Bipolar running disorder?

Every runner goes through the same cycles of alternately loving and hating running. One moment you can be on top of the world and fired up full of enthusiasm, and yet the very next day, you can wonder why on earth you bother and whether you should just quit.

It's all very well to "know" that everyone (well almost everyone) goes through the same pendulum of emotions, but at the time you think that you must be the only person struggling with your thoughts.

It often happens to me after a big race, often one, such as the 100k, when you completely exceeded your expectations going into it. You want to keep riding that wave of success and, if anything, building on it, but the body just doesn't want to play ball.

I had a couple of runs lined up to give myself a slight focus.....initially the Yorkshire marathon to check how well I was recovering from the 100k (when the organisers originally asked me to participate  I had warned them that I wouldn't be in form able to run particularly fast due to the timing of it) and then, a few weeks later, a new event - a 50K trail race in the Gobi Desert.



Trail running in the Lakes



To prepare myself (slightly) for the Gobi, I did a couple of trail runs in the Lake District, which were about 10 miles long. Realising that I needed to try running slightly further if I had any chance of making it round the York course in one piece, I set off on a Sunday with that aim in mind. Unfortunately, my body didn't agree with me, and I just felt tired and out of sorts so me cut it short and nipped into a shop for a refuel instead!

Having then found out (at short notice) that the Gobi race was being postponed for a couple of weeks (and hence I could no longer participate as I could not arrange the time away from work) I didn't know what to think about the marathon. I hate to pull out of anything that I've agreed to do, unless I have very good reasons to do so, but I couldn't summon up any enthusiasm for it.

Whilst remaining undecided, I went to a low key parkrun near to my parents' house on the Saturday morning. The first mile felt so horrendous that I almost decided to stop there and then, but when I looked down at my watch, I realised that it was because I was running at a much faster pace than usual, and actually recorded one of my faster parkruns of the year.

I made up my mind to head down to York, and at least start the race at a good steady pace, so that even if I didn't complete the whole run, then hopefully I could have helped some of the other ladies in the field to run a good first half and then possibly new PBs.

Several of the ladies had PBs within seconds of each other around the 2:50 mark. Jamil, the coach/manager of one the top Kenyan runners had offered to pace the ladies' race to approx halfway, and so I suggested a pace of 6:20s. This was about 2:46 pace, so I thought that even if they faded a bit when the pacer stopped, then they would run some new quick times. Just prior to the start this was talked down to 6:30 pace, and so although I started behind them (my usual slow start), I found myself leading the field after a mile of so as I was clipping along at about 6:25s.

I thought this man had the largest
number of supporters ever, but it
turned out that he just had his name
on his vest!

I felt pretty comfortable at this pace, and several men latched on to me, but I wasn't sure how long I would be able to maintain it for. Still, I was enjoying the run as the conditions were night and day as compared to the previous year (this year was warm and sunny, last year was cold and foggy) so it was actually nice to see some of the countryside we were running through, and it was nice to be able to keep some others onto a pace they wanted.

I had a bit of banter with a cameraman on the back of a motorbike, suggesting that he should really be filming someone with a better running style than myself, as I know I take really short steps. I asked him where the other ladies were....and got the surprising reply "5000m behind you". Somehow I really didn't believe that one, as we'd  only been running for 6 miles! Two miles later (when I nearly ran into the motorbike as the driver had slowed down rather too much for a close-up shot) I was told that they were 2/10 of a mile behind. 

Trying to work out what that meant certainly took my mind off the fact that I was starting to feel a bit tired. I reckoned that the original gap must've been about 500m, whereas 2/10 of a mile was nearer 300m, so I just be fading by about 100m/mile. At that rate, I'd be passed and could legitimately stop with the pacer at the halfway point, as I knew that he was getting picked up there. 

My face when I saw the clock!!

There was a clock at the side of the road as we crossed the half-marathon point (strangely enough I hadn't yet been passed), which was a great idea for runners to be able to check their pacing. Well, it would have been a great idea if it had shown the correct time for us, but unfortunately it had been started when the 4 wheelchair athletes set off. I knew that I wasn't running very fast, but I was rather startled to see it showing 1:26+! Luckily the guys around we were just as surprised, and so we all looked at our watches and agreed that it was about 3 minutes out. 

Soon afterwards, we reached a switchback section, and it gave me an idea of what was happening behind me. I could see where the next couple of ladies (still with Jamil) were and they looked to be running strongly and comfortably. Still, the gap hadn't really shortened so I carried on with my own run. 



It definitely became a more
lonely run!!



The next part of the course was rather tough for me, as I was now out on my own and certainly starting to feel the 100k still in my legs. It was a case of giving myself small targets, such as getting to the 16 mile marker without being overtaken, and then to the 18 mile marker. A couple of friends from Durham were out on the course cheering (as their husbands were also running), so it was lovely to get a personal shout out, though I believe I did complain to them in no uncertain terms, that I was rather tired and not "loving it" (sorry ladies!!!).

Another long switchback and the gap hadn't decreased too much, though I felt that everyone else looked a lot better than I was feeling, so I started taking it a mile at a time. I remembered feeling strong towards the end of the race last year, and so employed the same tactics this year, trying to reel in a couple of guys before reaching every mile marker.



It must've been the pre-race nutrition!!



There was a new event this year - a 10 mile race with the same start and finish as the marathon, but which started 45 minutes afterwards. It meant that there were more runners around in the latter stages of the race, as I caught a few of them up (the lead men in the marathon must've been surrounded). It was really nice to recognise the Run Director from my previous day's parkrun and so exchange some encouragement as I passed her.

By the time I was in to the last mile, I knew that I would be really disappointed if I lost the lead, so I checked with the cameraman again, to see if I still had a decent gap or if I was going to be passed in a final flourish by one of the others with a strong finish. He told me to relax and that I was fine, but then the motorbike driver told me that I really needed to keep pushing to stay ahead. I remember running up the final steep hill last year with an empty road in front of me, and then wishing that I'd pushed it when I almost caught the second placed lady in the finish funnel. I didn't want to be the one that was caught this year so I kept driving up the slope (well, I tried to as much as my protesting glutes would let me). 

The finish is rather deceptive, as I crested the hill thinking I was just about there, but then spied the 500m to go sign. A final effort was required.....

Finally finished....

I heard an announcement "Here comes the First Lady" but it was quickly followed with "That doesn't look much like a lady" which rather surprised me (hopefully nobody to a picture just at that point). Carrying on towards the finish, I realised that it wasn't really the announcer insulting me, as I managed to overtake another man before the finish. 

Arty winning photo ;-)

It was amazing to see the tape being stretched out for me to break.......I'm not sure I've ever had that before! I did feel a rather bittersweet rush of emotion though, as I looked up at the clock and it was showing 2:51. I've actually never run a marathon before with a finish time in the 2:50s, but as it turned out, all's well that ends well, as that clock was also started with the wheelchairs so my actual time was 2:48!!



Guess which prize I was really
running for.....



The ladies' podium!

Having seen the other ladies before the start, I had thought that if I managed to make it round the whole way, I might sneak the "first old lady" prize, but I'd never expected to be the first lady overall (and earn my promised "Fat Rascal" for a podium finish from my mate Adam who lives in Harrogate - home of Betty's Tearoom). To cap off a good day, I was then in a great position at the finish to cheer in the 2nd and 3rd ladies who'd both had fantastic runs!

Braving the NE mud...

Last weekend I went over to Durham to visit my parents. Never being one to turn down a challenge to get out of my comfort zone, I decided to make a "guest" appearance at the first race of the North East Harriers Cross Country League. I fully admit that XC is not "my thing" - firstly it's rather short, secondly it's rather fast, and thirdly you have to be able to pick your feet up! Still, I hope that trying something like this can only benefit me in terms of strength and speed.



With some of the DCH ladies pre-race

I went along to Tanfield with friends from Durham City Harriers, who kindly let me use their tents for kit storage/changing....and let me eat their cakes afterwards! It was interesting to see how many people I actually knew from various NE clubs from various trips home and races.

The first thing that struck me was how well attended the event was - with the U11s being the first race off, right up through the age groups to the senior and vet men (of whom there were a record number of participants - over 600). This mean that there was a great friendly supportive atmosphere, as everyone tried to encourage their friends, colleagues, clubmates and even rivals whether there were recovering from their own run, warming up pre-race or just there to spectate. The army of club tents in the field brought to mind a Harry Potter-esque quidditch tournament.

The different age groups had different courses marked out on the farmland normally used for equestrian events, but each were a "true cross country" courses involving muddy climbs, uneven descents, half-buried logs, some straw underfoot, deer running out of the trees across the course, twists and turns and even a "water jump". The senior and vet ladies' race consisted of 2 long laps (making up 4.2miles in total), each of which contained this ankle-deep 10m long stretch of water (with a photographer conveniently positioned at the far side).

Starting lap 2

To divide up the field, and make the race more interesting, runners are seeded based on their performance in the previous year's league, with the "slower" pack starting 2 minutes ahead of the "medium" pack, who are in turn chased down by the "fast" pack 2 minutes later. As a new participant, I had to start with the slow group and so my objective was to see how far I could make it before my friend Rosie caught up with me (I know I had a 4 minute start on her, but then again, she is an international XC runner).

I started over to the side of the course as there was the usual pack sprint start, that I cannot even dream of taking part in, but by the time we reached the first hill, I found myself leading the charge to pick the best line (or rather the "line of most grip" in the mud). There was another lady who looked to be a fast runner also making her first appearance (and hence in the same start group), so I thought that she was right behind me (it was only when I watched the video of the water jump  later that I realised I'd opened up a considerable gap). As I splashed into the water (with a new type of "girlie arms"), I could see Rosie leading the fast ladies to the base of  the first hill, so it was game on.

It could have become a bit of a lonely run after that, but there was plenty of support out on the course (from spectators, marshals and men out warming up), and as I approached the end opf the first lap, there were some of the U20 women to chase down as they finished their race. At the time I wondered if I should be offended that one of the men out for a warmup asked a marshal if I was last but, as a friend pointed out to me later, it was actually flattering that he thought I was in the U20/U17 race (it must be that face cream I don't use!!). Oh, how I wished that I could enter the finish funnel at the end of that lap with the younger ladies, but instead I was waved on for another go round the course.

What is likely to be my only XC Gold medal!

That lap was more of an effort, as I could definitely feel my legs protesting that they still had 100K in them. I secretly wished that Rosie would come flying past so that I could then walk up the hills (clearly just those hills out of sight in the woods) without losing face, but the 4 minute buffer was good enough that even though she skipped through the whole field (ie she passed almost 400 ladies), I was able to cheer her in from the safe position of beyond the finish line! It shows that I run more marathons than XC races as I thought that the medals we were handed were for finishing, rather than gold and silver for our positions!!

I wouldn't say that I was a XC convert, but I did enjoy the friendliness and camaraderie of the day....and the cake that was in plentiful supply afterwards!!

Just a few laps in the Netherlands.....

My less-than-ideal pre-race preparation seemed to follow me all the way to the Netherlands. 

While desperately trying to get my work finished up on Wednesday, I was fielding calls from relatives of patients, and from hospital colleagues about patients right up until close of play. Luckily, I'd got my bag packed and sorted for my silly o'clock start in the morning......or so I thought. I picked it up last thing at night to place it by the front door, and noticed something was dripping......all I needed, a drink/gel explosion necessaitating some emergency cleaning/repacking. At least I'd decided to leave rather early to avoid all the rush-hour traffic on the Edinburgh bypass......only to be caught in stationary traffic due to a multiple vehicle pile-up causing closure of the exact section of bypass I needed to be on. Panic did start to set in....but I finally made my flight and joined the rest of the GB crew in Amsterdam airport for the (3xtrain and bus) trip to Winschoten, only arriving about 12 hours after I'd left home!!!

Team GB awaiting the Flag Parade

Friday passed in a blur of meetings, a press conference, an interview, getting bottles ready, sorting/swopping kit amongst ourselves, and attending the opening ceremony/pasta party.....so we were rather glad to get to our beds that night. Sue Harrison and I were sharing a tiny twin room (luckily we avoided the bunkbeds this year) and it seemed no time at all from when we turned the light off until we were getting up to walk over to the dining hall and prepare ourselves for the day. Half an hour by bus into town, and then some more sitting around worrying about how the day would pan out (though I was actually more worried about having just lost my phone, but maybe that was my head shutting down and refusing to think about how many miles I was about to run!).

Sue, our other team mate (Holly Rush) and I headed over to the startline and lined ourselves up at the back, while shouting good luck to the 3 guys running for GB who were rather further forward. People always start off exceptionally fast when you consider that the race will last most of the day, and from experience, I suggested we position ourselves where we did as there was a sharp 90 degree corner and narrowing of the path soon after the start, and I didn't want any of us to have a silly accident (we would need all 3 of us to finish to score a team result).

Our names and numbers were attached front and back, and I love seeing the variety of names in these international events. We started off following "Jesus", later on I ran with "Marco Polo" and , as it was also the Belgian and Dutch national championships, I passed a lot of "Dicks" and "Dirks"! My number said "Joasia" this time, and though many people, especially in the running world, call me "Jo", I've always been "Joasia" to my family, so I'm always startled to hear "Go Jo Go" in my mother's voice! I first saw my parents and Polish cousins at the 2K mark, and they then spent most of the day shuttling backwards and forwards between 2K and 7K to cheer me on (5K for me between those points, but only a few hundred metres for them so they usually beat me to it!), along with Les (Sue's coach).

Sue and I both had slight dramas with our watches at the start but as we were running together, we managed to estimate our pace for the first mile between us. We had to consciously slow down as we found ourselves comfortably trotting along rather quicker than we'd planned. It was rather nice to see a digital clock had been set up on the 5K mark, and yet again it made me check my speed as I was there ahead of when I should have been.

I somehow lost Sue in the first few Kms (but heard later that she and Holly had hooked up and so were running together) which basically signified the start of a rather long lonely run, though this didn't actually bother me as I usually run alone. The first few laps were nice and relaxed, and I used them to settle into the course and check out the exact kilometre markers, specific route features, support and feed stations.

The open feed station

Walter's vital right arm!

We'd previously had a feed station at 5K, but as the course had changed slightly, the best place on this route was around 6K. Eleanor and Spencer were on our 6K aid station, but when I passed it on the first lap, Spencer hadn't yet made it there. To be honest, this made no difference to me as I was alone so could easily get my bottle from Eleanor, but I just hope it was OK for any of the others running in pairs. There was a general feed station just round the corner from the "National" ones, so you could always grab extra water/drinks if necessary. Our other feed station was just after the start/finish area, with Walter sending us on our "merry way" every lap - though admittedly, the first two times that I passed him, he was actually trying to reassure me that my phone had been found (I had lost it that morning, and was strangely more worried about that than the actual race itself - talk about "transference").

I'm not going to go into a km by km, or even a lap by lap description of the whole race....as it would only help insomniacs, but there are certain things that stick in my memory.

The best memory I have is from the brilliant level of support - not just from family and friends (with my parents, cousins and Sue's coach out on the course, and other team member's partners/families at Walter's feed station), but from people totally unconnected to Team GB. One member of the French support team encouraged me with "Allez Grande-Bretagne....Go England" on the first lap - I replied with "J'habite en Ecosse!", and so I got a cheer for "L'Ecosse" every lap after that (I apologised to Holly later as she wasn't quite sure why he was encouraging her with the same cry!). There was also a lady who lives in Glasgow on the Australian support team, and so she gave me a huge cheer every time I passed (and so I tried to feed back to when the next Aussie would be coming in). Team Ireland have always given the British ladies lots of support and this race was no exception - with me even managing a quick chat with Keith (their lone participant) when I caught him, so it was a truly international experience. The cries of our supporters were loud enough to turn heads, especially when a lad with a wheelchair appeared to be blocking my run-in to the feedstation one lap. I realise that he was there for a reason (though I couldn't see any casualty at the time) but he seemed totally oblivious to the fact that there was still a race going on, and that he was blocking the narrow path!

That wheelchair.....

Bryan Powell of irunfar was taking pictures and sending tweets from the finish line, so it was great to have some banet to look forward to when I saw him every lap...even if it was just an "awesome!!!" or a thumb's up (or a knackered look later on!!!).

Thumbs up for Bryan!

I did get a cheer from Steve (Way) later on in the race....which I'd really rather not have had, as it meant that he'd had to pull out. I shouted across "Whats' happened?" and he replied "Don't ask!" as unfortunately a glute problem had curtailed his run. This meant that the men could no longer "finish a team" as we'd only started with 3 counters, and as it happened, the same happened to the ladies as Holly unfortunately had to withdraw later on.

The problem with such distance events is that it's very hard to avoid starting too fast as it feels so comfortable. I thought that I could still see some of the leading ladies way off down the road ahead of me when I reached the 11K point. This may not sound like a big deal, but I knew that Camille had thoughts of breaking the 7hr mark, and that the Japanese runners, amongst others, had been altitude training....so again I reigned myself in and let them disappear up the road.

No comment....

I'd been running behind (but within sight) of Marina, one of the Russian ladies, for about the first 30Km. I had spotted the fact that she appeared to be being paced by one of the Latvian men - well, I'm not saying that she was, but I had heard them chatting together in Russian and he slowed down after every feed station/marshal point until she caught him back up. When I reeled her in and passed her, he came with me for a bit, then dropped back to her and then came back to me again. I politely (I think!) asked him not to run so close to me, as I did not want to be accused of being paced. he told me that he had thought it was OK if we weren't from the same National Team, which does suggest that they had planned to run together prior to the event. I decided to ignore it and not let it bother me, so just calmly opened up a little gap. This was a great mental victory as Marina had beaten me by a long way the last time we'd run at Winschoten, though I'd come out of the last couple of Comrades slightly better.

I spotted a Japanese vest at the side of the road, and got excited that I might have caught the lady that finished one position ahead of me at Doha, but when I passed I realised that it was actually one of their male runners...what a shame! While I'm mentioning "side of the road" events, the Belgian men must be the best-hydrated team ever, as I seemed to see one of them relieving themselves every couple of Kms.

Could we be anywhere else with that windmill?

In the 6th lap, I did finally catch the Japanese lady and smoothly moved into 3rd position, though I was worried about how long it would take for my fast start to catch up with me. The answer to that question was "about 80K". When I started the 9th lap, I commented to the guys at the feedstation that I felt like I was going backwards. It turns out that I hadn't really slowed that lap by more than a few seconds (and unknown to me, I was running under British record pace), but I really started to fade then. It felt like I was just slowing and slowing, but having now looked at my laps times, the last two laps weren't that different from each other - just a lot slower than the previous 8.

A Croatian lady passed me before we started the last lap, but I realised that I was still the 3rd European and also still as Masters' medal position. I'm not sure I was thinking much about that, and more about keeping moving one foot in front of the other, as I still thought we were in with a shout of team medals. I started breaking the lap up into small sections, bearing in mind where the Km markers and supporters were...."1K to my parents, then grin"....then a bit later, when looking at the clock "how long can I take to get to the finish and run a PB?", though it took me some distance to work that one out.....and then "1K to Eleanor".

Slight muscle spasm at the finish?

After passing Eleanor on that last lap, I knew that barring disaster I would run a PB. Spencer shouted that there was an American girl on my shoulder, but I decided not to even try to go with her (as she wasn't in either the European of the Masters championship - and 4th/5th in the Worlds didn't seem to matter so much). I was starting to trip over my feet, as I do when I'm tired (as my poor running style  sees me never picking them up high enough) and didn't want to push it and come a cropper  - as it was, I nearly fell over a kerb when knocked sideways by a relay runner with sharp elbows - only my flailing arms saved me, to the delight of the runners near me and those watching at the roadside. With hindsight, maybe I should have run for home from further out as I seemed to be able to pick it up quite well down the finishing straight, but the previous few hundred metres were rather twisty and on an uneven cobbled-type surface through the heart oif the shopping area so maybe self-preservation was a better idea!

Happy Days!!!!

I looked up at the clock as I finished and couldn't believe it.....I'd been worried about not being able to run another 7:41 yet here it was showing 7:31 and change....an almost 10 minute PB!! Maybe I didn't quite pace it right, but I was over the moon with the time (and I got to take home European Bronze and World Masters Silver medals). To put the icing on the cake, I was still sitting drinking by the finish when Sue came home so I was able to cheer her in with another huge PB (taking about 8 minutes off her previous best) and winning the Silver V40 medal - what a day!!!

Masters medallists

Yes, it's a shame that we didn't finish teams for either men or women, and I feel for the two that had to drop out - I know how hard that must have been for them, as you'd do everything in your capability to get across the line when everyone counts for a team result - but they were great in helping us celebrate afterwards as all 4 of us that recorded great new

times (and combining them all, team GB PB'd by about 35minutes....."AWESOME!")!!

Not exactly a Textbook Taper....

Tapering is traditionally about making sure your mind and body are well-rested, well-fuelled, and all set for the race again. Trust me to find myself flat out both at work in Dumfries (sickness and unforeseen circumstances have left us exceptionally shortstaffed, necessitating extra hours, extra surgeries and extra on-call duties) and zipping round the country for other commitments.

It started when my nice 6 hour work day suddenly became an 11 hour day, including a specialist clinic, that I suddenly had to learn about! Bang went my nice afternoon run, but at least I managed to nip out quickly after work to enjoy some evening sun along the local riverbanks.....or so I thought. It would be that day that a local IVDU decided to overdose down by the river....I admit that I did feel rather useless in my tshirt and shorts, but luckily the local paramedics and police appeared!

The following day was another almighty rush - trying to get work finished on time so that I could jump straight on the last train to London. At least that meant a proper sit-down where I could do nothing else but "relax", but I have to say that it wasn't exactly my usual Wednesday night's food and drink. Luckily I made it down in time to catch up with a friend for "last orders"!!!

It isn't always "sunny down South"

I really needed to get some running in the next day, so I decided to run-commute to my course......possibly not the best idea I've ever had. I was trying to run and navigate my way through Central London, whilst dodging cars, buses, bikes, pedestrians, workers and tourists alike - talk about running the gauntlet and taking your life into your own hands....how on earth do people do that regularly?? I'm so impressed!!! To add insult to injury, even though I was only going a couple of miles, the initial sunshine managed to turn into a heavy downpour before I got there!! At least I was offered the use of a nice hot shower and given a couple of lovely (large) muffins on arrival!

We were (very) well fed during the course of the day, so by the time we finished, I really thought that I should skip the wine reception and go for more of a run. I made my way (like a proper running tourist....having to make the odd map stop to ensure I hadn't gone too far in the wrong direction) over to Battersea track to join in with a session run by the Serpentine Running Club, but I totally misjudged the time, and so rather than wait around for almost an hour, I decided to just go back to my friend's house (honest, it was the time factor, rather than the fact that I'd discovered they were doing progressive 300m reps!!!). The run back took rather longer than I'd thought...... I wasn't exactly going at supersonic speed....but at least I figured I'd sleep well that night (even if the mattress did tend to deflate in the middle of the night, so I'd wake up as my hips crunched off the floor).

Woohoo - coffe on tap !!!

Although there was no food in the house, my friend had a great coffee machine.......and with such an abundance of cafes and eateries it wasn't hard to find breakfast. To avoid the previous day's nightmare of roads and pavements, I went for a short easy run along a canal that I found, but it was not without it's own dramas. There was a nice towpath to run along, but many other runners, walkers and cyclists obviously had the same idea as me. Unfortunately there were also many low bridges, and due to the general lack of space in London, the path was forced to narrow just as you ducked under these bridges......and the cyclists seemed to see that as a green light to speed up and go for it, so I had a few close shaves, nearly going for a swim on a couple of occasions!

Saturday morning had been earmarked for taking my friend Helen to her first parkrun. With so many parkruns scattered round London, I hadn't realised it would be a walk-tube-walk to get there, but luckily Helen's brother Richard had chosen a nice scenic one for her debut (and hence not the closest).

I would definitely recommend Richmond parkrun to anyone visiting the area.....not only do you get amazing views (across open "green space".....in London) as you walk there from the tube, you are very likely to spot deer wandering around the park (I was lucky enough to come across a huge stag). It's not the fastest course, though people do sprint off as the first couple of kms are slightly downhill, but then you turn onto grass and finish with an undulating rougher trail section. I ran Helen in along the final section, and she did really well to keep going going up the final inclines while others were walking......though she wasn't that impressed with her time later, when she watched how fast Mo Farah ran the 5000m!!

Another rush back across London and I was on the train heading home......to my "goto" comfort food of pizza and ice cream and my own bed.
Having felt really out of shape at the parkrun (though I do admit the wine consumption the day before may have had something to do with that) I wasn't sure about running a local 10k on the Sunday. I'd never done it before, and I wasn't impressed by the look of the course, but I wanted to support a friend as it was her "last hurrah" as a local race organiser, so down to the riverside I went.

An "interesting" course

The 10k was replacing a well-known longstanding local event, as the host club no longer wanted to involve the police procures and costs for using open roads, and the course couldn't really have been more ridiculous if it had been set by following the tracks of a rabbit. It went up and down the riverbanks, involved crossing the river 4 times, running through a bus depot, through a couple of housing estates, and passed a bandstand 3 times. The bridges over the river could have caused further dramas, as one of them (which we crossed twice) had barriers to slow people down which had to be skirted, another was the main road bridge into town, and in order to cross the final bridge, we were marshalled along the wheelchair ramps (think sharp 180degrees turns) instead of using the steps. Unfortunately the race also clashed with a football match between Queen of the South and Rangers so there were added football fans to be avoided, and I had to play dodgems when a bus unloaded its passengers between me and my clubmate running in front of me.

Having said that about the course, it was a lovely sunny day, and hence some of the riverside stretches were beautiful. Looking back now, it was quite fun to race through the town and get some unexpected local support (both from friends and patients) although we did take others unawares as they weren't expecting people to be chasing others through their housing estates.

Finishing by the river in the park

Luckily there were no dramas with either river or road crossings, and everybody enjoyed both the event and the post-race banter in the park.....and although I didn't run a fast time, I felt better in myself afterwards than beforehand so am very glad that I did it. Now to actually try to relax and unwind properly......

Variety is the spice of life

It's nice to try to do things with a focus on others rather than yourself, so that's what the past couple of weekends have been mainly about. A friend was celebrating his 60th birthday by cycling (with another friend) from Dunnet Head (Scotland's most northerly point) to the Mull of Galloway (Scotland's most southerly point) over a week...ending on the actual birthday itself.

 

The last day cyclists!

It was interesting to see the pictures they posted every day, and I went out (with their wives) to meet them in Newton Stewart on the Friday night, so that I could join them for the last day of the ride. It was a nice sociable day as another friend also came out for the ride, and the "wife support car" met us along the way with sandwiches and traybakes (yummmm!!!). I was worried that I would be holding them back, but after a week of each other's stories, I'm sure that the original pair enjoyed having other people interested in their tales. We mainly cycled on the back roads which were rather quiet...and beautiful to ride along. I'm sure they got tired of me exclaiming over the views, but when you see the sun (OK, so we cycled through some showers too!) glinting off the sea with some beautiful beaches, you wonder why people feel the need to go overseas for holidays when Dumfries and Galloway has so much to offer. It was nice to have a change from running -  I felt that I better able to look round as I was slightly higher up,  less tired, and didn''t have to worry about tripping up if I glanced at my surroundings!

 

Lunch at both ends of D&G!

The sting in the tail was that the final few kms were rather "undulating" with a climb right up from sealevel up to the lighthouse on the promotory...but it was worth it....especially when you consider the tot of whisky we raised to the 60th birthday, and the lovely soup and cake in the cafe afterwards!

 

I did manage a long run the next day....though it seeemd weird to be having lunch in Gretna, when I'd been right at the opposite side of D&G less than 24 hours beforehand.

 

The next weekend saw the inaugural Glencoe Skyrace, which one of my friends was due to compete in. Unfortunately, he was rather unwell the day before the race, and though he tried to rest as I drove up there, he did not recover enough to be able to take part, which was rather disappointing for him to say the least. Still, at least it meant that he didn't have to brave the midgiefest that I endured as a volunteer/marshal.

 

I helped with registration until after 11pm on the Friday night, then slept for a few hours in the back of the car before starting to register the final competitors at 5:30am. Being "on the other side" again, and cacthing up with lots of friends, did give me race envy, but I knew that I had to keep my sensible head on. We weren't officially allowed to stop the traffic, but could wave high viz warning signs to alert drivers (and hope they slowed down), so it was rather scary to be manning a road crossing within the first mile and have runners pouring down the race route towards you, and a big truck bearing down the main road at you at the same time. Luckily a police car appeared at the last minute to assist us, and all the drivers kindly stopped to let the runners cross safely.

Not bad as morning views go.....

 

I then went further down the valley to where the race route crossed the road again between two ridgelines. It was great to be able to encourage the runners as they came through there, give them food and drink, top up water bottles, ring cowbells etc, and it was interesting to see the different expressions of pain, tiredness or pure enjoyment on their faces as they came through. Then it was time to say good bye to the Highlands and head back home ;-(

 

There was a local trail race the next day, and so I decided to use it to try to get my legs turning over a bit faster. I got a clue as to the conditions for the race when I cycled out to the start/registration, as it was rather warm and humid, despite the overnight thunderstorms.

 

I always find it interesting how people start races - although I know I start slower than most, it never fails to surprise me how fast some others sprint off so that within metres, I'm behind those that I never usually see in a race. At least we started with 50m of road so I could worm my way around a couple of runners before a sharp 90 degree bend though a gate into an uneven rutted grassy field.

 

The race profile

I knew my friend Ruth (from Shettleston Harriers) was a good short distance runner with good cross-country and hill running skills, but she just seemed to fly away from me into the distance. By the time we exited the field and crossed the river (her by the steps on the bridge, me via the steep muddy slope alongside) she was almost 50m ahead of me, along with Kevin (one of my clubmates). We then had a brief section of gradual climb on a minor road, before turning off onto overgrown forest roads/tracks that climbed more steadily up and up. They were wide enough for passing and I gradually reeled in the two in front of me, to pass them just after the 3K marker, but then we started to descend. This part of the course was shady and rather wet underfoot, with uneven rocks, stones and roots as well as mud - I was very aware of not giving myself a silly injury, and so was quite happy to ignore Kevin who soon passed me again on the long downhill stretch.

 

Both Kevin and I were briefly confused by seeing a runner ahead of us in a club vest, but it was Frank, the race organiser, who'd turned back early to check that everything was running smoothly and the marshals were happy. We seemed to be running back the way we'd come into the forest, and so I actually checked my watch as I couldn't believe we were on the homeward leg already. I needn't have worried as we were shortly directed back off onto some more forest trails (yup, to climb again). The final part of the course had us out into the sunshine, along trails and through fields, before climbing back up to the road via a farm. Kevin was running well and so I didn't pull alongside him until we only had a mile to go. Then it was a case of lengthening our stride along the tarmac until we ducked under the main road again, via the original rutted grassy field.

Souvenirs of the weekend

 

You could really feel the uneven boggy surface taking it out of your tired legs, especially as it was now a drag uphill - as opposed to the carefree gallop down it at the start. Luckily it was just a short rough stretch until you popped back out into the road to finish in front of the pub (who can complain with a finish line by a pub for further refreshments?). It was nice to chat to everyone over food and drink before changing shorts and shoes again to cycle home - all in all a very varied but enjoyable weekend!

"UVU"

Last year I was contacted by Gerhard Flatz to ask if I would consider trialling and testing some "uvu" running kit. I had seen a couple of pictures of friends wearing uvu gear but confess to not knowing much about the brand.

 

Having looked into it further, I liked what I had read.

 

"UVU stands for "You Vs You". This refers to the fact that ultra-running is first and foremost a personal battle of a person's mind vs body. People that undertake extreme endurance challenges such as ultra-running tend to have different perspectives and different needs than the average man or woman"

Their challenge was to create specific running products that function in temperatures ranging from -40° to +40° Celsius as wearing the right product means a lot more than staying dry or cool or warm. The technology is designed to blend in with you, mile after mile, as if it is specifically tailored to fit your individual running style, eg pockets are exactly where you want them to be when you're tired and hungry and you want to reach for something without distraction. "The only limitation to the apparel is your will to continue"

All weather in a day!

Although I wasn't going to be in conditions anywhere near -40 or +40, I was keen to try the clothing out. The garments were made to measure, so it took a while to receive them after agreeing and sending my measurements through. I was given various garments to try - inner and outer layers for both top and bottom.....and I have to say that I was impressed.

I have tried them in races, in training, in run-commuting and generally just hanging around (the old adage that people ask me why I'm dressed up when I'm not wearing running gear does seem to be rather true!!). The fit of the bottoms was rather "neat", though they have become very comfortable with more wear, and I did find the white vest rather transparent in its thinness but Gerhard was very appreciative of such feedback.

Useful to have pockets on a "long" run

In some races, you must wear representative kit, but in others the choice is left up to the runner. I wore the uvu shorts for a spring marathon, and they were ideal - fitted internally, slightly looser externally, with the hip-pockets being exactly the right size and location for easily carrying and grabbing gels without having to break my stride. The capris have been used similarly on longer runs as I'm not a fan of carrying a pack if I don't need to, but some things needs to be taken with you. Certain tops did a good job of keeping you warm, while others made sure you did not overheat. I'm also rather a fan of thumbholes, and all the longsleeve tops have these to use, if so desired.

Loving the thumb-holes!

I know that it's not far for me to run to work on the odd occasion that I've left my car there overnight, but the jacket (both that with and without sleeves) was perfect for this, as I had a pocket for my phone, my housekeys, my work ID and the ipod pocket and cable stay were a lifesaver (I would previously catch my headphone cables on my arm when swinging it through, so disconnecting my vital music distraction on a boring trot in along the cyclepath).

I didn't think that I would get much use from the heavyduty waterproof trousers (as I had no polar plans), but I forgot about the random Scottish weather, so they actually came into their own when a session became rather snow-logged (and the clips to hook them onto your shoelaces prevented them riding up and hence snow getting in....something so simple, yet so beneficial). I've used them when helping out at races such as mountain marathons, but have actually run more with the lightweight waterproof (and it's useful stowaway attached mittens).

You can tell that the gear is designed by runners due to the little features that make so much difference (the pocket positioning, the shoe hooks, the thumbloops, the cable holes) and is was great to be able to be part of the trialling, trsting and feedback process. The even better news is that the range is now ready to be launched to the wider market of the general public so you can all have a chance to try them out for yourselves......