Cheddar Gorge - Half Marathon #5 (14th August 2015)
Our race diary was looking bare for August/September, after a browse of the web I stumbled across the Cheddar Gorge Half Marathon organised by Relish Running Races. I've wanted to visit Cheddar Gorge for sometime so I thought what better way than to sightsee, plus it could be an excuse to sample the local cheese and cider!
We travelled down on the Saturday and made a pitstop in Glastonbury for lunch. I had done a little research beforehand and learnt of the highly rated Rainbow's End Cafe, Glastonbury's original vegetarian cafe. We arrived around 2pm and expected to have missed the lunchtime rush but it was queuing out the door, must be a good sign! I had originally chosen the homity pie, I thought it would be a good carb loading option, however just before our turn in the queue they'd run out. Instead it was replaced with Turkish vegetable and halloumi bake with lemony cous cous, olives and a green salad which sounded equally as nice so I opted for this. Paul chose the falafel and humous platter. Neither of us were disappointed, the portions were generous and the food delicious, well worth the wait! We stuffed ourselves and I only wish I had some room left for cake. We decided to walk off our lunch and get a little hill training in by walking up Glastonbury Tor!
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| Turkish vegetable and halloumi bake - it was delish! |
We got to Cheddar Gorge well ahead of the race start time Sunday morning. The race notes spoke of challenging walk to the start line and they did not lie, we arrived at the top a little sweaty and out of breath and we'd not even begun to run at this point! Registration was painless and the event was seemingly well organised. With our race numbers pinned on we took some time to chill and appreciate the awesome views. We also had the opportunity to chat to a few of the other runners including a lovely lady who was celebrating her 72nd birthday and was running the 10k, massive respect to her!
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| The climb to the start - not sure bananas make effective trekking poles |
We set off with 170+ other runners on the half marathon course. The first km set the scene, it was cruelly uphill, I knew from the reaction from my legs that this event was going to be a struggle. Not to worry, Paul and I were running with the motto "here for a good time and not a fast time", it was all about the experience and not beating personal bests, something we've grown to appreciate more recently. The terrain presented the greatest challenge, described as 'steep in places and very steep everywhere else'! 507m of elevation combined with surfaces varying from uneven grass, rocky trails, bogs, dirt roads, woodland and small river crossings. At around 2km was a rocky downhill section which was slightly damp which made it very slippery, I felt at times I should have had some trekking poles. It was by far the most challenging and technical run we'd taken on to date, even more so than the rolling hills of Dorset!
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| Just one of the types of terrain and a horse! |
Our race strategy was sensible, run when we could and walk when we needed. Walking enabled us to take our eyes off of the path in front of us and appreciate some of the breath taking views. The reality was some of the climbs would have been impossible to scale with anything other than a walk. My ankles took a bit of a battering, I managed to roll my ankle twice on the uneven ground but luckily they sprung back and didn't do any damage.
6km presented us with a 200m boggy crossing. Even the most stable looking surface had the ability to surprise. We tried to navigate this section quickly but it wasn't long before my entire foot up to my ankle had been swallowed by the ground leaving an unpleasant squelch in one shoe. It felt more like a mud race at this point
The aid stations were often a welcome sight and were staffed by friendly, cheerful volunteers. There was a good selection of sweet and savoury goodies as well as cups of electrolyte drinks. Another thumbs up for the event organisers for offering vegetarian friendly Haribo jelly beans, these are fast becoming a race favourite of mine!
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| Paul enjoying the aid station buffet |
At around 11 miles when my legs were already feeling a bit battered and wobbly, we came across a section of steps, some very steep steps and from the bottom we couldn't see where these steps ended! Luckily they were divided into two sections which enabled us to grab a breather and look back on how far we'd climbed. At the top of the steps we were rewarded with a flat section with stunning views of the gorge.
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| At the top of the crazy steps |
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| Our reward at the top of the steps - this view! |
From 11 miles onwards I was wondering when it was all going to end, desperate to spot something that indicated that we were close to the finish. I did spare a thought for those running the marathon as it was a 2 lap course and would have to go through that all over again with the knowledge of what was to come.
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| The rocky terrain made for sore, tired feet |
The final mile was a loop around the top of the gorge before we re-entered the field for a finishing straight. Incapable of a sprint finish Paul and I joined hands and jogged over the line with a time of
2:55:39. My slowest half marathon time to date (although arguably the toughest race I've ever done). We wandered over to collect our medal and post race goodies which included an ice pole and was most welcome as it had been a warm day.
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| Cheddar Gorge Half Marathon DONE! |
We didn't hang around too long after the race as we were fully aware that we were going to have to climb down back to the main road and with wobbly legs. Too exhausted to think about a proper meal we grabbed a bag of chips before making the 3 and a half hour journey back to Essex.
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| Victory chips |
All in all we enjoyed our long weekend in Somerset and I finally got to visit Cheddar Gorge. On reflection though it seemed rather silly to have traveled all that way for a half marathon, we've probably done enough of that this year. Not one we'll be returning to but still a good experience and a physical challenge. Next year may be I will enter a flat road half marathon to try and find my form again.
Takeley 10k (6th September 2015)
Last year I missed out on running the Takeley 10k as I was still playing football. I was relatively undecided on whether or not to run but when fellow Team Um Bongo runner Chris had double booked himself and was offering a free place I decided I may as well tick it off the list.It's a popular local 10k drawing in close to 300 runners. The route is what appealed to me, it's a straight out and back along the Flitch Way and takes in a loop of Hatfield Forest. No boring roads here!
My preparation the night before was hardly conducive to good performance (getting my excuses in early). We'd been to see the Foo Figthers at Milton Keynes Bowl and had a total nightmare journey, we were still sat in traffic outside the bowl when the first support act were on stage. Chris had kindly offered to drive as a repayment for the couple of times I'd driven down to Dorset this year, he had also just picked up a new car which I think he was eager to drive. Turns out though despite having 4 seats, a Honda CR-Z is not a 4 person car, I took the back seat which I am figuring was purely ornamental as I was unable to sit upright (I'm 5'1"!!!). When we did eventually arrive, the three of us (Me, Paul and Chris) were feeling hangry (when you're so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry and frustrated!). I wasn't holding out high hopes for the vegetarian selection and was prepared to give in to a grotty veggie burger or bag of chips but to my amazement I spotted the Goodness Gracious Healthy Foods vegetarian and vegan food stall in the distance. I went for their soya based veggie burger stuffed full of salad, chia seeds, topped with a slice of halloumi - it hit the spot! The Foo Figthers were brilliant, however the journey home not so much. We eventually got to bed at 3:30am.
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| No picture of the burger sadly, I was too hungry! |
Tired, aching and dehydrated, I didn't really feel much like running Sunday morning. I tried to be as positive as possible but I have to admit to being in a bit of a bad place with my running of late. 2015 has seen me injured and a patch on my form from last year. Taking a realistic view on my own current form and fitness I knew that it would be a case of getting round rather than targeting a PB.
I walked up to the start line with fellow Um Bongo team mate Alec. The start was along Flitch Way outside what was once the Takeley train station. It was quite narrow and crowded but I made my way through and positioned myself somewhere between 50-60 minutes. One downside to the event is that it is not chip timed so once the gun goes you have a little way before you cross the start line, not saying this makes a massive difference to your time but still adds around 20 sec. I started moving slowly with the crowd and gave a wave to Paul to was waving from the railway bridge.
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| Two representing the Congo but not in club colours |
The first kilometre was pretty quick clocking in at 5:14 /km however it was unlikely that I'd be able to hold that pace for long and slowed down to nearer 5:30 /km. The first 3k, was out along the Flitch Way. Less familiar with this stretch it was quite pleasant just finding my rhythm and not having to worry too much other than putting one foot in front of the other.
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| The start line |
Kilometeres 4-7 were in Hatfield Forest. No stranger to the terrain I tried my best to maintain my pace but started to struggle. The grass was bumpy and the ground undulating, my legs were lacking in energy. I enjoyed this part a lot less than I had hoped. The worst part though was getting out back onto the Flitch, there was about a 1km stretch along side a farmers field. The ground was uneven and the sun was beating down, it was a long drag and monotonous. I could have quite easily at this stage packed it in.
Back onto the familiar Flitch for the final 3km stretch to the finish line. I was getting fairly used to being passed by this stage and was feeling frustrated by my loss of pace. It was a mind over matter thing, I just had to block out the negative thoughts and concentrate on finishing. I spotted a familiar face I know from a running group walking so gave a pat on the back and encouraged him to keep going and that the finish was close. Taking my own advice I motored on and eventually reemerged from the Flitch onto a housing estate before heading back out onto the main road. The finish was at the village hall, after navigating the road crossing I put what energy I had left into a sprint finish crossing the line at 0:55:49. Again a steady decline with 3 minutes off of my best 10k time this year and 4 minutes off a PB.
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| Forcing a smile at the finish |
I was just glad to have finished. I queued for my finishers t-shirt and grabbed a cup of water and banana. This was a really well organised event with helpful marshals in abundance, the ladies on the water stop were extremely cheerful and friendly. All in all a good day out but I missed not having the rest of the Um Bongo crowd there.
Next stop Salt Marsh 75...
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