Portsmouth Lakeside 5k Race 5 28/08/2013

To blog or not to blog, that is the question.

It was only a short local race so I wasn't sure if I should blog about it, what could possibly be interesting about a race that should last less than 20 minutes? As it turned out the race was quite eventful from start to finish.

The Portsmouth Lakeside 5k was the fifth race in the series. It attracts a lot of club runners and out of the 242 entrants Amanda Ware (Victory Vixen) and I were 2 of just 37 competitors unaffiliated with a club. This could only mean one thing, most of these runners are going to be good!

Nursing a tweaky groin I was sceptical about any kind of PB, plus it was an evening race which meant I felt sluggish and tired by the time we went to register at Hilsea Lido. My PB for 5k is an unofficial 19 minutes 25 Seconds (although I did have to stop the Garmin when I stopped at traffic lights, and I am pretty sure I could have hurled a lung up at the end of it) which meant sub 6 minute 20 second miles to beat it, I felt neither spritely enough nor in the right fitness frame of mind to deliver this performance so I settled on the old adage of just enjoying the race and anything under 21 minutes would be nice.

Only two things were really un-organised about the race, and both are only noted with the utmost of tongue planted firmly in cheek. The first was that new registration was met with only one pen to furnish an increasing crowded table of eager singlet wearing runners, with the start time looming, mouth frothing anxiety and twitchy bottomed impatience meant that the holy grail of pens was awaited like a drinks order at a packed bar. The problem finally resolved with the introduction of another pen, never before has a pen been met with a ripple of excited applause. The second un-organised thing was the start, again not the fault of the organisers really but you will understand why shortly.

So all signed up and numbers pinned on we all head to the start, official cheerers on and supporters for the night are Justine Bennett, Jessica Bennett and Nik Bone. It’s a beautiful evening and the sun is still warm but a nice cool breeze will make things comfortable for running. It’s not going to be the most scenic route in the world as it is run around the old IBM building, it will however be flat, hmmm perhaps I might get close to a PB after all.

The start is a packed sweaty affair, the usual odour of deep heat and athlete perspiration fills the air, and talk of ridiculously fast times chatters about. Looking around I try and settle in next to people of the same ilk, they are looking for about 22 minutes so I happily snuggle in the scrum and make sure the watch is ready to go. Mandy gets into the queue behind and we wait for the off.

Countdown from 5 and a Mexican wave of watch bleeps sounds out to an explosive start, this is where maybe slightly better organisation could have ensured there was no problems, the start line had a funneled effect rather than being spread out across the path, this meant that a lot of runners were trying to jostle for position at a very fast pace, this could only mean one thing, trip, fall, crash, luckily it wasn't me but the sound of knee’s hitting floor juddered through my ears. This wasn't solely the organisers fault as this final race in the series had attracted far more than the other races, and more than they had anticipated (probably hence pen-gate). I skipped and swerved past runners and trees until I found enough space to set off properly. It certainly felt fast, I had already decided I was going to go balls out and see where it got me, get a good first mile in and then let the other 2.1 miles tag along at the end.

So the first mile, I am already making noises like I am having some kind of attack, there are two lads in front of me and when I say lads I mean they are about 10 years old, I have a little giggle to myself because they have obviously gone off way to fast and there is no way they can maintain this pace. We weave in and out of buildings running on tarmac and occasional bridge wood, my watch beeps at the first mile and I glance down for my time, 6 minute 54 second mile, gutted, I thought the pace was a lot faster and I now know that it’s impossible to get anywhere near my PB, I glance again to make sure, it’s not 6.54, it’s 5.54! Bloody hell! This is by far the fastest mile I have ever ran and I actually feel ok, just two more miles and I can be set for greatness. The two kids ahead don’t seem to be tiring yet, but I make it my goal to catch up with them soon, surely they can’t run sub 6 minute miles for 5k.

The race is a strange one for me, there is no chatting or encouragement from my fellow runners, the reason is obvious, longer distances, and the people who run at my speed generally have time to have a chat because we are not busting a gut to get to the finish, here however everyone is running to the limit of their fitness. I feel sorry for the people around me who have to listen to the noises leaving my mouth, the only thing I can think of that is similar is when Richard Attenborough is filming from a beach where Walruses are mating, it kind of starts low but then ends high and breathless.

The second mile is coming up, I know I have slowed a little, and I still haven’t caught those bloody kids up yet, I clock the second mile at 6 minutes 23 seconds, I am well happy with that, it means another sub 6.30 mile and I will be close to my PB, spurred on I start to track down the abnormally fast nippers ahead, I have already succumbed to the idea that these kids are bloody good and haven’t gone off too fast at all, the energy and exuberance of youth makes me wish I continued running from their age, instead of giving up in my teens and starting again as a porky 15 stone 34 year old 3 years ago.  

My legs are getting weary now, lack of practice and not being match fit means I am waning a bit, I have a word with my legs (as I often do in races, ‘come on legs’ said repeatedly) and this boosts me for a while, I catch and overtake 2 or 3 people and as I get closer to the finish line, a sign approaches saying only 400 metres to go, just one lap of a track and I am home, I put another spurt on and realise I have gone way too early for a sprint finish, I slow down a bit just as a guy runs past pats my bum and says ‘come on’. Widening my stride I start bounding next to him, my sprint finish is going to be terrible as I have pretty much sprinted the whole race, I keep alongside as we near the finish line, I can see the Pittman/Ware support team ahead, shouting encouragement and commanding orders of a sprint, I persuade one last little bit of effort out of my weary pins and I cross the finish line. I stop my watch and don’t even look down to see the time as I half lie, half collapse on the grass.    

I think I could have stayed that way for a while, in fact I probably would have done if it wasn’t for the fact that I was being dry retched on from above by other finishers. I lift myself up check my time, I didn't look at my last mile as I only had a hundred metres or so to get to the finish line, it came in at 6.24 which made my total time an unofficial 19 minutes 16 seconds (later to updated on the website to 19 minutes 18 seconds), so that was it, I had set two PB’s in one night, fastest mile I have ever ran, and fastest 5k beating my old time by 6 seconds. I jog back to the girls and wait for Mandy, not long after, we spy her in the distance and shout her over the line in a great time of 26 minutes 45 seconds.

For anyone wondering about the nippers in the race, it looks like they finished in times of 17.42 and 18.44 now that is fast!

80^th out of 242 runners, or as I like to call it, the top third. Who knows, there could well be a sub 40 minute 10k lurking in these middle aged bones somewhere after all.

Minley Brutal10 20k 17/08/2013

So I left it a week to blog about this one. It was a knee jerk enter on the day type race. The weather had been nice and the write up sounded fantastic, and I quote

‘These events will make you wish you had never taken up exercise. Each event is exactly 10Km long and uses only natural obstacles such as hills, steep hills and flat hills. There are often water obstacles, mud, uneven ground, and hills.’

The photos on the website showed knee high and waist high water, mud, hills, and the Facebook page showed steps and a bridge to run up and down. All in all it looked like a bloody good challenge. There was 4 different types of event on the day, firstly the dog race, then the 5k, 10k, and the race I entered for 20k.

I had just bought new running shoes, which at the moment are still shiny and glowing majestically in reflective orange and blue, I still have my old Mizuno’s but on inspection of the course and what it entailed thought it best to dig deep into the carrier bags of the porch in search for my mud laden runners, still caked in half of Winchesters countryside from Tough Mudder in March. A few bangs on the front wall and my mud hardened, holey, split, knackered, smelly Mizuno inspire 8’s were ready to traipse around 12.4 miles of grueling terrain.

The event was in Minley, which is just near Camberley, I had a look online and the entry price was reasonable at £21 (or pay on the day £25). Considering the write up this sounded good value for money and another endurance race to tick off of the list.

Upon arrival we were directed to park in a field just next to the start/finish line. Everything was very well marshaled and set out, there was a viewing point not too far away where family and friends could see you at least twice during the race, and all of the expected amenities to fuel any appetites.

Kitted up and race number adorned we set off for the warm up, high knee’s, running on the spot and chasing imaginary piglets meant we were all set for the off. The dog race went first, about 20 or so dogs bounded into the distance as there owners got pulled behind like a tin can on a wedding car, I’m not sure if the dogs would be a help or a hindrance on the course, I kinda fancy having one help me up the hills, it’s the downhill’s I would worry about, I am captain clumsy at the best of times, it takes all my effort to stay on my feet as it is running downhill, let alone behind pulled forward by a hyperactive hound, I would be arse over elbow and in the drink just in time for the photographer to capture the front page photo for next years website.

So speaking of going in the drink, I ask the organiser what the water is like on the course, ‘there are drink stops around, plus some at the start and finish’, ahh not quite what I meant, I mean as an obstacle, I saw on the website chest high water ‘no there are no water obstacles on this course’ .. Great !! (Sarcastic) .. I look down at my weathered runners, my toes give me a friendly wave through the holes, little do they know of the relative comfort they could have been in having new cushioned pillows snugged tight around them, caressing them, as they take me over 12.4 miles of wooded forest and hills, instead they are now about to get battered on a trail run of hard ground surrounded in rock hard, worn material and ferocious air conditioning.

So on to the race, there are a lot of people running for charity and the mood is light and cheery, the 10k and 20k race start at the same time and with an obligatory 5,4,3,2,1 we are off !! The race is two laps of 10k and starts off in a field then runs into woods, the scenery is amazing, zig zagging through the trees, the course is well laid out and there are marshals at every point where you could go wrong, yellow arrows tell you which way to go and are frequent. The ground underfoot is awesome, 99% trail and through the woods it is bouncy due to the pine needles and mulch.

I run much of the first half on my own, the hills are short and sharp but there are no obstacles to speak of, in fact there are no real hills to speak of, nothing that would make you stop and walk a while anyway. The sun is out and it has turned out to be a really hot day. The shade of the woods is lovely and cool and mixes perfectly with the heat of the sun as you break out into openings, the whole event is very picturesque but as yet has offered little challenge.

Around about 8k there is a bridge, a steep hill ensures that you look suitably red and sweaty for the spectators to cheer you on and take photos of you at the top. Running down a hill the other side you run back under the bridge and round, here there are some steps to power up and then towards the spectators again, down the steps and disappear into the tree’s. This was enough to suck the wind out of your sails but the legs were still plenty full of running.

 More uphill zig zag’s and just the last mile left, this consisted of much the same, a few mildly undulating hills and a turn to the finish. This is where I spot my first Fartleker victim, running past the start line with cheers of ‘come on Andy’ and ‘go on Daddy’ in my ears I spot Tough Mudder shirt up ahead. The first 10k was about 51 minutes, not bad for this type of course and on track for a sub 1.45 total. I put my best leg forward and aim for the black and orange shirt about 300 yards ahead. Obviously being a two lap race the second is exactly the same as the first, the only difference is now I have targets to aim for. I chew down on a shot blok and stride on. As I have said the scenery is absolutely beautiful, this is why I run these types of events, being a bit of a nature geek I love running through woods and fields, this is why 90% of my runs are cross country, if this event had been advertised as a trail run I would have been waxing lyrical about it, anyway more of that later.

I catch up with Mr Tough Mudder shirt after about a mile or so, it’s nice because we are running at about the same pace and can have a chat for a bit, I am feeling pretty good so stretch on after another couple of miles or so. I gradually overtake a few more runners and a couple of the dog racers, I bound up the bridge again and spot the photographer who doesn’t quite catch the trademark heel click but gets close enough. I look behind and there is no one catching me up, I look ahead and can’t see anyone either, I am running on my own again but I don’t mind as the finish is nearly here, rounding the corner Jessica comes running towards me to hold my hand for the home straight. Now I DO have a quick look over my shoulder, I am not massively competitive (contrary to popular belief) ‘but’, if there was anyone there behind me Jessica would have just got a high five as I powered past for a sprint finish, luckily there wasn't so I grabbed her little paw and we ran over the finish line together in a time of 1.43.59 and 17^th place out of 80 runners.

Rounding the funnel I was expecting to see someone smiling with a medal and goody bag, no one was there, I turned around to see if I had missed them, but nope nothing!!

Now this is why I waited a week to write this, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just being a bling chaser or a t-shirt hunter, I love running, it is definitely my passion, but if I enter a race I would like at least something to show that I have done it. Most of the small/low priced races have some kind of momentum given out, and to be fair the price of admission for this race really did warrant something other than just being a well marshalled trail race. I could have brought a t shirt at the end of the race but I feel this is an unnecessary additional expense. I would understand if the race was as advertised but unfortunately it fell way short of making me ‘wish you had never taken up exercise’  and the hills were not traumatic ‘hills, steep hills and flat hills’  and there was no water obstacles or mud to be seen (ok the mud wasn’t there due to the good weather).

So all in all a pretty disappointing blog, perhaps Minley just wasn't the right location to warrant a race to be called ‘Brutal’, it was a cracking trail run but considering the price and the fact there was no medal/shirt/goody bag, I would suggest just finding your own run in a woods near your house.