ponder the path of your feet april newsletter · lambs green 10.5k it's 10.5k (~6.5 miles)...
TRANSCRIPT
Club Contacts
Chairman: Bobby Shepard Secretary: James Mason
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer: Ange Stark Email: [email protected]
Membership Secretary: Faye Buche UKA Secretary: Tracey Stocker
Email: [email protected]
WSFRL Race Rep: Richard Daniells SCAA Race Rep: Stacey Buche SGP Race Rep: Andrew Vine
Email: [email protected]
Tilgate 5 Event Directors: Martin Presland, Nick Keating
Email: [email protected]
Club Kit Officer: Mandy Jenkins Email: [email protected]
Club Coaches: Mark Smee (Head Coach), Vanessa Harrold, Fiona Clifton
Learn to Run Leaders: Bobby Shepard Email: [email protected]
Website Administrator: James Tombs Email: [email protected]
Social Media Reporter: Alex Wakefield Social Events Organiser: Deborah Bristow
Email: [email protected]
Newsletter Editor/Press Reporter: Alex Wakefield Email: [email protected]
Ponder the path of your feet…..
Newsletter April
Issue No. 4
April Newsletter
Another month has passed since our last newsletter was
published, and I’d like to say a big thank you all for your
contributions. April was a busy month for many, as
marathon preparation drew to a close. This month’s
edition focuses on the Spring marathon season.
So many people have worked enormously hard for
months to be able to get to the start line, either for
Brighton or London Marathons, and nobody failed to get
round. That’s a massive achievement, and a great
example of how training and support with your fellow
club members can make all the difference.
Of course, there have been other things going on over
the last month, and this edition also has something of a
Spanish flavour. Funnily enough, the Brighton Marathon
had something of a Mediterranean feel, being run on the
hottest day of the year so far.
As always, we have a new runner of the month to pat on
the back, notices, event details and Robin’s musings to
see us through to the end of May.
Keep the contributions coming please. The newsletter
gets longer and longer, but if you feel there is anything
missing, write about it and email it to
Stay in touch!
Alex
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2017 EVENTS CALENDAR (Mark Smee and Fiona Clifton)
14 May Eastbourne Trackstar Marathon, Arun River Marathon, Nutbourne Vineyards XC
17 May Trundle Hill (WSFRL)
21 May Horsham 10k (SGP)
24 May Highdown Hike (WSFRL)
28 May Rye 10 mile (SGP), Mud Monster Run (East Grinstead), Weald Challenge HM and 50k Ultra
3 June South Downs Way 100 mile relay
4 June Worthing 10k (SGP)
11 June Hove Park 5k (WSFRL), Martello Rotary Seaford HM
17 June South Downs Marathon, HM and Relay
24 June Downland Dash 5 miles (WSFRL), Race to the King 53 mile Ultra, Crawley Race for Life
25 June (Heathfield 10k SGP)
2 July Bewl 15 (SGP)
5 July Roundhill Romp (WSFRL)
7 July Rye 10k
9 July North Downs Way Marathon & HM
11 July Beat the Tide 10k
12 July Beach Run (WSFRL), Phoenix 10k (SGP)
15 July (Elmore 7)
15/16 July Race to the Stones 100k ultra
26 July Bexhill 5k (SGP)
30 July Seven Stiles (WSFRL)
9 August Windlesham House 4 (WSFRL)
11 August Rye 10k no. 2
12 August Thames Meander Marathon & HM
13 August East Sussex Ultra 84k
20 August Hornets Stinger (WSFRL)
27 August (Newick 10k SGP???)
3 September Fittleworth 5 (WSFRL)
10 September Hellingly 10k (SGP), Bacchus HM
17 September Tilgate Forest 5ish (WSFRL)
24 September Barns Green HM (SGP)
1 October Lewes Downland 10 (SGP) & 5, Alf Shrubb 5 miles XC, (Downs Link Ultra???)
8 October Hickstead Gallop (WSFRL), Sussex Marathon & HM, (Heron Way 10k???)
15 October Bright 10
29 October Steepdown Challenge (WSFRL), Hove Prom 10k (SGP), Crawley 10k
4 November Thames Meander Marathon & HM
5 November Gunpowder Trot (WSFRL)
11 November Poppy HM
26 November (Crowborough 10k SGP???)
2 December (Worthing Christmas Cracker Chase???)
3 December (Mince Pie 10 mile???)
16 December Brighton City Race
Events marked ??? Are to be confirmed
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RUNNER OF THE MONTH—APRIL (Mark Smee)
Our April hero started his marathon career in Brighton on 10th April 2011, achieving a time of 5:11:17 on the first attempt. A couple of
years later, that had been cut to 4:26:24, and he’s been slicing off minutes ever since, achieving an excellent 3:53:27 in London 2 weeks
ago and raising over £1,000 for St John Ambulance in the process. A passionate supporter of S&S, he’s a regular at training and races,
participating with maximum commitment and enthusiasm, always ready to volunteer, and he organises social gatherings for members.
We’re proud to have such a faithful, supportive and talented member in the club. Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s hear it for...Mr Mark
Austin!
.
Congratulations Mark!
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NOTICES
WSFRL – upcoming races (Richard Daniells)
There are two WSFRL races coming up in June, and they are definitely two of the least difficult races of the WSFRL season. These are the
Hove Park 5k on Sunday 11th June, and the Downland Dash on Saturday 24th June. Either of these would be an ideal race for any of our
Learn to Run Graduates or new members of the club to take part in and see what a fantastic experience it is to run as a team and sup-
port each other.
The Hove Park 5k is the shortest WSFRL race of the season, and is held at the same place as the Brighton & Hove parkrun (although with
slightly different start and finish points). It’s two and a half laps of Hove Park, with no Chevron Hill or Middle Path to climb so an ideal
opportunity to run your fastest ever 5k. The race is all on concrete paths around the outside of the park and it would be great to see
some new faces out there representing Saints and Sinners.
The Downland Dash is slightly longer, just over 7k in distance, is mainly on grass and fields with a small section through some woods.
Again a very flat course, the race starts and finishes at Downlands Community School in Hassocks, and there is a large school fete taking
place at the same time for your friends and family to look around whilst you are running. It gives you a chance to run a slightly longer
distance and on a different surface, again without having to negotiate and hills on the way.
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Crawley Trail Run guides (James Tombs)
I will be putting together guides for various trails in and around Crawley for people to do during the summer to enjoy the scenery and build up some strength in supporting muscles by tackling the rutted surfaces.
If anyone has any particular routes they'd like to share then please do so.
The first one is below:
Lambs Green 10.5k
It's 10.5k (~6.5 miles) with minimal elevation. Navigation is fairly easy for the most part, but the guide clears up any issues. The route isn't really dog friendly, especially big dogs., nor is it buggy friendly. There are lots and lots of bluebells out on the route at the moment. There are also new born lambs around as well as some goslings at Mill Pond. You may also see a couple of ponies shortly after crossing the railway.
There's a pub on route, about 4 miles in.
Download route guide - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dmiX2pt0WuRsYgg570VzQUANjRkhTkgc7vjMwcUsHpw/edit?usp=sharing
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MARATHON SEASON 2017
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Marathon Season 2017 (Alex Wakefield)
It won’t have escaped your notice that we’ve recently had the Brighton and London Marathons, either because you’ve been training for
one, or both (Dave Penfold) or because of the large volume of people posting photos of their dinner on Facebook. For many, this is the
pinnacle of the running season, and a massive relief after months of training through the winter. Nobody is under the illusion that it’s
an easy thing for anyone to do, including runners who have completed the distance many times before.
This month we have a focus on the preparation for, and experience of, running a marathon from three marathon first-timers. Common
themes abound, but what’s interesting to see is how much emphasis there is on support from other club members. Speaking from my
own experience, there is no way I would have even thought about doing a marathon without the encouragement and reassurance from
those around me, that it was possible.
Bobby has written something below to introduce the feature, and again acknowledge the importance of coaching and training in this
endeavour. To follow, are three accounts from Elinor Flatman, Jess Melville and Alex Wakefield about their experiences. Hopefully
those of you considering your first marathon will be inspired to take the plunge! Or perhaps, you might have your suspicions confirmed
and realise it’s not for you!
Oh yes, plus an appearance from a special guest.
Marathon Special Acknowledgements (Bobby Shepard)
April was such a fantastic month for Saints & Sinners as a club with somewhere in the region of 33 members tackling marathons of one
kind or another over the course of the month and across cities such as Brighton, London, Paris and even some rural bystops!
Some members saw this momentous occasion as their introduction to becoming a “Marathoner” by breaking their duck and getting
their feet wet. Others were taking on their “next” challenge after possibly saying “never again!” whilst a certain member was notching
up another few on her way to the magic 100! Our very own original and founding member of Saints & Sinners Derek Brailsford, showed
age is no barrier by running London Marathon for Prostate Cancer whilst being treated for the same! We also had those amongst us
who thought it would be fun to use 26.2 miles around Brighton as a warm-up for 26.2 miles around London 2 weeks later! Our resident
lunatic, who shall remain nameless, used the marathon distance as a warm-up on his way to 60k / 37.3 miles, because 26.2 miles just
doesn’t cut it for him! It hardly seems worthy but WELL DONE and CONGRATULATIONS to each and every one of you.
However, I feel it only appropriate to start my acknowledgements in one place. With so many people having their own goals and tar-
gets, help, advice and support was sought and given in good measure with personal training plans, tips and encouragement to all of
those who asked. And I am pleased to say there was a good number who took up the offer of help. I am really pleased to report that
from all the training plans offered to those asking, every person made it to the start line, started and finished their own individual mara-
thon regardless of time. As a coach it must feel quite pleasing to report a 100% record and whilst he never does anything to look for
thanks or gratitude, on behalf of our club I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our own Mark Smee.
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DEREK BRAILSFORD
LONDON MARATHON 2017
I did it in a time of 6 hrs 15 mins 16 secs
Considering all that has happened to my over the last 8 months and especially the last 8 weeks I feel truly honoured to have complet-ed the course. As Baldrick would have said “I had a cunning plan” and that was to run 3mls to the first water station, from then on stroll through each water station before running to the next .I did this up to 20mls and then ran the whole of the last 6¼mls. Thank you to all who sponsored me. Anyone who would still like to sponsor me please go to: -http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DerekBrailsford
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MARATHON SEASON
London Marathon 2017 (Jess Melville)
2 years in the making but I completed the challenge of running the London Marathon. While my entering this was purely out of crazi-ness and never expecting to get a ballot place, once I was accepted it became an item on the bucket list to complete. After all if you are going to run a marathon may as well make it one of the world’s biggest ones, right?
Thanks to a pulled calf last year on my 16 mile run, I had to defer my place but that allowed me to come back better and stronger in training this year.
I still however, can’t believe I actually did it! It was the most overwhelming and amazing experience but at the same time one that I don’t plan to relive anytime soon.
The week of the marathon
Whilst I should be all nimble and bouncy thanks to tapering and the short runs, I was instead riddled with niggles from the hips down and my limbs felt like dead weights.
Now was not the time for those niggles to become anything more than that so physio, stretching, rolling and yoga were on the cards for the last 3 days in the lead up.
The nerves had been increasing all week after watching friends run Brighton Marathon and all their best laid plans on pace, fuelling and hydration go out the window when the English spring weather decided to surprise everyone with a weekend of summer temperatures. After training in minus degrees, snow, rain and generally miserable weather, the heat became a burden to many and I had everything crossed that the temperatures for London Marathon did not repeat this.
Rather than add extra stress and the overwhelming sensation of attending the expo with every other prospective runner, I decided to give it a miss and have my pack collected for me.
Each day I kept checking the train timetables, the engineering planned track work and whether I had everything I need for my fuelling pre, during and post-race; nervous that I would forget something. After all, I need to leave home at 6.30am for a 10am start so this meant not just having breakfast at home but fuelling again pre the race start.
Pre Race
Whilst I had everything organised the night before and got a respectable 7hrs sleep, I woke up absolutely terrified and struggled to eat my usual pre run breakfast of porridge and honey.
We made our way to the station to meet everyone, all packed up and prepared and discovered 5 minutes before the train that Stu for-got his phone and had to go home and not get the train up with me. Boy were there tears.
The feeling of arriving at Blackheath and seeing all the people congregating on the field near the blue start, the giant funnel entrances and the multi-colour hot air balloons for all the different coloured funnels was incredible. The buzz in the air was alive and everyone was as nervous as each other.
We headed to our pen and waited for the start and rather than my resting heart rate of mid 80s, my watch told me it was 120 and I wasn’t even moving. The closer we shuffled down to the start, the more nervous I got and a case of the shakes came on. Surprisingly it only took 13 minutes to get to the start – at this point I was terrified, as in my head I thought it would take at least 30 minutes. As I headed over the line I thought ‘well this it I am officially running a marathon.’
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The race
I had followed a training plan from Crawley Saints and Sinners Running Club, and had it revised after I was injured running the Brighton Half Marathon. This put me out for a few weeks, followed by a few weeks of shorter runs before I was able to build up to a strong 20 mile training run. During tapering, the niggles started and I went into the race taped up and ready to beat the them.
Coming down Woolwich Road and swinging around to Cutty Sark was phenomenal. What I thought had been great crowds until then, all of a sudden more than doubled in size. There were so many people that I couldn’t even see the back of the crowds. At this point I was hitting every mile marker 30 seconds ahead of schedule and feeling strong.
I soon made it to Deptford where I had my first cheer squad and I became so emotional with happiness, excitement and relief all bun-dled into one. I did a quick stop for hugs then off I went targeting the half-way point.
Coming up the hill and seeing Tower Bridge in front of me was jaw dropping. It is one sight in London I never tire of and knowing the bridge was completely closed to traffic and today I got to run straight over the middle of it was amazing. There were some slight traffic jams with runners at this point as many came to a sudden stop in front, to take a selfie on Tower Bridge but fighting to get my phone out of my carry belt was not on my radar, I just needed to push on.
Whilst during the first 9 miles, I met every marker 30 seconds ahead of my planned time, I later lost some pace when I stopped to say hello to friends and family just after mile 9. The congestion of everyone stopping for a selfie moment running over Tower Bridge put me 2 minutes behind my planned time as I hit the half marathon marker but this didn’t dishearten me, I was still going strong.
After half way, the next section of the course goes through Canary Wharf from miles 13-22. This was the hardest and most brutal sec-tion of the entire race for me. The sights of Canary Wharf are not pretty, it’s a purely business district, and I was coming up to my fourth gel and was really over the warm gooey texture. The temperature seemed to rapidly rise as it was now 1pm and no shade in sight and running under the tunnel where every male seemed to be using the wall as a urinal was not very pleasant.
It was through here at mile 15 that my foot injury decided it had had enough. My trainer felt very tight as my foot had swollen and the pain was getting worse. By mile 17 I had to tell myself that as bad as the pain was and as much as I felt myself slowing down by 1 min/km, I was going to finish the Marathon.
There were huge crowds of spectators here and lots of charity cheering points. While the charities reserved their biggest cheers for their own runners they were doing a great job of supporting every runner. It was so hot but my strategy of making sure I drank enough was paying off and I felt OK; in pain, but OK. I was seeing more and more people who were not doing so well, and were being treated by the side of the road. As predicted my arm and hand were going pretty numb at this point, giving me one less thing to worry about. The next cheering point for The Prince’s Trust would be at mile 23. I knew I was slowing down and wasn’t sure what I could do about it. At mile 22 I had run further than I had run before.
I came out of the Canary Wharf section at mile 22 in so much pain every time I pushed off with my right foot, and I was in dangerous territory as my furthest training run was 20 miles so this was all new ground for me. However, I hit a wall of supporters on that 4 mile home stretch that was bigger than anything I could have imagined. Everyone was telling me I could finish this, people checked if I need-ed medical help when I stopped to stretch my foot and the cheering was deafening but in the most incredible way.
The last stretch is Birdcage Walk and onto The Mall. As I was running down and could see Big Ben and Westminster in the distance I knew I was almost there. The cheers got louder and upon checking my watch I thought if I can just push myself harder up The Mall then I may sneak in just under 6hrs by a measly few seconds.
It was at this moment the track on my playlist changed to Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger and I was singing along in my head ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ thinking how damn fitting.
I crossed the finish line and somehow remembered arms up for the great photo finish and thought yes I just scraped in under 6hrs. This elation was soon hit with the reality that I didn’t get the sub 6hrs but an official time of 06:00:05.
The support and the crowds from start to finish was unbelievable as was the organisation. Water every mile, Lucozade every 5 miles and when there were speed humps the first few miles, people holding official speed hump signs yelling out ‘hump hump’ to ensure run-ners didn’t trip, physios along course to massage out cramps and ambulance personnel every mile with handfuls of Vaseline for the dreaded chafing.
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I envisaged that the water stations would get backed up, and that the roads would be covered with bottles. Yet at no station did I have to stop, nor did I need to step over or around bottles as every runner waited for a gap and rolled them clear to the sides. My favourite signs of the day were:
1. You are currently running better than our government
2. Run like someone from United Airlines is chasing you off the plane
3. You are almost there #FAKENEWS
And my favourite – Chafing The Dream
Yep, I managed to remember arms up in the air as I crossed that finish line for an awesome finishers photo and then I cried. Knowing I completed 42.2km and that all the hard work was over, the feeling of achievement was so overwhelming. The military precision that was in place throughout the entire race continued through the finish funnel. I was handed my medal and received a giant heavy goody bag (however, there were no small or medium shirts left so I ended up with a large finishers shirt that comes to my knees and the sleeves to my elbows so it is more of a night shirt than a training top). The person at the truck had my bag of clean clothes and food in hand before I even got to her and this followed with a very slow hobble down The Mall to the arch with my swollen foot dragging along.
I enjoyed a burger, fries and milkshake with Stu and a friend and made my way around London on a bike as I couldn’t walk, with the biggest grin on my face.
The work that went into getting to the start line after having to defer last year and the assistance and support from the run leaders, oth-er runners and Stu has been immense. I needed to prove that I could run a marathon and I am capable of doing anything I put my stub-born mind to, and I did it – I can now say I AM A MARATHON RUNNER!
In saying that, I don’t think I will be repeating this feat again. Half marathons are more my forte I think.
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London Marathon 2017 (Elinor Flatman)
After an amazing week I wanted to reflect on how far I have come. In October last year I got my London Marathon place, the fear set in but I decided there was no way I wasn’t going to complete those 26.2 miles and would use it as an opportunity to raise money for char-ity. Over the last 6 months I have had some really hard times physically and mentally and it definitely is the hardest thing I have ever done. I have made some amazing new friends who I couldn’t have done it without (Jess Melville, Sarah Thomas, Maria Weatherstone and Alex Wakefield).
I have survived injury including a broken arm, foot injury and knee problems and lots of self doubt. I got out of bed when rain was beating on the window and ice was on the ground and I ran, I ran and chatted …… the chatting kept me going. Jess Melville I think you know more about my wedding plans than anyone else! During training I ran Brighton Half Marathon, Cranleigh 15 miles, and many, many miles of the streets of Crawley and countless runs on Worth Way. I have learnt many things during this marathon journey, not just about running:
• Taping can help any injury (it comes in many colours and patterns!!!!)
• You can eat a lot when you train for a marathon but it does not help you lose weight!
• Running food – gels are horrible, Mars bars come with extra protein and sport jelly beans are a thing!
• Expensive trainers are required—they saved my feet (I still have my toenails and no blisters)
During the long runs what has kept me going is people – people to run with, people donating money, family and friends telling me I can do it. As marathon day approached I had a funny feeling of excitement and dread and I felt nauseous for the preceding 2 days. I was more nervous than when I did my medical school finals!
On the morning of the 23rd April 2017 I put on my running clothes, attached my number and tag and ate my peanut butter on toast – I knew I was going to do this. I was doing this for myself and for everyone Hospice UK will support with my fundraising – I visualised some patients I knew had been helped by The Hospice Movement and checked my Justgiving page for the last time. OVER £3200 !
I was off to the start line and then it all became a blur ….. looking back it feels like it passed in a flash! (it didn’t—it took over 6 hours!)
I met Alison at the Hospice UK breakfast and she was to become my running partner for the day – we started and finished together (to the second!). It took ages to get going, as we were far back in the charity pen – we were alongside people in amazing fancy dress; Mr Rush – running in bare feet, Olaf and many running rhinos. (I was sure these people would pass me later on!).
For the first 14 miles of the race, I felt awesome. I ran all the way and I enjoyed the experience. The support was amazing from specta-tors – Tower Bridge was awesome and Phillipe was there at the end for a hug! Then it got hard …… more than hard …. painful and hard! At 14 miles my left knee started to become agonisingly painful, but I was not stopping!
I walk – ran with Alison through the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf, and it was painful but we kept going. A few things that kept me go-ing were: the lady with a bananas in the Isle of Dogs, all the people shouting our names and handing out jelly babies and Haribo, and the people playing music – YMCA & The Proclaimers ‘500 Miles’ a couple of favourites.
Then we exited Canary Wharf and it felt like we were on the home straight. Everything was still hurting and we still had miles to go – but I was doing this! I saw my family at mile 23 and this really lifted my spirits and it was almost done. The last few miles we tried to encourage people who were struggling and keep them going. We could all do this now !
And then we were going down The Mall and my family were there again ….. and then I saw a sign that said 600m to go. Aaaaaaah it was almost over! We ran the last mile and it was amazing the feeling when I saw Buckingham Palace will never be repeated, and I had a medal round my neck ! (At this point I did not know how I was going to walk another step!)
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I HAD DONE IT – I completed the London Marathon 2017 in a time of 6.41.
It was much slower than I had hoped, because my knee held me back. But I did it, and not once did I think of stopping. I had raised a huge amount for a charity close to my heart almost £4,000 at the time of writing!
If you ever get the chance to run the London Marathon, do it – it has changed my life and running will be a part of it for ever and so will the people who I have done it with! Thank you xx
Thank you to everyone who has supported me, sponsored me, rau with me, cheered me on and listened to me talk about running ! Now I will move on to wedding talk !
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Brighton Marathon 2017 (Alex Wakefield)
Back in Spring of 2015, my wife Frances and I joined the Saints and Sinners Learn to Run programme, and made it through the 10 weeks
to our graduation at Tilgate Parkrun. Despite having had experience of longer runs over a decade before, the prospect of a 5km non
stop run seemed like a real challenge, which of course, it was.
Having got around fine, I continued to enjoy running as I got better at it, setting many PB’s at Tilgate over the following summer. To-
ward the end of the year, I signed up for my first 10km race for the following February and this brought with it a similar sense of trepi-
dation to that I felt the previous Spring. I had a great run, more 10kms followed, and I signed up for my first half marathon for the late
Summer.
Each time a new distance marker was tested, I treated it with respect, put in training miles and got through, and the Reigate Half in Sep-
tember 2016 was no exception. I knew though, that I would have to face a marathon. When I was young, I’d always got up earlier to
watch the London Marathon on TV, despite hating running at school (terrible PE teachers) and I knew I would have to do it. When I
made my decision, with a friend who had never run a marathon either, we were too late for the London ballot, so plumped for Brighton.
We had about 9 months to think about it. Late summer 2016, I asked about training plans for the winter and ended up being mostly
responsible for sorting them myself. To get through, I figured I needed some company to help penetrate the dark, wet and cold Long
Sunday Runs ahead, and put a call out to the club to see who wanted to come along.
A group of 6 headed out on the Worth Way, on Sunday 16th October – a very early start for marathon season, but the group comprised
those who had recently got to the 10km barrier and who were aiming for half marathons, and beyond. Runs gradually grew in length
each weekend, with participants ready for half marathons by Christmas, and then into the new year, things got more serious as we
found ourselves out for 3-4 hours at a time. Early starts were the order of the day, to force down porridge and get the hydration pack
ready for another long stint.
For me, every run beyond 13.1 miles was a distance record, with barriers broken down week by week through January, February and
March. Worth Way had quickly become boring and no longer sufficient for the growing distances we were getting to, so runs were
planned around Crawley, out to Horley, Gatwick and beyond, culminating in a last coastal drag from Shoreham to Ferring and back, in
driving wind.
These later runs were tough, made worse by some memorably bad rainfall, being splashed by cars, cows blocking paths, and the sheer
boredom of circulating Crawley. I think it is fair to say that most of us were really quite fed up with it all by the end, and were looking
forward to the relief of doing the marathon itself.
As the distance built into uncharted territory, the toll on the body exerted by spending so much time running started to affect me, and
others. Having been lucky enough to have had comparatively little trouble for months, as the main event drew closer I developed a
painful Achilles, cured by buying trainers half a size larger. Various aches and pains came and went, but 2 weeks before the marathon, I
was struck by a sudden onset of Plantar Fasciitis.
Missing the event was out of the question, even if it meant I would become lame for weeks afterwards. I freaked out for a day or so,
but the realisation that wearing my Birkenstock sandals seemed to make the pain recede gave me some confidence that this could be
worked around. With orthotic insoles from Up and Running in my shoes, a strict regime of stretching the calves and toes began to take
effect, along with the odd ibuprofen. I wasn’t 100% but 9th of April arrived, and I knew my feet would take the 26.2 miles.
Actually, 7th April came first – a very exciting day. My friend Paul and I drove to Brighton to collect our race packs, in beautiful sunshine
that was to be theme for the marathon weekend. I couldn’t concentrate on work the whole day, and it was an amazing feeling, after all
those long months of training to think that we were ready to go. Race packs in our hands, we had fish and chips on the seafront and
went home to endure a very long Saturday, which was only made tolerable by the opportunity to eat some suitably tasty carb-rich
foods.
A night of broken sleep gave way to a dawn chorus, as more porridge was forced down my neck to fuel the longest run I had ever done.
The weather forecast said it was going to be the hottest day of the year, and my thoughts turned to how this would affect my hydration
plans. I’d never filled my hydration pack to capacity before, but 4 bottles of Lucozade Sport were dispensed into the bladder, in an
attempt to try and cure my anxiety about the possibility of collapsing in a salt encrusted heap.
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Paul and I met in Crawley and drove down to Brighton for the park and ride service, meeting up with others including Sarah Thomas en-
route. The excitement of what was to come, the sunshine, and porridge induced giddiness overcame significant nervousness, although
the childish anticipation was soon tempered by the 50 minute queue for the toilets, and the foul stench emanating therefrom.
Bladders emptied, there was no time to hop back in the queue for a confidence-wee, and we piled into the starting pen, in the 4-430
category. Officially, there was no time target for me– only to get around non stop. Secretly, I wanted to do it in 4:15, but the heat
which was already felt at the 9AM official start made it clear that was ambitious and perhaps even foolish.
Patience was in short supply after the first runners were released from their pen. It took ages for those of us in the middle tranche to
take the walk to the start line, where we were held for a few moments before the release, and we began our jog. I needed a wee again.
Much of the first 10km was spent staring at live pacing on my Garmin watch, and dialling back the speed that adrenaline and taper-
fresh legs wanted to run at. That distance saw us loop around the surprisingly hilly city centre, and then back out toward the seafront.
The support was incredible. Thousands of people lined the streets, and right from the beginning, they were calling the names printed
on our shirts. My lettering was poorly applied, and so many people thought I was LEX, because the A was too far over to one side. At
least I knew who they were shouting at though.
Reality started to dawn as we turned east and headed out toward Saltdean. It was getting noticeably hot, there was no breeze, no
break from the sunshine, and I still needed a wee. The long, gentle ascent past the marina to the turnaround point was a contrast to
the city centre. Support was a lot more patchy, and there was little to distract from the thought that we still had two-thirds distance to
run. The gentle downhill into the city helped, as the crowds returned and helped to draw us past the halfway point near the Grand Ho-
tel. My memory of this section is of crowds 7-8 people deep, and that I really need a wee.
We had been warned that the schlep from Hove to the power station was the worst bit of the race, so I had not expected the segment
from the seafront into Hove and back out to be as bad as it was. This section was a real slap in the face. Support became more sporad-
ic, we were getting tired, the Lucozade coming out of my straw was WARM, and all we could see was a sea of bobbing humanity on a
very dull stretch of suburbia. The locals dousing runners with hoses gave some relief, but by this point, the sight of running water was
something of a torment – I was at once thirsty, and in need of discharging the contents of my bladder. I realised though, as we reached
the end of this bit that we had made it to 18 miles. 3 more miles would mean that we were into uncharted territory, and in my book,
the home stretch.
The segment to the power station was, in fairness quite unpleasant. Very few supporters line this section, just as you are really starting
to feel the strain. By now it was clear that many runners had overcooked/misjudged the demands of a marathon on the hottest day of
the year. Many were sat on the kerb, head between legs and an alarming amount of ambulance activity was evident. My disgustingly
warm Lucozade had run out by 20 miles, and I’d eaten all the jelly babies I could stand after a short burst of confidence loss, and fear of
hitting the wall at mile 19.
I had to hit the water stations which I had avoided until now to top up on fluid, taking on board a last portion of liquid before making
the turn back toward the pier for the last 5 miles. In the distance, seemingly never getting closer, stood the i360 tower, and the pier
beyond it. From here on, this was all new, with every step taking me over the boundary into longest run territory. It’s so true to say
that the marathon starts at 20 miles. With the exception of the weather and crowds, everything to this point had been routine and fa-
miliar.
I ached, my feet hurt, I was hot, and sweating like a pig. I was running on my last cup of water, revving from all the jelly babies, delirious
from the sun in my eyes, yet oblivious to the shouts of supporters including my wife. I couldn’t stop now though; too many people
were watching and I knew that the nearest toilet was just over the finish line. Miles 21-25 took all day, but mile 25-26 flashed by and I
could see the finish line. I’m pretty sure that this was not the case, but it felt like I was the only runner as the road dropped past the
pier and the last 0.2 miles.
My calf muscles felt super tight in that last mile, and this worried me because it had never happened before. I pushed over the finish
line and found it to be surprisingly anti climatic. Some were weeping, others vomiting, but I just swore to myself and immediately re-
gretted trying to stretch against a metal barrier as a stab of pain shot through my leg. My watch said I had made it in 4:25:05, later
backed up by official timing and under the circumstances, I was content with this. I waddled to the toilet for the best wee of my life. It
was then that I felt elation, which lasted precisely 5 seconds until I walked down the steps from the toilet to the road and realised that I
would not likely be able to ascend or descend any gradient by any means other than rolling up or down for a while.
16
Paul crossed the line just a few minutes after me, clearly in pain. His feet were, he declared, on fire. Shoes removed, we stumbled to
the beach to our meeting points, having first filled our finisher bags with freebies. Medals clinking against race number magnets, we
just made it to the beach and had to sit in silence for a while to take in what had happened. This took longer than it should have done
because the complete lack of adequate phone signal totally messed up our plans to meet with significant others. In the heat, we finally
managed to establish where to meet. Plans to celebrate in royal style with a splendid post run meal went out of the window. The prior-
ity was to get home and take a bath.
For me, there was not much in the way of jubilation on the day of the event – tiredness and heat put paid to this. I’d taken the next day
off work, and I had some time and space alone to contemplate everything. After decompressing, I really felt like I’d made it through one
of the biggest achievements in my life. I had some time to muse on it all, and began thinking what advice I would have given to myself
when I was starting out back in October.
• The marathon itself is just the cherry on the cake. 99% of it is actually done in the months beforehand.
• Do not underestimate the toll on your body. Take time to prepare. Invest in good quality equipment and make friends with a
good physiotherapist.
• Establish a pattern and do not deviate from it. You have to nourish yourself on these runs, give yourself time to experiment with
what works for you.
• A consistent run, and a strong finish are more important than destroying yourself in the pursuit of a time. Live to run another
marathon and improve gradually.
• Be prepared for a curveball. Spring marathons could feature very significantly different weather to that which you trained in.
• The crowd really does get you over the last 5 miles and yes, those last 5 miles are where the marathon begins. They are tough.
• Get your name on your t-shirt and make sure it is properly aligned.
• A marathon is as much a test for your bladder as it is for your legs.
17
MEMBER’S RUN REPORTS
Saints & Sinners and Winners!
IV Carrera Solidaria AFA Torrevieja 8k- 30/04/2017 (Vanessa (Mum) Harrold)
Myself, Gabrielle (I got 1st place) Presland and Julie (parkrun) Kalsi flew out to Spain to visit Nina and Keith Trevarthen. Of course
while we were there we had to run!
Nina had arranged for us to run in the Torrevieja 8k race on the Sunday morning- a charity race in aid of the Spanish Alzheimer’s society.
The start time was 9.30am, so we did not have to get out of bed too early for our chauffeur Keith to get us to the start line in plenty of
time.
We collected our race numbers without any hesitation and took in the sunny sights of the area around us.
Nina introduced us to two of her English friends who also live in Spain; Heather and Lin. What lovely ladies they are. They made us feel
most welcome.
The start was positioned next to the harbour, and we knew we ran along the front, but that was it! Nina asked one of the race commen-
tators if water was available along the route, as it was already over 20 degrees, as us English roses are not used to running in this heat!
She was told the route was 2 laps and water would be available at the start/finish area in bottles as we came through.
The roads around us were closed off, and we took our positions in the start area in front of the harbour cafes. This race also included a
walk as well as the run, so there were plenty of people around us, but not as many as we are used to at home in England. (142 runners
only).
We set off on time, and made our way around the streets and back along the harbour- most of the route was in shade, luckily for us, but
it was still very hot!
The local fishermen were already up early fishing along the harbour, and also quite a few local cats were keeping their eyes open for
any fish which might be caught.
To my surprise there were young children running in this race and a variety of walkers behind us. Certainly a family event.
As we made our way to half way we were handed our bottle of water, which was very much needed, and we knew what to expect for
our second lap.
Running along the harbour again, watching the fishermen, and the cats, we all saw each other and shouted out encouragement at how
well we were all doing in the heat.
A few hundred metres from the finish was a cafe with a very large plastic ice cream cone outside- this certainly made me feel that was
what I needed- a cold ice cream!
At this point I saw 4 runners just ahead of me- my thoughts of ice cream melted away, and my competitive side thought I must beat
them!
Sprint finish to the line and I finished ahead of these 4 runners with Gabrielle, Nina and Keith clapping and shouting at me.
What a welcome sight.
Straight away I headed for a bottle of water, and I was also handed a banana, salami roll and a goody bag containing a hat, hand towel,
re useable water bottle, sports gels, and a few other items. Sadly, there was no medal, but you can’t complain at that when you only
pay 9 Euros to enter.
We all then cheered home Julie, and pointed her in the direction of the water- she looked rather a bright shade of red by then!
The results were printed out and displayed very quickly, to which we all realised we had a champion athlete with us- Gabrielle had come
1st place in her age category- what a star.
With some of the walkers still crossing the finish line, the presentation started. There were so many trophies to be handed out, to all
ages. Half way through the presentation, the last 2 walkers crossed the line hand in hand to an enormous round of applause by every-
one. They were each handed a medal- we all had a little tear in our eyes- it was so emotional to watch.
The presentation then carried on, with our very own Gabrielle stepping on to the podium to claim her 1st place trophy.
In the usual S&S’s way, we made a lot of noise clapping and whopping- we were here!!
Same again next year Nina!!
Much love and thanks to Nina and Keith for their amazing hospitality over the weekend from all of us.
18
Gabrielle Presland; 44:45
Nina Trevarthen; 46:28
Vanessa Harrold; 57:44
Julie Kalsi; 1:03:17
19
Almoradi 10k - 6th May 2017 (Nina Trevarthen)
This was the second time I had run in this race but this time it was more special as I won a trophy coming 3rd in my age category in a
time of 56.11. Despite the 7pm start the heat was a fairly fierce 25 degrees and it didn't cool down at all. The actual course was around
the streets of Almoradi, all very flat with not an incline anywhere, and starting and finishing on the race track in the stadium. The at-
mosphere was great, so many people from the town came to support. As always a Spanish goody bag doesn't disappoint, I got a lovely
red technical T-shirt, a green drawstring bag, a cake, a muesli bar, a chocolate bar, a packet of crisps, a can of beer and a can of lemon-
ade. On finishing the race we were given bananas, melon and beer and energy drinks. All this for the incredible price of 9 Euros!
20
The Local Police of Alicante 7.5k - 7th May 2017 (Nina Trevarthen)
127 participants ran in this small but exciting race which started at 9.30am and was a very pleasant 22 degrees. The race started on the
promenade of El Postiguet beach, which is located in the heart of the city at the foot of the famous Santa Barbara Castle. The route
took us out and back along the promenade then out and back by the harbour and marina. It was great to see beautiful Mediterranean
sea views and the mountains and castle in the background. I finished it in 40:57 and to my delight won a lovely trophy for coming 3rd in
my age category. As well as the trophy I was given a book and a DVD of the local history of the area. After the race there was a long
table full of goodies to eat, a selection of pizza and cakes, melon, strawberries, oranges, crisps, olives and all kind of drinks. In the
goody bag we got a very nice technical blue T-shirt. Another bargain race entry of 9 Euros!
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Haywards Heath 10—30 April 2017 (Alex Wakefield)
After my recent marathon, I wasn’t brave enough to take on the entire Mid Sussex Marathon weekend, which comprised three separate
events over the May Bank Holiday. I realised that I had never done a 10 mile event before, so decided to give this one a try. Richard
‘naked as the day he was born’ Byrant, Carolyn Mynott, Ellie Dunn, Stella Daff, Janet Doyle, and I all travelled in convoy to the town,
and the race start in Victoria Park, where we met others including Nick Baker, Bobby Shepard and the rest of the impressive contingent
of Saints taking part.
Many were sporting medals from the previous day’s exertions, a tough East Grinstead 10. The weather held for us, as we moved from
the park to the closed high street to begin the run. The route started out with an out and back down the high street whilst it was still
closed off, before heading through the town’s suburban areas, and out onto forest trails coloured with bluebells. Gradients varied, but
the pace was fast. I’d not realised how tricky getting a 10 mile right could be, lulled into a false sense of security as the first half had a
hugely enjoyable downhill mile along the dual carriageway, before a sweaty climb back into the town.
I didn’t really start to feel the pressure until into the second lap of the 5 mile route, when it dawned on me that I may have overcooked
it. The look on the faces of my fellow runners suggested I was not the only one. On the second lap, the downhill rush along the main
road was not so pleasant, especially with the knowledge that there was a significant ascent to make up for it, waiting for us at the
bottom. I dug deep, and called on my marathon spirit-guide to get me through, and finally made it back into the park to cross the finish
line, feeling as exhausted as I had after 26.2 miles around Brighton.
I was surprised to receive a medal; part of a 4 piece assembly that those who ran the 3 events could join together as one, and took
some time to recover and watch everyone else come in. Saints and Sinners really turned the town yellow, with a huge turnout and
some brilliant results. Ellie Dunn, Janine Haynes, Michele Nixon and Amelia Brown all picked up awards over the weekend.
Ant Neal (Ordinary Ant) - 1.11:45
Richard Bryant (the naked runner) - 1.26:41
Nick Baker - 1.27:35
Janet Doyle - 1.41:20
Darren Hunt - 1.10:45
Andrew Vine - 1.19:18
Ange Stark - 1.34:30
Lesley Connolly - 1.31:21
Janine Haynes - 1.31:25
Ellie Dunn - 1.33:20
Stella Daff - 1.46:39
Robert Shepard (the Boss) - 1.33:17
Robert Kernagan - 1.23:54
Pam Field - 1.56:34
Ian Jones - 1.14:39
Chris Lobodzinski - 1.16:56
Alex Wakefield - 1.22:17
Miranda Attwater - 1.43:22
Carolyn Mynott - 1.57:17
Mary Morgan - 1.43:22
Amelia Brown (mini minion) - 1.11:44
Frank Stone - 1.37:30
Wayne Kingsnorth - 1.11:03
Michele Nixon - 1.25:03
22
And Finally…..
Musings of a run obsessive (Robin Nower)
I love this time of the year, the big spring marathons are so inspiring and it has been fantastic being involved with a club where so many
people have been taking on the challenges of completing these events, whether it has been their first or one of many. I have been very
lucky to have run some of these big ‘city’ marathons myself in the past, Brighton, London, Edinburgh… Milton Keynes…
This year I did not have a big event planned for the spring and was happy to just help others with their training where I could, and pro-
vide advice if they wanted it. However, as the Brighton date approached I felt the need for a couple of marathons of my own so logged
onto the 100 marathon website and did a bit of searching...
Ranscombe Challenge
Held on the Saturday of the Brighton Marathon weekend (a few crazies there were going to do both!), the Ranscombe Challenge is an
SVN (Saxons Vikings and Normans) event which meant that one could expect a well-stocked aid-station, great company and a relaxed
atmosphere. If you have not yet discovered the SVN events I would highly recommend them; they are run by runners for runners and
provide alternative events to the big-city marathons and are often lapped meaning one can run as far or as little as they wish. Everyone
that completes a lap is a finisher!
The Ranscombe Estate is a nature reserve on the North Downs Way in Kent and has meadows, woodland, farm fields and hills, lots and
lots of hills! The route itself was a 3.75 mile lap which was essentially first half going up and the second half going back down. The ‘hill’
at the start is really a series of climbs that starts on the NDW, before turning into a wooded section, then across a meadow field before
hitting a badly rutted ploughed field and finally ending at the top of two roller-coaster steep inclines in more woodland. It is brutal but
lots of fun!
The day started very cold and very foggy but the usual suspects were arriving in dribs and drabs, nobody looking particularly up for it
and most conversations were around what cake could be expected on the aid-station today. I met with fellow Sinners Cathy Holroyd
and Paul Chandler for a brief chat before we were all assembled for the pre-‘race’ briefing. The format for the day was an 8-hour chal-
lenge meaning that runners could complete as many laps as they wished over an 8-hour period. There were a few there that were plan-
ning on running the full time but it was a marathon and home for me! The run started at 0800 which meant that there was time to fit a
cheeky marathon in and still have a fair amount of the day to play with.
As the run started, the fog started to lift and as we hit the first part of the hill we could start to see what we were up against. The hill is
relentless; it just keeps coming and the changes in terrain make it pretty challenging. I did the same run (albeit a slightly different route)
in January 2016 when it had rained almost constantly for weeks and the only way to get up some of the hills was to use the trees to pull
up.
The first lap was a reminder of how difficult it was going to be but was also reassuring that there were only another 6 needed to get to
that marathon distance. The end of the lap meant a quick stop at the tuck-shop, sorry aid-station. Don’t expect any gels or energy drinks
here it is strictly sweets, cake, crisps and squash, all the good things that a runner needs!
The end of the first lap was also the opportunity to strip off the excess layers of clothes which were not needed now that the sun had
shown itself, in fact if anything it was starting to warm up too much.
Off again onto the NDW and into the woods, the events are small with intentionally low attendances so much of the run can be spent on your own. I quite like this, and although my internal monologue should never be published, I don’t mind retreating into my own head for a few hours. However, as the route is lapped there are often occasions where you pass or are passed by, other runners and there are always other runners at the aid-station, so one of the highlights of the run is to give and receive encouragement whenever you see another nutter out there.
I spent most of the first few laps trading places with one of the other runners, passing him up the hill then being passed again back down and he very kindly gave me the moniker ‘mountain goat’. This stuck and a few other runners shouted it as encouragement. My main intention was to run every hill on each lap and then ease off and enjoy the jog back down; I need some hill training in preparation for the SDW100 relay in June!!
The half-marathon was passed at the top of the hill on the fourth lap meaning that the second half only included 3 more ups with 4
downs, it is always good to try to think of the positives! The end of the sixth lap came and there was only one to go, I took my first prop-
er look at my watch, did some maths and realised that if I pushed hard on the final lap I could come in under four hours. Again, having a
target when the fatigue kicks in can really push you through to the end. I went for it, pushed hard up the hill and then sprinted back
down for the final time emerging into the final straight and crossing the line in 3.53.29.
23
(Photos pinched off Paul Chandler)
The dreaded ‘ploughed field’, impossible to really show the incline but the top of the hill is at the top of the tree line behind.
S&S Ranscombe team
24
Fox Ultra
A 60km (37.5 miles) Ultra, in Godalming, starting at 6am you say? Well my brother lives there and how hard can it be, yep I’m in…
Run on the Saturday of the London Marathon weekend, the Fox Ultra is a 60km circular route ostensibly circumnavigating Guildford in a
clockwise direction using the waymarked Fox Way, which is a series of 7 staged walks devised by local rambler Richard Fox. The route
covers all sorts of terrain from well-made footpaths and roads, to woodland trails, canal and river towpaths, and bizarrely sandy trails.
This was the inaugural running of the event so it was new to everybody, runners and organisers alike.
As it was a circular route there was an opportunity for other runners to join en-route and so the event also included a marathon and a
half-marathon and a three person team relay where each leg was approximately half-marathon.
As the event started at 6am there were a number of bleary eyed runners arriving in the dark for registration, mostly with that ‘what in
the name of all that is Holy am I doing here at this time’ look. The registration passed without incident, and a quick briefing later we
were ready to be walked down to the start. A small rabble of nutters ready to run 37 odd miles for no real purpose or reason, pretty
much par for the course for these Ultra events. Why oh why are they so bloomin’ addictive?!
The run started uphill on roads and then footpaths before crossing the A3 and heading into fields and woodland. It was fairly undulating
to start with and I confess that I was breaking it down in my head into manageable sections between the aid-stations. The first section
was a cheeky 10k and the aid-station couldn’t come up quick enough, as often happens with these events I was struggling a bit with the
start. I really don’t know why this happens but I have all the negative thoughts coursing through my brain and I just don’t seem to be
able to settle until I am past the first aid-station.
The first two sections were pretty tough as they went up and over the Hogsback which is a hill / ridge over the North Downs. Overall this was probably a good thing as it took my mind off the starting struggles and made me concentrate on trying to hit a nice little rhythm.
The second aid-station came up pretty quickly which was also the marathon-start and included a pub that was being used for registra-tion and which was blessedly open for a quick ‘pit-stop’.
The hills kept coming then all of a sudden, it levelled out and the north section of the route was reasonably flat, making a rhythm easier to come by. I retreated into my head at this point and don’t really remember too much apart from a series of pleasant villages, woods, a half-mile detour as I missed one of the way markers, and then onto the River Wey Navigation towpath. The route was stunningly beauti-ful, probably the prettiest run that I have ever done and the variation of terrain was excellent as it stopped it getting tedious or boring.
The ‘marathon’ aid station was slightly out but I still managed to pass through the marathon distance in under 4 hours (just!) leaving just a half-marathon to go, I had done this, how hard could it be??
Somewhere between the last two aid-stations the route became gently undulating and then we were heading back up and over the Hogsback again and it all became a bit of a struggle once more. The route took us through a number of commons and woodlands and the ground became really sandy which was bizarre (I had no idea that there was so much sand in Surrey, it reminded me of the start of the Downslink Ultra). The sand was loose and difficult to run on and I soon could feel it getting into my trail shoes which could mean only one thing, blisters!!
The final aid station appeared at 50km and they had celery sticks with crunchy peanut butter to dip in and ready poured lukewarm tea;
believe me this was heaven and a taste sensation!! It was now just 10k to go to the end, I looked at my watch and the morning finish
was still possible, although it would take an effort to get there. The last stretch was undulating but the sandy trails disappeared for a
while replaced by hard tarmac and then easy trails across a golf course before finally reappearing for the final stretch along the River
Wey into Godalming.
As so often happens with these events, the finish suddenly appeared, after such an effort to get there you hardly believe that it exists! I
looked at my watch and crossed the line with a cheery ‘Good Morning’ to the finish line marshals which went right over their heads as
they, obviously, had no idea why that was in any way significant. The finish included a final aid-station which had the most beautiful
sight of all time, cheap supermarket ice-pops! Oh. My. God. They were amazing. The organisers were amazing and the event was fantas-
tic, although the final 20k was tough, it was very rewarding.
And I couldn’t wait for the next day when I planned to watch the London Marathon with my feet up… bloody kids.
25
Divine shaft of sunlight through a graveyard… at about marathon distance I think