One Tenth Of A Race Report

Posted on June 29, 2013 by James Clay

Yesterday I had a number of first experiences.

First time running the Cotswold Way Relay, a ten person team event covering the entire length of the Cotswold Way in a day.

First time in any relay/team event where I wasn’t running just for myself.

First time having to remember a course that wasn’t obvious and had potential for going horribly the wrong way.

First time racing on city pavements that haven’t  been closed, trying to dodge pedestrians.

First time running in to a human finish funnel of 150+ people cheering and supporting.

First time eating one of the incredible flapjacks provided by one of my club members.

The event was incredibly well organised, with each leg starting an hour after the last and all going smoothly (as far as I could see). A great event to have in the local race calendar and a credit to Bath AC.

My leg of the race was beautiful, from Cold Aston we descended from the start for a mile before the first serious climb stopped everyone in it’s tracks! The fell runner’s stomp was most people’s chosen technique, hands on knees, pushing up up and further up on to the top of the Cotswolds. Thanks to my recce I knew when the hill would end and was able to get back in to running nice and early, enjoying reeling in the miles on the dry trails and through the long grass. There were lots of gates and stiles to negotiate but I was leapfrogging with a lady runner from Dursley Road Runners and we took turns to get a few paces ahead and open the gate for the other. I felt bad when I finally left her about mile 6 but I was feeling great and wanted to push on. The descent in to Weston was some of the my favourite running of the year. I was fast and fluid on the rocky downhill, with complete confidence in my ankle, ability and shoes I was able to let off the brakes and befriend gravity. The sting in the tail of this leg is a very long, very steep climb back out from Weston, I passed a number of runners up here with my fast march, several had stopped moving completely as the hill took it’s toll (they all found the energy to get going again and finish, thankfully behind me!). From the top of that last climb it was a twisting downhill through the streets of Bath, avoiding traffic and ice-cream eating pedestrians if at all possible, but I did give one girl a fright as she stepped on to the pavement right in front of me and I had to take evasive action! The finish was loud, with a big crowd to cheer me home and I was met with water, flapjack and congratulations from my running club members, and taking a moment to acknowledge the runner I beat in the sprint finish and the woman I’d shared the hill tops and gate opening duties with. I’d run leg 10 in 1:36, well inside the cut off time which had been my goal at the beginning, well inside 10 minute miles which I’ve never done in a trail race before, so I’m happy. I have no idea about the team results, they haven’t been released yet and we missed the presentations waiting for our final club mate to finish after she got lost!

Not getting home until after 9pm though made refuelling a bit tricky. I couldn’t decide between cooking or ordering in, so I ate a pork pie and went to bed. Now the running is going well maybe I should focus a bit more on nutrition?!?

 

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Where Can I Run To?

Posted on June 28, 2013 by James Clay

Juneathon is nearly at an end. This is the 28th consecutive day I have written a blog post. 28 times I’ve sat and created something I hope has been worth reading. Today I really struggled.

Due to a minor miscalculation in alcohol consumption last night today’s exercise was limited to a twenty minute workout on the mat at home. I did receive a free swim cap in the post from my friends at Chobani for use in the Jenson Button Trust Tri in a few weeks, but I’m not about to start posting pictures of it because no one looks good in a rubber hat. I’ve been pondering all day, searching for anything I could turn in to a blog post, and as the day has got older the pressure has increased until I’ve ended up sat in front of the computer for an hour staring at a blank screen.

I’ve been playing several ideas and thoughts through my mind in that time, and the one I keep coming back to is the number of new runners I’ve known in the last 3 years. For some unknown reason people have asked me questions about running, they’ve sought my advice and opinions, some have even accused me of being “inspiring”. Utter madness. I only know what I learned from others, or from running and making mistakes, I’m no expert…

But as I sit here, unemployed, scouring the internet for another soulless corporate position to pay the rent and buy me suits and ties I wonder what the hell I’m doing.

I read today the blog of someone who has taken running and made not one, not two but three successful businesses out of it.

I see on Twitter someone newly qualified as a running coach setting up a new running group.

I think back to my schoolboy dreams of growing up to be a P.E. teacher, or a rugby coach, or a mountain guide.

And I wonder, where did it all go wrong. When did I stop taking the risks and following the dreams?

I did it 3 years ago. Took a massive risk and made a huge change and made my own good luck to force a way in to the charity sector. It hasn’t worked out. It wasn’ the dream I thought it was and maybe that’s knocked my confidence a bit when it comes to taking risks and dreaming big.

But maybe on Monday, when I log on to check the job sites and waste another day, I might just google “running coaching” or something similar and see just where running could take me…

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…And Then I Swam.

Posted on June 27, 2013 by James Clay

It’s hard to believe that 16 days ago I couldn’t swim.

In the last two weeks, and with the help of two good friends, I have developed from doggy paddling a 12 metre width of the pool.

After trying a few strokes and breathing patterns I finally found something I could make work for me. I went from widths to lengths, then from a 25 metre pool to 33 metres.

I’ve battled a few demons along the way, there were a few moments of mindless panic resulting in the ingestion of vast quantities of water, but slowly I’ve become more comfortable in the pool.

My wetsuit arrived this week, just the fillip I needed.

Today I was swimming in a 50 metre outdoor pool and I loved it.

I covered 500 metres, the furthest I’ve ever swum, although I was pausing after each length. I now have 2 weeks to cut out the breaks but I feel like it’s possible and can’t wait to get back in the water tomorrow.

Progress, I love it, and this triathlon is a timely reminder that when I put my mind to it, when I focus on something, I can achieve the once impossible.

You can too, so what’s your goal? What do you want to achieve with your running or swimming or in any other aspect of your life?

Pop it in a comment below, put it in writing, commit to it and amazing things will happen!

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Kit Review: On Cloudrunner Trainers

Posted on June 26, 2013 by James Clay

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Before I begin, lets be totally upfront and honest about two important facts.

  1. On Running UK sent me some free shoes. They did this after I spoke to them at the London Marathon Expo, Write This Run and then on Twitter. They did not ask for anything in return, and although I imagine they were hoping for some mentions in this blog, on Twitter, Facebook, at my running club etc I’m under no obligation to write about them.
  2. My opinions will always be my own and cannot be bought, at least not for the price of a pair of shoes.

I think it was important to get those two points perfectly clear, because what follows may just be the most sycophantic review I will ever write…

I LOVE THESE SHOES.

I mean that in an “I want to marry you, settle down and make little baby shoes with you” kind of way. Seriously, that’s how good these are.

These shoes have now done about twenty miles over three runs. A gentle 5 mile plod, 4 miles of intervals including some crazy speed work and today, best of all, 11 miles of road on to hill trails with a grass meadow descent back to road.

I struggle with new shoes (and often with old ones) with calf pain, ankle pain, shin pain. I suffer for my love of running, but not any more. I haven’t felt a single twinge in the Cloudrunners which is a miracle. From the moment I put them on they felt right and as they’re being broken in that comfort is just increasing.

The ‘clouds’ on the sole seem to do just enough, soaking up any impact but staying firm and responsive throughout. They don’t have that wallowing, bouncy feel of new shoes which are fun when you first stand up in them but a bit offputting when you start running. From the first step the Ons felt like I’d been wearing them for 100 miles already and they were ready for several hundred more. That incredible ride carried over perfectly from road running on to the trails and the shoes felt responsive and firm enough to drive hard up dusty slopes but with enough impact absorption to really let go on the downhill, much faster than I’ve felt comfortable doing in any other shoes. Living 2 miles from my favourite bit of countryside in the UK I hadn’t yet found a shoe that could get me there in comfort, around the hill trails safely and back again on the road. I have now.

Several people have commented on the aesthetics of the shoes as well. There’s no doubting they look different, but thankfully the consensus is it’s different in a good way!

Different, in a good way!

Different, in a good way!

There are one or two things I’m going to keep an eye on though. I’ve heard they can be a bit twitchy on wet pavements and with a very shallow hexagonal tread pattern on the sole I can see why this is so. Miraculously I haven’t yet had to take them out in the wet but I’ll be watching for any reduction in performance. Also, having taken a look at the sole I can already see some wear on the tread, which after only 20 miles is a slight worry. Obviously there’s no impact on performance yet but again I’ll be watching that closely.

No cause for concern...hopefully.

No cause for concern…hopefully.

I really hope those two points aren’t cause for concern though, because everything else about this shoe is incredibly positive and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to recommend them. I’m already wondering who I can mug for the £115 cost of a pair of Cloudsurfers to do my speed work in, it’s going to take a lot for me to be running in anything other than On in the foreseeable future.

Posted in Juneathon, Kit, Running | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

All The Gear, No Idea!

Posted on June 25, 2013 by James Clay

This could be the shortest post I ever write…although they do say a photo says a thousand words.

Look what arrived today…

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So, now the kit is here, it’s time I learnt how to use it. Early morning outdoor swim in the wetsuit tomorrow and I can’t wait!

Thank you Chobani who sponsored the kit and who also sent me an extra little treat recently…
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