The Great Langdale Half Marathon

The time had come around when one of my drunken evening moments of madness caught me up, and I was having to travel to the Langdale Valley in the Lake District to partake in the Great Langdale Half Marathon.  I had images of a beautiful setting, with undulating hills, as well as a perfect weekend to myself when I booked it.  In reflection, I would say undulating hills was stretching the truth somewhat, but all the other boxes were ticked.  So on a Thursday evening after having a meal with an old friend, I made my way to Victoria Coach station, and took the overnight bus to Preston, where I was to catch a connecting train to Windermere Friday morning.  All else from here was purely whimsical, I just had to get to a campsite in Great Langdale at my own pace, rest up, and be ready for the big day Saturday morning.

Windermere

Sitting at Ambleside Pier

My home from home

The trip up was long and arduous, but I managed to get a lot of broken sleep along the way, and didn't feel too bad when I finally arrived in Windermere.  From here, as it was still early, and there was no-where open for breakfast, I decided to walk to Ambleside and get my fill at the pier on Windermere's (the lake) edge.  I stocked up on provisions, and then managed to find a bus that would take me the whole journey down to the campsite, where I hired a wooden pod for two nights.  It was simplistic, but all I needed to bring was my sleeping and cooking gear, therefore no tent.  It was also rather quaint, spacious, and after I learnt it wasn't ready when I arrived... newly fitted with electricity, therefore coming with a light and a heater, not to mention the all important plug to keep my phone charged throughout.

On learning that I had a wait ahead of me before moving into my little home, the campsite owners were kind enough to look after my large backpack, while I filled a smaller one with what I needed to spent a few hours in the sunshine, up upon the Langdale Pikes... and this was to be a rest day.

Langdale Pikes viewed from Side Pike <click to enlarge>

The Langdale Pikes are a collection of several peaks that form a very picturesque view from the valley.  The complexity in the shape of their tops all grouped so closely together gives the impression of a mountain gone wrong.  I headed up the Old Dungeon Ghyll path towards Loft Crag, then followed the ridge to Pike of Stickle; across to Harrison Stickle, before opting to stay on the edge, and avoid the boggy ground, heading to Pavey Ark, and coming back to ground via Stickle Tarn.

A picture paints a thousand words:

View from Pike of Stickle <click to enlarge>

Harrison Stickle from Loft Crag

Stickle Tarn coming down from Pavey Ark

Harrison Stickle from Stickle Tarn

Pavey Ark from Stickle Tarn

Stickle Ghyll

Lingmoor Fell from Stickle Ghyll

Another view up to the Langdale Pikes

Good morning world

Anyway, I fear I may find myself digressing too much on what I did other than what I ran.  To be fair, it's rude not too, as you can see, all was stunning, and I didn't have much care for anything in the world while I was out there.  I read up on the weather forecast for the next day, as you do, and it read that it was going to be far nicer the next day.  So with that comforting thought in mind, I supped a few ales, and ate a nice pie at the local pub, and headed off to a nice pre-heated cabin with the anticipation of what the morning may bring.

I wasn't to be disappointed, and with a hop and a skip in my step, I was soon up, showered and fed ready for what the day had in store for me.  The deal with this event is pretty much two things; a/. it is not by any stretch of the imagination going to be easy, so don't worry about your time, and b/. you could enter the one lap half marathon, or if you are crazy enough, opt for the two lap full marathon.  I am in training for a full marathon, so didn't fancy the idea of doing the one lap twice over... and with hindsight, stick to this principal.

After the first kilometre, it was simply one direction

It was sunny, little breeze in the air, but just chilly enough to not consider things to be all too warm for the event.  As approximately 500 runners all milled together on a tight country road, with traffic queueing in frustration that they weren't able to get to their start point for the days walking, the clock struck noon, and we were unleashed onto the roads proper to complete a circuit with only one way to return... 13.1 miles forwards and round the back of Lingmoor Fell to the start/finish proper.

The first two miles were possibly the hardest I have ever attempted yet, as there was a less gentle ascent over 2km in length.  People were already slowing to a walk as the gradient took its toll.  I insisted on running, but I wasn't catching those walking in front all too quick.  It was slow, and a serious slap in the face to let you know what you had let yourself in for.  Once over the top, a well loved water break was had and the course undulated along until near halfway a marshal stood in the middle of the road and ushered us up a smaller road to the side, which simply went up again for another kilometre.  By this time, I was feeling good, I knew I had coped well so far, so there couldn't be much more they could throw at me.

The route profile, and info for 3 categorised climbs

Could there?  Another evil marshal pointed us away from the main road into Langdale at Skelwith Bridge, that felt like running up a cliff for over 2.5km's.  Coming down the other side wasn't much either, as I tried to not lose too much control.  After, it was just a case of focusing on getting to the finish, which I managed in 1:52:17.  I was very happy with that time, and later discovered I was in the top 121 of half marathon runners (alternatively position 121/367).  It was a great experience, and was run by some great people, who were friendly and helpful in their warnings along the way (e.g. "CAR!!!", "BIKE REAR!", etc).

What better way to celebrate is there than getting rehydrated in a typical fashion:

Done that.  Got the T-Shirt

An interesting update on the Brighon Half Marathon

I've felt the aches and pains of the day today, getting to, and around work.  I've also felt it was well worth while for the effort of yesterdays race.  One thing I didn't mention of the race yesterday was something I noticed when I finished the race.  I linked my time yesterday, to the workout with the map, route statistics and all that boring technical stuff you can over analyse while training.  I doubt anyone has looked at it, but if you did you will see that my phone gps recorded a route of 22.27km.  A half marathon should be in fact 21km.

As I did really well, I kind of ignored the fact.  There could have been a little discrepancy with the gps location for the start and finish, I didn't start and stop the device right on the line.  But over 1km?  Yeah, I ignored it, I was a happy man.

Today, I went to the official website again, and they acknowledged this:

Brighton Half Marathon 2012 distance acknowledgement

Race Organisers of the Brighton Half Marathon have acknowledged today (Monday 20th February) that due to human error the course was extended to a total distance of 13.42 miles.

The Race Organisers have confirmed that ‘The Brighton Half Marathon is a UKA licensed course measuring exactly 13.1 miles, we have however received feedback from various runners that the total distance measured on their training devices showed a distance of over 13.1 miles. We can now confirm after investigation that the total distance covered by each runner in the Brighton Half Marathon on 19 February 2012 was 13.42 miles. This has been investigated and is human error due to a misplaced turnaround between mile 4 and 5.’

The Race Director said: ‘We take full responsibility for this human error and would like to issue our most sincere apologies to all the runners who experienced disappointment over this. We have taken all feedback into account, we will be implementing some new additional measures ready for the 2013
race to prevent this from happening again.’

Action has been taken to amend the runners’ times on the Brighton Half Marathon website, taking the extra distance into account. This will be live on www.brightonhalfmarathon.com at 4.00 pm today in the results section.

The Brighton Half Marathon is a hugely successful event with this year seeing blue skies and sunshine, welcoming 7,427 runners to the 22nd edition of the race.

The Brighton Half Marathon had been growing steadily over the last couple of years and the 2012 race sold out in record time with all 10,500 places snapped up by 18th November 2011.

The Brighton Half Marathon organisers hope that their sincere apologies to all the runners will be accepted along with amendments to the runners’ times and measures to prevent repetition of this in future races.

My bonus from all this is I now have an official time with the event of 1:38:55.

The modified time, taken from the Brighton Half Marathon results page

I feel even better, but feel like an athlete that gets given a medal after the one above has been disqualified.  I didn't do that time for real, and didn't get to feel that pride and satisfaction right after crossing the line.

Saying that, however, the event was well organised, the regular updates I received building up to the race itself, the organisation on the day, the smooth start and finish, all made it one of my favourites yet.  I hope it doesn't effect them too greatly, and it can continue to be a seasonal highlight.

But, for some people, they may not have hit their goal, and don't feel the satisfaction I feel in now absolutely smashing mine.

I'll have a wee dram to celebrate.

Run Like the Wind; The Brighton Half Marathon 2012

I can't believe I wrote this up last night, and accidentally deleted it from the blog.  What a stupid thing to do, but here we go with another attempt:

What a day.  I completed the Brighton Half Marathon in 1:41:21, which was far better than my expectations in my previous boring ramblings.  This was a surprise, and a huge confidence booster leading up to the Brighton Marathon in April.

Taken from the official results page

The weekend didn't start to the best of news.  My friend Stan called me, and let me know that he wasn't going to come down to Brighton, due feeling heavily under the weather, resulting in bad headaches.  Only Stan knows his body, but to undertake this kind of distance, and not feeling fully would be a huge mistake.  I was gutted for him, and so was he obviously, but he has plans to get onto another half marathon race in the next couple of weeks to keep his motivation going.  It must be horrible to prepare for something so well, and then not be able to do it due to unfortunate circumstances.

Looking back towards the pier from the beach

So, I was left in Brighton on my own.  When I arrived, it was raining, and windy.  I had the full ensemble on to beat the weather, and decided that as my hotel was a couple of miles down the seafront, and the wake of the sea was looking good, I would meander along the coast to my desired destination.  I got set up in the Sea View Hotel, in a room with no view of the sea, then went to find a more local Italian restaurant to stock up on the carbohydrates, and a naughty bit of pudding.

It's difficult to resist chocolate and ice cream

The morning was bright, and fresh.  I got up early, did some necessary stretching, and walked the coast back towards the pier, and the starting area within the vicinity.  It was certainly cold, but I kept doing my stretches, and kept warm by not sitting around too long in one spot.  Then, before I knew it, the race started, and it wouldn't be for another 13.1miles before I could stop and rest again.

Ready at the start line

The race was nicely organised.  It was an undulating course, with a couple of gradual hills, but all seemed fine.  There wasn't the greatest deal of 'human traffic' in front, I could nip past anyone in the way with ease, and fought my way all the way to the finish line.  I was feeling the burn around the 11 mile marker, which was probably a little more mental, as I could see the finish in the distance ahead, slowly coming nearer with every step and breathe I took.  I certainly felt as though I got through the finish doing my absolute best, and before I learnt my time, knew I couldn't have done much more in terms of effort.  The time was the icing on the cake.

Relaxing at the finish, I used my sunglasses as a filter

Now I can take heart, know I can do half a marathon comfortably at a pace I am proud of, I just need to put in the extra training to become more comfortable with longer distances, and in 8 weeks time return to Brighton, and run twice the distance.

Bring it on.

Panoramic from the beach at the start/finish of the event.  Sunglasses used to effect again

Thoughts leading up to the Brighton Half Marathon

I'm sure anyone who trains for anything would think, perhaps I could have done some more.  I've pretty much blagged my way through every stage of life using the means of charm, optimism, and gentle persuasion.  Therefore, I am happy to be a contender for the above thinking.

Yet with running, it's your own body.  There is only a distance in front of you, you have to reach it in a self-satisfying time, and you have to cross the line with your life intact, reserving the dignity to not look too spent in front of the many cheering you on. Not to mention the watchful Paula Radcliffe on every other billboard saying, "NEARLY ISN'T ENOUGH".  Was that why she gave up in Athens?

I don't feel I have put in the effort of late, to that my training schedule dictates.  Why?  Snow, ice, cold weather, stress at work, general laziness, to name a few.  To be fair the general laziness could be omitted, I have been lazy, but I have done the run when the other factors were not in place to a satisfying time.

What I'm writing here is my personal forecast for what I want out of Sunday's Brighton Half Marathon.  Something that I can set in stone as it were, and give me prose for thought after the event.  

Here it is:  

• My personal best half marathon time is 1:46:26 in the Run to the Beat half marathon in London.  
• I want to get around that time, give or take a minute to be happy.  
• I want to get into the low 1:40's to be really happy. 

All this will give me the encouragement, and feel for the terrain of the Brighton Marathon in April.

The below is nothing exciting, just what the 5 weeks following the half marathon will be like.  I try to cycle 2-3times during the week to make up for runs that should take place then.  After this, it will start winding down for the full marathon on April 15th.  I just look at this, and think how can I mix 16km, and watch my football team play on the same day?  It's not often Grimsby Town are in south at the moment.

Still, no matter how good the result, perhaps I could have done some more...

...and don't even get me started on the diet.  Maybe that can be a topic for tomorrows musings.

Run Home From Work, and Podiatrical Worries

Try as I did, I couldn't even muster the courage to put a picture of my darling wife on here from her recovery session of yesterday.  I'll say little more than she's fully recovered, and now sleeping as per norm on the couch at this hour of the evening.

I digress, and so early as well.  This is a simple update, where I tried out the option of running home from work tonight.  I have to confess, the temperature was nice, I was happy with the final pace, but all that running on the main roads of South London was such a drag and a chore.  I really did hate it, and had to force myself to not check the phone to see how far I had covered etc, it would have made no difference, I still hadn't got home.  It makes such a difference living by the Green Chain Walk in London, there's less roads, you're off the beaten path, it's well sign posted, and it's nice to run along.

There's the Capital Ring and the Green Chain Walk where we live

I think I will be leaving that idea well alone in the future.  If it has to be done again, I will exhaust every option to get out of it first.  Still the route can be found clicking on this link:  19.3km Run 1:38.

The final thing, is the nasty bit.  I seriously tried to capture this in a photo, but you're lucky the light isn't good enough at this time of the evening.  One of my toes looked really bruised, and almost appeared to have what looked like a blister under the nail.  Well, today said blister looking thing has popped out from underneath, looks weird, and the nail is feeling less sturdy.

I'm now contemplating, do I contact a local Turf Accountant to keep a book running on whether the toe nail drops off at some stage in Sunday's Brighton Half Marathon?  I'm putting the thought to the back of my mind, and will certainly make sure everything is well attached prior to the run.

I am gutted I couldn't share a picture, but just be grateful the blisters I suffered 5 days prior to my last half marathon in September are in the past, and don't need to come out again now.

What was that?  Thank God, did you say.  You poor fool

I ran the Run to the Beat Half Marathon with these

Planning the future; Anthony Nolan; and a sore finger

This was orignally posted yesterday, but playing around with things has resulted in it appearing today.

I should start with an apology if this post is a little long:

I guess it was about a year ago that I would have happily sat in a pub, discussed the merits of running, and branded anyone who did such an activity a mentalist.  In some ways, I stand by my convictions, but happily include myself in such a lame categorisation.

The reason I came to start running was (in my view) the fault of a childhood friend of mine, Stan, from the village I grew up in 30 years ago.  We had one of our random chats, and he let the cat out of the bag that he had entered both the Lincoln and Hull 10km races in 2011.  I reckon there was a wager involved somewhere here, but the competitive nature in me decided that if he can run 10km, then so can I… so I entered the British 10km, and the rest is history.  I was hooked.

Before I knew it, I had planned the next 12 months.  I was entered into the Run to the Beat Half Marathon in September, which was great as it was down the road from my home; the Brighton Half Marathon in Feb 2012; and the Brighton Marathon in April 2012.

With hindsight, I look back at this ambitious planning, and wonder what the hell I was playing at.  Why plan so much when after the first run training for the 10km, I got 2km before I had to lie down wheezing in Shrewsbury Park?  This wasn’t like me, and furthermore, Stan, the poor bastard was coerced into following my plan, and is still sticking with it to some extent, barring an injury he fears will pull him out of the marathon, and sensibly so to.

I have no answer to the question above, but I find myself already looking beyond Brighton, and possibly towards Amsterdam in October, with a half marathon in the Langdale Valley of the Lake District in September to really test the legs.  It’s all crazy, but I have to plan ahead before I can stop.

I also want to do one thing for charity every year in my 30′s.  It started walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks for the Mountain Rescue England and Wales.  Last year I ran the British 10km for Anthony Nolan.  My mother died over 12 years ago to Leukemia, so this is a charity that I am happy to be involved with as they do a lot of work towards matching donors for people suffering and need a bone marrow transplant.  I’m stuck in two minds whether to pick one event for this year, or alternatively open a charity page for all events, and just let people know which events are coming up, and remind them of the sponsorship at the time.  I just don’t like to look as though I pester my friends and family continuously all year round.

After the Yorkshire Three Peak Challenge

Anyway, the training has been going from strength to strength.  I inadvertently ran over 20 miles on Sunday without thinking about it.  It hurt me a lot, but I did it, and was happy to have made it round in one piece.  It has given me the confidence that I only need to find another 6 miles, and get used to a better pace.

Training has involved cycling to work 2-3 times a week with the running taking place over the weekend.  I’ve slowed down on my cycling pace, just using it as an excuse to loosen the limbs, as well as save money on the transport costs here.  Yesterday, cycling into work, it was raining, and travelling through Greenwich, I saw a car that decided to pull out in front of me.  With all the water on my brakes, I wasn’t able to pull off the kind of stop I’m used to, and ended up hitting the back of the car and falling into the road.

Luckily all I could identify was a sore finger (which is currently in the phase of fusing a purple colour with red).  What amazed me was, a/ the driver drove off, b/ all other traffic were doing their best to drive around me, rather than helping some poor fool lumbered on his arse by another motorist.

The camaradarie of city living.