Edinburgh rocks!

We rounded off the half term holiday with a trip to Scotland's capital city. It was ridiculously hot (ok, so in the low twenties, but that's just not what you expect north of the border) and we both came home a little redder and with noticeably more freckles than we had last week.

We got an early train on Friday, arriving in Edinburgh for elevenses. We did some mooching around the shops, strolled up Calton Hill to get the fantastic view out across the Forth, wandered through the streets admiring the beautiful and varied architecture, went up to the castle and generally enjoyed the change of scenery.On the Saturday we did more of the same, plus a visit to the Whisky Experience, where we went on the 'barrel ride' to learn all about the Scotch whisky industry, smelled the difference between the products of the different regions and had to choose our favourite. We got to keep the glasses which came in handy for the wine on the hill (the one with the stunning views) with our picnic lunch. In the evening there was an event called 'The Nocturne', a cycling thing being held in Grassmarket. This involved a series of races around a 1.2km loop taking in a nasty cobbled hill. We watched the 'folding bikes' race, where competitors, dressed in their office attire, had to run 30 yards to their folded Bromptons, set them up to ride and then complete 3 laps of the course. Entertaining and with some surprisingly impressive speed at the front end. This was followed by the eilite race, won by David Millar, which was amazing to watch, as seeing this sport on telly just doesn't quite do justice to the huge amount of skill and speed involved.
On the Sunday was the Edinburgh Marathon. I'm not a fan of hot marathons and I prefer the smaller events to the big city ones, but this is a good course that goes out along the Forth and has great support. Plus I met up with several people I know so it was all rather sociable. I was relatively comfortable for the first 16 miles, but then felt a bit dodgy in the heat and put in several walking breaks after that. My final time was 4:23:14, so it could have been a lot worse. Jim had spent the morning taking a stroll up to Arthur's Seat - a challenge in itself as he was laden with his baggage including several kilos of camera equipment. We went for all-you-can-eat Chinese afterwards which was most welcome! The finishers T shirt is a good wicky one that I'll actually use and the medal is rather nice too.

White Peak Marathon

Another fairly early start on Saturday morning, getting a lift with Riel and Naomi up to Cromford, near Matlock in the Peak District, Derbyshire. The White Peak Marathon didn't actually start till 11 am, but we had to take a bus from the finish to the start first.

We found several other Fetchies: good both to catch up with old and to meet new faces. Quite a few of them were doing the 'District Double', which involves heading up to the Lake District to do the Windemere Marathon on Sunday (these few included Riel, again running laden with his heavy backpack). I felt like a bit of lightweight this weekend...

The course is along a trail, very good underfoot most of the way. The first 7 miles are uphill - not steep, but enough to notice the incline, then it evens out before a couple of steep drops in the final few miles (see course elevation profile below).
The weather was typically English, with a good mix of sun, rain and wind. The rain was lovely when it was a pleasantly light drizzle and the wind was welcome as a tail wind, but the combination turned into a storm of horizontal rain blowing into my face for a mile or two - not so nice!

I felt a bit tired after running so much recently, but was pleased to get a finish time of 4:11:50. The finshers' memento was a mug, making a welcome change from all the medals and T shirts.
This is a lovely event that I'll definitely consider doing again. I'm not running a marathon now until the 31st - time for a nice rest then...

The 'As-Long-As-Planned' Weekend

The plan was similar to last weekend, with back-to-back 40 mile Ultra Sat / Marathon Sun again, hopefully without getting lost. Well, the short version: mission accomplished and in a faster time than last weekend’s effort too. I had a fantastic couple of days!

So, on Friday evening I got a lift from Hammersmith to Streatley from Riel, a lovely Fetchie, (half French, half Spanish, 35 year old known as Contro on Fetch) who’d hired a car for the weekend. We had both booked a place at the YHA and once we’d sorted out our stuff in our rooms, we wandered to the pub next door for drinks and dinner. We were joined there by two more Fetchies – Jen (who was my best friend at primary school, but I hadn’t seen her since we were 11 years old, until this year when we were reunited through Fetch) and her partner, Steve, who wasn’t racing but would be our finish line photographer. It was a lovely evening but I ate and drank too much. Then again, maybe I didn’t, as the run went very comfortably the following day.

We got a coach from the YHA early on Saturday morning to the start at Overton Hill in Wiltshire. We had quarter of an hour before the start and it seemed to be bright but very cold. However, within a few minutes of starting I had stripped off to my vest as it was rather warm after all. The Ridgeway 40 does what it says on the tin – 40 miles along the Ridgeway, which is a sign-posted byway stretching across the countryside over undulating but not-too-hilly terrain. The track underfoot was a bit tough at times, but I’ve run on far worse surfaces (see Thames Trot!). It was a lovely course and I felt very strong throughout. I had planned to walk the ups and jog the flats and downs. As it turned out, I also jogged a lot of the gentle uphill inclines too, which I was pleased with. There were 9 checkpoints, spaced from 2 to 7 miles apart, where we had to get checked in and could restock on water and nibbles. At mile 28 they had homemade vegan malt loaf – it tasted fabulous! I spent most of the time chatting to various other runners on the route, with Riel never far out of sight (he’s usually way faster than me, but was laden with a 10kg back pack this weekend). There was a final climb after the last checkpoint, then the last 3 miles or so came back downhill in a very welcome fashion (you can see the last downhill in the photo). There was however the steep driveway up to the YHA to negotiate, to get to the finish check in – that seemed a little unfair after 40 miles!

I was more than happy with my time of 7 hours 10 minutes, just a minute behind Riel. The certificate and badge say it’s a ‘walk’, which is a little annoying, but then it also has a picture of a local ‘white horse’ on it that I didn’t manage to see from the route either. As it wasn’t officially a race, positions don’t count here, but I think I finished second or third female.

I got a lift back to London and was very impressed at the top recovery/refuelling meal Jim had prepared, with a good mix of carbs and protein as well as being delicious. I only managed to eat half of it, but the portion was a humongous bowlful. That meant I could have the leftovers after the marathon though…

So on Sunday morning I wandered down the road to the A1, where Riel again acted as chauffeur. We went to Whitechapel to pick up Naomi and Kitty (more Fetchies) then drove up to Halstead, Essex. When we got there we found a gathering of Fetchies already growing. There were loads of people that I knew, including lots of the 100 Club members and others that I’d met at previous races, including Superman (aka John – this was his 251st marathon).

There was a loud, bright and supportive Fetchpoint set up that we ran past 4 times - very good for motivation. RichK took loads of pictures and the atmosphere was amazing. Contro got huge cheers as, not only was he carrying his heavy pack again, but he’d opted for the ultra distance of 30 miles. Yes, he’s insane, but there’s method in the madness: it’s all part of his training for the ‘Gobi March’ which he’s doing in June. That’s 160 miles through the Gobi Desert in 35 degree heat, over a week, carrying supplies of food and sleeping mat etc.

I was expecting my legs to start complaining at some point, but I felt great again, though a bit tired. I chatted away with other runners most of the way again and was very pleased to finish with a time of 4:20:36. Job done.

There was a presentation for Michael whose 100th marathon it was, as well as lots of cheer in general as loads of PBs were achieved despite it being a rather warm day. (No sunburn for me though – just more freckles.)

This morning my 4 mile gentle recovery fun felt very good. I thought of Contro, still in Gobi training mode, who’s planning 20K runs to and from work, with the pack, for the next 3 days… No rest for the wicked and all that.

Just one marathon to come this weekend for me, then a bit of a break before Edinburgh at the end of the month. Did I mention that I like running?

The LLOOOONNG Weekend

Ah, it's lovely to have an extra day off on the weekend. And especially nice when you feel you've earned it by doing plenty on the preceding two days: this weekend was my biggest running weekend so far, with the plan being to run 66.2 miles over 2 days.

On Saturday I got a train up to Henley-on-Thames for the Oxon 40. This was another LDWA event with the pages (5 sides of A4) of intricate instructions to follow, as opposed to using a map of the route or having markers on the course. It was absolutely beautiful, an off road route through lots of bluebell woods, all carpeted in vivid purple, as well as stunning views from the tops of hills. I wished I'd taken my camera. It was slow going as, after getting lost for a mile and a half very early on, I was careful to take time over reading my sheets to get the rest of the course right. I actually twice called back other people who'd missed turns and could have ended up well off track. I used my compass to check my bearing a lot too. It was kind of fun actually and I'm already getting better at following the instructions. I have another LDWA event booked for June.
There were 6 checkpoints at which I had my card clipped to prove I'd been there, then there was lots of good, free food and a cup of tea at the finish to refuel. I got my certificate and badge, then headed back to the train station to head down to Salisbury, where I had a night booked at a lovely little B&B.

In the morning, Riel and Naomi (Fetchies) picked me up to drive us over to Stonehenge, which is where the Neolithic Marathon finishes. We caught the runners' bus up to the start at Avebury, where there were lots of other runners that I know and it was good to catch up with them. I really wasn't sure what my legs would say about me doing another long hilly trail run the day after the Oxon 40, but they seemed fine. I decided to walk the uphills and jog most of the rest. I felt surprisingly strong and managed to enjoy being out in the countryside and finished in about 4 and a half hours, which is faster than the last time I did this marathon!
Riel drove us back to London, which made a welcome change from the train and it was nice to get home to rest. Jim was still out as he'd been out cycling round the Isle of Wight all day. He covered over 90 miles on Sunday, which is a fair bit more than the 67.7 miles I ran over the 2 days.

This morning I did my usual 4 mile recovery run and felt really good. We then went into town as we both felt our legs could do with a bit of gentle moseying about and we deserved a good Wagamama dinner after our exertions.

My 50th Marathon and Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

This weekend in Stratford upon Avon there were celebrations going on for Shakespeare's birthday. This included various events such as a parade with marching bands and various acting groups and some morris dancers, as well as the marathon (run along with a half, for the semi-fit).

It was a beautiful sunny weekend and we stayed in a lovely B&B in a comfy room with a four-poster. Saturday involved a cafe, butterflies (see Jim's fantastic picture of a glasswing), rowing on the Avon (Jim rowed, I loaded up on food for the next day's run, we both sang silly rowing songs), wine on the large grassy area by the RSC theatre and a pizza dinner. A top day all in all.

The marathon itself was very good. Before the start I met up with a Fetchie, Naomi, who had chosen to run as Lara Croft. We had drinks with several other Fetchies after the race and it was great to put some more faces to the names of people I've been chatting online with recently. I've done this run a couple of times before so knew exactly what to expect from the two-lap course through country lanes and along a track. There are a couple of hills but nothing too bad. There are plenty of water stations and there was a cool breeze negating the effects of the sun. I got a little burnt, but not badly. I felt comfortable and enjoyed chatting with other runners on the way round. My time was 4:02:35, which is pretty good for me. I didn't really mind too much how long it took though, as just completing my 50th was enough achievement in itself.

As this was my tenth marathon/ultra of the year, it also marked the end of the challenge I was doing to raise funds for Animal aid. The challenge was '10 marathons in 5 months', but in my eagerness I completed it over a month early. I got an email from Richard at Animal Aid telling me that the sponsporship has amounted to over £15 000, which is a record as it's the most they've ever received for a sponsored event. Given the current economic climate of credit crunchiness, that's not bad, eh?

Bungay Marathon

I did the Bungay Marathon yesterday. I've run this a couple of times before and have a real soft spot for it. Not sure why exactly, but it's a really charming event. Bungay is a small village in Suffolk and the route is a two-lap road course taking in more cute villages where the locals come out to cheer us along. There are some undulations (I had remembered them as significant hills but was pleased to find them relatively undemanding this time). There are some great views from the higher parts of the route and then there's a mile and a half along a track through trees towards the end.

A half marathon starts 2 hours after the full and I arrived for the start of lap 2 just as they were setting off. This meant that I was surrounded by hundreds of runners from mile 13 to 14 before the field spread again. I briefly considered walking the last hill, but I saw Mick n Phil jogging up it ahead of me and was inspired to continue at a run. [Mick Curry has done hundreds of runs including lots of half and full marathons, always pushing his son Phil in a wheelchair.] I found myself overtaking runners in both the full and the half on my second lap, even though I was running at a comfortable and relaxed pace. I finished in 4:03:22 which is actually quite quick for me.

I stayed the previous night in a lovely B&B in Earsham, a nearby village, which meant I had a pleasant 3 mile walk from there to Bungay as a warm up in th morning. I met lots of people I knew at the run, including several of the '100 Club' runners and lots of Fetchies. I got a lift back to the train station with one, a lovely chap called John, which made the journey home far quicker and more interesting (and cheaper). There was a Fetchpoint at mile 20 which was great for extra encouragement too. A Fetchpoint is a place where some Fetchies set up to cheer us on and provide food etc, but this one also had the added attraction of cowbells!

Paris je t'aime!

The heading says it all. Four days in the beautiful city is a fantastic relaxing way to kick start the two week holiday from college. We left for the early Eurostar on Saturday and arrived in time for elevenses (at a cute street cafe) on the way to the hotel. A quick trip to the marathon expo, then back into town for some shopping and wandering around enjoying the sights. Pizza and red wine in the Quartier Latin for the now-traditional and ideal pre-marathon dinner.

After lots of smaller events, I'd forgotten how it can be fun to run with thousands of others (over thirty thousand starters lined up on the Champs Elysees) and I took the run at a relaxed pace, just drinking in the scenery (and a glass of red, courtesy of the Beaujolais Marathon organisers at mile 23 too!). The route takes in two parks and several of the major sights (Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower), with my favourite part being along the Seine. In one of the tunnels there were amazing accoustics, with the runners sending a kind of sonic Mexican wave through the dimly lit underpass. A comfortable finish in 4:14:22, then back to the hotel for lunch.

In the afternoon we went to a pub near Place de la C0ncorde to meet some of the Fetchies: runners that I'd been chatting with online in the preceeding weeks. It was great to finally meet these people in real life!

In the picture below I've got my copy of L'Equipe which has all the finishers' names and times printed in it. This is the paper that I keep hearing about as we watch the Tour de France every year so it's pretty cool to be in it!

We had a picnic on what we call the 'picnic bridge' - the Pont des Arts - including yet more red wine. A very civilized way to dine. There were some rather good buskers playing the sort of jazz that is used in the Jeeves & Wooster TV series.

On Monday and Tuesday we took in some museums, cafes, bars, shopping and general pootling about just being happy to be in Paris.

Like I said, Paris je t'aime!

Charnwood Marathon - my first LDWA event

Yesterday I completed the Charnwood Marathon, an event organised by the Long Distance Walking Association. I'd heard of the LDWA years ago as lots of the 100 Marathon club members are big fans of these events. Some events are for walkers only, but lots have a later start time for runners to take part. They are very friendly events, with lots of fruit, cake, sandwiches & hot drinks at the checkpoints, as well as soup at the finish. They are cheaper than most road running events too. There were certificates and sew-on badges at the end rather than medals. Timing was approximate.

The Charnwood Marathon started in Quorn, Leicestershire and followed a loop trail route through many fields, tracks, paths and over hills and a gazillion stiles. It was very uneven terrain leaving me with tender ankles today. The weather varied hugely - it was windy more often than not, but we also had hot sunshine and freezing cold icy hail. The route was scenic with some great views (including from the highest point in the county) but it wasn't marked or marshalled, nor was there a route map. My Garmin produced the following:

The LDWA events involve participants being given a sheet of directions to follow. There were 2 1/2 sides of A4 with densely packed instructions: "Go thro kissing gate next to ladder stile. AH on path and downhill to X stream & thro kissing gate. TR along field edge keeping steam on R. TL at field corner, uphill with wall and wood on R,..." - that excerpt was a mere 2 lines worth! I found it extremely difficult to read and run, but fortunately I was running with an experienced LDWA member who'd mastered the knack of running down difficult terrain while both reading and eating an energy bar. Apparently it gets easier with practice. It was draining mentally to have to keep up the concentration rather than just running. We also had an orienteering-style card that had to be clipped at the checkpoints, some of which were unmanned so we just had to hunt around to find the clipper.

It was a great day out, despite the marathon taking me just over 5 hours to complete. I think I'll try some more LDWA runs in the future. They certainly make for a different sort of challenge.

Cambridge Boundary Run Marathon

I did the Cambridge Boundary Run marathon today. Being a geeky mathematician type, when I saw the elevation profile I wasn't at all bothered about the 'hills', as I looked carefully at the scales on the axes. And rightly so as the course was lovely and flat, with only a couple of minor undulations. I thought it was going to be a road run for some reason, so was pleasantly surprised that it was predominantly on trails.

The surface was mostly good, though there were a few muddy areas and several styles to cross. It was good weather for it too, though I'd have liked a bit of rain really. Then again, the route was marked with some paper signs on lamp posts and flour arrows on the ground, so rain could have been a bad thing for navigation. As it turned out, I got lost only once (faring better than some people!), for just over half a mile near mile 23. We were given maps and instructions to back up the arrows so I was able to retrace my steps and get back on course fairly easily.

Overall it was a nice day out and I met up with several runners I already knew and met a few more I'll most likely see at future races too. I didn't manage to get a decent picture of me with the race T shirt, hence the eyes-shut pic here.