Market Drayton 10K 2015

Today I ran the Market Drayton 10K road race, voted best in the country for three consecutive years by readers of Runners World magazine.

I didn't come last but I know the person who did and she just happens to be the twin sister of my daughter's boyfriend. This remarkable young lady was born with cerebral palsy but has never let it limit her. Inspired by her mother who recently completed the London Marathon, she took on the challenge of running her first 10K. It took her 1 hour and 44 minutes and she was very definitely last but what an achievement. As she crossed the line with her very proud mum, the rest of her family and extended family were waiting with an emotional display of congratulations. If my own body had not been so dehydrated, I would have been crying like a baby to see her euphoria at finishing and the responses of her loved ones. My tear ducts produced only dry tears as I made sobbing noises and struggled to catch my breath. She was presented ceremonially with a very well deserved medal.

The inclusive nature of the event is maybe part of the reason why this race keeps being voted number one. Or maybe it is the party atmosphere, enhanced greatly by the energetic drummer group that made running along the high street an absolute pleasure with the accompanying pacey beat. Then there is the family friendly nature with the children able to take part in fun runs prior to the main race.

This year my two little ones were signed up to take part in the fun runs. Dylan was in the 3-4 year age category running a distance of 100 metres and Addy was in the 5-7 year category covering 200 metres. They were both vey proud of their medals and goody bags presented at the finish. Both are keen to run again.

On the subject of goody bags, the Market Drayton 10K is well supported by local business sponsors and provides an amazing selection of treats for the finishers including a technical T shirt, medal, mars bar, gingerbread man, pork pie, water, yoghurts and a voucher for beer that I am very much looking forward to redeeming. Perhaps another reason why the race is so popular!

My husband was happy to sacrifice his chance of a new Personal Best to run the course with me.

It was tough but I loved it and his encouragement (which included pushing me up a few hills) was definitely what kept me going. We crossed the finish line together.

My time of 1 hour 12 mins was slower than my last year's result but faster than the first year I did it and only actually 6 minutes slower than the time I would have been aiming for if my training had gone according to plan. I am not at all unhappy with that.

I am also very proud of my two eldest daughters who did fantastically well today. I wonder which of us will be aching the most tomorrow!

My Solar Eclipse Run and the MD 10K

During my absence from the blogosphere, we were treated to the natural wonder that was the solar eclipse. My husband was heading off for a job interview and the kids were at school so I decided to experience the eclipse out in the countryside whilst doing something that has come to be an important part of my life - running. I called it (unimaginatively) my solar eclipse run.

It was glorious.

I love being out in the Shropshire countryside and this day could not have been better. I was thinking a lot about my husband's interview and what it would mean to us as a family if he was offered the job. As well as taking my mind off the inevitable pain and monotony of running, it also made me appreciate the countryside all the more. The new job would mean moving away from this place I loved so I was going to enjoy every hedgerow, every field, every cow, every bird... as if it were the last time. Enjoying all these things against the slightly surreal purplish quality of the light as the moon moved across the sun suited my mood perfectly.

There was a noticeable drop in the temperature and a blurring of the shadows but it didn't go as dark as I remembered from the last eclipse I'd witnessed and the birds never stopped singing like they had before. It felt slightly anti-climatic but I kept running and the moon kept moving across the sky away from the sun and life went on.

That was probably the last time I had a really good run.

The interview went well for my husband. He has been offered a job. We are moving. I have been thrust into a whole new world of busy as we try to prepare for this next part of our journey - a journey that began over ten years ago with a reunion of old friends from which love blossomed.

Putting the romantic stuff back in box marked Do Not Open Unless You are in the Mood for Romantic Stuff, my point is That was the last time I had a really good run because there has been so much going on and so much to do.

Normally, taking a break from running would not be a problem but I am signed up to run a 10K race in my home town of Market Drayton on Sunday and I'm not sure I could even run for a bus at the moment.

This will be my third time running the Market Drayton 10K which has grown over the years into an event to be proud of - voted by Runners World magazine as Best UK 10K for three consecutive years and best UK race over any distance in 2014. We were even on the BBC local news yesterday.

I think I can safely say that there is no chance of beating my own personal best for the course. My husband has offered to run it with me and despite the fact that I know it is going to be tough to complete it without having put in the training to get my fitness and stamina where it needs to be, I am thoroughly looking forwards to it. I will run it with my husband at a nice steady (slow!) pace and am determined to enjoy every kilometre as it winds its way around familiar streets. It will be part of the ritual of saying goodbye to the town that has been a good home for me.

Having been up to London recently to support the wonderful Marathon runners, I feel almost embarrassed to say that the 10K will be a test of my fortitude. Watching the amazing individuals at around the 25 mile mark was quite an experience. A wide spectrum of human emotion was on display as people were pushed to the limit of their endurance. I will be running less than a quarter of the distance but still, to keep going will take a lot of physical and mental effort. I will have to draw on all the motivation I felt as a marathon spectator to continue putting one foot in front of the other until the finish line.

I will run it with my husband because with him at my side I can do almost anything. (I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the lid on the Romantic Box!)

Another Finish

Last year, I waited patiently for the finish photos of the Market Drayton 10K to be published online. 

This year I forgot all about them!

The 'forgetting' may or may not have been a symptom of my menopause  but finding the photos unexpectedly was a lovely surprise and brought memories flooding back.

Last year, I finished just behind my daughter.

This year, I had a pretty good lead on the small orange dot passing the tree to the top left of the picture!

Menopause or not, I am feeling unstoppable.

Market Drayton 10K 2014

A week ago today,  I was taking part in my second Market Drayton 10K Road Race. This race is special to me, not just because it has been voted best 10K in the UK for two years in a row, but because Market Drayton is my home town. My house is actually on the route which meant that my parents could come and babysit my two little ones here while the rest of the family took part AND support us as we all ran past.

Hubby runs past first with a wave

Posing for a quick photo

High Fives

The race is well organised, well supported and provides a rather fantastic goody bag and technical T-shirt for all entrants. This year, I was part of the team of volunteers who prepared the 2,300 goody bags.  2,300 mars bars make a small mountain of mars bars. 2,300 bottles of water (provided by the wonderful Oruna curry house with a £5 voucher towards a meal) make an epic wall of water. 2,300 ginger bread men make an impressive army of ginger bread men. Slowly as the bags were filled with these items and much more; the mountain became a mole hill, the wall became a scattering of rubble and the army was well and truly defeated. Instead, there was a  sea of bulging, white drawstring bags ready to be distributed.

Last year, the start of the race was a little chaotic with runners of all abilities grouped randomly together. Criticisms were noted and this year there were clearly marked pens to gravitate towards depending on your estimated finish time. As my husband made his way toward the 50-55 minute pen, my daughters and I took our place at the back in the 1 hour + area. I run... but I run slower than the proverbial turtle running through treacle.

Last year, I completed the race in 1hr 14mins. This year I was hoping for a steady 11 min mile pace all the way round to give me a  time not far off 66 mins (with a reasonable sprint finish). Unfortunately, my best intentions to train and prepare thoroughly for this event went a bit out of the window. At the back of my mind was a niggling worry that I'd be lucky to make it round in any time.

It was a wonderful feeling to be at the start with the 2000 + colourful crowd of people, each with their own goals and expectations. The countdown commenced and the elite runners poised on the front row were off. It took about 2 minutes of slow shuffling forward before we passed the start line and began our own individual challenges.

Trying to get a good position in such a dense crowd of runners was tricky and I quickly lost my daughters in the confusion. As I was hoping for a slightly faster time than them, I pushed on without waiting for them to catch me up.

The first 2 miles went really well. It was wonderfully uplifting to see my parents and my little ones cheering me on. Mum was especially enthusiastic with her support! I was ahead of pace. Maybe that was my undoing - too much speed at the start. Subsequent miles saw my pace slow down until I felt like I was dragging myself along for some stretches. I was missing the special camaraderie from my running daughters who were still somewhere behind me.

The weather was muggy with the occasional downpour of rain. The rain was glorious. It cooled me and temporarily cleared the fogginess of my mind deprived of the sugar and oxygen that my muscles were greedy for.

The townspeople who came out to support the runners provided a massive incentive to keep going - especially if someone recognised me and called my name. It was a lovely surprise to see my sister and her family (under their umbrellas). They had chosen a spot just after the most challenging hill on the course - Phoenix Bank.

Phoenix Bank is my nemesis and although sometimes I almost feel as though I have the better of it, this time it defeated me. My heart was pounding, I could barely breathe, my legs turned first to rock, then to jelly. Despite a lively group of drummers providing an invigorating beat that should have sent my spirits soaring, my spirits slumped like my posture. One of the members of my running club was  marshalling near the top of the hill. This particular club member often leads training runs and is always very supportive and encouraging. I tried to imagine his words of encouragement in my ears - but my ears were not playing. All I could feel was a sense of loyalty to someone I admired and pushed myself on just a little further... just a little further until I was past him... I couldn't let him witness my defeat... and then I'd had it. The slowest of slow running ground to a halt and after a wobble in my knees that made me fear I might fall, I started walking. Not dawdling, though. Pushing forward with purposeful strides. I felt myself begin to recover and tried to break back into a run. It was almost as if my legs had forgotten how to. My mind was screaming at them to MOVE but they were having NONE of it. I walked a little further. Marshalls at the very top of the hill, including a line of  boys in uniform (scouts? cadets?) were shouting the encouragment that I had failed to give myself. My legs obeyed. I was off again.

This was the perfect moment to see my sister. I was so delighted that she had come out to offer her support that the photograph she took of me completely fails to show the agonies I had just endured trying to conquer Hell Hill.

I knew that I didn't have far to go and I managed to pick my pace up a little but not enough to achieve my aim of 66 mins. I did, however, knock 5 minutes off my last year's time. I was a little confused at the finish - mostly because the inflatable arch that marked the finish line had at some point during the race deflated and been discarded. I found myself running blindly without a finish strategy. I'm quite certain it would have made no difference  anyway!

I was proud to cross the line and proud of my 1:09:03 time. My husband was waiting for me with some much needed water and a hug. I was proud of him for smashing his own personal best and achieving a fantastic time (with some credit going to my daughter's boyfriend who very kindly paced him all the way round). As I enjoyed the euphoria of finishing, I heard the compere badly mispronouncing one of my daughters' name and looked up to see both girls cross the line. My proud meter shot right off the scale.

We made our way back home through pouring rain laden with goodie bags plus yoghurts and pies donated by Market Drayton based Mullers and Palethorpes.

Despite that hill and any other little troubles I experienced during the ten kilometres, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. And as for achieving that elusive 66 minute goal.... there is always next year.

The Photo I've Been Waiting For

There were two official sports photographers snapping away at the Market Drayton 10K Road Race that I took part in recently. After the race, images began to appear online. With over 1600 runners taking part in the race, there were a LOT of photographs. Each day, more were uploaded with the promise of yet more to come.

As much as I enjoyed reliving the atmosphere of the event by browsing through the photos, the money shot for me - the one I waited patiently to view- was the one of me crossing the finish line. My position in the race was 1371st. It was always going to be a long wait!

Today, my wait was over and here it is:

I am so grateful to Brian Smith for taking this photo which will be a constant reminder to me of the sense of achievement I felt (and proof that I actually did it should I ever start to doubt myself). I am also grateful to all the amazing people that made the race happen through organisation, sponsorship, support, help and participation. Definitely a day to remember.

It doesn't always have to be a PB

Since I started taking part in Telford Parkrun (a not for profit organisation arranging free to enter, timed 5K runs around a local park), my finish time has been steadily getting quicker. It is a great feeling to come away each week with a new Personal Best which is edging ever closer to my goal of completing the course in under 30 minutes.

It stands to reason that you cannot maintain this improvement indefinitely- you'd end up finishing before you even started -  but this Saturday, I thought I would be in for a good time.

I had not been out running since completing the Market Drayton 10K the previous Sunday and I was really keen to get back out and see what I could manage over the shorter distance. Stupidly, I thought 5K would feel easy having now ran twice that much. I was very wrong.

Five kilometres may only be half of 10 kilometres but it is still 3.1 miles - which is 3.1 miles more than I would ever have imagined being able to run before starting my beginners training 6 months ago.  (Lets be generous and say 3 miles more - I probably could have managed the 0.1!)

I started off really well. My daughter and I jogged from the car park to the start (first time we'd ever even contemplated doing that!) so we were well warmed up and ready. The first part of the course is a long downhill stretch and even with the uphill parts that followed, I averaged a comfortably less than 10minute mile pace. I was well on target, not just for a new personal best but for my ultimate sub 30 minute goal.

Unfortunately, things started to go wrong.

My legs felt fine, my breathing was OK but my stomach felt knotted and my back and shoulders were tired and achey. I tried to ignore it all and power on and sometimes I succeeded, keeping pace with runners in front of me.  But it was a struggle. A quick look at my running watch was my undoing.

My watch is set to tell me how far I have run, the time it has taken and my average pace at the end of each completed mile. It became clear that not only was my goal slipping out of reach with each laboured step, but I wasn't going to achieve a new personal best either. I lost heart.

The course consists of a two laps, a long one and a shorter one. Cruelly, you run past the finish twice before you cross the line and even more cruelly, there is a steep incline just beyond the finish. I passed the finish line for the second time, witnessing competitors sprinting home to claim their best time (the elite athletes having long finished). I pushed myself up the hill and beyond, my motivation draining with each step. I thought about my daughter running behind me and wondered if she was feeling as bad as me. I stopped. I walked. I looked around and saw her some way away. I continued to walk and waited for her to catch up.

After a while, my daughter made up the ground between us and I resumed running with her. We both struggled, but we finished. I didn't feel great about it.

This was the thirteenth Parkrun in Telford. Maybe there is some truth in the unlucky connotation of the number 13. Due to a mix up with the start time of the race, the published results were wrong. It gave my daughter and I a time minutes more respectable than we deserved! They were later corrected but the  error did have the effect of making me focus less on the importance of my time than I had been previously. It was like a sign - a warning even.

Fixating on getting a new personal best had been a key factor in me giving up and walking. I see now how idiotic that is. As lovely as it is to see real improvement, sometimes it is enough just to get round. No doubt I will have good days and bad days. I will celebrate the good days and bask in the glory of a new PB. I will celebrate the bad days too. As long as I give it all I have, it will always be a personal triumph.

Fifty things... Run a 10K Race

Well, I did it!

I ran my first ever 10K race in 1hour and 14minutes (does it sound quicker if I call it 74 minutes?) this Sunday at the Market Drayton 10K 2013.

The winner of the race, athlete Chris Davies, set a new course record of 30minutes 39seconds. (He has also finished our Telford Parkrun 5K in 14mins 50secs). This does make my time look pitiful but I was by no means last and I am really proud that I ran the whole 10K without stopping to walk. I have seen some video footage of myself running past and I have to admit that yes I do plod along at the speed of slow. My new target is to speed up a bit - get comfortable with running a respectable 10min mile pace with some energy left for a good final push.

I have a photograph that really sums up the whole 10K experience for me. This is my daughter waving her medal in triumph and just over her shoulder in the background is me, crossing the finish line with a slightly pained smile on my face.

Although for a few moments after finishing I thought I might be sick and if I had not had my daughter's boyfriend to hold onto I may well have fallen over with the light headedness I was experiencing, it did not take long to recover and I felt AMAZING. The sense of accomplishment (and probably a good few endorphins) gave me such a great feeling of positivity and contentment. I was soon posing for photographs and enjoying the company of family and friends who had also taken part in the running or marshalling (and giving much needed support on the way round)

It was a very uplifting and emotional experience taking part in the race - being 1 of 1700 runners, each with their own motivations and goals. The elite athletes (Chris Davies proving himself to be the 'elitest' of the elite), the incredible people raising money for charity in various fancy dress get ups, and the participating masses all sharing the same course, all pushing themselves to achieve what they set out to do. I loved it.

Image by Bryan Dale - www.racephotos.org.uk

My husband finished in 55mins 39secs  but paid a high price for his sub 1hour time. He is suffering with knee pain which  he thinks is Iliotibial Band Syndrome - a common complaint in runners. Luckily there is a wealth of advice on the internet about how to prevent and treat the condition.

I probably shouldn't be laughing at him!

I still can't quite believe that I did it. The whole thing took on a dreamlike quality as soon as it was over but the lingering sense of accomplishment is something I am going to try and hold onto for as long as possible. It was this sense of "I can do anything" that gave me the courage to step on the scales this morning, take stock of the weight I have allowed to creep on and start to do something about it. I want to be in the best shape possible for my next running challenge - to run 5K in less than 30 minutes. 

And perhaps for my pre-race prep next time I will base my activities more around sport science than baking!

Pre 10K race prep - make runner biscuits!

Market Drayton 10K Road Race

There are a lot of signs like this that have popped up in various locations around the town where I live.

The route for the Market Drayton 10K Road Race passes right by my house. In previous years I have sat on my front wall with the neighbours and cheered the participants as they ran/jogged/walked past. I wondered what it would be like to take part and wished that I was amongst their number, pushing onwards towards the finish line.

This Sunday, I will be amongst their number and will know exactly what it is like to take part with each breathe, each step and each pain I experience. I am not looking to set any records. This being my very first 10K I am guaranteed a personal best time as long as I finish, and that is all I am aiming for - to finish, and to enjoy each and every punishing kilometre!

Numbers ready

I only started running seriously last September when I joined a Beginners Group with my local running club. I still have to pinch myself when I think about how much progress I've made since those early training sessions. I have loved the journey it has taken me on - learning about myself and what my body is capable of. I have loved meeting new people and spending time with my daughter who runs with me. I have loved how my husband and two more of my daughters are now getting involved. When I run on Sunday I will be celebrating all of this.

I am very proud to be taking part in the Market Drayton 10K. Not only has this race been voted the Number 1 10K race by readers of Runner's World, it is a fantastic example of community pulling together and achieving something amazing. Now all we have to do is hope for some good running weather!

Forty Miles for Lent

I've never been any good at the whole 'giving something up for Lent' thing but my decision to do something positive - to add something significant for the duration of time between Shrove Tuesday and Easter Sunday - has been really successful.

I resolved to run Forty miles for Lent. Every time I didn't feel like going out training or making the effort to get off the sofa, I thought about my Lent tally and renewed motivation had me reaching for my running shoes. Once I got back into the habit of running again it became very self supporting - the more I ran, the more I wanted to run.

Then came the snow.

I know that many runners go out in all weather conditions but the idea of contending with freezing temperatures, bitter winds and icy roads was just not that appealing. However, as soon as I could, I was back out and feel a great sense of achievement that I managed to total over 45 miles - never very fast, never very athletically, but job done.

I am loving how the calorie total for my Lent mileage is looking. Although 5,679 calories doesn't quite cover the energy value listed for the chocolate Egg that my husband surprised me with, it does feel like a relatively guilt free Easter.

These 45 miles are just the begining. I have a lot more training to put in before I feel confident about taking part in the Market Drayton 10K race this May...  but I am on my way.