Tales From The Back Of The Grid - The Great North Run by Eric

First a little background: after a long spell not running due to lower back muscular issues this is my first competitive run since the infamous Parrett Trail last October. Getting back up to speed over the summer was partially successful and I had reached a comfortable distance of 8 miles. The rest was in the lap of the Gods!

The morning of the race was calm, slightly misty and full of nervous tension. Through the night the north east was drenched in rain so I wasn’t quite hopeful of a dry race. I was running alongside my brother-in-law – a much more experienced long distance runner and after a hefty bowl of Scots Oats we made our way to our gate – which was second last nearly a kilometer from the start line!!

Why is it, that while getting ready at the start, all the other runners look so much better prepared than you? I certainly thought this until we walked the kilometer to our gate where there was a better balance of age differences, beer bellies and other ungainly physiques. I felt quite good and quite at home!

Now as usual, I had musical accompaniment for the race. This time I had The Who to get me round. The aim was simple – get to the end of Tommy by 10k, then finish the race before the end of the 1st disc of Quadrophenia.

To get the crowd warmed up there was a fitness bloke on a cherry picker with a microphone giving us an aerobics workout. It was an amazing sight to see 54,000 people all doing the same thing – although the sound didn’t match up with the big screens closest to us as we were so far back!!!!

The wheel Chairs and the blind runners set off first followed by the women’s athletes. Then the men’s athletes were announced – it was good to see Gabrsellassie, it gave the whole race a little kudos and I know in my heart of hearts that I gave him a good run for his money! He only pipped me to the post, I mean, come on, 1hr and 44 mins difference – it ain’t that much!

After the starting pistol it took ages for us to get moving. I thought that I was never going to catch up old Haile and my heart sank even further when the times came up for the women’s race as they approached mile 9!!!!

However, with the promise of being able to high-five Ant or Dec at the start line getting ever closer we gradually made our way forward. The Red Arrows put on brief display – followed by a notice on the big screens that there will be a full Red Arrow display at the finish at 1.15. It should have had disclaimer after that in brackets that said “Except for you fat boys at the back! You’ll never make it!”

(However, I did see some of the display – oops, spoilers!)

After 32 mins since the pistol, we reached the start line and I pressed play on my iPod, completely ignoring and missing Ant & Dec!! Shame! The vibe was fantastic and it was odd how with so many people that we were actually running. The dual carriageway snaked its way through the campus of the University of Northumbria, over flyovers and through underpasses. With the initial flood of blood and sweat dealt with, we rounded the bend towards the Tyne Bridge – a really magical moment. The weather was dry and cool with strains of The Who’s Amazing Journey competing with the crowd noise as I spotted my family on the left just before the bridge. A quick high-five with my son – infinitely better than high-fiving one of those ‘celeb’ types – and we were on our way over the bridge. At this point Phil’s advice about road cambers popped into my head as I took to the central white lines over the bridge – a sport more commonly reserved for the local youth on a Friday or Saturday night after a few alcopops!

The mile markers were coming quite quickly and I had found a good rhythm and shortly after having listened to The Acid Queen, Mile 3 appeared. All was on target, I was half way through Tommy and I recall thinking during “Do You Think It's Alright?” that everything was better than alright!

The next stretch up to 10k went extremely well. What was unusual was that the runners hadn’t thinned out. We were still all bunched up running at the same pace – I guess the whole “gate” system and running with similar runners really works – although it was difficult to get a breeze as the day started to heat up.

A low point of this section was being overtaken by SpongeBob Square Pants – he must have been hot!!!! As we made our way through one of the many council estates, Pinball Wizard came and went. The local kids were busy playing with their new toys – discarded half empty plastic bottles of water, which they were squirting at us passing runners, with a few of the local yoof deciding to abandon squirting water in favour of actually throwing the bottles at the runners!!!! That certainly kept you running for a while!!!

The mile markers kept coming and going with a good regularity and as I reached the end of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” I crossed the 6mile point followed very closely by the 10k marker. I was bang on target and the song was apt:
“Listening to you,
I get the music.
Gazing at you,
I get the heat.
Following you,
I climb the mountains.

I get excitement at your feet.”

The next 5K went without controversy, but dodging over-excited children was still an ongoing torment! When I reached 8 miles I was feeling great and I knew that I was about to move out of my comfort zone. By then I had entered the Quadrophenia phase of the race and was still hopeful of finishing by the end of the 1st disc. Mile 9 came along and then mile 10 took a bit longer to appear. At this point, my knees were a bit red and feeling tired and at each drink station I was left squirting water on my knees to cool them down by myself as the local yoof had disappeared and had probably gone back to the safety of more homely pursuits like joy-riding or ram-raiding.

The pace was beginning to slow and my desire for the next drink station became slightly obsessive. There were 3 isotonic drink stations but there was no sugar and no calories in these drinks. Now forgive me for not being an experienced runner but surely the intake of glucose with all the calories it contains is a good thing? I was relying on a good old bottle of sugary sports drink – Kevlar juice or an equivalent. But no. It was a bottle of foul tasting mineral suspension which although topped up my levels, it didn’t provide me with that boost that was so desperately needed. But wait – what is that I see on the horizon? A jelly baby station? Am I delirious? Have I hit the wall so hard that I am imagining things? No, it’s a jelly baby station!! SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!!! Gimme MORE!!!!  After a small sugar rush I felt slightly better, though the knees were knackered!

Shortly after the 10 mile mark I walked for the first time. Only 10 paces or so, then back to my running pace. But it signaled the beginning of the end. Walking was quite uncomfortable after running for so long but it became necessary. The halfway point of Quadrophenia came and went, so I adjusted my target to get to the finish line before the end of the cd – surely that was achievable? Miles 11 & 12 came and went quite slowly during which one kind resident was stood holding a tin of biscuits – SUGAR! SUGAR! SUGAR!!!! It was pain & pleasure – the biscuit (a custard cream) was nectar, however my mouth was so dry that it wasn’t until the next water station before I could accompany the dry biscuit with some liquid!

Then we headed down hill towards the sea at South Shields and then hell happened. The downhill stretch looked welcoming but just after turning onto the flat straight to the finish line - a kilometer away, my right knee stiffened and became intensely painful – on the outside edge. I knew it wasn’t muscular but that didn’t help me much. 800m to go and I was hobbling along the sea front as the rain started to pelt down in a heavy shower. Then there was a roar as the Red Arrows flew right over my head towards the finish line trailing red, white & blue. An uplifting sight to behold! I hadn’t missed the display after all! With buoyed spirits I tried running again – useless. I hobbled on eyeing the kerb suspiciously as if it were about to claim its next victim. I reach the 200m board. I try running again – success! I feel the pain begin to shift a little – enough for me to maintain a gentle jog to the finish line. Sadly Haile had gone. I thought he might have hung around for a while!!!! With the rain hammering down and foil cape donned like a bedraggled cat I eventually found my family and then set to task on the next race – how to get out of South Shields with 54000 others and get back to Dorset before work in the morning – but that’s another story!!!! 13.1 miles – I did it!

Highways & Skyways

Following on from the newly introduced Night Runner earlier this year, Axe Valley Runners have come up with yet another winning formula for an event, namely Highways and Skyways.

This is a self navigating “race” starting and finishing in Charmouth and taking in eight “tops” as it crosses stunning countryside and climbs a total of 760 metres with the bonus at the end of a choice whether to run a couple of miles along the beach or climb another 600 feet to follow the coast path.

About 50 runners assembled at the start on Sunday morning in brilliant September sunshine, and following a briefing from race director Garry Perratt, we set off up the cliff path (officially closed but still passable with a slight detour) on the start of our adventure. Martin and I had decided to run together to maximise our chances of staying on the right route and we did have the advantage of having completed a training run around the route with Garry earlier in the summer.

After climbing to Stonebarrow, crossing the outward route of the Charmouth Challenge and swooping down the other side we came to the first road crossing at Morecombelake, and then began the arduous climb up the other side. At this point we had a few other runners in our sights and one of them had also done the recce run with us so we didn’t have to worry too much about navigation initially.

However after a few miles we came to a section where we thought we had turned off the obvious path and climbed a steep field and at this point our little group split. One local runner was adamant that he knew the way and that we should continue straight on, a few of us followed him and it wasn’t until five minutes or so later that I realised that Martin had gone with the other group and disappeared from view. I was now faced with a dilemma as Martin had both the map and the route description and I wasn’t sure that I could maintain the pace that the rest of the group were running at. We climbed up the seemingly endless Coppet Hill, the fifth “top” and still there was no sign of Martin. Had he taken a short cut and got ahead of me or had he got lost and fallen behind? Much to my relief, a few moments later he appeared on the summit of the hill, and we regrouped and carried on.

We stayed together for the loop around Quarry Hill but then decided that we didn’t feel like killing ourselves in an attempt to keep up with the others and they gradually pulled away from us as we headed up Colmer’s Hill and then dropped down to re-cross the main road at Miles Cross. As we climbed up through the woods we caught the last glimpse of the others up ahead and then they disappeared, which was a shame as we then had a few navigational issues before re-emerging onto the coast path with the welcome sight of Thorncombe Beacon ahead.

There were no more route choices to make now and we could relax and enjoy the rest of the run, simply keeping the sea on our left - especially the long downhill stretch to Seatown – trying hard not to look ahead and watch the ants climbing Golden Cap ahead of us! All too soon we were those ants as we laboured up the fields and finally the steps to the highest coastal point in Dorset – stunning views all round but no time to stop and admire them as we plunged down the other side.

No choice necessary as we reached the bottom – we headed for the beach and the hazardous steps down to St Gabriel’s Mouth, although once we hit the shingle and tried to coax our legs back into a run we felt we may have made the wrong decision. We could see Charmouth ahead but it didn’t seem to be getting any closer and it was such a relief when we finally hit some hard sand, although that coincided with the appearance of the late holiday makers and fossil hunters meandering across our path. At last we reached the end of the beach and crossed the bridge where we overtook an Axe Valley Runner and headed for the finish side by side.

Now I haven’t mentioned this beforehand, but I did have to wait for Martin on several of the climbs (his excuse was that he hadn’t fully recovered from Corfe) so I felt entirely justified in waiting until we approached the finish and then throwing in a sneaky sprint finish to get over the line ahead of him.

All that remained was a delightful dip in the sea, positively balmy compared with our last plunge in Cornwall and the post race refreshments. We waited for the presentation as I had finished first lady but it turned out that there was only one prize for the overall winner. However Garry had decided to award the prize to the first age graded finisher and due to my advanced age that was me!

Garry is already planning next year’s event (and we can thoroughly recommend it) although he is keen that this doesn’t turn into another Grizzly. However it was mentioned that the first Grizzly, some 24 years ago, sported a field of just 30 runners, so who knows where Highways may lead?

Corfe Beast

On Sunday morning we headed down to Corfe Castle for one of our favourite races of the year – the Corfe Beast, run over a tough 12 mile plus multi terrain course with outstanding scenery and views, should you risk breaking your neck by taking time to glance at them.

Last year this race fell a fortnight before the Berlin marathon and this year it was a month before Loch Ness so it was always going to be a judge of how our training is going. Added to which last year, much to my surprise, I was the first lady home, so I had a title to defend – no pressure then!

In addition to Martin and myself, Dave Webb, and Richard and Lesley were also on the start line so Maiden Newton Runners were well represented. As usual our warm-up consisted of the half mile or so up onto the common to where the race starts and as usual we spent most of that half mile complaining about how tired we felt and how heavy our legs were and how we were just going to take it easy................
At 10.30am therefore we were at the front of the 500 or so assembled runners, eyeing up potential rivals and raring to go! I found myself hurtling down the hill at a ridiculous pace, but even so two female runners overtook me and I had to restrain myself from chasing after them at such an early stage in the race. After about half a mile Martin passed me which indicates just how unrealistic my starting pace was!

The first hill up to the top of the common brought everyone to their senses and slowed the pace to something appropriate for what lay ahead of us. After about a mile and a half I found myself overtaking the two ladies who had started off at such a scarily speedy pace, I could still see Martin just ahead of me and I felt fairly comfortable.

The route heads east to begin with and then turns towards the coast at the bottom of the first serious hill - a narrow and rough track up through the woods where progress is made by single file. Emerging from the trees into bright sunlight there are still a few uphill fields before the first road crossing is reached. At this point I clocked Martin exactly 20 seconds ahead of me. Did he know I was so close behind? What sort of run was he having? Could I possibly catch him? Resisting the urge to look back and check if there were any female runners behind me I concentrated on the gap between us and maintaining as fast a pace as I could.

On reaching the coast the path turns sharply right and seeing Martin glance back I waved at him - now at least he knew I was on his heels!  Shortly afterwards we reached the first steep descent where a choice presents itself – hurtle down the slippery grass risking life and limb or join the queue skipping down the steps. And of course, what goes down must go back up so all too soon we were labouring up the seemingly endless line of steps up the other side.

Our exertions were rewarded with a flat and downhill section as the route turned inland for a while and passed another drink station before heading back to the coast and the second set of steps. I always mean to count the steps on both ascents and I always forget or lose count half way up. I really struggled up the second set and on finally reaching the top I was grateful for the strong tail wind which pushed me back into a shambling run. Only three miles or so to go now and as I turned inland back towards Corfe I could still see Martin up ahead but he had gained a lot of ground and any foolish hopes I had of catching him rapidly subsided.

At this point all the hard work is behind you and you have the long descent across the fields with many annoying little stiles and gates to negotiate and the tantalising view of the castle up ahead like a mirage – never seeming to get any closer no matter how hard you run towards it! One last sharp climb up onto the common, a real test of how much strength is left in your legs (not much!) and then along the road passing the starting line and the welcome sounds of other runners finishing. The final sprint for the line and at last the blessed relief of being able to stop running. I hadn’t looked at my watch all the way round but a quick glance now and I could not believe my eyes – 1.37.43 – over 5 minutes faster than last year and a Corfe PB beating even my pre broken hip best time of 2003!!

Martin has also run a PB finishing in 1.35.42 and Dave finished soon after me in 1.39.48. Richard crossed the line in 1.46.51 and joined us for a team (minus Lesley) photograph. Unfortunately the lunch demands of the official photographer’s offspring (Jackie Webb) meant that Lesley was missing from the photo as she finished just after the Webbs sensibly headed off to refuel. The rest of us waited in the rain which had held off for the race but not for the presentation and Maiden Newton Runners were twice in the prizes as Lesley picked up the first V55 bottle of bubbly. I was just grateful that Martin had decided to polish the cup before we returned it so we took a nice shiny trophy home with us!.

Maiden "Newten" Madness

(Link to full results: http://www.yeoviltownrrc.com/Results/2010_maiden_newten_madness.pdf )

Photo Album on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=242678&id=215547129244

The weather on Saturday morning was sadly reminiscent of 2008 when the race took place in a continual downpour but happily by mid morning the rain had ceased, the sky cleared and the sun even broke through once or twice. Although there was the constant threat of more rain it did hold off for the duration of the race.

Numbers were disappointingly lower than last year but those runners who did make the journey to Maiden Newton all seemed to enjoy the race and hopefully will return next year bringing their club mates with them. First runner home and first V40 was Tony Chutter of Bournemouth AC in a time of 40.40 with unattached runner Martin Hewlett hot on his heels in 40.57 to take second. In third place was Mark Pittaway of Royal Manor of Portland, a staunch supporter of the Madness over the last few years and always in the prizes. Mark took the second V40 prize home tonight.

In fourth place overall and collecting the first V50 prize, was Crewkerne Runner Clive Harwood, an excellent achievement considering that he is only a month short of his 60th birthday - a date eagerly awaited by all other local male vet 50's who may actually then get a chance to win a category prize! Maiden Newten Runner, Martin Lascelles, finished in 5th place and took the 2nd V50 prize. Another Crewkerne Runner, Simon Land was second senior home in 43.11 and 6th place overall.
Although there wasn't a V60 category, Yeovil's Pete Jakeman was the first 60 year old over the line, astonishingly managing to clock exactly the same time as last year - 45.26. Bet he can't do that a third year in a row but if he does I think a special award should be ready for him!

In the ladies race, Maiden Newton Runner's Lin Lascelles finished in first place in a time of 45.33 taking the first V40 prize with Dorset Doddler's Lynda Faulkner finishing a close second in 46.13 and taking second V40. The first senior lady home was Nicky Whitley of Egdon Health Harriers in 52.07 with Jacqui Pittaway of Royal Manor of Portland taking second in 56.09.

Both first and second V50 prizes went home with Egdon Heath Harriers - Gail Coverley (52.30) and Frances Anderson (54.18) respectively and indeed as far as the ladies race went it was a night when experience certainly counted with nine out of the first ten ladies all being vet runners.

Maiden Newton Runners is a small club and once again relied heavily on non running volunteers to help marshal and organise the event to it's usual high standard, largely thanks to Club Chairman Phil England who might have enjoyed a rest in the last week having competed successfully in an Ironman distance triathlon the preceeding weekend. Thanks also to Phil's long suffering wife, Jackie and the rest of his family who all get roped in to help out on the evening.

Andy Staples - Maiden Newton Runner

Dan Cantrell - Maiden Newton Runner

Egdon Heath Harriers were great supporters of the race as usual

Haytor Heller

Sat 17th July saw the Westgates at the 25th Haytor Heller. Unusually this year it was held on a Sat evening and what a lovely evening it was. The race starts halfway up the steep slope of Haytor and you really want to pace it gently at the start. I thought I had started conservatively but as I got to the top my sphincter was certainly giving me some cause for concern; a mishap at this early stage would surely have been most unpleasant. Anyway things soon passed, I mean got better and I was pleased to glide past Lin. Soon we were into some very enjoyable fast downhill where I just wanted to fly.

Further into the race and on the climbs I expected Lin to come back past but I didnt see her again untill the finish. During the very narrow downhill bendy bit through the tall gorse the runner in front went down like a sack of spuds but within a second like a wounded wildebeest he was up and running again before I could go past him; very impressive.

Everything seemed to go fast and before I knew it I had finished posting my 2nd best time. About 1 min later Lin came flying through the finish and didn't stop. The lady on the T shirt desk looked at me quizically and I shrugged my shoulders as Lin dissapeared into the distance. Maybe the race was too short for her and she fancied a couple of extra miles.(in fact as we subsequently learned she was having a Paula experience! (Ive heard it said a laxative the night before and immodium in the morning helps).

Back in the clubhouse I asked Martin if he had won anything; "Well yes actually 1st MV55." Martin asked Lin if she had won anything. "Well I think 1st FV45." Lin asked if I had won anything. "Well 2nd MV55 perchance." Turning to Lesley I enquired politely if she had won anything. Glowering under a mane of unruly hair "a PB but bugger all" she spat.

Haselbury Trail

Wed. 4th Aug saw the Westgates at the Haselbury Trail Race. Once again blessed with fine weather although at times the wind was strong enough for me to draught behind a large bloke.It's reassuring to know that some things in life remain the same; there's the same field where a herd of cows threaten to charge the unwary runner as he threads his way down to the gate. Another hazard was the bright sun low in the sky blinding even through sunglasses as we picked our way up the stony track. (Lesley came well prepared with a peaked cap which solved the problem, however she thinks she left the favourite cap in the clubhouse)

After the initial downhill charge I settled into a reasonable pace without pushing too hard. My target and rival Paul Chadwick went on ahead. It took some time to catch him and on a grassy downhill I changed gear, went past and gradually built a 53 second lead by the finish. My next target became Pete Jakeman who for a couple of miles was only 3 places ahead. Off road suits me and I thought I would have enough advantage to catch him but he kept up a very strong pace. Towards the finish two youngsters (probably under 16) went past putting 5 runners between us. Pete might be fairly ancient but he can certainly show a clean pair of heels!

Thanks to Ironman Phil for cheering us on at various places; it does make a difference even on a short race like this. My 47:18 was my 2nd best in several attempts. Lesley's 55:15 was her best. Also present were Martin and Lin both recording good times 43:14 and 45:29 respectively earning 1st M vet 50 and 2nd F prizes. Martin's time a bit slower than in 2004 when he posted 42:37 finishing 12th although he was 9th this year. Overal another good race and I think everyone mentioned enjoyed it and were pleased with the results.

Sidmouth Festival Run

After a late sat. dinner, some beer and wine sund. 8th aug. saw the westgates up at the crack of dawn catching up on the washing up, watering, weeding and blogging before setting off for sidmouth. fortunately the race started at 11am and the journey was covered in under 50 mins.

Another beautiful clear morning with fine views along the coast and out to sea. the gardens looked immaculate as ever and as the tide was out families were already on the sand. some might say the only eyesore were the swarm of yellow and black swrr vests as the club was out in force - eventually winning both mens and womens team prizes!
As usual most of us started up the hill at a steady pace while a few hardy souls hared off in an effort to be 1st man or lady to the top for a prize. i clocked the first K at over 7 mins and went through 2K at 12 mins+. ahead of me were two club colleagues lewis jones 60+ and karen cook both of whom who i rarely beat. keeping them in sight as targets i worked fairly hard and the average pace per K came down below 5.5 mins. it was pretty warm and at the water stations i poured two cups over my head while grabbing a 3rd to drink. with the end in sight i was suddenly behind karen as she slowed on the steps through woods. however as we went back onto the road and then the grassy hill to the finish no matter how hard i tried she stayed 1 sec ahead.

Afterwards we were going to paddle and picnic but unfortunately we had to wait for the prizes and the parking ticket was running out. you guessed it, lesley of maiden newton harriers as john perrott put it got 1st F 55.

Shave Cross

Sat 7th Aug saw the Westgates at the 62nd Shave Cross. Another glorious sunny evening ideal for running and great for the bbq, lamb roast,skittles,tombola etc. A 10 foot strip around the field had been harrowed which proved a bit awkward for the unwary runner. After a few laps warming up I knew exactly which line to take and from the start I kept Dave Carnell in my sights. Out onto the road I was behind Dave but going up the first hill he passed two runners and then opened up as he stretched out downhill. I kept plugging away and after the water station was about 20 secs and 1 place behind.
At the end of the road section I was alonside Dave but knowing his potentially blistering finish I knew I had to push on. Dave said he had a bit of a stitch or was it wind or just a ploy? I said i wasn't pushing it as Lesley and I were racing at Sidmouth in the morning. Bluff and double bluff. Back onto grass I eased ahead and stayed in front even on the steep downhill field. Into the final field I had a reasonable gap and turning the corner towards the finish I was certain Dave's challenge was over and I relaxed. 5 seconds later I realised with horror that the gap was closing and my arms and legs went into emergancey sprint mode. The finish was getting closer and closer and so was Dave and with shouts and cheers ringing out we collapsed over the line. A photo finish at 33:55 but I might have got it by a short whisker.
Lesley and I had planned to go to the pub on the way home but got delayed by the prize giving. Although she was 2nd lady there was no prize for this category but she did get an embarrassingly large cup and trophy for 1st lady vet. (40:21 a PB)

Sturminster Half Marathon

Apologies to Lesley and Richard for bumping their post off the top so abruptly, but I had to get this one in today or I know I'll let it slide. Also somebody might be doing a post on the Haselbury Trail race coming up this Wednesday (hint hint).

Just to set the scene, and get my excuses in up front, when Lin and I entered this race we were both going for a really good time and so planned to be taking it easy for the week leading up to it (after the Blackdown Beauty which was 8 days before, and not run at any pace - apart from the section to the first pub!). Then we heard about Axe Valley's Highways and Skyways Recce run the Sunday before which we couldn't miss - 14 miles and several thousand feet of climbing...

So my legs were definitely still a bit fried when we lined up at the start. I assume that Lin's were too, but we were still hoping for the best. My plan was to run two 40 minute 10ks, then a 4:24 for the last 1.1k which would have given me a PB. Lin was aiming for a 6:50 pace which would be just under 1:30, and a post broken-hip best by about 4 minutes.
We met up with Jackie, and soon after Dave appeared, but no time to chat, because we still needed a bit more warming up. Jogging down the hill from the start we were helpfully informed that the start was back that way by a couple of people. Perhaps they thought we were sneaking a head start which, as it turned out, was the only way I would be getting a PB this day.

Back to the start line, and a quick chat with Nick Brooke and Richard Boulter from Yeovil Town, both V50 rivals who would be tough competition. Nick had stuffed me out of sight (literally) over a similar distance at the start of the Wessex Ridgeway relay a couple of months back, and Richard had finished 6th at the Seaview 17 (actually more like 20) last Sunday - which easily cancels out my excuse BTW.

10:30 arrived and so we were off! A nice easy downhill start which soon turns into a slight uphill, and the first complaints from my legs muscles - I must have gone off too fast? But no, exactly on target pace, and Lin was still ahead of me! This was not a good sign. But I pressed on, overtaking first Lin, then Nick and maintaining speed through the slightly undulating first 3 or 4 miles,. I was imagining that I had left Nick well behind, but then he appeared, smoothly passing me on an uphill section, and I had to work hard to stay with him for another mile or two before realising it was futile. As he steadily pulled away I heard a little voice in my head telling me to drop back and run with Lin, but I ignored it and carried on pushing as hard as possible, gradually losing ground and hope of a decent time. Had I realised how close behind Lin was it might have spurred me on, although I didn't have much left at this point.

Another couple of miles dragged by, then a group of runners reeled me in, which included a fresh-looking Richard who cheerfully informed me that Lin was just behind. This was a very welcome bit of news which made me feel better because at least I could vicariously enjoy Lin's success, even if I was finding it increasingly hard to enjoy the race itself.
Richard and his group moved off into the distance, and then I heard the pitter-pat of little feet. No it was not Lin, but a tiny female runner with a Dorset vest - false alarm. A bit further, then into the last mile, and finally, the better half (she hates that expression - because it implies she and I are of equal size?) herself pulled alongside, and we ran together, both pushing hard, and too knackered to waste energy with even an attempt at conversation.

Our friend Jill greeted us as we turned on to the road for (at last!) - a brief downhill to the entrance to the field and the finish. Lin by now had opened up a slight lead, but I put her in her place with a tottering sprint to the line. Might as well enjoy beating her, even if by only a second, at the rate she is improving, she'll be beating me easily from now on.

Dave finished soon after, but unfortunately I missed him because I was back at the car chugging my protein recovery drink which I had reconstituted from a freebee sachet from the Big Sur Marathon Expo a couple of years ago, wish I hadn't bothered, it tasted foul. It took a while to get back to the finish area (half of the time taken up removing our pressure socks) to pick up an absolutely delicious Honeybuns cake and a t-shirt in a nice pale grey.

By now the horror of the ordeal had faded, and I enjoyed a pleasant relaxing cup of coffee and chat with Jill, Gareth, Pete and Ian before the prize-giving where Lin picked up her prize for finishing 4th female - in a very strong field - a great result.
A bit more chatting with a pair of fellow running couples Dawn and Jon, then Flora and Nick, then we were off home to Sydling. A celebratory drink at the pub is in order this evening I think!

Seaview

Sunday 25th July saw the Westgates at the sixth running of the Seaview 17, and also my sixth time at this event. Weather forecast was promising – some clouds and not too hot. By the time we reached the comfort stop at County Gate we had made contact with the clouds and the start at Countisbury was shrouded in a ghostly mist.

Richard had prepared well with his camelback and energy drink. I decided to abandon the camera, as there wasn’t much of a view of the sea or anything else.

First half of the race went well and I ran for some with Ross Hale from Bitton Road Runners whose partner Linette Porter was up near the front. She was going for a good time, we were just chatting. Passed the usual jelly baby stops and managed not to get lost before Hurlestone Combe. Slogged up the steep bit and jogged along the top until the weary feet found an invisible rock and I went flying. Bent glasses, various bruises including a black eye and completely removed the scar and surrounding skin from where I had fallen on my hand three weeks before at Forde Abbey. Pretty painful!!! Was also winded for a few minutes, but thank you to all the runners who stopped to make sure I was OK. I blame the shock for what happened next. Having run this race five times before I should know the way by now but for some reason I found myself on a nice grassy downhill path which definitely wasn’t part of the route. Unfortunately for them some runners followed me along this path. The sight of others on the path above proved where we should have been. Half a mile later we were back on course and just about to start the long descent into Minehead.

As it was a cloudy day the seafront was slightly less crowded and as I crossed the road I spotted a figure ahead in a yellow vest and with a camelback – could it be Richard. It was. He was walking at quite a good pace as I gently trotted past. After a minute he managed to join me and we finished the last leg past Tescos and up to the Leisure Centre together. He managed to get ahead on the last 100 yards and I didn’t feel like a sprint finish, but he later confessed that he couldn’t have gone any faster if I had wanted to race it.

There was the usual excellent selection of sandwiches, cakes, teas etc. which one of us enjoyed straight away. And we watched and cheered as the rest of the runners came in. For the record we finished in 3:48:36. (A PB for me).

Richard says: I never intended to actually race this one, but even at a sedate pace my stomach kicked me in the stomach shortly past the top of Hurlestone Combe. I was forced to a demoralising walk and soon enough Eleanor Wood and Freddie Fox went past me. It was just too painful to run so I broke into a fast walk and luckily settled into a happy rhythm. Surprisingly not that many went past and I was completely on my own through Minehead until the Seaward roundabout when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Without turning round I called out well done and then as a white cap went past I realised it was Lesley. I had been hoping to walk the final mile but the wife had come past earlier than expected, and stubborn pride kicked in and I just had to run to the finish beating her by a second.

PS I was going to add some pictures but can't get it to work. See Minehead Running Club Website - Seaview - Photos

Maiden Castle Loop

For the third race in a row the Maiden Newton contingent numbered five runners, although not the same five as the previous two.  Unlike last year when it was so wet that Richard Orme was marshalling in a wet suit the weather was fine if a little hot as we gathered for the 7pm start.

Those in the know started at the front and went off like rockets to avoid the bottleneck in the narrow path shortly after the start.  Having spotted a couple of potential rivals I had another reason to start at an idiotic pace with the idea that I'd get a bit of a head start.  However as we reached the road and turned right towards the Castle I became aware of a female Poole runner breathing down my neck and consequently went up the first hill rather faster than I otherwise would have done.  I managed to shake her off by galloping madly down the uneven field on the other side with scant regard for ankles.  I was also spurred on by Dave Carnell, needed to put enough distance between us so that I couldn't hear him whining............

A sharp left turn at the bottom and onto the road for a nice easy spell, and as I neared the turn back up to the Castle I could see Martin ahead labouring up the hill.  He didn't seem very far ahead and for one foolish moment I actually thought I might be able to catch him, although by the time I'd laboured up same hill I didn't see him again until the finish!!  My female rival was back on my heels but from the sound of her breathing she was working even harder than me so once I reached the ramparts of the castle I stepped up the pace and managed to pass a couple of male runners and open up a bit of a gap on her.  I heard Charlie shouting encouragement as we passed on the ramparts and managed a brief wave, no breath for calling back as I concentrated on keeping the pace and resisted the temptation to look back.

The final descent off the castle was a welcome sight and I practiced my new downhill running technique as advised by my personal coach, turned right at the bottom onto the track and risked a quick glance back.  I was going pretty much flat out along this easy stretch so unless my rival was doing 100m pace there was no way she was going to make up the ground she had lost. (My Garmin later confirmed that I ran mile 6 at 6.20 pace which is better than my usual 5k pace!!).

All that remained was to retrace my steps along the road and back up the path to the school and over my dead body was any other woman passing me at that late stage in the race!  Martin was somewhat taken aback to see me arriving at the finish quite so soon after him (he had finished an excellent 9th overall and first MV50).  Hopefully he'll be the one glancing nervously over his shoulder in future races!!

We saw Dave over the line and then jogged back down to give Charlie some heavy encouragement as she closed the gap on Andy in a very strong finish...but couldn't quite beat him to the line as he finished 7 seconds ahead of her.  Another enjoyable race with good results all round, next up the 25th anniversary Haytor Heller next Saturday evening.

Midsummer Dream RIP

In the good old days Martin and I, together with a lot of other runners, always went to Seaton on the Saturday closest to the longest day to take part in the Axe Valley Runner organised Midsummer Dream – a glorious summer pub crawl complete with cream tea, fancy dress, beer festival, live music and wonderful atmosphere. And then the big, bad Health & Safety killjoys stepped in and decreed that it was too risky to insure and so it sadly died ....................

Well last weekend I had the strangest dream. I dreamt that we were in Seaton at 12,17pm on Saturday (the traditional start time) and that about 70 other runners were there too, dressed as French maids, Spiderman, cops and robbers, and some totally outrageous people dressed as runners! It was lovely and sunny and the tourists watched with amazement as this motley bunch lined up facing each other before setting off – half to run the route clockwise, the other half anti-clockwise.

In my dream, Martin and I ran with the clockwise group, heading along the coast to Beer where we had what else? beer at the Anchor before climbing the hill out of the village and following the coast path across to Branscombe – more bemused holiday makers – and then on to the Fountainhead where the annual beer festival was taking place. A dream come true for Martin – 33 real ales to chose from, live music and great company. It just couldn’t happen like that in real life.

All too soon we found ourselves leaving the pub and heading inland where a cream tea awaited hungry runners, just reward for the stiff climb to reach it. As in all dreams the sun continued to shine and the countryside we ran through was beautiful. Quite a long stretch gave the scones time to go down before we arrived in Colyton and here the dream almost turned into a nightmare. The pub was closed! How could this be? However, nothing goes wrong in dreams and our local companions guided us to another pub, doors open, three delicious beers to choose from and a delightful garden to relax in.

The dream became a bit vague from this point on as we remembered that we had to get home and would therefore have to rush past the last two pubs, forego the traditional dip in the sea and miss out on the fish and chips awaiting other luckier runners.

And just as the dream became less enjoyable I woke up and realised that I couldn't possibly have spent the day doing the Midsummer Dream because it is no more........................

Crewkerne Nine

Crewkerne Nine

Sunday 30th May saw the Westgates at the 30th running of the Crewkerne Nine. A truly splendid, demanding, undulating nine-miler, that unfortunately must lose runners who prefer to do the fastish Wells fun-run 10K, held on the same day. Obviously no contest in our preference.

Preparations for the race went well, huge self-restraint was needed to restrict myself to one glass of yellow raspberry wine on Saturday night followed by nine hours deep sleep. Omens Sunday morning were encouraging as I managed to find one of the rare parking spaces in the high street near the town hall. Weather was improving and becoming almost warm and for some reason, as I helped the blind Chard runner to the urinal, I felt I was going to have a good run.

Sky TV was out looking for a story, this is David Laws territory!! And yet they seemed to find the start of the race sufficiently newsworthy/more interesting. My target was to beat Dave C, who I managed to catch at about 7 miles in 2007. In theory anything over 7 miles should be long enough to catch Dave, but if he gets off to a good start and I get the pace wrong, he wins. My first mile was 6:45 with Dave ahead out of sight. Rod Appleby, another rival who I rarely beat, went bounding past me on a steep downhill. I went through 2 miles at 14:03 having slowed a bit. However I was settling into a steady pace and soon went back past Rod. Drinks stations were frequent and at each I took 2 cups, one to drink and one to tip over myself. Unfortunately during the last mile, the cumulative effect of the weight of water and dodgy elastic meant I had to keep pulling my shorts up.

Mile 4 to 5 went well – 6:30min and I felt good. On the straights I could see Dave ahead, and on the hills I could sense him slowing until there were only 4 runners between us. After mile 7 (49mins) I didn’t look at the watch again, just at Dave ahead and concentrating on getting up the hills faster than him, intending to create an unassailable gap so that he would be unable to catch me with his devastating sprint on the final downhill.

I caught him at about mile 8 and went past; pushing on ahead with everything I had left. It worked and I posted my best Crewkerne time in 5 attempts, knocking a few seconds off my 2003 time. Lesley, as ever had another excellent run knocking over 4 mins off her previous best, and getting Maiden Newton in the prizes with 1stFV55.

Wessex Ridgeway 2010

Legs 1 & 2
by Martin

Got to the start with only 15 minutes to spare, but still an ungodly hour, to join the eager throng of runners from clubs all over at least 4 counties.

After an initial brief hill the first leg was fairly flat and I set off too fast, gradually losing places to a series of faster runners, including Nick Brooke from Yeovil. I was able to follow others most of the way, which was good since I had not recced the route. Near the end of the first leg I took a hard fall on a steep, grassy slope still damp from the early morning dew, and picked up an impressive set of bruises on my arm, but no real damage. All part of the fun! The second leg, though much shorter, was very hilly, and the heat was building, so I was forced to slow down considerably, and let another couple of runners past, including Garry from Axe Valley who was doing alternate legs so I had hoped to stay ahead of him. At the end, spurred on by pride, and the thought that it would soon be over, I managed a brief sprint and got back past the last couple of overtakers.

Legs 3 and 4
by Mike

Leg 3 and 4 got off to a good start. I managed to get to the change over without getting lost! Quite relieved to find Lin parked in a lay-by 100 yards from the start of Leg 3.

As the leading runners appeared the runners gathered at the cross road ready to take the baton. I decided if I was to keep up with these lean-mean-racing snakes surrounding me I will have to abandon the belt carrying gallons of water, lucazade, jelly babies, mobile phone, kitchen sink and run light clutching a bottle of water and the map!

I took the baton from Martin and set off for the first time wearing trifocals firmly attached to my head with an elastic band. Soon to be overtaken by a fellow in a red t-shirt which was good for a few miles to lead the way. It soon became apparent that a kind soul had taken the time to mark the trail with red ribbon – happily I put my mind in neutral and could run without being preoccupied with navigation. The rest of Leg 3 was pretty uneventful. I was overtaken by two runners and over took one so a net loss of one position. Martin and Lin kept checking up on me. I have my suspicions they were worried I would need finding!!

Leg 4 still highlighted by red ribbons started with a long drink. I was quickly passed by a runner. He was the only runner I saw on Leg 4. I remember thinking if I had my walkman with me I should have chosen Desert Island Discs. By this stage I had had enough my legs were hurting never mind run through the pain – well that didn’t work anyway. While my legs were not enjoying the moment my eyes were – I did not need the glasses for map reading it sure helped to enjoy the fabulous view not forgetting to pick up the little red markers. Was I glad to see Martin and Lin now only a few meters from the end of Leg 4. Happily passed the baton to Charlie.

Legs 5 & 6
by Charlie

It was hot just waiting for Mike to arrive. Phil kindly reminded me that Dan and I had the legs in the heat of the midday sun: ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ sprung to mind. Mike, our resident veteran of the Comrades Marathon and used to African heat, arrived looking like he’d just got out of the shower (no offence!), which boosted morale, not. The first hill was not too bad and half way up I wondered if I’d gone off too fast, in a relative sort of way, but miraculously I kept it up all the way and gained on the distant yellow shirt ahead of one of the Marlborough runners. Down into Minterne Parva and then Up Cerne lots of ramblers looked on as if I was slightly insane, but at this stage all was going well. The second hill up towards the changeover was OK and I was now only a couple of hundred yards behind the runner in front. Looking back there was no-one in sight. The narrow path to the changeover produced a horse coming the other way who looked similarly surprised to see a runner. Unfortunately the rider refused all offers of money so I ran on to see the other teams grouped around the end of the track. When I panted that I was doing two legs they got out the way and the short flat section of road was very welcome.

After that it got a bit harder, as there was no wind or shade, and the track was uneven, meaning much weaving about and concentrating on the track rather than looking at he view to take the mind off it. I think this bit was gently uphill – it certainly felt like it. The runner in front had disappeared - either deciding not to do the loop by the handover, or having conserved her energy better than me, so sadly there was no ‘hare’ to chase. Going down into Sydling I dreamt of jumping in the river to cool down, but decided to put the team first and save precious seconds (it had nothing to do with Martin and Lin waiting there to tell me to hurry up). By now it was hard work and the little track by the church, although in blissful shade, was a walking job (once round the corner, out of sight of Martin). At the top of that little rise the end was in sight and I knew it was only three or four fields up to the A37. Ridiculous thoughts of managing two legs without being overtaken started to enter my head, and right on cue, a Dorset Doddler came up from behind silently. She was obviously only doing one leg because she overtook me with ease. Looking back again, there were a couple of others making gains, but with only one and a half fields to go I got my head down and managed to stay ahead, just, and stumbled across the road and straight into the car where the air con was put on max, and much water drunk.

Legs 7 and 8
by Dan
There was a good atmosphere at the start of the race – other runners were waiting to go too, so our predicted times can’t have been too bad. Charlie’s exhausted head popped up behind the A37 and I was off. It was very hot, but Rachel and the boys were brilliant supporters – I did not need to hide water in the bushes as I had intended, as they kept appearing along the way with bottles of the stuff - a very welcome sight.

Martin appeared at the start of the section through Kingcombe, which I had never recce’d. He tapped along in his twinkle toe shoes chatting as we went (despite already having run his stages) and we overtook a Dorset Doddler, which was satisfying.
A couple of miles after the start of leg 8, another Doddler with fresh legs overtook me. I briefly overtook her a few minutes later, but could not keep the lead for long. Towards the end of the leg, Martin re-appeared, running towards me and reassured me that Lin would overtake the Doddlers on the next stage. I thought that I should give her as good a chance as possible, & ran the last bit so fast that I couldn’t even talk…not something I normally do. Lin took the baton and was off like a rocket.

It was quite a relief to get home and collapse into the paddling pool.

Legs 9 & 10
by Lin

Another great day out at the Wessex Ridgeway relay. I love the team spirit of this event. I'm not so keen on getting up at 5.50am on a Sunday morning to drive Martin to the start. Mike was right - we were a bit worried about his navigational skills. I must confess I even doubted his ability to drive to the start and had my running kit with me in case I had to run legs 3 and 4. Sorry Mike! It was nice having an early morning cup of coffee and chat with you before you started!! Once Charlie was underway we abandoned him to his own devices - knew we could rely on him not to get lost and hurried home for a quick re-group before spending a pleasant ten minutes or so sitting in the Sydling bus stop waiting to cheer him through the village. Dan had his own support crew but relied on Martin to lead him through the unknown bit of Leg 7 and to give him some running support at the end of Leg 8.

And then it was my turn. It felt oh so easy hurtling down the hill into Beaminster overtaking the Dorset Doddlers ladies team en route. Why then was it so hard to run up the hills? First Gerrards Hill, stunning views but absolutely endless, then Lewesdon where the bluebells took my mind off the heat and finally Pilsdon Pen which I made no pretence at running up. Martin, who was definitely the busiest member of the team, kept me supplied with water and opened all the gates for me - great support. I love the sun but I must admit it was a relief to hand over responsibility for the baton to Phil and put my feet up for a while.


The twilight shift - Legs 11 and 12
by Phil

As Lin has already said this is a great team event, which I was really keen to play my part in. That was until I started running and realised just how hot it still was.

Leg 11 starts with a down hill road section before taking to the fields and some climbing. With the redirected Axe Valley Runners having at least a five minute start on me I did not expect to catch anyone and just hoped no one would catch me, if all went well I might finish before 6.00pm?

Having recced both these legs last week I had no issue until catching up unexpectedly with Axe Valley running a road section, who dare I say had got a bit lost. I did the sporting thing and shouted which way to go before starting the long climb up towards Coney’s Castle, closely followed by the yellow vest of Axe Valley. Being reduced to a walk/stagger up through the woods before reaching the open common and the heat, I thought the heat was playing tricks with my eyes when I spotted a second runner in yellow (how had Axe Valley got in front again?) as I caught up I realised it was a Marlborough runner. Two places gain and still on leg11!!! Leg 12 started well again with a down hill section and Martin keeping company, until he decided a lift with Lin was a much better idea. Not sure if it was the ice cream I had an hour before running or the heat, but the engine was starting to give cause for concern and thought we were heading for a Paula Radcliff moment. But I pushed on determined not to lose either of the places I had gained. The running dropped to a walk at the only point on the climb to the A35 where I was apparently in clear view of the support crew. Once safely across the A35 it was mostly downhill to the finish and a much needed comfort stop.

The next hour or two was spent relaxing outside the pub helping Jackie celebrate her birthday while the remainder of the teams made their way to the finish.

Please let it rain next year.

Charlie's London Marathon Experience

After 10 years of watching and being inspired by the London Marathon on Sunday 25th April 2010 at 9.45am I said aloud to myself, "this is it"....I was about to become a real Maiden Newton Runner! 4 hours 33 minutes and 54 seconds later I had achieved one of my life goals!

It was amazing as I didn't even think of who needed a haircut, or going to the toilet or talking to anyone...Yeap...I think I was being Focused!!!

All the great advice, and there was lots of it, helped me every step of the way. My training was fun and challenging and sometimes so muddy that Andy for even carrying me some of the way (don't like dirty shoes). Drink this. eat that, add salt, 1000's of banana's and runniing in those Maiden Newton Hills, massages, cold baths, new shoes, more bananas/ all added to being prepared (not sure about cold bath, but Mike insisted even though I've not read it or heard that from anyone else).

The Race itself was packed with an unbelievable amount of runners and never seemed to ease up! So imagine my amazement when I heard my named being called only to see family and friends cheering me on at the 6th, 12th, 19th & 25th mile point!!! How could they pick me out from all those runners...? They deserve a medal and believe me I ran with lots of pride because of their support.

The finish came all too quickly and when I wandered into the meet and greet area I was overwhelmed by my family (Olivia's hug was almost a wrestling submission hold).

I did say that I wanted to do the London Marathon "Only once"! Then after a few days I started to think, "Hmmm maybe one day"! Now regardless of what I do next I must admit that it was truly worthwhile and YES I would do it all again!!!

MY LONDON MARATHON – 23RD APRIL 2010

Race report by Di Ashworth

My training began on the 2nd January with a 16 mile, 4 pub run which included champagne and chocolates on the hills with a lovely view.

It was a different training experience for me with the snow, ice, rain and very cold temperatures as well as getting to run on the treadmill.

As it always seems when you start training for an event it was months away but before we knew it it was April and we were tapering.

On the Saturday we met our son Neil and Kat in London and went with them to the London Marathon Expo to register and get my number. We were in bed by 9.30 that night. Our accommodation was great until we switched off the lights and found that the light from the surrounding offices managed to sneak through the blinds lighting up the room almost as bright as the Blackpool illuminations!! Shortly after midnight I fetched a towel and put it over my head – much better and slept well until 5.30 am when I had my breakfast and got ready for the big day. Mike came with me to Charing Cross where I caught the DLR to Blackheath. Like Saturday the tubes were packed and we had to stand all the way. They seemed to pack in more and more people/runners. Once out of the station at Blackheath we just followed the crowd through the town and out onto the open field where you could see the colour balloons for the starts. I ate my honey sandwich while I found where my bag had to go. Then to find the loo!! This was another first for me – a ladies urinal!!! We were given a piece of card to use – a new experience! Then found my start position. Dropped my bag – shortly after which it started to spit and then rain a bit harder. This continued until just about our start time. There were people everywhere lying on the ground and putting on Vaseline, their running shoes etc. all just resting, waiting. By now the Ladies race had started. Went to my start zone where I thought it would be a bit warmer amongst the runners. As we started to move forward I put my watch ready to start as we approached the start. I think we crossed the start around 5 minutes after the official start. There was a lot of noise with the anticipation of the day. We started well with a little walk break after a couple of 100 yards. After that we didn’t really stop. The rain stopped and the sun shone. Decided to use the loo at the second mile mark which was good as there was not much of a queue. As I was leaving there saw Princess Beatrice’s caterpillar assembling itself. The first set of humps we came to in the road there were people with signs and shouting ‘hump’ which was a good idea as with all the runners you certainly did not see them. I found it hot very quickly running in the middle of the pack so moved to the side where there was more of a breeze.

There was a big crowd of supporters right from the beginning and relentless noise, wonderful atmosphere.

The buildings of the National Maritime Museum were lovely – then I knew we were near Cutty Sark where Mike and Neil said they would try to get to. Keeping to the sides I ended up on the inside next to the covered up Cutty Sark so did not see them. They said getting back from there was a nightmare as the tubes were so packed.

All was going well, although it was getting quite warm. Ate some of my banana. It was hard to work out where I was in London. Went past a group of Gospel singers singing ‘Oh When the Saints’ which prompted a special thought for my brother. Then there was a group of youngsters chanting ‘you can do it’ words which I was to remember later in the run. Shortly after that crossed a bridge and remembered Jan said she had watched the London Marathon when she was living in London from a bridge but couldn’t remember which bridge!! I think it was after that I went under a bridge which had a banner saying ‘Go Runner bean – Great, green running machine’ Susanne had given me a card with a runner bean on it.

I was excited to turn the corner and find myself running onto Tower Bridge. Managed a quick look at the Thames each way – THEN – another time check mat – someone shouted something which distracted me and next thing I knew I was heading towards the road – my legs said ‘I don’t really want to do this’ and somehow I managed not to land flat on the tarmac – how I will never know. As we turned right off the bridge we could see the men’s race heading back and one wheelchair still going. I crossed the halfway mat at 2hr.20min. It seemed a long way winding our way through the streets with many turns – once or twice thought the corner was going the other way. I had another trip at the next but one mat – again someone shouted – again I managed to save myself – from then on I almost walked over the timing mats as I did not want a 3rd time lucky situation!!
Somewhere along here I spotted Charlie in front of me looking good. It was amazing you did not seem to keep anyone in sight for long as there were always so many runners and you were always changing places at water points or whatever. So all I could remember of Charlie is that she was behind some Red Indians and then she was gone! By now I had stopped crowd spotting to find Mike and Neil and it seems they were always behind me. I was pleased to see we were on the back stretch and other runners including the clean up vehicles were heading in the opposite direction. I was just concentrating on getting to the end. I was half way along Victoria Embankment before I really appreciated where I was. I was keen to find a clock for the time – my watch had given up on me during the 10th mile, so was pleased to see Big Ben. When I saw a picture afterwards of Neil below Big Ben I could tell Mike had already gone past by then. It was good to turn the corner onto Birdcage Walk and head ‘down’ it. There were not quite so many runners together now. It seemed almost torture to see the signs saying 800m to go, then 600m and then 400 and at last the three finishing boxes. I was really pleased to get there. Phoned Mike to tell him I had finished but did not get through. Neil contacted Jan in Australia to find out where I was!! She said I had finished! I had my photo taken, collected my goodie bag and my kit bag which was near the end of the line of trailers. I was very pleased to find the apple in my goodie bad, as did many other runners it seems judging by the pink lady stickers that now littered the ground. I eventually made my way to the Piccadilly changing area which was a partitioned off parking area with nothing in it to sit on or put your things on. Went off to the meeting area where I messaged Neil where I was – it seemed to be ages before we met up. At first we thought we would go and meet the other Zimbabwean runners at a pub in Pall Mall but when we looked at all the people and the time we had before catching our trains home we decided not to. At the tube station it seemed unfair to have to walk down the stairs! At Charing Cross it was so full that they stopped letting people down for a while onto the platforms. Kat and I waited at Liverpool Station for Mike and Neil to collect our bags from our accommodation – a man came up and congratulated me and proceeded to tell me he had run 10 London Marathons in just over 3 hrs. He was really chuffed to talk to someone who had done it today.

When we arrived at Waterloo the train to Yeovil was also very full mainly, it seemed with runners going home – their London Marathon bags, T-shirts and medals were give aways not to mention how stiffly some of them walked getting on and off the train.

We were home by 9pm and then at last could have a nice bath and get ‘human again’ as I say after running a marathon.

My time was 4hr43.22min. I found it tough but am very pleased I had the opportunity to do one more marathon and that was the London one.

Thank you all at Maiden Newton Runners for giving me the opportunity to complete one of the goals in my life and to my family and friends for all their encouragement and support.

North Dorset Marathan in the words of Dave Webb

North Dorset Villages Marathon 2 May 2010

Standing at the starting line at 8.30 on a blustery Sunday morning there were 2 things making me uncomfortable. One was the sight of two of my fellow runners snogging like teenagers at a bus stop. The other was the creeping feeling that I needed another wee. This year there seemed to be more competitors and fewer toilets. The best thing to do was to start running.

I didn’t have a good experience here last year. I’d had a bad cold for several weeks beforehand, it was too warm, and I ran out of steam far too early. So I was pleased to settle into a comfortable pace, do the first mile in 7.15, not far from my target of 7.20, and tuck in behind a small group to shelter from the wind. I did have a cold again in the week before, but didn’t feel too bad, and had deployed a secret anti-snot weapon, namely peppermint oil. A drop rubbed into the bone behind each ear, and a drop in each nostril seemed to do the trick, though the other runners in the changing room probably thought I needed a drug test.

There were quite a few people on the streets of Stalbridge, where I don’t suppose there is much entertainment, and they gave us plenty of encouragement. As we left the town I was running near someone who seemed to be treating the race as the chance to perform a chemistry experiment. In the first few hundred yards I had stepped over 2 strange bags of orange gunge, which had fallen from a pouch in the back of his shirt. He seemed to have plenty more such bags about his person, as well as a number of bottles of fluid. At the 6 mile drink stop he spent some time gathering containers of water and pouring them into different bottles, which he then secreted in the back of his shorts. A little later he extracted another pouch of the orange gunge, bit the top off and spat it on my feet. I decided to get ahead of him before he got out his Bunsen burner.

I was on my own now, but feeling comfortable. I had thought there would be some familiar faces; when I entered this race, back in the autumn, I was one of 5 club members who signed up. Richard and Lesley dropped out when they realised that it started at 8.30, which apparently is too early for a postman. Then Charlie B got a London place in the ballot, and withdrew, so it was down to Phil and me, until the pull of the Knob festival proved too strong for him, leaving me on my own.

I got to 10 miles in 1.13.07 and realised that I felt better than I had at this stage last year, despite a stretch running into a stiff breeze, and more uphill on the course than I had remembered. The prospect of another 16 miles didn’t seem too bad. I reached halfway in 1.35.37, half a minute down on last year but feeling much better. A quick pitstop in a field gateway to lighten the load and I was off again. The next few miles are fairly flat and I was able to keep the pace up, then had the wind behind me for the stretch along the B-Road to mile 17, which had done me in last year.

As I went through 18 and 19 miles, still feeling good, I realised that I was on course for a good time. I got to 20 miles in 2.25.47, ran up the hills into Child Okeford that had been agony last year, and kept going despite about a mile into a strong wind. The last mile and a half is the cycle track on the disused railway line. I got to 25 miles in 3.03 and knew that if I kept running I would break 3.15. The last mile seemed to go on forever, and my legs suddenly felt like lead, but I was close enough to the end to keep going, albeit much more slowly, though I managed a marginal increase in pace for the last 200 yards. I crossed the line in a personal best of 3.12.55, let out a little roar of delight, and looked for somewhere to sit down.

The Non Boston Marathon

Most of you are probably aware by now that our marathon took the form of a 3 day trip across France and Spain by train and car in order to get a flight out of Madrid and since we missed the race by two days we went straight to sunny California to catch up with the rest of our trip.
Whilst staying with friends in San Jose we did a great trail run in the Rancho San Antonia State Park - about 12 miles through beautiful countryside in 80 degrees of sunshine, climbing to a height which gave us fantastic views of Silicon Valley.
However, the highlight of our trip so far is the 17 mile run/hike we did at the Grand Canyon, Arizona - from rim to river and back.  All the official advice states that you should not attempt this in one day but should camp at the bottom and return the next day.  As you all know if Martin is told not to do something then it immdiately becomes irresistible to him.  I was a bit worried - on average 400 people need to be rescued annually and several die, but we were well prepared with plenty of food and water and we started out at 5.30am (Yes Phil, 5.30am!!!), partially to get ahead of the mule trains but mainly to avoid the heat.
We went down the Bright Angel trail which was absolutely stunning and reached the Colorado river after about 8 miles, then crossed and followed the river to Phantom Ranch where we stopped for our picnic breakfast. We then returned up the South Kaibab trail which was slightly less distance.  The total descent (followed by the ascent of course) was almost 5000 feet and coming back up it was HOT!  As soon as you had a drink your mouth was instantly parched again.
In spite of that and all the dire warnings we managed to complete the trek in 5 hours 40 minutes and we didn't really push it.  Two days indeed, what is that about?!
Our sojourn in Arizona was followed by a couple of days in Utah for some spring ski-ing.  Unfortunately an unseasonble storm blew in and THREE feet of snow fell whilst we were in Snowbird meaning that we could not ski at all.  We didn't have the gear, it was way too cold and the top of the mountain was a white out - very dangerous for a novice skier like me.  Fortunately we were able to console ourselves in the rooftop pool and hot tub.  Very weird swimming with snow falling on your head and incredibly difficult breathing at 8000 feet elevation. The hot tub was sheer bliss though.
The next stop was Colorado - Boulder to be precise, running mecca of the world.  What a fantastic place, I want to live there - followed by a scenic drive to Glenwood Springs where I am typing this. We have taken advantage of the fantastic natural hot springs pool (even the width was 33m, I could barely make out the other end of the pool lengthways!) and the "therapy" pool is 104 degrees, a bit hot even for me.  We did a 50 mile mountain bike ride today - snow prevented us completing the route we had planned and even getting to 7000 feet was hard enough.  I hope all this altitude training pays off!
Now that the weather has returned to normal we are hoping to get a day on the ski slopes tomorrow on our way back to Boulder.
Apologies for the length of this mostly non running report...but Phil did say he needed some material for the View from the Back of the Pack!  I was planning to post some pictures but it proved impossible to narrow a selection down from the three million or so that we have taken so far..........
Only a week to go now and we will be back in time for next week's club handicap and meeting!

The Honiton Hippo

Race Report by Dan Cantrell

I ran the Honiton Hippo on 18th April. Here’s a brief summary:

I saw Richard and Lesley on their way to the registration. They looked very surprised to see me at a race and asked if I knew what to do with the race number. I declined their implied offer of assistance, as I know how to pin on a number…although it’s bloody painful! Perhaps I should use sellotape next time?

The course description stated that there are hills and river crossings and we were not to be disappointed. The first few miles seemed to be one massive hill. I managed to run rather than walk, but I suspect that some of the walkers were faster. The route then took us through part of the Landrover experience course, which was good and bumpy – although not as boggy as I had expected. After that, we snaked our way through a few back gardens, where the race organisers had planted primroses and other flowers for us to admire. The race briefing stated that we were to treat the course with respect as it goes through private land, so I resisted the urge to eat the flowers. The river crossings were nice and cool and after one there was a marshal handing out jelly babies. I must have been nearer the front than I thought at this point as there were still some black ones left. It tasted much better than flowers.

The race was incredibly well organised, with marshals everywhere… I didn’t get lost once! At the end we received a very appropriate memento – a towel, and there were shortcake hippos with their feet dipped in chocolate. Just before I ate the hippo it became even more realistic, with fingerprints of real mud all over it!

All in all, a fantastic event.

Johnny Kipps

What a start to our 25th year, with a little help from our friends at YTRRC and two MNR members on bikes a total of 26 people completed the 20th JK. There have been many years when you could count the runners on one hand taking part in this annual event, so it was a bit f a shock for Wynford Eagle having this many runners invading the peaceful village.
After a brief description of the route given by the chair and it was over to Lord Wynford to get the race underway (but not before telling us he was still in touch with Johnny and he is impressed to hear the event was still held in his name).

I have always found the start of this race difficult, as it seems a bit of a cross between a social run and a race. The only plan I had of trying to stick with Dave C when he made his dash to leave everyone else behind at the start was out the window when Dave retired to riding his bike round the route due to a foot injury.
Without any real plan I found myself taking to the front of the pack with in a very short distance, fully expecting to be joined and probably over taken at the first of the many hills crammed in to the first 2.5 miles of this route. Apart from a few shouts to slow down from Pete Jakeman, it soon became very quiet. By the time I started to climb the second hill I was beginning to think there was some plan I was not part of and everyone else had turned round and head for the nearest pub. Hearing Dave C giving words of encouragement to someone (is that multi tasking, riding a bike and talking Dave) reassured me there was still a race going on.
Still out on my own heading for the last and the steepest climb on the route I took a quick look behind, to see Dave Webb in pursuit. Still not believing I could hold this position for much longer, I pushed on trying to reassure myself if I was hurting Dave had to be. Finally at the top and grabbing a much appreciated drink, I actually started think I had a chance of winning. Still not sure how far back Dave was or if he was on his own, it was the turn back towards Wynford before I dared to take another look. which confirmed it was just Dave about 100meter back. I knew I could not let up if I was going to stand a chance of collecting the coveted biscuit tin, which had not graced the England household for many years.

With just the long straight ahead followed by the steep down hill to the finish, I had convinced myself I could win this race. That was until Dave C arrived on his bike, looking for a bit of reassurance I asked “is he gaining on me or am I doing OK”. The reply came well this strong wind could catch either one of you out, it really depends which one of you wants it the most. These reassuring words NOT, were followed by right I am off to the finish to let events unfold with out my influence (Thanks Dave). One final check before starting down the hill to the finish confirmed Dave W had found the wind just as tough as I had and was not closing the gap. This did not stop me continuing as fast as my legs would let me to the finish line.

I know this has turned into marathon report but I can’t finish with out thanking everyone for making the effort to turn up to start our 25th celebration it great fashion, well done Mike for producing a perfect set of results and Jackie and team for provide the drink station. O and of course Dave C for providing the biscuits, one down side with having so many runners the tin was all but empty by the time I got it home.

2011 promises’ to be an interesting race, this years winning time was exactly the same as last years. Add to that other runners not saving them self for a marathon the next week, it should be an interesting race.

Exe to Axe

Sunday 4th April saw the Westgates at Exmouth for the start of the Exe to Axe but only one was running. After failing to finish last year, this year Richard failed to start. A sad case of pre-patellar bursitis. Although a major disappointment for Richard this had one great advantage for me: a chauffeur to the start. We arrived at Exmouth on a fine and sunny morning, and it was even warm – in the car. However a blustery northwest wind soon cooled things down. I set off at a very sensible pace, enjoyed a few conversations with passing runners and reached Budleigh Salterton to see Richard had found his way there and was taking photos. (This circumstance was not to be repeated). On to Sidmouth still sensibly walking the hills, although once the woods were reached there was no choice but to walk. The mud was thick, sticky or sloppy with deep puddles in every gateway. I enjoyed the run down into Sidmouth and, as last year overtook several runners leaving me with no-one to follow at the bottom – result a small detour along the road courtesy of directions from some cyclists. However I found the seafront, dodged hordes of pedestrians and reached the checkpoint. No sign of Richard.

The next bit was really hard, seemingly endless steps up and down, then some more muddy woods where we crushed vast quantities of wild garlic, and then down to Weston Mouth and the inevitable steps back up to the cliff top. On to Branscombe where I managed to eat half a bourbon biscuit, but found no one to follow. Last year I had got lost at this point and had spent much time worrying about it. (Still no Richard). However there were a few runners dotted about higher up and I found the steps, all 90 of them. Started to feel a bit tired now, but a glimpse of Seaton in the distance helped keep me going and I soon reached Beer and more unhelpful directions. Another climb and this time onto a tarmac path, luckily it had a grass verge for tired feet and knees. Then the final drop down the steps to the promenade, dodging the crowds again and onto the finish. This time Richard was there with the camera. He had been at Sidmouth and Branscombe but had only waited for the leading runners to come through!!. He’d also unintentionally filmed rather than photographed the finish. So watch this space, as I may be able to extricate some stills.

Bournemouth Rotary Club Quarter Marathon

Put off travelling to Brighton by the Bank holiday weather we needed a race to do this weekend, and found the perfect one in this fairly local quarter marathon. We had never done this distance before this year, and have now done two.

Its basically a 10k with an extra 550 metres, which in this case were mostly downhill. The weather looked a bit dodgy, but the rain actually held off until after the race, and the wind was not strong enough to be much of a factor. We started on the seafront a couple of hundred yards to the east of Boscombe pier and ran east along the seafront.

After the first 10 or so fast men had raced off I found myself at the back of a small pack of 4 runners, at least 2 of which were MV2s (over 50) like me. I hung on behind them until we came up off the seafront after the first 2 miles. Then dredged up enough energy to take the lead as we ran around the residential streets for a couple of miles before returning to Boscombe along the clifftop road. The lead runner in the chasing pack caught me up with over a mile to the finish and pushed me really hard as we ran almost shoulder to shoulder before the final downhill stretch where I was able to find a last vestige of remaining energy to pull away back down past the pier and then held on for a final "sprint" to the line. Very satisfying to finish like that - it could have gone the other way if he had overtaken me strongly at 5 miles Iwould probably have let him go. As it was, I had finished first in age-group, and a new PB by nearly a minute - very chuffed!

I received my goody bag and jogged back to the pier where Lin soon appeared, also faster than last time, and a good 4th position in a competitive ladies field.

Lin's bit:-

This race was just what our training called for to sharpen us up after a series of long, steady training runs.  The route was fairly flat with just one or two slight inclines and therefore no excuse for the pace to drop off.  However after a fast first mile (6.29) inevitably I did slow down as I concentrated grimly on trying to keep up with a female runner some 50m or so ahead of me.  I did start to reel her in but at mile 5 I suddenly started feeling sick to the point where I thought I might have to stop and throw up - what was that about?!!  Fortunately the feeling soon passed but so had any chance of catching up with my rival so I settled on trying to maintain a good pace.  I was hoping to get under 44 minutes but as I sprinted down the hill and turned back along the coast (with shouts of encouragement from Martin) I could see the clock at the finishing line and there was no way I could attain my goal - eventually crossing the line in 44.17.
Martin had clocked an excellent 40.35 (unofficial time) and was told that he finished 12th although the results have not been published yet.  Another great result for him which was rewarded by a bottle of champagne at the prize giving. My prize was one of the more unusual I have received - a voucher for an all day breakfast at "Bistro on the Beach" but only valid for Wednesday - Friday during April therefore ensuring that it will never be claimed!

MNR 25k Recce - Part 1

Phil, Jackie, Lin, Martin, and Dave did all or some of the 25k anniversary celebration route.
Click here for details of most of it - not including the bit past Cattistock that only Phil did.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for MNR 25k Recce

Phil has a load of pictures which he will be uploading to Facebook, or the blog, or perhaps both.

We'll be running the missing bit next weekend.

Grizzly 2010 - Beauty and the Beach

This was the best Grizzly of the 7 I have done, for a number of reasons, not least the perfect weather. Although it was pretty cold when we arrived at the seafront in Seaton at 8:00am and had breakfast in the van, by the time the race started, it was a toss -up whether gloves would be necessary.

We met up at the start with Ironman Phil, who made us feel even more tired before the race, when he mentioned that he had cycled the 30 miles to Seaton! Our feelings of tiredness were probably mostly down to nerves, which for me, lasted through the half-mile of beach (which is always a bit of a shock to the system), and the first hills and a lot of winding around the holiday camp on the west of Beer. It wasn't until the cliffs above Branscombe that I really started to feel that the race was going well. I was being passed frequently on the uphill stretches, but making up those places and more on the downhills. The steeper the better!

Branscombe Mouth itself was a great experience, the spectators/supporters there creating an amazing level of sound and encouragement. We sped out of the area along the valley on the way to the major hills to the north.

The hills arrived all too soon, and for the next few miles, if we weren't climbing we were descending, apart from the bits where we were negotiating a bog or the skirting the side of a hill with one leg a foot higher than the other. Or at least that's what I remember, I think there might have been a few hundred yards of flattish road or track in there somewhere.

One place that definitely sticks in my mind, and in my shoes and socks is a field which started as fairly churned up muddy grass and ended up with foot deep liquid cow manure - no other way out or around! I passed one unfortunate groping beneath the surface for a misplaced shoe. Wonder if he was using that hand later to grab a jelly baby from one of the many plates that were on offer around the course.

The bogs were great as always - probably my favourite feature of the course. I have learned that no matter how tired you are, you have to keep moving and try to skim over the top, it takes much more effort to go slowly. I overtook loads of people, and started to think that I could finish in the top 100 which has always been a goal for me, only attained the year when the numbers were drastically reduced due to the shipwreck-induced postponement.

Great encouragment from the race-supporters and marshalls helped tremendously as I continued to push hard, and especially through the Fountainhead pub area, and down to the coast again. The beach at Branscombe was hard, but not as hard as the path up the cliff at the other end, but I was still overtaking people.

Down into Beer, and again great encouragement. Up the steps on the other side, and I was even catching up runners from the Cub race who pulled over to let me past and cheered me on. Then the track back down to the coast road, a steep path down to the sea-front, on to the beach for a quarter-mile of crunchy shingle ( I took the wetter, but firmer seaward route) and up the ramp to the finishing straight. I heard footsteps from behind and managed a sprint to the finish, and congratulations from the race-director Garry Perratt.

I was tired, shattered might be more accurate, but I was also on an incredible high. To finish under 3 hours, and in the top 60! Things only got better when very shortly I heard the announcer saying that the third lady was finishing and it was (none other than) Lin Lascelles! Wow, what a great performance from her, also in the top 100, and her best result since she won first place in the Corfe Beast last year. Also a tough, hilly race, and clearly the kind of event in which she excels.

After a mandatory, but admittedly brief dip in the sea to wash off the worst of the mud, and who knows what, we changed, and then strolled back past the finish to help support the runners still finishing. The warm sun and almost carnival atmosphere seemed really special.


The weather, the terrain, the scenery, and most of all the people supporting the event made it a truly memorable experience. Thank you to all who made it possible. It doesn't get much better than this, and we felt really lucky to have been involved with the Grizzly - long may it roar!