Down to the Lake and Keep Right Part 1

Well after the last race at Dulwich Park, I should be writing and telling you about two more races, but I fell(in more ways than one) foul of injury( a new one at least) and to much alcohol.

After the 5k race I was training really well, I gave the Forest session a miss the day after the race, but managed to get up there on the Saturday and completed a reasonable session. Apparently on the Thursday night the group had grown to over 16 people including a well known local sporting celebrity. The Sunday after the race I did my usual long run, and then we decided we were going on a road trip to Sunny Southend.

Its been a few years since I had ventured down to the Essex Riviera and on the way I explained to Meredith the rules of pub cricket and she went on to make an impressive 42 all out. Its funny I spent years vi sting southend as a kid, but as soon as I had to drive there myself I could not remember the way, I told Meredith to sit in the front and just look for the big grey wavey stuff just below the sky and using this foolproof method we eventually found our way to the sea front. Then its time for that other great game find a parking spot, we managed to drive past a couple of Car Parks which were full, but we did finally find somewhere towards the West cliff end of town. Then we were robbed by the Parking meter, I'd really like to know where all this money goes to, cant be for the up keep on the Parking bays.

We walked down to look at the Pier and we did consider the walk to the end of the Pier to watch the turds migrating out to see, but decided that we would leave this pleasure until Meredith's mum arrives next month. The next place of high excitement that we came to was Peter Pan land and we strolled through there admiring the Essex Chavs in their finest Burberry and West Ham shirts, and that was just the kids. The next objective was to find somewhere to eat and I thought we might find a pleasant pub have something along the sea front, but the pubs were just dreadful everyone had a bunch of blokes sitting outside with tattoos and a pint of Fosters or Magners in each hand,we did not dare go into them, a bit like the guys who stopped playing darts in the American Werewolf in London film. The further we walked along the more scary they got, I think one of the pubs actually guys with UN light blue berets on the door, and when I spoke to them they said this was a worse tour than Iraq.

Eventually we did find a pub with a hotel bit attached(good luck if you ever stayed there) it did food but on a very limited scale, IE they could do a cheese omelet, but not a cheese and mushroom one. I had the worst pint of fosters in the world it just tasted dread full. We made our escape as quick as possible and then made our way back to the part of town where they had shops. Whilst walking there Meredith decided she wanted to have a go on one of those claw things where you lower it away and win a prize, after three attempts and being 60p out of pocket she gave up and we moved on. However the next arcade had a similar machine where you played fro unlimited time and were guaranteed a prize, her eyes lit up and she went for it. The evil was positioned and went down and managed to grab not one but two little cuddly tigers and they both clung on and went down the exit shoot, into Meredith's grateful hands.

Flush with success we decided to move on quite quickly and wandered up to the move civilised shopping area of town. Well I say civilised, it was slightly better than the pubs down at the other end and we did manage to find somewhere that sold ice cream and coffee in which we indulged before heading back towards the car. We did manage to spot a pub which looked a lot more civilised and next time when we come back with Meredith's mother we may try there.

After walking back to the car we drove back home and this time it was my turn to bat in pub cricket, and I made a dismal reply being 0/7 as we got back home. I claimed the game had not finished as I still had two batsmen left, but Meredith was claiming victory.

Ok this was going to be a blog about Marshalling in a race, but I have got side tracked so will continue with the Marshalling in the next blog.

Going South

I recovered fairly quickly after the last race, in fact the two training runs after the race felt so much better than the race, maybe it was the heat effecting me or maybe I have just reached that age when I'm just going to have to accept I'm going to be a slow runner from this day forth.


The feel good factor started to disappear as the week went on and by the time I got to Thursdays interval session, I was beginning to struggle and more worryingly I was beginning to get a few niggles from my troublesome hamstring. Friday night was more running with Meredith and she is coming along quite well now, not yet on World Record Schedule, but she is increasing her distance each week and managed to survive this Fridays run not looking as red as in previous weeks, a shade lighter than post box red I would say.

Saturday was the usual hill session and I felt dreadful when I got up, really dizzy and weak. I managed to get up to the Forest and do the session, but on getting home I was still feeling rough. So I just went back to bed and stayed there for the next three hours, not getting up until 3.30, by which time my plan to go to a pub to watch the Lions game was over, judging by the result I probably would have walked out in disgust anyway.

Sunday morning a long run was planned with Barry at the Forest, but he rang about 8.30am to tell me that he could not move to far away from his bathroom so had to give the run a miss. So I sat about for about for about half an hour and then went out on the road by myself, again I felt dread full but managed to keep pushing on and I eventually covered 7 miles. Meredith also got her run in early and we decided to go into London to look at cooking pots and pans.

We had some vouchers for House of Fraser and wanted to get either Frying pans or Pyrex type stuff. Well I've never shopped for pans before only ever had them given to me, and I was shocked at the Price of them a Jamie Oliver pan £60, I thought I could by Jamie himself for that price. Raymond Blanc was even dearer, I think I was going to go for good old tefal. Eventually after walking endless laps of the Pans department we decided we could not carry both pans and dishes at the same time, the decision was to go for dishes and we elected to buy two Le creuset dishes. Now these thing weigh a ton and for the next 2 hours I was lugging this huge lump of French dish all over London, adding this to my long list of reasons why I don't like the french.

After two hours of weight training and shopping we found our way to China town to eat, my usual method of picking a restaurant in China Town is either go into one in which I have not been ill or fallen down the stairs or plan B look for the one with the most chickens hanging in the window. Now I am sensible and married I did not want to admit Plan A to Meredith and as she is vegetarian Plan B was out, so we opted for Plan c that ones got a nice name. The food was OK, but they always serve the beer in small glasses, Meredith was more impressed with her coke can which was in French(arrrrghhh reason 45 They are writing on our coke cans).

For some reason I decided to walk back to Liverpool Street we somehow ended up in Drury Lane and walked past the Happy go Lucky Funeral Parlour, which just looks a great place. I want them to sort out my funeral and have Morrissey singing last of the famous international playboys and then leave my body on the running track to be slowly eaten by the sparrows and vultures(not sure if we have vultures in Romford, well not the feathered type). We eventually got back to Liverpool Street where I had one more beer whilst we watched the last overs of the 20/20 cricket final, before catching the train home.

The Race

OK onto the Race, this took place on Wednesday 24th June at Dulwich Park, it was over the distance of 5k and organised by Dulwich runners. They did a great job of organising the race and I've never seen so many Marshall's patrolling a course well done.

After getting changed at work I walked across to London Bridge station, I always get a bit twitchy half way across London Bridge as I realise I am going out of my comfort zone and going into the Badlands of South London, but I was big and brave and stepped across the border and marched onto to the station. I was somewhat surprised that they accepted real £ s at the station for the purchase of a ticket I was expecting to have to hand over some strange South London currency or sing the theme to only fools and horses.

The train was also a surprise, firstly that they had trains and that it was not drawn by a horse or slave children kidnapped from North London. It was only a 15 minute trip deep into the Southlands and I got off at North Dulwich. The station was really depressing like one of those at the end of the line in New York which just two dark platforms either side, no advertising, no shops, no sign of anyone working on the station. I walked upstairs to the exit, I must have closed my eyes for a brief second and missed the Narniaesque gateway that passed through, because as I got out of the station it green and pleasant just like the North. there were trees everywhere and signs pointing to the Park.

I managed to find my way into the Park and down to the start area, but I now had over an hour and a quarter until the start time, so I just lay back on the grass a bit and listen to the race organiser babbling on a bit. Its amazing what irrelevant facts these guys can come up with, but it kept me amused until it was time to warm up for the race. I had a very slow walk jog around part of the course checking out the 1 and 2k markers and trying to work out how we got from the start to the 2k point.

Whilst warming up, the kids 1 mile fun run started and it was great to see so many youngsters finishing the mile course, I thought kids didn't run anymore its was all on the Wii, just shows you cant believe all you read in the papers.

As of the previous race my hamstring was still very tight and sore and after changing into my yellow vest again, I spent a food 10 minutes trying to stretch my hamstrings. My problem has been the right one, but today the left one felt just as bad. During the stretching I got into a conversation with a guy from Crystal Palace running club and it was the usual, both feel bad not expecting much etc etc. I managed to get a bit nearer to the front of the start line this time only about three rows back, my theory being that in a 5k race I'd have less chance to get past people, but there were still the usual joggers and ipod wearers in front of me.

I probably made a faster start than usual,(well it seemed fast) but already the elite boys were flying up the road, leaving us joggers behind in a cloud of dust. The field had broken up very quickly and by about 500 metres I was already running on my own, my friend Alison who had come to watch shouted out hello and I gave her a wave before trying to close up on the group in front. The first 1k felt OK, but as part of this was downhill I expected it to be so.

I was determined not to look at my watch during the race, so therefore tried to close my eyes as we went past the finishing line and the clock was there, but as we were not at a relevant part I stole a sneaky glance and saw a time which obviously meant nothing. Somewhere after the 1k mark we had doubled back and we were now approaching the 2k mark. I was still running on my own but was managing to close in on the guy ahead of me. Just after passing 2k we headed out of the park onto the dangerous roads of South London, once again it was a downhill part of the course and I was beginning to worry as we had now gone downhill twice now, there must be an uphill section to come at some point, and as it was only a 5k race that point was going to be pretty soon.

As we turned into the scenic part of village I had closed to within 5 yards of the guy in front of me , and we were then going past a pub, I must have drifted into a dream like state in which Davy's Old Wallop was 3p a pint and Cheesy chips came free because as we turned into the park the guy in front of me was now 10 yards away and getting further away, and to make it worse we were now going uphill. It was not a big uphill but it was a gradual climb and for some reason I seem to have lost any ability I had for going uphill, my stride completely goes and I just plod ever slowly upwards. My fellow competitors must have realised this as they latched onto me and all of a sudden I had about 3 guys around me, but within about 50 yards they were already getting away from me. I felt dreadful maybe I'd be at the Happy go Lucky Funeral Parlour sooner than expected, but now we were at 4k and surely I could make the last 1k without losing to many places.

Another guy goes past me and its my mate from the hamstring stretches, he told me he was feeling rough and he is going past me, I'm not having this so I decide to dig in with him and we have now reached the top of the uphill and its all downhill now. I'm trying to stretch out to the finish and I'm closing in on him. we go round the bend and the finish is in site and for a moment I think about launching a glorious Ovett like sprint finish. Then I realised even at the peak of my powers I never had a glorious sprint finish, so I just tried to stride out and catch hamstring guy, but he saw me coming and put in a burst of his own and just held me off as we crossed the line. For the second race running my watch failed to stop but I think it said 19.15,when I checked with hamstring guy he confirmed this, but also told me he was disappointed as he expected to run low 18 minutes. I was really pleased as this was my fastest 5k since reaching the old gits category.

Alison was waiting for me at the finish and told me how impressed she was as the only time she had attempted at 5k it had taken her 50 odd minutes, but this was all to do with her sister being so slow. After jogging for a bit Alison and I wandered off to the pub which we just reached before the masses arrive and we were able to grab a beer or two before I took the train back to the good old North.

When the official results came through I actually manged 19.14 so was even more pleased.

OK two weeks to the next race now, my own clubs promotion, The Newman Hilly 5, with my hatred of hills you can guess how much I'm looking forward to that one.

It aint arf hot Mum

Well the race day has now come and gone, and although I was slightly disappointed that I did not run as fast as last year(only 7 seconds slower) I survived injury free and managed to achieve my main time target for the race.

My training up to the race was OK, the Sunday before I did my longest run so far 9.25 miles according to Neils wonderful watch thingy. My not so wonderful legs were telling me it was nearer 19 miles, but rather than be called a Luddite again I only logged 9 miles in the diary.

The next few days were taken up with a couple of steady runs, however after getting home on Wednesday Meredith (my wife) told me she wanted to run with me. She has never run before, but I decided to throw her in at the deep end and take her up to Hainault Forest. Well never having run before she did pretty well and managed to follow me around a muddy slightly hilly 3/4 of a mile route, only stopping twice once when she was the plaything of a dog called Benson who suddenly bounded out of the bushes and once because she was tired. If she keeps going like this I've told her I'm entering in a race by the end of the year.

Thursday night was meant to be a big beer session, but Mr Crowe and the RMT had other ideas and whilst I probably could have got across town, I did not fancy the hassle of trying to get home on buses and stuff with a massive hangover.

I've taken on a huge job looking at the Ilford AC Road Race Best ever times and after looking on the Internet and e mailing members I'd run out of information. It was suggested the library might have copies of the local paper, so I spent 2 hours looking on a micro fische machine for Race Results, it was very interesting even found a mention of myself. However in 2 hours I only managed to look through a year and a quarter of papers. Going to be a long job.

The Race
It was the London Chest Hospital 10k and it took place in Victoria Park. I like racing in Victoria Park and back in the good old days I did a lot of my best times there. I went to the race with Meredith and my mum to give me support. We left about 9.45am and already it was beginning to get warm. Luckily I only had two pints the day before, prior to switching to multiple pints of vimto in the evening.

As we walked into the Park there were some guys from British Military fitness using this huge industrial machine to inflate the start funnel, I imagine there are old military types who would say back in our day we used to blow that up with our own breath and then run the race with backpack on and boots. How times change.

Made our way down to the registration point to get my name ticked off so I would have a chip time, all very professional these days and based on the results(more later) I don't mind paying a extra few £ race entry fee. Then it was time to warm up, warm up it was 80 odd degrees why did I need to warm up so I just stretched the hamstrings and calves. God I felt terrible, what was I doing here, I should be in bed.

Right no going back now despite feeling dreadful, put on my new Adidas racing vest which is an extremely bright yellow, I hope I have a reasonable run , or else I'm going to look a right idiot in this vest. Maybe jogging down to the start will make my legs better, but no they are both still not responding.

At the start line the military have done a great job with blowing up the giant starting funnel and we then have to move about a bit to position ourselves for the off. I tend to hang back a bit these days and let people go haring off, but when a couple who are dressed as the two guys off the 118 adverts try and start in front of me I realise I'm a bit to far back and move slightly forward.

Well the gun or hooter went off and I was almost flattened in the stampede to get over the starting line, but just managed to stay on my feet and start my stopwatch. The leaders went flying off soon to be out of sight, also those people who had clearly no idea about running made flying starts. I just jog across the line sniggering to myself that a lot of them would fall into my grasp as the race went on.

The first kilometer was spent zig zagging people who had blown up already and trying to get myself in contention with a group so that I could be pulled along. There were a couple of members from my former club just ahead of me , and I was trying to latch onto that group, but my legs would not respond. I hate looking at the Kilometer markers along the side of the course, but was worried when the 2k mark, did not show. Was I really feeling this bad already ? We then turned a bend and the 3k marker was smiling at me, those damn marker thieves must have been up to their pesky business again.

Going past 3k we were back onto the home straight and I was given words of encouragement from Meredith and Mum, by this time I was in a little group of three or four. The old guy in yellow shoes from Phoenix, Little Blue T Shirt Boy and Someone in a white t shirt with loads of small writing that I could not read on his back. God I still felt awful, and I was already counting laps, 3k done so that's 7 to go. 2.5 laps per K so therefore 17.5 laps of the track to go. Agrrh.

Just before 4k we pass the guy with the microphone telling how great we are going(tell my legs this) at 4k is a drinks station, I don't normally take drinks but its so damn hot I need one today. Phoenix guy also decides he needs a drink and shoots in front on me almost stopping to get his drink. I manage to get one also and pour the whole lot over my head, not sure if this was a good move as I'now soaked and the water has got between my sunglasses and my eyes so cant see where I'm going. The group is now beginning to break up with Phoenix and Blue shirt pushing on, I manage to go with them. We start to catch the group in front which contains a guy as old as phoenix guy(maybe he has risen from the flames more than once) the new guy in royal blue kit is so annoying every time we get level with him he puts in a little burst. approaching 5k now time to have a look at my watch 20.15 wanted to be quicker than that under 20 at least. Oh well 5k done, only 5k to go 2.5 x 5 only 12.5 laps left.Work damn you legs.

Getting to 6k now and past the football pitches again, ahhh the lapped runners are starting to appear now, and we have to begin to pick our way around them. Phoenix is still with me and Royal Blue is still putting in his annoying bursts. Why cant he either sprint off or drop off the back of the group ? Back down to the home straight and Meredith and Mum are still at the same point offering advise. I'm now at the front of the group with royal blue and he is still annoying me, I put in a little burst of my own and he does not respond neither does Phoenix. I'm Free yeahhh.

Back past the announcer again now and he is still talking. What does he find so interesting? Maybe he is watching telly instead of the race. 7k now and we are at the drink station again. I decide more water is needed and again pour it over my head, soaking for the second time. I'm now virtually on my own and rapidly catching people in front of me. There are more and more lapped runners and I have to weave in and out of them. There's Mr and Mrs 118, they did well to get this far, but think it will be a while before they finish. I wonder if they are scarred of Goats?. We all know Ray Parker Junior isn't.

Along the back straight now and I'm still passing people, I think somebody is hanging on with me unless its the Goats or maybe Phoenix has risen again. Now at 8k time to look at my watch again 32.49 mmmh OK, I wanted to be there at sub 32.30,so I'm further adrift of schedule. I'm still not feeling great, but am going past people all the time, but its increasingly difficult to get past the lapped runners and pick out the faster runners ahead of me.

Past the football pitches for the last time, Why are people playing football in June anyway?. Its the cricket season, it should be the gentle sound of willow on leather reverberating through the park, instead its footballers abusing a ref. anyway back at the race we have reached 9k, not far now. I've finished going past people now, and someone is still sitting on my shoulders. Into the long finishing straight and everyone gets ready for the big finish. I cant be bothered with that these days, 15 years ago I may have cared if anyone came past me, but not now. So ita maintaining my pace up to the finish, possibly losing 2 places and stop my watch at 40.56. Not bad, the aim 3 weeks ago was sub 42 mins, so that was achieved. but then I start thinking I ran 40.45 last year so would like to have run quicker. That's a typical runners response never satisfied.

I picked up my medal, which is destined for the bin, grabbed a bottle of water and then was almost overcome with the fumes from the burger stand, I had to get away quickly or else yesterdays Vimto was going to make a quick reappearance. I jogged a little bit to place where Meredith and Mum had last been, and eventually found them. We took a slow walk back to the car passing two pubs on the way which looked very tempting, but sitting outside in wet Lycra leggings was probably not my best look so we decided to drive straight home.

On getting home I logged onto to the race website to find out where the race results would be published, I read something about a text being sent if you had given your mobile number with your entry form. I switched on my phone and immediately received a text telling ME I had run 40.57 for 40th place. It also gave the correct website for the full race results and I was then able to confirm my position, my chip time 40.52 and that I had finished 11th in the over 40s category.

Ok enough for now next race planned a 5k on 24th June at Dulwich, so look out for next update.

One Week To go

One week to go until the 3rd race of the year and although the training is going well the Hamstring is getting tight and I'm spending more and more time sitting on the tennis ball at work.

The injury happended about 3 months ago in the Essex Road Relays, I was running in the B team and was running on the second leg, the lead man bought us in about 15th, and I set off with 2 people immediately in front of me. At the time(and probably still applicable now) I was very unfit, but the two in front of me were even slower and I managed to catch them within 200 yards, hold on whats going on here passing people feeling good, maybe the glory days are back after all.

Within the next quarter of a mile reality struck home as first some guy in a hideous bright yellow vest came past me, then some young girl in a pair of spray on shorts came past. Despite now feeling crap I still maintain a little bit of pride and did not want the girl getting away from me, so I set off in pursuit. Now the relay course is around contry lanes with lots of twists and turns and spray shorts started to get further away from me with every twist and turn and by the time I'd got to about 1.5 miles she was now 150 yards ahead and going away.

Now I was thinking tired, nobody to chase and nightmares of the whole field coming from behind to overtake me, but as we went around the next bend spray shorts appeared to be a bit nearer and not only that there were two people just ahead of her, if I could only speed up a bit I might catch one of them. Over the next 5 minutes I got gradually closer and as we came to the down hill section I was within 10 yards of three of them, it was then that my hamstring gave me a gentle reminder not to be so stupid as it decided to completly cramp up on me.

If it had been a staright race I would have stopped then, but being a relay I had to hobble on over the last mile, every twist and turn and up and down the kerb was agony, but surprisingly nobody had yet come past me and I was actually closing in on someone. The final part of the race was actually on the grass and there was someone from the club standing there shouting" go on you can have him, use your track speed" FUCK OFF track speed cant you see I'm on one leg and I have not stepped on a track for 10 years, but you can make it look as if you are trying so I pumped my arms a bit which only made me go even slower, until I almost fell over the line.

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Needless to say I was the slowest in the B team 23.34 for a course that I once ran 16.42 round, although I'm told its now a little bit longer.

A couple of days later it was back to physio for more buttock prodding and another set of exercises to start doing, why is it that as soon as you get home you completly forget the exercises that you have just been shown.

Since then it has been another very gradual build up starting off with only running a mile a day, but gradually increasin the miles, until I've reached 30 odd miles for the last 3 weeks including two hill sessions a week.

During last weeks hill session the hamstring started to tighten, I managed to finish the session, but am a bit concerned that it is going to go again in next sundays race.

Oh well thats it for now, I'll update you all after next sundays race, I hope to beat the 40.45 I ran last year.