March was supposed to go out like a lamb, for heaven's sake. It had been raining fairly solidly for two days, and it was still miserable as we drove down to Boscombe. Mercifully the rain stopped, but it was a chilly 5 degrees with a nippy sea breeze.
We met the rest of the OS team on the sea front, with plenty of whose-idea-was-this banter going on. A reluctant strip down to racing kit and a sort-of warm up later, and we were ready to go.
This is very much a club runners' event. Very different to last Sunday's outing; everyone seemed calm and focused. We had a rather ineffectual briefing, in which we were told to keep to either the pavement or the road, but I wasn't clear which. The start was brisk, as I expected, but it took me a few minutes to settle to a pace... it's been a while since I've done a hard-surfaced, flattish race like this - the last time was the Chichester 10k where I struggled to keep going.
The outward leg was on a tarmac path on the foreshore. It felt a bit relentless, with over 4km in a straight line with no real change of scenery. Then uphill, away from the coast, and the first slope felt quite a shock.
We circled around in a small loop before heading home on the coast road. I was overtaking others and felt OK, but with a mile to go a group of runners edged past me and I couldn't hold them. Then the fun bit - a great plunging chase downhill to the promenade and then a flat sprint finish. I overtook someone, but just couldn't hold him on the sprint.
In 2015 I ran this in 40:28. I really wanted to beat 40 this time. Despite my annoyance at being outgunned in the sprint, I was really chuffed to come home in 39:37. The lovely Mrs S also did a blinder, beating her expectations. A good morning out for Team S and Team OS.
Saturday, 31 March 2018
Sunday, 25 March 2018
Hundred Acres half marathon 2018
Nobody from the local running scene had heard of this event. I wrongly thought it referred to the original AA Milne Hundred Acre Wood, but it was actually a wood (Bere Forest) near a place called Hundred Acres, near Wickham.
The lovely Mrs S ran the 5k race which started half an hour before the 10k and half. There were a lot of large-bottomed ladies, and I had fun teasing Mrs S about whooshing past them. But she did precisely that, and finished as second lady. 'Now your job is to be second man in your race', she told me at the finish.
At the start the race director told us that the course had been cut slightly short, because the deep mud 'would not be good for your health. Shame. Off we went, and it was fairly obvious within about 5 seconds that there was one fast runner who pushed steadily ahead, and second place was mine to fight for. There were some really muddy sections (careful now)... thank goodness the wonderful Mrs S had warned me, as I would have been sliding badly in trail shoes, which the race organisers had been advocating.
Some nice hills, some sand, some gravels and some good muddy sections. There was a missing marshal at a crucial turning, which resulted in #1 running back to me, yelling that we'd missed the turn. He must have lost about a minute, me just a few seconds.
It was a 2-lap course, but within each lap we visited the finish area twice. On my third time through the race director shouted for me to turn right but I knew full well I was heading left. Mrs S was shouting conformation, and I later learned that at this point the whole race was facing disarray, as the marshals had no way of telling which way to send the runners.
The final 20 minutes were a proper chase through the mud, now nicely churned up, with the added excitement of dodging the slower runners on their first lap. I dodged and weaved and managed to stay on my feet and only had a couple of minor collisions (sorry about that).
Back up the hill to the finish line for an easy second place. Here are my stats. It had been a lovely race, albeit more of a tempo run, with some excitingly chaotic moments.
The lovely Mrs S ran the 5k race which started half an hour before the 10k and half. There were a lot of large-bottomed ladies, and I had fun teasing Mrs S about whooshing past them. But she did precisely that, and finished as second lady. 'Now your job is to be second man in your race', she told me at the finish.
At the start the race director told us that the course had been cut slightly short, because the deep mud 'would not be good for your health. Shame. Off we went, and it was fairly obvious within about 5 seconds that there was one fast runner who pushed steadily ahead, and second place was mine to fight for. There were some really muddy sections (careful now)... thank goodness the wonderful Mrs S had warned me, as I would have been sliding badly in trail shoes, which the race organisers had been advocating.
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| Mr Speedy, then me... this was the start and finish order |
Some nice hills, some sand, some gravels and some good muddy sections. There was a missing marshal at a crucial turning, which resulted in #1 running back to me, yelling that we'd missed the turn. He must have lost about a minute, me just a few seconds.
It was a 2-lap course, but within each lap we visited the finish area twice. On my third time through the race director shouted for me to turn right but I knew full well I was heading left. Mrs S was shouting conformation, and I later learned that at this point the whole race was facing disarray, as the marshals had no way of telling which way to send the runners.
The final 20 minutes were a proper chase through the mud, now nicely churned up, with the added excitement of dodging the slower runners on their first lap. I dodged and weaved and managed to stay on my feet and only had a couple of minor collisions (sorry about that).
Back up the hill to the finish line for an easy second place. Here are my stats. It had been a lovely race, albeit more of a tempo run, with some excitingly chaotic moments.
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| Double podium finish |
Sunday, 11 March 2018
Larmer Tree half, 2018
It was an early-ish start on a wet but mild morning. Sue Sleath joined the lovely Mrs S and I and we set off to Larmer Tree Gardens, close to Blandford in Dorset.
White Star races are in a class of their own when it comes to offbeat, quirky, don't-take-yourselves-too-seriously events in extraordinary landscapes. Our first adventure was parking in a very soggy field where a couple of vans had been abandoned, up to their axles in mud. The start area was low-key, with an eclectic bunch of runners, several of whom were wearing peacock-themed fancy dress, in tune with the theme of the race. I loved the sign outside race HQ: 'Did you know: London has a marathon too'.
We set off, and I was in 8th place. After about 1km we were slipping through mud, with the early finishers of the earlier 10 mile race returning in the other direction. I slowly picked my way through the runners ahead until I was in third place. As we hit the first crunchy hands-on-thighs hill I managed to pull ahead of Gregor Kazahieki and I was left wondering if I was really in second place and whether I had started too fast.
But I was feeling great. The course and the terrain were fantastic. The course was well signed but with few marshals, and I was on my own. There was a long, steady drag uphill and I passed the remnants of snowdrifts from last week. These remnants became bigger until I encountered a car-sized drift right in the path. i ran into it, and was up to my thighs in snow - a bizarre and thrillingly unexpected encounter.
At just past halfway I was at the highest section of the race, at around 250m. I ran through a long avenue of trees in thick atmospheric mist. Then downhill and a long section of muddy field. At the bottom we took a sharp right up another tasty hill, I glanced around, and there was Gregor, about 100m behind me. This really spurred me on. By now I was passing the tail end of the 10-mile runners and we shouted lots of encouraging noises to each other. A sharp downhill on a treacherous grassy camber - I stayed on my feet, somehow - and then back on the muddy trail home.
Mrs S was waving and shouting in the final field. I was terrified that Gregor was going to take me, and I heaved my way to the finish... but I was safe. Second place! I was given a box of beer and a framed picture, and the customary White Star hug from the large lady. Here are the stats.
This really was a top-class race. I loved it, and felt good all the way round. Sue came in as second lady, so it was a properly successful outing. Excellent preparation for next week's Grizzly!
White Star races are in a class of their own when it comes to offbeat, quirky, don't-take-yourselves-too-seriously events in extraordinary landscapes. Our first adventure was parking in a very soggy field where a couple of vans had been abandoned, up to their axles in mud. The start area was low-key, with an eclectic bunch of runners, several of whom were wearing peacock-themed fancy dress, in tune with the theme of the race. I loved the sign outside race HQ: 'Did you know: London has a marathon too'.
We set off, and I was in 8th place. After about 1km we were slipping through mud, with the early finishers of the earlier 10 mile race returning in the other direction. I slowly picked my way through the runners ahead until I was in third place. As we hit the first crunchy hands-on-thighs hill I managed to pull ahead of Gregor Kazahieki and I was left wondering if I was really in second place and whether I had started too fast.
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| Here we go... the first hill |
At just past halfway I was at the highest section of the race, at around 250m. I ran through a long avenue of trees in thick atmospheric mist. Then downhill and a long section of muddy field. At the bottom we took a sharp right up another tasty hill, I glanced around, and there was Gregor, about 100m behind me. This really spurred me on. By now I was passing the tail end of the 10-mile runners and we shouted lots of encouraging noises to each other. A sharp downhill on a treacherous grassy camber - I stayed on my feet, somehow - and then back on the muddy trail home.
Mrs S was waving and shouting in the final field. I was terrified that Gregor was going to take me, and I heaved my way to the finish... but I was safe. Second place! I was given a box of beer and a framed picture, and the customary White Star hug from the large lady. Here are the stats.
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| At the finish line, done for |
This really was a top-class race. I loved it, and felt good all the way round. Sue came in as second lady, so it was a properly successful outing. Excellent preparation for next week's Grizzly!
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| Romsey Road Runners: second best |
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