Footpath Relays Recap

Shadow pic while I was waiting for my turn to run

After much hemming and hawing I finally succumbed to the lure of participating in the Footpath Relays in the Peak District that our running club fielded two teams for and I am glad I did! It was quite fun even though I was slightly stressed about getting lost (understatement) and letting the team down.

Map, notes, and team number

The format of this event is different to most other relays that I've done in that there's self-navigation involved across a mix of terrain--a route recce is highly recommended! Legs 1, 3, 6, and 9 start from the event centre and legs 2, 5, 8, and 10 finish there with legs 1 and 6 starting at the same time.*  Teams are made up of a mix of ages and sexes and there is a handicap system to ensure that each has this mix, for example since I'm a VW45 (VW=veteran woman, the equivalent in the states is masters female) I counted for 2 points toward the minimum 14 required.  The below screenshot shows the different leg information.

Click to enlarge

I was the 10th leg on Ilkeston Running Club Team B which gave me a LOT of time to worry about getting lost despite having recce'ed the route with Rachel the previous week.  However I did relish the opportunity to soak in the warmth of the day (slightly sunburned!) and being able to cheer on the others.

Legs 1 and 6 at the start line

As I mentioned in a post last week the route is gorgeous but I had no time to enjoy it once Paul handed off to me.  A slap of hands and I was off through the first stile and across the fields trying to catch Rachel who had set off just minutes earlier...it wasn't until I cleared the 2nd field before entering the woods that I realised I had forgotten to start my garmin, frustration! I made it to the single track after the farm and B&B before I heard footsteps pounding from behind and one of the guys from another team flew by me.

From the recce day, the downhill side of this is where I was overtaken

In the next section of woods I nearly missed a turn, I had a fairly decent head of steam and overshot where the path divided but it was just a few seconds to slow down and go the proper direction towards where we had our first bit of confusion on the recce but thanks to that I knew just where to go yesterday.  Past the bench and across a stile into another wooded area which led out into the fields where we had the 2nd bit of trouble last week. I still ended up coming down to the road at the wrong place and had to climb a fence instead of the stile and it meant more of the steep uphill on the lane to get up.  A few more valuable seconds lost there... 

The last section in Bow Woods is where I lost the most time though, the route instruction notes read to stay with the main path as it bore left but just before a clearing in the centre the path divides and they are the exact same size.  This is NOT where I was supposed to bear left! I'd gone the wrong way and it wasn't until I glimpsed the clearing on my right when it was meant to be on my left that I realised my mistake.  Instead of continuing on I backtracked and of course this cost me at least a minute.  While I was fairly sure the way I went would bring me back in to the path I needed I couldn't take the chance it wouldn't.  

After this it was fairly straightforward to get back to the finish, over the gate and across the main road (had to wait for traffic to clear on this one), around the bend and left to the canal footpath.  By now it was fairly heaving with people also out enjoying the day so there was some dodging and weaving happening and trying to maintain some semblance of speed while grunting out thank you to everyone who stepped aside.  To get over to the Rugby field from the canal path for our finish involved trying to find an opening to the right that quite a few people missed--by the time I'd gotten there someone had drew a large arrow on the ground pointing to it but it was still easy to overlook.  Thankfully we had double-checked on this earlier so I didn't shoot by but it did involve a very short but steep scramble over rocks and tree roots so it behooved you to watch your step. 

Garmin Connect details

I can't wait until next year! Hopefully my navigation skills will have improved even more before then.  If you can muster up a team I heartily recommend doing this one. There are no medals or prizes or even cake unless you bring it but it's definitely fun and challenging and a veritable bargain at £20 per team.

After the relays, I'd already changed out of my club vest

*If you are wondering what happened to legs 4 and 7 they started and finished out in the middle of nowhere! 

Hairy Helmet Relays and Long Eaton parkrun

Hello folks, yes it's another Juneathon update post for the 12th and 13th! I ended up taking yesterday as a rest day but did show up to support the Ilkeston Running Club at the Hairy Helmet Relays.  While I was in my running kit to step in in case someone couldn't make it at the last minute I was glad to not have to run because of lingering GI issues.  Lots of fun getting to cheer everyone on and actually being able to spectate the entire thing! The fancy dress is always fun to see, the Pirates of the Caribbean team was my favourite, well done them for running in full costume.

The club!

Hanging out at the Hairy Helmet 

Today was the inaugural Long Eaton parkrun and what a great event it was! Exceptional volunteers and despite the rain it was a good day to run because West Park is normally very windy and today it was only slightly breezy. It's a 2 lap course and they don't come much flatter so it is excellent for chasing after a personal best.  Lots of parking and there are changing rooms available for afterwards. Amongst the volunteers today was some very enthusiastic cow-bell ringers! I hope they had enough fun to continue coming out because it certainly put a smile on everyone's face that was running by (at least those in my proximity). 

Start pic from the facebook page

Despite me saying it is a pb course there wasn't one in the cards for me, I was thankful to have even made it through at a steady pace because of the continuing GI problems (yes still! grrrrrrrrr), heavy legs (4th 'speed' session this week) and a very achy lower back.  Getting old sucks! 

Stats:

5k time: 23:55

Splits: 7:31, 7:51, 7:46, 0:46 (6:48 pace)

70/242 overall

10/104 female

1/18 VW 45-49 category

If you aren't signed up for parkrun yet, whatever are you waiting for??? It's free, it's friendly and you don't have to be fast! And if you are very lucky there is cowbell!!!  

2015 Stute BDL Race Recap

Little bit late in posting about it but the 2nd race in our BDL summer league was on the 12th of May.  While I am still feeling the lingering effects of bronchitis it ended up being a slightly better performance than I expected.  Fortunately we are getting some very speedy women in our club so it takes some of the pressure off that I put on myself for the league races...Don't get me wrong, I'm still trying my best whatever that may be at the time but if I am able to go into a race relaxed then I run better/faster and that certainly held true for this one.

Perhaps I was running a little too relaxed

Since this is the race that our club hosts it was on very familiar territory and except for a slight incline around mile 3 it is flat as can be, not really my preference but it can make for some speedy times. What is great about it being on our turf is that all the marshals know your name so it means lots of encouragement!  The weather was certainly more cooperative than last year's swelterfest, sunny and cool (while it's perfect running weather I'm ready for some warmth!) and some fast times were posted overall.

I stuck with starting near the back again, it does cost you seconds with reaching the actual start line but I've found that I pace myself better doing this, ie not jackrabbiting the first mile with getting caught up with the faster runners.  Once we all got settled into a rhythm I started focussing on surging forward and passing with a purpose, most of the time it worked but it is something that has to be practised so as not to slow down to much once you've made your move.  I also started it much earlier than I normally do which is doable if you are keeping a comfortably hard pace rather than being full out.

The Stute BDL race splits

As you can see from the table above I was slightly faster this year despite not being back in form...and you can see that the first mile in 2014 is why I struggled with the rest of the race.  That was NOT racing smart! Mile 3 is where the incline is and I still lost time on it but it was back down to a more reasonable split time with miles 4 and 5.  I am very happy with this pacing! 

Finish line approach in between 2 club mates

Placement comparison is interesting--I finished 211/339 overall, 34/115 women, and 4/13 in the VL45 category this year.  Last year it was 202/308, 34/100, and 4/12.  The first place woman in the VL45 category finished in 31:34, almost 9 minutes ahead of me, 3rd place was 37:48, again quite similar to last year's times and places, not sure I have 2 minutes faster in my legs.  

The Longhorn Part III

So onto the last part of this race report--how did I actually get on?

As I wrote in the first part of this I was fully expecting to DNF. I wasn't even sad about it, the plan was to go out, do what I could for as long as my body would hold out and have fun with the day. There were a few things that could have ruined my attitude but I made the conscious decision to just laugh them off and keep on trucking.

The first thing was discovering that the elastic on the pants of the running skirt I was wearing decided to give up the ghost! I should have expected it because I have had that one for a few years I just didn't think it would do so yesterday! Apologies to all behind me who might have gotten flashed and had to deal with me constantly pulling the wedgie out from my bum cheeks!

First lap!

The next was the tie holding my timing chip onto the shoe decided to come loose on one side within the first half mile necessitating a stop to try and fix it and then it coming all the way off just before the half marathon racers caught up to us! There was an extended stop to tie it through my shoe lace while noticing one of the ties had outright broken.  Once I finally got going again I'd been passed by a couple of the speedy women in our running club and had a chance to chat with one of the guys before he zoomed off as well.

The gear: GU, 9bar, amphipod, spibelt, Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem

My one goal yesterday was to do something different every time I spotted a photographer and I think I succeeded based on the proofs I have seen so far. One photographer even thanked me when I did something silly! I'm sure their jobs can be very monotonous with taking the same picture repeatedly. 

Proof from Michael Rowlands Creative & Contemporary Photography

Having fun on the 2nd lap

The scenery was top-notch and it never got boring. There were fields of sheep with baby lambs scampering about and baaing at us running by while their mums glowered making sure we kept our distance.  The longhorn cattle would stop their grazing and almost pose majestically. Beautiful waving fields of golden rapeseed. Huge trees with so many twists, turns, and knots. Uneven ground on occasion to remind you that it was a trail race and to mind the footing. A stream babbling under a stone bridge. There's more but I'm rambling a bit here.  

A somewhat late summary:

First lap--slight wardrobe malfunction, timer chip issue, a couple of miles that were too fast.

Second lap--Still feeling good, chatted with a half marathoner that had caught up to me around 5.5 miles, started on my bottle of perpetuem, emergency portaloo stop at the 2nd one on the course, constant nose blowing, chatting away to whomever crossed my path. Began flagging just before climbing the hill towards the race village but still running so continued on even though the rocky areas were starting to play hell with my feet.

Third lap--Worst. Stitch. Ever. One too many bites of a 9bar reduced me to a slow walk and gasping for air. Finally got lapped by a running club mate who was on his way to winning the marathon! Legs started cramping towards the end. Play race leap frog with the cutest couple ever. Other zip tie on the timing chip breaks. Flop, flop, flop against the top of my foot.

Fourth lap--aka the trudge. Yes, I decided to continue the slog. Dumped the belts over the fence  by the club banners (bottles were empty by this point) and kept moving forward in painfully slow motion. Cramps started in earnest and my nose was doing its level best to drown me in snot. Pick out a sign, run to it then walk to the next. Lather, rinse, repeat for 6.5 miles.  Smile and thank the volunteers. Nearly cry when I see Kerry, Andrew, and James who walked out on the course to cheer 

me in on the final mile.

Final stretch, I can finally see the finish line and all of a sudden there is the loudest, craziest, yell from across the race village field and there is a blond blur running towards me! Cathy had stayed to see the last of the club in too and her enthusiasm was so infectious that she got people who had nothing to do with the race cheering for me as well! Best. Cheerleader. EVER. I am still getting all kinds of teary-eyed thinking about it. 

We will not discuss my wobble towards the volunteer in charge of removing the chips nor how the EMT kept hovering around me after that wobble, lol. I also cannot condone running a marathon not being fully recovered from a cold that developed into bronchitis...However I can endorse The Longhorn as being a top-notch event (many thanks again to Amanda and Mollie!) and that the Ilkeston Running Club represented and then some with Andrew winning the marathon, Cathy was first overall female marathon finisher, and Melissa was the same for the half marathon.  Huge thank you for everyone that waited around for me to finish up, I didn't DNF and even though I tried I wasn't the last finisher (almost but not quite!). Somehow I even managed to get a personal best by a couple of minutes.  

The end is near!