Telford 10k, 2022

At some point in the summer, about the time I turned 55, I decided to have a crack at qualifying for the England Masters team in 10k and half marathon races. I put together a training plan from Pfitzinger and Latter's book 'Faster road racing' and manage to stick to it pretty closely through October and November, notwithstanding a few days off the wagon with Covid in October.

My target race was the Telford 10k, described as 'the fastest 10k course in the country'. To qualify, I needed to complete in a time better than 39 minutes (easy), and - here's the crunch - in the top 3 of my age category. Last year I would have had to finish in just over 36 minutes, 30+ seconds faster than my best result this century in Stubbington. A long shot, but worth committing to training and giving it my best shot.

Rob and Nicole, OS Runner friends, offered us a bed at their place in Cheltenham before driving up to Telford on Sunday. But a family funeral in King's Lynn on Saturday forced a change of plans, and instead we drove from King's Lynn to Telford on Saturday evening, the temperature stuck around zero all day.

We were in the grip of a proper cold snap. The weather forecast had been calling a max temp of zero on Sunday, but what we hadn't expected when we looked out of the hotel window was a dusting of snow.

We parked up in central Telford, close to the start, in good time. We headed to a coffee shop, which was blessedly warm and full of hard-looking running folk.

I get to lift at least one trophy today

It's lovely in here... why go outside?

The race was running over 3 waves - elite, sub-40 minutes and the rest. We went outside to watch the elite start. It was a surprisingly low-key start area, but the ferocity of the start was quite something. We met up with Rob and Nicole and I started warming up for the Wave 2 start 40 minutes later.

There were hyper-fit, uber-focused people everywhere, in their own zones of preparation. Strides, leg swings, A-steps, chicken-feeding... it was all happening. What was I going to wear? As I warmed up, I decided to ditch the thermal base layer and go vest, hat and gloves. The tannoy called runners to the start. I stripped down, exchanged goodbyes and good lucks and gathered with the other ruuners. Last minute-decision - ditch the hat.

A countdown, and we were off. Easy, easy, keep it gentle, not too fast - I tried to stay calm through the opening minutes, but in truth it was a very intense time, with runners jammed together running downhill on a narrow winding tarmac track in icy conditions. Twice I almost tripped. It was much faster than I'd planned, but it was clear from a recce beforehand that the downhill start would distort timings. Keep it steady, but use the hill.

I had a home-made M55 label on my back, as required by EA. I didn't see any others, although I saw three M60s ahead of me. They pulled out of sight, and I knew me qualifying was going to be very unlikely. I can't say I loved this race, as I was being regularly overtaken. Nicole passed me after about 4k, looking strong. By about halfway I was losing control of my breathing and having to labour very hard. The snow really started to pile down. It really was one of the most full-on race experiences I'd encountered, surrounded by extremely talented runners crammed together on a narrow course while the snow swirled around.

Lovely day for it

Seen any other M55s around?

I heaved myself over the finish line in 37:32, 6th M55 and 455th overall. Here are my stats. I was a disappointed to be 10 seconds slower than my Eastleigh time this year, but I found much of this race to be a proper struggle - the weather, the narrow course and the lack of any real peers to hang in with. No cigar today - but it was a real privilege to run this race. Next stop, the Farnborough 10k in January. Back to the training!

Nicole knocked out a very impressive 36:48 PB

Clarendon relay, 2022

I decided many months ago that I wouldn't run a marathon this year, but would instead concentrate on building up ankle strength after last year's Achilles heel injury. And so it came to pass that I joined forces with James Battle, James Byrne and Steve Geary to form the unusually-named team: Get in Gear, feel the Burn and Battle the hills in Style.

I was in Salisbury early, seeing the lovely Mrs S and Small Kate off on their marathon start in light drizzle. The forecast for the day looked really awful. James, James and Steve turned up to collect their numbers and we stood around chatting and saying hello to the various friendly faces coming and going. The weather seemed to easing, and looking westwards I saw a strip of blue sky.

Mrs S and Kate head off under gloomy skies

These chaps mean business

I went off on the first leg with the 10:30 massed start. In short order I was in third place, and then second. At the bottom of the first hill up to Clarendon Palace I was passed by Matt Hammerton, looking very strong, and then another marathon runner. I was aware of a challenger just behind me but managed to fend him off.

The 10:30 massed start - a mix of marathon and relay runners

That's Matt in the foreground

The sun came out at Pitton, and from there it was a beautifully-lit and surprisingly warm course. I kept the pressure up as well as I could, and arrived at the handover in 44:22, second place in the relay race.

After trotting back to the start I popped home for a shower and thence to Winchester to watch the finishers. James Battle came storming in, and the GBBS team was the fourth team home.

The atmosphere at the finish was wonderful. Marathon, HM and relay runners alike were all smiles (and a few grimaces) in the autumn sunshine. It's wonderful to see how this event has captured people's imagination and affection over the years.

Leg 1: making hot work of it

Leg 2: just floatin' along

Leg 3: over the river Test

Leg 4: bringing it home

Meanwhile, Mrs S seems to have lost her tray

Romsey out in force at the finish

CapTen, 2022

This time last year I was off games, courtesy of my Achilles tendon. The lovely Mrs S was hugely enthusiastic about the event, and after a brisk early start we found ourselves at Seatown on a sunny September morning, along with Becky and Alice. 

This race was advertised as being a wee bit hilly.

Super-charged for the hills

The first mile was more or less all uphill to Thorncombe Beacon. I tried to get into a sensible rhythm and felt OK. Parts of this section of the course were familiar from the Bridport half five years ago. Down to Eype, and then back up Thorncombe, walking, hands on thighs. As I approached the top I was getting very close to a guy ahead (who I later found out was Paul), but he pulled away as we went downhill. And a few minutes later a younger bloke (Joe) overtook me.

Running back through Seatown: Beauty...

...and Beast

The three of us ran an interesting race between us. I arrived at the top of Golden Cap just behind Paul but ahead of Joe. The ascent wasn't too steep, but the shallow steps broke your pace and made running almost impossible. Joe overtook me going downhill, and I went past him and then Paul climbing up Chardown Hill. Four hills under the belt, one to go, and I was starting to tire.

There was a steep road heading down to the A35 at Morcombelake. I missed the sign pointing sharp right and as I ploughed on downhill heard Paul yelling. He took a neat turn, and I laboured up the steep track behind him. The three of us continued in formation. The final hill was a steep-ish grass field. Paul and Joe walked, and I walked too... it was hard. It went on and on, and as I reached turned left onto the forest track they pulled ahead. 

I knew it was all downhill to the finish, but I had nothing left to keep up. Passing a carpark, I'd lost sight of them could see no signs. 'Which way did they go?' I yelled at the daytrippers. It was longer than I expected to the finish, and it was hard to keep at full pressure with no one in sight ahead or behind.

I finished in 1:33:52 in 9th place, Paul having convincingly beaten me to the M55 spot. Here are my stats.

And Becky is first lady

A fantastic race, and a great day out. I'm looking forward to doing this again with a bit more hill fitness in my legs.

Woodchester Park, 2022

This time last year I wasn't running, thanks to my Achilles injury. I cycled around the hills and valleys around Stroud, at the edge of the Cotswolds, while Mrs S ran it. She finished bursting with enthusiasm about the friendly organisation and the spectacular course.

So here we were, a year later, back at Woodchester Park after an early start and a 2-hour drive. The skies were dark, and it felt as though heavy rain could arrive at any minute. But as we made our way to the start line, the clouds started to break up, and by the time we started it was a warm, sunny morning.

I knew that the course was broadly downhill on the way out and uphill on the return, albeit with a few extra hills thrown in. And the first 3k were indeed mostly downhill, on loose limestone track. After a few minutes I found myself in second place, wondering whether I had set off too quickly. Then a sharp turn uphill, and a sudden change of rhythm. I felt someone slowly approaching me, and then drawing level. We ran together for a while and then we were heading back downhill and I pulled away.

Don't worry, the race director had told us, there are plenty of signs on the course so you'll be fine. But there weren't, not really. The three of us at the front encountered a gate, and questioned whether this was right before shrugging and carrying on. There was another gate a bit further on, but thankfully a bloke in hi-vis within view, and we were OK. That 'oh no, have I gone wrong' feeling really is awful.

Back to the race. My challenger overtook me and shifted ahead. He was looking strong. But he quite suddenly pulled up at a water station above halfway around, at the very lowest point of the course, and I really thought he was a goner.

He wasn't. Soon enough he came charging past me on a long climb, and was soon way ahead. I was now on my own. I felt strong, but I was working hard. At about 10k the course veered right, and I realised that we were heading back up the steep section. But doing it in reverse was much harder; there was a long, straight section of track that was fearfully steep. I managed to heave my way up, keeping to some kind of a run but wondering whether walking might be more effective.

Onto the final climb, and I was looking at my watch. I had the time of 56:40 etched in my mind as the M55 record, set in 2015. When I saw the steps leading out of the valley, I knew that I could beat this. I pushed like mad up the track to the finish line and arrived in 54:58.

I was ecstatic! After a lie-down on the grass, I said congratulations to the first two in. Number two, who had beaten me so decisively, looked rather, erm, middle-aged. I asked him what age category he was. 'I'm 57' he replied. Bugger! The first time I've beaten a record in a proper race and it was for nought. 

What a wonderful, challenging, friendly event. The lovely Mrs S had been spot-on. Great fun.

Buscot Park 10k, 2022

This was a new venue for us. Buscot Park is an impressive stately pile and estate near Faringdon in Oxfordshire, where the local rotary club stage an annual 5k and 10k race day. After a minor hamstring injury, this was my first race for about ten weeks, and my first as an M55.

As I've said before, Rotary races are invariably low-key, charming and rather delightful. But you can't afford to be too precious or exacting about the race details. After setting off, I found myself at the rear of 7 front-runners who quickly pulled away. After about a km we had two anticlockwise loops. By 3km I had pulled into third place, and from there it was fairly clear that I wasn't going to catch the guys ahead, and that I wasn't going to be challenged. So from then on I was on my own, but feeling OK about my pace. On the second lap I started lapping folk, with plenty of cheerful greetings.

At the end of the second lap, I had a reasonably clear expectation of what was going to happen - keep going at the T-junction, coming off the laps, to run the final section. But the two elderly chaps at the junction were pointing left. 'Second lap! I'm on my second lap!' I shouted, but still they pointed me left. OK, I thought, there must be a right turn ahead which will take me to the finish. But I had a bad feeling. I kept going until it was obvious I was in the wrong place. I kept my pace until my watch beeped 10km, and I turned around and jogged back to the start, wailing my frustration at the marshals as I passed them.

In my ignoble career of getting lost at races, this was a new twist. I soon got over my mini-sulk; it was a lovely course, and a lovely day, and I'd clocked up another configuration on the Stileman-gets-lost roulette table. Here's the Garmin record: Garmin Connect.

Ferndown 10k, 2022

This was a real wildcard, give-it-a-try sort of race. It was organised by the local Rotary, and was based at Ferndown's recreation ground. We arrived in good time, and scratched our heads a bit at the big playing field and the rather dozy-looking preparation.

Rotary is without doubt a force for good in the world, getting involved in and staging lots of worthwhile community activities and raising funds. And there's also something gently Englishly comic about the characters involved. Several times we wondered whether we had stumbled into a scene from Detectorists, All the organisers were chaps were professional retired chaps in their sixties and seventies, and the marshals were their wives, who had been left in the dark about most aspects of the race. I wish I had taken a photo of the race course, which was a blue biro schematic and totally indecipherable.

Mrs S was worrying that I'd have no competition at all. It was hard to tell - there were a few club runners wandering around, but it clearly wasn't going to be a hardcore field. We set off, with half a dozen or so people ahead of me. Thirty seconds later they'd all dropped back and there was just one bloke ahead of me. I thought I was being sensible, but with my first km clocking in at 3:33, I tried to settle in to the race.

My worry about running around playing fields was misplaced. Most of the race was on a patch of heathland which was far more interesting - sandy trails through wood and open land. All very flat, but with some interesting technical sections. Matey in front drifted ahead until I lost sight of both him and the lead bike in front of him.

That was it in terms of competition - no in sight in front or behind. I kept the pressure up and had just a couple of moments where I wasn't sure where to go, but took a punt and all was well. I finished in second place in 38:03 which was OK, considering the off-road course and the lack of direct competition. And I was presented a £15 voucher by some bloke off the telly. All good fun!

I think he reads the news on South Today

£15 just about covers the entry fee

Netley 10k, 2022

We set off early to Royal Victoria Country Park on a damp morning, to find the place already buzzing with people. This being a Hampshire Road Race League event, we were bumping into friends as soon as we got out of the car. There was a super atmosphere, and the conditions were good.

I'd only done this race once before - that was in 2017, when I burned out in the first half and struggled on the last lap, finishing in a lacklustre 38:36. This race hadn't been a particular focus, but I was looking forward to seeing what I could do several weeks after my last 10k races at Eastleigh and Calne.

We set off, and I tried to set a sensible pace. The track narrowed fairly quickly, and the traffic was actually quite useful in keeping me steady. Nevertheless, after the first km the route opened up on a wide descending road, and I enjoyed breezing past many people.

Into the second half, and I was focusing on enjoying the day, the race and the course rather than worrying about splits. A few runners overtook me, including Jamie Foster from Itchen Spitfires, and I knew that my second half would be slower than my first, but I was nevertheless feeling strong and comfortable.

Lap 2, weather good

At some point during the third lap, the slightly damp air became drizzle, then light rain and soon enough an absolute downpour. It made the finish all the more exciting, splashing through puddles and enjoying the cooling rain. Into the final stretch... Jamie had pulled a little way ahead, and several people were saying 'well done first lady' to someone just out of view, challenging hard. I never saw her, but used the challenge as a spur to push the pace heading to the line.

Pushing to the finish line in the rain

I finished in a chip time of 37:22, well above my 2017 time, and pipping my Eastleigh 10k chip time by a single second. Here are my Garmin stats. A very satisfactory Micawberesque result!

The souvenir towels made for great soggy headgear

I still went off a bit fast

Clock Change Challenge, 2022

A beautiful spring day, and the lovely Mrs S and I set off early to Calne in north Wiltshire for a new 10k race, part of the Wiltshire Road Race League and advertised as flat and therefore recovering-ankle-friendly.

It was a friendly, low-key event, with 5k and fun runs going on as we arrived. Very different to last week's Eastleigh run. I found myself near the start line and had a chat with a couple of Corsham runners, and we were off. In retrospect, I was less disciplined about tempering my pace at the start than I was last week, figuring that there would be less pressure in a smaller event, and as a result I clocked the first km in 3:37, a bit quick.

A quick lap of the playing field at the start

The course was essentially an out-and-back, with a small loop in the middle, like an inverted balloon on a string. From about 2k, there was a discernible gradient, which came more pronounced going into the loop. I was working hard, and panting up the slope.

Returning downhill, and into the second half, I struggled to regain my breath. I could feel myself slowing and at around 7k got overtaken by a Salisbury runner, Peter Callanan. The long road seemed a bit interminable, and I was rather grimly hanging on.

Into the final mile, and the gentle uphill slope was tough. The plan was to sprint the final 200m or so from the road turning to the playing field finish line, which really did for me. Peter had decisively beaten me to first M50, and I finished 12th place in 37:55; here are my stats. My pacing wasn't terribly pretty, but as Mrs S pointed out, I'm still relatively new on the racing block at the moment, re-learning old lessons, and possibly still depleted after last weekend. Racing in lovely countryside on a spring morning... works for me.

Eastleigh 10k, 2022

I'd been anticipating this race very eagerly since the start of the year. Flat running - and racing - has proved to be Achilles-friendly, and so this event felt like the perfect re-launch of competitive racing after a 2-year absence thanks to Covid and injury. The lovely Mrs S wrote me a training plan which kept me on the straight and narrow with a mix of interval sessions, all of which I'd done on my own, most of them in the dark.

So here we were on a cool, bright spring morning - Fleming Park was rammed with people in various states of layerage, warming up, limbering up and chatting in excited anticipation. We met the Romsey gang and I stripped down and beetled off to the start.

The last (only) time I ran this race was in 2013, when I positioned myself too close to the start line, as a consequence set off too fast, and finished in 37:38 after a war of attrition. Determined not to do this again, I asked several folk around me what they were aiming for and settled into the 37-something zone. 

I was very conscious of starting steadily, and clocked the first km in 3:40; at the top end of sensible. I found myself behind a trio of Winchester runners and planned to use them as my pacers. This worked OK up the hill in km 4, but they drifted away thereafter as we ran down a gentle descent and back past Fleming Park.

Approaching 7k, I turned east onto Derby Road. The headwind made it really tough here, and I had to dig in quite hard in as the field was quite spaced out and there was no one handy to tuck in behind. Two right turns later and I was heading west, the wind behind me, and it was a matter of pushing for the finish. The final kms were 3:41 and 3:43, which belies the effort I put into the final section. Into Fleming Park with 500m to go, I gave it everything and was pleased to overtake someone in the final few metres.

I was done for at the finish, which I reached in a chip time of 37:23. I'll very happily take that - it's been a long old time since I've done this kind of racing, and it's nice to be 15 seconds up on my 2013 result.  Here are my stats.

And as ever, huge gratitude to Mrs S for laying the foundations, encouraging me when all seemed doomed when my ankle seized up after the CTS Devon race, and being an all-round top coach. A very satisfactory outing!

At the finish with Liz, Steve, Alex, Keith, Ryan and Neil

Endurancelife Northumberland 10, 2022

The hill at the South Devon race three weeks ago wrecked my Achilles tendon for for the following week, so for the time being at least I'm avoiding everything to do with hills. So this event, long-planned, was fortuitously timed. The Endurancelife coastal trail series is infamous for its spiky elevation profiles; but this was a flat point-to-point along the shoreline.

Bamburgh looking moody and atmospheric

 

Mr and Mrs S looking slightly gothic

It had been a really long schlep yesterday - 8 hours of driving to cover the 400 miles from home. But after a leisurely start this morning we were feeling refreshed, and it was just a short hop to the lovely village of Bamburgh, where we wandered over the sand dunes before taking the coach southwards to the start at Beadnell. The first of the half marathon runners were just coming through. There was a brisk cool southerly wind blowing on a bright clear day. Bags dropped, we warmed up and headed to the crowded start line.

This time in technicolor

 

I set off at a brisk lick with about 8 people ahead of me, along the beach and then through the village of Beadnell before heading back onto the foreshore where there were some interesting rocky and stony sections. I was passing a stream of half marathon runners which mad it impossible to know where I was in the field, but gave the benefit of (a) having people to overtake and (b) providing further assurance of not getting lost. The brisk wind was behind us, and my hat and neck scarf quickly came off; why hadn't I worn a singlet? I asked myself.

Off the beach at Seahouses and over grass and then roadside before a sharp turn back on to the beach. A young lady (well, girl to be honest) had been just behind me for a while and overtook just as we approached the checkpoint, and slowly opened a wide gap. I was pushing hard in the second half, right on the threshold, but there was no closing this gap. This section of beach went on and on. Eventually Bamburgh Castle loomed in the distance and gradually got closer. Eventually I approached the distinctive Endurancelife banner and came off the beach and pushed up a really tough sand dune.

It was now a game of up-and-down sand dune paths all the way. I took a false turn at one point but was called back by the bloke behind me (thank you!). I could see the flags in the distance and I knew there was no danger of being overtaken and pressed on, loving it. I finished the 11.6km race in 47:34 in fifth place. Here are my stats.

The lovely Mrs S finished, lookimg very strong as 1st V45, a few minutes later. It had been a really tremendous adventure, and well worth the journey.

The lovely Mrs S storms to V45 victory

 

We'll be back!

 

Endurancelife South Devon 10k, 2022

This was my first proper (paid-up entry, number on shirt) race since last July, after which my ongoing grumbly Achilles / Haglunds Deformity nonsense flared into full-on bursitis and a total running reboot. Over the autumn I had carefully, gingerly started upping the distances and the pace, but keeping hills to a minimum.

So here we were, just outside the village of Beesands in South Devon, preparing to run the 10k version of the Endurancelife coastal trail series. I was originally down to do the half marathon (as I’d done in 2019), but in the spirit of one-thing-at-a-time and let’s-be-terribly-sensible, we were both doing the 10k (actually 11k) option.

Rather tight parking at Torcross...

...and a hilly walk to Beesands

At the start line, preparing to remove layers

I found myself in second place after a couple of minutes, with the guy in front edging away. This was handy, as the signs are plentiful, but quite small. The weather was cool, bright and breezy, and the views were wonderful. There was a technical rocky track section just past Start Point, and then a long draggy heading north again. At the top there was a small carpark where our numbers were scanned.

Looking towards Start Point

This is where it went wrong. The lead bloke was out of view, but I could see runners streaming past from left to right ahead of me, so I joined them. But then I realised I was heading back to the lighthouse. Was this right? I had assumed that the other runners were doing a different distance. No, we’re doing the 10k, they assured me. I ploughed on. A few minutes later I was consumed with doubt, and it dawned on me that I had circled round and caught up with the tail enders of my race.

The self-inflicted double loop

 

Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but I just ploughed on. The tricky rocky coastal section was far more hazardous as I tried to overtake slower runners. As we headed inland I overtook the lovely Mrs S, who was a bit bemused by my idiocy.

I had added about 2.6km by going around this loop twice. Back at the scanning point the marshals said ‘oh it’s you’, and ‘I tried to call after you’. Onwards, now back where I should have been I ploughed on, my heel feeling a bit tight but otherwise strong enough. It’s amazing how getting lost fires the adrenaline.

I made it over the finish line in 1:07:30, having run a total of 13.6km. I was 33^rd finisher. A lovely run on a stunning course, and a proper race… I’m really not complaining at all. I loved it, despite the frustration, and, 24 hours later, a rather unhappy tendon. Mrs S had an absolute ball too. We’ll be back!

Mrs S powers to the finish line