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Race
Reports 2012
November
Conwy Half Marathon
You wait
ages for a race report then three(!) come in together! Here's a little ditty from
first time half marathoner, Karen Mackintosh followed swiftly Dawn then by Craig
Walker
.........
Five
of us arrived at Conwy at 10am with Dawn as driver. The weather was lovely
(as I believe it always is for this event) cold, but sunny and we went to
get our numbers. This was all very organised and we got sorted quickly and
then went and met some of the other BRC runners on the quayside. Got a
takeaway brew and had some flapjack etc and then of course needed the loo.
Had to queue for ages but still had plenty of time to get changed, put our
bags in the baggage store and get to the start. I’m not very good in big
crowds, but with all the excitement of it all and the encouragement from the
other members I was fine. We started off and I was with Tracy for a while
but after we had gone over the bridge and got on the road as we were passing
people and others passing us I realised I was no longer with her and on my
own. I worried a bit whether I was going off too fast and would blow up
later, but decided that as I had nothing to prove to anyone but myself I
would carry on and if I did blow up later on and had to walk for a while, so
be it. The run along the beach was lovely and I tried to take it all in.
The time
seemed to pass quite quickly and I was spurred on by some people shouting
for me in Llandudno – didn’t know who they were at the time but gave them a
smile and a wave and it seems they used to be members and were down there
supporting. Then the came the start of the Great Orme – it didn’t seem too
steep at first and there was even a down hill dip but then a bit later on
just as I thought I must be getting near the top you go round a bend and see
the real rise to the top with a great snake of runners all the way up the
road. I nearly had a weak moment near the top and walked but just managed
to keep it going (spurred on by the little aeroplane coming past – I thought
he might be videoing and it would be just my luck to be caught walking on
film!).
It was a relief
to get over the top and really enjoyed the downhill bit. Started to feel it
in my thighs around mile 10 and realised I was drifting off and dawdling a
bit back along the beach as my legs didn’t seem to want to go, so told my
self to buck up and get on with it and managed to pick the pace up again
when I got back on the tarmac. It was great to hear the support crew
shouting at me on the way to the finish and when I finished I knew I had
done a better time than I was hoping for, but not exactly sure as my Garmin
watch had malfunctioned in the first mile so I didn’t know exactly how I’d
done until I got my text through a bit later. I was so chuffed and just
want to thank Dawn and Kev for the fantastic
[new to running]
course in May and getting me going and to Cindy, Christine & Tracy for the
long Sunday runs in the last few weeks and all their advice. Hope to do it
again next year, but don’t know if I’ll enjoy it so much as now I’ll have to
try and beat my time!
a second
one from PB girl, Dawn ....
Drama to and from Conwy!
Waking
to beautiful clear skies which has become the "norm" for the Conwy half (so
lucky!) got me in the right frame of mind, however looking out the window could
see there had been quite a frost, so with 10 mins 'til the others turned up I
thought get the car warm and defrosted... So I left it running to do just that,
however when everyone (Toni, Karen, Kev & Trace) turned up raring to go, the
boot wouldn't open! It had completely frozen over and the back doors were solid
too, having opted for a fancy electric boot when purchasing said car suddenly
became completely impractical and we ended up having to drive 10 mins with bags
on knees till it was defrosted enough to open! So once we had deposited bags in
the boot we set off comfortably and got there bang on time just before 10am.
With a couple of hours to go before the
start, we relaxed, drank tea and caught up with all the other club runners and
support crew who had stayed over or drove down that morning like ourselves, as
the time drew nearer, the nerves started kicking in and I became a bit manic
just wanting to get going. Toni & I decided during our training runs that we
were going to run together but if either of us was feeling good, to push on, so
we made our pact, hugged everyone (from BRC!) and wished everyone luck and we
were off!
Just as we crossed the bridge after a
couple of hundred metres I realised something wasn't quite right and pretty
quickly deduced that my sports bra had come undone, I had 2 choices...ignore it
and hope it holds or fiddle around and try and mend the situation so I choose
the to ignore and hoped for the best! (thankfully it never became an issue!)
Both Toni and I felt great
keeping even pacing of around 8.20 to 8.30 for the first 5 miles, we kept
holding back knowing that the Great Orme was going to need that extra strength,
as we neared the Orme it was fantastic and such a moral booster to see and hear
Helen, Alan, Linda and Co shouting our names and spurring us on, I was looking
forward to that all the way there! perfect timing for the start of the climb.
Well it didn't seem that bad, in fact we didn't really slow down and I
thought...this can't be it, it's too easy and then it went downhill quite sharply
and then I remembered.... oh yeah it goes downhill to then start practically at
the bottom to climb again and again and then it gotcha about half a mile or so
from the cafe at the top the road was really steep, but you could see the top
and you knew you just had to push on through, at this point I kept looking for
Toni but unfortunately we lost each other, so I pushed on through. At the top
my legs were shot and I thought I'm not going to recover from the climb, so I
took it steady and tried to recover as best as I could whilst trying to speed
up, thankfully I gathered strength and started to push on again and was
delighted and whooped my way downhill putting in a 7.20 mile and felt back to
full strength knowing I was on my way back. The sandy section at about mile 11
sapped my strength which was annoying but as I got nearer to mile 12, I picked
up the pace again and started pushing knowing that I was on for a PB if I can
just keep it going, as we turned onto the bridge, I was boosted and motivated
again when I saw Rachel and heard Nigel (Jones) & Kev haha what a great combo, I
literally sped up with the boom of Nigel's voice, (that was another point I was
really looking forward to!) then with less than 400m to go I saw my Dad & Helen
and waved as they cheered me on and sprinted over the line...with a 3 minute PB!
I was over the moon as my previous time was only a few weeks ago at the Great
North.
We then went for well earned fish
and chips, as we were leaving I decided to get my car keys out but I couldn't
find them, so Tracy went through the bag and every pocket and couldn't find them
either.... then I started to worry that someone had stolen my car and all I
could think of was how are we going to get home, we quickly made our way back to
the carpark and thankfully my car was where I left it (and locked)... not
knowing what else to do I proceeded to empty the contents of my bag...by then
Rach & Mark drove over to us to give us support and then our luck changed....
the phone rang and it was Cindy, she had been to the race officials and someone
had handed my keys in!!! (thank you honest runner whoever you are) what a relief
and quick thinking by Cindy & Steve, so the drama over, keys back in hand, hugs
all round and we made our way home.
It was an eventful day, the Conwy half is my favourite race, its got everything,
scenery, sea, sand, mountain (well big hill :-) great club camaraderie and fish
& chips..perfect combo! so if anyone is thinking of doing a half marathon or
have never done Conwy...put it on your list for next year you won't be
disappointed :-)
~ Dawn x
....and
here's another great report from Craig Walker,
.......Voted
one of the top 5 most scenic half marathons in the UK by Runners World and
with a start and finish in the shadows of the majestic Conwy Castle it was
certainly one I was looking forward to.
I had decided to enter the race at the
last-minute after a club training run a couple of weeks ago. After 2 half
marathons in a week followed by a 10k and several 5k races, another half
marathon race was the last thing I had planned on doing but as usual my
competitive streak got the better of me and reason and common sense went out
of the window!
Coming into the
race I wasn’t exactly in peak condition. Minor niggles were proving an
irritant and I hadn’t trained for the distance because of the late entry.
Add that to the fact that my overeating was starting to catch up with me and
it wasn’t exactly a recipe for a PB but regardless that was the target and
sub 1.36 was where I wanted to be. Psychologically I felt strong, if not
physically and I hoped that would be enough to pull me through.
A dry mouth caused by insufficient water intake
due to problems with parking and a rush to the start (luckily Dawn and Steve
came to my aid with a much-needed slug of water) left me a little worried
about dehydration on the start line.
A congested start area on the
Quayside meant that a little jostling
needed to be done over the first half mile to find some space. Chip timing
was on offer so there was no issue there but (minor running etiquette gripe
alert!!) I do wish that runners who know they are going to run a slower pace
would line up further back to avoid the dancing round runners that
invariably has to be done at the start. Don't mean to offend anyone but
common sense should prevail and I certainly wouldn’t start with the sub 5
and 6 min mile guys at the front and impede them as they set on their way.
Pacing flags at the start similar to the ones used in the London marathon
might help.
The field started to string out as we headed
alongside Conwy River towards Deganwy
Beach and the West Shore of Llandudno. You could taste the salty air and
after an ill-advised cooked breakfast with salty bacon that wasn’t
particularly welcome.
The plan (if you could call it that) was to push
hard over the first 5 miles to try to put some distance between me, Steve
and Kev, who I knew would both be the main competition for the first
finishing Biddulph runner. I’m quite
strong on the climbs so knew if I had a decent lead at this point then I
would hopefully be able to push on up the Orme and hang on in the second
half of the race to come in first from the
BRC runners.
The first 5 miles from a pacing perspective were
too fast and the plan didn’t work because Steve was right on my shoulder and
Kev was only a hundred metres back when we got to the Orme. A high 5 from my
boy Thomas gave me a much-needed energy boost before the steady climb of 2
miles to the summit which was actually my favourite part of the race. I knew
I would be strong and managed to put a little more distance between the guys
and myself. At the summit I wasn’t looking forward to the long run down, the
stress on your quads shouldn’t be underestimated and I could never shake off
the fact that I knew Steve and Kev weren't too far behind me and I was
tiring badly, totally unlike the Congleton
Half where I felt stronger as the race went on.
Steve passed me
on the run down at about the 8 mile point and he steadily edged away over
the last 5 miles. My quads were shot on the way down towards West Shore and
I knew the run back in to Conwy was going to be hard. I fully expected Kev
to pass me at any point from 10 miles onwards and he duly obliged at 11
miles and I just couldn’t respond and he looked strong on the way in. The
last mile is usually where I like to push hard but I had nothing left in the
tank and towards the end I was looking over my shoulder for Nigel. It felt
like I was running in treacle for that last few miles and I was just glad to
get it over and done with in 1.38.24, still my second best half marathon
time but I know I should have been nearer 1.35 if I had run a smarter race.
A big well done too to the other
Biddulph Club Runners, a brilliant
turnout and the level of competition is great at all levels. That can only
help us all become better runners which at the end of the day is why we all
do it. That’s mirrored with PB’s for Dawn and Nigel
[Lindop]
and excellent first runs over the distance for Karen and Janet plus a
brilliant 2nd
placed age group finish for Pat. Hats off to all.
PS - Steve and
Kev I will get you next time ;-)
Splits
below which highlight my pacing problems on the day.
Summary |
1:38:24.3 |
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1 |
6:38.8 |
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2 |
6:53.1 |
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3 |
7:05.6 |
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4 |
7:03.6 |
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5 |
7:17.4 |
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6 |
7:53.5 |
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7 |
8:23.9 |
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8 |
8:04.6 |
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9 |
6:42.3 |
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10 |
7:35.9 |
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11 |
7:56.6 |
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12 |
7:51.5 |
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13 |
8:21.6 |
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14 |
:36.0 |
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~
Craig
Langley 7
-3rd November 2012
As this was my first race running as a member of Biddulph Running Club, I
thought I would submit a small report on the Langley 7 that I ran on Saturday.
Previous to this race I had run just 1 race before of the same distance – the St
Thomas 7 back in September where I clocked 1 hour 5 minutes. I felt that I had
improved my running quite a bit since then, and so my target for this race was
to break 1 hour.
The weather conditions where perfect at the start of the race, the sky was blue,
the sun was out, and there was a nice cool wind around as the firework went off
to mark the start of the race.
I
started right at the back of the pack as I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way
being a novice to this sort of stuff. The first mile was slightly down hill as
we twisted our way through the quiet village of Langley, and I hit the first
mile point in a time of 07:38, so I had high hopes for a sub 1 hour time. I
completed the second mile in 08:52, so was still on target, but then came the
hilly section – the never ending hilly section! For anyone who has ever
completed the Mow Cop killer mile, then this is the way I would describe miles 3
and 4 of this course! Mile 3 took me 10:27 to complete, and mile 4 a whopping
12:11, at which point my hopes of breaking an hour had completely gone out of
the window. Thankfully after the 4 mile marker the rest of the course was either
flat or down hill, meaning I put in the final 3 miles at around 8 minute mile
pace, resulting in a final time of 1:02:30.
Although I have not had much experience with many different courses, I would say
that this was a really challenging run, and I suspect it would be a nightmare in
bad weather conditions. The views at the top of the climb were great though, and
it all felt worth it at the finish line. No certificate or medal at the end of
the race, but instead a nice cold bottle of Pedigree Ale, which I enjoyed later
that evening. Overall a well organized race, with good support from the marshals
and spectators. I would happily have another go at this next year.
~Mark
October
Sandbach
10k, 14 October 2012
This race
is one of the races on the 'club champ' list so it was a little disappointing at
the start to find we had only nine members out representing BRC. Having said that,
to those who ducked out: good call! The 1st and last kilometres are the
only off-road sections of the course and from last year's pleasant trot thru
open field, wild flowers and trail became this year a scramble through a muddy,
soggy quagmire - probably due to global warming. I certainly felt there
was more C02 about than usual. More later. This meant starting the road section
with an extra 50kg or so of something stuck to
each foot. It wasn't that nice kind of quagmire either - unlike the infamous
bogs section at the Keswick/Derwent Water 15k which, although deeper and longer
lasting, somehow sucked, squelched then cleaned your running shoes and, with a
tip of its hat, bid bon voyage! to each runner as they successfully pushed
through its tricky peril. At one point in these bogs a lad just in front of me sank
one leg in far as his thigh, but he pulled out, clean as a whistle and the
quagmire bade him a wink and a nice farewell. No, this Sandbach stuff was the kind specially made by cattle
and tractors, and four legs or four wheel drive would have been the choice. As
it was I had two legs and a slick new pair of Nikes which had about as
much grip as, well, a slick pair of Nikes on mud really. With Craig W running so well recently I knew I'd have to be at least
as good as last year to have a chance of pipping him at the finish. Sadly,
within the first km I knew it wasn't my day; Craig slipped and slithered
with skill down thru the field and already had 25yds on me by the time I got to
the road - Kev was a short distance behind but not so far that the elastic could
be broken. I still had some hope of catching Craig when his pace slowed
slightly at the drinks station - but it wasn't to be. My worrying lack of
energy allowed Kev to ease in front at about 7km and there's nothing I could do.
Nearly two minutes slower at the finish line than last year's effort. I'd like
to blame the mud but, although it caused some minor grief, it's no excuse for
the poor performance (I'm working on another, more plausible excuse as I write -
watch this space :-) ). It's the last time I phone that Lance Armstrong's
Doctor to see what Mr A. took to ride all the Tours so incredibly well:
cranberry juice + PSP22 energy powders (orange flavour) certainly didn't work
for me - although I did feel I could foam at the mouth anytime I fancied it!
Well done to all the other BRC
finishers - some of whom ran their first 10k race.
~Steve
September
Craig
Walker kindly sent in this report for the Macclesfield Half Marathon
Sunday September 30th 10am start....Macclesfield.
Half Marathon PB attempt.
After
a week of mammoth eating sessions (not a literal mammoth though, far too
hairy and extinct) I woke up at 7.20am surprisingly bright and not
feeling like Elvis after a deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwich
fest. I was a little nervous in anticipation of my first half marathon
since the disaster that was this year's Potters Arf, keen to prove to
myself that I could still post a half decent time.
For the Potters race I set off
far too quickly, pushing over the first 5 miles after a long injury lay
off and only a few weeks back running. I paid for it later in the race
by staggering in, dehydrated in
1hr
56mins,
my worst time in several years. At one point I had said to my brother,
who was running along with me for a couple of miles, that if I went over
2 hours I would quit running forever!
[ glad you
didn't! ed.]
Luckily I just about made the
finish line in time, helped by my eldest son Thomas running the last few
hundred metres with me and was thankfully able to carry on with my
running.
This time, determined never to
repeat this type of performance again, I made several changes in my
training. Firstly and most importantly implementing a proper training
plan, aided by a newly purchased GPS watch to focus my training. I also
made an overdue purchase of some
orthotics
to help with my
ropey
right shin and set out to break my PB at the
Macc Half.
I arrived at the Macclesfield
athletics track where the race was to start about half an hour before
the race. The traffic for the car parks was heavy but well marshalled. I
was ushered into a nearby car park and found a space no problem and was
off to the start for a warm up on the track with 20 minutes still left
to the gun.
The start was a lap and
three-quarters of the running track and then off out onto the roads for
the start of the proper work. The route was a nice rural course, very
undulating as you would expect for a rural course but with plenty of
downhill to go with the inevitable uphill.
The conditions were blustery
and I seemed to be running into a head wind for the whole race (always
the head wind never a tail wind, why is that???) but the rain held off
for the most part which was good and the temperature was perfect for
distance running.
My tactics for the day were to
push hard on the downhill and flat parts of the route to make up for the
time that would be lost on the climbs, particularly the 2 mile climb
from miles 10-12.
I was worried at mile 6 that I
had covered the first 5 miles too fast as I started to feel heavy legged
(the same feeling I would usually expect after 10 miles or so) and
indeed this didn't ease off for the rest of the race.
Thankfully I train a lot around
Mow Cop so hills are more than familiar to me and I was making good
ground on the climbs and overtook many runners on the uphill sections,
which is always good for morale. Despite feeling a little heavy legged I
was able to maintain a pace within my target average of 7.38 min/miles
by pushing on the downhill to recover what I lost on the climbs.
The race was superbly
marshalled and four drinks stations were positioned out on the course
although the cups were tricky to drink out of on the move. Still they
did the trick and kept me suitably hydrated as I pushed on.
As I hit 11 miles my slowed
pace on the 10-12 mile climb led me to believe I would not make my 1 hr
39 mins target and a PB. Thankfully I had miscalculated and realised as
much when I ran past the 12 mile point in 1 hr 31 mins . Freshly
invigorated by the thought of a PB I dug deep and pushed hard for the
last mile and was pleasantly surprised by my pace, covering the final
mile in 7 min 17 secs.
The finish was on the 100 metre
straight back on the running track and the prize a nice technical tee
shirt (and PB), much more useful than a medal which usually end up in
the kids toy boxes.
Overall it was an enjoyable,
friendly event, made much more pleasant by the solid organisation and I
would definitely take part again. Shame it wasn't traffic free but the
police were on hand to ensure that junctions were blocked and traffic
directed sensibly. All in all, a good way to spend a Sunday morning.
Only seven days until I do it
all over again in Congleton......
|
Time
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Moving Time
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Elevation Gain
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Elevation Loss
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Avg Pace
|
Calories
|
1
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07:04.5
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07:03
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30
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24
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07:04
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151
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2
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06:58.5
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06:59
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0
|
62
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06:59
|
155
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3
|
07:33.7
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07:33
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15
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0
|
07:34
|
156
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4
|
07:00.9
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07:02
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12
|
62
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07:01
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153
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5
|
07:21.1
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07:20
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15
|
92
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07:21
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156
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6
|
08:12.6
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08:06
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149
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0
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08:13
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156
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7
|
07:48.4
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07:48
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75
|
40
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07:48
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157
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8
|
07:49.0
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07:50
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31
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95
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07:49
|
156
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9
|
07:53.4
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07:53
|
83
|
69
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07:53
|
153
|
10
|
07:19.4
|
07:19
|
0
|
162
|
07:19
|
155
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11
|
08:37.8
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08:38
|
135
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0
|
08:38
|
155
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12
|
08:13.1
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08:13
|
103
|
14
|
08:13
|
155
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13
|
07:17.3
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07:18
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40
|
70
|
07:26
|
151
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Summary
|
1:39:09.8
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39:02.0
|
688
|
689
|
07:38
|
2,009
|
Cheers
~ Craig
July
This one
just in from Dawn after a particularly memorable Roaches run in the Summer
Series
.......Felt compelled to write this one up!
Rach
and I travelled up to the Roaches in beautiful dry warm weather & blue skies,
upon reaching the field to park, the views were stunning with Tittersworth
Reservoir far below. There was a huge turnout with what looked like most of
Wilmslow running club there (this race is on their championship list). At 7:15
the whistle went and we started a nice gentle climb, we then turned right to
start climbing the Roaches, when I say climb I mean clambering over huge rocks,
there wasn't much chance of running it was really fast hopping and jumping, I
fell just the once, nothing serious and didn't break my stride/jump much but did
stumble about 4 times but kept the momentum going, so this climb lasted just
under 2 miles, then it was a fast downhill on a rocky path that had steps cut
into the path which made for a fast decent, then a sharp turn right onto Tarmac,
by this point my legs were completely drained, we climbed for approx 200m then
it was downhill where usually I can put my foot down, but I had nothing, this
went on for about a mile.... I could see the runners in the far distance and my
heart sank, i was extremely tired in the legs at this point. This is where we
saw the sky had turned black in what looked like a distance far enough away for
us to get away with it, as i happily chatted to another runner as I breezed
past....but you know what's coming....O.M.G it started off a gentle
drizzle...lovely cos it was very warm and this was more than welcome.... We
turned right onto a stony trail again heading up and then all hell broke
loose.... The heavens just opened, it didn't just rain heavy, it hailstoned with
driving rain that was so hard it hurt, I couldn't see, literally the rain was so
dense that you couldn't see the path in front, I was drenched immediately in
about 30 seconds, but it just kept coming there was no let up, I screamed
(proper girly) and I heard shouts all around me, it was pretty scary, the path
immediately turned into a river and the puddles so deep you just had to plough
through and hope for the best...I kept running well stumbling, jumping and
slipping all over the place, the marshals poor things looked like drowned
rats...,so what the hell did we look like! Then the path started on a down hill
but this "path" was a rocky thin pathway that wouldn't have looked out of place
for white water rafting if it was wide enough, honestly Im not being a drama
queen here (for a change :-) we were now running through rapids and it was at
this point that I started laughing it was so ridiculous that there was nothing
else to do but embrace it, the painful rain eased off and it was " just" a heavy
downpour, we still had a good mile or so to go, and I was having a ball, we
turned into a field next full of cow poo and the stench was awful, this is the
point one of my trainers got stuck in the ankle deep mud, I've never moved so
quick to shove it back on, mud and all just to stay in front of the guy who was
hot (wet) on my heels, I managed it! Then we turned not sure if it was left or
right but it was onto a more stable rocky/stony path, I saw some civilisation
and my spirits lifted again, we were climbing again but this was nothing really,
then a small downhill and then it flattened out, I was exhausted at this point
but I could see the finish, Andrew the guy who was on my heels right from the
start was trying his best to over take me but I was having none of that, i
didn't go through heaven and hell to be pipped at the post so I found something
from somewhere and managed to sprint through the final puddles into the finish!
I saw Rach and we just hugged laughing and shouting, it felt great to share the
experience with her, no one would believe us if just one of us had the story to
tell.... Would I do it again...hell yeah that was the best fun I've ever had in
a race!!
~ Dawn
June
Tracy put pen to paper (or
fingers to keyboard in these modern techno times) and scribed a race report for
the K-Swiss 10k in Manchester.......
It has been well documented in the annals of time my indifference to
the fair sport known as football....surely not! I hear you say.....so I was a
little surprised to find myself on a grey June morning trotting around a stadium
dedicated to that very ‘sport’. I find difficulty in describing it as such, as
it can only referred to as 22 men with a bag of wind and have long since
decided that the action of rolling around on the floor whilst checking to see if
anyone is paying attention is reminiscent of a toddler having a tantrum. Best
course of action.........ignore. I digress (apologies) from the purpose of this
which is to chronicle the event today, which was a first for our club. The
promise of a meet and greet with the legend which is Ron Hill created much
interest and Dawn's persuasive nature meant that a figure in the teens would be
turning out in club colours. However, injury and shocking straight down rain at
sunrise meant that the numbers were dwindling. A merry band of intrepid runners
(do I mean merry?) left the BVLC at stupid o’clock, sat-navs and maps at the
ready. Arriving in good time meant that we had an opportunity to track down the
world famous runner and seal the deal Dawn had been cultivating, a photo
opportunity. Ron was just as pleased to take part as we were and the only
sticking point was no one had a camera...doh! Thank heavens for modern smart
phones.
The force of nature/God/sods law which was on our side today meant
that instead of the dowsing we had expected it was a little windy and overcast
but otherwise ideal. The course bobbed and weaved, using more cones than I’ve
seen unless on a contra flow on the M5 and took us round the very structure
[do you mean the
world famous Ethiad Stadium there Trace? ed] to which I have referred. Some areas of undulation and a course
which was quite poorly supported should have gone against his race’s likeability
score but I found myself quite entranced and realised....almost too
late.....that I had gone off a little quickly and came to the conclusion that I
may well pay for that later. At 6k the sight of the leading men finishing their
second lap and heading back into the athletic track was a little disconcerting
but as I headed round the cone chicane once more my spirit was lifted when I
realised that the second lap was shorter that the first. Little time left to
wonder at the skills of the architects/craftsmen in the creation of some of the
beautifully imposing mills on the route, now serving a purpose other than
industry and some sadly standing idle but both starkly contrasting with the
boxy dwellings dotted around the course. Time to stop musing and get on with
that quality mile I’d been fantasising about. With a nice bit of undulating on a
dual carriageway the course wound its way back on the athletics track we had
started on and a stadium finish, worthy of any major athletics event. All told a
good race and one I would consider again.
~Tracy
Great
report Tracy - keep 'em coming.
A shorter
one (than his norm) by Steve about the same race .....
I'll make this a short(ish) one.
I must admit I wasn't particularly looking forward to this race - the thought of
running around the dark satanic mills and backstreets of Manchester didn't
infuse me with motivation. However the reasons to take part
considerably outweighed those against: (i) the prospect of a good number of BRC
members taking part (ii) a photo-opportunity with Dr. Ronald Hill - former
world marathon record holder (as a claim to fame I have held the shoes he wore
during that record breaking race - he did a guest appearance one Saturday
morning at Bourne Sports - the shoes were little more than flexible plywood with
canvas uppers) and (iii) starting and finishing in the stadium of the
2011/12 premier league champions - oh, it was also the venue for the 2002
commonwealth games. Disappointment number one - quite a few of the BRC
members didn't make it there - it's a shame when so many get niggles just
before the same event. The biggest disappointment was that the start and finish was not in the Ethiad
Stadium at all (like I was led to believe) but in some second rate practice
track just over the car park. Stadium finish my a***. What a K-swiz that
was. Perhaps I didn't read the small print, I dunno. Having said all
that Doc. H was more than happy to oblige and stood with the BRC runners for a
nice group snap. It was good to know that Ron knew of Biddulph as he used
to run with George Rhodes - the legendary local athlete of yesteryear and car
dealer
empresario.
During the race, unlike Tracy
who has a much better eye for these things, I didn't notice the old mills'
architecture. The only structures I noticed were the steel skeletons of two
rather sad looking disused gasometers which we seemed to be forever circling
around. Even though these things were clearly long out of service I swear I
smelled proper fuel gas on passing them. Homeless gas I guess. I was a
little distracted trying to work out the scrap iron value of their remains.
The course was pretty much flat with just the occasional steady fall or rise. I
diced for a couple of miles with Stockport Harrier girl - I thought it was a
Stafford Harrier or perhaps a Congleton Harrier - they all wear the same goldie
coloured vests - it's a Harrier thing. Talking of vests: did anyone notice
the Black/gold outfits of Chorlton Runners? Looked just like ours - apart from 'Chorlton
Runners' on the back. Very confusing tho when trying to locate team mates in a
crowd of Chorltons ( & there was a lot of em!)
I did feel reasonably OK - perhaps not as
good as in Llandudno the week before but certainly much much better than the
Market Drayton a month or so ago where I really just wanted to go back to bed -
and that aint a good feeling when you're in the starting pen. So
with all that I thought I could well be on for a PB in Manchester. Those
positive thoughts were still on as I was approaching the entrance to the 'stadium(????)'
for the finish, '39.55' my watch read - great! Just about 400m to go and I'll be
there! 90 seconds should do it and a good PB to boot. Nearly two minutes
later I crossed the finish line - where did all the time go? I must've walked
somewhere or fell asleep along the track.Turned out I'd equalled my PB
( from Mkt Drayton strangely enough) but the good thing was I felt a whole
lot better about it.
Well done to all BRC members who ran - many of whom
achieved a good PB for the distance. Would I do the race again? Ask again next
year.
~Steve
PS.
It was nice to see that the
Ethiad's Man City goalie, Joe Hart, had such a good European Cup campaign -
probably the best player of the England side. He's done really well for
himself since leaving his eponymous role in Dawson's Creek (it is him -
isn't it?). I've wanted to use the word 'eponymous' for ages.
May
Edinburgh Marathon
Once
again Hayley Martin trekked to the land of thistle and whiskey to complete her
4th (or is it 5th?) marathon and her second 26.2er in the space of 6
weeks! Here's another great report and some top tips for next year ....
Well
a little bird tells me that some of you guys are signing up for the
Edinburgh marathon next year.....so I thought I'd go check out the route for
you and feed back .
Here's my informative report filled with tips to
get you round next year.
You perhaps might like to do it a little faster
than my time of 5:37:09.... I'll come out with my excuses for the
embarrassing time a little later. But first allow me to share what I've
learned :-)
1)
If you need the loo on route please
avoid the prickly gorse along the lane at mile 17 .( there is plenty of
other undergrowth for you to use at your leisure.) I have marked the
particular bush in question with a balloon so you know to avoid that area
next year .please don't ask me about this one, just take my word for it .
2)
For
about 8 miles along the route you will meet runners coming in the opposite
direction. Luckily you run close enough to them for you to be able to
interact and smile at them as we all run merrily along. I find that slipping
the odd gel shot to a few dashing young men with my phone number sellotaped
to the packaging works a treat and is much cheaper than the plenty of fish
dating site.
3)
Take money for chips ?you will see them, you will smell them, you
will want them. You have been warned!
4)
Oh just to go back to tip number 1?.i know we all used
leaves as kids.but take some loo roll- we are adults now
5)
Don't tip Gatorade or other sports drinks over you head to cool
yourself down. Yer. Like I did that (tuts loudly) really! How stupid do you
think I am ?
6)
If you run with an iPod (against the rules but I'm a naughty girl)
yes if you run with an iPod , please realize that it is your headphone wire
that you can see in your peripheral vision not the tyre of a bike that is
following you the whole bleeding route!
7)
Don't steal ice lollies from kids spectating you might think you can
run faster than their dads- but trust me after 24 miles you wont be able to
.
8)
Hot day? Need sun block ? long hair? Tie it back and rub your cream
in well bearded women are so 1980's
9)
Always ask first before you rush to help a fellow runner with a groin
strain. Really ! some people are so touchy!
10)
If you grab some Vaseline that the marshals give out make sure you
tell the spectators what your actually doing. I found rubbing it in intimate
rubbing places got weird looks oh and err don't make 'oooohhhh' noises when
your doing it that's even worse!
11)
Ladies if it's a really hot day make sure
you don't accidently pin your race number to both your top and your bra. If
you get to a point where you feel you wanna whip your top off in the heat
you'll come unstuck. Not that anyone runs in just their bra ! (Dawn- if your
reading this please don't tell anyone what you saw in that half we did
J)
12)
If you must rub your eyes after eating a sticky gel shot and getting
it everywhere, I find it generally take about 10-15 minutes for your eyes to
water enough to un-stick your eyelids. If you are going to try this I
recommend doing it as you pass Musselburgh race course at around mile 9.
You'll find the white railings around the course adequate enough for you to
hang onto and guide you round for a few hundred feet.
And finally .... my final tip!
If you wanna feel like you have
run the marathon without actually going to the trouble of it, try hitting
each toe with a sledge hammer, throwing yourself off the garage roof and
landing on your back , and then once again on your head, (just for good
measure), then get a good friend to drive a small car over your thighs, buy
a medal off eBay and there you go
#
Well I was gonna come out with all my excuses for
my slow times etc now wasn't I , but somehow it doesn't feel appropriate and
maybe its ok for me to cut myself some slack and just be glad I made it
round . It was fun , very hot and I finished . I got to experience all the
best parts of running a marathon and lived to tell the tale (see doctor !
told you you were wrong again!!)
Marathon number 5 ? you betcha :-)
Love to you guys :-)
Hayley Martin xxx
Two reports in for the Bupa Manchester 10k [ not to be
confused with the Manchester 10k - which is in June]
Firstly
from new member Michelle .....
I've
never done a big organised charity event like this before so the Manchester
10k was a great experience. I felt my pace flowed easier than the Market
Drayton 10k the weekend before but my time was a bit slower and I came in at
57.33. I loved the atmosphere, the crowds and the music - the city was
really buzzing. The climb towards Manchester United didn't seem too much of
a climb - and I avoided falling over!!
I feel strongly
about the appeal I was raising money for and I work for the charitable
organisation too. I was fundraising for the SMCVS community transport
service to buy a new community mini bus - a fantastic service using
volunteer drivers that allows older and vulnerable people in Staffordshire
Moorlands access social events such as luncheon clubs and meetings. It is
also used by other voluntary and community groups as a low cost service.
My running has
really improved since training with the club but I don't have any other
challenges set so suggestions would be good with not too many hills!!
~
Michelle :-)
And
another short one from Julie .....
My time for yesterday was 52.16 and
new PB by 8 seconds. It was a good day out and finally I ran a race in decent
weather!
~Julie
April
A week
after the 'London Six' did theirs Julie Harris completed her second 26.2 mile
grueller: The Greater Manchester Marathon. It's official :Julie has a talent for
running long distances in the rain - or is it a talent of attracting rain to a
race? - she could be a rain god (anyone remember 2011 Potter's Arf?).
Fresh off
the press - here's Julie's 2nd marathon story .....
Race
day had arrived and I opened the curtains hoping to find the weather forecasters
had been wrong but unfortunately they had got it spot on. 4 degrees C, driving
rain and gales force gusts of wind. I did contemplate for 2 seconds going back
to bed, but no, I had trained too hard for this to let arctic weather in April
put me off. The hailstorm as I drove into Manchester did make me question my
sanity.
The hardest part of my race day preparation was choosing what
to wear. With hindsight I think I got it right but if I had owned some long
trousers that I had tested over 20 miles then I would have worn those.
The race was well organised at the start with convenient
parking and the female changing tent offered good shelter from the elements,
especially with so many people packed into it - it was the only time I was warm
all day.
We were soon under way and I felt good, it was a relief to
get moving and warmed up. My plan was to 9min/mile for as long as possible and
I managed to do this until 13 miles. The course wasn't too crowded and my
running was never impeded by the other runners. The support on the course was
fantastic and I was amazed by the number of people who turned out to watch and
cheer us on. They must have been so cold.
All was going well, I was relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere
but around mile 7 I began to feel the familiar pain in my knee that I had
experienced in London. This surprised me as I had only had a problem with it
once since London. This time though I didn't panic and ignored it as it wasn't
painful at this stage. I met someone I knew on the course and stayed with her
for a while and then I began to look forward to seeing Dawn and Rachel around
mile 11. I had missed Louise at the start.
I went through 10 miles in 1h 30,
still on target. I began to realise that my knee hurt most when the camber on
the road was steep or I was running around corners. So I ran as much as
possible in the centre of the road and took the smoothest line around the bends
[ ha!- the sacred racing line - ed ]
Altrincham was probably the best part of the course as it was
like being an Olympic athlete! There were so many supporters lining the course
in the town centre and by chance I was running on my own and the cheers were
fantastic. Just past the main centre I saw Dawn and Rachel, they were great and
gave me a real boost. Rachel ran with me and Dawn can give Nigel a run for his
money in the cheering stakes! Thank you both of you.
There was a slight uphill section after this and I was still
strong. Half way came and I went through in 1h 59 a bit down on pace but ok.
My knee was causing quite a bit of bother at this stage and that was when I
decided not to pace myself anymore but to enjoy the experience and hopefully
come in at a respectable time.
Then came Dunham Massey! We went along a narrow country lane
for a mile or so, it was great as it had high hedges on both sides and offered
us a little respite from the wind. The lane got wetter and wetter and at one
stage we all ran into each other as we tried to negotiate the puddles! The lane
gave way to a short section of cobbles!! Not the best running surface after 14
miles but that was nothing compared to the dirt track afterwards that had turned
into a lake. The muddy puddles where ankle deep and we were all filthy. I must
admit I enjoyed this section but it wasn't conducive to a fast time. I must
have run 11min/miles through that section.
The hardest part of the course was between 17 and 21 as there
were few spectators and it was just a slog to get back into the city. I was
still feeling strong though. I had to concentrate on keeping my leg relaxed to
keep away the pain. So many people were cramping up now, the cold was affecting
everyone and I had made a decision at the start that no matter how I felt I
wasn't going to walk in this weather and I am very proud to say that I didn't
walk a step. I even had to double back at one stage to get a gel as mine had a
hole in it and was only half full.
Back in the city I was overtaking lots of runners as I had
continuously from mile 13. I was extremely cold and could hardly move my arms
and fingers. The wind was dreadful now. Around mile 24 there were gusts that
almost stopped me in my tracks. That was when I saw Louise and the banner she
had made really helped me to forget about the wind. Thank you Louise. I wanted
to speed up but every time I tried my left leg would complain so I continued to
relax until mile 26 then I speeded up. Seeing my family in the finishing
straight was brilliant and I had maintained a huge smile on my face for the last
mile. I crossed the finish line in 4h13.48 The day before the marathon I
wouldn't have been happy with that but with the terrible conditions and my knee
I am so pleased. I sobbed when I got over the finish line and worried that
people would think I was in distress but I was elated and had finally put the
demons of London behind me.
I would recommend Manchester as a good marathon to run.
Dunham Massey would have been a lovely part of the course if the weather
conditions hadn't been so extreme. The support was amazing. The only problem
yesterday was the baggage collection. I found my bag relatively easily but some
runners took up to an hour to find theirs and some never did. In those
conditions it was dangerous as we were all on the verge of hypothermia if not
already suffering with it. It is a problem that is easily rectified and I am
sure they will have it sorted for next year. Apart from that as a first time
event it was well organised.
Would I run another marathon? Of course !
~Julie
Harris
London Marathon 2012
Four reports from the London Marathon vets....... thanks to Rachel and Hayley,
Christine and Kev for these race write-ups.....
Here's Rach's story .....
Celebrating
the fact that I had got a charity place from Addaction, I had trained really
hard over a 16 week period in preparation for London. The training went really
well. I had stuck to the plan, taken really good care of myself, stayed
relatively niggle free and I was overjoyed at recording a half-marathon at
Wilmslow in under 1:50.
So the signs were promising and come race day I felt good.
The taper worked!
On the morning of the marathon, the journey over to
Greenwich was a bit of a fiasco - Kev and I had set off at 7am but delays on the
underground had meant that we didn't get to Greenwich until 8.45am. Walking up
through Greenwich Park we were both anxious to get to our starts and so after a
quick photo and a big hug we went our separate ways and I headed in to the 'red'
start. Once I'd been to the loo, changed and got rid of my bags, and gone to
the loo again, I headed straight over to the starting pens. I wanted to get in
place and then focus on the race ahead. Running with so many other charity
runners wearing personal messages about lost or hurting loved ones, I tried not
to let the emotion get to me too much. I felt so proud in the knowledge that I
had reached my personal target, raising over £1600 for Addaction, and surprising
calm and collected. Today was about me and realising my own dream - a marathon
'Major' in a sub:4:00 time.
In those last few minutes before the gun the atmosphere
was electric, and as the music started, the crowd roared, I got the usual
goose-bumps, and then without time for more than a gulp and gasp for breath we
were off. We got going straight away, there was no stopping and starting, I ran
over the start line and had space around me from the start. Unbelievable isn't
it! Wilmslow was much more congested and I ran my first mile, in 9 minutes
exactly! I felt completely elated, beaming with pride and joy. Through
Blackheath, I was just bouncing along, laughing and cheering back at the crowds
and enjoying the moment.
By the time the the 'blue' and the 'red' starts merged at
mile 3, I was well in my stride, the boo's from the blues made me giggle and I
was really having to hold myself back at this point, experiencing a real
euphoric high from the support of the amazing crowds, the sound of the bands and
the music being blasted from the pubs through Woolwich.
As I approached
Greenwich, toilet stop out of the way, the roads narrowed and the noise from the
crowds intensified further as I ran past the newly restored Cutty Sark.
Amazing! In fact from this point all the way to the Mall the crowds were
fantastic, and I barely noticed the mileage passing by. Highlights for me were
seeing Dawn, Nigel, Cindy, Em and the Wiggly Worm at Mile 10 and 18, and running
over Tower Bridge. It was hotter than forecast but when I saw the guys for the
second time at mile 18 I still felt great. Running through Canary Wharf was a
bit like an oven, but with water stations every mile, showers and thousands of
smiling faces it kept me going. If you could bottle that atmosphere you could
make a fortune. On reaching mile 20 I knew if I just kept running steadily I'd
be able to crack it. My strategy was just to keep going and concentrate on
keeping form and pace. To be honest, those last few miles weren't as bad as I
thought they were going to be. I had my name on my vest and from mile 21
onwards I didn't go 20 seconds without someone
shouting 'Go Rachel!' or 'Looking good Rachel'. I
enjoyed every step!
I ran steadily
all of the way, stuck to my plan, and finished in 3hrs 54mins & 10secs,
achieving even splits, 1:56:56 for the first 13.1 and 1:57:14 for the second
half. I'm very proud of myself but couldn't have done it without the fantastic
support of BRC with me every step of the way. Thank you guys!
Here's to the next one!!
Best wishes
Rachel xx
Hayley Martin and Kev Shuff were the 'lucky ones' to win the draw for the the 2
club places in this year's London Marathon. Here's a great write-up of
the event from Hayley ....
Just
wanted to write a few words of thanks to every one at the club for helping
with my training for the London marathon and for letting me
have the club place
[you won it fair & square Hayley - I was there !
~ ed] - I felt very
honoured and privileged. Apologies for my embarrassing time ! It is actually
a pb for me - (though I might be better keeping quiet about that in case I
can trick anyone into believing I've got a sub 3 hr one last month:-))
I think
I got slightly distracted by the fact that there were so many jelly babies
and sweets given out, pieces of orange, I had 2 bananas and a packet of
crisps- all given out by the crowd. I strongly suspect that I came back a
stone heavier than when I started out! I managed to save a gingerbread man's
life - he couldn't tell, because of his costume, that his shoe lace was
undone - I sprinted forwards to inform him. Also managed to get a cute guy's
phone number (don't tell my husband :-)) and HIGH-5 about 200 people- as you
can tell my mind was truly focused on the job in hand - which was running
....I think :-)
I
actually had the dream race - nothing went wrong, I felt comfortable all
of the way round and with my hand on my heart it felt like I had only run
about 5 miles - I'm sure I didn't feel the first 20 miles - I keep checking
the splits to see if I took a short cut :-). I think that's down to the
crowds though, after spending many hours trudging the streets on 5 hour
training runs to be suddenly surrounded by thousands of people, you totally
forget your running and think you stepped into a carnival . London - the
only place where you can run 26.2 miles and it feel like 5 !
I'm not
really sure how long to make this race report to be honest (sorry if I am
boring you) shall I shut up now.... or talk about Jeff Galloway's running
techniques that helped me to get round? He advocates taking short walk
breaks early in the marathon to give certain muscle groups a rest from the
constant pounding....thus saving time and fatigue later on in the race.
Most, if not all of you guys reading this, probably wont need to do that as
your ''proper runners'' ! but for a ''back of the pack'' runner like myself
his advise was invaluable and left me with more energy and enjoying the race
and I know I can shave many more minutes off my London marathon time using
his techniques. I'm looking forward to trying them out when I do Edinburgh
marathon in just over 3 weeks. I know I could have done better and gone
faster. I wanted to push on throughout the race , but had to hold back as
I'm never really quite sure how my heart is going to react on these longer
marathon runs, so again apologies for taking my time round the course but
I'm sure you'll understand. Once again thank you for your support and for
being a wonderful friendly running club :-)
Lots of
love......
~Hayley
Martin
:-) xx
And another one from
Christine...................
My marathon story..
“Gruelling” is one word which
sums up my marathon experience of 2012. My first marathon experience,
London 2011, was a good one – I felt strong and fresh. I expected
something similar this year. My training with Sara – accompanied by
Nigel, Gerald and others, had been a pleasure – really! However, from
virtually the first step of this year’s event, I ached. I was too hot,
too uncomfortable, went off too fast, petered out and struggled my way
round. At 10 miles I felt very tired. At 18 I was so ready to stop,
having to force myself to keep plodding on. A little bit of
encouragement in the last 5 miles was passing hundreds of runners who
were now walking. I kept on running, putting one foot in front of the
other. I couldn’t believe it when the finish line was actually reached
and I could at last stop. Hooray! I have never been so pleased to finish
a race! It was lovely to have the support of family and friends – thank
you to you all – sorry I was such a misery! I cheered up at the Chinese
afterwards!
Let it be on the record that
I will give myself a break next year!
Very many thanks to everyone
who sponsored me – Macmillan Cancer relief has over £1000 extra to spend
helping people thanks to your generosity.
I look forward to supporting
others in the race in 2013!
~ Christine
Must
be a club record for reporting on one race - Kev rounds off the reports
for London 2012......
Think
my fello marathons runners have said it all ! Here's my summary :
Getting to the start ! Fiasco...Start to 22 miles
Great.........Apart from the 3 ladies walking after a mile !!!
(somebody please tell me why? ) 22 -24 Giving up running.......24 to
finish, met a chap from forest park and the little chat gave me the
push i needed. The boost at 10 & 18 were awesome, massive thanks to
all the BRC folk who were there, you did the club proud. A pb for
the course for me so i got to be happy.
Will i
do anymore ? at this point i really dont know.
March
Coniston 14m
Had
a great day on the Coniston 14 yesterday. Good running weather: dry, clear and
cool. Well organised race with good atmosphere. Really pleased to have finished
in 1:44:04. Could you please post on the website sometime as this is such a good
race to encourage others to venture into.
~Martin.
Stafford '20'
Great
results for Kev and Rachel in the Stafford '20'. Kev sent in this race
report.....
Stafford
20 !! ..........
What can I
say!? Got to start by sayin what a difference a week makes! Last week's
18 mile run round Brownlow was in sleet, rain, wind and bloody
cold. (still don't know why we do it ) This weeks race 15 degrees and
sunshine, Beyond me.
Myself and
Rach arrived in Stafford around 9-25 giving us alittle time for all the
race prep stuff, right socks, parts of the body covered with plasters, (
thats me ) lucozade,tiger stuff ( not me ) gels and everything else.
Anyway next over to registration to collect t-shirt I thought! thinking
they would have a list of entrants we didn't bother to take are numbers
! mistake !! This years race momento race mug,the t shirts we had
spotted were the Alsager 5 shirts not given out. Anyway the race itself,
have to admit I did say to Rachel that I wouldn't race ( sorry Rach )
couldn't resist it. The first 8 mile lap went really well even tho I
still forgot how many steady climbs there are.
Lap 2, 6
mile lap going well also right up to way you pass the university where
for some reason the applause got a little louder, nice I thought just
the boost I need ! only to find out a few seconds later that the
applause was for the winner completing his 3rd lap and entering the
finishing straight :-( have to admit that did throw me a bit I
thought I was running well enough not to get lapped.
Lap 3,after
getting my thoughts back to my running I manage to get to mile 15 pretty
well,ok i thought just a club run to go,mile 16 ok keep it up,mile 17
not so easy, good drink bite on the chewy bar, Mile 18 and 19 were a
real struggle but I manage to drag myself up the nasty little hill at
the finish.
While
crossing the finish i herd one of the ladies say it was under 2-35. I new
I had had a good run but wasn't expecting a minute and a half under my Pb for the course. 19 years that one stood,so pleased with 1-34.05.
One special
mention to Rachel, 20 miles is a hell of along way to run none stop,to
get round in under 3 hours for your first attempt is very special
indeed.Really well done. x. London will be a breeze.
Sorry again
I ran off and did my own thing.
Just to
finish , a great day for a run and 2 pbs for BRC........
~Shuff !
Cheadle 'Spring' 5m
Steve sent in this little piece about the Cheadle Spring 5. PS. If you've
got something urgent to do - best read this later ......
Shorts or longs? Vest or long sleeve? T-shirt? Or Antarctic polar gear?. These were
the thoughts which were bouncing around my head as I drove to The Cheadle
'Spring' 5m. The day was not so much like Spring this year - more like a deep
and dark December. Constant rain in the morning turned to constant sleet
as I passed the Jones and Shuff bathroom emporium at Kingsley Moor. (You didn't
know Kev and me ran a Loo and Bidet business together? Neither did I so
I'm going to ask them for dividends). I hadn't prepared specifically for a
5m race - not that I really prep properly for any race- but a good night's
sleep, porridge, oatcakes and cheese for breakfast were boding well for a
reasonable run. The only iffy thing was the weather - but that would be
same for everyone so I couldn't complain. After collecting the race number at
race HQ (some kind of youth centre hall which was dry, warm and a little bit
steamy all at the same time) the decision was made - it would be the club vest over
a long sleeve with shorts instead of longs - which I figured would get wet and
heavy during the race. Race number was successfully pinned on with 5 - yes 5!
pins to prevent the sail effect - and on pretty straight for me too! A woolly hat and gloves were added for
extra comfort and could be easily removed should an overheating incident occur.
Toni and Rob arrived shortly after - the only other two from BRC to take part
here. A little disappointing that only 3 from BRC were there but never mind.
I began to think I was a bit overdressed when some of the other runners - esp
the elite girls - were in just vest & shorts and some very daring ones in
crop tops. Hee Hee, I saw these same girls on the start line standing
around for 5 or 6 minutes freezing their BradPitts off so who had the last
laugh? Well, they did really cuz they kicked my butt in the race - more
later. Did I mention it was sleeting? Anyways, back to the event. I knew I'd have to run near a PB to stay in front of Rob - who laughably said last Thursday that he'd be
happy with under 38mins. A comedian this fella - he goes faster than that on
club nights. Other concerns were me old nemesis Stan Winterton and I'd
really like to get the better of Miss Deb Thomas of Trentham RC who, although
she put in a sick note yesterday at the Bourne's breakfast run, still said she'd
beat me "no matter what". Well now, we'd see about that - I wasn't going to make the
same mistake as last year where, feeling good in the first mile I went past her
only to see her easily cruise by with a mile to go and I was too low on
gas to respond. No, the plan was to keep Deb in sight and hopefully
have enough left in the final mile to reverse last year's debacle.
Stan was alongside me on the start line in his signature red & white striped
woolly hat. For anyone who doesn't know Stan he's a M65+ runner and a bit
of a local hero, it's irritating and inspiring at the same time if you happen to
be about the same race speed as him ( I mean, he trumps me by over 20 years ! ).
At the gun Deb went off like a rocket (flimsy vest and shorts) and I tucked in
behind Stan (wearing much more appropriate attire) but only for a bit, Rob
was breathing down my neck too. A little bit of luck dodging between
the early crowd of runners saw me move in front of Stan - and Deb wasn't too far in front after her
initial burst off the line. Everything was going reasonably OK although the old legs felt strangely cold as we turned off the main road in to
the country lanes and I'd been breathing a little too hard for comfort but I put
that down to what I thought was a good pace. It was a mistake
to glance at the watch at the 2mile marker - 14.00 exactly. Damn! With how
knackered I was beginning to feel it should have been 30 or 40 seconds quicker.
It all went a bit downhill from there - partly the terrain but mainly my mental
& physical
state. My normal breathing rhythm went to pot and Deb just pulled
gradually away whilst I felt that a red and white woolly hat was imminently
about to mirror, signal and manoeuvre right past. The anticipated
moment of overheating and hat removal never happened - instead replaced with a
cold forehead with a bonus of wet feet as we crossed several flooded sections of
lane. The last one and half miles were the worst - mostly a gradual climb on a
main road. The marshals were good tho - giving encouragement at every
opportunity. At the turn-off into the side street for the last
quarter mile I glanced back down the main road only to see Mr W gaining fast.
I really tried to speed up for that last quarter mile but in reality it probably
meant I didn't slow down. Luckily the finish came before Stan got me.
Deb had run a stormer [33.15], I'd been well beaten. Next year tho......
Through
the finish funnel, feeling like Roger Bannister after his sub-4 mile (but
without the joy of a new world record to go with it), I picked up a piece of
metal on a ribbon and, in my incoherent state, missed another freebee
which apparently consisted of some sort of powder sachet selection. Magic
powder I needed most of all at that moment. Back at an increasingly steamy
Race HQ, Toni ( having finished in a grand time of 37.55), Rob (34.45 -
big well done there Rob ) and myself decided it might be novel to see the
presentations. Clap. Clap. Applause Applause. The first 3 semi-clad
lads and girls collected their just rewards. But the girls still looked
cold ( ha ha ) . Then there was quite a few prizes for the 'vets' categories.
You could have knocked me over with a feather when they called my name for 2nd
place M40-44 cat. Hee Hee - I won an £8 Bourne's voucher
[don't spend it all at once! ed], that's never
happened before. Official finish time was 34.01, 10 seconds or so quicker
than last year but feeling 10 times worse. Will I do it
again. Definitely..... maybe.......if only for revenge.
~Steve
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