Dirt Half Marathon - Leighton Buzzard

After last week I was determined to do better in this half marathon.  I had made sure I had worked out Monday, Tuesday, Wendesday and Thursday leaving Friday as a rest day before the race.  I knew there was a big hill in this race but once you're up a hill it's easy running downhill too.  Bring it on!

The morning was gloriously sunny but very chilly.  Knowing how the town centre can get on Saturdays I’d decided to walk from Vandyke Road to Tiddenfoot, 2 miles, no problem.  I got there nice and early and spotted a couple LBAC members.  Leighton Fun Runners were out in force again too.  A quick change into my running shoes and tucking away my lovely warm hoody I headed out to the start.  

The path was damp and I knew at some point I was going to get utterly muddy.  I just didn’t know when!  The start took us around Tiddenfoot Lake, a nice quick gentle uphill to get you warmed up and spread out before we all got to the tow path along the Grand Union Canal.  We stayed on this lovely flat non muddy path past the The Globe and past the Three Locks until we got to the bridge at the end of Bragenham Side road.  I knew the “HILL” was coming up and I was not looking forward to it.  The hill starts gently at first but it get more difficult the closer you get to Great Brickhill and Stoke Lane.  At this point my legs were starting to turn to jelly after the long easy bit along the canal.  Oh the relief at the top when it was time to head down Cuff Lane.  A nice long jog downhill before heading into Oakwood and the woodland trail.  Tricky downhill bits with tree roots ready to catch my foot, big muddy patches to slow me down and make sure my trainers looked like I’d worked on this run.  I’d lost all track of time in the woods – concentrating on staying upright!  I reached Linslade Road feeling good that I’d survived the root obstacle to then follow the trail in the woods on the other side of the road.  Hidden roots under leaf litter.  Much more fun!  The trail then headed out over a farm field, I saw the two wooden bridges in the distance and realised that this was the muddy part of the course.  My feet were hot, the water and mud were cool.  After 200 runners the field was slippy and the mud looked like the type of mud you get at a spa.  There was no avoiding it so I went for it.  Straight through the middle of it all and up to my knees.  No loss of trainer thankfully and at the final wooden bridge I decided to jump in like a big kid into the last of the mud.  Then it was back along the canal, past Tesco’s  and up to Tiddenfoot Lake to the finish.  Last weekend I felt like a wreck near the end of the race.  This week I had been on my cross trainer every day making sure my lungs and legs were going to work when I needed them.  It worked.  I got to the lake and gently started to increase my pace.  Overtaking quite a few people I’d been following for the majority of the race.  Finishing with a time of 2 hours 25 minutes.  Not my best time but an improvement on last weekend.  

Just to make the ending more gruelling.  I had a 2 mile walk home.  Dang.  Thankfully I’d packed a change of socks and shoes, I got my lovely warm cosy hoodie back on and decided to walk/jog home.  Yes, after 13.1 miles I willingly jogged some more.  I must be getting used to the half marathon distance.  Time to increase the mileage me thinks. 

How did everyone else from Leighton Buzzard get on?  Well done guys n gals

Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club

Gary Stratford 1:35

Helen Crossland 2:25

Leighton Fun Runners

Neil Warby 1:34

Jim Buttleman 1:38

Gordon Hill 2:03

Angela Kerr 2:06

Paul Thomas 2:09

Deena Bland 2:12

Phil Harpin 2:15

Pete Bolton 2:16

Grand Union Canal Half Marathon 2012 - Purple Patch

Today was going to be tough. 

I had chickened out of a half marathon last week due to the weather and hadn't been out running since the zombie invasion run.  To make things even more difficult I had not been taking my asthma meds for the last two weeks either.  Basically I've been a complete lazy dog for two weeks. 

So how did it go? 

Weather was very cold but very sunny. The car was parked as Cassiobury Park in Watford and I had paid for coach transport to the start in Uxbridge. At least I was warm for a little while whilst the coach took me to the start with lots of other runners. What to wear on that type of run? Arm warmers, calf compression, T-shirt and camalback - that's what I chose. Yup, I was shivering like crazy until the race started. 

It was TOUGH!  I've not felt like that running for a while. My lungs felt tight, my legs were stiff from the cold (or not running) and my feet were killing me by mile 5.  Argh! 

The runners started in two waves after we held a minute silence for Remembrance Day.  I knew we were travelling down the canal path but I naively thought that the canal path was going to be wider from Uxbridge to Watford for some reason.  Nope, it wasn't.  It was a standard canal path that had sections of completely slippy slidey mud to make things interesting, plus lots of holes, lots of branches trying to catch you unawares, lots of tree roots, lots of parked canal boats with tether lines to jump and finally - a few bridges to swap sides of the canal and a few locks to remind those legs what a hill is all about.  This all made passing other runners very, very interesting and risky.  So most of the time I didn't which probably didn't help my time.  We did get a reminder that the canal was only 4 foot deep so no one would need to swim if they fell in. 

In summary, I made it to the finish in one piece.  I didn't trip or fall or slip, very pleased with that score.  However, my lungs were useless, my legs were blocks of lead that just would respond to being pushed for extra effort and I'd had to stop several times to recover.  Back to my usual old running self that made running frustrating. 

Never underestimate the need for consistent training.  Over this year I had been very good at going out regularly on short runs to keep my legs fresh, keep my lungs free and to remind myself to look after myself.  Being a lazy dog and resting when I should have been getting out into this cold dark wintry time had made today far more difficult than it should have been.  I consider myself told and will endeavour to get of my comfy comfy sofa to go out into the cold dark nights to run!

On a good note.  I now know how far I can push myself through sheer determination.  At mile 5 my legs/lungs were just not responding to anything I was asking of them.  It was thoroughly frustrating but I didn't give in.  I kept on pushing.  I kept my legs moving even though I wanted to just sit down and stop.  I pushed myself through 8 miles of pain and still managed to keep myself going and run up the hill at Cassiobury Park!!!!! Utter, utter, down right determination can work wonders.  Even when I hadn't trained at all for this event. 

Now all I have to do is put that sheer determination into getting me through 26 miles in December!  Eek

Zombie Evacuation 5k - Must Train Harder

What possessed me to pay someone to scare me stupid whilst trying to run 5 kilometers?

Saturday 27th October 2012 was bitterly cold.  The place was Bassingbourn, Royston.  The Zombies had taken over Bassingbourn barracks and I was one the many who thought we could run an easy cross country 5k through zombie infested woodland with ease. 

All you had to do was dodge them right?

Sounds so simple!

I was covered head to foot - cross country through woodland, I was not going to avoid getting stung by nettles when there's zombies around! I had my trail shoes on for extra grip in case I needed to get a sprint on in muddy conditions.  I had two pairs of gloves on - running through woodland, you don't want to be fussing over a splinter with zombies after your brains, do you? 

I was nervous.  I was ready to dodge zombies (so I thought!). The army personnel gathered us runners for a quick briefing about what to expect and what would happen if we took on a zombie, if we lost our lives to the zombies and to keep away from the zombies at all costs or we would be eaten alive or shot!  Best pre race briefing ever!

The gates open and they tell us to run.  Then I hear screaming up ahead.  The first ambush zombie has already caught a few lives.  It's like watching a nature program with the graceful antelope dancing away from the jaws and claws of death.  Only this time it was a zombie and runners.  I was laughing then squealing and jumping out of the way just like the runners before me. 

It wasn't over.  A brief jog along the edge of a field brought us to the first wooded section.  As we're all approaching you can hear the screams of the runners ahead.  This time we're all in single file and have little option but to run headlong at the zombie and dodge at the last minute.  My heart is racing before it even gets to my turn.  I'm looking around for a different route and just before the zombie reaches for me I run headlong into the brush and come out onto another path and straight into the path of another zombie!!!! Scream, duck, dodge, sprint...... did I lose a life? Phew, no I didn't.  Wow! I know they're fake but the adrenaline has taken over all sense of self control and it's hilariously scary now. 

That was the first zombie ambush.  The rest of the zombie infested parts of the race will have to be experienced yourself.  I could write a book on the 5k a ran but it would be far more fun if you tried it yourself next year. 

So how fast did I cover 5k of zombie infested countryside?  50 minutes!!
Did I survive? Yes, with one life left and it was well earnt. 

The scariest part of the race was the zombie clown! Yes, there was a zombie clown and it scared the hell out of me.  I squealed when I got to this guy.  I squealed like a girl!!!

I would recommend this race to anyone who's willing to have a go at an interesting 5k as long as they don't have a heart condition and they're not scared of clowns! 

Roll on next weekend for a peaceful 13.1 miles without being scared silly whilst running it. 

Enjoy
Helen

Oxford Half Marathon

Wow what a morning. 

My day started at 5am.  Still very dark and outside was cold freezing fog.  Brrr.  The drive to Oxford was traffic free thankfully - no surprise at that time in the morning.  I managed to find the Mini Plant in Oxford with ease.  I then sat and chilled out for an hour munching away on a Millies cookie watching the marshals set up their post and get buses ready for when the crowds get in. 

By the time I had my kit ready and checked the mist had cleared and there was a cloudless blue sky.  The temperature, however, was still near zero and being in my running shorts and t-shirt it was not going to be a pleasant wait for the start at 9:30am. 

I hopped onto one of the buses to take me to the start.  Watching all the other runners in similar kit and looking just as cold.  You could tell instantly who was running and who was supporting.  The supporters looked warm and cosy in their jumpers, hats and gloves.  Did I mention it was cold? 

Kassam stadium was looking busy by the time I turned up at 8:30am.  I was glad I'd given myself so much time to be here and have everything ready.  I dropped my bag of at the bag storage.  At 8:30am there was no cue and a few people milling around.  By 9am it was a completely different scene.  A very long cue that snaked around the car park and lots of anxious cold people trying to get their bag stored before the race started at 9:30am. 

9:30am is getting close.  All 4,000 plus runners are ready and waiting for the starting horn.  Rubbing arms, dancing on the spot and basically looking like we're going to freeze in the next 5 minutes.  Relief surges through the crowd as the horn sounds.  We're all looking towards the start.  Waiting our turn to step over the chip plate and get into the running groove. 

What felt like an incredibly cold start to the morning was really rather nice once you got running.  I saw my targets in the distance and set my pace to a nice easy rate.  Easy to breath, easy to run, easy movement with my water pack and enough thought left to search the crowds for my target. 

Did I mention there were pacers in this race?  Each wearing a red t-shirt with expected finish times on them.  What a incentive!  I spotted my first target within the first mile.  2:30 finish time.  Passed with ease.  I then started looking for people wearing red t-shirts, no longer targeting the next person in front of me.  I wanted to pass the 2:25 pacer, this was looking like it was going to be fun.  I spotted them in the distance, I didn't want to increase my pace to much and end up exhausted by the end of the race so I kept my eye on where they were.  Each step bringing me closer..... Passed.  Not so easy this time.  This went on until I passed the 2:15 pacer, I was staggered I'd managed to catch up with this one.  Their pace was very even and even more difficult to pass.  This was my pace for this distance and if I wanted to get past this pacer I was going to have to push a little past my comfort zone.  Could I do it?  Could I still finish if I pushed this hard?  Oh what the hell, it's only a race and it's not like I'm coming first is it?  Weeeee, past the 2:15 pacer. 

Passing the 2:15 pacer took it's toll.  I was running at a pace I was not comfortable with for at least 4 miles.  By the time I got close to the finish nausea swept over me and robbed me of at least a minute.  Thankfully it passed and I was able to carry on running through to the finish line.  The clock read 2:14 for the gun finish time.  What did that mean for my actual running time?  I checked my trusty running watch and saw the time was 2:10 - No, it cant be.  I stopped because of the nausea.  I must of lost loads of time for that.  But yes, that was my time.  2 hours 10 minutes.  A whole 3 minutes faster than my previous best time for a half marathon.  I was amazed.  I was running with a hip and ankle injury that was affecting the whole dynamics of my running and yet I managed a personal best. 

So for all those peeps out there that think they cant or shouldn't try.  Get out there and have a game of chase.  Apart from the last mile I found the Oxford Half Marathon very entertaining.  The course was flat.  The marshals were excellent and the live bands along the route were a welcome break to the running.  Thank you Oxford for a lovely day.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Recovering Slowly - so far so good

It's been nearly 7 weeks since I fell and gave myself a badly sprained ankle and without knowing it until later, pelvic dysfunction syndrome. 

I thought I'd only given myself a bad sprain at the time.  I did stop and check when it happened, I kept my pace slow and even afterwards but what I didn't notice was the hidden shock I'd given my hip.  Not the femur head joint in my hip.  The big thing.  Plus, it was weeks later that the injury was finally found.  I had been having pain in my knee, pain in my back, pain in the but! and lastly the clue to it all - pain at the very front of the hip called the pubis symphasis. 

The worst bit, is that I've had so many different exercises suggested to help the pain without any of them working.  I now have a few exercises that have me tied up in knots on the floor but WOW what a difference. 

I still have pain on one side of my hip and it feels like I'm walking at a funny angle but as soon as I start to jog or run everything works perfectly and there's no pain at all.  I've been for a short quick run and no pain.  I've been for a good long 10 mile run and I felt tired but still no pain whilst running. 

One unfortunate casualty to all of this is cycling.  It's more than a pain in the ass to sit on the saddle of my bicycles and I'm searching for a solution to that one.  Until then, running is back on the cards for me and after having a forced 7 week rest from running I'm more than eager to get back into it. 

Notes to remember when you take a tumble whilst running -

STOP - Always stop and check to see what damage has been done.  You wont always feel immediate pain from a severe injury.  Sometimes it takes up to 20 minutes for the pain to kick in.  If you see something out of place or feel something out of place.  Stop and call for help.  Running with an injury will only delay any healing time.  Says the very person who did exactly that!! 

REST - If you've taken a tumble, checked yourself over for injuries and you find yourself feeling really hyped or jittery or nervous.  Rest.  Sit down, take a look at the scenery and chill out for a little while.  Have a snack, take a sip on that water you've been carrying.  Give yourself the time to analyse your tumble and come to terms with it.  In the meantime you'll give your body time to recover from the shock and you'll feel so much better when you get back on your feet and carry on running. 

STRETCH - After your rest, give yourself a few stretches to test for any injuries you didn't notice when you stopped.  This is when you'll find that hidden injury.  Be careful with these stretches, they're only supposed to remind your body of how tight your ligaments are after resting.  You're not trying to stretch those ligaments so you can do ballet or the splits in the next few seconds.  Remember that your body is already warm and ready to run, reminding you body that you have tight muscles that need relaxing is a great idea. 

IF INJURED - STOP AND CALL FOR HELP - This is when that mobile phone will come in handy.  Give your husband/wife/friend a call and give them a good story to listen to on the journey home.  Plus if you tell a good tale and they're laughing at your misfortune then they're more likely to turn up at your next rescue call for more entertainment. 

So here I am.  Thanking the universe for my husband who came to my rescue and laughed at my misfortune but I know if I call on him at any time of day to come rescue me, he will always be there for me. 

Injury Frustration

What happens when you're booked into a good race and you're on the brink of recovering from a stupidly painful injury?

Sigh!  You notify the race organisers and give someone fit to run the number. B'ah humbug. It feels devastating, feels down right unfair.

But! Instead of prolonging the recovery another runner now gets the chance to shine. Putting it into that perspective makes it feel a little better but by golly, when will this injury just heal already so I can feel alive again?

At some point I WILL be up & running again. A bit wiser, far to eager and most definitely far more appreciative of my fitness/stability levels.

Signed by grumpy injured runner

Note to self!

Being over prepared as always I was reviewing the route for the dunstable marathon and dang well injured myself good n propper! 

Not only did I badly sprain my ankle, I've wrenched my hip out of alignment too!

So, not only did I miss out on the marathon, I've still not been able to run more than a couple miles before I'm crippled by pain!

What have I learnt?

You may feel as fit as ox but some injuries really need good rest to heal properly. Plus all the doctors want to do is chuck painkillers at me!?!?!

6 weeks & 4 missed races later I'm finally seeing some improvement! Ugh!

Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be back to my long distance target and I'll run the marathon route just because it was so much fun figuring out the route instructions, Hahahaha!