Since the company I work for recently introduced flexitime to my working conditions, I decided a good use of this month's bonus day off would be to do the Serpentine 'last Friday of the month' 5k. OK, it wasn't on the last Friday of the month this time, but that was an enforced change this month due to Nelson Mandela's birthday celebrations in Hyde Park on this event's normal running date.
I got the train from Hitchin, got a bus across the city (so I could look out of the windows, unlike travelling by Tube) and found the bandstand which acted as the race HQ - but not before I met Anna Priestley, who had also travelled from home to come to the race. As we waited for the regular runners to turn up (which they do at the last minute) we wondered what we were doing there... not in a negative way - but why travel specially from North Hertfordshire just to run round a park? Still, it was a lovely sunny day, so I was very much enjoying being there rather than at work.
The route - you'll never guess - took us around the Serpentine, on park paths wide enough to cause no trouble to the general public. Other park users were going about their business, but there was a disappointing lack of confused tourists or disapproving businessmen having their lunch - perhaps we just weren't that unusual. One particularly hard part mentally was at the halfway point, where we had to run past a tempting-looking ice-cream stall - and there was a short hill at about 4k that could easily have finished off an unsuspecting runner (Anna warned me about it beforehand!).
The route was well signed and marshalled - it looks like it's quite a slick operation, since they practise it every month, and all in all it was very enjoyable. I got round in 17:33, which was fine. After a swimming session earlier in the morning, Chris finished in 21:29. Unfortunately Anna didn't make it round - after tangling legs with another runner she ended up with impressive cuts and scrapes in the second kilometre and had to abandon. (Afterwards, we didn't reprise our conversation about what was the point in turning up...)
I was the only runner wearing a North Herts vest (the Priestleys were in rather nice kit designed for Chris's company) - and that's where my negative comments start coming in: I thought this was a well-attended event by our club, with talk of runners meeting up in the pub for a lazy afternoon afterwards... perhaps I'm a year too late for all that, since the 'pub posse' don't seem to do it any more.
At only £2 to enter you get a very nice, friendly, well-organised but low-key event, which would be perfect for those of you who work in London... but I think I'll only do it again if I know a crowd of other people are going.
Monday, 23 June 2008
Monday, 16 June 2008
MWL3: A picnic in Welwyn
The midweek league races seem to be coming thick and fast, since they're only a fortnight apart. Keeps the excitement level up, which is good - and it really sounds like a lot of people in the club have little else on their minds! We like leagues - it's a shame we only ever take part in them at this time of year or with cross-countries in winter.
So race 3 was hosted by Herts Phoenix in Welwyn Garden City, using a course we know well from previous events by both Herts Phoenix and Garden City Runners. Plenty of car parking in Gosling sports centre, and changing and showers there too (important for me this week since we're getting the bathroom re-fitted).
No HQ as such, but since the rain held off it was fine staying on the green - more of that later!
Only a 5 mile race this time, which shouldn't feel much different from 10k but it does. You've got to go faster, for a start. I felt OK but not great, although this was probably more due to a busy day at work than my recent race exploits.
(Of course, that's nothing compared to Lindsay's trip to the race, where she turned up at full speed about 2 minutes before the start, but I'll let her tell you about that.)
Since it was a two-lap course we knew exactly what to expect the second time round, which is always useful. I was starting to flag a bit after about three and half miles, so it was lucky that James overtook me at that point to do a bit of pacing. The best part was the little sharp hill by the side of the A1, where at the bottom we were both in front of a little group of runners, but at the top were so far ahead of them they were nowhere to be seen (it's that 'strong hills' thing again). I don't know why, but for some reason Lindsay thinks the idea of me and James bounding up a hill side by side is very amusing - arms and legs all over the place, like some kind of angry octopus.
There were marshals at all the important points on the route, with only minor road crossings unmanned (and that certainly didn't bother me). Due to the lack of an HQ, Herts Phoenix came up with the excellent idea of giving out packed lunches from a gazebo on the green - a bag of sandwiches, drink, and even a bit of cake to eat at work the next day. The results, when they came out the next day, were what we've grown accustomed to, with one major difference: the ladies slipped into second place behind FVS due to some of our faster ladies being unavailable (a shame, actually, because the men improved a bit!).
So with one last race, there's a mountain to climb...
Pos
OVERALL
1 Fairlands Valley Spartans 1390 37
2 North Herts Road Runners 1525 35
3 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers 1654 27
4 Harlow Running Club 2312 23
5 Bishops Stortford 2575 23
6 Broxbourne Runners 3901 14
7 Herts Phoenix 3683 9
Of course, I'm only talking about winning the league. Stepping back a bit and looking objectively, it would take a disaster for us not to get promoted back to division 1. But it's a matter of pride, isn't it?
So race 3 was hosted by Herts Phoenix in Welwyn Garden City, using a course we know well from previous events by both Herts Phoenix and Garden City Runners. Plenty of car parking in Gosling sports centre, and changing and showers there too (important for me this week since we're getting the bathroom re-fitted).
No HQ as such, but since the rain held off it was fine staying on the green - more of that later!
Only a 5 mile race this time, which shouldn't feel much different from 10k but it does. You've got to go faster, for a start. I felt OK but not great, although this was probably more due to a busy day at work than my recent race exploits.
(Of course, that's nothing compared to Lindsay's trip to the race, where she turned up at full speed about 2 minutes before the start, but I'll let her tell you about that.)
Since it was a two-lap course we knew exactly what to expect the second time round, which is always useful. I was starting to flag a bit after about three and half miles, so it was lucky that James overtook me at that point to do a bit of pacing. The best part was the little sharp hill by the side of the A1, where at the bottom we were both in front of a little group of runners, but at the top were so far ahead of them they were nowhere to be seen (it's that 'strong hills' thing again). I don't know why, but for some reason Lindsay thinks the idea of me and James bounding up a hill side by side is very amusing - arms and legs all over the place, like some kind of angry octopus.
There were marshals at all the important points on the route, with only minor road crossings unmanned (and that certainly didn't bother me). Due to the lack of an HQ, Herts Phoenix came up with the excellent idea of giving out packed lunches from a gazebo on the green - a bag of sandwiches, drink, and even a bit of cake to eat at work the next day. The results, when they came out the next day, were what we've grown accustomed to, with one major difference: the ladies slipped into second place behind FVS due to some of our faster ladies being unavailable (a shame, actually, because the men improved a bit!).
So with one last race, there's a mountain to climb...
Pos
OVERALL
1 Fairlands Valley Spartans 1390 37
2 North Herts Road Runners 1525 35
3 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers 1654 27
4 Harlow Running Club 2312 23
5 Bishops Stortford 2575 23
6 Broxbourne Runners 3901 14
7 Herts Phoenix 3683 9
Of course, I'm only talking about winning the league. Stepping back a bit and looking objectively, it would take a disaster for us not to get promoted back to division 1. But it's a matter of pride, isn't it?
Monday, 9 June 2008
Barton 10k
This Sunday was the Barton-le-Clay hyper-allergenic 10k - a hilly off-road event in a cloud of pollen!
Just like last year, Lindsay and I cycled over to the event. Just like last year, the weather was blazing hot, and just like last year I finished in 4th place. Well, that's the short version.
Right at the end was a long downhill stretch, which by rights should be a great way to speed up, but since my legs were so tired I didn't trust them to go where I wanted them to, so had to slow down a bit just to make sure I stayed upright.
Just like last year, Lindsay and I cycled over to the event. Just like last year, the weather was blazing hot, and just like last year I finished in 4th place. Well, that's the short version.
It's good to have a race so close that we could cycle there in under half an hour without wearing ourselves out - Barton's only 6 miles west of Hitchin so it provided a little warm-up. The race is a fund-raising activity for the village's school, and I suspect most entries were probably on the day.
There were still a few puddles around, even though it had been warm and dry for a couple of days. I can't imagine what the route would be like in the wet - cross-country spikes wouldn't be out of the question.
There were still a few puddles around, even though it had been warm and dry for a couple of days. I can't imagine what the route would be like in the wet - cross-country spikes wouldn't be out of the question.
The 10k race started at the same time and place as a 5k fun run, so the start line was full of kids who sprinted off at top speed (only to come a cropper almost immediately, since the first kilometre was all uphill - very tough. (In fact, this was the route, clockwise - just count all those contour lines at the start!). I know I didn't flatten any of these kids, so my conscience is clear.
After 2km I realised that I was going to have to contend with my legs still aching from that ridiculous 200m session we did on Thursday (the one where you keep running 200m as fast as you can until you can't take it any more), so this was an excellent excuse to look at the scenery, and try to find a pace that didn't hurt too much. Most of the way round I had this song in my head (but that's OK because it's quite an uplifting one to run to!).
Right at the end was a long downhill stretch, which by rights should be a great way to speed up, but since my legs were so tired I didn't trust them to go where I wanted them to, so had to slow down a bit just to make sure I stayed upright.
Unfortunately, there was a marshalling malfunction at about 8k, when we had to turn left off the Lilley road and head towards the finish. Well, a marshalling absence, in fact. I was in 4th place at the time, and the first 3 runners all carried on straight ahead (I know what it's like, I've done it often enough myself!). So although I didn't know it, I found myself leading the race for a kilometre or so. The first 2 guys caught me up again, but the 3rd one didn't, so technically I finished 3rd, but I don't think I could really justify accepting the 3rd place medal in those circumstances, so sorted it all out after the finish.
There was a small but friendly NHRR turnout, with James immediately behind me, and Jaime, Jo S and Lindsay running too. And here we are...
Oh yes, after Jo asked about this race on the forum I said
Good off-road race that I would have considered doing again... if it wasn't 3 days before the next midweek league race.
So what happened? Well, obviously, I changed my mind. Although the midweek league is very tight at the moment, it's really won or lost by who turns up and who doesn't. It's not so tight (yet) that an extra 10k in my legs is going to make all the difference. (I reserve the right to change my mind again if I have a disaster on Wednesday.)
So the review stuff:
Facilities - the school was 5 minutes walk from the start and finish (don't know if it had showers). The finish was on a recreation ground so families could use the playground if necessary. There was a stall selling teas, coffees and bacon butties at the end, so a big thumbs up for that!
Course - marked every kilometre, but a couple of turns unmarked, and very few marshals. In its defence, this is effectively a fun run organised by a school, so it's not designed to be organised like a 'normal' race.
Did we win anything? - Well, I suppose I gave up my prize! So no.
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