Helen Cartlidge reports on her first (very muddy) long distance trail race at the North Downs Run

North Downs Run, 30k, 26 June 2016

Unique, scenic, iconic, tough, brutal, hilly, challenging, uplifting... that's how it was described on the T-shirt.

It certainly ticked all those boxes... and muddy, really muddy (it should have given me a clue when it was on the same weekend as Glastonbury!)

The day before, we drove down to my in-laws, who live 10 minutes away from the course. It rained on the journey round the M25, and when we arrived it rained a bit more. I started my pre-race-whinge ritual (often this doesn't start till race day but surprisingly for me,  I was well prepared and started the night before). 

It was going to be wet, muddy, hilly, I didn't have trail shoes, I would end up falling on my bum etc etc. Probably to stop the moaning, my hubby, Arnie, offered to buy me a pair of trail shoes. So, against all general race advice, we went to Bluewater at 8.45pm the night before and purchased my first pair of trail shoes. Gotta love a bit of late night shopping!

Race morning arrived and the weather was... raining (again!) At the race HQ the marshals were wearing head torches and finding race packs in the dark due to a power cut at the sports centre. This, coupled with the fact we met Arnie's cousin, Adam, who knew the route and described conditions as "horrendous", did little to calm my nerves.

I had decided, as this was my first reasonable length trail race, and my training had been a lot skimpier than planned, I would race anonymously, and not in a club vest. However, as I lined up at the start, I felt conspicuous as one of the few NOT wearing a club vest and wearing a new pair of trainers - all the gear, no idea.

The first few kilometres were not too testing, a lap of the sports field and over a golf course. Nothing too bad so far, or too muddy.  The first challenge came at around 7.5-8k where the first steep hill was. It made the St Albans Half look tame in comparison! 

The course was varied with footpaths, through and around fields and meadows, woodland sections, some roads through villages and tracks with gates, stiles and wooden barriers along the way. The marshals were fantastic and  gave  extra info on potential hazards, and even other people using the course, to be aware of. Through the woodland section, each protruding tree root or large rock was highlighted in neon orange spray paint and over hanging branches had tape hanging from them (not that I needed to worry about that!)

8-12k was not undulating but proper hilly! The steepest uphill sections were often a single track path through a field and most people (in my time bracket anyway) walked up. It was somewhat limited to whether the person immediately in front was walking or running, but I was not in any position to overtake anyway.

The weather for the race was ideal - it had eventually stopped raining and was the sort of boring, dull, offensive weather that you wouldn't really enjoy during the summer for anything other than running (or maybe cycling). It was cool, breezy and threatening to rain, although it brightened a little towards the end.

13-20k were more bearable with flatter paths through the woods, albeit with mud and ankle-deep puddles (the new trail shoes were properly tested). The scenery was stunning when it was safe to take your eyes off the ground - wild flower meadows, rolling hills, farms and villages. Around 20k there was another steep climb and (another!) Serpentine lady overtook me but then started walking. We ran at a similar pace for the next 4 kilometres and chatted briefly, until the next water stop. And then she disappeared into the distance and I didn't see her til the finish. Here I wished I had my Striders vest on, so I could try to convince her (and myself!) that I was a more stern opposition for her! Can race vests actually help you run faster or give you a psychological edge??

The last 5k seemed particularly harsh. Although I knew more or less where I was and there was "only a parkrun to go..!" it felt like a long slog. I took a walking break at each incline (only when I saw people ahead stopping to walk, so conceded it must be ok!) I had optimistically convinced myself on the way out, that the last 3k was predominantly downhill. Rather disappointingly, it wasn't, although I did manage to overtake a few runners in the last km, and finished in 2.45.

Being a new experience, I hadn't known what to expect or what target to give myself, but vaguely aimed at under 3 hours so very pleased with the result. As well as a new pair of trainers (which were fine - no blisters), I also wore a different Garmin. I looked at it once, didn't register what info it was giving me, and decided I couldn't really pace a race of this kind so I didn't look at it again. I found it really liberating not to give myself any time goals for each kilometre.

It was tough, it was brutal, ( did I mention it was muddy?) the recovery was worse than a marathon... but I want to do it again, if only to partake in the free cake and post race massage that I managed to overlook at the finish!

Next time I might even do the training I pretended I was going to do... oh, and wear a club vest.

A Muddy Shade of Grey

It is a fact universally acknowledged that mud is preferably enjoyed in the relative comfort of a luxury spa for skin cleansing purposes, as opposed to the down-trodden, slushy – frankly, plain miserable – experience that the Southern Cross Country Championships on Hampstead Heath’s Parliament Hill offered on Saturday 25 January.

While I had previously – as it turns out erroneously – assumed that Parliament Hill was just a bit of a ‘fun run’ in a bit of mud, it turns out that actually it’s a bit like Marmite: do it and love it forever, or, do it and vow to never ever put your lethal 15mm spikes on again!

Two years ago I loved it. I can’t think why now. This year I can shamelessly admit that I hated it!

And here’s why….

I was never one to lead from the front, which might have made the experience a notable success by collecting points for the Club or even winning (yeah, right!). I plod, propping up the persistent league of ‘back runners’ – as results and iPhone videos on Facebook will prove – I discovered a new hatred for all things ‘dirty’.

The German in me is a bit of stickler for cleanliness and orderliness, so the disorder of runners charging up the hill from the Lido, resembling a scene from the Grand National, did not sit well with my nature. And the inevitable mud bath, aided by the predictably unpredictable British weather, was diluted into an even murkier substance, eager to squelch through socks and in between one’s toes.

Not to mention the innate worry about cleansing the better-left-unmentioned toenail crevices and the extra detergent polluting the environment required to clean failed performance socks, once known by their distinct shade of once-to-often-washed-with-darks-grey.

While fellow Striders embraced the mud and thought it was such fun, I lied and nodded while secretly thinking: ‘…so not doing that again!!!’

Suffice to say, that once the woman’s 5 mile race was over, the men had to struggle through near enough 9 miles enduring an impenetrable mud-fest that must have surely beaten the manliest man at his moderately toned core! (….and bring tears to their eyes, perhaps?)

And as if that wasn’t enough! The journey home added to the soggy misery by sending thunder, lightning, more rain, and train delays. We eventually rolled into St Albans: dirty, wet and cold.

So, did I enjoy it?

No!

Will I do it again?

Certainly not!

Am I going for a long run this weekend in the wet, cold and muddy conditions known as the British weather?

Probably…..:)


Petra Grosse

Training blog (April-May): Race day – beware the speed bump!

By the beginning of April, I’d been following my training plan for just over four months, and I realised I only had about six weeks to go until my target race: the Edinburgh Half Marathon. 

In essence, I’ve been doing four sessions a week, building interval training (mainly the Striders track session), hills, ‘race pace’ running, parkruns, and long slow runs. This has largely been building up – further, or more quickly – though with regular weeks in which I took it more easily, or licked my wounds.

Best thing to do six weeks before an A race? Quit my job and go on holiday! Running in Chicago and New Orleans made a refreshing change from the streets and fields of St Albans. In Chicago, we ran alongside Lake Michigan, which was beautiful although it’s clearly not called the ‘Windy City’ for nothing. Ever run towards skyscrapers? They’re much further away than you think!

Back in Blighty, I went to cheer on friends at the London Marathon, and was properly inspired by their awesome efforts to keep pushing on.

But with a week or so to go, I began to feel a little niggle. No need for too much detail, but let’s just say it was a pain in the backside. I found it quite tricky to distinguish between slight niggles and actual injuries. Which did I have? I would soon find out.

at mile 13.1...

And so to race day. Edinburgh is a beautiful city, and the course shows it off to great effect, as long as you’ve got time to look up. Starting near the centre, we rounded Arthur’s Seat before heading east along the coast. It was a beautiful day. For much of the race, I had Gill for company, and we were boosted by the support of our spouses in at least three locations (to be clear: we each only have the one spouse).

My target was 100 minutes, and we set off at a fair lick. Along the way, I came close to beating both my parkrun and 10k PBs. And I went through halfway in almost exactly 50 minutes.

Ironically, it was a speed bump that slowed me down. I tripped slightly over one after a few miles, and it was at this point that my niggle turned towards injury. I slowed a bit thereafter, and then achieved the remarkable feat of running every single mile slightly more slowly than the previous one!

I finished in 1:46:09, a time I’m really proud of, and while I know I could maybe have gone faster without the niggle-cum-injury, I also know that my many weeks of training gave me the strength to push through the pain.

And my advice to all readers thinking of taking up a training plan? Go for it. It really helps. Just beware of the bumps along the way.

Richard Sved

Colin's report: Milton Keynes Marathon – 6 May 2013

I am following on from my last blog post about the London Marathon. I said it might be time to find a new marathon. I did not have to wait long to find one. But maybe I ought to have waited a bit longer than I actually did.

The Milton Keynes marathon this year was exactly two weeks and a day after the London Marathon. It was also exactly fifty-two years after I was born. What better way to celebrate pre-senile decay than to spend a morning running round a town several years younger than I am?

The good news: even though the MK marathon was two weeks and a day after the London Marathon, I did not have to get out of bed for MK until two weeks, one day and two hours later than I got out of bed for the London Marathon; i.e. 7am instead of 5am. Very good news.

The bad news: gone are the days where I can run two marathons with a gap of two weeks in between and get away with it! But I had to find that out the hard way. 

Birthdays nowadays can make me look back at what I have not achieved in life rather than celebrating the achievements. So I decided to annihilate such nostalgic regrets with strenuous activity to take my mind off the non-achievements. 

It was a risky decision. If I were not careful, I could end up with another non-achievement to look back on in future years. So really I would have no option but to complete the marathon.

Originally I had entered the MK marathon as a backup plan in case my London Marathon finishing time was not good enough. To be honest, I was reasonably pleased with my 3:11 at London, even if it had been a bit of a struggle (it always is). As a result I would not need to do another marathon for the next two years under 3:20 to get a ‘Good For Age’ time.

So I can say that it was probably just vanity, fear of growing old or an insane belief that I might magic a good finishing time out of thin air that made me do Milton Keynes. Well, I had paid for the place, hadn’t I? And I was not expecting great things. Just to get round really. It might take about three and a half hours, on the other hand I might inexplicably get an undeservedly good time for no reason, a sort of unexpected birthday present. That had to be worth the risk. I had even given myself the option of turning over in bed and going back to sleep on the day if I did not feel like doing it. 

Race day morning arrived, happy birthday to me. It took next to no time to roll out of bed and get to Milton Keynes. There was a bit of an anxious moment, when I discovered they had closed some of the roads near the start. For a few confused minutes I drove in circles around a block of flats. But once out of that little dead-end, I miraculously found the industrial estate with free parking close to the football stadium that was the start and finish of the race. 

A few minutes later I was walking towards the stadium past a 24-hour McDonalds. It had to be worth dropping in there for a pre-race lavatory stop. Miraculously again there was no queue. I need not have worried. Inside the football stadium there were lavatories a-plenty with no real queues to speak of. Likewise the baggage drop had no real queue. So with half an hour still to go till the start of the race I was pretty well ready to go. There were several other Striders there too! 

So there was time for some quick sunbathing while waiting for the start. It was going to be quite a warm day. But there is only so much water you can take on board before the start so I just tried to relax and enjoy the sunshine. 

The race start was in zones with faster runners at the front. It all seemed pretty-well organised really. Before long we were on our way. The first few miles were along dual-carriageways that had been closed to traffic. These took us through the centre of MK before doubling back towards the start, then on a huge loop round the town. After a while the roads gave way to cycle paths but by then the field had thinned out so there was no real congestion on the route. There were plenty of drinks, energy drinks and gels on offer round the course, so even though the weather was hot, there was never a shortage of refreshments. 

After 11 miles I had the feeling of slowing down, that I normally get around 18 miles. Thoughts of dropping out or walking went through my head. I could feel myself slowing down, but in the end I decided it was probably better to slow down and get a finish time than to drop out completely.

After a while I could not take any more water on board, and it was just a case of digging in and getting round the course. There were some annoying bits: arched footbridges over the canal felt an effort to negotiate; a couple of hills after 20 miles needed some will-power to get over. But the stadium finish made up for this, although I could not muster the same sprint finish that some of my fellow runners conjoured up. En route there was some great support from several Striders and local residents, including former Striders’ Chairman Andy Wasdell. 

My 3:30 was somewhat slower than London, but it was a warm day and my legs did not feel fresh. I would definitely consider this as an ‘A’ race next year and maybe do London in fancy dress, depending on how the winter’s training and weather go. I think MK is going to be on the May Day Bank Holiday again in 2014 so, you never know, I may be there again! I can recommend it.

Colin Braybrook

Virgin London Marathon 2013 - Colin's report

This was my 9th London Marathon in a row, and my tenth ever London Marathon. 

The novelty has long since worn off. So too has the speed. So why keep doing it? The current reason is to do 10 in a row. I must admit it is not really that enjoyable for me, but 10 is a nice round number and there are probably not that many people who have done 10 in a row, although I know there are 30 or so people who have run every single London Marathon, one of them having finished all of them in under 3 hours. That I find truly incredible. One of the St Albans Striders, Mike Starr, a former chairman, got to about 20 in a row before succumbing to marathon inertia or incapacity. 

For a few years the challenge of trying to achieve a time faster than the Good For Age threshold of 3:14:59 has been a target. This assures me a London Marathon place for a further two years. Now I am nearly 52 it is getting harder to achieve. I can still just about knock out the miles in training, but trying to achieve the speed is hurting more now. 2012 saw one of my ankles balloon out like an old man’s ankle (thanks for your lack of sympathy, you know who you are!); 2013 saw both legs swelling up like an elephant’s! It was still possible to run on them, but rather slowly: 9 or 10 minute-miling. Quite how I managed seven and a bit miling in the Finchley 20 and the marathon I don’t know. Well actually I do know: I kept my weight down then ran through a bit more tiredness and pain than I used to. Boo hoo. Still, it was never meant to be easy, was it? 

Colin, at a previous VLM

In 2012 I missed the Good For Age threshold by about 30 seconds. Fortunately I achieved it a couple of times later in the year. And I also achieved it in the 2013 London Marathon with about three and a half minutes to spare. I am beginning to think the autumn marathon may actually be a better bet than the spring one. Training great distances in the cold is frankly becoming unpleasant and I am not convinced it is an unpleasantness I want to keep subjecting myself to. So the tenth London Marathon in a row, if I achieve it may well be the last! 

Getting up at 5.15 am for a 10am marathon start is a bit mad really. Maybe I should try to get a hotel near the start next year? 

I would now love to wax lyrical about the festive atmosphere, great crowd support (which there was, especially at mile 24, thank you Striders!) but to be brutally honest the fresh air and nice views at the Kent Coastal Marathon in 2012 were a lot more uplifting to my soul than the treeless desert called Docklands, the dark, dank tunnel on Upper Thames Street, the long toilet queues at the start, the throng of people in Horse Guards Parade, the long wait for the Underground station barrier to open, the packed FCC train home! 

It’s a great event, but maybe I need to find a different one?

Colin Braybrook

(Ed's note: the Good For Age thresholds relaxed since Colin wrote this.....)

Does the perfect race exist? - Brighton Marathon 2013

I hated science at school, mainly because of the teachers and partly because I felt too dumb. So when people get a bit ‘sciency’ about running, it kind of goes over my head (feel free to add your own pun here if you wish).... 

I can just about deal with tempo runs, interval sessions (as long as Mike or Glads are instructing) and steady runs but I wouldn't know a lactate threshold, VO2 max or optimum heart rate if it smacked me in the face. 

But I have decided that maybe there is a formula (could be maths, I suppose) to get your ideal marathon time. Possibly: 

Training + health + race conditions + luck – injury x mental attitude = perfect marathon? 

Training: my training had gone really well until first week of March, slightly smugly I had ticked off all the sessions on my training plan, even in the never-ending snow and ice…until my IT band started complaining. 

Health: No coughs/colds or other ailments since before Christmas and even my son had the decency to be sick over a bank holiday so no runs missed then. 

Race conditions: the Saturday I arrived in Brighton to pouring rain and almost gale force 
winds but they had calmed to a cool, damp morning with a breeze but nowhere near as windy on race day, and the sun made an appearance later as well. 

Luck: hmmm, the choice of toilet queue wasn't my best decision, meaning I started behind the 4:15 pacer, despite wanting or hoping rather optimistically for 3:30 

Mental attitude: patchy! Until my first 20 mile run was feeling confident that I could and would be able to break 3:30 this year. Having a slight injury (or is niggle the correct Strider terminology?) gave me the usual uncertainty and doubts. 

A few days before my mother-in-law said, ‘I don’t think you’ll make it, not with how your legs been, no you won’t get all the way round.’ Now I am allowed to think this but having someone else vocalise it gave me the motivation that I WILL FINISH! 

The race: told myself I would not do the same as last year and start late because of an ill-judged toilet queue but in the words of Britney Spears, ‘Oops I did it again!’(men: you don’t know how lucky you are!!). Maybe I would make up the time? Well I did a little but after 10 miles I knew a PB wasn't going to happen. 

But I wasn't too disappointed. I stopped checking my Garmin, I missed some of the mile markers, I gave my sis a hug when I saw her, I gave lots of small children a high 5 and it was really liberating to enjoy the atmosphere without being bothered by time. 

My hip started to hurt but not unbearably so, at mile 17 .Without the pressure of a PB I didn't mind having to slow down. I passed a man I knew at mile 20 and that spurred me on as I wanted to stay ahead. By mile 22 the pain was worse but I knew it would be more painful to walk so kept running, slowly. (The walk uphill back to Brighton station was almost as bad as the marathon!)  

smiling into the finish

The last 3 miles were full of crowds, cheering, music and general partying which helped and I knew a super-speedy friend was looking out for me. I checked off the beach huts, the West pier, the Grand Hotel, the Palace pier, the big wheel, and finally the finish. I was so chuffed. I remembered to smile as I crossed the line with a miserable looking superman. And it wasn’t even a personal worst!

Conclusion: Before, I said I wasn’t interested in running it if I didn’t think I could get a PB. Now I have changed my mind. Despite the pain, it was a brilliant race. No water bottle, no i-pod, minimal chatting and minimal Garmin checking and it was still just as exciting….but I still haven’t let go of my sub 3:30 dream…maybe I should invest in a she-wee for next year?...Maybe the perfect race doesn’t exist? 

Helen Cartlidge

Race Report: Windsor Half Marathon – 7 October 2012

I only did this race to beat my brother-in-law (occasional Strider, Matt Humphreys) and he beat me by 70 seconds. Bugger! 

Having said that it wasn’t a complete waste of time, Windsor Half Marathon is a great course on the traffic free roads inside Windsor Great Park. The course comprises of a mile up the Long Walk, a first lap of 4 miles, a second lap of 7 miles and finally a mile back down the Long Walk towards Windsor Castle. 

I last ran the course in 2001, when I ran 1:42:19, so I was intrigued to see what affect 11 years had had on my fitness, turns out not a lot as I finished in 1:41:40. 

So I guess with an improvement of 39 seconds over 11 years that’s the 'Most Improved Strider' trophy lost for another year. Humph! All this celebrating improvement gets a little wearing after a while. 

So how did I manage this incredible feat of consistency? Well running with the Striders of course! 

Training-wise from a reasonable base fitness I did a couple of months of three runs a week all with the Striders. Tuesday speed sessions; Thursday race pace tempo session; Saturday long slow sessions. I didn’t do any other training. I know we all talk about recovery runs, core strength, and cross training, but for me and for this race I found three sessions a week was a good balance of increasing my fitness and giving myself enough recovery time. 

I used the Thursday session to work out my race pace, I found I could do the 8 min mile group okay but struggled to keep up with the 7:30 min mile group. So at Windsor I already knew I needed to keep my pace to between 7:45 and 8:00 to last the race. 

For the race itself I broke it down into 3x4 mile sections (maths not being my strong point). I took a time check at 4 miles (30:40) feeling pretty fresh. This gave me confidence that I was running at the right pace so I targeted to get to 8 miles in 62 minutes, took a gel and focused on relaxed running for another half an hour. I was at 8 miles (61:20) feeling pretty tired but pleased that I had finished 2 of my 3 race 'sections'. This helped me focus on the next 4 mile section. I did drift a bit on this one, I reached 12 miles (93:10) but still it left me with a fighting chance of a PB in the last mile, if no idea where Matt was. 

As it happened he was a minute or so up the road looking over his shoulder a lot. Oh well! I’ll have to invite him over to Watford in January.

Steve Alexander

The ALTERNATIVE View: Berlin Marathon 2011

Words: Petra Grosse

Photos: Sylvia Herden 

Berlin. Sunday. 25 September 2011.  The MOMENT is upon me!  After months of training, 

(......possible overtraining......but who knows.....)

constant battles with my inner "couch potato" that would much rather watch Masterchef than plod the streets at 5 am 

(....the milkman is remarkably attractive ........if I don't wear contact lenses......)

struggling to keep up with "Grim Jim" on his Tuesday evening runs 'with efforts" for those who want to....  

(....and beliiiiiieve me ......I was NEVER one who wanted to make ANY effort.....)

The view from behind....

I am on my way to the start of the Berlin Marathon 2011.  

With my personal photographer Sylvia in tow

(.....a dear old school friend.....who has witnessed me making A LOT of effort avoiding PE lessons at the tender age of 13.....so, needless to say, she was keen to see what I would do to get out of THIS ONE....)

we find ourselves at a Berlin U-Bahn station where I have my first panic attack!  

I am CONVINCED I have forgotten SOMETHING!!!

Sylvia assures me I have EVERYTHING I need.  She would have told me had I forgotten to put pants on.

(....even though she tells me, THAT would make a funnier photo.....)

So,........it's my race number?  Definitely my race number!  

No, the race number is in my bag and so are the Gummibears.

(....I NEVER travel without them.......never mind running without my beloved sticky friends.......they have helped me through rough times....back when I was 12 and struggling with acne or now, 30 years later....closer to menopause than puberty....)

Where are the Haribos??

It is a mere miracle that we make it to the start in time! 

(....you don't want to be late for a German Marathon....they might not let you run it....Germans take it very personally if you are NOT on time....)

Strictly VERBOTEN!!!

While Sylvia leaves me to ponder on my non-existent race strategy,

(....and also because she isn't allowed to go any further.....it is strictly VERBOTEN.....)

I decide to make my way and attempt to WAIT semi-patiently for the race to start 

(....I don't DO patience.....) 

in the sub-4 hour “play”-pen.

(…..passing the time by treating myself to no less than 3 loo-breaks……you have to really…….the facilities are just too inviting....whether for nerves or just to enjoy the  “aroma” of pre-race-“sweat”…..)

I very soon experience the warmth of pre-race bodies rubbing against each other in their silly orange Adidas-all-over “bin bags” that runners are given in exchange for their race bags

(….doesn’t anybody SHOWER any more before an important race ???....)

and opt to ignore the stern looking marshals reminding us of ORDER in the “play” pen.

(….hopeless…..half of the participants don't speak a word of German….and I decide to be "deaf"……)

As I nudge my way to the very front of the pen, I spot he sub-4-hour race group.  

Two cheerful chaps

(….yes, both German….)

one dressed as a Scot in a cute check skirt, he must have borrowed from his girl-friend

(….admittedly....slightly odd…….)

the other dressed as “Joe Blogs”

(….aka, Wolfgang Müller….)

promise to get us over the finish line - come what may -  in under 4 hours.

High on pre-race Gummibear consumption I decide to join them.

(….I have spotted a very agreeable looking bum hiding underneath that cute little skirt…..THAT alone will keep me “amused” for the next 26 miles……and maybe even ease the pain......)

The glaringly obvious....starting off too fast....

Not long after Paula and her pals are on their way to chase their own records and Olympic qualifying times, we are on our way, fighting our own battle with over-enthusiastic runners crowding the Avenue of the 17th June (Straße des 17. Juni) past the famous Siegessäule.

(....which brings an emotional tear to my eye....usually reserved for crossing the finish line.....)

"Wolfgang and the Scot" are full of beans and lots of silly jokes: 

"Leute, laßt mich durch, ich bin Arzt!!"

(.....make way, I am a doctor.....)

In the end I don't manage to keep up with them.

I don't know whether it is the masses of runners selfishly forgetting that there are another 35,000 people in trainers chasing the same dream

(....crossing that line....in one piece....with limited amounts of blisters on their feet....)

or whether I am not quite fit enough to do a 9 min/mile race. So, after 3 miles I am "on my own".

(....mourning the fact......that I can't chase THAT BUM any more....) 

My friend Sylvia spots me near the area of Alexanderplatz at around mile 6.  

(.....I don't....I am "deaf" AND apparently "blind"....)

Reportedly, I look a mess and my friend doubts I will EVER make it to the finish line.

(....have faith dear friend....I am a tough cookie.....I have trained under the supervision of "Grim Jim" and Gladstone.....I CANNOT fail.....)

At mile 7, a Japanese chap wired up to his iPod and enormous headphones, presumably under the influence of Prosac 

(....or he has eaten one too many Gummibears.....)

shouts at the top of his voice: "Keep going! Keep going!"

I want to remind him, that this is just over a quarter of the way, and maybe he should preserve his vocal energy for later in the race. However, Mr. Prosac flies past me deliriously happy, so I decide to watch out for him at, say, mile 17.  Doubtlessly, he will have collapsed by then?

I decide that I am not going to make the sub-4-hour target on this occasion.  

Instead I decide to enjoy myself.  

(....I have 4:38:39 from New York in 2008 to beat.....surely, I can do THAT ......piece of "Kuchen".....)

Maybe just as well.  I have another three quarters of the way to go, most of which through a part of Berlin that is rather colourless and grim

(....with street lines by Germans.....that by nature are not the most enthusiastic VOCAL supporters....)

More than once I have to battle with the locals who insisted that they could cross the street JUST in front of me

(....the race organisers obviously don't feel that barriers are necessary......presume they are NOT seasoned Marathon veterans then...)

Also, having enjoyed the "facilities" at the start so much, I decide to see whether they are just as "good" at mile 16.

(.....they are NOT!!!!!!........bad mistake......)

......something you ate.....too many Gummibears perhaps?

I don't know Berlin well, but I thought I know it well enough to estimate how many MORE corners I need to turn until I FINALLY make it to "Unter den Linden" knowing that the Brandenburg Gate is lurking somewhere in the distance.

(.....still about 1 kilometre away.....the LONGEST 1000 metres of my life........)

Now, HE is clearly struggling....

With the famous landmark in my view, my spirits lift and I cannot BELIEVE I am actually about to run underneath "das Tor"  that was hiding behind The Wall for decades and the regime it stood for and I spend my childhood in fear of.

I expect to cry

(.....emotional drama queen that I am....)

but I don't.  

Instead, I laugh my way happily to the FINISH LINE!

(....official video footage proves later, that I am pretty much the only maniac waving to the puzzled crowds lining the last 200 metres.....) 

STILL......

......I am NOT happy!!!!!

I have burned a good 2600 calories and my muffin top is still visible!

.....well, she IS German....they have NO shame....

....so if you can't beat the flipping flabby thing....

.....and drink a lot....

....you might as well feed it.....

...a bunch of hooligans....

....and laugh with your friends about it!!! :-)

.....Brandenburg Gate Drama.....

....with NO sense of humour..

Prologue:


I beat my previous PB by 24 minutes rolling over the Berlin finish line in 4:14:17.


I thought that that breaking 4 hours would make me "happy" and not reaching my dream target that I have trained for a good 9 months would make me miserable.


It didn't!!!


Being in a place doing what I enjoy doing,


(....in a cruel sort of way.....especially when my piriformis muscle is a right pain in the BUM......)


accompanied by my friends and family supporting and "humouring" me on my personal little journey to run a marathon in Berlin.....  


.......THAT made me REALLY happy! :-)


(....something to think about....next time you chase after a "good time".....)

.....and REMEMBER....
.....just don't mention THE WAR!!!

RACE REPORT: Third 2011 MWRRL Fixture – Welwyn Garden City: 7 June 2011

The St. Albans Striders showed their class on Tuesday night in a dominant display at the third fixture of the Herts & Essex Midweek Road Race League, division one.  The series of 10k runs pits the top clubs in the region against one another in a bid to win the coveted ladies’, men’s and overall trophies.

Back to full strength after a disappointing spell, the Striders romped to victory in both the female and male races at Welwyn Garden City, picking up maximum overall points on the night and thrashing arch rivals Garden City Runners on their home turf.

The men’s team was brought home by Simon Riley in 33:27, with captain Paul Adams hot on his heels in 33:29.  Ed Blake (33:58) and Blake Vivian (34:35) also made the top ten in a high quality field.  Tom Crouch made a welcome return to racing on home soil with 34:47 showing plenty of promise.  Jonathan Scott (34:51) and Steve Buckle (34:55) took the 14^th and 15^th spots.

Not much further back, the men’s scoring twelve was completed by John Knight (36:26), Gary Warren (36:47), Ross Langley (37:23), Andy Auld (37:50) and John Jones (38:08). 

On the ladies’ side, first home was Sally Onn with a new personal best of 38:47 in third, followed by Lucy Waterlow (39:44) in fifth.  The impressive consistency of the female squad was demonstrated by the Striders packing a further five athletes in the top 20, with solid runs by Zoe Lowe (41:19), Gill Jubb (41:59), Heather Blamire-Brown (42:39), Helen Cartlidge (42:42) and Claire Kremer (43:48).  Anna Styles also ran well to complete the winning team in 44:29 for 27^th.

The fact that the Striders finished ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams in both the ladies’ (eight to score) and the men’s (12 to score) 10k shows the great turn-out that the club enjoyed.  Ladies’ captain and team manager on the night Liz McKie commented, “this was a fantastic race for the Striders and all our runners deserve congratulations for some great performances”.