as it turns out, but there's no point dwelling on "what if"s. I was really pleased with the run, as I'd finished strongly (with a negative split), felt good throughout, finished feeling that I could have continued (though admittedly I did stiffen up standing around for a quick presentation before a cool down jog), made the podium contrary to my pre-race thoughts, and run a much faster time than I'd originally intended (strangely enough, faster than I ran in Glasgow with a focussed taper)!

And with all the cake available afterwards.....it turned into a great weekend!!!!