It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Well, that's not really true, it's all been quite good this month. Over the last four weeks I've enjoyed a nice little routine of running a relaxed trail marathon each weekend at a variety of locations within easy reach of home with a very familiar cast of fellow runners, almost as if the same event with the same runners has been transplanted to a different place each time. The aim has been to get more miles in my legs without pushing myself too hard ahead of a few road marathons in the autumn at which I will aim to record some reasonable times.
First up was the Vanguard Way marathon which follows part of the eponymous trail southwards from Croydon on an out and back basis. On driving around the M25 over the years I had often looked at the imposing rise of the North Downs and wondered how I would manage a run on the terrain; today was the day I found out! Soon after the start I had some severe stomach cramps which had me trying to spot suitably discreet locations within residential South Croydon for an emergency stop, however the feeling passed quite quickly and I was able to continue without further discomfort. The topology of the trail meant that, although it was generally hilly, we had two major descents on the way out but of course the reverse in the second half. They really were tough in both directions and the constant undulation of the route did draw the strength from my legs eventually but I was pleased with how I coped mentally being completely on my own for the entire return portion. On a few occasions as I neared the finish I had to stop to work out the correct route as I didn't want to add any additional mileage but was able to think clearly enough to make the right decision each time. On quite a warm day this was a satisfying, if slow, run and overall I was pleased. Cue shimmering effect, sunny south London fades out...
... blustery and somewhat overcast Wiltshire fades in. The Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1 is a fantastic event offering options at 10k, half-marathon, 30k, marathon and 50k with the longest route taking in five rivers, four hills, three large country estates, two castles and one cathedral, not to mention a horse racing course and an ancient yew forest. The tail end of hurricane Bertha was still making itself felt which meant occasional high gusts and rain but it was nothing extreme. Again this was a gently paced effort in which I felt strong right through to the end and was able to keep going at a satisfactory rate throughout. Mandy took the opportunity to run the 10k and managed to find a bonus mile or two and so gained full value for money! Shimmering fades to...
... cloudy but warm Hertfordshire for Leila's Run, an event held in memory of a 100 Marathon Club member consisting of a repeated 6.7 mile loop which was one of her favourite training runs. Four loops resulted in an official marathon finish but there was the option to stop after any complete loop and still receive a finishers medal. I travelled up for this with a carload of marathon stalwarts; Danny, Martin, Pete and Dean. Dean and I can muster just over 100 completed marathons between us, the other three have a combined total of over 1700, the accurate figure is unclear as Pete has stopped counting! Pete and I enjoy a friendly running rivalry, our current best performances at all distances are very similar which results in some good-natured banter during races but also has the effect of pushing both of us on if we both happen to have a good day. I spent the early part if the run trying to keep Pete in view as he set off at a blistering (for us) pace but slowly reeled him in and went past towards the end of lap one telling him that I was feeling very strong, which was not quite true! The impetus provided by wanting to stay ahead of him pushed me through laps two and three until on completing the third circuit I spotted him in his car. He had decided to call it a day at the half-marathon point meaning that I had been pushing myself in an attempt to stay ahead of someone who wasn't even still in the race. Immediately I felt ill and the prospect of the final lap was a bit daunting but I managed to hike my way round with occasional jogging interludes at a very slow pace. It was very interesting to note how my mental resolve to push myself evaporated once I didn't have the rivalry to drive me but I was pleased with the way I just got the job done. Here's that shimmering effect again, fading to...
... opulent south-west London on a pleasant late summer morning for the Thames Meander, a flat trail run along the river from Kingston-upon-Thames to Putney Bridge and back again. As this marathon starts at the same location an hour after Kingston parkrun a few of us thought it would be a good idea to undertake the 5k event as a sort of warm-up and so I trotted comfortably through this in 27:44 running the last mile with Martin, one of the many constant cast members over these four weeks. The marathon itself proceeded without drama, the additional few miles in advance of the run didn't seem to make too much difference, more of a challenge was the finish which took us back past the start/finish area at the 24 mile point for a mini out-and-back in the opposite direction, meaning that those still running were taunted by the sight of the earlier finishers relaxing on the grass enjoying the food and drink on offer as we gritted out teeth for the painful yards. At this point I was hoping to see Mandy, who had run her first half-marathon, in order to find out how she had done but she wasn't around, however a friend told me they had run it together successfully. I had no doubt she would complete it but it was reassuring to have it confirmed.
My approach to these August runs was just to get the miles in my legs without any pace pressure and to work on mental toughness. The nature of trail marathons mean you are likely to have figurative as well as literal ups and downs and I purposely ran them without music and on my own for at least the second half in order to have to face and come through any negative phases solely from within myself and in that respect I am satisfied with the way it all worked out. My times improved throughout but that is more a reflection of the ever flatter nature of the successive courses rather than any improvement in my running.
3rd August 2014 Vanguard Way 5:36:12 #41
10th August 2014 Salisbury 5-4-3-2-1 4:49:08 #42
17th August 2014 Leila's Run 4:44:48 #43
23rd August 2014 Thames Meander 4:27:58 #44
