Mad March part 3: Fleet Half marathon

Pre-Fleet (pre-London) Half Marathon recovery
Having done a decent time at Surrey Half without trying that hard and the following week surviving reasonably well the spur of the moment decision to do Kingston parkrun just an hour before Thames Meander marathon, I thought I should have a quiet week of recovery before deciding how to tackle Fleet Half.

It's Rio time for Elinor after her
latest parkrun PB.

Marathon recovery started well with staying on my feet scoffing cake, fudge, bananas and squash, being driven home and then having a curry before a hot bath stretching and massage.  I find getting some protein in me as soon as possible after a race helps with recovery as does keeping moving, stretching warm muscles and some massage.  Apparently chillies are also good for reducing swelling and have some pain reducing effect, so the curry at home was a welcome surprise with additional benefits.  I had a massage booked for Monday evening and easy club runs on Tuesday and Thursday and the usual Frimley parkrun where, if I wanted to avoid having the hard stare treatment, I was running with Elinor.

Monday's massage was one of the least painful I have had in recent times as I was in pretty good shape post marathon (no pain, able to walk up and down stairs).  Tuesday I was leading the slow group for a 5 mile 11 to 12min/mile run, which was good recovery again, followed by the Sandhurst Joggers' AGM.  I'm doing a lot more run leading this year with the Tuesday and Thursday groups and I decided to take up the suggestion to join the club committee and take over organising the Thursday night runs.

The Thursday club run was a steady, pain free 7 miles including my jog to Crowthorne and Elinor and I managed 25:51 at Frimley parkrun which was a new PB for Elinor.  She was determined to go fast and showed real grit to keep the pace going in her run.

Race Morning
I forgot that this race started at 10:30 instead of the traditional 10am so I had the family up, dressed fed and watered and at the race village in Calthorpe Park by about 9am, which Julia was not that pleased about, but it was a sunny morning and Costa coffee was open in the mall on Fleet high street.  Come to think of it I should have realised something was amiss with my timing when people on twitter were saying they were getting to the start at 10am! I thought that was a bit too casual.

SJs Paula, Madeleine and Chris pre-start selfie

Anyway, with the wife and kids away to find refreshments I got to chatting with the many folks I know from Sandhurst Joggers, Cove Joggers and Frimley Lodge parkrun.  We had 22 SJ runners taking part, which was a pretty good turnout given that Reading Half marathon was also on the same day.  I met up with a few club mates and we had our photo snapped for a local newspaper and I chatted away with friends enjoying the sunshine until about 10:15 when I took my top layers off and went to the baggage tent.  This went like clockwork as there were no queues at all and I made my way out to the start to stand near the 1:45 sign.

Kit for the day was SJ vest by itself, short shorts, Red Venom calf guards, toe socks and my "marathon shoes" Brooks Ravenna 4.  I remembered this race last year being one of the most painful things ever as I got a small calf muscle tear at 1 mile, was in discomfort all the way round and couldn't walk for day or two afterwards.  So, why calf guards today and not last week at the marathon?  Who knows, it just felt like the right thing to do for today.

At the start with my "Everybody knows me" race vest on.
Brian Holden (Cove) and Martin Gay (Frimley Flyers) at right
(photo: Bob Fudge)

Out at the start it looked like nobody was really paying attention to the pace boards and were lining up anywhere, so if you get upset having to pass lots of slower runners, best to get a bit further forward.  I had an idea about going for a PB (1:47:03) as I was close a coukle of weeks ago at Surrey Half without too much effort.  A 1:45 time would be 8min miles so I set the Garmin for that and thought I would see how my legs felt over the first 2 miles.  As you'll see later, starting where I did in the crowd didn't have much effect - the first mile was my slowest, but only by 10secs and I probably got more out of continually catching up to people rather than being passed.

The course was the same as previous years with a the first mile or so a loop around the race village park to get back onto Fleet Road (the high street), then down to the station before a loop around the northern edge of Fleet before getting back to Fleet Road again at nearly 5 miles.  This is followed by a long loop to the east then north and west of Fleet before coming back to the end of the high street and the final run to the finish.  The high street is at the top of a small hill.  It's short but at a noticeable gradient and you have to do it three times, but the cheers from supporters help you get up there each time.

The initial miles round Fleet were quite entertaining as there were loads of people out on the local streets and Fleet Road itself was packed along its whole length with cheering crowds.  I saw many friends out supporting down there and managed to High 5 the kids on my second pass.  Particular mention goes to Bob Turner who was biking round the course and I saw three or four times for extra cheer. The first 5.5 miles went by quickly as there was so much going on and people to look out for, but reality bites at Fleet Station when you climb over the railway bridge and you quickly leave the town and head for the quiet countryside.  Now it's just you and a steady sea of runners stretched out before you.

The countryside and village sections are pleasant running and there was welcome shade from the trees. As ever I was chatting to anyone who would listen as I made my way gradually up to and past the runners in front of me along the undulating lanes behind Fleet services on the M3 and on towards Winchfield.  It was getting warm on this section and I found myself seeking out the shady side of the road.

The water stations were pretty good with large paper cups or a kind of big pouch with a thin spout that you had to give a good squeeze to get water out.  These were good to carry and I kept one with me to sip for 4 or 5 miles, but getting water into your mouth was sometimes a hit or miss affair and I managed to squirt myself in the eye a couple of times.  It was good to see that there was't much stray litter around the course and, apart from a few gels obviously dropped by accident, runners managed to drop their litter by the water stops or the hippo bags 100m later.

At 9 miles I came up to Gabby Bassett (SJ) and we ran and chatted together for a while. Then, approaching 10 miles and the Barley Mow pub at Winchfield I had my only wobbly of the day when my left hamstring started to get tight.  I thought it was the start of the kind of cramp that I got at last year's Milton Keynes marathon and might cause me to have to jog walk the last 3 miles.  The only way to run comfortably was with an exaggerated lift of my left knee, but after half a mile of this and with the sound of the crowds at the Barley Mow coming closer, it eased off and I was running normally. With most twinges during a race these days I tell myself "Don't worry, it'll pass" and it usually does.

With 2 miles to go you quickly pass through the villages of Dogmersfield and then Crookham before getting into Fleet again.  With 2 miles to go I spotted another SJ vest ahead of me and that gave me some incentive to chase harder.  I caught up with Phil Turner who urged me on, but with the heat building I could just about maintain the same pace until I got to the last mile where the crowds gave me more of a boost and the energy for one last push up the hill to the high street.  The crowds were 3 or 4 deep at the cross roads and there was great cheering from everyone here.  The last 500m to the finish really flies by as you hit a steep descent before turning into Calthorpe Park and sprinting for the finish.

I hadn't looked at my watch to check pace or time since about 3 miles in and had spent the rest of the race going at what I thought was a comfortable but quick pace. I collected my medal, drink, banana and kit bag, taking in some of the finish line atmosphere before looking at the Garmin and I was really pleased to see my time of 1:43:01.  A PB by just over 4 minutes.

Afters

All smiles for the medal shot with the Frimley Flyers crew
(Photo: Peddle family album)

I met up with the SJ runners who had just finished ahead of me and found my Frimley friends for a
bit of a debrief.  Nearly everyone had had a good race and there was a good number of PBs.  After finding the family and getting changed it was time for lunch at the Prince Arthur.  I felt really good after the race with no soreness and enjoyed the chat and a pint afterwards.


Splits for this race were again nice and even, though the course was undulating:

8:10 7:55 7:57 7:53 7:54 7:41 7:54 7:47 7:59 7:56 7:42 7:55 7:25 0:51@5:56/m

Selected Sandhurst Joggers finishing times:
Tim Rogers 1:28:22; Charlie St.Aubyn 1:33:53 (PB); Lucy Zirbser 1:34:09; John King 1:36:47; 
Paula Vine 1:41:15; Chris Lambourn 1:43:21; Phil Turner 1:45:09; Gabrielle Bassett 1:45:41; 
Sarah Alexander 1:49:10; Mike Gascoigne 2:05:30; Madeleine Duncan-Booth 2:04:59

Others:
Cove Joggers: Alison Lenaghan 1:38:28; Kelvin Gower 1:46:14; Brian Holden 1:58:43; Duncan Ball 2:03:43; Louise Mcintosh 2:06:32; Hannah Gray 2:09:58; David Lenaghan 2:11:52

Lisa Hale 1:31:55 (Fleet and Crookham AC)

Frimley Flyers:  James Ball 1:35:56 (PB); Martin Gay 1:55:53; Lee Marshall 1:56:14

Windle Valley Runners: Paula Fudge 1:52:24; Abigail Fudge 1:56:31; Sarah Erskine 1:44:27

and Neville Gascoigne 1:20:19 (Bristol and West AC son of SJs Mike and Fiona)

Well done everyone! It was another very good half marathon, very well organised by Fleet and Crookham Athletic Club and the support out on the course was great.

Thames Meander Spring Marathon and ultra parkrun

Pre-Race Preparation - it took half an
hour to do my bow tie!

Pre-Race Party
My first marathon after deciding to focus on this distance was the Thames Meander marathon which starts at the YMCA Hawker Centre next to the river near Kingston.  The night before was Sandhurst Joggers' end of year Grand Ball, which was not necessarily the best preparation for a marathon, but the food was very tasty and the company excellent and to top it all I picked up an award for winning the club Handicap competition for the year.  I was good though and apart from a very small half glass of wine I stuck to water to drink and avoided any wild moves on the dance floor.

With the ball the night before, I had sorted out all my race kit and food the before going out and just had to get up at 6am for breakfast of porridge and a home made nutty energy bar.  I also downed a couple of glasses of beetroot juice left over from last week.  It's supposed to be full of nitrates which can help oxygen transport round the body but tastes awful (I don't like beetroot) and has the odd side effect of turning your wee pink.  I got picked up by Emma Lewis, who I have run Portsmouth and Milton Keynes marathons with, at 7:15 and we made it to race HQ by 8am, a full 2 hours before the marathon and plenty of time to get our race packs and have a cuppa.

A Warm-Up Run
Emma mentioned that there was a parkrun that started nearby, so we asked the race organisers about it and found that the parkrun finish line was at the same place as the marathon.  Usually I would be doing a marathon on a Sunday and a parkrun the day before is not an issue.  I might decide to save my legs and volunteer, but mostly I would both volunteer and run a very gentle and chatty parkrun.  Should I run a parkrun that finished just 30 minutes before the marathon start?  In the end I found a spare barcode in my race bag and the decision was made.

Kingston parkrun is a simple but pleasant out and back course along the Thames starting and finishing near the YMCA.  A field of 128 parkrunners was swelled by 10 or more slightly foolish parkrun addicts who were also running the half or full marathon.  We all got a cheer from the regular Kingston crowd and were off.  There was a kilted Scot along as entertainment to play bagpipes for the marathon runners who also played us out at the start of the parkrun.  I set off at a gentle jog trying to ignore any twinges around the knees, chatted to some of the local parkrunners at the back of the field and finished in a fairly sensible 28:45.

Thames Meander marathon route

By now it was 9:40 and with 20 minutes to the start of the main race I found Emma with my race bag and went to find the loos and sort out my gel belt.  Today's kit was SJ running vest, taped up nipples to avoid bloodying the vest, short leggings, toe socks and Brooks Ravenna 4 shoes.  These shoes are very comfortable with good forefoot cushioning and mild support.  They also have reasonable grip as
we were warned that there might be some muddy patches on the course. I tucked 6 Hi-Five gels in my belt and went to find the bag drop tent.

Teddington Lock - a scene of tragedy in the late 1960s

The Marathon
At the start I lined up at the back with Emma and decided to start the first few miles running with her. Emma was aiming for a 5 hour time which is about 11:30/mile pace, but I noticed that we were doing 10:20 pace over the first 2 miles.  Emma seemed to be fine with that and we chatted along, first upriver to Kingston Bridge, then turning back on ourselves past the start and at 3 miles passing Teddington Lock, which marks the extent of the tidal river Thames and was the scene of Monty Python's Fish Slapping Dance Sketch.  The last time I was here I lost my favourite blue teddy while walking along the weir; that was about 46 years ago!

Most of the route looks like this

At 3 miles the fast half marathon runners started to come by after they had started at 10:30.  After 4 miles I thought it would be better for both Emma and me if I pushed on and continued on at a comfortable 9:30 pace.  The weather had started off cool and sunny, but started to cloud over and get a bit breezy after an hour, but it stayed fine for the race.  The marathon is a simple out and back course  to Putney Bridge and back and I thought that it would be fairly urban.  Actually, most of the course feels like a canal towpath in the countryside with woods and parkland on both sides of the river.  For those who know Frimley Lodge parkrun or the Basingstoke canal in Surrey, the surface is very similar being mostly hard packed gravel with a stony texture.  There were also sections of tarmac path, concrete and cobbles for a bit of variety.

There are a few landmarks along the way to keep you interested such as the parkland around Ham House (4-5miles), Richmond Bridge (6miles), Kew Gardens (7-8miles), Leg of Mutton Nature Reserve (11.5miles), Craven Cottage (13.5miles) and Putney Bridge just before the turn around at just beyond 14 miles. It was around this point that we all started to have some problems with crowding on the course. For the last half mile before the turn, there were loads of rowers getting their boats out of the water and raised on to trailers after their regatta.  The road and footpath were packed with people either ambling about or trying to load each half of their Eight boat and I had to dodge and duck around to make progress.  I came through this area unscathed, but one runner I talked to after the race had a boat dropped on his head as he tried to pass and dropped to the floor stunned!  He said he was dizzy for a while but he managed to finish OK.

Thirsty Work
The congestion caused another problem as the marathon organisers were told to remove their aid station at Putney.  I had been making a stop at each aid station to have a gel, eat some of the amazingly tasty home made brownies and have a drink of squash, so I was looking forward to another break at the turn.  The aid stations were at 5, 8 and 11 miles (Barns Bridge) and there was supposed to be one at Putney just after 14 miles.  Without that there was a bit of a big gap from 11 to 18miles without a stop, so I had an extra long feed and drink at Barns Bridge.

A hefty medal to show for it

On the way back beyond Barns Bridge my legs and feet were starting to hurt from the cobbly ground and I found myself searching out the smoother path at the side of the track.  I also started to think "If I hadn't done the parkrun this morning I would be into my last 6 miles."  But to counter that, I also thought "I got to do a parkrun I haven't done before, got some bonus miles in and this isn't a target race, even got to do something a little bit ridiculous."  I'll also get to have a go at getting two course PBs later in the year!  I kept my spirits up in the usual way, having a chat with whoever I caught up with, however, that last 3 miles was quite tough and my pace dropped to slower than 10min miles with a bit of jog-walking.  The last couple of miles are along a winding path and you don't get a good view of the finish from any distance away.  Having done the parkrun, though, I knew what the run to the finish looked like with the finish coming into view with just 150m to go.

Emma sprinting her way to a sub-5 hour finish

I crossed the line in 4:23:26, got an impressive medal and made straight for the excellent cakes. Whoever thought of putting mint Aero balls in chocolate brownies and making biscuit coated fudge is a genius!  There were plenty of bananas and crisps and more squash to have for a good post run snack after which I got into dry clothes and came back out to wait for Emma.  I thought she would be coming in around 5:15 or a little later but she came round the final corner with 4:59 on the clock and managed a sprint to come in at 4:59:25 looking very comfortable. That was just as well, as she was running another marathon the next day in Wiltshire.

Afters
Splits for this race were a bit all over the place even though the course was pan flat. It shows where I was stopped at aid stations for a proper drink.

10:20 10:12 10:27 10:11 9:26 10:31 9:47 9:20 10:46 10:33 9:53 9:24 9:20 9:30 9:45 9:17 9:15
10:29 9:29 11:59 9:15 9:22 10:32 10:36 11:50 11:50 9:51

But this started with Kingston parkrun which went like this: 8:55 9:28 9:23 and a bit, which almost makes it an ultra marathon day.

I'm starting to recognise a few faces who turn up to marathons regularly, but Emma was the only person I knew in the marathon field of 297 runners.

There was a half marathon too and Sarah Boulter of Sandhurst Joggers finished in a new PB time of 2:14:24.  And this week's special mention goes to Karen Summerville who I saw when she was a mile away from the turn waving and smiling at me, though with a sore looking left arm. As she passed she said she had fallen and dislocated her shoulder.  She got a sling at the turn point marshals and managed to finish in 6:05:34, then went to hospital to find she had a broken shoulder. That's one tough lady!

I'll be doing this run again at the end of August and then again in November to complete the Thames Meander Triple Crown.  Next race is Fleet Half marathon on 22 March.

Surrey Half Marathon (Woking)

In Two Minds
I had entered Surrey Half last year just after the Guildford race when the price was at its lowest, basically being a sucker for a bargain, and not having any thought about how this might fit in with race plans later in the spring.  Having decided to do Brighton and probably London marathons on 12th and 26th April a half marathon could fit in as a pre-marathon race, but I really think of Fleet Half later in March as fulfilling this role.  However, my training plans at the end of January took a big hit when I came down with flu which caused a 10 day lay-off, left me much weakened and 4-5lbs lighter (a bonus, but not a diet I would recommend).  I ran Wokingham Half on 8th February and really struggled around in 1:56:47 almost collapsing over the line with a coughing fit.  It felt like quite a struggle to recover from that illness and I had to build back up slowly with a few medium distance runs a week at a gentle pace.

Having recently re-evaluated my long term running goals to focus on marathons and ultras, I entered the Thames Meander marathon the week after Surrey, followed by Fleet Half and then a 20 mile club training run the week after that!  March was looking very congested and I was thinking that I could do without another race, especially when realising that it keeps me away from the family for some part of every weekend in the month.  However, looking at my training, I had done a couple of near 40 mile weeks in early March followed by a recovery week.  With Surrey Half, the week prior to my next marathon would be back to 36 miles, a good volume for me and so a steady half marathon was looking like a good run.

Race Day
This year's Surrey Half Marathon was hosted by Woking after the inaugural race last year started and finished in Guildford.  I initially thought this would mean that the race would be held over the same course as last year and be an out and back to Guildford - effectively a reverse of last year.  Instead we got a completely new course starting and finishing at Woking Leisure Centre and running out of the town centre and looping round the countryside to the south of Woking.  The route includes three significant hills at about 6, 8 and 10 miles with some undulations in between.

Kit for the day was club vest (first vest only day of the year), short leggings (no chafing!), toe socks (no blisters!) and my newish Brooks Ghost 7 shoes.  I have done about 80 miles in 3 weeks in these shoes which are neutral and a wide fitting with good cushioning in the forefoot.  I think they suit my running style, but I think I need more support for a marathon, so won't be wearing them next week.

It was a 9am start for the race so I was up at 6am for a breakfast of porridge and beetroot juice (a mystifying choice as I hate beetroot) and I set off for Woking at just gone 7am arriving at the Leisure Centre after a 15 minute walk in cool sunshine at around 8am.  Unlike my last event I really did have everything packed and was wearing my Garmin when I arrived.

I had a mooch around the marquees and met Sarah Erskine who was there to Tweet the heck out of the race, then went up to the Leisure Centre cafe to wait in the warmth and see who else would turn up.  I met Lee Marshall, who was running and Hannah and Chris Gray, who were spectating.  As soon as the queue for the bag drop got noticeable inside the Leisure Centre I joined it and down in the sports hall, met Chris Szabo-Hemmings (SJ) for a quick chat before coming back up to the cafe.  By 8:45 the queue for the bag drop had grown enormously and stretched for 50m out of the Leisure Centre and through the main marquee.  I found James Ball (Cove/Frimley Flyers) and a few SJ runners in the queue and thought they wouldn't make the start on time.  I directed the SJ runners I could find round the back of the sports hall so they could get bags dropped and out to the start on time.  I think this will need a bit of sorting for the next time they run the race from here - and maybe sending people out round the back of the sports hall instead of through reception would give a better flow through the hall.

Start Line
Lining up behind the 1:50 pacers I asked them what a 1:50 pace was in min/mile and then dialled something slightly slower into the Garmin virtual runner.  I met SJ runners Chris Lambourne, Jackie Kent and Collette Callanan at the start and we started the shuffle forwards on time at 9am.  I'm sure I started forwards with the 1:50 pacers next to me, but by the time I had got across the start line they were already 100m away with Chris and the others also out of site.

I thought I would start out for a mile or so aiming for a 1:50:00 time (8:24/mile) and see how it felt, which turned out to be OK, so from then on I just occasionally took a look at my watch to make sure I wasn't getting too ahead of myself.  At about 2 miles I saw Robin Wakefield (Windle Valley) who I know as a Frimley Lodge parkrunner and caught up to him for a bit of a chat.  We were going at about the same pace and were in sight of each other for the next 8 or 9 miles with Robin passing me on the descents and me catching back up on the uphill sections.

Getting an early jump shot in at 4 miles.

The first 2 miles was a run south through Woking's suburbs with a decent amount of support from the locals and the occasional band playing.  From about 2 miles to 11.5 miles the course is out in the countryside, woodland and farms and small villages with pubs popular with supporters.  One section of the course comes out onto the main A320 at about 3 miles to 5 miles on an out and back loop.  Not long after I got on to this section the elite and fast club runners started to pass by on the other side of the road with an almost 2 mile lead after only 35 minutes!  This section affected my pace quite a lot as I sped up when running opposite the fast guys, then after the turn, when the people I could see on the other side were slower, I slowed down myself. Time to get back on track.

Paige being shadowed by Monica of SJ.

The hills on the course were not that dramatic, lasting only 5 minutes or so for the bigger ones and it seemed easy to just flow along at a comfortable pace.  Not being stressed out by time pressures or hot weather meant I felt relaxed and I got to chatting with whoever I came up to, pulling people along with me for a few hundred metres at a time.  Around half way Collette Callanan came cruising up from behind for a chat. This was a bit of a shock as Collette is usually breezing along at sub 1:30:00 pace, but she was using this event as a training run trying to get used to the idea of running slowly and we stayed together for a few more miles.  "People back here are breathing hard and putting a good effort in!" she said. A bit of a revelation for someone usually at the pointy end of a race.  Actually slow runners work just as hard as the fast guys and they do it for much longer too, so it's worth staying behind and cheering in the bottom half of the field at the end.

Helpful support from Hannah on the way back into Woking
"Stop looking at this sign and keep running!"

As with any long race, with 6 miles to go I start to break the distance down into the smallest numbers possible and it starts with me calling out 2 parkruns to go, then 5 and 4 miles (counting on one hand now!) and then only 1 parkrun.  With 3 miles to go I still felt good and decided to pick up the pace a bit after climbing the final hill.  The run in to the finish felt really good, and seems mostly downhill or flat all the way in apart from one railway bridge and a little rise of a few metres with a few hundred metres to go.  At 12 miles I could see the 1:50 pacers just in front and caught up to them to thank them for doing a good job and they cheered me on as I ran past.  With 400m to go I passed Collette, with cheers from her ringing in my ears, and crossed the line in 1:48:15.

Past the finish line we got water, a Bounce ball of energy food, a banana, but no bag full of leaflets, which was just fine by me.  After getting changed and back out to the finish I met up with SJ and other runners who all seemed pleased with their morning's effort.

Afters

Me, James, Paige and Alex

That was my second fastest half marathon, just over 1 minute from a PB and felt really comfortable. Realising just how easy that run felt reminds me just how much my running has come on over the last year and gives me more confidence for the coming races.  Splits for this race were nice and even, even though I was doing a lot of chatting along the way:

8:21 8:18 8:21 8:19 8:26 8:16 8:19 8:26 8:26 8:24 8:15 7:53 7:28 1:02@6:21/m

Selected Sandhurst Joggers finishing times:
Erol Ali 01:34:02, Chris Lambourne 01:40:02, Jacqueline Kent 01:43:02, Philip Turner 01:44:41, Katie Harris 1:46:12, Chris Szabo-Hemmings 01:47:26, Matt Johnson 02:05:54, Kerstin Johnson 02:24:33, Monica Bannergee-Burbidge  02:33:16.

Others:
Robin Wakefield (Windle Valley) 1:51:55
James Ball (Cove/Frimley Fliers) 1:37:37
Alex Halfacre 1:37:39
Philip Clark 2:06:08
Paige Dixon 2:34:05

Special mention goes to James Ball and Alex Halfacre for, as James would put it "Smashing through 100 minutes!" for a new PB.

Well done everyone! It was a very good race, in good conditions with good support out on the course and lots of people posted very good times.

Thanks to Chris Gray for taking the photos.