Women's Sport Week

It's been fairly quiet on the running front since my last blog instalment, an accumulation of injuries has forced me to take a bit of a rest from my usual antics. I started writing this post with the intention of it being ready to publish during Women's Sport Week (1-7 June), however a combination of procrastination and being busy meant that I missed that deadline. Besides, the celebration of women participating in sport should not be limited to one designated week a year!

Running was once something that I did alone. I expect that's why my experience of training for the two half marathons in 2009 and 2013 was a fairly miserable and lonely one. It's only in the past year that running has become more of a social thing for me. Through parkrun, running groups and events I have met some pretty cool people that I now consider friends. One thing I have learnt from being part of a community of runners is just how encouraging everyone is and I have made it my mission to get as many people I know to join in with the fun!

My friend Anne decided to take up running to help her fitness and regularly runs in the mornings before work. Over a number of weeks she had been progressing really well, establishing a regular route and running the route quicker each week. We were chatting about her running at a recent social gathering and it didn't take me long to suggest that she should give parkrun a go. We estimated that the route Anne had been running was approximately 2 miles so an extra mile on top should be perfectly achievable. It was one of those things where I half expected not to hear any more about it (I tell everyone that mentions running that they should try parkrun) so when I got a message from Anne asking for the web link to parkrun so she could register I was delighted!

I think Anne was a little apprehensive about parkrun at first, going from running on your own to being surrounded by other runners could be a daunting prospect. I gave her with my assurances her that the parkrun folk are a welcoming and friendly bunch and I also promised that I would keep her company and run with her. The parkrun ethos is simple, you turn up, run 5k, it doesn't matter how fast you go as it's about being part of it and having fun. It does not discriminate against age, ability or background, it's an event for everyone!

Saturday morning came and we met Anne and headed to our local parkrun, Great Notley. I sensed Anne was a little nervous and did my best to put her at ease. During our bike ride there we set the objective of just getting round and time not being an important factor. We positioned ourselves nearer the back of the pack so we didn't get pressured into keeping up with the crowd. At 9am we set off around the 2 lap course, I stuck by Anne's side and let her set the pace. Throughout I did my best to provide some distraction and chatted to Anne. We got around the first lap with no issues at all before we were faced with a mountain to climb, well not quite, just Great Notley's infamous 'Hill of Doom'! We approached the hill with a tactic to walk/jog up to the top and touched the bird before descending to begin the 2nd lap.

Touching the bird at the top of the Hill of Doom

The 2nd lap didn't really throw up any surprises, after the hill we settled back into the steady rhythm. I kept checking in with Anne letting her know how long we'd been running for and how much further we had to go whilst doing a quick head to toe scan of how she was feeling. Once we had got around the lake I knew we could focus on the finish, Anne did not need much encouragement, she is a really focused and determined person so once we had reached the field I pointed out the finish line and it was heads down to the finish line.

I wasn't quite sure at this stage whether Anne enjoyed herself or whether she'd never speak to me again for badgering her into parkrun! I congratulated Anne on the run and she threw her arms around me and said 'thank you'. There's nothing like sweaty hug between two people to affirm your friendship! I made the point that there was no need to thank me, it was all her, I just simply ran with her. It felt really good to have helped someone accomplish their goals and recognise their own potential. A couple of days later I checked in with Anne and she was still buzzing from the the run, I think I may have converted another to the way of parkrun! Anne is already hinting that she may run a 10k in the not too distant future...

Anne and I reaching the finish line on her first parkrun!

A couple of weeks ago I got the heads up on Facebook that Like the Wind magazine was putting on a special evening with the legendary ultra runner and adventurer Lizzy Hawker in London. Lizzy was going to talk about her running adventures and do a Q&A session. Lizzy recently published her book 'Runner: A Short Story About a Long Run' so there would also be the opportunity to have the book signed in person. Paul and I don't often venture into London after work but thought it was one of those rare opportunities we couldn't miss.

Lizzy Hawker has quite an impressive running CV. When Lizzy first entered the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in 2005 she apparently hadn't owned a pair of trail shoes until 10 days previously. She won it on her first attempt and has gone on to win the UTMB 5 times! In addition she is the 100km Women's World Champion, held the record time for running 24 hours and was the first female to appear on the winners podium at the Spartathlon, really quite astonishing!

Lizzy spoke for around an hour about her running experiences and also her time in Nepal where she lives for part of the year. She had been in Nepal at the time of the recent earthquakes. The money raised through ticket and book sales that evening were going to be donated to the aid efforts personally by Lizzy. I admired just how ordinary and humble she came across despite being one of the UK's best known ultra athletes. She is certainly an inspiration and has made me want to build on my recent marathon and see just how far I can run.

I have spoken in previous blog posts about Michelle's Running Group who I run with. Given that I am writing about Women's Sports Week I wanted to give special praise for Michelle and her fantastic group. Whilst the group is open to both men and women, the women certainly make up the majority of the numbers. The group covers all abilities, from those just putting on their running shoes for the first time right through to marathoners. Michelle has fostered a culture within the group which makes it welcoming and friendly and I believe this is why the group is such a success and gaining new members every week. Children are also welcome to run with the group, it's great to see families exercising together. It's a fact backed by research that as an active parent you are more likely to have active children which can only be a healthy and positive thing. It is fantastic to see so many people supporting and encouraging on another all with their own stories and reasons to run. If you're local to the Braintree area then check them out, the group can be found on Facebook.

Sport England recently launched the This Girl Can campaign which aims to encourage women and girls to get involved with exercise regardless of their shape and size. Research conducted by Sport England found that on of the main factors stopping women from turning their ambitions into reality is a fear of judgement on their appearance. I find this quite depressing, it seems society has created a toxic culture most likely driven by the internet and glossy celebrity magazines that means we are judged by how we look and not what we do. The This Girl campaign features real women who play sport using images far from those idealised and stylised by the media, quite refreshing to see women just you or I doing what we enjoy. So put the stereotypes aside, forget how silly you may feel, or how slow you think you may run. Just get out there and do it! Hey, it's ok to sweat! It is perfectly natural, when I exercise I like to think of it as my fat crying! I get out of bed and go to parkrun, who cares what I look like!

On a final note, go and run! Whatever the barriers that stand in your way, knock them down! You're only as strong as you allow yourself to be so go and be awesome!

Home Run

After several weeks seconded to the Hatfield Forest parkrun I thought I was long overdue a return to my home parkrun of Great Notley. It also happened to coincide with the monthly parkrun outing of Michelle's Running Group who I train with a couple of times a month. Each month usually has a theme and it had been decided that we'd wear something yellow for spring. I pulled back the curtains Saturday morning to be greeted by overcast sky, it wasn't looking promising, hardly the image of spring I had in mind! Yellow isn't exactly my colour but it just so happened that I had a race t-shirt from the 2014 Hatfield Broad Oak 10k, I may have finally found a use for the countless race t-shirts I seem to have accumulated over the years! I was running solo as Paul had been struck down by flu and despite being desperate to get out and run, his hopes were purely aspirational.

An excellent turnout of runners from the Michelle's Running Group

I decided to run to parkrun to add on some extra mileage. At just over 2 km it makes for a good warm-up and is far easier than taking the car and forking out the £3.50 parking. It's also a good indicator of how I am feeling, after almost a week off of running my legs were feeling pretty fresh for the rest. However, I didn't feel capable of pushing for a parkrun PB (set back in September 2014) as my recent times would suggest I am way off.

I met up with the group who had congregated by the cafe sheltering from the wind and rain, they were not difficult to spot dressed in yellow, we certainly brightened up the park! It was a fantastic turnout for the group with 24 runners in attendance, some of which were making their parkrun debut! After a catch up and chat we headed out for a warm-up, this is one benefit of running with a group as I am totally hopeless at having the discipline to give myself a proper warm-up and stretch despite being more than aware of the benefits!

By the time 9 am came around the rain was lashing down, luckily I had opted for trail shoes which made the recently soaked park a bit easier to navigate. I set off at a comfortable pace and found myself going along with the crowd dodging a few runners on the narrower sections of the start. Great Notley is a 2 lap course with the second lap sending you up the infamous 'hill of doom'. I find it sometimes difficult to get the pacing right for this course as you have to take into account the hill and that it's going to add time to your pace at kilometre 3. Looking at my pace it was more or less consistent which is an improvement as I often have a habit of going too fast on the first lap only to find myself unable to keep up the pace on the second.

Descending the 'Hill of Doom' on lap 2

Kilometre 3 and 4 usually involves a lot of looking at the watch trying to work out if a PB is on or not, this time I couldn't tell so decided it was best to keep pushing on as hard as I could. I passed Michelle who was coaching her daughter Angelina around the course, they were looking really strong and they egged me on to catch Rob, Michelle's Husband who I had in my sights but catching him was unlikely. I then passed a young girl who must have been no older than 10 and she complimented me on my running! Taken back a little by her comment I responded by telling her to keep up with me which she did for a short while! With half a kilometre to go I knew I had roughly 2 minutes to finish if I was to be in with a chance of getting a PB. Despite my spirited sprint finish I crossed the line at 26:02, 27 seconds off of a PB time. I was a bit disappointed as I had wanted to ring the old fashioned style school bell to indicate I'd got a PB (I think this must be a new feature of the Great Notley parkrun, it's pretty cool), but to take a positive away it was the fastest I'd gone around the course this year so perhaps some progression is on the cards. I keep telling myself that I'll go around the course faster once it's dried out but I know there are several other factors slowing me down at the moment.

Sprint finish - another dreadful running face photo to add to the collection!

Paul unable to help himself had dragged himself out of bed to come along and support. We stood at the finish together cheering in as many people in yellow as we could. Unfortunately having been soaked through and not having anything dry to put on meant I got cold very quickly and opted for a lift home with Paul rather than running home. It was fantastic to see so many of the group taking part in parkrun and enjoying themselves, another great effort from everyone with quite a few setting new PB's!

Conscious I am supposed to be running a marathon in a matter of weeks, Sunday was an opportunity to stretch my legs a little and register a long run. Training for this marathon has been far from ideal. When I signed up in January I had ample time to put in the training, however it seems that the past 5 months have been nothing but a struggle with injury. Up until Sunday I had never run further than 13.1 miles, a half marathon. I knew this was going to be a problem if I was going to go ahead with the plan.

Sunday morning I set out to complete 15 miles. I met up with a few people we regularly run with on a Sunday from Rayne Station, we headed out along the Flitch Way in the direction of Dunmow. I became aware within the first couple of miles that my pace was far slower than the rest of the group and insisted that they pushed on and I would run with them if I was able to catch up, I knew though that this was unlikely as my strategy was to walk/run to achieve the target of 15 miles. I decided that I would run 2.5 miles in one direction and then return to Rayne Station before running the 2.5 mile to Braintree Station and repeat until I clocked the ambitious 15, this meant I wouldn't be far from home should injury disrupt my run. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it made the run really drag on and quite mentally testing!

Flitch Way a pretty straight and lonely run!

The weather hardly helped, it was one of those mornings where I was unsure what to wear. It'd probably be cold initially but would warm up rapidly as I was running. I decided on wearing a long sleeve top and shorts which was fine until I got soaked through and the wind started blowing. I like to be organised when I run as being unprepared just stresses me out so I had thought ahead and packed my new Inov8 waterproof into my hyration vest (or bottle bra as a friend called it!). It probably seems an overkill to wear a hydration vest on a 15 mile run but I refer to my earlier point about being unprepared, at least I can carry all the stuff I think I need and get some practice using it. I decided to stop and walk for a moment during mile 4 to get my waterproof out and give me some chance of holding onto some body heat, I honestly thought I would overheat and end up stopping in around a mile to take the jacket off but as it happens it was exactly what I needed on the more open parts of the Flitch where you can get caught in a cross wind. Feeling comfortable again I pressed on.

Brief stop at 7.5 miles to refuel and catch my breath

When I got to the halfway point at Braintree Station I rewarded my efforts with a quick break and took on an energy gel. Again debatable whether I really needed one but wanted to give myself every opportunity to complete the distance and it also gives me practice using the gels. After a quick breather I turned myself around and headed back in the direction of Rayne Station. Along the way a few of the guys that I had started the run with powered past me, they were out with the aim to run for 2 hours, it was evident that they were a lot quicker than me. The rest of my run was fairly lonely, I was missing my usual running partner, Paul. From around 9 miles I seemed to throw in a walk every mile, it was around this time I could feel my hamstring pulling and all my injuries complaining. The final 3 miles was a real challenge to take me over my furthest distance, I focused on finishing and telling myself how pleased I'd be once it was done! With a bit of determination I made it back home, 15 miles in 2 hours 36 minutes, hardly world beating but it was still 2 miles further than I have run before.

A new record!

The rest of the morning was a bit of a write off which wasn't unexpected. After a shower I crashed on the sofa and managed to catch some of the London Marathon coverage on TV. Knowing how I felt after running 15 miles made me really question whether my body was strong and resilient enough to take the beating of 26.2 miles with the limited training I have had. With 3 weeks to go I am still undecided but have an inkling that I already know what my decision will be. I managed to see Paula Radcliffe complete what would be her last London Marathon as a professional athlete and was slightly taken back at just how emotional I felt as she crossed the line. What a woman and what a career she has had, a true role model and inspiration to all. It is amazing that her world record marathon time of 2:15:25 still stands to this day, 12 years after it was set and I wonder how long it'll be before it's beaten. I was unaware of the extent of the injury setbacks she has faced since her withdrawal from the Team GB squad for the London 2012 Olympics which made her marathon time of 2 hours 36 minutes (slight coincidence that this is the exact time it took me to run my 15 miles) even more incredible. It gave me some hope that if Paula could do it perhaps I could too... Then I realised I am not a professional athlete nor do I have the team of physiotherapists, coaches etc helping me along the way!

One of the best things about a long run is the feed afterwards! My Garmin informed me that I had burned 1500 calories during my run and I was going to try my best to feed my tired and aching muscles. Paul is a total sweetie, not stranger to distance running himself he sympathised with my post run slump on the sofa and served me food and drink for pretty much the rest of the afternoon. He had even been to do the food shop and foraged me some post run treats of Bounty cookies which were delightful with a cup of coffee. Lunch was a spicy corn chowder soup with some jalapeño and three cheese bread which was just what was needed to warm up from my run.

I may not have made my mind up on my forthcoming marathon but watching the London Marathon has inspired me to enter the 2016 ballot which opens on Monday for the second year running. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed with no doubt hundreds of thousands of other runners! All in all it was a good weekend of training and what was satisfying was it was all on my doorstep, no cars or travelling required. I feel privileged to have such enjoyable running routes close to home.

Run Forest, Run!

Thursday we took a break from our usual running routine. Instead after work I headed a few miles across north London to Wood Green where I met up with Paul. I had booked myself a belated birthday treat of tickets to the Ben Howard gig at Alexandra Palace that evening. Having never been to Alexandra Palace before I did a little pre-event planning which is when I learnt of the Festival Hall. The Festival Hall is as the name suggests, it's a festival style undercover space offering street food stalls and bars. We did a circuit of the food stalls to see what was on offer and to my delight we discovered the Buddha Bowl van with an entirely vegetarian/vegan menu, something of a rare treat! A Buddha Bowl is a noodle box crammed full of tasty, wholesome awesomeness, organic short grain brown rice, Massaman curry with new potatoes, soya chunks and pineapple, steamed kale, carrot and kimchi pickle, grilled halloumi (vegan without) topped with an omega seed mix and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Delightful, wholesome veggie goodness!

I of course went for the big buddha and it was out of this world! When I got home I had to track these guys down as I knew that wouldn't be my last Buddha Bowl. The Buddha Bowl van is at Whitecross Street Food Market most Thursday and Friday's 12:00-2:30pm, check them out!

Saturday is parkrun day. I must confess that I am only recently a convert to parkrun! I used to struggle with the concept of getting out of bed early on a Saturday morning to run 5km especially if I had to drive further to get there than I'd be running. However, when the Great Notley parkrun started up last year (this is now my home run) I thought I would give it a try and it didn't take me long to understand its appeal. Once you have set your first course time it becomes an addictive pastime striving to better your personal best. The social aspect also adds to the enjoyment, I have made many friends running and I often bump into someone I know at parkrun. The people definitely make this event what it is, from the runners to the enthusiastic volunteers who give up their time every week to ensure that these events continue to happen. It seems once you have run one parkrun you become an ambassador for parkrun, I am always trying to encourage friends who run to give parkrun a go. So if you're reading this and have never been along to parkrun, what are you waiting for?! Register at parkrun website, print out your personal barcode and turn up to your local run, 9am every Saturday. I also forgot to mention it's completely free!

For the past few weeks we've volunteered at the newly launched Hatfield Forest parkrun. For anyone who read my last blog will know that the Run Director for the Hatfield Forest parkrun is my friend Chris. Over the past few months prior to the event launch we've helped out by testing various versions of the route, however we had not yet officially run it for ourselves and with the weather being warmer and drier of late we've reached the final few weeks of the winter course so knew we had to grab the opportunity to run on this version of the course whilst we still could. The weather Saturday morning was glorious which made a pleasant change compared with the past few weeks. It even gave us the opportunity to break out our new 'runglasses'. It felt strange turning up at the forest ready to run and not be directing traffic, setting out route markers, marshalling or time keeping. We were also technically tourists at this event given that our home parkrun is 15 miles away!

Testing out the 'runglasses' in the glorious spring sunshine

9am came and the run started. I set off with a steady pace as I was fully aware of a couple of niggling injuries I've been carrying of late. Chris, who despite being the RD also was running the event for officially the first time. Having recently taken time out for injury himself, we both found ourselves running together at a similar pace and we stuck together running and chatting as we went around the course. 

Chris and I going strong at around 3 km

The winter course covers a combination of grass and road intended to avoid the muddier parts of the forest. It is a one lap course which really appeals to me, I can find courses that require more than one lap a little psychologically defeating. Although relatively flat there were a few gradual inclines which pinched the legs slightly, especially in the first km as you leave the grass and join the road. I expect at this stage my legs are still warming up so it comes as a bit of a shock. The most enjoyable part for me was the finish, not just because it was the finish but because the final 300m are around the lake. I haven't got the experience of running many parkrun courses but I'd take a chance and say it's probably up there with one of the best finishes around! Chris and I had run around the course together but in the final km I decided that I was feeling capable of picking the pace up a little. With the finish line just the other side of the lake I attempted to sprint finish but Chris had the legs on me and finished just ahead of me. I'd like to pretend I let him beat me as it was his first official run at his own parkrun, this was not the case though, he was just quicker than me (but don't tell him that)! I finished in a time of 27:43, not my slowest and not my fastest parkrun time. 

Getting pipped to the finish by Chris!

I am intrigued to see how fast I can go around the course when fully fit. It has the potential to be a quick course and without any hills it must be able to rival my parkrun PB at Great Notley of 25:44.

As far as runs go, this course is pretty stunning, you get a great sense of open space when running around the forest with some amazing views. A couple of weeks back when volunteering we had been setting out some of the course when a herd of deer (30 odd) ran across the grass car parking area. The most open sections across the grass plains could be a bit punishing during the winter, even though a reasonable day, it did feel as though we were still quite exposed to the wind. Since running I have realised that I enjoy running off road far more than I do on it! The forest was a perfect location for me and it delivers a good mix of terrain, I felt as though my body was constantly adapting as the course changed underfoot. There are a few bits I'd call 'bobbly' where you need to watch your footing otherwise you could easily turn an ankle.

Paul giving the thumbs up for the Hatfield Forest parkrun

This parkrun is only in its 5th week and each week has seen a respectable number of runners turn out to each event with 100+ (188 at the inaugural event) in attendance and it's only going to to from strength to strength. It has also attracted many runners who are new to parkrun, I hope they become regular faces to parkrun.

Sunday we were back at the forest to run again. This time to trial the summer route with the aid of just a map and no signage. It was looking likely that the summer route could be going live in a matter of weeks which had come as a surprise as we'd tested the route back at Easter when we'd had wetter weather and it was pretty swampy in places. We separated ourselves into groups and set off at 5 minute intervals with the intention of all finishing around the same time. We headed off into the forest with radios and a map. Fortunately each group had someone who'd run the course on a previous test run so we relied on recalling some sections from memory. We've had a few weeks of reasonably dry weather so the grassy sections had dried out and were bone dry, the only downside to this being where it had been churned up by the footfall runners, walkers and wildlife when it was wet, it had dried to a pointy, uneven mass! The summer route is quite a different route to the winter. It it mainly on grass with very little road and takes you through more of the forest. It also has a few more ditches to run through which add to the interesting variation of terrain. Having had the opportunity to run both I think I prefer the summer route, the only downside is that it doesn't finish by the lake, instead back in the main car park. You can still enjoy the lake views once you've finished and grabbed a hot chocolate from the cafe! Not a National Trust member? Don't worry as the awesome folk at Hatfield Forest parkrun have organised free parking for the first year of the event. Don't take my word for it though, give it a go for yourself!

That's me signing off for this evening! I have a parkrun to run in the morning, I'm returning to my home run after an extended loan period to help a neighbour out, very much the parkrun spirit it seems.