The few days preceding this race the weather had been unusually hot, and as I made my way up to Ranscombe Nature reserve, which is just off the M2 in Kent, the weather was somewhat cooler, however this changed as the day progressed, and remained very hot.

The course was a timed event of 8 hours, and the idea is to do as many laps (3.74 miles) as possible in the allotted time, my goal was to complete a marathon distance of 26.2 miles, which I thought was more than achievable given the generous cutoff time. However as I soon found out this particular course was very Hilly (433 feet of elevation per lap), and that combined withe the increasing rise in temperature made the day very challenging.

The first few laps passed as expected and with no real dramas other than my calves hurting, this I put down the amount of hills on the course and that the fact I was not used to running on this sort of terrain.

By lap five, I was beginning to struggle, I had made sure that I was taking on plenty of fluids (I was trying out a new fueling strategy which was Tailwind mixed in with my water) and I had set my goal on ensuring I drank around 500ml of water per hour, which would give me all the necessary electrolytes and calories needed, this did work to a fashion; however I did start to fill a bit ill and bloated, towards the end (I Still need to work out what works for me on the nutrition side and the Tailwind doesn’t seem to be it); It was at this point I considered to call it a day and when I returned to base camp ring the bell to signify that I had finished; however when I did get back to the start I had decided to carry on for the final lap which I thought at the time would be my Marathon distance completed, so with that in my mind I carried on to lap 6, which I did indeed struggle with, but kept thinking “this is the last lap, then I can finish”.

So when I got back to the start/finish I rang the bell and finished, it was shortly after this that I made a bit of a tit of myself as I realized the medal did not say Marathon distance on, so I went back to Traviss and asked why?, I was promptly told that it doesn’t say marathon (a little badge) on it because I had only completed 6 laps and a for a marathon I needed to complete 7 laps (Doh), however both Travis and Rachael did say that I could go back out on the course and carry on for another lap if I wanted, and although I did have plenty of time left to achieve this, I did really struggle on the last lap, and mentally my brain had resigned itself that I had finished, so I agreed that I had indeed finished.

And so another race completed, although shorter than I would have liked but still it was 22.45 miles and a step closer to getting my SVN 100 mile shirt (32.6 miles to go).

Who knew that running is so much more than just putting one foot in front of the other, and as I clock up the miles I realize that I still have a lot to learn. I have purchased a set of compression calf guards, which have eased the early on set of muscle soreness in my calf’s, I have also purchased a pair of Injinji socks to help with the blisters, and I am now better organised, I have got rid of my old rucksack and now use a Kitbrix bag, which I have to say was well worth the purchase (shop around on this one as you can get it a lot cheaper than advertised)

I am still struggling with my race nutrition, and have to find what really works for me, and as I now seem to be running more trail races will still need to get a pair of Trail running trainers.

If anyone is thinking of doing any of these SVN events I highly recommend them, An I plan to enter a fair few more, I am already planning on next year’s races, and am planning to run quite a few more Marathon’s as I would like to get to 100 Marathons, and enter into the 100 marathon Club (this will take a few years).

This was my second Saxons Vikings and Normans (SVN) event, and it did not disappoint, this particular event is called the lucky dip challenge due to the fact you do not know what medal you will end up with? it was also a timed challenge event of 8 hours so as long as you completed a minimum of one lap, it was considered as completed and you could pick a medal from the ones left over from other races, the only exception to this was you had to complete a marathon distance (26.2 miles) to be able to pick a medal that had Marathon on it.

This particular event was a local one for me at Shorne Country Woods, which was only a 15 minute drive. The day had started out hot and humid, although they did forecast rain towards the end of the day. The course consisted of a loop of 2.92 miles and was 100% trail.

As is the norm for me I had arrived at the race with plenty of time to spare, so I parked up and paid my car park fee of £2 for the all day parking, and then a short walk to the start. There was already a few others there getting there kit organised, and some I recognized from previous events, I exchanged hello’s etc. and started to get myself organised.

At around 10.15 Traviss returned from setting out the course, gave a quick safety briefing and then we were off. As with most races the start is always a jumble of people trying to get out of each others way, whilst the elite and experienced runners raced off ahead, I myself settled in to a steady pace towards the back of the pack and before long found myself with plenty of room.

Within the first 15 minutes we came to a slight longish hill, nothing to hard, one that I felt I could quite easily run up with not too many problems, however just as I started to run up it, I noticed some of what I called the more experienced runners walking up it, this for me was an omen on what the course was actually like, so I followed suit and walked up it as well.

I had read on the course information, that each loop consisted of a set of steps (178), however it failed to mention that there was also a second set of steps which in my opinion was equally as bad, it had also stated that it was a challenging course which it indeed did live up to.

I desperately wanted to get a marathon distance under my belt and was not too worried on what my finish time was going to be, so I settled in to a slower than normal pace, kept my head down and ran. The first lap was over before I had realized it, and was welcomed by Traviss, I got my lap card punched, and set off for my second lap.

I kept ticking the laps off one by one, with not too many problems, however by the second lap the weather had changed for the worst and it was now raining, this was followed by Thunder and lightning, thankfully after about an hour it had stopped and the sun came out again.

 

I did not have any real fueling strategy in mind (Still trying to find what works for me), I knew it was going to be a hot long race, so I had only planned to drink 500ml of water with SIS electrolyte tabs in every hour as a minimum, additionally to this I would take on SIS gels as and when I thought I needed to (They tend not to agree with me) plus anything sugary from the aid station. This seemed to work o.k. as I did not have any real problems.

At mile 15 however my calves started to hurt shortly followed by severe leg cramps, this I ran through and when I had completed the lap I was on, I sat down by the aid station and changed my socks and t-shirt (this always seems to make me feel better), took on more fluids (Lucozade sport), and took a short 5 minutes out, re-filled my water bottles and set off again.

It was at this point I considered to get to mile 20 and call it a day, but as I came in on completing my 6th lap, I realized that although I was in a fair bit of pain ( I seemed to be aching everywhere, and thought my toenail was rattling around in my sock), I was actually still enjoying myself – too much, so again I re-filled my bottles and just kept going, and before too much longer I was on my final lap, and then I had finished, 26.2 miles done – First Marathon distance completed.

As I came over the finish line, I rung the bell to signify that I had finished, I was congratulated by Traviss, and then got too choose my finishers medal (making sure I picked one with the words Marathon on it).

Lessons Learn’t

• When running a trail race, trail shoes are preferable.
• The running socks I am using are OK for short distances only.
• Compression socks required to alleviate the early on set of muscle fatigue.
• To be better organised at the aid station, as I struggled to find things in my rucksack when I got tired.
• Running nutrition not quite there.

As I reflect back on this Marathon distance race, I can honestly say that I did enjoy it, Yes the course was hard, and my finishing time was slow, but it was a great day, and as seems to be the norm at these events I met some awesome people. I am already planning my next Marathon distance race, I have the Rachaels Ranscombe Ramble on the 9th July next, and hopefully I can beat my time.

Three day’s before running this 10k race I had managed to somehow injure my right foot, and it was doubtful if I would make it to the starting line, thankfully however by Saturday the pain had gone from my foot, but where I had been limping for a couple of days, I now had pain on the right side of my calf, nothing to severe but I knew something was not right.

When I woke up Sunday morning the pain in my calf was down to a dull ache, so I decided to make the hour journey to Stelling Minnis (just outside of Canterbury). The race was due to start at 10.30, we had the obligatory course talk at 10.00, then it was a short walk to the stating line, where all the runners congregated, done their final warm up exercises ready for the start.

The 10k course was once around the village then out onto the surrounding country lanes and then back to the village hall to finish.

The weather was a mix of sunshine, wind and rain, but stayed dry for the most part. The first 3 miles I was hitting an average of 9 minute 30 pace, however half way into mile 3 there was a steep long hill, which seemed to go on far too long for my liking and comfort, and by the time I had got to the top, my pace for this mile had increased to 12 minutes (not good), this unfortunately was time I could not get back and finished the race in 1 hour and 2 minutes, I had hoped I could get a sub 60 minute finish time especially with such a good start for the first 3 miles.

I found this to be a really enjoyable race, and may do this again next year,  am not too disappointed with my finish time as it is an improvement on the last 10k I completed, and I also seem to be getting sub 10 minute mile more frequently.

So it has been pretty evident that I have not done a lot of training of late, my training consisted of various race entries and team runs during the week, which has led to marginal improvement, I still however cannot consistently run a sub 10 minute mile, yes I have runs where I do achieve this, but it seems to be hit and miss, with no determinable factors.

When I look back through the races and times over the last couple of years, it seems that I was running comfortably last September, where I then injured myself and took three months out to recover, from that point to now I have gained just over a stone in weight, which I believe has slowed me down somewhat.

From the start of this year I have made gradual improvements, but nothing worth shouting about, I know that too improve I just need to add more miles, and the only way to do this is to get out there and run. Anyone who has a family knows that it is a balancing act between allocating time to running and time to family, and mine has been very accommodating in letting me do this, for which I am extremely grateful and lucky.

So to the plan………I need to get more miles/runs in, I also need to take a good look at my dietary needs. So to start with the only way I can get more runs in, is to run early Saturday and Sunday Morning (I am not an early run type of person, and really struggle with my energy), and too also swat up on some books concerning running and eating, I will start with “The Runners World Cookbook” and see how i progress.

If anyone has any useful tips, then add them in the comments.

Happy running.

“What is a caucus-race? said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought somebody ought to speak, an no one else seemed inclined to say anything.

“Why”; said the Dodo,” the best way to explain it is to do it.” (Extract from Alice in Wonderland).

I had heard a lot about the SVN events run by Travis Willcox and team, all good I have to say, so was especially looking forward to my first race with them.

The day started as it did most pre-race morning’s with being woken up abruptly my alarm clock, however this morning was especially early, 5 o’clock in fact, and once I managed to get myself up, it was downstairs for my morning coffee and porridge. I carried out a final check of my kit, and then out the door for the hours travel to Samphire Hoe.

Upon arriving, the weather had turned from a bright fresh morning at home to wet and windy conditions at the starting area; I had arrived just after 7 o’clock, so was one of the first few runners there, as the next hour ticked by more and more runners turned up, and before very long it was quit busy. At 8.20 Travis gave a humorous welcome and update on the slight change to the course namely a cone that had been placed at the end of the sea wall to make the distance close to 26.2 miles after 7 laps had been completed, more than 7 laps constituted as an ultra.

The course was a simple out and back of 3.8 miles, going through the nature reserve, onto the sea wall to the cliffs around the cone at the end and then back, as this was a timed event of 6 hours the idea was to complete as many laps as you could in the time.

At 8.30 we were off, the start was very slow due to the narrow path and large numbers of runners, this continued until we got to the sea wall where we thinned out as the faster runners sped off. It continued rain for the next couple of hours, so all I could do was keep my head down and repeat the laps. After my first lap I was pleasantly surprised to receive encouragement from Travis himself, I then got my lap card punched, a quick bite to eat and set off again.

When I started out my aim was to complete a marathon distance, however this was not too be, after I had completed 3 laps the outside of my left foot was causing me quit a bit of pain, so when I got back to the starting line, I quickly got changed into fresh socks, and a clean T-shirt (the rain had stopped by now, and it was getting a bit warmer), I then made my way back to the start and set off again aiming to complete another 4 laps.

I have to say that changing my socks did help as I no longer felt any pain in my foot, so again head down and keep running, by lap 5 I had slowed down considerably, so much so that I was kind of shuffling along rather than running, but all I could think of was that I only needed two more laps and I would have reached my goal of completing 26.2 miles, it was at this point whilst running on the outward leg of the sea wall I started to feel a pain on the outside of my left knee, a pain which was all to familiar (previously suffered from tight IT band issues); so I decided to walk for a bit and see if the pain subsided, which thankfully it did, so once again I picked up the pace/shuffle, and carried on. During the remainder of this lap, I continued t get slight pain in my knee so I was forced to run walk until I got back to the start/finish line, when I got my card punched for lap 5 Travis asked me if I was going out again to which I said yes, so it was a quick loo break and some food.

It was at this point whilst sitting down eating some bread pudding (thank you very much to ever made this), that I decided to finish the run. The last time I suffered from ITB issues I stupidly carried on running, which took me out for 3 months and resulted in quit a few visits to ER Sports Therapy (thanks again Erin). So I finished stuffing may face, walked over to the desk and rang the bell to signify that I had finished the race.

 

 

I was congratulated, and handed my Awesome medal (the biggest one to date), I received my goody bag (filled with chocolate and beer), and given my official finish time of 04:05:58 for the total distance 18.75 miles. Unfortunately not the distance I was after, however due to the slight knee pain I had experienced during the run and not wanting to do myself any real damage, a good result, one with which I am fairly pleased with.

 

I can honestly say that despite the bad weather at the start, and not making the distance, this was the most enjoyably race to date, it was well run, well organised and everyone I met was extremely friendly and I have made new friends along the way.

If anyone else is considering racing at an SVN event, then I whole heartily recommend it, Travis and his team know how to put on an event, I could not fault any aspect of this what so ever, not even the rain ( I cannot hold Travis responsible for this LOL).

Afterthought:

We all run for different reasons some to loose weight, to get fit or to de-stress but  I strongly believe that the most important aspect of this running lark  is not the finish times or the distances; but the journey we have along the way and the new friends we meet.

 

 

This is my first race of April, and I approached this with some caution, although this was advertised as a 7k race I knew it would be a bit of a slog due to having to run on sand. This was a bit of an unknown as yet, and my thoughts were that it should be fairly firm and compact as I would be running on the sand down by the sea. A fair few from my running club were also running today, so it was going to be a good day out.

What I had not taken into account however was the fact I normally start my races towards the rear of the pack (due to being a fairly slow runner) and as such what I thought should have been compacted sand was now in fact all churned up by the previous runners, and was now really soft and lumpy, making it especially hard on the ankles and calf’s.

 

The route was a simple out and back, starting at Viking Bay (Broadstairs) and out to the harbor wall at Ramsgate, bang on it and back, (hence the name).

 

 

 

 

I found the outward run to be good, however by the turnaround point my calf’s were beginning to feel the effects of running in sand, and this was reflected in the slower pace back

 

 

 

 

There was a total of 226 competitors, I finished in position 171 with an official finish time of 48 minutes and 56 seconds, upon crossing the finish line you were presented with your medal, a bottle of water and a stick of rock. The medal was pretty cool considering the short distance run, I have certainly had worse for longer distances raced.

Overall this was a good day out if a little tough, and a good opportunity to stretch out the legs and get a few more miles under my belt for the upcoming races later on. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the race well organised, there was also loads of encouragement from the marshals, finishers and spectators alike, overall a race worth doing again.