Undulations?!

This morning I ran in the 36th Dartford Half Marathon.  Not my 36th Dartford Half, you understand.  This was my first.

In all honesty I possibly shouldn't have been running.  Without going into too much detail, the previous day and half, I could have been sponsored by Immodium.  Some will say that it is foolish, that I ran, others irresponsible.  But I did ensure that I hydrated and replenished all of my minerals and salts. If at any point I felt I was putting myself in danger or being an uneccessary burden on the Marshalls, I would have dropped out.  But I felt that I would get round.

I had heard rumours and there had been some discussion on Petts Wood Runner's forums about the 'killer' hill at 10 miles.

Probably 99% of the country had been waiting for a Sunday morning like this; blue skies, bright sunshine.  But I think that 600+ odd individuals congregating in Central Park might have wished for a slight delay in the glorious Sunday morning conditions.

Once I had arrived and sorted our my timing chip, I managed to find a few fellow PWR's and had a quick chat.  I think that there were 19 PWRs all in the race.

Whilst lined up and waiting for the start, a chap wandered around asking if anybody wanted a custard cream?  A first for me, and i'm not sure where that fits in in the simple/complex carb chain?  Nevertheless, I declined.

The first couple of miles were nice and flat and then the 'undulations' began. Now it see that everybody who had mentioned the killer hill had forgot the 'other' hills.  Every corner you turned there was another incline and as always there seemed to be more up than down.  Throw in a couple of subways and a footbridge over a main road and there was plenty of challenges to deal with before the 'killer' hill.

Whilst running along one of the country lanes there was a family in their front garden with a couple of young kids.  They were both there with there hands out, so I gave them the obligatory hand slap.  They both had beaming smiles as a result of this.  Little things like this make runs so much more enjoyable!

The 'killer' hill was a slog, but I managed to keep trundling on without stopping.  The finish was 1 lap of the athletics track which encouraged me to put a bit of a sprint on and manage a sub-2 hour finish - just!  Not my fastest half by any means, but I was happy with a sub 2, taking into consideration, the terrain, the weather, and how I was feeling prior to the race.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/201982805

The race was well organised and the marshalls and volunteers very encouraging. It was good to meet up with the other PWR's post race and also cheer some of the guys and girls in!  I have nice red tan lines on my arms and ankles which proves that Hippo's really do need a mud pack or sun cream when out in the sun!

TJH

Running in the Family

The last 10 days or so has seen me begin to up my mileage, in fact I have run a couple of 10ish milers, the longest I have run since the London Marathon.

Two Sundays ago I went out with a group from Petts Wood Runners, it was a very wet affair (no surprise there) but also very muddy as a large proportion was off road. This reminded me of two things. Firstly, I need to run off-road more often. It is quite refreshing to be amongst greenery rather than pounding the pavements. Secondly, I need to invest in some dedicated trail shoes. The the last mile or so was a bit of a struggle, but the run was exactly what I needed!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196877932
I cycled to and from work a couple of days last week, a round trip of 20 miles each day, and this is something I will be doing every day in the near future to avoid the expected commuting carnage due to the Olympics.

Saturday just gone I did another 10 miler before a trip to the Zoo. This time I had a running guide in the form of a fella I know via one of my wife's friends. He is not a complete stranger we have had quite a few beers together over the years, but during our run it transpires that Matt, used to compete at a National level and his 10k PB is over 10 mins quicker than mine! Nevertheless I managed 10 miles averaging an 08:35 m/mile which was a nice workout for me, but probably a walk in the park for Matt?
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/199103327

Incidentally we didn't get wet during the run, although we did later at the Zoo, but that meant puddles for our kiddies, so they were more than happy to extensively test their wellies.

You are probably wondering what any of this has to do with the title of the blog? Well I am proud to say that my wife has taken the decision to start running! Petts Wood Runners host 8 week beginners running courses aiming to get novices completing a 5k Parkrun. So Mich, my wife started her course this week.

It seems that she really enjoyed the session, and I will be helping her with her 'homework' of a jogging and walking session.  Who knows, this could lead to domestics in the future when we debate who is running a 10k and who will be looking after our little boy.  Although to be honest, I wuld be more than happy to be cheering her on in a race as she has done plenty of waiting around for me in the past!

TJH

Satisfaction

I haven't managed to get out running much this week, in fact, not at all.  But I did manage a couple of gym sessions working on core and upper body.  So to ensure that I ran today, I volunteered to a be a pacer at Bromley Park Run.  I had the privilige of donning the 26min vest. So I had a warm up by cycling to Norman Park (2 miles) and then completed the 5k run in 25:55, which if I say so myself is bloody good pacing :0). 
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196506642

I know of at least 2 people that achieved PB's by using me as a benchmark and I had at least half a dozen people come up to me afterwards to say 'Thank You' which gives me a lot of personal satisfaction.  It just goes to prove you don't have to be a racing snake to enjoy or actually achieve something when running.  I think that is why I enjoy running so much; sport in its simplest form and many ways to feel a sense of achievement!

TJH

Having an extended KitKat moment

Got back earlier this week from a cracking 10 day holiday in Majorca with family and friends. I did manage a couple of early morning 4 mile runs. One detailed below

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/189839778

But to be honest having had a 3 month abstinence from booze at the beginning of the year plus all the training I have been doing, I had a bit of a blowout and overdid it both on the booze and food and managed to put on quite a few pounds.

So I need to get back on the straight and narrow. What didn't help was that my first run this week with my Petts Wood Runners was the annual midsommers run which meant that the usual 7 groups were condensed to 3 and the run involved two pit stops with a choice of water, juice or a can of John Smiths were available. I'll let you make up your own mind which option I went for ;-)

As you can see there were plenty of us that required refreshments

The run finished backk at Mike the Kit Man's back garden (who provided splendid hospitality) and the annual awards were presented.  A good evening was had by all

I have been to the gym twice this week but have also had a few beers as well.  So tomorrow I am back in the groove both food/drink & fitness wise.  I had planned on running the Bewl 15 today, but to be honest after the last couple of weeks that was never going to happen.  So next race for me is the Dartford Half Marathon on 22nd July.  I had better start putting the miles in!!!

Until next time, TJH