Great North Run 2022

Another year, another bucket list event completed (ok it was back in September but better late than never)!

The Great North Run is a deservedly famous race, the largest half marathon in the world and, with nearly 60,000 runners – more than the London Marathon, in a city a fraction of the size – it really felt like it.

The build up was tricky, as having last year seen London deferred 3 times due to Covid things were once again thrown up in the air less than 48 hours before setting off for the weekend with the sad news of The Queen passing, putting into question whether things would still take place. After a lot of social media speculation the main event of course went ahead, although the junior version was off which was a shame, as personally I thought it was a great way for people to pay their respects by getting out in public, out of their comfort zones and in the main raising money for charities.

Exploring the sites in Toon!

So with the race going ahead, the complexity continued, as I had to plan the logistics of a 200 mile drive, then parking in a city I barely knew where most of the roads would be closed for the weekend. Fortunately that turned out much better than expected, as the cheap and slightly suspicious accommodation I had booked at Newcastle Uni turned out to be far nicer than anything I had back in my day, a comfortable en-suite room with fully equipped shared kitchen, and I had to give a shout to Nirvana Europe event planners who did a fantastic job arranging and responding to booking queries and doling out free coffee and bag storage on the big day. Even better, the uni were happy to give free parking right outside my block, happily undoing my complicated plans of a 3 mile round trip walk to the nearest park-and-hope multi story. And to top it all, two of my sisters who were also doing the race and had booked separately happened to end up in the same shared flat as me which made the rest of the weekend even easier, and gave us plenty of time for a standard pre-race pints and pizza sitting by the famous riverside. If the race was going to be as easy as the planning then this was a winner!

Ready for action

I will be honest, things were not quite a smooth from then on. Because of the sheer number of runners the race organisers wanted everyone to be as early as possible. Having done the Birmingham Great Run many times before, which in fairness is about a third of the size, you usually rock up at the start line about 30 minutes early and that’s it. For this race we left our accommodation 3 hours before actually crossed the line, and spent pretty much the whole time queueing, either being funnelled through a tiny park entrance, 45 minutes for the toilets, or crushed into the start pens with 60,000 others under a worryingly grey sky, I will be honest it was not the most encouraging start. And whilst the atmosphere was positive, it was also a little sombre around the main start line given the nature of the day.

There were a few highlights, for one you had to walk past the start to get to your place in the queue, and we managed to time it perfectly for the main 2 minute silence and were just meters from the elite start (to the point I nearly dived for cover when the start gun went off almost next to me!). Also worth a mention was the fantastic Geordie MC, who barely paused for breath during the 45 minutes it took to get back over the start line, giving shoutouts and banter to just about every single runner as they jogged past him, creating a really well needed atmosphere.

So finally we were off in one of the most famous races in the world, and much like parts of London, it does not always look quite the same up close as it does on TV. The excitement of the start line for instance, was quickly subdued during the opening mile by the concrete miracle of an overpass, followed by an equally underwhelming underpass, spiced up slightly by a never ending series of Oggie Oggie Oggies. Things picked up as we reached the iconic Tyne Bridge in mile two, the two separate start waves merged together and a three deep crowd in great spirits instantly lifted the mood on this most famous part of the course. Miraculously the sun also picked that moment to come out, which was great for all taking part, except for me having neglected to put on my P20 before the race, meaning I had a lovely white imprint of my running vest to accompany my new red arms and neck after the race, as well as a few nights of agony…

Three musketeers on the Tyne Bridge

I hate to say this for such a revered event but the next 6 or 7 miles weren’t exactly pretty. Yes the atmosphere and support was great, and I really appreciated the 3 run thru showers, but it was basically a fairly bland dual carriageway with not a lot to see. Watching the BBC coverage later I wondered if I had been in a different race to the one they described as a fantastic course winding along the Tyne, as much of what I could remember was… fine. Also whilst you would not describe it as hilly, it was not exactly flat either, more gentile undulations that you don’t notice in a car but can feel on foot, reminding me of the Silverstone half I did a few years ago.

While having a moan, one big area the Great Run company need to work on in future years is their plastic bottles. Whilst I am far from being an eco warrior, it was embarrassing at times to see literally thousands of half drunk single use plastic bottles covering the tarmac, at times almost impossible to avoid tripping over in the busy feed stations. I am sure there may be sponsorship implications, but looking back to other recent races such as the Worcester Half which had far better cartons and litter zones, the event could be improved massively with a few small tweaks, both for competitors and the environment in general.

Race nutrition on point!

Things did improve significantly though in the last few miles, firstly with the famous Hash House Harriers handing out delicious cups of craft ale around mile 10 – mid-race beers definitely a new one for me – and the beautiful sight of the sea as you approach the beach in South Shields running the final mile along the cliff top to the finish line. It was not my fastest time, but I genuinely did not care, having learned from London and ignored my Garmin and headphones for most of the race, which looking back is one of my big takeaways for making the most of big events like this.

Medal time

Post race was another hike and a half, at least 2 miles from the finish down the hill and through town on tired legs, to then join a 40 minute queue to play sardines in the metro oven back into the city for a well. Lesson learned for next time is pay the hospitality fee for the coach home and take it easy! Still, it was all done in good humour and if anything added to the memories of a day like no other, and a well-earned burger and shake on the walk back to the hotel never tasted so good.

Overall it was certainly a memorable race weekend, and one I am really glad I have had the chance to take part in. Perhaps things were slightly different to normal given everything else going on at the time, but it did not quite live up to all the hype, although Newcastle really is a fantastic place and I really enjoyed all of the bits around it wandering around toon and seeing the sites, not to mention secretly loving all the planning side of things in the build up!

As always after my big race of the year, the big question is what next. I don’t currently have anything planned for 2023, but after all this time I am sure there will be a new challenge. Having spent a lot of time on roads training this year those trails are looking more and more attractive, so watch out for more updates on the Chile Challenge to find out what will be up next!

Timberhonger Race!

If there is one thing I can’t stand it is having to miss races and events that I have entered. Firstly, obviously, it is a waste of good money, and secondly there is the feeling of not being able to make the most of any training and tapering in the build up. But most of all I hate missing out on that buzz you get at a big event, the adrenaline, the crowds and the runners high.

The first running race I ever entered was the Sussex half marathon back in the early 2010s and for one reason or another (I think it may have been recent laser eye surgery mixed with nerves over my first half) I decided to pull out, and it felt bad. Since then I have not missed many events, with the exception of cancelled ones in Solihull and Droitwich during the pandemic, but just a few weeks ago I had to miss the Redditch half marathon due to testing positive for covid a few days before which felt even worse, as it was my first race in nearly 9 months.

So when the Timberhonger run finally returned last weekend, having been on a 3 year hiatus due to the pandemic, I had to make sure I did it. It is as close to being my ‘home race’ as you can get, with the start line less than a mile from my front door and the course taking in my favourite training route that I have done at least a dozen times this year (*I just checked Strava and it is actually 10 but who’s counting!)

Unfortunately the covid recovery took longer than expected, and with nearly a month of being unable to train and the weekend weather literally the hottest in UK history, I opted to trade down to from the 10k to the 5k route, something I rarely consider given my slow and steady pace is better suited to longer distances, but I needed to make sure I had no reason to miss this one.

Unusually this is an evening race starting at 6pm, something I am not sure I have ever done before with almost every other event and most of my training runs taking place in the morning, and I spent most of my warm up sheltering under a tree to escape the 30 degree heat. The earlier part of the day had already involved taking my kids to the town carnival and then carrying them back up the hill so I will be honest I was fairly shattered before things even began!

The main 10k race started first, with most of the 300 runners taking part in that, but an excited 50 of us lined up afterwards for the inaugural 5k version which took in all the hardest parts of the longer route, meaning the entire run was either uphill or downhill with no flat bits to relax on.

It’s all hills!

Within a few seconds of the start it became clear there was a divide between ‘proper’ 5k runners who hared off to set the first course record, and the rest who did not fancy the longer route for one reason or another who happily let the front runners get away. My plan was to use my knowledge of the route and keep an average pace all around, recovering on the downhills and overtaking those who had exerted themselves too much on the climbs.

It was a gorgeous evening and a nice route, with a cutback down a bridleway I had never seen before that gave me a bit of a change of scenery and a new trail to use in future. Reaching the top of the main hill I did feel I probably could have gone for the 10k in the end, but better to come back in one piece and there is always next year. The final mile was all downhill and other than being overtaken by some unbelievably quick 10k runners leading that race as the two routes converged, it was pretty steady with someone about 20 yards in front of me and another the same distance behind, and none of us having the energy to close down the gaps between us.

I did have enough for a mini sprint finish into the cheering crowd, and was absolutely over the moon to find out I came in at under 30 mins, 29.59 to be exact, finishing 25th out of 52 which given my lack of training and the hot conditions was a real result for me. The whole race was exceptionally well managed, with closed roads and friendly marshals, and supporters around the finish chute were particularly vocal, especially as it was a headphones free race so I was able to take all of the noise and cheers. We were even given a special edition finishers beer at the end, although at 1.2% it was more like an energy drink, but went down very well all the same.

All in all, I absolutely loved the event and really looking forward to doing the full distance in 2023, assuming I can make it through early summer without any major dramas next time!

Looking North

Wow this year is really flying by, as I realised the other day I had not even shared my 2022 race plans on here. After having such a great time in the London Marathon last autumn, I immediately fell into my usual “what’s next” spiral, and almost absent-mindedly entered the GNR ballot on a no-win-no-fee basis, and immediately forgot about it. Having been rejected numerous times before I had low expectations, but the next thing I knew an email turned up saying I had got a place!

With summer now rapidly approaching I also realised it is now just 3 months away, and whilst I am fairly comfortable in the distance, taking part in a prestige event like this – one of the largest half marathons in the world and a bucket list race for most Brits – always brings on a few nerves.

There is also the logistical side, in that Newcastle is a good 200 miles away from me, making it officially the furthest race I will have done to date. Regular reader[s] of this block may have seen I did spend some time by the Tyne a few years ago and had a few fantastic runs around toon, so I am really looking forward to getting back up there and sharing it on here. More to come soon!

Warnie

Nearly eight years ago, back in the early days of the Chile Challenge, I wrote a piece about some of my sporting heroes, and how Shane Warne was my original boyhood hero. Bursting onto the scene back in the early 90s, he had a huge influence on much of my sporting career, showing that you did not have to be the tallest, fastest or flashiest in the team to be the best.

His seemingly laid back attitude and demeanour almost disguised his unbelievable levels of skill and competitiveness, and in a sport known for seriousness added a huge amount of fun and excitement. To an 11 year old me, he was directly responsible for my love of cricket, as well as the way I actually played when I immediately became the only leg spinner in my school team to try and bowl like him.

Shane’s 2002 book was the first (of many) sporting autobiographies I ever bought, and I have fond memories of reading about his exploits both on and off the field. There are so many stand out moments, but my personal favourite was his masterful dismissal of Andrew Strauss just up the road from me in Edgbaston during the epic 2005 Ashes series. The fact he played for the Aussies never mattered, in fact I can’t think of any other opposition sportsperson I enjoyed my team playing against more. In his later life I particularly enjoyed his commentary stints as an opportunity to share his amazing knowledge and insight in as such an entertaining way.

I was truly devastated to hear the news of Shane’s passing. There will never be another like him in cricket, perhaps not even in sport. Thank you for all of the memories Warnie, and may you rest in peace.

What’s New in ’22?

When I started writing this blog in 2014, I never thought I would still be doing it now – In fact I have actually tried to stop myself a few times, but just when I think I am about to get out, they pull me back in!

And by they, I mean those races I just can’t resist signing up for, be they Triathlons, Obstacle Courses, Cycling Sportives or Marathons. Every event means more time spent training, and therefore more time to ponder and plan things to write, so the more I enter the more I end up on here afterwards.

The other motivation is that although I am have not written as much recently for one reason or other, my most recent blogs about the London Marathon seem to have attracted more ‘likes’ than my other 150 posts combined. I guess that is what happens with a big event, but I seem to have more followers which has given me plenty of impetus to keep writing. Basically you asked for this!

And what is new this year? Well more posts to come soon, but as a bit of a clue the first is a whole new type of running for me involving even more new kit and even a different mindset, and the second is another pretty high profile event that has been on the bucket list for a long time, and definitely one to look forward to. But more on them next time…

London Marathon 2021 – The Main Event

Finally, after years of preparation and build up… It’s Marathon day!

Previously I talked about how much time and effort goes into just reaching the start line in the first place, from agreeing sponsorship, countless hours of training, selecting equipment & arranging logistics and in this case actually getting to the race, however I am pleased to report this did not make the handful of hours involved in the race itself feel any shorter or less memorable. In fact even now, some weeks later, I can still remember everything in so much detail, it is clear why this is a special event for so many people.

I finished last time by sharing my plans for a quiet evening eating pizza and watching Bond, followed by an early night before the race, and these were quickly shattered as despite the fact most of the guests were taking part in the marathon, my hotel were hosting some sort of drum & bass themed rave which shook the walls and floor of my (4th floor) room until midnight! Not the best preparation, but at least I was not one of those who had to be up for the early breakfast being put on by the hotel at 5.30…

Arriving at Blackheath

Fortunately I managed to sleep ok after that, and with a reasonably late starting wave on the Sunday I had plenty of time to get up, eat my porridge and take my time to complete the hour long DLR/tube/train/walk combo to get to Blackheath. Deciding to follow the advice given by others who had taken part in past races, I joined the toilet queue – once I actually found the end – and spent the next hour (hour!) making my way to the front, by which time I actually did need to go. So good advice then! Actually this worked out fine, as there was not a lot else to do other than stand around getting cold, and the queue was actually a lot of fun getting to chat to others around us and keep each other motivated. Conditions also started to improve, and shortly before my start was called, the sun decided to come out, which seemed to make things even more exciting.

In a shift from previous years events we were split into start waves based on predicted finish time, with mine being 15 out of 17 so I had a fair old wait, but finally a few hundred of us were ushered into a pen to do a final warm up. Most others alongside me were also in charity vests, but it was good to get a close up look at some of the costumes, ranging from dinosaurs to bananas, as well as a few soldiers in full battle dress. Looking down on the floor I noticed a wristband which must have been dropped by one of the earlier starters, and discovered it was for prostate cancer – one of the causes I was supporting – so on a whim I put it on, deciding it was meant to be.

Finally, we got going at just before 11am, and it was immediately clear that I needn’t have worried about not having any supporters turning up for to averse weather/virus/apathy – the streets were lined for almost the entire 26 miles. Whilst others I know who had done the race in the past had said how strong the support can be, you really have to be there to believe it, as having done plenty of quiet races over the years, including some where I did not see anyone else for over an hour (I am looking at you Avenger Triathlon!) this was really something else, and it is humbling to know just how many people were happy to give up their weekends to support not only their friends and family but total strangers. Having my name on my charity vest was a huge bonus as everywhere I went there were shouts of ‘Come On James’, ‘You can do it James’ and so on, which really spurred me on where I might have otherwise had second thoughts.

On top of that, I was fortunate enough to see some of my family on the way, which really gave me extra motivation. The race route is perfectly planned for spectators, particularly the second half north of the river, where some up and down roads mean it is possible for supporters to spot you at multiple locations between miles 11-19 without having to travel too far themselves, giving plenty of opportunity for high fives, photos and of course food handovers. There was also a live tracking app so anyone was able to see exactly where I was on the course, meaning even those watching on TV could follow my progress and send video messages or pictures of their homemade signs.

Meeting my Sister!

The meet ups did get a bit complicated as it was so crowded in parts my sister had to send very detailed messages with photos to describe where to meet her – for example: “Opposite the London eye, just after mile 25 on the right, after the white bridge, before an orange flag”! Needless to say whilst I was able to read my texts, with regular message alerts on my running watch, my replies got shorter the further through the race I got, starting off with a reasonably detailed updated how I was getting on, but in the last case by that stage of the race I was barely able to unlock my phone, and just about managed a response of “24” on my third attempt as I passed the marker! Still it was well worth it as this extra support gave me lots to look forward to in the second half of the race and really helped me get to the end.

As things progressed it turned out that whilst my predicted finish time was actually reasonably accurate (within 15 minutes) many others must have vastly overestimated their own, as right from mile one I started to pass people who were walking, some of whom looking like they had already done a marathon, so who knows how they managed in the end. It turned out my own mistake was in kit selection, as although I had previously done a few runs with my running rucksack, which stored all of my spare clothing (covering hot/cold and wet/dry scenarios) as well as gels, drinks and snacks, I had always run in a normal running t-shirt. In this case thought I had my charity running vest, with a nice deep scoop exposing my neck, and ensuring the top strap rubbed against my collar bone with every other stride. After just a few minutes I could feel things were not good, but there was little I could do as when I undid it the bag bounced around, so I had to grin and bear it. By the end it looked like I had tried to give myself an emergency tracheotomy, and for the next fortnight I had a lovely sore on my neck almost as big as my finishers medal as a souvenir!

Unfortunate choice of chest strap!

Aside from that minor issue, just about every other part of the race went exactly to plan. I had been on the fence about running with headphones, as again others who had raced before said the atmosphere was good enough without any distraction, but I decided to go with my playlist of power songs to keep my legs going, although I could hear the cheering and encouragement over the top, and regularly paused the music at the best points like the majestic 19th century Cutty Sark, which you run almost all of the way around surrounded by supporters rows deep, and of course Tower Bridge which must be one of the most fantastic sights in Marathon Running.

My nutrition plan was also on point, with a Lucozade at the start and water at every other aide station, combined with SIS & Hi Five gels every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours, increasing to every 20 minutes for the remainder, with extra caffeine in the last hour. This was bulked out with a USN cookie bar at the start, malt loaf in the middle, and a bonus chocolate bar from one of my supporters around Canary Wharf. That might seem quite a lot but in a race like this it is just fuel for the fire, and after nearly 10 years of long distance racing and countless hours of research this is an area I am fairly comfortable on, and it worked well enough to mean I never had any serious energy dips, and more fortunately no digestive discomfort along the way!

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Even the weather was good to me, as having spent the previous fortnight obsessively checking the long range forecast every 5 minutes and panicking at the predicted monsoon, conditions turned out to be almost perfect for distance running – in the low teens with glimpses of sunlight and relatively little wind – a long way from the heatwaves experienced in the April race a few years ago. There was one major downpour around mile 22 lasting 10 minutes or so, but even that felt like more of a cooling shower than annoyance, and I was more thankful it had not started any earlier where I might have noticed it more.

The last few miles of the race were lovely, with a combination of running past some fantastic landmarks: The Thames, London Eye, Big Ben & Houses of Parliament, alongside the knowledge that I would not need to be running for too much longer! During the last mile there were regular signs with 1km to go… 800m to go… and so on. The more tired I got the further apart these seemed to get, and I was pretty sure they must have stopped and I was about to reach the finish line before I saw the 600m to go sign in the distance – surely 200m could not be that long! As it was I managed to time my finish line approach perfectly, as the BBC coverage switched to show to the finish line during their closing montage at 4pm meaning I got my 15 seconds of fame crossing the line in front of [maybe] millions of viewers across the world!

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And that was it, I had done it. My final time was 5 hours 13 mins, which was not exactly the fastest of the day, but not the slowest either – and even better I had managed to do it without walking at any point along the course, something I have talked about on here before as a takeaway from Haruki Murakami’s book ‘What I talk about when I talk about running’ which I have strived for since. To be fair my ‘runners shuffle’ was not exactly quick, in fact at times I seemed to be just about keeping pace with other walkers in the final few miles, but it still meant a lot to me personally!

The walk to the finished bags was a little bit of an anti-climax as no spectators were allowed in the area so after all that support on the route it was a bit of a long quiet trudge to get my bag of recovery clothes, but that was more than made up for when I put on my finisher medal and t-shirt. It got better still when I took my sister to my sponsor’s after party in a grand old London club, and it was really nice to actually meet some of the Bobby Moore & Cancer Research team having only corresponded with them by email for the last 2 years, and they were incredibly friendly and generous. The free food and massage was also very welcome!

Finisher Party

So that was it, the end of my 2021 London Marathon journey. Looking back it will definitely go down as one of my most memorable races, and I am so pleased it more than lived up to all the hype and my expectations. I would like to add another massive thanks again to my charity, the Bobby Moore Foundation who trusted me enough to get a place on the race, and all of my amazing sponsors & supporters, who were kind enough to donate over £2300 towards such an important cause on my behal.

The only thing that left me with is what to do next…? At this point I am still not sure, although looking back I do have a nagging feeling that I had a little energy left on the finish line and mayyyybeeee could go a bit longer next time. Or perhaps try something a bit more off road, maybe even a combination of both. Either way, the Chile Challenge will live on, so please keep watching this space, and thank you for all of your support with my adventures so far!

London Marathon 2021 – Part One: Not a Sprint!

Just about every article I read nowadays starts off by jumping in at the deep end, opening in the midst of a particularly perilous situation near the end of the race – a suspected injury, tales of exhaustion or even just negative thoughts of giving up – hooking the readers with a cliff-hanger before rewinding to the start line for the rest of the story, before resolving said difficult situation with a twist involving say crowd support or a generous passer, finishing off by collapsing over the finish line. I thought about doing the same here, and came up with plenty of scenarios from last weekend which would have worked well enough, but it feels like I would be cutting out the much bigger story, of a near two year build up to actually get to the race in the first place: never has the phrase “It’s a marathon not a sprint” been more appropriate!

Along with maybe the Olympics, the London Marathon must be one of my oldest sporting memories, going back to primary school days when newspapers used to publish competitors times (pre-GPS!) and my school would pin them to the noticeboard. One year my uncle took part and I remember searching through pages to find his finish time. At that age a marathon seemed an impossibly long distance, and being honest for much of the next 35 years things remained the same, until I finally got around to completing one myself in Birmingham in 2017. Whilst it was well supported and more importantly close to home, it has never quite held the same kudos as a major event: I have lost count of the “oh’s” I get when people ask if I have ‘done’ a marathon before, usually followed (not unjustifiably) by “I didn’t know there was a Birmingham marathon”!

This one however is different – so well known that for most non-runners it is simply ‘The Marathon’, whilst for other regular runners it is just ‘London’ – as in “Have you done London?” as if it is the holy grail of running. After year of small and medium sized events this was something I had to experience for myself, but with huge demand to take part, reaching the start line is a challenge in itself. The ballot system gives odds getting in of something like 35-1, and whilst I now have a good collection of ‘sorry’ jackets from years of failed attempts, this time around I decided to push for one of the equally competitive charity places, and in summer 2019 was fortunate enough to be chosen to run for the Bobby Moore Fund, part of Cancer Research UK, with a target of raising £1966 to go towards Bowel Cancer causes, something particularly close to my heart.

I immediately began training with what looked like plenty of time until April 2020 to get up to strength from fairly comfortable half marathon distance to full, this being more of a one off opportunity I could not waste, not to mention the fact it would be on international TV! Winter training was tough – you can always spot those training for a Spring event during December snowstorms wearing full thermals whilst others just turn up the heating and put their feet up – and with my grey Rocky tracksuit I was more than happy to be one of them!

But then Covid struck, and the world stopped. It seems almost funny now to look back at the ‘will they or won’t they’ conversations with friends about re-scheduling but of course it was, firstly to October 2020 which allowed me to maintain my training through Lockdown and Summer holidays, and then when it became clear things were not going away it moved again to October 2021, meaning it would be almost exactly two years between getting my place and taking part – if it actually went ahead at all!

The next 12 months brought even more complexity, from The Good: a new baby in the family, fantastic for motivation but putting a bit of a dent in my to training plans – to The Bad: the ongoing lockdowns all but confining me to my hometown and really testing the limits of how many times I could do the same run again and again – and of course The Ugly: a foot injury and rehab plan that kept me out of trainers for nearly two months during what would have been peak training season.

Fundraising was equally tough, having to ask people for support during difficult times for everyone, for a race that I was not even sure when – or if – it would actually go ahead. Fortunately I had huge support, from both my large family, friends and work colleagues, and particularly from a certain anonymous donor (you know who you are!) and I am pleased to say that at time of writing I have surpassed my target, with my employer even matching the first £500 of funds, meaning the charity will receive vital support, which ultimately is what the event is all about.

Choosing and packing kit for an event like this alone could take up a whole other blog, with months spent reading reviews, buying and testing the most comfortable, least painful and best priced equipment. Trainers were already in the bag, having settled on a decent set of Sauconys at running show last year, although the lockdown extensions meant I was now on my second pair. Likewise my ‘lucky’ running shorts and faithful Garmin were already tried and tested. Non-runners might find it odd that socks turned out to be one of the most important tests, but I found a really good, if expensive pair of blister free compression socks with fancy raised dots which I never quite understood, but after extensive testing actually did work well, more than making up for the £20 price tag. The toughest though was my choice of top, and fortunately my sponsors sent me a lovely Cancer Research running vest at the last minute, with lettering for my name to make me feel like a real celebrity, which alongside my running backpack turned out to be both the best and worst parts of the day… but more on them next time.

Even headphones were not straightforward, as with more than a few hours in the build up plus half a day of running I had severe battery life anxiety for both my Powerbeats and phone, which not only led me to panic buy a second pair of wireless headphones as backup, but a power bank and even to dust off an old iPod shuffle for the warm up to conserve power. The question of ‘to music or not to music’ during a major race like this is a whole other topic, which again I will discuss next time, but either way I wanted to be ready.

Fortunately nutrition was the one area I was comfortable on, having completed plenty of longer races including three half-iron distance triathlons and two 100 mile bike sportives, so after a bit of a play about in my warm up race in Worcester last month, I was happy with my choices of Hi Five & SIS gels, USN cookies, Lucozade drinks and good old malt loaf slices, all of which I knew would keep me going through the distance without any major dramas.

Then just two weeks before the race date, my Dad sadly passed away – ironically due in part to the very illness I was fundraising for. I can’t really put into words here how this affected me as I am quite a private person, but suffice to say that after initially questioning whether I should even go ahead with the race, it ended up motivating me even more to get there and continue fundraising for him – a really tough decision in the situation, but one I know he would have been proud of me for, and the thought of him supporting me along the way definitely kept me going.

Back to the race, the final matter was the logistics involved with actually getting to one of the largest races in the world, taking place over 100 miles away. To make it harder I needed to be there the day before to register, meaning at least two nights away from my family. Fortunately I know the locations well from work, and after moving my original hotel booking twice I got a room just minutes from the expo, and a few miles from the start line. But of course that was not everything, as the week before the race we had a national fuel crisis, which meant even more back up plans of how to actually get there in the event I could not drive, so emergency plans were put in place involving multiple trains right up to the last minute, until I stumbled on a fuel station which actually had some diesel the evening before I needed to go down.

After all that planning, things could not have gone any more smoothly in the build up: the roads were fairly empty (partly due to the ongoing shortages!), the hotel check-in was fine, as was the expo despite the fact I did not manage to find any good running merch or kit to blow my cash on (probably for the best as a golden rule is never wear new kit in a race), and I even found time for a pre-race pizza carb fest before relaxing in the cinema to the new Bond film: the perfect build up to the race – but more on that next time!

Worcester City Half Marathon – Race Report

Wow it feels great to type that title, after nearly two full years since my last race – the longest gap since I started these sort of events and a sign we are finally getting back to some sort of normality. Whilst on my way to the race I realised I was actually feeling slightly nervous, which was surprising having done plenty of similar distances before, and reinforced not only how long it had been, and as the fact this was going to be a new route for me (my previous Worcester Half taking place in a different part of the city), butt that that this would be my first race since the injury I talked about in a previous blog and I genuinely had no idea how my body would hold up.

Fortunately this did not last long, as despite a bad start where after taking a wrong turn and hitting a closed road for the race so I could not get to the free car park, I made my way to a multi storey which turned out to only be £1 for the duration and being something of a bargain hunter cheered me up no end. Other signs were also looking positive, with a much larger crown turning up than expected given the circumstances, as well as perfect conditions for running – nice and sunny but not too hot. Even more fun we had come during an outdoor art event which involved big painted elephants all over the city which proved a lot of fun to spot along the way.

I was not sure how people would feel about being herded into relatively tight start pens in the current climate, but everyone seemed relaxed and gave each other space, and I certainly felt comfortable and ready. The event started bang on time and as we set off into the city centre everything seemed incredibly well organised.

The course itself was very much a game of two halves – the first part taking us up and down the gorgeous riverside, passing the cathedral and cricket ground while meandering in and out of town alongside, shoppers and walkers – the second going much further right out into the countryside and rural pathways as runners began to spread out, and just a few slightly amused watchers looking out of their front gardens. Most importantly it had closed roads, something I always prefer in a race having had a few hair-raising experiences on my bike when faced with cars and unsuspecting walkers.

As for how did my body hold up, other than some slight shin pain in my left leg in the second mile, and the sole of my right foot around midway, both of which dissipated relatively quickly as my mind focused on other things, the race was relatively painless which is a huge positive ahead of London, although I know that will be significantly tougher! Even the medieval cobbles of the city centre, which could have been a real foot hazard, proved far easier than say the Coventry City centre boneshakers felt on the Velo bike race in 2019!

One relatively new thing I did focus on was my cadence, having had plenty of time to read up on ways to prevent running injuries during my downtime, with a lot of experts preaching the benefits of a faster footstroke, the concept basically being that if your feet hit the ground more often per minute then the impact on said feet is spread out more evenly and less damaging. Whilst this can take a lot of practice to unconsciously make this business as usual, I did find that when I remembered and sped things up it felt a lot better, almost like flying at times, and whilst I would inevitably forget and return to my slower lumbering that worked to my favour as alternating between the different speeds seemed to offset the usual pain I would have expected in an event of this distance.

In addition to being my first race for a while, this was one of the first times I had listened to music on headphones during a run, as I tend to listen to podcasts or audiobooks when on the move (more on that in a future blog), and I had not got around to curating a proper playlist for the race, but one of my old ones proved up to the job this time around. Plus the batteries in my Powerbeats actually made it all the way around, having wasted endless hours coming up with backup plans so I did not have to get around without any sounds to the point where I bought a whole second pair to take to London just in case they flaked out on me and left me to fend for myself.

This was also my first race using a running rucksack, which would ordinarily be overkill for a Half, as I have a nice lightweight running belt for training which holds my phone and a few gels, but was a warm up for London where we have been asked to provide our own means of transporting water and essentials to reduce reliance on aide stations, curtail waste, and generally make things safer for participants. I had done a few training runs with it in the build up, including one with a 5kg plate inside which was a lot tougher than expected, but this one just had my keys, gels, a bottle of Lucozade and rain jacket which fortunately was never needed and held up just fine. A number of others around me sported those sort of male running bras that crop up regularly on Instagram, which I am sure are dead comfortable and weight next to nothing, but can’t help me worry about overheating with no air circulation over the space of 4+ hours.

Having happened to read a few books on ultra running in recent months (not something I have plans to partake in anytime soon!) one part really appealed to me was the lengths some people go to to reduce weight in their bags which felt heavier and heavier of the duration – from cutting excess foil off energy bars, to shaving their toothbrushes! Whilst I would love to say these would make any difference to me I did not quite go that far, and if I do find myself needing to clean my teeth or use a sleeping bag during the London Marathon it means something has already gone badly wrong…

Anyway, back to the race! I really did enjoy this one for all the above reasons, and with this being a warm up and such a gap since my last event it took away any clock pressure I had sometimes had in other races. I stuck to my game plan of 6 mins/km pretty rigidly, even at the start while others hared away, safe in the knowledge I would smash the second half, and for a change it really worked. I lost count of the number of people I recognised from passing me as I reeled in during the later miles, and was chuffed that even with the later hills I did not walk any of the course, managing to keep up my tried and tested fast shuffle technique up even the steepest sections. My times also showed I was being consistent, with the first half in 1.04.16 and the second in 1.05.49, for a total of 2.10.03 – by no means my fastest half but very encouraging given the limited training, plus I still had plenty of energy left for a sprint finish and the drive home after.

It would also be fair to compliment how well organised the event was, from the efficient starting pens, clear signage and excellent marshalling, and really well positioned and stocked pit stops every 5km. The water was in recyclable cartons which was a nice touch to reduce plastic waste, and even the portaloos were plentiful and clean (when I visited at least) which is not often called out, but very noticeable when they get it wrong! There was also a 10km race going on at the same time, which started just after, but their course was also separated so we got to see the other runners but did not have the situation of being alongside them, which was good for me as there are few things as dispiriting as having someone who is only covering half your distance zoom past you on the finish line.

Overall this was a really good race, well run and definitely one I would do again in future. Whilst ultimately this was a warm up this year, I am looking forward to being able to do it without any marathon pressure and on a cooler day with fresh legs and a full summer preparation, might even be one I could look at breaking that magical 2 hour barrier at some point. And on that bombshell, I guess it is next stop London – see you there!

Event Season

Wow, that summer disapeared really quickly and the weather is beginning to cool down, which can only mean race season is finally here. Whilst my plans have obviously moved a lot, I do at least have two events coming up in the next month, kicking off with a local warm up race and ending in the big one on October.

First up is the Worcester Half Marathon this Sunday, which only a few weeks ago having barely ran in early summer I really did not think I would be ready for, but after a decent 15 km run last weekend my legs felt back to their best and ready to step up to the next distance.

Although I have done another Worcester half a few years ago in the countryside to the North of the city, this one is a new route for me which looks a lot of fun, going right through the city centre and alongside the river, and having worked there for nearly 7 years in a past life I am looking forward to getting new view of some familiar sights.

And then onto the main event, the much delayed London Marathon on 3 October, having originally been pushed back from April to October last year, and then into 2021 for non-elite runners. All in all I will have been training for this baby since I got my place just under 2 years ago, so you would think I would have to be ready by now, but to say the least a lot has changed since then, both for me (injuries and new children) and the real world (something called Covid).

So I have just over a month to make final preperations for London, with this weekend’s event hopefully confirming my body is ready to step up to the longer distance. Having completed various long distance events before I am fairly condifent on the endurance side, but am mainly hoping my body holds up – I am definately feeling the effects of less training at the moment in areas such as my knees, calves and shoulders, so coming away injury free will be a big bonus!

The final thing for now is to focus on my fundraising, as the kind folks at Cancer Research UK have provided me with an entry, and I am specifically raising money for the Bobby Moore Fund which specialises in Bowel Cancer, something which has closely impacted my family over the years. Any contributions will be very welcome, please take a look at my site here: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/james-and-the-marathon-challenge

Freedom Day

There are plenty of news stories going around about today being ‘Freedom Day’ in England, which if you watch the news is fairly widely seen as a non-event, but for me it really has turned out to be just that – but no thanks to any politicians!

After writing previously how an innocent trip to the physio back in early June turned into a case of ‘thin-leg-itus’, I spent the last 7 weeks on my longest running break in nearly a decade, feasting instead on a diet of calf raises, glute bridges and golf ball rolls.

Without running or a gym membership to use up my restless energy, I was effectively confined to indoor rides on my new spin bike, the views along the way being confined to virtual rides around San Francisco on Les Mills The Trip, or longing looks towards the Malvern Hills in the distance from my back garden. Still, at least I managed to get in some cardio even if nothing like what I would have liked.

Maybe it was lockdown giving people little else to do, or more likely the old Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, but it felt like every time I left my house in June and July every single other person in my town was out for a run. Roads I had previously had to myself both on foot and in the car were chock full of foot warriors, braving the English summer to pound the streets. And all I could think about was how jealous I was, wanting to be out there myself, chasing them down, subtle nods as we passed each other, wind in my hair. You get the picture.

I had been counting down the days to today’s physio for weeks, just hoping the strengthening exercises had worked enough to be able to get back on the road. And well, the grand answer was: sort of…

It turns out that although things were improving, there is still plenty of work to do to even my legs out, the risk being that doing too much too soon could just put me back to square one and lead to further injury. However, things had improved, and the doc agreed that I would be able to gradually start putting one leg in front of the other again!

My initial request of a 5k was denied as a little too much, but 3k running seemed ok to start off with, ideally with some run/walk or fartlek type training to ensure I did not overdo it. Far too excited I headed back home and into my gear for a lunchtime plod. Typically today happened to be the hottest day of 2021 so far, a shade over 30 degrees, and ordinarily one I might have thought better of, but not this time – I would have run in the desert for this opportunity!

So how did it go? Well, a fairly average run actually, a less distance than I have covered in ages and even slower than my usual plodding pace, but my feet felt great – the extra cushioning in my trainers and specialist socks doing their job to numb my feet and going against everything Barefoot Ted preaches in ‘Born to Run’ (my thoughts on that book to follow another time) – and all in all a really satisfying experience. I definitely had a big smile on my face throughout, and the small amount of pain in my right metatarsals and left thigh felt more like my body waking up again and remembering how to use those dormant muscles.

After all that the big question still looms over everything: what about the Marathon? Well it is still not ruled out, and whilst I can now get back to training it is going to take time to build back up to the sort of distances I need to be hitting, something I don’t have a lot of with less than 12 weeks to go to the big day, making sure this will be by far my biggest challenge yet. But as I write this it makes me realise, that is what it is about. That is what it has always been about. Pushing myself to the limit and challenging my body. Going from 5k to half marathons, sprint triathlons to half Ironmans. I have never given up in a race before, and I am not going to let the biggest of all slip by now.

Bring it on!