running races

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Alive and Running April 19 2015

WP_20150419_015 New tactics for parkrun. It’s a good example of thinking outside of the box. I was musing (metaphorically) about scything down the competition and then I thought  why not in actuality! So when I saw this scythe at a local garage sale, I knew the universe was giving me something I needed. I bought it for a song ( Let It Be, and I threw in a shortened version of American Pie as an encore). I still have to figure out where to place myself on the start line but that’s not likely to be a problem since I think there’ll be plenty of space around me wherever I choose to stand (particularly if I’m wearing something black and hooded.

Anyway, back to a pre-scythe parkrun at Wimpole Estate yesterday. It went OK. Not too cold, a reasonable time and some unexpected sun. There was a frost at 7.45 am when I walked Rupert the dalmatian but by 9 am it had warmed up sufficiently to run without a jacket. A good cup of coffee and a fruit scone with strawberry jam in the National Trust restaurant/cafe with Ms Alive and Running and our running chums completed a very enjoyable morning.

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In the afternoon we went into Cambridge for a birthday meal. The sun remained out and the scene on the Cam was barely distinguishable from the Venetian Grand Canal.

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And so, today, to Ickworth House, which is a rotunda, to run a Hoohaar 10k on the estate. I think all races should be held on National Trust properties. Great facilities (lavatories instead of toilets, lovely large, airy cafes, wonderful grounds) and entry to the right class of person. The plebs are turned away at the Gate House and advised to go and run in a public park. Only joking! The hoi polloi are guaranteed entry everywhere.

The race went well and I knocked off 90 seconds from last year. There is an evil hill at 9k which slowed me down considerably but I’m not complaining (much). It’s a beautiful course, mainly trail, and undulating. Unfortunately one of our running friends, who moved to Yorkshire and came down for this race, fell and injured her knee. Unable to continue, she had to hobble back because of a lack of mobile signal and inadequate contingency arrangements.

And speaking of class based entertainment, one can do no better than listen to BBC Radio 4’s Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair, a 2013 production of Francis Durbridge’s detective drama at 11.30 am on Fridays. Paul Temple, his wife , Steve (female) and the top policemen have cut glass English accents and weld power effortlessly with confidence and panache. Gentle drama, gentle comedy and so redolent of a 30’s and 40’s class divided Britain.

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Alive and Running April 11 2015

DSC_0632And so to Londinium last Thursday, when we left the safety, and intellectual inferno, of Cambridge, breaching the capital’s defences, and finding ourselves at Kings Cross station, bewildered and disorientated. Sodom and Gomorrah or what? We witnessed people smoking on the street, crossing the road at undesignated points and publicly eating the fastest of foods.  I felt like Christian negotiating immorality in the Pilgrim’s Progress. We sought sanctuary in the British Library (pictured above and inspired by Brutalist power station architecture) and later ran for cover to the nearby Wellcome Institute to see the Forensics : The Anatomy of Crime and the Institute of Sexology exhibitions. Neither were lurid or explicit, just interesting. It took us quite a long time to get along the Euston Road but eventually we made it to Covent Garden (via Tavistock and Queen Squares) where most of the world was congregating. I think Dr Johnson said *He who is tired of McDonalds is tired of hamburgers”. I would simply adapt this famous phrase and suggest that he/she who is tired of London is tired of life but I’m no Dr Johnson.

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Parkrun at Cambridge today, my 225th. Just 25 more and I receive the golden running top. Thereafter, rose petals will be strewn in my path as I run and the gods will favour me with fair winds a fleet foot.

The going was much firmer today and I didn’t need trail shoes. The temperature was around 8-9c, not cold but I still wore tracksters with a top and no jacket. I ran my fastest time this year so I was quite content with that. Next weekend I’ll do parkrun on Saturday and then a 10k race on Sunday which is part of the Hoohaar series.

Last club night on Tuesday, my road running group is still fast and we again ran a pattern of varying paces. I was able to keep in sinc with everyone else because there were three whistles blown at each change of pace and I was able to hear it despite being one of the slowest.

The Tories have gone up a notch in my estimation. They have clearly demonstrated their appreciation of irony by continuing to state that the NHS is safe with them. They’ve just enhanced the comic potential by pledging to spend an extra £8 billion on the NHS in a bid to prove how much they care. Does anyone, bar the most credulous, believe this crap?

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I may be way behind with getting this small charity off the ground but, thanks to Len, the sign’s completed and suspended gracefully between the two silver birches. It’s a start!

 

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Alive and Running March 26 2015

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The Bridge of Sighs, St. John’s College, Cambridge. I had to follow the Tourist Route through the College which doesn’t allow plebs over the bridge but at other times access is granted. Possibly St. John’s has the biggest grounds of all the Cambridge colleges. It’s undeniably impressive and the Bridge of Sighs is a beautiful structure. Must go for a punt soon!

The Naked Rambler, Stephen Gough, who for years has been fighting for the right to walk about naked in public, has been refused permission to appeal against an earlier decision by the European Court of Human Rights that his repeated arrest, prosecution, conviction and imprisonment for public nudity did not breach his human rights. He is currently serving a two and a half year sentence after he walked out of prison only wearing boots and socks following a previous prison term. I presume this extreme punishment is a result of repeated contempt of court. What a sad and ridiculous situation. I don’t think this eccentric man is regarded as a threat in any shape or form other than his willful determination to walk around unclothed. Possibly the authorities feel it could start a trend, or worse, a fashion. Surely, as a caring and compassionate society, we can accommodate a few naked people walking around and not feel so disturbed by it we are compelled to lock them up. Who wants to break a butterfly on a wheel?

I remain only an intermittent runner at present. Last weekend I ran the Swavesey 5 miler although I could have taken part in the Swavesey Half Marathon. I ran it 2 minutes faster than last year which pleased me until I read in my little running log I was getting over an injury at that time. Still, I did enjoy it and the weather was kind.

Club night two nights ago. We ran 6 x 700 metres at varying paces with a recovery jog back to the start. I was the second slowest runner in a group of around 20 but we broke into small similar speed groups and it all seems to work for everyone.

I ventured into the Cambridge University Press bookshop in the Market Square, Central Cambridge this week and cast my eyes over some beautiful books with eye watering prices (available on Amazon but at no reduction in price). No purchase made but it was a close run thing. I might return naked. I suspect they wouldn’t bat an eyelid!

Finally, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, was speaking about her career and the development of the teenage brain on The Life Scientific on Radio 4. Well worth listening to via podcast or Radio 4 Listen Again.

 

 

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Alive and Running March 15 2015

WP_20150313_005 The gilded youth of Cambridge University last week. Friday, last day of term. Several hundred students generated a lot of fun by throwing large amounts of powder paint at each other. I was prowling the mean streets of Cambridge intent on compiling an extensive and meaningful portfolio of top quality images but I fell at the first hurdle. I forgot to put the SD card back into the camera so the number of pictures taken was zero. The card on my mobile was also full and I could only delete a few pics to enable me to take a few more. These students asked me to take a few shots of them with their own mobile and I took this one with mine.

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Using my over developed skill in assessing the size of parkrun attendees, I guessed there were at least 400 students having a great laugh but cruelly caning their lungs by inhaling all the colours of the rainbow.

I saw many wondrous sites in Cambridge. Parents smoking in front of their young children, three men smoking a joint walking down the street, two lads acting stupidly, showing off and being intimidating, people queuing up to get into a Jamie Oliver restaurant, a unicorn being ridden by a Norse god, a shaman reversing the flow of the river Cam. I had a little chat with an immaculately dressed  Trinity College porter in the Trinity grounds and walked around Peterhouse. I can confirm the buildings and accommodation were not of the affordable, social housing type.

Parkrun on Saturday went surprisingly well and I did my best time this year. Somehow I beat both of my ex running rivals (well, this is explicable. Neither were running so that’s a win in my book) Several people greeted me by name as they cruised past me, provoking mild existential angst or something like that. Still, it was a good run, due in part to a much firmer course. The Cambridge country park is prone to very muddy paths and giant puddles when there’s been rain but the conditions currently are

much drier. I felt like I was tip toeing over the course rather than negotiating a swamp. No time for coffee after, though. We took our chariot down to East Londinium and met up with my sister in law for her birthday celebration. And very nice,too.

Running with the club has been more demanding recently. A new coach has a new approach and the training is harder. Hitherto, the training has managed to meet the needs of both the fastest and slowest road runners but the pendulum seems to be swinging in favour of youth and speed. I had a chat with the coach afterwards and found her to be constructive and wanting feedback. I think she’s still finding her feet and, at the same time, wanting to bring in new ideas and different training regimes. All completely understandable and I hope I can still be a part of it.

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Alive and Running March 9 2015 Cambridge half marathon

DSC_0285 Cambridge half marathon completed! Five halves and one relay leg of seven miles in perfect long distance running weather. Not too warm, not too cold, occasionally windy but always sunny.

Apparently the organisers increased the field from 4000 to 4,500. Unfortunately this made a difference in terms of congestion. The streets of Cambridge aren’t designed to accommodate that number of runners (oddly Cambridge University and the city planners over several centuries failed to predict mass participation running). This resulted in a lot of boxing in and unwanted change of pace. I was forced to trip up people, push them aside or deliver a karate chop to pass them. It was justified carnage. I know what pace I need to maintain and if they don’t automatically clear a space for me to glide effortlessly by,well, they pay the penalty.

Possibly foolishly, I put too much effort into parkrun the day before and felt a little tired. Nevertheless, I was only 1 min 42  seconds outside last years Cambridge half and I was happy with that. In fact we all ran well despite a general lack of consistent training among some of us (I couldn’t use this excuse).

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Shanti ran a much faster time than last year, improving by around 20 minutes. Boyfriend Ben is drinking a non alcoholic beer that we all received in our goodie bags.

I drank around 400 mls during the race, sufficient after finishing and regularly for the rest of the day. As a result of my responsible behaviour, I avoided dehydration and also excruciating cramp during the night. How clever am I!

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Alive and Running February 18 2015

WP_20150215_002Disaster on the porridge front! I usually cook it on the hob in a saucepan except when I am pushed for time. Then the microwave comes in handy. The instructions are very clear concerning amount of milk to porridge and microwave time. So what happened? I’ve ruled out human error so that leaves the microwave machine itself independently deciding to exceed its remit. The situation could have been worse as in The Magic Porridge Pot (Ladybird) when an unauthorised user starts the pot producing porridge  but doesn’t know the magical word to stop it. Consequently, the cottage and then the whole village is  engulfed, lava like, in porridge. It’s rather extreme but who’s to say it couldn’t happen.

This wasn’t the only shock I had today. A marauding gang of limpets, the ones with the vicious, extra strength teeth gave chase to me as I ran along the river Cam footpath. Ah ha, you might say, these gastropods live in saline water and wouldn’t be in a fresh water river. Well, these were obviously an advance guard and thinking outside of the box. If they’re quick to adapt, we’ll all be at risk. Anyway, I managed to outrun them but an angler wasn’t so lucky.

Nevertheless, I managed a run of 5.5 miles. I think I was still a bit tired from last night’s run with the club. We did 4.5 mins running at between 5 and 10k race pace with 1.5 mins jog recovery. I think I like standing still recovery best! I enjoyed it despite being hard work. I’ll rest for the next two days and then do parkrun on Saturday. On Sunday or Monday I’ll do my last long run of 11 or 12 miles before the Cambridge half. Hopefully the limpet threat will have proved to be a damp squib and we’ll all be sleeping easier.

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Alive and Running February 16 2015

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Cambridge junior parkrun yesterday morning. They’re off, just over a hundred of them, running in muddy conditions and loving it. I volunteered as timer but this changed to photographer (or one of them).

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Seems to be rather a lot of adults running with their offspring and some of them are checking their watches. Good job it’s not competitive, isn’t it? You can clearly see how enjoyable it is for the children and they are constantly cheered around the course.

10366205_869057729799568_7495588904252193199_n On Saturday we went down to East Londinium and did Valentines Park parkrun in Valentines Park on Valentines Day for their 4th anniversary. Follow? I’m standing next to Joe who is marginally taller, marginally younger and marginally faster than me. You could say I’m living on the margins! We met up with some old work pals and friends from Cambridge, ran the race, had coffee in the large park cafe and then walked to a Wetherspoons pub in Ilford for a brunch. The food was surprisingly good and inexpensive.

We liked Valentines parkrun. Gill (not in the picture) also runs there. She is the sister of my Cambridge ex running rival, Mike and coincidentally someone I vaguely knew at work when I lived in East London (and had yet to come across Mike). Gill is also known to three of my children who also run sporadically at Valentines.

It’s Cambridge half marathon in 3 weeks. I’m back to full fitness but not running speedily. This is due to –

1. Being slightly overweight.

2. The cold weather.

3. Inconsistent running.

4. Taking my cardiac medication at different times before the run (possibly).

However on the longer runs I’m finding it easier. Yesterday I did 11.25 miles  comfortably and didn’t feel tired afterwards. As I loped along I thought how lucky I am to be able run such a distance, run regularly and take part in races despite having had a heart attack four and a half years ago. Since I was fit before my cardiac “event”, I regained my fitness levels relatively quickly. Of course I was highly motivated, my family were completely supportive and in Cambridge, the cardiac rehabilitation service was excellent and I had received treatment very quickly. But I was surprised that the take up rate for rehabilitation was only around 44-46%. Apparently this is regarded as a high. It consisted of a series of specific talks and physical rehab in the hospital gym conducted by cardiac rehab nurses, a sports scientist, dieticians and others over a period of several months. I found it extremely helpful. Why wouldn’t you take it up unless you had your head in the sand! Ah…there’s the answer.

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                                                                   Cambridge in the summer. Please bring it on…..quickly.

 

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Aliveandrunning January 26 2015 Janathon Day 26

1506564_10152181755921159_185296790_n This picture of me being pursued by a bunch of crazy, Christmas themed  running zombies was taken in December 2014. It reminds me of when I was able to run uninjured. I was a running runner rather than a non running runner. It nicely illustrates my famous half daft open mouth style and my successful Jedward hairstyle.

I decided to have another rest day today, apart from a 2 mile walk with Rupert, and I must admit I feel better for it. It’s a commonplace that injured runners tend to start running too soon and compound their injuries. This certainly won’t apply to me! I am giving myself a whole 24 hours to fully recover and then I’ll go for a club run tomorrow evening.

Next Saturday is Cambridge parkrun’s 5th birthday. Unfortunately the  UK weather is set to deteriorate mid week and over the weekend. I may be running in a blanket of snow which I would enjoy. I’ve now done 215 5k parkruns having started at Cambridge parkrun no. 5 which I ran 6 months after my heart attack. By good chance a new dog walking friend mentioned Cambridge parkrun, having just discovered it himself and now its become a part of my running history. Another 35 and I’ll get my golden 250th running top. I’ll wear it with pride and people will mistake me for an actual sun god clad in burnished armour. I won’t disabuse them of their belief.

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Aliveandrunning January 17 and a half 2015 Janathon Day 17 and a bit

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Abject apology to the entire world. I accidently published this blog instead of pressing the preview option, earlier in the day. It only showed two pictures and is now deleted. I don’t go in for self flagellation but if I did I would (but I don’t). I have already forgiven myself.

Anyway, back to my reality. Wimpole Estate parkrun did go ahead after a course inspection. The temperature was around -1c or-2c with minimal wind. At the start, the sun shone in a blue sky. A few minutes later, the snow came down in super large flakes. It didn’t last for long and it felt quite magical as we ran over the Wimpole parkland.

It was a lovely run over one of the best parkrun venues. Trail shoes were needed over the frozen ground which was churned up in places and there were a few areas of mud which couldn’t be avoided. It was cold enough to slow me down and my body only started to warm up at the end of the 5k. My hands remained freezing despite good gloves. It took at least 15 minutes in the Wimpole cafe to feel comfortable. Another one or two layers required, I think.

DSC_0166 This pic features Ms Alive and Running and arch rival Kerry. I beat Kerry soundly today. The main reason for leaving him behind eating my dust was that he wasn’t running. He has a cold and cough and a bruised chest sustained after being blown off his bike into a Cambridge ditch last week. Honestly, I’ve heard some excuses in my time but this takes the biscuit!

DSC_0172 This is a large pair of closed doors. Beyond it is the Courtyard wherein exists their bookshop filled to the gills with pre loved books, made of paper, given to them by self deluded people who have convinced themselves they don’t need them. These doors should have been open if there was any justice in the world. They looked shut and when I put my weight against them, their unyielding nature confirmed the evidence of my own eyes. Yes, they were definitely closed (tight). The horror of the situation was intensified by the muffled sounds of the books calling to me (by name) like little lost souls. Oh, the pity! Ms Alive and Running gently led me away and I walked back to the car in a daze. “There, there,” she said soothingly,”I’ll buy you a copy of the Mail. That’ll snap you out of it.” Grrr!…..

DSC_0119 Our parkrun director today. It looks like he’s being menaced by someone in a sky blue hoodie. If the truth be known, I am very envious of his stove pipe hat. It looks good quality. Just the thing to wear out and about in Cambridge.

So, another parkrun Janathon day completed.

 

 

 

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Aliveandrunning January 3rd 2015 Janathon Day 3

 

 

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Oh my giddy aunt! Cambridge parkrun was a complete mudfest. In fact, it was mud with stilts on! Never in the entire world history of muddy races has it been muddier. These magnificent parkrunners are wading through thick, gloopy mud up to two metres in depth. Can you believe it? No, not really. This pic was taken at one of the Spartan races in August 2014. Nevertheless, it accurately reflects today’s parkrun conditions (almost).

When it was announced there would be a 25 minute pacer for the 5k race, my expression remained unchanged but I treated myself to the equivalent of a mental snigger. As if I would require the services of a 25 minute pacer. Possibly a 21 or 22? Unfortunately, around half way, the lad with a huge 25 on his hi viz top breezed past me with his posse of followers and that was that! I was left eating non existent dust. I was moderately consoled when I looked at the results page. Most people, including the winner (nice chap) finished about 2 minutes off their best times. It was raining as well and the temperature seemed to be dropping. I didn’t really warm up despite being dressed for the weather. I collected the signage around the course after the race so, for the purposes of Janathon, I walked an extra 2k.

Cambridge junior parkrun tomorrow. The conditions will be poor with ice and/or fog predicted. Last week they ran a modified course rather than cancel it and hopefully they will be able to do so again.

A couple of New Year resolutions –

1. Look upon tabloid readers more kindly and appreciate that there is a wide gamut of perspective and opinion.

2.Eat more Brussels sprouts.

I’m struggling with the first one!