CC6 - Kings Enclosure - Race Report

Glorious autumn colours, gleaming in the sunshine - mornings like this are one of the reasons why I love running in the Forest.  We started from the area near Fritham that's used for a number of the RR10s and CC6s.

I thought we had 9 runners today - an impressive 3 teams - but then Bridget & Nikki arrived rather breathless at the last minute having got a bit temporarily misplaced on their way from the car park.  It was a good warm up/cool down opportunity length trek to the gathering point - and then a second walk to the start.  I have to admit to being a bit bemused as to why we didn't start at the gathering point & add a little to the distance - but that is being picky.  Being Remembrance Sunday, it was good that we observed a silence before setting off.  Claire ran with her poppy intact - most impressive.

Paul Hammond photo

Did I mention it was muddy?

"F-ing challenging" was the rather accurate description given to the route by one of us afterwards!  Yes, there were lots of hills, but none would have been overly taxing if they weren't covered in gloopy, trainer tugging mud.  And there was water.  And slippery leaves.  It was really obvious afterwards that Sarah N had thrown herself into the cross country ethos with mud splatters up to her waist on her clothes!  And Sally had some rather fetching splodges on her face - a bit like a Hollywood heroine emerging from a forest adventure.  I did check with the marshalls en route if we were looking glamourous - apparently we were - so all good.

Paul Hammond photo

4.2 miles with a loop in the middle.  I did get lapped on that, but it wasn't too bad.  The volunteers were good - positioned so that the route was clear and all gave us encouragement.  It took me over 51 minutes - a useful reminder of just how much difference terrain and gradients can make to a run.

We joined Sally to run her in at the end - she did incredibly well and was buzzing afterwards.  I was particularly impressed with Jo C's performance too as it was her first cross country since returning to running this year.  

Our results (remember these are positions, not times):
Siri 32
Sarah N 33
Claire D 39
Dawn 47
Bridget 66
Wendy 67
Nikki 68
Gin 69
Jo 71
Sam 73
Sally 75

Lordshill 10 mile - nice race, would've liked a medal

Race report for Lordshill 10 mile 

It was pouring with rain when I left the house on Sunday - last year's Lordshill 10 mile was incredibly wet so I wondered if it was going to be a repeat performance.  Blue sky appeared though - and held.

There were just over 500 runners in the sports centre where we started.   Proper loos, well organised baggage drop and rather good technical t-shirts.  No chip system which surprised me a little.
There were just 3 of us from SRS - me, Siri and Linda - so just enough to make up a team for the league.  I was very pleased when Linda asked if we could run together once we'd established we'd be around the same pace.  We quizzed a colleague of mine about the route - tales of rivers to ford and acres of mud.
Luckily, he was wrong.  And the rain held off.   Linda & I set off a tad to quickly (my fault as usual), doing a weird dogleg before heading north to the other side of the M27.  We were mostly on lanes that were not closed to traffic, but good, active marshaling seemed to keep the cars at bay without any aggro. 
I love running through countryside I haven't seen before - and this run delivered giving views that I'd only glimpsed at part of from the motorway.  I am regretting not taking a few photos en route.  Not too wet - certainly no rivers to wade across this year!  Chatting to Linda made it very enjoyable.
The marshals were particularly good - as I expected as Lordshill do deliver on their claim of being a friendly running club.  Informative, very encouraging - although 1 did give me false hopes of a beer at the end.
Towards the end, their support was very much appreciated, slogging through the industrial estate and Nursling felt hard.  I did muster a little energy for a sprint finish.
1:23:20 for the amazingly speedy Siri, 1:42:24 for me and 1:42:25 for Linda.  Later, the rain returned - I can't believe we stayed dry for the race.
Do this race next year, it was good.  Maybe they'll get some medals....

When not to run

I'm typing this from my sofa - I was hoping to be at the first CC6 of the season now, running around the old golf course at Fleming Park, but I've had 4 days of a stomach upset so have decided to rest up.  This does not come easily to most runners!  The frustration of those of us stopped by injury or illness comes through on Facebook posts, the texts I get with "Sorry I can't make it", conversations - it seems that being unable to run is often felt as acutely as the pain of the ailment! And it's worse when it comes to races that we might have been training for ages towards - and handed over hard cash to enter.

The best indication of whether you're fit enough to run is do you feel well?  Is your injury really healed up?  It's tough, but erring on the side of caution will pay dividends.

The first indication of when not to run is when a medical professional tells you not to!  This is a "do not pass go, do not collect £200" level of instruction.  And if you haven't asked at your last appointment, the physio not advising you unprompted does not constitute permission to run - do ask. 

For illness, the most common ailment is probably a cold.  Running when the symptoms are all above the head is generally considered OK - provided that you don't feel too ill - but probably best to stick to a regular maintenance run.  If the cold moves to your chest - lots of coughing, tight feeling - rest.  Running won't speed your recovery and there is a risk of causing more damage to your health.  Both Louise & I had to pull out of a half earlier this year as we had chest infections from colds - the right thing to do, but absolutely not what we wanted!

Stomach upsets - best to rest.  You are likely to be dehydrated as well as lacking energy - and your body will need to rest to recover.  

Period pain - running can actually help a little!

Recovering from a minor injury, don't run until the pain/stiffness has gone completely.  Use RICE - Rest/Ice/Compression/Elevation - for example, propping up your turned ankle on the sofa with a packet of frozen peas draped over it - to help with recovery.  Once you're sure you are better, rather than pitch straight back in, try some low impact exercise initially to check that your injury really is healed and to start getting your body moving again.  Cycling, walking and swimming are all good activities.  Build up to running progressively.  And for your first run, I suggest a walk with a little bit of running - then build back up.

If your minor injury hasn't healed in 48 hours, do seek medical attention.

 A good mantra is "no pain = no pain" - running shouldn't be painful or uncomfortable.  Missing out on a run or two may be difficult to face - but it's much better to recover properly.

Race Report - New Forest Half

Louise remembers getting seriously drenched last year - looking through archived photos, it looked pretty soggy - so it must have been good for Louise to sign up for a second shot!

There is a full marathon, but we all opted for the half option - fits in better with tapers for Jo, Claire and Tanya whereas me, Louise and Marian are at max distance with 13 miles.

It starts from the middle of New Milton, heading out of the town through Bashley into the Forest.  The finish is in a different spot to the start - bags are transferred for you using a bin bag & sticker system that seemed to work well.  And the forecast was good - not raining, not windy, not too sunny (although a tad too warm & close).

What's not to love?  Well, parking was the only thing I could fault.  It was a kilometre from the start - and further from the finish at a rather expensive looking school (it had a water garden....).  It did mean that we had a good warm up & cool down walk, but at the end with aching limbs, I'd have loved it to have been a little less remote.

We were piped to walk to the start - a new experience & rather good.  Unintelligible PA - but Louise managed to hear that we were to hang to the left generally.  Some roads were closed, some partially closed and the marshals did a great job at keeping the cars away - mostly.  I was impressed with the organisation - we couldn't get lost, lots of supporters, well placed water stops and cycling injury marshals too.  We were all given sponges - to mop ourselves with en route which was a bit random.

I didn't mind the town bit, but I felt more enthusiastic when we got into the Forest - I'm a sucker for scenery and views.  My pace picked up a little too.  Very sad to see Marian at 7km - she'd started well ahead of me & I wasn't expecting to see her until the end.  However, her IT band was clearly causing her pain and the blisters that she is plagued with were also playing up.  She took the very sensible, but tough, decision to drop out.  No race is worth wrecking your knees for.  I saw her again towards the end - still walking but understandably not happy.

My race was going well - I was really happy with my pace and felt comfortable.

Jelly baby stop & then the final big hill - which was adorned with some fabulous posters, including:

• Pain is temporary, internet results are forever.
• Your legs will forgive you.  But not today or tomorrow.
• Are your legs Kenyan?
• No matter how fast you are, you're still lapping everyone who's still on the couch.

Past the 10 mile marker, I chatted to a bloke who'd cycled down from Yeovilton yesterday and I really appreciated his company as I was running out of steam.  Into the last mile and it felt so much tougher, despite being fairly flat.
Through gates to the school hosting the finish line & I was too spent to sprint.  Kirsty was at the gates - a lovely surprise that really did spur me on.  Louise cheered on the last bend - usefully pointing out that the finish really was imminent.  And over!

Medal (yay!), water, found Jo, Claire, Kirsty & Louise & we cheered Tanya and Marian in.  Restorative ice cream & then the long walk back to the car.  

Results: Claire H 1:58:09, Louise 2:12:03, Jo 2:20:03, me 2:21:39, Tanya 2:39

RR10 IBM Hursley - Race Report

I can’t pretend that I was looking forward to the last RR10 of the season.  The parkland around IBM Hursley is lovely – but it feels more like 3 laps of a cricket ground than a proper cross country experience.  And there is the issue of being lapped which is never a positive experience for a plodder like me!

Having said all that, the atmosphere was great.  21 of us ran, Simone came to support as did Sarah N’s family (with a very cute spaniel) and Nikki’s daughter.   As it is the last race of the season, team photos were taken & I think we all look rather lovely – although Tracey was facing the loo queue & missed it.  Loos are a positive feature of this RR10 though – unlike the Forest runs, there are some and unlike Itchen Valley, there are more than 1!  Many thanks to Paul Hammond for the fantastic pictures.

Team Photo - thanks to Paul Hammond

There may have been a briefing but this wasn’t audible from the back of the start crowd. 

Not too hot, not too windy, no rain & a dry 4.4 mile course.  One hill which started each of the 3 laps – I was heartened by a marshal who congratulated me for insisting running up it – albeit very, very slowly!  I managed to get a bit of speed on the first downhill & I may have been a little too jubilant at catching up with Louise – but this was predictably short lived as I found my natural plod pace.  Marian regretted not heeding wisdom from Louise to leave her sunnies behind in the wooded bits.

Siri looking speedy!  Thanks to Paul Hammond

Lapped at about ¾ of the way around lap 1 – one year I aim for this to happen in lap 2!  We agreed afterwards that although very well organised, it would be useful to instruct us which way to go when being lapped – e.g. move to the right to allow the speedies through.

Louise & Bridget - thanks to Paul Hammond

Lap 3 and it all went quiet – no more being overtaken.  I had a great chat with Wendy about an epic road trip she’s about to undertake to Morocco before deciding I really should make at least a little effort on my pace & attempted to catch up with Lisa W.  I failed to do this, but the 3 of us came in one after the other, cheered on by our lovely fellow Sisters.

Amazing run by all - Siri came in first, 37th woman over the finish line.  Jo G was next at 53 & then Claire D at 63 - still hampered by an arm problem.  Lisa G, Irma, Verity, Karen, Nicola and Sarah N all made it in the first 100 women.  Louise, Marian, Suzanne, Bridget, Nikki, Heather & Tracey all in together (pretty much!) followed by Lisa W, me and Wendy.  Tanya & Rachel did really well - both finished strongly.  Initial results are here.

I’m really pleased to have done 8 of the RR10s this year – and to have got a season score.  September will be cross country free – then starting the CC6 series in October.  

Salisbury 54321 - a race report from the back

Organised by Salisbury's Fire Services, this manages to feel like a not-too-massive race due to spreading runners over 5 distances with staggered start times – and adding in walkers too.  50K, 40K, 30K, 21K, 10K.

“Perfect weather for outdoor activities” according to an app on Louise’s phone – seemed a bit out of kilter when we were driving through rain to Salisbury this morning.  It had kind of stopped by the time we arrived, horribly early.  So early that we waved off all the distances before ours – and still managed not to spot Tanya & Jackie who were doing the marathon distance.

Killed time sitting on a log & trying not to look at people using bushes instead of a loo.  Weird though as the queues for the loos were remarkably short – probably down to the staggered start.  And the sun came out – a lovely morning that was indeed perfect for running.

Vicki saw us off as her 10K had a slightly later start time.  So did Clare L - somehow we managed to miss her!  Vicki & Clare must have "loved" the first bit as much as we did – a steep climb up to Old Sarum castle on a narrow path.  After that point, the 10K route went north where as our’s skirted the west of Salisbury with some interesting road junctions.  My knee was painful at Old Sarum – relieved that it recovered as soon as I was off the very cambered path.  Couldn’t see Lou & Marian though as I was already way behind – and felt a bit down about this.

Cheered up when I realised I wasn’t alone at my sedentary pace.  South west from Salisbury, the route took us into some gorgeous countryside at Clarendon Park.  Killer climb up to the top of a ridge, then down to Alderbury.  Woodland, fields, villages – and a mix of tarmac, gravel tracks and mud paths – varied views, very multi terrain.  Many of the tracks were not rights of way and we got to see bits of the Salisbury area we wouldn’t otherwise have seen –Longford Castle for example.

 

Checkpoints every couple of miles, well stocked with water & in some cases, jelly babies & fruit.  Only criticism is that the marshals weren’t always sharing knowledge on the route – which would have been useful as getting past loads of Cathedral visitors & shoppers in the city centre was very confusing – and made it difficult to spot the signs.

The final 500 metres were tough mentally.  My Garmin reckoned I’d done my 21K yet I wasn’t at the finish.  The path was along the river – lots of tourists to navigate around.  Worst was not getting a sense of where the end was!  Came up from the river and it was finally in sight – as were Louise & Marian, encouraging me to adopt a glamorous sprint for the last few metres!

We survived!  Not fast, but we did it.  Marian has some nasty blisters & I think I’ll be shopping for a new sports bra – but we were good.  Very grateful to Louise who happened to have enough cash on her to treat us to ice creams before heading for home.

Running with a cold that's migrated to your chest

Apologies to everyone I’ve been subjecting to regular snot updates over the last few weeks during the longest lasting cold in the world, but I thought it was timely to cover off the joy of running with a cold.

There's some advice in this link in how to avoid a cold in the first place - sleep lots, drink lots, keep washing your hands & avoid contact with those with a cold.  But let's face it, the occasional cold is inevitable.

General advice is that if the symptoms are above your neck, you’re fine to run.  So if you have a head full of snot, that’s OK. 

If the symptoms are below your neck, give it a rest until you are completely OK.  So a chesty cough means a break from running.  I find this incredibly frustrating as my colds often seem to morph into a chest infection.  Antibiotics won’t speed my return as the cold is viral – as are most of the resulting chest infections.  Running might aggravate the lung damage, leading to pneumonia.  Even scarier, there’s a risk of the virus passing to your heart.  Even without the risk of making a mild infection a major issue, running may actually prolong the infection, not allowing lungs to recover.  So rest is a much, much better option than continuing to train.

And if you have flu, you really won't be able to contemplate running!  I like the test that the NHS have on this video - if there was £10 on the floor would you bend down to pick it up?  Yes - it's a cold.  No, couldn't - it's flu.

Although I'm feeling loads better than I was, I can tell that my body is still not in what passes for tip-top condition – my resting heart rate is about 10-15 bpm above what it should be and everyday activities that I normally take in my stride are wiping me out.  So until I'm 100% better, it's gentle exercise for me.  I am still running, but much less than usual & I am using my heart rate monitor to ensure that I'm not working hard - and I pulled out of a half marathon.  I'm avoiding the gym & am being the back marker for SRS training sessions.  I did do a RR10 cross country & a 10K staying under 170 bpm.  I don't think it did anything for me physically, but boy it felt good to be out in the great outdoors & being active!  Walking would be a good option too.  I often cycle at the SRS training sessions if my chest is bad, but I'm staying off the bike generally at present as I know I'd put too much effort into it.

Returning to running is going to be tough.  My lungs will struggle and I know I will have lost some fitness.  However, I've built it back before & I will do so again.  It's just another challenge!

Colds are so annoying!