By Charlotte Smith.
Fast and furious? Intense? Dramatic? I remember hearing these descriptions last year just before I completed the Alsager 5 for the first time and thinking that this was going to be a little bit intimidating to say the least … It is NOT! This February was the second time I had completed this run, but my first time (and first race!) as a member of the NSRRA (www.nsrra.org.uk). It was once again, a thoroughly enjoyable race and brilliantly organised. The route is fairly flat, but not so much that it is boring and it is definitely a good challenge. I found that it was the ideal race to embed everything that we had learned from the training within our Club Run sessions with Chris Hollinshead. My mind was on my use of arms, helium balloons for posture(!) and starting a race feeling strong, but not pushing it too much. The combination of tips that we had learned from our sessions led many of us to achieve a pb, which was a pleasant surprise! Alsager 5 has a brilliant buzz; it is a great atmosphere and good for runners of different abilities. The sun was shining and the Trotters were out in form – a good Sunday had by all! The D33 - Adventures in Ultramarathon Running
‘How do you run 33 miles?’ That's a question I've been asked a lot recently (along with the more obvious, why?) and my answer is always the same... One step at a time, one mile at a time. As I stood on the start line of the D33 Ultra Marathon on a damp and drizzly morning in Duthie Park in Aberdeen, I tried to think about the challenge ahead in small manageable segments, one step at a time, one mile at a time, one snack at a time, one checkpoint at a time. My goal, to do my best (inspired by a quote from Cheryl Strayed, one of my favourite writers). With a final good luck of encouragement from Liz S, very sadly unable to run due to injury, I was underway and following a trail of runners out of the park and up onto the Deeside Way - a old rail trail running inland from Aberdeen. There was a temptation to start off too quickly - the terrain was easy underfoot, the rain not too heavy and everyone around me seemed to be speeding up as we left the park - but I resisted and tried to run my own race at my own pace. The rain got a bit harder, but I was still ticking off the miles, passing signs commemorating the old railway stations, and reached the first checkpoint in about 90 minutes, right on schedule. I picked up my first bag of goodies, transported to the checkpoint by the excellent volunteers, refuelled, topped up my water bottle and carried on to the second section of the route, where we left the footpath for a little while and covered a few miles on country lanes, before emerging out into the village of Drumoak. There was a bus waiting at the bus stop heading back towards Aberdeen but ‘only losers take the bus’ so I turned left and carried on running! After a short section of pavement by the road, it was then another off road section close to the River Dee, where a muddy footpath had me slipping all over the place and remembering a crazy night with the Potters Trotters in the rain at Lyme Park (http://potterstrotters.weebly.com/news-views-and-reviews/running-in-the-dark). The rain seemed to get heavier and I was feeling cold and a little bit sorry for myself. However, it wasn't long before the faster runners were coming past and already on their way back to Duthie Park and the finish. Strangely, this wasn't demoralising at all, but instead had the opposite effect, motivating me to keep going, as almost every runner who passed me gave me a thumbs up or a word of encouragement. It wasn't long before Checkpoint 2 in sight and I was very nearly at the halfway point, just under 3 hours after the start. I collected my next bag of treats, drank some more water and turned around and headed for home, only 16.5 miles to go! The rain finally stopped and there was even a bit of blue sky. I found myself slowing and took a couple of tactical walk breaks just to catch my breath and take on more fuel... I think I ate a whole bag of jelly beans at one point, which did the trick for a while. I passed quite a few runners between Checkpoints 2 and 3, perhaps benefiting from my slow and steady start. Miles 20 to 24 seemed to go on forever, but after another tactical walk and banana energy bar on the only real hill on the route, I was at the final Checkpoint, collecting my last few goodies and stealing myself for just 8 more miles! I can't quite remember where it was, but at some point on the final stretch I found myself slowing and running out of breath. On my own, with no other runners in sight, I paused on one of the bridges, looked around at my surroundings, took a few deep breaths and dug deep... giving myself a bit of a pep talk and unleashing my inner warrior - the final few miles are always more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Restored, I knew I could complete the challenge and carried on, always running more than walking and actually maintaining a similar pace to my first six miles, although it hurt much more. The end was in sight. With just under 5 miles to go, I received another boost from an unexpected but very welcome source, a lady out for an afternoon run. She was competing a loop from her house along the D33 and ran with me for about a mile, chatting, offering encouragement and generally being a lovely surrogate for the Potters Trotters - it was like all of the Pink Ladies were there to encourage me and the next mile flew by in her company. Back on my own, I tried to maintain my positive mind set... 4 miles to go, 3 miles to go, just keep going one step at a time. I boosted my flagging energy with a Mars Bar and an energy drink and then it was 2 miles to go, 1 mile to go. I started to see runners who had already completed the race emerging from the park, medals around their necks. ‘Not far now!’ they promised. Then I could hear the announcements from the finish line, I was getting closer. Then Liz S was there, cheering me on and reassuring me I was just 200 metres from the finish. I turned through the park gate, just about avoiding a small child dressed as a pirate, and put all the energy I had left into my run for the line... it wasn't really a sprint but I worked as hard as I could. And then I was there, crossing the line in a time of 6 hours and 14 minutes. I collected my medal and commemorative bottle of beer and stumbled to a stop. I had done it and just about the energy left to smile, although couldn't actually bend down to pick up my kit bag. Fortunately, Liz S and other runners were on hand to help and I was soon warming up and enjoying a refreshing cup of tea. After a walk back to our hotel, a long soak in a bath and a chocolate milk recovery drink, I was feeling almost human again. Steps were a challenge, but that didn't stop me enjoying a celebratory cocktail or two! I did it, one step at a time. A beautiful location, almost perfect running weather (just a bit too warm), a course that really suited me and a goal achieved – I loved this race! Lake Vyrnwy is located about 2 hours away from Stoke-on-Trent, and about 20 miles over the border into Wales, with most of the journey along winding country lanes. But it was definitely worth the trip. It has a very interesting history, and there is a lost village under the lake, which was created with the construction of the dam in the 1880s (see http://www.lake-vyrnwy.com/). The race started on a lane in the hamlet of Abertridwr – there were hundreds of runners crammed into a very small space and we didn’t really know the race had started until the people in front started moving. It was a slight downhill and then the only real uphill section on the course – just less than a mile up to Lake Vyrnwy. It wasn’t too much of a climb though (nothing like Anchor Road) and soon we were emerging from the tree-lined road and out over the dam at the end of Lake Vrynwy. This was amazing – the views up the lake to the right were breath-taking and there were loads of supporters packed onto the road side as we came off the dam and round the side of the lake. It strangely reminded me of how I felt when I ran over Tower Bridge in the London Marathon. Once over the dam, we mostly left the spectators behind to complete the circuit of approximately 11 miles around the lake. The road was tree-lined and provided lots of shade, but every now and then the view opened up and you could see across the lake and up into the hills. It was peaceful and there were just about the right number of runners – not too lonely but not too crowded either. Away from the lake shore, there were waterfalls flowing down the hill side, creating a few puddles to run through every now and then. The route was mainly flat, or with very gentle inclines and downhills, going all round the perimeter of the lake. The most difficult section for me was between miles 8 and 10 – the route seemed to have more uphill than previously, I was running into the wind and perhaps my legs were getting tired. Knowing the last mile was downhill, I concentrated on getting to mile 12 and back to the dam. I gritted my teeth and pushed on, even managing a smile for Mick Hall (http://www.mickhall-photos.com/) and his camera. Then it was that last downhill mile and the lots of cheers as we came to the finish. The race announcer gave me a shout out as I crossed the finish line – although it took him 3 tries to pronounce “Tideswell” correctly – and I heard Mr T cheer me on as well. Then it was over and I felt slightly jelly-legged as I worked my way up the finish funnel in search of water and my medal of course. Most of my running recently has been about finish lines rather than finish times – I’ve been taking part in different races and not worrying about speed. But this race was a little bit different – I wanted to see whether it would be possible to complete in under 2 hours, something I’ve not managed in a half marathon for quite a while. And so I did take a few sneaky glances at my watch to see how I was progressing. And so it was very satisfying to stop my watch with 1:59 on the clock. My official chip time was 1:59:13. Very satisfying indeed. We were promised a weekend of running, snacks, possibly wine (suddenly ears pricked up!) and guaranteed laughter. The Thunder Run was hilarious, exhilarating, but most of all, incredibly fun!
Some of the team ventured to Catton in Derbyshire on Friday to set up camp and the rest of the Potters Trotters participants joined on the Saturday morning. We set up our tents, sleeping bags, camping chairs (to add to the ‘holiday feel’!) and embraced what would be our new home for the next twenty four hours. After consulting the running schedule (and exploring the various food, running kit stands and even a bus bar!) we cautiously and tentatively moved across to listen to the race briefing, ready for the 12 o’clock start. Our numbers were securely fastened and we wore our Potters Trotters vests with pride and a smile. The 10k course itself was great – a mixture of woodland, grass and even a cornfield thrown in to cover all terrain! The heat was what made the race a challenge, but we did get a lovely sun-kissed glow by the end (also known as ‘berry red chic’)! Overall, the atmosphere was great, with lots of different clubs cheering and encouraging each runner, making it feel like a real running community, which is surely what sportsmanship is all about. For me, a highlight of the weekend and one of my favourite running memories was racing in the pitch black with a head torch at 1:30am. I was definitely apprehensive, but found the entire experience exciting and thrilling! Liz T describes it as a ‘rebellious’ race, a care-free run that made you feel like a child running free. I would totally agree! I felt completely out of my comfort zone, but that was all part of this great experience. Well, as afore mentioned, we were promised a weekend of running, snacks, possibly wine and guaranteed laughter. The Thunder Run achieved all of this and much more … and the prosecco was simply a bonus! Just ask Liz! The London Marathon; the only race where you can come across a spotty green dinosaur, an army of rhinos, a camel, a towering pantomime dame, minions, Where’s Wally, Batman and Robin, a man with a washing machine on his back … and it is accepted as totally regular and normal. Fantastic. The only race where I felt genuinely upset that it was over, but THE RACE that I felt simply blessed to be a part of and literally beam when I talk about. (I am smiling at the fond memories as I type this now!)
I was fortunate enough to be allocated a club place for London 2016 back in November. As soon as I knew that I would be taking part the London bug swept over me and I was on countdown! I didn’t even mind those long runs in the dark, dreary January mornings – it would all be worth it! Layering up for winter training (woolly hat meticulously placed!) was just a small price to pay and the early alarm clocks on the weekends were valuable to training. The excitement literally lasted for months and the anticipation throughout the race week was fantastic, although a sense of anxiety also came in waves too. Did I have enough gels? Had a packed enough running outfits? (You would think that I was going to be running for months!) Was my Garmin charged? Would the weather be ok? The weekend rapidly approached however and straight after work on the Friday we headed down to the Capital… The experience of the entire weekend was simply superb. Visiting the ExPo to pick up my number and listening to some of the talks, a last minute carb-loaded pasta meal with my family the night before the big day, wandering up to the start – I wanted to soak up every moment. On race day I got up extra early (of course!), headed to the Tube to ensure that I was at the start in Blackheath with plenty of time to spare. The atmosphere was exhilarating, with a whole array of costumes and vests with people’s names proudly ironed onto the front. I chatted to people at the start line, laughing and joking, but there was a definite feeling of tentativeness and apprehension too! Then we started … For me, one highlight was definitely at mile three when all the runners merge and you see just how many people are taking part. I was one of those 40,000 people. This seemed surreal! The crowds definitely lift you, as hearing people calling your name, cheering and clapping gave me a boost. I was mindful that I kept thanking everyone who clapped – It felt rude not to! – However, realistically I needed to save my energy, as 26.2 miles is hardly a stroll! Seeing my family at the Cutty Sark at mile six was a wonderful boost. They were equipped with their signs, which read: ‘This girl runs for oatcakes’ and ‘Go Charlotte’ t-shirts! A little bit of home! Mile thirteen was a dreamlike highlight for me. The view of Tower Bridge was staggering and I could not help but take a sneaky photograph to help savour the moment! Running across the bridge amidst the other runners and witnessing the many charities spectating and applauding was simply brilliant. The only point where I felt that the run was difficult was around mile sixteen. I had seen some spectacular sights, even had my two seconds of fame on TV next to Batman and Robin(!) but I was very aware that there was still a long distance to go. The trick is though, not to count down, but to realise how far you have come and before I knew it, I had reached the mile twenty mark and was then hugging the pink ladies at mile twenty-five. I blame them for my emotion at this point and my inability to speak! Westminster. Big Ben. Then, the Mall … I was at the finish. A smile fixed to my face, a medal round my neck, bag full of goodies (I definitely appreciated the foodie treats!) and hugs from my family and friends. I could not quite believe what I had done! I had fallen in love with running again. My plan had been a success: 1.) Soak up every second … of the whole weekend and entire experience. 2.) Hope to say that it was the best thing you have ever done at the end. London. You did not disappoint. Thank you for the memories! Kate Ellis and I arrived in the little village of Mobberley on a sunny Tuesday in early May in good time to collect our race numbers, secured a few weeks earlier just moments before the race sold out, as evidenced by my race number being 399 out of the possible 400! The route for this 5 mile race organised by Wilmslow Running Club is, quite literally, round the runway at Manchester Airport. Planes were landing as we followed lanes, paths and trails around the airport’s perimeter fence. The route was a bit muddy in parts and it was easy to be distracted by the planes and end up splashing through big puddles whilst running along – my shoes and socks were in a bit of a mess by the finish. Quite a few sections were footpaths right next to the runway fence - the runway almost in touching distance. After about 3 miles of running around the runway, we then ran down a steep-ish path, turned a sharp corner and entered the River Bollin tunnel, following a riverside. Adjusting to the semi-darkness was a bit of a challenge but not too tricky. The tunnel takes you right under the runway and the sound of a plane landing right above your heads was probably the loudest noise experienced in a race, although not much louder the Tower Bridge on London Marathon day. Back out into daylight and it was time to run/walk back up to runway level, the steepest incline of the race but over in less than a minute, and head to the finish. I enjoyed this race for lots of different reasons… the new location, the low-key organisation, the chance to chat with people from lots of different running clubs, the off-road route, stretching my legs in a sprint finish, the lovely sunny evening. And of course, the planes. How often am I going to run through a tunnel with a plane landing right above my head? Hopefully a few more of us will manage to get a place next year. It's well worth the trip. London is looming. I needed to approach the BIG 20 … so I chose the Ashby 20 Road Race as key preparation for my marathon training … and I am so glad that I did! I adore running, it is a simple as that. When people ask why it is true what they say, I cannot really give a straight forward, simplistic response (I do talk a lot, maybe this is why!) but if I had to summarise, it is the sense of achievement after doing something quite out of the ordinary; the sense of trepidation and apprehension before a race, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, but then actually saying at the end: ‘I LOVED EVERY MINUTE!’ I was particularly nervous before this race, but tried to focus on what running philosophises for me – enjoyment, freedom and accomplishment. I had never completed that distance alone before, as I run with my fantastic ‘Pink Ladies’, the wonderful Potters Trotters. I knew however, that London was calling (excuse the pun!) and so I needed to adjust to long distances alone and reach a new height of focus. I would ensure that I aimed to pace myself to enable a comfortable finish, as advised by my running buddies. I waited nervously at the start, surrounded by a multitude of club vests, an array of colours. Was it warm enough? Maybe it was too warm? What if I was slow today? What if I start off too fast? ... Then we were off! Just twenty miles then a roast dinner / cake / more cake were in my reach! This was definitely my way of thinking. I had heard that it was a popular race and one to get full very quickly and I can appreciate why. The participants were fantastic. I found it refreshing to be chatting (unless tackling a hill of course!) to people involved, asking them for their marathon tips, as well as their favourite races. The support from marshals was some of the best I have ever seen and I can honestly say that I do not think that I have ever consumed so many jelly babies – these got me through to the end! Each marshal point was equipped with water, energy gels, sweets, other goodies and most of all POSITIVITY! Everyone was cheering and smiling, which can spur you on for those extra miles and is not to be underestimated! At mile 10 I was feeling great – helped also by my brilliant Mum, Dad and lovely Labrador, Holly who attend every one of my races, trying to pinpoint where I will be when! I would say that the fatigue set in around mile 16 onwards, but on the positive side, I was excited as I could envisage the finish line in my reach, as well as that roast dinner of course! A short burst of energy at the end pushed me to end with a sprint finish. Crossing the finish line was tremendous and to be greeted with goodies consisting of cereal bars, a banana, water, a cheese sandwich and a rather impressive royal purple hoody was a bonus! I was pleased with my time, competing in 3:19:09 – better than anticipated. As the website states; ‘Building on over a quarter of a century of success, our philosophy is to provide a value for money, quality race organised by runners, for runners. We believe we are THE premier pre-London/Spring Marathon training race, backed up by our BARR gold standard rating and consistently high rating in Runner’s World.’ It was a challenging race, but extremely well-organised and one that was without doubt one of my favourites! Thank you Ashby 20! I hope to be back! On a damp, cold evening in January, 12 intrepid ladies from the club met at Lyme Park near Stockport to take part in a National Trust Night Run. It would be fair to say that most of us didn't really have a clue about exactly what to expect, or just how important our headtorches were going to be. We painted our faces with neon paint, snapped glow sticks round our wrists and laughed at head torch hair, whilst eating cake and drinking tea! At 5.45pm, we left the coziness of the cafe and headed out into the drizzle with about 400 more intrepid participants. We split into two groups of 6 and agreed that the groups would stick together all the way round - no one left on their own. After a bit of shuffling about in the rain, a hooter sounded and we were off. The sight of runners snaking up the first hill looked really impressive, like a torchlight procession heading "up" into the darkness. It wasn't long before we faced our first challenge - a muddy climb followed by an equally muddy descent. We shuffled, slid down on bottoms or crawled on hands and knees, but everyone made it, amidst lots of laughter and the occasional squeal. Ruth: Much more challenging than I expected but loved it! Janet: One fantastic night! A great team building, trust building, friendship making night. You felt alive! That difficult uphill followed by a squelchy downhill set the tone for the rest of the run (with lots of walk breaks). We took turns to lead the way, shouting out puddle warnings, looking for the steadiest ground and making sure everyone was ok. Michelle the mountain goat led us up one steep track, resulting in a burst of song (Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo). The singing was repeated a few times as a distraction from the wind, rain, sleet and mud! We climbed over stiles (or crawled under them), we crossed over streams, we slipped and skidded and took a few tumbles, we nearly lost our shoes. But we never stopped laughing, chatting and encouraging one another. Justine: Well ladies wot can I say about that truly surreal experience lol xxx really enjoyed it and what a laugh lol xxx Sarah: I've never laughed so much - what an experience- it was brill Our route through the woods was well sign-posted - glow in the dark arrows looked quite spooky through the trees - and their were loads of marshals out on the course, offering encouragement and giving us a few hints on the driest routes and how much further we had to go. As we tired, there was a lovely marshal to assure us there were no more uphills. There was one last steep descent with even more mud and puddles on the way down and then suddenly, we were back on proper paths - resulting in a little dance of delight from a couple of our runners. We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Linda: I think we should have done a before n after photo, some of team looked quite glam when we first arrived, oh did that change Lol X Michelle: Such good fun We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Charlotte: Thank you for the laughs ladies!! Loved it 🌠🌙 xxxx Jen: I don't think I would have even done that without you all being there xxx What was amazing about the experience on Saturday was seeing everyone work together, all taking a collective step outside their comfort zones and doing something out of the ordinary, if a little bit daft. The last word goes to Ali, who was one of the interpid 12 at Lyme Park, completing her first "proper race" and being inspired to do so much more: Ali: I started the Potters Trotters beginners group in September 2015 having never run before. I was never a sporty one at school and had plenty of gym memberships that I'd set up and then not used, so I was apprehensive to say the least. All the ladies are inspirational. They are all ages, all levels of fitness and ability; what they do all have in common is determination, a sense of humour and the ability to support each other to do their best. I am proud to be a Trotter and am in the process of training for my first half-marathon; something that six months ago I'd have never thought possible. Thank you Potters Trotters! 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. |
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