Run In The Forest

After preparing well last night, we head to the ‘Run In The Forest’ 5 mile race today at Conkers Discovery Park. Slogan - ‘I came, I ran, I conkered’. Well that’s what is says on the t-shirt, the bright yellow t-shirt. That’s another one for the bag in the loft then.

Organised by South Derbyshire Road Runners the race has a pleasantly not too early 10:30am start and even my parents are tempted to turn up to support.

It’s a run mainly on tracks through the forest but includes a bit of tarmac and grass. It’s not hilly but there are a few undulations.

At the start the race organiser complains that someone has stolen the 2 mile marker and asks us to wing it, but afterwards we’re more concerned with the fact that the 5 mile marker was about 30 metres before the finish. Does that mean the course was long? or the marker wrongly placed? These things matter.

My time for five and a bit (maybe) miles is 37:01, which is an improvement of a whole minute on my last attempt at five miles in February at Wombwell. So that’s good. Although my PB remains a scarily quick 32.08. I must have been fit and injury free in those days.

It was a pleasant enough race though and well organised, save for the marker confusion and a long walk to get water after the finish.

Broxtowe 5k

After work, I cycle straight to Bramcote Hills Park, where we have booked into the Broxtowe 5k because this is how low our sights (or more specifically my sights) have fallen. I ran this back in 2010 in the inaugural event, completed it in 20.05 and came 8^th. Tonight I just want to get round without any leg pain.

L meets me there and when she does, she has a young female student in tow. Apparently she found her looking lost and confused on the bus. I’m not sure I would have got away with such an explanation had the roles been reversed.

The run actually goes very well. It is pain free and I keep a good strong pace going all the way through the monumental distance, despite a lot of it being on grass. My pace is helped by the fact that I just have to pass that 14 year old lad up front, that overdressed chap in tracksuit trousers and an ipod and later the first lady.

The first two are no problem, as they both quickly fade. The third takes more time and effort but I get there in the end. She doesn’t give up easily though and comes storming past me after the line. Ha. Too late love.

I finished 26th tonight in 21:47 (Chip time 21:43). I'm back! The time is particularly pleasing considering I cycled back from Derby.

Newcastle (Staffs) 10k

The fitness campaign has been rescheduled (again). So today the Newcastle 10k, that’s

Newcastle Under Lyme by the way, and I thought I’d retired from 10k’s last year. Needs must.

This is the first time this race has been run as a 10k, previously it was known as the Newcastle 7, over seven miles. That had taken place for 40 years but this has now been shortened to take out a tricky road junction.

The race start is outside the organising club’s HQ on Ashfields New Road. The course takes us on road but steadily uphill for the majority of the first 6k, up something known locally as Black Bank. Then we descend to the finish. It also goes off-road at this point. Firstly on to gravel tracks and then dirt tracks along the route of an old railway line. Thankfully it's not been too wet, so the course isn't muddy or slippery.

The finish turns out to be at least a half a mile walk back to the race HQ, so one wonders why it couldn’t still have been a 7 miler?

It’s a popular event with 416 finishers and a rather nice commemorative mug for all. I am one of those finishers despite struggling with tight calf-itis throughout. I consider dropping out several times as my muscles alternate from tight to excruciatingly tight but I carry on in the belief that this is actually doing it some good.

My time of 49:31 reflects my cautiousness and my discomfort but at least nothing snapped. However I think doing the same over a half marathon distance at Scunthorpe in two weeks time is out of the question.

Droitwich Half Marathon

This morning a leisurely kick off for the Droitwich Half Marathon at 12 noon. It’s decidedly low key, a 350 limit and not really in Droitwich, as it barely skirts the outside.

The race HQ is at a rather bemused golf course, where there is no parking due to the weather. So the runners are bussed in from the town centre. This wasn't an option with dogs, so we parked roadside. As did many others but at least we parked well away from the race start on a side road and didn't block the buses or the run route, as others did.

The race route itself was very rural and very dull. Highlights were a thatched cottage, a ford that we skirted around and one country pub, which wasn’t open. Dull though is fine, as it gave me the chance to zone out and concentrate on my injuries or more specifically, not aggravating those injuries.

It was also mainly flat but with two quite steep downhills, which is odd, as I don't remember the ups, so they must have been slight or I must really have been zoned out.

My fitness ran out, as expected, at around 5 miles but the calves felt good, which was my main concern. The foam roller I purchased as chief masseur, in the absence of a real live one, did its job. Who needs some dinky sexy physioette with iron thumbs, not me...

The injured knee was sore, as expected, but nothing too spectacular, so that was good too. The blisters though, were something else. This was expected too. Forced into selecting long socks for calf compression, I have yet to find any that are double skinned for blister protection. Oh, and of course, everything else aches. As I say, general fitness ran out at around 5 miles but I slogged round and proved a point to my body.

Afterwards the organisers have a little laugh by placing the race t-shirts and the post run sandwiches upstairs.

Wombwell 5

This morning we head up to somewhere near Barnsley for a five mile race. We were going to do the Warp Up & Run 10k on Graves Park in Sheffield next week but as that is £16 for a chocolate bar and a medal, whereas this is £8 for a t-shirt, we opted for this instead, it was no contest really.

The race, at Wombwell, isn’t actually anywhere near Barnsley but Wombwell itself is a fairly big place. It isn’t though, and I hope it doesn’t mind me saying this, very scenic. Although if you look beyond the town/village itself, there is some pretty pleasant countryside.

Parking was at the recreation ground next to a go-kart track. We looked around for ages for the start line but couldn’t find it before joining everyone else who was warming up on the rack track. Then we saw it, a little start sign at the edge of the track. So... how many loops of the track are we in for?

Just the one and a bit as it turns out, to start with, before we head out onto the road, all nicely strung out. After that, route wise, there is one moderately steep hill called Snape Hill but it’s quite a short one, then the course is pretty flat. A lot of it is around housing estates until its back onto the track for another lap to the finish. 

I’m on the results as recording a 32 minute run. I wish. Dear organisers that was not me. I have run a 32 once, maybe twice, but that was a while ago. I ran a 38 today and was quite pleased with that, considering the state of my legs. Although I’m not even sure that time was accurate, I couldn’t see a 4 mile marker and my time for the last two miles was rather impressive. Indicating perhaps that they were short? or that perhaps the earlier markers were wrong.

Alsager 5

Finally it seems that the good old British weather is going to allow us to get some outdoor racing. It’s just a shame my body isn’t keen on the idea.

We drive over to Alsager near Crewe. The race is busy, although not full. I think it was last year but I guess this year everyone’s been holding onto their pennies in case it was another victim of the weather.  

L tells me to take it easy, so I do. With a dodgy left knee and a dodgy right calf, I don’t have a lot of choice. I probably shouldn’t be running at all but I need to do something.

It’s a bit of a surprise to overtake L about half a mile in, who has clearly started way down the front. This may have been partly my fault, by mistake I told her I thought we were heading off in the opposite direction. So what she thought was the probably the back was actually the front.

My race went ok, for a while. Up to about three miles, when I lost concentration a bit, probably pushed things a bit too hard and tweaked the dodgy calf. I walked a bit and considered quitting but couldn’t see a route back to the start/finish. By the time I passed the lane end where the finish was there was just one mile to go and I was running again, so I carried on. I got through it.

The time is awful though. In the last year I have done a PW in half marathon, 10k and now 5 miles.

Four Villages Half Marathon

Today’s Four Villages half marathon is cancelled.

The course is under snow and is not safe to run. They say the police would not have passed the route on their inspection, which is interesting. I didn’t know they would have been so closely involved.

Maybe if it had been off road it would have gone ahead, which makes me wonder if I should overcome my phobia of of road just for the winter months to at least get some races in. Still the break is doing me no harm, I don’t think.