It's nearly the end of June, so a good time to take stock of where the year has gone and where it needs to go next. Last week, I went back to Texas to help celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. The jetlag wasn't great fun, but I got the chance to do a bit of "warm-weather training". With temperatures in the 100s every day, and blistering southerly winds, I took the opportunity to wake up early (helped by jetlag) and go for a run before it got above 85 - it's still much warmer than most days have been here in the UK.
This week was planned to be a nice return to trail racing after the holiday: land Tuesday, the EVRC invitational "Bredon Bash" on Thursday, and a relaxed approach to leg 2 of the Cotswold Way Relay on Saturday.
As it happened, a few extra hours in the office and a last-minute trip for Friday meant I went into the "Bash" feeling very tired (jetlag + too much time in front of the PC). The race is 5.8 miles, roughly 2 of which are up the hill and 2 are down. I ran/hiked at full effort, but clearly didn't have "it". Nothing felt smooth or co-ordinated until the downhill section. Even that section, which I love to run all-out, was laboured and tight.
With my body clock, and more importantly, my meal clock, completely confused, I had been a little low on energy by the time I got home from work, and grabbed a chocolate chip Clif Bar on the way to the race. Half of it would have been OK, but I was hungry and ate it all - very yummy. I've felt worse after a race, but not for a while. That said, the course, runners, and atmosphere were excellent. Nic even won a prize (we're not quite sure what for, but she was very happy)!
Then, off to bed, up at 4am to catch an early flight, and back home for 10pm to crawl into bed in time to get some rest before the early race this morning. Between the two races I probably managed around 11 hours of sleep. Good prep for multi-day racing, but not the original plan. Surprisingly, I felt considerably better today than I had on Thursday night!
The Cotswold Way Relay is a fun concept. Unlike a traditional relay, where you have to wait for the previous runner to reach you before you start your leg, each leg starts at approximately the time a course-record breaker would finish the previous leg. For a 100+ mile trail race, this means nobody has to do an entire leg without someone nearby to run with / against, and it means the race finishes a lot earlier!
Today, the morning dawned wet and blustery, but the overnight rain had at stopped. The blustery southerly wind had not. What you don't want to see, when you look outside on the day of a North-South run, is a southerly wind. Oh well, at least I don't have to trot out the old "up hill and against the wind in both directions" line!
I had planned to kick back and enjoy the race as a fastish training run prior to next week's Coniston marathon. Fat chance. I took the first mile slowly from the back of the pack. Then, once we hit the hills I slipped into race mode and ran myself to "empty". It felt pretty good.
Following this week's races, I've now amassed 210 race miles for 2011 (200 of them from trail or multi-terrain races). So, in the first half of this year, I've surpassed the 205 race miles from 2010. I'm going to have to get some road racing in if I want to pick up a new marathon PB in October!
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo - an evening well spent
Each year, as Summer beckons, I look forward to the series of mid-week races put on by Cheltenham Harriers. For the first time, I've been both healthy and home for the run up and around "Cleeve Cloud" - one of the higher parts of the Cotswolds - so I put up a notice on the EVRC website and rescheduled my week to make sure I could race.
The 5.5 mile course wends a figure of 8 around the hill and into the associated disused quarry. At around half past seven on a warm sunny evening, 123 runners set off along the hillside - no doubt disturbing a few nearby golfers as we went. The first mile essentially kept to the countour on the Western face of the hill, with the odd sharp hill. Then we looped around to head down into the quarry. A few steepish hills provided for some entertainment before the steep hike back onto the hilltop. The third quarter of the race gave a bit of time for recovery before the final steep climb to the five-mile mark. Finally, with a couple of target runners in front of me, I ran at top speed for the last half mile down a steady descent, leaving me prostrate and gasping for breath once I'd crossed the line.
The race was pretty fantastic. No single thing stands out about it, but from the moment I managed to get back on my feet, I have only been able to think "what a great evening out!". I'll have to plan this one in for next year.
The 5.5 mile course wends a figure of 8 around the hill and into the associated disused quarry. At around half past seven on a warm sunny evening, 123 runners set off along the hillside - no doubt disturbing a few nearby golfers as we went. The first mile essentially kept to the countour on the Western face of the hill, with the odd sharp hill. Then we looped around to head down into the quarry. A few steepish hills provided for some entertainment before the steep hike back onto the hilltop. The third quarter of the race gave a bit of time for recovery before the final steep climb to the five-mile mark. Finally, with a couple of target runners in front of me, I ran at top speed for the last half mile down a steady descent, leaving me prostrate and gasping for breath once I'd crossed the line.
The race was pretty fantastic. No single thing stands out about it, but from the moment I managed to get back on my feet, I have only been able to think "what a great evening out!". I'll have to plan this one in for next year.
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Malvern Half Marathon - the perfect birthday present?
Today was the Malvern Half Marathon, in aid of the Acorns Trust. It is also my lovely wife's birthday. So, as any good husband would, I offered to pace her to a PB. The Malvern course is gently undulating, but stays away from the famous Malvern Hills. With the knowledge that she is in the best shape of her life (this is her 5th half in as many months), I figured it would be easy. I had forgotten that, no matter what is going on elsewhere, Malvern is always windy.
Nic's previous half marathon PB of 2:05:35 came towards the end of 2009. She would have managed around 2:03 or so, but got a bit excited at the start and ran out of steam with a few miles remaining. So, my main job was to keep everything under control in the first half so she would have something left in the tank for the final miles.
The race went off easily, and we managed to keep on plan for a sub 2:00 without much effort. I had the watch, and Nic's job was to enjoy the run and let me know how much it was hurting on a scale of 1-10. It made for a few strange conversations that went along the lines of "6 or 7?", "6", "Ok, we're well on target." or "Still 8?", ", , yes", "OK, you're doing great, the hill is almost over". I'm sure the runners around us thought we were ever-so-slightly mad.
The first half of the race is pretty quiet, allowing some nice views of the surrounding hills (and rain clouds looming). We reached Upton-upon-Severn with time to spare. I allowed Nic to run freely on the downhills at a "6", which gained her the minute or so that she would need later in the race to get that Sub-2:00. Then, we turned to the North and managed to keep with a quartering tail wind. We reached the 8 mile marker with Nic spending more time in the "7" range than "6", a few uphills negotiated, and still holding onto that minute and a bit of spare time. Everything was looking good for her target finish.
Then, we turned to the West and lost any advantage that the upcoming downhill section was going to offer. Nic was still feeling well enough to keep an eye on her surroundings, and picked out Lucy (of the very wet tent at The Edge) cheering on her fellow Malvern Joggers. I waved and said "hello". Nic tried to engage in conversation and almost ran off the road... The wind picked up, was mostly directly opposing our progress, and started to drag the remaining energy out of Nic's legs. We dropped about 15 seconds of our buffer over the next two miles before climbing the course's steepest hill and then turning South. One of Nic's colleagues was waiting to cheer us on (Thanks, Lynn!). The encouragement broke through the mask of pain developing on Nic's face (we were now creeping into the 8-9 level of discomfort) and helped her get her pace back up.
The strong gusts made it hard to keep a rhythm. In spite of passing many tiring runners, we continued to lose our buffer. By the end of mile 12, the 2 Garmins I was wearing agreed that we would have to push on with the pace, but were still on target to dip just under 2:00. The road began to drop back down the hill, and a hedge appeared to offer some shelter from the wind.
By now, Nic was digging deep within herself to hold her pace. I'd been offering a mix of encouragement and exhortation for a few miles, and now resorted to running backwards a few yards in front and cheering her on face-to-face. She kept her pace, and we hit the 13 mile mark with a slim chance of hitting that target time. Then, I looked at my watch, looked at the distance left to the line, and realized that the Garmins and the course markings disagreed by more than 100 yards. I shouted to Nic to sprint the final .3 miles with everything she had. It was going to be touch-and-go. I could see the effort going in, but the open, windy finish straight was going to take around a minute. Then, my Garmin claimed that we'd finished the race (1:59:47 - right on target). Unfortunately, we still had about 150 yards to go.
In the end, Nic finished with 2:00:30 - a 5-minute PB and a huge achievement. She confirmed that there was nothing left in the tank by eventually lying down in the grass to have a rest while I picked up some warm clothes and recovery shakes from the car. I don't often run as a pace-maker - it's a difficult job to do. Today, I was very happy with my race plan, and overjoyed at being able to help Nic to knock an average of 23 seconds per mile off her previous best. Now, I guess it's time to get some speedwork into her schedule!
 |
| The Birthday Girl! |
Nic's previous half marathon PB of 2:05:35 came towards the end of 2009. She would have managed around 2:03 or so, but got a bit excited at the start and ran out of steam with a few miles remaining. So, my main job was to keep everything under control in the first half so she would have something left in the tank for the final miles.
The race went off easily, and we managed to keep on plan for a sub 2:00 without much effort. I had the watch, and Nic's job was to enjoy the run and let me know how much it was hurting on a scale of 1-10. It made for a few strange conversations that went along the lines of "6 or 7?", "6", "Ok, we're well on target." or "Still 8?", "
 |
| Nic easily managing the first few miles. |
The first half of the race is pretty quiet, allowing some nice views of the surrounding hills (and rain clouds looming). We reached Upton-upon-Severn with time to spare. I allowed Nic to run freely on the downhills at a "6", which gained her the minute or so that she would need later in the race to get that Sub-2:00. Then, we turned to the North and managed to keep with a quartering tail wind. We reached the 8 mile marker with Nic spending more time in the "7" range than "6", a few uphills negotiated, and still holding onto that minute and a bit of spare time. Everything was looking good for her target finish.
Then, we turned to the West and lost any advantage that the upcoming downhill section was going to offer. Nic was still feeling well enough to keep an eye on her surroundings, and picked out Lucy (of the very wet tent at The Edge) cheering on her fellow Malvern Joggers. I waved and said "hello". Nic tried to engage in conversation and almost ran off the road... The wind picked up, was mostly directly opposing our progress, and started to drag the remaining energy out of Nic's legs. We dropped about 15 seconds of our buffer over the next two miles before climbing the course's steepest hill and then turning South. One of Nic's colleagues was waiting to cheer us on (Thanks, Lynn!). The encouragement broke through the mask of pain developing on Nic's face (we were now creeping into the 8-9 level of discomfort) and helped her get her pace back up.
The strong gusts made it hard to keep a rhythm. In spite of passing many tiring runners, we continued to lose our buffer. By the end of mile 12, the 2 Garmins I was wearing agreed that we would have to push on with the pace, but were still on target to dip just under 2:00. The road began to drop back down the hill, and a hedge appeared to offer some shelter from the wind.
By now, Nic was digging deep within herself to hold her pace. I'd been offering a mix of encouragement and exhortation for a few miles, and now resorted to running backwards a few yards in front and cheering her on face-to-face. She kept her pace, and we hit the 13 mile mark with a slim chance of hitting that target time. Then, I looked at my watch, looked at the distance left to the line, and realized that the Garmins and the course markings disagreed by more than 100 yards. I shouted to Nic to sprint the final .3 miles with everything she had. It was going to be touch-and-go. I could see the effort going in, but the open, windy finish straight was going to take around a minute. Then, my Garmin claimed that we'd finished the race (1:59:47 - right on target). Unfortunately, we still had about 150 yards to go.
In the end, Nic finished with 2:00:30 - a 5-minute PB and a huge achievement. She confirmed that there was nothing left in the tank by eventually lying down in the grass to have a rest while I picked up some warm clothes and recovery shakes from the car. I don't often run as a pace-maker - it's a difficult job to do. Today, I was very happy with my race plan, and overjoyed at being able to help Nic to knock an average of 23 seconds per mile off her previous best. Now, I guess it's time to get some speedwork into her schedule!
Saturday, 28 May 2011
2011 Hilly Hundred Relay
Last weekend saw the Evesham Vale Running Club's (unlikelly) attempt to retain our Hilly Hundred "B-Race" trophy. The Hilly Hundred is a 10x~10mile relay race around the Northern Cotswolds. Unlike 2010, we managed to get enough volunteers to field two teams. The "A" team's goal was to achieve a credible top-5 challenge, and the "B" team's goal was to run hard and enjoy the fun of a really enjoyable event.
After the 2010 event, Nic and I decided we would give our team's captain a break and organize the club's entry. As a bonus, Robert Hale (the captain for the previous two years) was freed up to race in the B team. Well, I call it a bonus, because he had claimed that it looked like fun. So, with Nic acting as crew chief for the A team, and Mitch - the club's most experienced ultra man - crewing the B team, we gathered in Stratford-upon-Avon at 4:45AM for the start of a long day.
It felt quite surreal getting to the line for the 5AM start, knowing I wouldn't be taking the baton until a little after noon. The race was about to start, and I didn't even have my running shoes on! It just didn't feel quite right.
The morning was dry (heavy rain stopped at around 3AM), cool, and fairly calm, although by 6:00, the wind became pretty fierce. We cheered the runners out of Stratford and drove down the course, stopping periodically to encourage our runners. After most hand-overs, we returned to drop the finisher to the start of their leg where their car was parked. Then, Nic zipped along the country lanes to catch the next runner so we could cheer them on and do it all over again. We didn't manage to catch up to everyone before they finished, but Nic certainly enjoyed the challenge!
As my leg approached, we took a break from crewing, spelled by the Day family (the two sisters ran in succession, supported by their parents). It was great to have a break from the car to get warmed up and ready to run. By the time I started, we were 60 miles into the race, about 6 minutes ahead of the host club, and well in the lead of those teams starting at 5:00. Because there are two starts for the B-Race (5:00 & 6:00), we had no idea how we were doing against the later starters. But, I knew that we would be fighting for third or fourth overall unless something dramatic happened again this year. So, ignoring the comfort of the lead, I ran at what seemed an unsustainable effort level compared to the past few months of racing.
I tried to keep my heart rate at around 165 (below 90%). But, I felt I was going too slowly, so went with by "feel" and kept it at around 170, until I took off the strap at 7 miles and passed it to Nic - I was breathing too hard to put up with the constriction. I finished my leg barely able to stand, as had all the others, and was happy that I'd left everything on the road.
While Nic popped off to buy some chocolate, I took what felt like hours to take off my shoes and put on some warm clothes. Then we popped back out onto the course to continue our duties as crew and cheerleaders.
The sun came out in force to warm things up, which was very convenient as I ducked behind a hedge to put on my compression tights - not really the sort of activity to be done on the main road! Nic put the top down on the car and we continued to shout encouragement, provide drinks, and generally keep our runners buoyed up as the fatigue set in.
Our final racer crossed the line in second, having been caught in the end by the A-Race winners from Kenilworth AC (who set out 2 hours after us!). Amazingly, he finished exactly on the estimated finish time of 17:30. All of the runners who had either exceeded or trailed the guestimate I made to help everyone get to their leg on time had somehow balanced out within less than 60 seconds over the 12.5 hours. We then began the agonizing wait to see how many B-Race teams from the 6AM start finished before 18:30. If it was fewer than three, we would have our "podium" place.
All the while, I was getting updates of our B team, who were struggling a bit with the conditions. Because they would be taking more time anyway, more of the runners were having to face the ever-increasing wind and sunshine. Although they were a little behind schedule, they were managing very well. Only Robert managed to miss a turn (there were also a few lost runners from other teams, so we may stop making fun of him by January).
The wait for the other teams to finish was a lot of fun. The atmosphere at the finish line, as more competitors arrived to cheer in their runner, was lively and excited. We made sure that our hosts had good takings from the bar, and I checked and rechecked until 18:30 to see where things lay.
In the end, the A team came in a very respectable third, and the B team finished without serious incident and with a few smiles amongst the grimaces of pain. I vowed never to be in charge of getting 20 runners through this race again. It was an exhausting day. The problem is that I spent most of the day full of pride and admiration in all of the competitors - and it's a pretty tough feeling to beat. It was one of the most enjoyable days out I've had in a long time. So, I'm fairly certain that my vow won't last for very long at all.
After the 2010 event, Nic and I decided we would give our team's captain a break and organize the club's entry. As a bonus, Robert Hale (the captain for the previous two years) was freed up to race in the B team. Well, I call it a bonus, because he had claimed that it looked like fun. So, with Nic acting as crew chief for the A team, and Mitch - the club's most experienced ultra man - crewing the B team, we gathered in Stratford-upon-Avon at 4:45AM for the start of a long day.
 |
| 4:59AM, and raring to go! |
It felt quite surreal getting to the line for the 5AM start, knowing I wouldn't be taking the baton until a little after noon. The race was about to start, and I didn't even have my running shoes on! It just didn't feel quite right.
The morning was dry (heavy rain stopped at around 3AM), cool, and fairly calm, although by 6:00, the wind became pretty fierce. We cheered the runners out of Stratford and drove down the course, stopping periodically to encourage our runners. After most hand-overs, we returned to drop the finisher to the start of their leg where their car was parked. Then, Nic zipped along the country lanes to catch the next runner so we could cheer them on and do it all over again. We didn't manage to catch up to everyone before they finished, but Nic certainly enjoyed the challenge!
 |
| Early sunshine over the lavender fields at Snowshill |
As my leg approached, we took a break from crewing, spelled by the Day family (the two sisters ran in succession, supported by their parents). It was great to have a break from the car to get warmed up and ready to run. By the time I started, we were 60 miles into the race, about 6 minutes ahead of the host club, and well in the lead of those teams starting at 5:00. Because there are two starts for the B-Race (5:00 & 6:00), we had no idea how we were doing against the later starters. But, I knew that we would be fighting for third or fourth overall unless something dramatic happened again this year. So, ignoring the comfort of the lead, I ran at what seemed an unsustainable effort level compared to the past few months of racing.
 |
| What is it about competition that makes a slow trail runner want to take the baton on the run? |
I tried to keep my heart rate at around 165 (below 90%). But, I felt I was going too slowly, so went with by "feel" and kept it at around 170, until I took off the strap at 7 miles and passed it to Nic - I was breathing too hard to put up with the constriction. I finished my leg barely able to stand, as had all the others, and was happy that I'd left everything on the road.
 |
| Luckily, there were some bollards at the end to help keep me upright! |
While Nic popped off to buy some chocolate, I took what felt like hours to take off my shoes and put on some warm clothes. Then we popped back out onto the course to continue our duties as crew and cheerleaders.
The sun came out in force to warm things up, which was very convenient as I ducked behind a hedge to put on my compression tights - not really the sort of activity to be done on the main road! Nic put the top down on the car and we continued to shout encouragement, provide drinks, and generally keep our runners buoyed up as the fatigue set in.
 |
| A sunny day in paradise - if you're not running into the wind! |
Our final racer crossed the line in second, having been caught in the end by the A-Race winners from Kenilworth AC (who set out 2 hours after us!). Amazingly, he finished exactly on the estimated finish time of 17:30. All of the runners who had either exceeded or trailed the guestimate I made to help everyone get to their leg on time had somehow balanced out within less than 60 seconds over the 12.5 hours. We then began the agonizing wait to see how many B-Race teams from the 6AM start finished before 18:30. If it was fewer than three, we would have our "podium" place.
All the while, I was getting updates of our B team, who were struggling a bit with the conditions. Because they would be taking more time anyway, more of the runners were having to face the ever-increasing wind and sunshine. Although they were a little behind schedule, they were managing very well. Only Robert managed to miss a turn (there were also a few lost runners from other teams, so we may stop making fun of him by January).
The wait for the other teams to finish was a lot of fun. The atmosphere at the finish line, as more competitors arrived to cheer in their runner, was lively and excited. We made sure that our hosts had good takings from the bar, and I checked and rechecked until 18:30 to see where things lay.
In the end, the A team came in a very respectable third, and the B team finished without serious incident and with a few smiles amongst the grimaces of pain. I vowed never to be in charge of getting 20 runners through this race again. It was an exhausting day. The problem is that I spent most of the day full of pride and admiration in all of the competitors - and it's a pretty tough feeling to beat. It was one of the most enjoyable days out I've had in a long time. So, I'm fairly certain that my vow won't last for very long at all.
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