Mmm....traybakes 😊😊😊

Last weekend was rather a busy one.....finishing up at work, catching up with friends, attending a course in Glasgow, helping out the National Trust, and then travelling down to Manchester ready to fly out to China.

I felt that I needed to squeeze in a little run to get my legs turning over somewhere along the lines, and so the Stoneybeck 10k hosted by Eden Runners just north of Penrith seemed a perfect chance to do this and break up my drive south. It also gave me the opportunity to catch up with my friend Karen who runs for the host club (and the fact that the race was being sponsored by "Traybakes" was just a minor incentive!!!!).

After registration and the prerace safety briefing (at the Stoneybeck pub) we wandered down to the start line....with me trying not to be intimidated by younger looking women in hotpants doing drills and stretches.

An informal gathering in the road and we were off, though there was a rather steep climb up and over the railway within the first 100m. Karen had said that she thought her legs would be tired after a recent triathlon but I knew our relative start speeds of old and so it was no surprise to be chasing her down and overtaking her on that sharp climb. What did surprise me was the speed of other ladies that I didn't recognise. I didn't think I was hanging around with a 6 minute first mile, but I was nowhere near the leading lady.

The race route was an uneven figure of 8, starting with a 1.5 mile long southerly loop which took us almost out to the M6. Having circled back to the start line, we then had that tough little climb over the railway again before heading northwards this time towards Plumpton. 

Into the finish line

I tried to relax into my running, but realised I'd actually increased the pace, so it was no wonder I felt like there was no way that I could keep going at that speed. Despite this, I could just about make out the ponytail ahead of me disappearing away up the road. I'd overtaken several men in the first few miles and so although she was about 30s ahead of me (and stretching that gap) at the 3 mile marker, there was no one in between us.

Plumpton village was at the far point of the loop and involved a cheeky descent and climb up again out of it. At the 4 mile point, I noticed that the gap had stopped increasing and seemed to be actually decreasing, so it was time to rely on my strong if not speedy legs.

This was helped by the fact that we had to run along the A6 south from Plumpton, directly into a headwind. I tried to just ignore the chase and focus on keeping my own running going. This clearly worked as I moved into the lead at the 5 mile point, though I thought she might then duck in behind to use me as a windbreak and outsprinted me at the end.

I know you're not meant to look back as it just encourages those behind you, but I was not that self-disciplined as I felt exhausted and that the finish line couldn't come soon enough. Little turns did give me some confidence that I was pulling away, as did listening for the marshal's advice and support when he directed runners off the main road and back down towards the finish.

My "prize haul"

My gansta hat prize - 1 size fits no-one!

A final descent on a muddy road towards a farm, and the long finishing straight came into sight. I know I'm "meant" to be a distance runner, but that finish line just looked so far away and I really wanted to stop as soon as possible. I managed to avoid embarrassing myself by keeping the legs moving to the line, and had just about enough time to gather myself, thank the organisers and marshals, congratulate the male winner and welcome in the second lady. If it wasn't for her, I doubt I would have run anything like as fast as that, even though the race did live up to its promise, with as much traybake as you could eat once you'd finished!

My short-lived track career!!



I did say to a good friend that I would "try anything" once and I felt that I couldn't really refuse Archie Jenkins challenging me to enter the British Masters 10000m track championships when I met him marshalling at the marathon in London a few weeks ago.

Post-race with Charlene (1st V35)

I then promptly forgot about it until a few days before the race when I started having nightmares about running rounds in circles, forgetting the number of laps I'd done/still had to do, impeding other faster runners, and trying to avoid massive detours to pass others.

I still have a big fear of race starts and so it takes me a little while to get into any run. In a road race this means that I usually spend the first part of the event weaving round people and working my way up the field. The main difference with a track race is that you don't just have to pass people once, you may have to pass them (or be passed by them) on multiple occasions as the laps progress.

Nice and wet to start with

My race consisted of all the ladies and the men from age 65 upwards so there was a total spread of pace. I had no idea how the run would go as I felt knackered when just running around to warm up (though it was hard to feel warm with the wind and on/off rain). 

The event started a bit late as the hurdles had to be cleared from the ongoing pentathlon, but we were all called up to the start line. I was pulled up by the official starter as, without noticing, I'd put my right toe "on" the start line rather than "behind" it, but order was restored, the gun was fired and we were off.

Getting up to speed on the first corner

The track was rather wet and slippy, especially in the outer lanes, so my most pressing thought was not to fall over in the first few metres with everyone watching. I briefly envied those wearing spikes but had decided that I'd be happier running 25 laps in my usual race shoes. I ran wide round the first bend to pass most of the field and by halfway down the backstraight found myself leading the race.

This wasn't what I'd expected....and it wasn't that pleasant as there was a headwind down that backstraight and I knew that we had to do that stretch another 24 times!

Starting to move away from Charlene

A girl tucked in right behind me and I wondered if she was going to use me as a windbreak for the whole race. Although you always feel the headwind against you down, there never seems to be an equal benefit from a tailwind, and this was compounded by the home straight being more sheltered by the "grandstand".

Lapping some of the "more experienced" men

Don't worry, I'm not going to describe the race lap by lap.....it was bad enough watching the lap counter tick down slowly every time I passed it, though I have to admit that it was probably easier for me than some others as the lap counter denotes the number for the race leaders, and so it must be rather dispiriting for lapped athletes.

Passing several abreast at times..

It took me almost three laps to catch my first man.....a legendary v80 runner with several age group records. As he said post-race, he set off rather too fast so I started to lap him slightly sooner every time, until it got down to every second lap, though he always wished me well as I passed. The pre race briefing had advised us that faster runners must move out to pass, which does make sense as you can see those that you are approaching from behind and so drift out into a different land in good time. This only became a bit of a nightmare when you had to pass people running several abreast.....and even worse was when you caught them in a bend. Due to the difference in pace, it made more sense to me to run slightly further by moving wide, than to slow down significantly and wait until a straight section. It was actually quite fun to keep passing the same people, but with the gaps varying as they started to lap each other.

A soggy lap

Vicki Thompson had told me pre-race that it would "be easy" once the lap counter showed 17 laps to go.....and as she was supporting us all on the 200m line, I made sure to let her know that it didn't feel like it was getting any easier to me. She was so good at encouraging us all, and reminded me when I was exactly halfway through so I could start mentally counting down. With about 9 laps to go, I asked her where the second placed runner was and she advised me that I had a decent gap (it was had to work out who was what distance behind you, due to the number of intervening people on different laps). 

A sunny lap

When I passed her the next time, she told me that I had an 80m lead, so I hoped I wouldn't lose more than 10m per lap as I'd lead for so long. However, by the next lap, she said that it was down to 55m...."eek", I thought, "I've lose 25m in one lap", so the next time I passed her I said I thought it was all over and that I was going to be caugh. She encouraged me to push on, and (although she might have been "bending" the truth to keep me going) the gap did seem to open up again.

My attempt at a sprint for the line!

I knew that I was more likely to be stronger at the finish than other runners.....they might have more speed, but I can probably keep going for longer at a certain pace....and tried to pick it up slightly for the last couple of laps. I know that I really don't have a sprint at all.....and "lengthening my stride" probably makes it only "slightly" shorter than everyone else's normal gait, but I tried to push down the final home straight, as I was dreading being outsprinted for the line.

 

Nice bling!

Getting my British and North East medals

As it turned out, I had no need to worry as the final margin was 21 seconds, but it was lovely to meet and go for a cool down jog with Charlene afterwards (she was awarded the first v35 position so there are medals all round). I'm no track convert and may well never do a race like that again, so it was lovely of my parents to come along and support. I was very impressed that they came down trackside, cheered me on and took photos when it was raining as well as on the odd sunny lap. In fact, everybody was amazingly friendly, which took the pressure off the actual race and made it more of a fun day out (and I can't complain about the farm shop/cafe we visited afterwards).  

The Devil's Beeftub

The advertised course

The 2 mile Devil's Beeftub hill race was the latest race in the Dumfries Running Club Grand Prix. I don't usually do enough races to count in the Grand Prix due to other commitments, but as I was at home this weekend, I thought I might give it a go. I was told that is was a small friendly local race, with an average field of about 30-40 runners. On the day, this did not seem to be the case from the number of cars parked up at the end of the valley and, as it turned out, it was actually the last race in the Scottish championships and so had attracted a much larger stronger field than usual. There was still a local friendly element there, epitomised by the fact that the race director started the runners off wearing just his socks, as he had lent his shoes to a runner who had misplaced his fell shoes (due to martial miscommunication)  and only had his cycle shoes to run in.

The route on the ground

Those uninitiated in this event might think that a 2 mile race sounds relatively easy, but it is not for the faint hearted, as the total climb measures at about 900 feet (with a similar descent) as it is the "steepest race" in the Scottish hill running calendar. The runners line up to start, holding on to the barbed wire fence (which had to be hurdled in early editions of the race) and then dive into the bracken to start their ascent. The hillside is so steep (most of the race's climbing is done within the first quarter of a mile) that even the leaders are reduced to a "hands and feet crawl" upwards.

The reward for this climb is a rough section of alternating tussocks and ankle deep bogs, before reaching another fence that must be climbed. After this the route becomes more runnable with a few sharp ascents and descents to the final summit, so most people alternate between running and power walking.

The final quarter mile is a lesson in controlled falling, which is why the race is known as the steepest one of the Scottish hill running circuit. A burn must then be hurdled on the final sprint into the (very welcome) finish before the legs give out completely.

Pre-race with a couple of DRC club mates

I had a steady start (ie I ended started plum-last after getting my foot caught in bracken right at the off) but managed to work my way past a good part of the field on the initial steep climb. I tried the "hands on knees" approach but found that practically crawling up using my hands to grab/push off the ground was quicker. As I passed one of my clubmates, he grabbed me by the shoulder as if he wanted me to pull him up the hill, which did seem slightly inappropriate for a "race" and nearly caused me to fall backwards downhill again. 



The uphill crawl...

I could hardly believe it when I reached the flag at the top of the climb, gasping for breath, and looked at my watch.....we been going for less than 0.2 of a mile. It wasn't much better on this section, as it was hardly runnable but for different reasons. The ground was very rough and tussocky, and if you managed to avoid twisting an ankle on a tussock, then said ankle was probably covered in mud. There wasn't much of a route to pick, but as everyone was going the same way (the race instruction at the pre-race briefing was that if you saw an uphill on your right, then you'd gone the wrong way) it wasn't really possibly to pass anyone so I had to go the speed of the runner in front of me.

I managed to dodge past just before we had to climb a fence to get onto the next section, which was actually a better "path" underfoot. Although the day itself was dry, there had been an awful lots of rain in the preceding few days and so there were many ankle deep bogs that tried their best to suck your shoes off. 

Climbing to the last highpoint

This section did suit me better and I managed to pass several people with a combination of running and power walking, though lost a couple of places again down a steep muddy descent to a col.

There was a small burn to rockhop over before the final short sharp climb, so I made up the lost places and several more. A marshal tried to encourage everyone by saying we were almost at the top with just the descent ahead of us.....which I heard with mounting dread....I would definitely have rather gone on climbing for longer!

My friend Doug had climbed up the final hill to support all of our club runners, so it was nice to get a shout of encouragement as I rounded the summit cairn before heading off the edge....

I had been told that you could pick the best line down if you looked across at a certain point on the other side of the Beeftub, but there was no way that I was looking anywhere but towards my feet. It was so steep that initially I couldn't even the finish down on the valley bottom. I managed to keep a bit of pace up down the first steep descent (laughing slightly as one of the guys that I'd just managed to catch on the last climb told me to "dance down") though I couldn't decide if it was safer to have my feet pointing across or down the slope.

The start/finish area from the hilltop

Surprisingly, nobody passed me on this section, and then suddenly the finish line came into view. It appeared to be a long way away distance-wise as the race leaders (probably already sitting around chatting) were just small dots, but it also appeared to be directly below me.....eek!

Not only did this next section involve steep downhill, but there were also large patches of bracken to negotiate, rocks to avoid, and slippy mud to skid in. As I started to tense up a couple of men shot past, so I tried to relax and follow them. The track I was following straight down through the bracken had been made into a bit of a mudslide friend by earlier runners going for it with a lot less trepidation, so I wished I had the long legged bounce of another friend that bypassed me, leaping over the bracken as if it were nothing.

At the bottom of the hill there was a little ridge to run over....designed to catch the descending legs out, a small burn to leap and then a few metres to sprint in to the finish. I was quietly pleased with myself that only 5 men had passed me on that downhill.....but there was just not quite enough distance to sprint to gain a place back, but all in all I felt I'd acquitted myself well, though I'm still not sure I'll ever be a hill runner!

Short and (semi) Fast...

It was 11pm on a Saturday night and I was at the Moot Hall in Keswick having just supported a friend on the last leg of his (successful) Bob Graham Round. A girl I didn't recognise approached me and asked if I was "Joasia" (well, not quite, but I think that was the name she was aiming for!!). It turns out that someone had been trying to contact me to ask if I would run a 10K race in Middlesborough - not thinking much of it, except that it was probably a small friendly local race if I was being asked by someone else supporting a BGR, I agreed and arranged to visit my parents the night beforehand.

Prudhoe Riverside parkrun was just off my route across to Durham and, as I was passing it at an appropriate time, it seemed like a sensible idea to break my journey with a run. It looked like a simple 2 lap course and although I'm not a fan of short fast events, the LV40 record was 21:20 so I thought it was probably a "slow course" and so would be a scenic run rather than a fast run - perfect!

I did think that I might miss the start as there was rather a delay getting into the carpark as the level crossing was down (for what seemed like forever), and then it was a good half mile along the riverside path from the carpark to the actual course, but luckily I made it just in time for the pre-run briefing.



The trail on Lap 1

There was the usual mass start, but luckily the tarred path was relatively wide so it was not too hard to weave around a few people. There were some cables across the path that had been covered over with a raised step, but I liked the touch of putting up a "careful - ramp" sign. The tarred path was rather pretty as it headed through trees along the river bank, and became even more so as we headed off it onto some packed trails. There were several guys ahead of me but I gradually closed up on them and somehow moved away ahead of the leading one as we climbed a short incline at the start of the "backstraight" of the loop. This meant that I had a clear run along a lovely flat forest trail, though I could see the railway line through the trees to my left. Just as I started to wonder if I'd gone the wrong way (though I hadn't seen any other paths so surely I couldn't have taken a wrong turning!?!), a cheering marshal (and minimarshal) came into view. They were at a 90 degree turn which then saw me flailing down a sudden steep slope back to the tarmac path at the bottom. Another 90 degrees to the right saw me on the second lap and this time I started to pass a few people, which was great as we could offer mutual support and encouragement (and I like the fact that the backmarker wears a bib signifying "Tailwalker" rather than Tailrunner to demonstarte the inclusivity of parkrun).

If you can't run downhill well
shut your eyes and hope for the best!

I hadn't reset my watch at the start so didn't really know my pace (I had to wait for a results text to find out my time), but could feel my legs tiring, espeically as I consciously braked for the final short descent. This time I took a 90 degree turn to the left at the bottom to head towards the finish as their first ever first overall female finisher (which, I hasten to add, says more that there was a slower field than usual that day, than anything about me!). By the time I got to my parents' house, I was waxing lyricial about what a pretty and friendly parkrun it was, and that they should definitely go and check it out!

On arrival in Middlesborough for the Tees Pride 10K on Sunday morning, I realised how mistaken I'd been about the scale of the race. Although there was a fun atmosphere with stalls and bands on the fields near to the start and finish, it was a huge race with over 3000 entrants ranging from the "Elite" pen to the "Pleased to Finish" start pen which contained many runners taking on their first ever 10K event. As my friend Alister and I walked to the start we discussed possible target times. I said that ideally I'd like to run about 37minutes, whereas he was aiming for 44minutes.

Brilliant to meet a fellow Comrades 4th place finisher!

I chatted to Gerda Steyn (a Nedbank runner who has finished 4th at this year's Comrades race) in our start pen. She was hoping to break 37minutes so I hoped that by trying to keep her in sight, I'd be dragged along at a decent pace. As always, I was fearful of the start, but luckily there was no pushing and shoving as the road wasn't too narrow and so I managed to get up and running without being trampled. I made my way up over the first few hundred metres so that I could see Gerda ahead of me.

It doesn't matter where you are in the field of a race - we all go through similar bad spells (well I guess you don't if you're having a really good day), and so I debating stopping after the first mile....I couldn't believe how far we still had to run considering how little my legs wanted to keep turning over. The course is very flat ( I think the elevation gain is measured only 88 feet over the whole race on my watch) and covers 4 sides of a square, but this means that you are exposed to any wind there is (now, if it's a square, how can it possibly be a headwind the whole way?).

Gerda gradually eased further and further away from me but I somehow managed to talk myself into not stopping. A man passed me and tried to get me to go with him to close down the gap, but there was no chance of that. I looked at my watch and realised that that mile (mile 4) had been rather faster than intended already (I guess there may have been a bit of a tailwind there without me realising) and I needed to "slow down or die". My next mile was back to a more sensible pace and I could just see Gerda overtake Tracy (Millmore) a long way up ahead and move into first place.

Recovering with Gerda and Tracy

There were many bystanders out supporting the runners (and they, along with the bands en route, added to the fun atmosphere) who tried to encourage me as I headed into the last mile. They implied that Tracy was tiring and that she wasn't much more than 20 seconds ahead of me. Unfortunately this was also by far my slowest mile (it turns out that it was for everyone...so although I know the fast one earlier had come back to haunt me, I think the head wind was strongest at this point). I was convinced that I'd been hearing some cheering for "Lisa" just behind me for the last 2 miles so tried to keep going right to the finish, but fully expected to be outsprinted by said Lisa. It was just about all I could do to make it there....as I did have to stand "hands on knees" in the finish funnel trying to recover my composure!

You have to love receiving a text like that!

3rd place

In the end, I found out that I'd been hearing things as I finished as 3rd lady, 16 seconds behind Tracy and 1 minute 38s in front of the 4th lady (Gerda just got stronger and stronger, finishing in 36:08, proving the benefits of her recent altitude training). When I got my results text through I was delighted to read the time of 37:00, but Alister won bragging rights (and so I bought the finish lines beers at a local stall as we waited for prizegiving) as he'd well and truly beaten his target, recording 43:48! All in all, not a bad weekend of speedwork :-)