RR10s - possibly the most confusing name ever for a race series

Marwell - Paul Hammond

One of the best bits of being in Southampton Running Sisters is being able to take part in 2 series of free cross country runs - one of which is the RR10 series that takes place on Wednesday evenings in the summer.  The first is at Royal Victoria Country Park in April and the last is at IBM's beautiful Hursley Park in late August.

Did I mention mud?

Paul Hammond's photo of Verity - Alver Valley 2013

So - the name.....  "RR" stands for road race.  But these are not road races - all are tarmac-free on gravel tracks, mud paths & grass.  RR comes from "Hampshire Road Race League" - the local collective of running clubs of which we are one.  10 doesn't refer to 10K or 10 miles, but the fact that there are 10 races in this series.  The length is between 4.5 and 5 miles.

Each run takes place in a different location - and all are marshaled so that even with effort, getting lost during the run isn't an option!  No matter how slow your pace, you will not be left

Itchen Valley - Paul Hammond

alone as there will be a back marker & marshals wait for the last runner.  Trail shoes are good - especially if it's been raining heavily in the week or so before the race.  The least uneven terrain race is IBM Hursley.

Personally, I love this series - and its winter counterpart, the CC6.  Cross country is everything I love about running - beautiful scenery, great company and a physical challenge.  And the route is worked out for me! When the going gets tough, it gets funny when you're with running buddies who will spur you on & giggle about the ludicrous hill/mud/water etc.  Yes, there are (very) fast runners there, but I figure that the cool kids are at the back.  It's a great opportunity too to chat to runners from other clubs.

How to take part

• Get to the start point - but try to allow as much time as possible due to the vagaries of traffic during rush hour in our part of the world!  Car share if possible - it makes finding the start easier and saves on fuel.
• Ensure you are wearing an SRS top to run in.  Don't have one?  No problem - we can lend you one.
• Find the SRS flag (or people in SRS hoodies attempting to put up the flag!) where fellow SRS runners will be congregating.  Make yourself know to the woman with a clipboard (likely to be Tanya, our summer race director) who will note your name & age - and can introduce you to the others.
• Run the race!  It isn't timed - position is what's recorded.
• You'll be cheered in by SRS runners who have finished before you.
• At the end, you'll be given a raffle ticket.  Find the clipboard (at the flag) and note the number by your name.  As backup, write your name on the back of the raffle ticket & store it in the envelope that's with the clipboard.
• Grab a drink from the organisers. 
• Make your way back to the finish line to cheer in SRS runners who are behind you.

Important Stuff

• Not every RR10 has loos!  Check on the website beforehand.  
• Insect repellent is necessary for midges in the Forest, especially mid-late summer.  Also essential for the RR10 we marshal (Manor Farm) as you'll be standing still.
• We can't run in the RR10 that we marshal - Manor Farm.  However, we'll need as many helpers as possible, so please do persuade partners/friends/family that an evening standing in a country park wearing a hi vis vest & pointing is fun!
• You don't have to be fast.  You can be as slow as you need to be & will be fully supported.  SRS is all about inclusive running - and this series is no exception to that.
• Rain doesn't stop play.

Ryde 10 - Race Report

We seem to have been blessed with weather for the HRRL races so far in  2014 - like Stubbington, we enjoyed a day of glorious sunshine.  Perfect for the seaside - so a good day to run 10 miles in Ryde.  It was Louise's & my first ever overseas run & the logistics did take a while to work out.  The car ferry seemed to work out cheaper than the passenger one - especially when Jo T & Siri said they'd like to come too. 3 makes a team in HRRL rules - so SRS was represented.

Louise was a little concerned that having coffee at the ferry terminal in Portsmouth wasn't part of her normal pre race routine - I was very concerned that if I didn't get caffeine, bad things would happen - early starts don't come easy to me!  Lots of runners in the cafe - and on the boat.  Louise regaled us with an amazing number of facts about Portmouth & her beloved Gosport - clearly she can do mornings.

Ferry timetables meant docking at Fishbourne either 15 minutes before the race or 1 hour 15 minutes before - not unsurprisingly we opted for the latter, especially as Siri  & Jo hadn't pre registered.  Parking was easy & queues for loos were OK.  Messed about for a bit with photo opportunities on the beach - and chatted to a runner with fab Running the World union flag tights & to Tory, who used to run with us before defecting to Eastleigh.  Like us, they couldn't work out where the start was - turned out to be a difficult to spot standee with what looked like a graphic of a goldfish on it....

Flat start on the esplanade before the first, big, nasty hill at 1.5 miles - the point where I gave upon the idea of a PB or being able to keep up with Jo & Lou.  My least favourite bit of the route was running along the A3055 with no pavement & lots of traffic.  We did eventually turn onto lanes.  Water stations were at 4 miles and 7 miles - the former seemed to be rationing the water as we all seemed to get a quarter cup!  By the 4 mile mark, Jo was back with me - and I could still see Louise ahead.

More hills through the pretty village of St Helens and then Nettlestone.  Loved the coast road at the aptly named Seaview & distracted myself by planning relocating to the Island.  This was where I started chatting to an IOW runner who claimed to be as rubbish at hills as me! 

The final hill was steep and very long - or at least that's how it felt at 8.5 miles.  It sapped any reserves of energy - even the much appreciated solitary Percy Pig that Louise had kindly given me at the start. I could still see Lou, but the IOW runner managed a first in her running career by overtaking someone on a hill (me) and keeping that lead! 

Steep downhill back into Ryde on quiet roads, then back onto the seafront for the finish to be cheered home by Lou.  I joined her to cheer in Jo.

Lovely to get a medal but it seemed a bit odd that there was no water - we found it eventually back at the Rowing Club, along with Siri.  Less traffic, more water and a bit more warning about killer hills all would have made the run better - but I'm being picky as it was a good race.

Found our way back to the ferry but I started feeling rubbish - tired and dehydrated which was making me feel a bit spaced.  Siri hadn't been well on the run - I guess it's just indicated that it was a tough race.  Liquid & a mozzarella panini & I felt much better.

Back on the mainland, dropped everybody off & attempted to get myself out of the car - just a tad achy!

Thanks to Louise, Siri & Jo - it was a long journey to travel not too many miles, but your company helped to make it a really good day.

Results:

• Siri: 1:22:28
• Louise: 1:46:12
• Gin: 1:47:10
• Jo: 1:52:01

Photo credits - all mine bar the pic of Louise & me at the end which is Louise's.

Stubbington 10K Sunday 19th January

I'm not sure why I've never thought to do Stubbington 10K before - Clare W & Louise both extol its virtues as a motivation to keep the running up over Christmas - and apparently last year, Jude Law was on the route.  I was really surprised that the run took place last year as it was snowy to a level that I would have struggled to get there.  Stories about "undulations" didn't encourage me - I'm learning that at I'm at my best on the flat - but more of that later.

No weather issues this year - unseasonably glorious sunshine and almost wind free - and thanks to Dee, I had a last minute place.

Rachel let me & Louise persuade her that we needed to be there ridiculously early - more runners than before combined with picking up race numbers - but this did mean a lovely close parking spot and short loo queues.  We found nearly all the SRS runners with the exception of Tanya.

And time to admire Rachel's "sports bag" that brought a rare touch of glamour to the utilitarian pre-race activity in the sports hall.  And to admire the auto close gizmo on the fire doors that kicked in as the cafe set off the fire alarm on a regular basis.

Finally got running - and we all opted to funnel onto the pavement at 2K, sacrificing speed for the sake of not running the remaining 8K in soggy socks - the only flooded bit of the course.  I ran with Rachel - our pre agreed plan.  Ref those undulations - it wasn't dead flat, but to be honest, I expected a higher level of hilliness.

I felt for the marshals who seemed to be dealing with some very impatient drivers - it's only about 1 hour, once a year & there is plenty of notification about the road closures.   It was well organised with a welcome drinks station.  Nice work Stubbington Green Runners!

The star of the course was the scenery - especially the bit along the coast which looked stunning in the sunshine.   I found it interesting as it's not a bit of Hampshire I know very well - and it was a mixture of farmland and housing as well as the seaside.


Very pleased to be cheered in by Louise and Claire D.  We passed the favour onto Claudia and Dee - but missed Tanya as we weren't completely sure she'd run.

Dee is marathon training so set off to repeat the route on completion to get the right length long run - most impressive!

No medal, but none expected.  We were however expecting a mug at the end - but instead got microfibre tubes resembling those bearing the brand name "Buff".  Pleased me as a Buff user - but I don't think Lou was too impressed.  Still, she could have picked up a mug bearing last year's details as they were available too - because of the snow in Jan 2013, they didn't arrive in Stubbington on time.  Long queue for baggage collection is the only criticism we could levy at SRG's organisation - and even that was dealt with.

Nice 10K, worth doing!

Results:

1. Dawn H 49:16 (sadly, her last run with SRS)
2. Claire Deacon 51:59
3. Jo C 57:04
4. Louise 61:26
5. Suzanne 63:23
6. Gin 63:21
7. Rachel B 63:21
8. Dee 64:59
9. Claudia 69:16
10. Tanya 70:03

CC6 - Dibden Race Report 5th January

“Vertical cliffs, mountains” – how we mocked Louise when she reported back, having been the first brave Hubster to try out a CC6 (this one, Dibden), not long after we joined Southampton Running Sisters.  Reason for mocking is that the New Forest has a few undulations, but is a little more sedate in gradient than, say, Snowdonia, the Lakes, the Cairngorms – even less hilly than Hampshire around QE Country Park (must try that parkrun sometime).

But to be fair to Lou, she has a point.  There are 2 sharp, steep climbs on this CC6 route plus a few long drag inclines.  We were all set to get wet, following the vast volumes of rain that have landed on us over the last few weeks – but we stayed dry from above for the run.  Like the last CC6, it adds onto the route dodging around swamps and leaping over streams.

We started better than last time – the flag went up and stayed up!  And it looked super clean thanks to some tlc applied by Louise.

Having told Louise I wasn’t going to be able to overtake any others so wouldn’t be able to improve my place, I found a rare bit of speed after a couple of miles – although 2/3 of the overtaken were blokes so no impact there!

Marshals were great – well placed and very supportive.  The route was very varied – the steep climbs, equally steep downhills giving us a chance to practice crazy runner balance arms (technical term).  Gravel tracks, mud, streams.  Open forest, woods.  And I loved having a clear view of the end from about 500m so I could up my pace to a crowd pleasing glamorous sprint (others may not recognise it as a print though – these things are all so subjective….).  Fab brownies amongst the cakes.

Results - check out Claire D's 32 - a full 10 places ahead of the last CC6 and her season best!  As a team, we're in 11th place with 2 left to go - so please do come & try out Dennywood - I can promise you it starts in the prettiest car park in the Forest....

All good – bring on the next one.

Claire D Position 32

Sarah N 37

Dawn 43

Donna 52

Gin 62

Louise 64

CC6 Janesmoor Pond 15th December – Belated Race Report

Lowri

This race didn’t start too auspiciously for us – no mallet in the flag bag meant we had to borrow one – only to find it impossible to get the flag’s spike deep enough into the ground! This bit of the Forest was part of an air strip during the war – I suspect concrete under a thin top layer of soil. 

The weather wasn’t good either with high winds & drizzle.  

I forgot my shoes – so had to run in my walking trainers.  

And very sadly, Dawn told us it will be one of her last races for SRS as she’s running more these days with Lordshill – we’re going to miss you Dawn!

The things on my head are antlers - honest

More positively, the marshals were in Santa outfits – and we had a good turnout of 7.

Louise smiling

The drizzle seemed to ease as we set off – and a marshal advised us to “mind the mud”.  I was glad of the grippiness of my walking shoes – and I felt for Lowri & Claudia with road shoes.   I have to admit though that it wasn’t the wettest I’ve found the Janesmoor Pond route.  I was also pleased that I found the killer hill easier than before – still appreciated the jelly baby from Santa at the top,

Sarah managing to smile whilst finishing first of SRS

Us - no flag

Ponies looking stoic in the mist, more ponies running around and the highlight for me was a little group of black pigs with white saddles rootling for acorns (pannage).  

Even Louise who admitted to not feeling as enthusiastic as usual at the start seemed to get more into the route as we progressed.

5 miles ish, muddy, soggy, fun.

Over the line and please to find that there were still cakes & mince pies left.  And I’m pleased to report that my trainers were so effective, I will be using them again in the future.  Later on that day, the rain set in – a reminder that a bit of drizzle isn’t so bad as conditions go.

Results:

• Sarah:   38
• Claire:   42
• Dawn:    47
• Gin:        53
• Louise:  54
• Lowri:    56
• Claudia:55

Many thanks to Paul Hammond for all the photos - except the group one.

Badger Farm CC6 - Race Report

I’ve volunteered at this race a couple of times – but this was the first time I’ve run it.  Louise, our winter race director, was working with Southampton AC and Winchester AC to organise this event & had agreed to supply 12 of the 36 volunteers needed.  The rules of the CC6 series allows the organising clubs to have a team of 3 running – so once Lou was sure she had the 12 required, she gave me & Claire D permission to run.  I think 1 more could have done, but the problem is that volunteering kit varies majorly to running kit - the former is all about staying warm enough to stand still for an hour or so in the great outdoors, the latter is about keeping cool enough!

So I felt very lucky to have a running place.  Conveniently, this CC6 was on 1^st December, the first day of Marcothon – a challenge to run every day in December that I am repeating, having enjoyed it last year.

Volunteers were sent off to various corners of the course, leaving Claire & I to set off – and Pat to hover by the funnel as a proper EA race official.

4.2 miles, one short loop, one big loop then a repeat of the short loop.  Looking at the route map before we set off avoided the “I thought I’d finished” crisis I experienced at the Alverstoke RR10 having completed the big loop!  Terrain was mostly chalk path, a little mud, many leaves and some field bits.  I was grateful that it hadn’t rained much in the preceding days so the mud was a little sticky as opposed to full scale slippery.

There was one big hill, Yew Hill, and apparently all runners were a bit subdued leading up to it.  Seeing a snake of runners working up it from my normal position towards the back was impressive.

What made a huge difference on this run was the quality of the marshals (yes, I’m biased!).  SRS marshals were fabulously enthusiastic – and I loved the extra encouragement from Daisy, Japser and Brandon – excellent cheerleaders.   And boy, we do cake well.  

Well done Claire, thanks to all the helpers - and nice work Louise!

39: Claire D

61: Me

Volunteers included: Louise, Sam, Sally, Rachel, Jo, Jasper, Tanya, Tess, Pat, Claire H, Brandon, Sarah N, Genie, Daisy, Marian, Siri, Vicky, Dee, Wendy and Claudia.

Photos: Paul Hammond

Gosport Half - the race of cake? Race Report

"It's laps of a semi derelict MOD airfield."  Not possibly the most inviting prospect, but Louise must have made Gosport Half Marathon sound good as I was keen to run it this year - and Louise was up to repeat it.

2000 runners apparently.  The facilities at the start were fine with enough loos, baggage drop off, massages available and even the opportunity for a cup of tea.  It was in Louise's old school - she's a Gosport girl - and we'd parked near her Dad's home just a few streets away.

The start was vaguely segmented by times - we just ensured we weren't too far forward.  Louise spotted a former colleague who kindly took our final pre run photo.

Flat, yes.  The route had an impressive number of miles away from traffic - making use of Daedalus airfield but also wide tarmac cycle paths.  I actually found the airfield bit interesting, making our way past derelict MOD buildings from the 60s, 30s and earlier that would make for some stunning apartments.  A boat building bit smelt strongly of solvents! Other highlights included a filling station and lots of wire fencing.  Not too much congestion as most of the paths were wide and well surfaced.

 We appreciated a drumming band that the route took us past lots of times.  

The most scenic bit was at the end, along the shore at Lee on Solent back to Gosport.  I appreciated the wind free, dry and cool weather - high wind would have been serious hard work!

Great to see a former SRS runner Jennifer marshaling - and cheering us on with gusto.  And a lovely surprise to see Mel G who's just graduated from our beginner programme supporting us at the start.  Pat was there too - but unable to demonstrate any bias as she was a referee, coping with random incidents like a scooter insisting on riding over the chip timing mat at the end - strange.

Donna, Sam, Louise and I cheered Sally over the line.  I think we managed 3 PBs today - me, Tanya & Sally.  And it was Sam's first ever half - so an automatic PB for her!

And then we moved onto the cake. Goody bags had proper fruitcake, flapjack & chocolate biscuits.  Demolished the former & then enjoyed a rather good fatless sugar free fruitcake that Sam had brought (need the recipe!), then a piece of Running the World's flag cake.  And a chocolate biscuit courtesy of Louise's Dad to finish off.  The sugar high helped with the tedious queue of traffic homewards - and meant that I got home still feeling buoyed up by a rather good run.

Dawn 1:51:05
Verity 1:57:11
Gin 2:13:51
Louise 2:14:11
Sam 2:26:33
Tanya 2:26:30 - a PB I believe
Sally 2:46:51 - this is 15 minutes faster than her first half!
Jo - can't find her on the provisional results