Facing the Demons

All the dramas of last year's start at the Seville Marathon have really had an impact on my psyche. I've been too scared of another trampling to enter another big race with a mass start (hence my withdrawal from Comrades and my hiding away at the side on the barriers in the Glasgow half). The Seville race organisers knew this and so kindly invited me back to try to slay my demons.

 



A photoshoot at the expo....

As previously described, I had somewhat lost my mojo after a great 2014, so combining that with poor weather (the roads were thick ice/snow for a good 2 weeks and the track was shut for 5 weeks), a very short training window, and some health issues, I wasn't going to be going there aiming to run a good time. The goal was just to get through the mayhem of the start and get round in 1 piece rather than 3 this year, though I would've been upset with myself if I didn't have a good solid run (and it wouldn't have seemed fair on those who had invited me back if I'd just had an easy run round the course).



Enjoying the Seville oranges....

The lead up to the race was slightly crazy as I wasn't even sure that I was going to be able to go until the Wednesday night, but luckily I got the all clear from the cardiologist that evening. In 2014, I had been there on my own when all the dramas occurred, and so this year I invited my mother to come with me. Who wouldn't want a weekend of sun and sightseeing in Spain when it's cold in the uk? And a weekend of my company too......just kidding! It was lovely to spend some time just wandering around Seville with her, checking out tourist spots, watching parades, visiting cafes and ice cream shops, seeing parts of the route (including the tramlines in town, the horsemuck from the tourist carts, the tiles of Plaza España and the raised studs marking cycle lanes) and obviously Seville orange trees.


Churros and chocolate!!

I was delighted to see the weather the day before the race - cold and wet - as all the other runners in the Elite start come from warm, sunny countries (well, there was a Swedish lady, Louise, but she'd just spent a couple of months training at altitude in the South African summer), but unfortunately by the time the lunchtime technical meeting came about,  it was sunny and warm again. Judging by the meeting, it looked like here would be quite an exciting race going on (obviously way ahead of me up the road), as the pacers for the lead men were going off at well under CR schedule (ie 2:07:30 pace). The women's field was rather stacked also - there was an official pacemaker for 2:26-2:28, and then several ladies had brough their own private pacemakers - aiming for 2:31, 2:32, 2:34, and 2:38 (that was Louise). I hoped that I wouldn't have too lonely a run on the day as there didn't seem to be anyone else there of my standard. Still - I guess none of them went out and met their mother for churros, chocolate and ice cream that afternoon either (I like to call it "carb-loading Sevilliano-style"!).

Race day started better this year, as I actually managed to get the right bus to the start so there was no wandering around lost in the dark, and I had time to sit quietly in the Elite enclosure eating my jam sandwiches (thanks to a photographer for capturing that), queue for the solo portaloo, check out the site of last year's carnage (a nice smooth section of road.....lovely....but I definitely didn't want to see it again from any closer up!), try to calm my thoughts, and actually warm up.


I cannot remember much about the 2014 start, but I'd spotted myself in the centre of the road in some photos, so this time I made sure that I was right at the edge, almost completely tucked in behind the start gantry. It seemed to me that they were never going to get the race under way, but then I did know that I was going to expend most of my energy with startline nerves. Several guys tried to be "kind" and urged me to start ahead if them, but I tried to politely refuse and kept hanging onto the gantry as if my life depended on it (well it felt like it did!), despite some marshals trying to push the gantry in to actually narrow the funnel.



My favourite bit of road - not!

All of a sudden we were off......and even though I was right at the edge and headed as wide as I could immediately, I still felt some hands on my back and shoulder pushing me on. I really fail to understand this - everyone has to run at least 26.2 miles, so why the urge to push, shove and sprint those first few yards. Fear really kicked in, and so I'm ashamed to say that I wasn't as gentle as I could have been as I semi-turned and slapped those hands away.....but it seemed to work as I suddenly realised that I'd covered the first 100yards and was still on my feet and running! Happy Days!

 

I then had a sudden realisation.....I'd managed to run the gauntlet of the start and make it out alive.....but now I actually had a marathon to run. I'd been so focused on the first few yards rather than the race as a whole, that I hadn't switched my watch on, but somehow I managed to do so as I was running along. I wasn't sure what pace I was running so looked around as I got to the first km marker. I could see Louise and her coach/pacer not too far ahead of me, and an couple of the low 2:30s ladies and their pacers were still in sight. One thing that did really confuse me was that the official 2:45 pacer (with his huge balloon) was a considerable distance up the road ahead of us all. Weird! However, I just decided to ignore all of that and settle into a pace that seemed comfortably uncomfortable.

 

The next few miles ticked along nicely and I'd crossed the 5K mark (and passed my mum at 6K) almosty before I knew it. There was a small group of men just up ahead of me, so I decided to close the gap and stick with them to 10K. At the 10K mark, I made it my goal to try to keep with that group (more or less) until the 20K mark. This seemed like a good idea in principle, but I actually became quite frustrated with them. Initially it started out with 1 guy being paced by 2 others, but then other men (I presume friends/running mates) would jump in off the sidelines and certain corners to help with his race - they weren't wearing numbers, and so were not officially part of the marathon, but still felt it was OK to cut across in front of me and almost trip me/block my way on occasion. I gave myself a talking to, and decided it was better to just put up with this in order to avoid running alone in no man's land.

 



The tiles of Plaza Espana

By 20K, the "paced man" had begun to struggle a bit and so they'd dropped back, while I found myself only about 50m another decent-sized group led by Lousie's pacer (with her tucked in right behind him). I was breaking the run up into smaller chunks in my mind, so from the halfway mark to 30k, the target was to keep Louise in eyesight (I knew that if she was going to run her planned 2:38, I wouldn't be able to keep up with her pace, but trying to avoid her disappearing before 30K seemed reasomnable as there were some long straight stretches). I hadn't liked closing up on the back of the group as there was still some jostling and cutting in going on, so I was happy to just run by myself slightly further back. I couldn't see her, when her pacer stopped at 31K, but I was definitely starting to feel the lack of big marathon buildup by this point. There is a 2K straight stretch of road that I remembered as being rather hot and sunny in 2014, and 2015 was exactly the same. The turn off from that road into a cooler tree-lined park was such a relief, and I also knew that my mum was going to be just round the corner cheering me on (I believe she thought my grin aimed at her was more of a grimace at that point!).

 

In a slight change to the previous year's route, we ran further on the park trails, which was lovely, but all too soon, it was back out into the sun to make a tight circuit round the tiles of Plaza Espana. My mum had dashed across to the park exit to see me on way for the last few miles before she went for a well-earned lunch to line her stomach before partaking in the post-race beers I'd suggested!

 

Course hazards in town

The next few miles wound through the old part of town, so there was a lot of crowd support, which could help fading runners. I say "could help" as I'm never convinced that it's nice to have people see my poor form when I tired at the end of a race. It was also important to stay alert and pick your feet as you had to avoid the horsemuck, the raised cyclelane markers, uneven flagstones and cobbles, and cross the tramlines on many occasions. As the buildings closed in on either side, the temperature did drop again which was nice, but then I had a slight problem when I caught up to one of the wheelchair athletes. He had a cyclist accompanying him, and together that filled the entire race route and so I could not get by on either side until it widened out again.

Luckily the widening coincided with a rise for a bridge over the river so I could move away from them, and I knew that when I got to the other side, I only had 2km to run!

 

What a long 2km it seemed, especially as you wind around with the stadium in sight but don't seem to enter it for ages. Thinking back, it was actually a lot better in 2015 as the added portion in the park, meant that some of the winding round on hot sunny roads with the stadium in sight had been removed. I did make a "school boy" error with just over a mile to go - which makes me laugh when I think about it now (but not at the time). There was an aidstation with marshals handing out cups. I'd not been the best at getting much water from these cups to my mouth at previous stations so this time I thought that the most benefit would be gained by pouring it over my head. I headed to a guy that I thought was shouting "Agua" and poured the cup of clear fluid over my hair and then realised, as it dripped down my face, that I'd actually picked up a cup of the clear isotonic drink which is called something that sounds very similar to "Agua" - yukkkk!!!

 



What other finish pose could I adopt?!!

Finally, I rounded the last turn and could see those ahead entering the stadium. This is a cheeky bit of the course as it's quite a steep downhill slope under the stands, and the contrast from bright sunlight to the darkness under the building makes many people stumble. It would've been just my luck to fall and break myself here, but luckily I was soon through and into my last 200m round the track.

 



I could see Louise just up ahead of me and so, although I knew that she must have faded a bit (as there was no way I was running near to a 2:38 marathon), I realised that I'd also produced as good a run as I could have done on the day. I was so happy to duck under the finish before the clock turned to 2:41, and nearly ran into one of the press officers asking me how it had gone this year. All I could do was point to my (still intact) nose and smile......demons well and truly faced!!!

Wes joins the sub 2:45 club!

 

An added bonus to not being carted straight off to the medics was that I could stay around the finish area and cheer friends in, one of whom achieved his target of nipping under the 2:45 barrier, while another had completed his first ever marathon....and I much preferred sitting in the sunshine in town with a cold drink (or two) than spending the afternoon alone in a foreign hospital!!!

A different type of Valentine's Story.....

This Valentine's Weekend really has been all about affairs of the heart for me, but actually my story probably dates back a few weeks.....

A lot of runners are aware of their resting heartrate (and indeed, many know specific heart rate bands that they train in - though I'm not one of those!) and check it periodically, eg for early illness warning signs, or to check for overtraining. As people get fitter, their resting heart rate tends to get lower, and I know that mine is usually around 48-50bpm. This may be higher than that of many other runners (which may be another reason why I never have any confidence in my fitness) but it's normal for me, and so if I check it and it's in the mid-high 50's, I know that I should look for a reason why.

I've already described feeling lacklustre about my running this year, but add to that some extra lethargy, constantly feeling cold and out of sorts with some weight gain, and I decided to check my pulse at work. 46.....a bit lower than usual, so I rechecked it the next day.....44....and then 42. I know I have sloth-like tendencies but that was a significant drop.

My ECG

Maybe my pulse oximeter was faulty.....that must be the answer....but then when I checked the pulse of a patient with 'flu, it was up at 118, so it seemed to be reading OK. Next step for a paranoid medic.......ECG and BP.
My ECG showed a rate of 38 (and that was after coffee and cake!!)and my BP was 96/56.

Bouncing these results off a colleague (as the bradycardia protocol suggests giving medication and admitting to hospital urgently if a pulse rate is <40), he commented that he'd never seen such a slow ECG in anyone who wasn't seriously unwell.....obviously said partly in jest, but still, "there's always truth in a joke"!!


I didn't think I had suddenly become much fitter overnight, so I started to think about any other symptoms.

I had gone for a run one afternoon and had to stop as I saw black spots in my visual fields at the end and thought I was going to faint. I had put it down to hypoglycaemia, but with hindsight it couldn't have been as I'd had lunch before going out (and wasn't out that long). I also had a few episodes of feeling dizzy when I got up to go from the living room to the kitchen, but had just blamed myself for lazing on the sofa for too long (my favourite habitat!).

Now I knew that my pulse and BP were lower than usual (for me), I started to feel weak and wobbly from time to time, so although I knew those were just psychological symptoms, I decided it was time to put my mind at rest and so took myself off to my own GP. Blood tests were OK (underactive thyroids run in the family so we checked for that), but then I got a call that the cardiologist wanted to see me...........eeeeeekkkk!!

Next up - 4 appointments at the hospital in a week (anymore and I'd need my own parking bay):



A better chest for viewing a 24hr monitor on

1. To be rigged up to a "24hr tape". This is to monitor your heart rate/ecg for 24 hours, so becomes your faithful friend. I wasn't keen to exercise anyway, but it was great to have a good excuse for being lazy (the stickers from the 3 electrodes might have come unstuck, and I couldn't shower for 24hrs). The box and it's wires become your faithful friend, so it becomes a challenge to find clothing that hides them hanging down/the bulk on your waistband - and you have to ensure that you don't keep turning over in the same direction in bed or you end up wrapping yourself up in the leads!!! There is a button to press to record "when you  feel symptoms", which is great for those with palpitations, but not so useful for me and my "feeling cold and tired".

My "Holter monitor"

2. To remove the 24hr tape - officially less of an issue as you disconnect it yourself and return it (along with your symptom diary). It was sooooooo nice to remove the sticky electrodes, as they aren't half itchy!



Diagrammatic representation of an ECHO (I'm
 not showing a pic of mine being done!!)

3. An echocardiogram - which is basically an ultrasound to look at the structure of your heart. This is a simple painless procedure, though I have to say it is a trifle unsettling to be stripped to the waist while a colleague (that you see at meetings) performs the exam and talks you through the results as you watch it on screen. Mind you, when I say painless, I did get a sore neck craning round to see everything that he was pointing out on the screen as I had to lie on my left hand side and the screen was behind and to the right! It was fascinating to see the walls, chambers, valves etc of my heart and see the blood flow through it.

Another version of an ETT

4. An Exercise Tolerance Test - I always knew that would be a fun-filled experience bearing in mind my general dislike of the "treadmill"! The test consists of 3 minute sections with each one being faster and steeper than the previous. I didn't think it could be too strenuous if little old ladies with angina are put onto it, but by the end of my test it was going at 5mph with an incline of 18%. To make it more fun, I had all sorts of wires attached to my chest (more than for a normal ECG as the 4 limb leads are also attached to the chest, as otherwise they don't read properly due to movement artefacts) and a BP cuff on my arm which kept inflating and deflating (and catching on the treadmill itself). Oh yes.....and I was still in my work trousers and shoes!! At least I got to watch the screen throughout the entire 15minutes of test and 5 minutes of recovery while chatting away to the technicians, unlike on a treadmill in a gym.

By the end of it, I feel like I've been totally through the mill (though now I feel that I can explain the procedures a lot more clearly to my patients when I refer them) and have come out as an "athletic sloth"! My heart is structurally normal - no structural, valve or flow problems, no hypertrophy or cardiomyopathy, and there were no great rhythm problems. My resting rate is back up to its "usual" now, so whatever it was that caused me to feel unwell, wasn't too significant and I'm not going to perish imminently!! You can all put away the black funeral garb and I can get back to furring my heart up with cake and chocolate...or dilating it with alcohol!!!!

A Regression Run

The Carlisle Resolution 10K was rescheduled for Sunday Feb 1st - and I couldn't make up my mind whether to run it or not. I had the deferred place from 2 weeks previously, and I still really needed a race to "keep me honest" (as Ellie G put it) and see where I was at, but I've also been rather lacking in my Sunday long runs (due to the initial 10K plan, and then the masters' relay) and I couldn't decide which would benefit me more.

 

In the end I thought I should force myself to run the 10K and then, if I felt like it, add some miles on at the end. The bonus to this plan, was that the race would only be on if the roads were clear, and the roads at home are still a nightmare with snow and compacted snow frozen into ice.

 



Team DRC

The race organisers had delayed the start by an hour to allow for conditions to be as good as possible, but they needn't have worried as Sunday dawned bright and sunny, even if the wind was bitingly cold ("real temp 1 degree, feels like -4" according to the forecast). It was difficult to decide exactly what to wear to race in, and funnily enough, all 4 of us running for DRC ended up wearing a diffierent combination of vest, tshirt, longsleeve, shorts, tights, and gloves. I had done a few miles as a warm up and had thought it would be warm racing - and so stripped back to vest and shorts (and my fingers definitely felt chilly on the way round ;-( ).

 

I knew that the 2 guys from my club would be targetting me, and one had even said this to several people beforehand, but I tried to ignore them and just run my own race. I had hoped to be near the 37minute mark, and so they'd said that they might try to take a pace from me early on. The roads weren't closed for the race so we were milling about on one side of a road, letting cars go by etc, when suddenly a starting horn was fired (with no countdown). There was no chip mat to cross, and so I guessed our ankle timing bands were just to aid a fast upload of results after the race.



Trying to catch up to the lads...

 

Considering the pre-race chat, it was interesting to see the lads go out fast in front of me, but I drew alongside them in the first mile. One of them does almost all of his running on a treadmill, and unfortunately this meant that the race caught him out, as it was rathger "undulating". As soon as we started the first climb, he dropepd back from me and I didn't see him again (though I was expecting to for almost all the race, as I had thought that he would be faster than me on the day). I'd run the course several years previously (though it was then on a midweek summer's evening) and although I'd forgotten the sudden sharp descent and ascent on one of the backroads I definitely remembered miles 4-5.5. In the summertime, the road has just seemed to climb gradually on and on into a nice headwind, and in the wintertime it seemed no different.....eurgh!

 



Running in for the CR ;-)

Still, I had been told just prior the the race starting that the ladies' course record was 38:05, and so even though I felt like I was dying a death and really just wanted to stop - a quick look at my watch at the 5 mile mark reassured me that if I could only keep going, I would breat that time. Due to the sun in my eyes, it was almost impossible to see the finish (well, it would've been impossible anyway, as it involved a sharp left hand turn off the road into the racecourse, and then a sharp right around the front of the building) but I could see bodies and hear people cheering, and was greeted by the lovely words "Well done, a new ladies' CR".

 

I had a drink, congratulated the lads as they finished 40s apart from each other, put some tights and a jacket on, and then headed out again. The 10K route was like a lollipop, so as I ran out I could cheer on other friends running in. This time round the loop was considerably slower than the previous one, and so I made it back just after the prizegiving, but at least that gave me another excuse for a short break before I did one more tour of the loop of the lollipop.

 

All in all, a decent day.....clear roads, sunshine, a 10K race with a couple of extra laps round part of it (though as each loop was slower than the previous one, I think you'd term it a regression run.....ie the opposite of a progression run) and a trip to a garden centre for a nice feed....and a return home to find my driveway and road still completely blocked with slippy compacted snow and ice!

Turning it around with teamwork...

I knew I needed to give myself a kick up the backside and so I decided to enter a 10K in Carlisle to see just how far off the pace I'd drifted. I was really dreading it, and, if I'm totally honest, I wasn't looking forward to being well and truly beaten by people that I've become used to finishing ahead of. Still.....I don't believe in only racing when you feel right at the peak of your game, so off I headed. It had been really cold, icy and snowy in the preceding few days, so I had half expected (ie hoped) that the race would have been called off, but when I checked t
he website 30mins before registration opened, they said that there was a possible 30minute delay as there might be a course alteration.

Arriving at the venue (a 40 mile drive later), it turned out that they had decided to cancel the event 20minutes after their original delay notification. I can completely understand cancelling an event for safety reasons, but their organisational skills left something to be desired. Not only was the original message inappropriate, but there were no signs or information on display at the venue, and so I only found out about the cancellation by word of mouth from other runners.....rather a wasted morning and drive. I may have been quietly pleased not to show myself up, but I having actually forced myself to enter and turn up, I was strangely disappointed.

The next weekend brought the Scottish Masters' Relay Championships up at Strathclyde Park. Along with my teammates (and fellow medics) Sian and Lisa Finlay, we had won this event back in 2012. I declined to put myself forward for the team this year, as I knew I was lacking in speed (the race is <3.7miles/leg) and another (rather speedy) clubmate Mhairi had passed the magic age of 35 and so was eligible to run.

The Flying Doctors ride again!

Unfortunately, Mhairi had a foot niggle and so was forced to pull out at the start of the weekend and so I was drafted in. Although really worried about letting the girls down, I was actually looking forward to a club day out and a good catchup. Lisa, Sian and I drove up together - and none of us seemed to be feeling very confident (though it is rather early in the year to be racing). Lisa set off with a good strong first leg, and handed over to Sian who moved us up in pole position, leaving me to hang for the anchor leg.  When I started running, I couldn't see any other ladies just in front or behind Sian, so I wasn't sure if we were in the lead. As I ran round the lake, I passed about 10 men, but no ladies came into sight. I thought that I'd failed the girls and so, although I realised that I had to keep going as hard as possible to the end as I'd watched them both put in a hard effort, the first thing I did when I crossed the line was apologise!



Scottish Masters' Champions

As it turns out there was no need, as we were almost 3 and a half minutes ahead of the second placed team! It gave us all a boost of confidence and made me realise how fun it is to be part of a team, and how much relay races spur you on, as you're running for others rather than just for yourself. Even our cooldown lap passed before I realised, as we chatted all the way round.

Lisa commented afterwards that the result had spurred her on to start training hard again, whereas I found my body convincing me that after racing a rest day was really what the doctor ordered......still, it was great to be out enjoying running again...and I have the girls to thank for that (and Mhairi's foot, even though we missed her!).

Failure to Launch?

I know that everyone finds it hard to restart running after a break, but this time it seems to have be especially tough.......and I'm still struggling!

Last year started off (well, the first few weeks were good) rather badly and I thought that the rest if the year would probably be a write-off, but ended up so much better than I could possibly have dreamed of. I'm still not sure how I went from being trampled and broken in February, to competing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, the World Mountain Running Championships, the World 50k and then for GB at the World 100K Champs over the course of the same year. I still have to pinch myself, and check my photos and medals are real rather than just dreamt up!

I had a good few weeks off after the second Doha trip and caught up with family and friends, thinking I would be able to get back into it over the Christmas and New Year period. Unfortunately, when I tried, the "get up and go" just seemed to have "got up and gone".



Sun and sea!

A lovely sunset...implies there's sun!

I thought that the miserable British weather might have something to do with it, and so went away for a few days of winter sun with my friend Mark. Mark and I have been friends since we met climbing Aconcagua 8 years ago.....which seemed deal as it meant that we could happily do our own things during the day and just meet up at beer o'clock (waiting for dinner o'clock). Unfortunately, it also meant that while Mark was out on his bike, I had to motivate myself to go out running. I did manage this most of the time, but also tried some alternative options......insanity (I wouldn't recommend that straight after breakfast), Pilates, and Aerial Yoga (that was certainly an experience unlike any other as you got a massive blood rush to the head whilst hanging upside down with silk twisted round your legs to support you!).



My favourite pose ;-)

A good stretch?



Blood rush?

It was great being away, but unfortunately the weather back home hasn't improved at all, so I'm still struggling to actually get started this year. No point worrying about it though, as I'm actually lucky to be uninjured and able to run if I want to, as I know plenty of people who can't, but it may be a sign that I should be trying out something new....hopefully (after I've faced a few demons this Spring) I'll take heed and do just that!





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!