This half marathon is part undulating and part flat. It is approximately 1:40 to 2 hours drive from Stoke-On-Trent, without traffic. The start of this race is very narrow, so it can take some time to filter through the start line. This is not to much of a problem as it is a chip timed event. The race starts in front of Conwy Castle and turns left over the bridge. The course then heads out towards Llandudno for the first 3 to 4 miles, this is relatively flat with some small inclines and descents. At around mile 4 you make your way up a slightly larger incline and then descent into Llandudno, at this point you start to get a view of the sea behind the pier. Then the course takes a left and heads out of town. This is where the undulating part of the course starts and the hard work begins, but running along side the coast with the views easily makes up for this. The biggest challenge of this race is the climb up the Great Orme. Once you approach the start of the toll road the gradient begins to increase some more, and the climb really starts to begin. I would say that you climb at a steady rate for around half a mile then it levels off some, for a short time before a sharp climb, then flattens/eases again. The views are lovely and there is lots to look at. I saw people rock climbing, as well as a number of people walking the Great Orme. To your right you can see the coast and sea, and on your left is the shear face of the rocks. At around mile 6 the real climb begins, and seems to be never ending, but the best part is that the higher you get, the more amazing the views get. At around mile 7 the course reaches its highest point. Make sure you take a moment to have a good look around, I wished I had a camera with me as it was a beautiful day. The next mile is all down hill. I found it to be quite deceiving as it did not look as steep as it was, or it felt a lot steeper due to the previous incline. Once down from the Great Orme, the course soon leads you right back on to the road that led you out to Llandudno. Before you know it you are counting down to the last few miles. This part did get a bit lonely as the field had thinned out and there were not many spectators around, but the few that were out did a brilliant job!!! Before long the course leads you back over the bridge and right into the finish line (the same place that you started in). As the race is in November it can be a very cold start, so it is a good idea to have some throw away clothing with you, if you do not have a spectator with you. Also i would advise taking your own drink if you don't mind holding one, as the three water stations only offered small amounts of water in a beaker with a foil lid (that I was not a fan of). From chatting to people that have run this race in previous years, it appears that the organisers do tweak the route most years. I will definitely consider doing this race again in the future. The Conwy Half Marathon is one of a series of events organised by Run Wales. The date for next year's race has already been set as the 22nd November 2015. More details about this race and all the other Run Wales events are on the Run Wales website. Potters Trotters member Caroline is taking part in 14 events in 2014 to raise money for the Stroke Association. Here is her report from the Great South Run in Portsmouth: This run is supposedly the flattest 10 mile road race in the world but runners were warned about the coastal wind providing our tired legs with a challenge over the last two miles. The race certainly starts off on the flat but I found the staggered start most unusual, as by the time I crossed the start line I had done 3 warms up as the orange wave started, the white wave and finally the fun runners wave, the green wave. At the start we ran past a supportive crowd and the candy floss stalls, penny arcades and fun fair at South Sea before passing Portsmouth Cathedral and winding through the old town and on past the Spinnaker Tower. Runners then have the privilege of running past HMS Victory and through the Naval Dockyard by special permission where sailors stand on their ships providing cries of encouragement from on deck. The next stage (mile 3-4) is probably the lowest point of the race as the route goes out on one side of a dual carriage way, round a round about and back along the other side. Passing runners coming towards you as you are running out was hard going with one runner confessing to me that she had cried at this point the year before. Yet a bit of encouragement amongst us fun runners and a reminder of who we are running for and why soon got us down the other side of the dual carriage way and heading back towards the coast and up to the half way mark. At this stage the crowds got thicker and the encouragement louder, the kids started lining up for a high five from the runners and jelly babies and biscuits started being handed out by the generous spectators. The running vests I read as I passed other runners were also a constant source of inspiration to keep going. At mile 7 we started to run down residential street (Henderson Road) and the encouragement from the crowd went up a gear. All the residents had brought their stereos outside and their sofas from which they yelled your name and a few encouraging words. It was a much needed boost before hitting those dreaded final 2 miles. I know we were warned but I still wasn't prepared for the leg zapping strength of the wind as I swung onto the coastal road. This was where my head wanted me to give up and walk but the views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight made it a beautiful run into the finish, past the Royal Marines Museum & the famous Yomper Statue. Unfortunately myself and a fellow runner didn't quite have enough strength in our legs to out run Pepper Pig. Yet despite that embarrassment we were very proud to cross the line and receive a fine t-shirt, medal and haul in our goodie bag for our labours. It was a good run, with great scenery and support and a decent goodie bag at the finish. I'd recommend it, just remember to save something in your legs for those last 2 miles. There's no doubt you've seen the posts on FB and Twitter from your running friends... anyone seen my running mojo?
For runners of all ages and experience, there'll come a time when you just don't quite have the same enthusiasm for running as you once did. It might be after you've achieved a particularly important running goal - your first marathon for example - or as a result of injury or illness. The onset of winter can also be a factor... running on a wet, cold, dark evening in November can be so much less appealing than a sunny afternoon in July. Losing your mojo can make you feel like you've failed - running used to be fun, a brilliant stress reliever and a time to catch up with friends but right now it feels like your least favourite household chore (for me, that's ironing). What to do? Does this really mean the end of your association with running? From a personal point of view, it's happened twice in my nearly four years as a runner. The first time was after my first marathon... I forgot to rest, took part in lots more races (on a wave of euphoria), got injured and hit a wall. It took a break from racing to get my running mojo back. The second time, well that's now. I've had some amazing running moments this year - my highlight was a 24 hour relay race called the Spitfire Scramble - and a few running lows as well - being overtaken by a man dribbling a football towards the end of the London Marathon wasn't a great feeling! But for the last few weeks, I've been very busy at work (making it difficult for me to get to Potters Trotters) and struck down by a hacking cough and the snuffles. I used to really enjoy nipping out for a daytime run along the canal but I just haven't got much enthusiasm for it right now - it's possible I'm more likely to choose to do the ironing than go for a run! So I've been on the hunt for advice... and here's what I've found:
All good stuff, all useful advice, but all a bit confusing: make a change, do something different, gain encouragement from friends, run on your own, run with new people, have a break, keep running, stick with it, change your habits. I especially liked the post which told me to reward myself for every small success (see point 15 in this onefoot2foot post) - this could lead to a lot of cake! Hidden amongst all that advice was one constant which has struck a chord with me... remember why you started to run: "try to concentrate on the one reason that brought you to running in the first place. A clear focus can work magic on your motivation". I started running in Spring 2011. I was trying to get fitter, lose weight and feel more at home in my new home. I went out on my own and followed the Couch to 5k programme. After a few weeks, I spotted a group of women running along the canal every Tuesday and Thursday. They looked like they were having fun and I didn't think I would look out of place amongst them - a slightly overweight, not very tall woman closing in on 40! And so I joined them - the Potters Trotters - and I found new friends, new challenges and lots of inspiration. I found out that running was enjoyable and took me to lots of amazing places - I may not look like an Olympic Athlete but I've raced on the track at the Olympic Stadium in London. I'm lucky that I've kept a blog to record my running adventures - looking back through old posts gives me lots of reminders of why I started running and what kept me going: change, challenge, competition, fundraising for Cancer Research, parkrun, opportunities and community were just some of the things I identified. I'm not sure I've quite found the answer yet for getting my mojo back. Shaking off my cold will no doubt help. But I'm sure that it will come back and I'm hoping it will be in the company of the pink ladies from Potters Trotters. That was where I learnt to enjoy running in the first place. Liz Tideswell (More running adventures on my blog: http://www.rosedawndesigns.blogspot.co.uk/). Here are some ideas to help you stretch out after running.
Back in 2012, Bobbie decided to do something a little bit different: Well, where shall I begin? A few weeks ago I casually mentioned to Jo that I fancied the look of the Shutlingsloe Fell Run which was advertised on Bryan Dale’s website. That was my 1st mistake as Jo immediately jumped at the chance to try something different and it was decided that we would give it a go. After further investigation and from speaking to various people I realised that this race was going to be a bit more tricky than I first thought and as the day approached I became increasingly nervous. The day arrived, gloriously sunny and very hot at about 27c (my favourite running conditions – not!). The run was part of The Wildboarclough Fete which was held at a stately home. The venue was lovely and the scenery stunning. We quickly established which was the ‘hill’ we had to run up and I was horrified. It was a mountain! We registered for the race and at that point only 28 other people had registered and I started to feel a bit sick. We got talking to an experienced fell runner who told us that fell runs were graded from A to C with A being the hardest. Shutlingsloe was graded as an AS – the S representing steep!!!! We lined up at the start in an overgrown, uneven field. I think the field had reached about 68 by now. I knew I was going to be last as everyone looked very experienced. Thankfully Jo had promised that she wouldn’t be her usual speedy self and we would stay together. The whistle went and we were off. All the runners went speeding off and immediately it was clear that we were a bit out of our depth – oh well can’t give up now! We ran as fast as we could down the bank to the river. We had to cross the river which was about calf high. This was really nice as it was nice and cool. I could have quite easily stayed in there. Next we had to climb through Bluebell Wood. Easier said than done. This was really steep and very muddy with rocks. There was no way I could run and was using the trees to help me get up. At the top of the wood we came to a track along which we had to run along for a few hundred metres before the climb to the summit. The climb up the hill was very challenging. There were several stiles to cross and I’m not exaggerating when I say it was more of rock climbing exercise. There was no way I could run and was on all fours most of the time trying to climb up. Although it was very sunny it was extremely windy up there and I did feel rather apprehensive and scared. When you got to the summit you had to go round a check point and then come back down. This has got to be easier than going up, I thought. WRONG. There didn’t appear to be a natural path down and I really found it very difficult and spent most of the time on my bottom! Eventually we got down to the track and just had Bluebell Wood to get through again. It was harder going down as all the mud had been churned up by the front runners and again I spend most of the time on my bottom. When we got to the river on the way down it was so cooling I could’ve stayed there all day but alas we had to finish the race! Back to the field and just a short steep climb to the finish and everyone was clapping and cheering us. 1.9 miles clocked on my watch in approximately 42 minutes. My slowest race ever but I had done it!!! This may a bit of a negative review but on reflection I did enjoy it and felt a real sense of achievement at finishing. I don’t think I’ll be fell running again but glad I gave it a go and we had a lot of laughs both on the way up and down. I can’t finish without thanking Jo for sticking with me because if she hadn’t of done so I can guarantee that I would still be sitting at the top of that mountain waiting for someone to come and rescue me. Bobbie was back at Shutlingsloe in 2014 as part of the Staffordshire Moorland Summer Series... and conquered the mini-mountain all over again! |
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