Last year’s race was eventful as a half crazed, half drunk woman drove in an ‘aggressive’ manner up the hill against the runners in the last 300 metres. I have documented this in a previous blog post. It was also very warm as the summer of endless sunshine was getting into full swing. This year lower temperatures and rain were forecasted for our road trip to Crewkerne. Our wonderful road trip team consisted of Tracey Thomas (our driver, thanks Tracey), Lauren Summers, Phil Strange, Gobby the Cheerleading Gnome and myself. Very cosy as was the conversation which was jokey and nervy. There was talk of hills which I hadn’t remembered from the previous year as we travelled along the M5, A roads, B roads, C roads and getting narrower all the journey.

Sadly missed were The Bentons. They are a lovely couple who do a tremendous amount for the club. These are the kind of people without whom clubs like ours wouldn’t be able to function. I often rib Tracey but it’s all good natured and nothing malicious is intended. I love her to bits; she has a heart of gold but I can be a little cheeky.

The rain held off as the race began and Harriers were greeted with the usual “Burnham, Burnham, Burnham” from Sue much to the amusement of most of the other runners. The course is basically saucepan shaped so it’s comforting to know you’re nearly finished when you start seeing marshals that you greeted on the way out. We all started at about the same area of the field apart from Harry Petheram who sneaked further up and I never saw him again! I’m useless at remembering courses and races but, as I ran, I quickly realised this wasn’t a personal best course even after the road trip chat. We ran through some beautiful Somerset countryside and villages with exotic names like Merriott and Hinton St. George. the route was up and down like a whore’s drawers! I ran hard and tried to keep Tracey T in my sight as she’s such a good runner and we usually finish quite close (with Tracey usually beating me!) but the hills took their toll on her and I went past and stayed in front of her. I continued overtaking other runners who were probably ten years older than me until the finish and heard the dulcet tones of Sue shouting ‘Well done, Bakes. Harry is miles in front of you. When I stopped my Garmin I was initially disappointed with my time but began to accept this was a tough race. On closer examination I ran over two minutes faster than last year so I just had to be chuffed.

All the Harriers achieved something positive. Harry ran in 46 minutes an awesome time considering his injury and Phil continues his comeback impressively, after his lengthy plantar fasciitis injury. Tracey hates it but I’m sure with a little coaxing she will change her karma and Sue Nicholls ran her usual fast race and must have a trophy cabinet bigger than Liverpool and Man Utd put together. She is a huge inspiration. Lauren was smiling but probably at the prospect of a couple of Thatchers and lunch at the Vic. Her marathon training programme starts soon and I wish her well. As I do with Adrian and he and Tony both improved their course bests and finished strongly.

Crewkerne 10km race was held on 2nd June which coincided with National Cancer Survivors Day. Obviously as a survivor myself I was keen to commemorate this and I intend to run every day in June. RED in January was hard work with the dark evenings and my work schedule but June presents different with the energy sapping heat. I run for survivors, those going through treatment and those who weren’t so lucky.

Apologies to Peter Green.

Harriers road trip to the Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Unfortunately Sue had had a sleepless night and was too tired to attend. Her encouragement, pom poms and voice were to be a massive loss. Our car consisted of our generous driver Tim, Tanya, myself and Lauren, who admitted to having dream that Tracey Benton beat Tracey Thomas and finished in 41 minutes!?! That was some good wine she drank the previous evening.

Number collection was an efficient affair and assorted Harriers turned up. We nervously chatted to while away the minutes before a brief warm up and assembly in front of the cathedral for the team photograph just as the first spots of rain fell. Last year’s event was a hot affair, and the birth of the pineapple, but today being cooler and with light rain conditions were perfect. The course is a two lapper 10 km, which I don’t mind especially on a fast course, but Constitution Hill between 3-4 km and 8-9km can, literally, break your heart, spirit and legs.

The race started with a short promenade before a left turn and somehow we were running through a farm yard just a few minutes from the city! We then ran along a lovely cycle route, which probably gives the race it’s multi terrain description. By this stage my legs were feeling heavy and I had realised today wasn’t my day for a personal best and I would have to ‘dig in’ and show some bloody mindedness. After another kilometre or so follows Constitution Hill and it’s struggle but the view from the top, with it’s sweeping view back into Wells and the cathedral makes it worthwhile. Unfortunately today, with the rain and mist, the view was some what obstructed but I felt like I was in God’s own country. Once back at the cathedral we turned for a second lap and subsequent attack of the hill. My second lap felt much better. Breathing at the right time and legs rotating quite nicely. Although I still get very nervous before races, and during, I was opening up and enjoying this one. The scenery was good and after the first lap I knew I had only one park run to go. This sounds like I wish races were over before I start them and this, mostly, is the truth but I always have that feeling of accomplishing something after finishing. The finishing is important as is the sense of achievement. The medals, tee shirts and the memories of the run are important now because I realise I missed this when I ran before and, emotionally, they really mean a lot.

I struggled up the hill a second time and even managed to overtake Tracey Thomas, incidentally in front of Tracey Benton at this point(!), but by the brow of the hill Tracey T skipped past like I was standing still. It was downhill to the finish and I picked up the pace and considered racing lines as there were a couple of tight turns before the finish. I tried hard to catch Tracey but her finish was too strong. Considering she had ran Weston Prom 5 miler a couple of days earlier she ran a great race. Matt finished just outside 40 minutes in a third best time. Tim was just behind but admitted to being a little flat since his marathon. Kelly finished strongly and must have been close to a pb. Mark and Tracey Benton finished with satisfying smiles as did Lauren, Becci and Tanya, and Georgina continued her impressive improvement. CHarriet Hobbs was brilliant finishing 2nd female in her age category in the 3km. A great mornings work for the Harriers.

And what have I learnt, more hill training and more speed training again.

I’m not an advocate of running with music but I have during long marathon training runs. I believe it’s far too dangerous to run on open roads without that extra sense of hearing but those long runs were rural and mostly traffic free and I had full control of where and what I was doing. Running with music in those heady marathon days would consist of Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, System of a Down and bands from the mid 2000’s like The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire and, anybody remember, Two Gallants. You must YouTube them. I mostly preferred Led Zep and the Foos. No Coldplague*. I could sing out at the top of my voice without fear of anybody listening or criticising.

I am completely against listening to music during races though. I don’t think it’s unnecessary. You need to listen to marshals directions and be aware and it’s nice to share a comment with fellow runners. After all it is a shared experience, and pain. I like to be completely immersed in the route that I’m running. Especially if it’s a race/run I’ve not done before. Part of the ‘Shinrin-Yoku’ or ‘Forest Bathing’ that I’ve mentioned previously, soaking up your environment. Running has taught me so much to appreciate my surroundings and my locality. I have seen so much I wouldn’t have noticed before.

I’m the youngest of five with four older sisters. The eldest two were into The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, the next one was more into 70’s music and introduced me to Van Morrison, Neil Young and Simon and Garfunkel and disc jockeys like Rosko, Alan Freeman and Stuart Henry on Radio One. The fourth was into Bay City Rollers, The Osmonds and David Cassidy and I largely tried to ignore her! I listened to the radio a lot. Radio One, Radio Luxembourg, and independent local radio in Gloucester and Worcester. I first listened to John Peel in the mid 70’s with Yes, Genesis et al and by 1977 a change was coming, punk rock. I loved punk rock immediately. It was something different that I’ve never heard before. Straight away I loved The Clash and The Ramones but new music was turning up everyday. The bands were in charge of their music thanks to independent labels and publishing and the big players were sensing the change.

At that time I would say that White Riot by The Clash was very influential record to me. Sometimes you hear a song and it changes your aspect and White Riot was one, so was Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. The last time I heard that Single Tingle was Arctic Monkeys and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. I’m a believer in music finding you rather than vice versa and it hasn’t spoken to me since. In my teen years there were so many bands and artists I adored. The Jam, Elvis Costello, The Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, The Specials and there were music from other genres like the jazz of Miles Davis and Stanley Jordan and the funk of George Clinton and Funkadelic, Parliament and Earth Wind and Fire and the Lauren Canyon hippies like Eagles, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Canadians Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and other troubadours and David Bowie. Mostly, though I was a new wave/indie fan.

Another such 45 rpm that shook me was Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. I’d been listening to John Peel and this track just leapt out to me. Ian Curtis’s lyrics and delivery are stark and bleak. Did listening to Joy Division spark my depression? No, the truth is I was suffering long before then but I didn’t realise or have it diagnosed until much later. The words struck home to me as it was the way I felt, isolation and being withdrawn. Even with other people, I felt alone.

Music and sport was my comfort blanket and has always been very important to me . Playing cricket and football dragged me out of the house and to be with people. I realised, eventually, that team sports can let you down and took up running. Running ticks all the right boxes, it suited me. I was always prepared to work hard and train with a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable (or attainable), relevant, and time-bound) attitude. I can run alone and run with some of the best people I’ve ever met now. As for music now, I’m happy listening to the back catalogue of my heroes. Adele, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and all the rest don’t shout out to me but that’s ok, it’s a generation thing and I’m happier where I am.

*Tracey Benton

Several members of the Harriers who ran Town Tree Trail last year drooled so much I felt I must run this race. The date was announced, it was included in the Somerset Series, I must enter, so enter I did. I begged my boss to leave work early even though other members of staff were on holiday and he said YES. The week of the race and another work colleague was ambulanced to hospital with a suspected heart attack and I thought my chance had gone but I don’t get paid enough to be conscientious. I read a book once, green it was, named Sharp Teeth and I always remember a line from it ‘minimum wage elicits to minimum attention’ and I was gone to set off on a road trip with Matt in his Volvo and Kelly, Tracey T and Gobby, the cheerleader.

Matt is legendary for buying crappy cars, running them into the ground and buying another . Matt also loves Bristol City, Somerset CCC, pub quizzes, running, running off road, his family and probably in that order! I swear that as the miles we travelled we were going back in years as we went further into deepest, darkest Somerset until we hit the beautiful village of Kingsbury Episcopi. Matt had a sense of pride that his skip on wheels was the oldest vehicle in the car park.

The race started with a lap of the recreation ground and Sue’s cheering was a great amusement to the runners around me, a short road section and an orchard section where poor Harry Petheram injured his leg after a mile and had to go back to HQ for ice. Incidentally the marshal on hand was excellent. After another mile we entered the mazy trail of the Town Tree Nature Garden. We then ran around the weirdest but best trail I’ve ever ran. Running past statues and through gazebos. Over bridges and past ponds in a dense copse, I was surprised I still had a GPS signal but it was stunning, a 2 mile run back through the orchards, the lap of the rec to the finish and enjoyed it immensely.

I’ve read many reviews of this race criticising the distance, the inconsistent mile markers and the quality of the medal but I thought it was a fab race and would run it again and recommend it to everyone. Many congratulations to ‘Super’ Sue Nicholls for winning her age group and Matt Powell for his 8th finishing place and, after dropping us off, winning the Dunstan pub quiz.

As I may have eluded to before, Tewkesbury is notable as the birthplace of the angelic news reader Anna Ford but that’s not all. Tewkesbury Abbey is the finest example of Norman architecture outside Normanland. The Battle of Tewkesbury, in 1471, was one of the most famous and bloodiest encounters during the Wars of the Roses. J.D Wetherspoons Royal Hop Pole Hotel was featured in Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers but I don’t think it was an emporium for cheap lager drinking ‘professional’ gamblers in those days. Why is it the only channel they show on their telly boxes is BBC News 24? It stands at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Severn and floods regularly. The great Eric Morecambe died backstage at the Roses Theatre and Tewkesbury mustard, a blend of horseradish and mustard, which ironically is not made in the town anymore. The name Tewkesbury comes from Theoc, the name of a Saxon who founded a religious retreat there in the 7th century, and was called Theocsbury. And, I’ve ran the half marathon there maybe 15-20 times with a highest position of 3rd in 2008. History lesson over.

Whilst my fellow Harriers were Bridgwater Bolting, Wambrook Waddling or Minehead Halfing, I was travelling back to the town where I spent my first fifty years to run the half riding into town like Gary Cooper in High Noon. Gobby and myself travelled down to Tewkesbury late Saturday afternoon, dropped our stuff at her parents and went to my old cricket club to catch up with old friends where we’re always the last to leave. No change tonight! Well, I’m just so popular people hang every word of my advice and buy me drinks. I was clearly following the Canvas Love Pre Race Nutrition Plan. I’m not sure what time we got back to Sue’s parents but I slept well and awoke before my alarm.

Sue’s old man, John drove me up to collect my number and drop me off at the start. He seemed more excited than me, clucking around like a broody hen. I just wanted to get the thing finished. I shouldn’t be ungrateful. He has always supported me as he was a keen sportsman himself. Waiting at the start, I met a couple of mates, Andy Norman, a qualified FA coach who runs Couch to 5k groups now and who I went to school with, and Rachael Nolan who runs with Almost Athletes from Cheltenham and a keen Guinness advocate. Her club spend a weekend every Spring running a Spanish half and drinking sangria. Noche de sangria. Dilly Dilly.

The race started at 10.00am without any fuss or briefing. People just started running in front of me and I followed. I jogged past my childhood home, through town and towards Northway. I was determined to keep the pace slow and my powder dry for a faster negative split but the 1:45 official pacer was just in front and I thought I should keep up with him for a while. People were shouting my name but I had no clue who they were. Former girlfriends or jealous husbands? I must admit these early miles are pretty non descript and I could be anywhere but I’d ran them hundreds of times on training runs. I turned left towards Aston on Carrant and Kemerton the scenes become more chocolate box and Cotswoldy. Very pretty but here is the biggest climb. I didn’t enjoy this part, at about 8-9 miles, last year and I wasn’t enjoying it today. I thought I was going to be revisited by last night’s San Miguel but I managed to keep the chunder under. I began picking up the pace knowing I was close to home but forgetting what a terrible drag it was back to Tewkesbury. My pace was fluctuating and I knew I had to push hard. Years ago this meant for a speedy final 4-5 miles I was running well and had plenty in the tank. Past versus present. By now it was getting towards midday the sun was shining and very warm. I passed Sue and her family at about 12.5 miles in Mitton and their cheering carried me to the finish and a post cancer personal best for a half marathon.

Over the years I’ve finished in the top 10 many times with a highest of 3rd, I was the most chuffed with today’s run. Ok, I drank too much the previous evening/morning, I was very anxious at the start, I had a chest infection during April and missed a lot of crucial training and my confidence was shot to pieces but I achieved and was pleased with my effort. The post race pint of Thatcher’s Gold was nectar.

My last two races were not my best efforts. Unfortunately I had been laid low with a chest infection and my times at Bham and Butleigh were significantly slower. I had been absent from work for three weeks and feeling sorry for myself. Three weeks without training had reduced my fitness, speed and self confidence. I was about to be entering the months of the season that I particularly wanted to run well and achieve better times starting with Glastonbury Around The Tor 10km.

Glastonbury Tor many years ago used to be an island and known as Avalon, Island of (fruit or) Apple Trees adding to Somerset’s tradition of liking cider. The place where King Arthur was taken to recover from his wounds from The Battle of Camlann and laid to rest, and where Excalibur was forged. The Tor, tipped by St. Michael’s church tower, now is an out of place looking hill rising from the Levels. I travelled to a race a few months ago on a foggy Sunday morning and the Tor looked very mystical and spiritual.

This was to be my second attempt at this race and I was aiming at beating my previous 48.30 but I knew I was in no shape. Usually very popular with Harriers and this year was no exception with 20+ taking part in the various races. We all gathered at various time in the race H.Q excitedly trying the finisher’s tee shirt and nervously cogitating whether to wear club vest or tee shirt or, indeed how may layers as it was quite chilly. We all assembled outside to witness Harriet Hobbs run her 3km event before jogging to our own start line.

The start was congested on a narrow side road leading to a slow, cautious start amongst the masses. After 3km, with shallow breathing and Jon Jacobs breezing past me, I knew today was not going to be my day so I decided that I’d try and enjoy a jog with plenty of company. I caught up with Phil Strange and we took in the scenery at around halfway. I concentrated on deep breathing and running technique and somehow things got much better and I found myself overtaking people. Mostly these people were Millfield schoolboys who started off like shit off a shovel only to blow up and walk. Oh the impetuosity of youth and this is our future! I was able to put in a bit of a sprint in the downward 300m section past Gobby, the cheerleading gnome to the finish where I was unceremoniously ushered out of the finishing area and onto the street. I finished only 8 seconds outside last year’s time so it wasn’t all bad and the tee shirt and medal were good. I walked back up the road, bumping into unruly kids and tie-dyes to meet up with the support section. Sue was quite hoarse from shouting encouragement and I hoped this may lead to her losing her voice. With Sue less is more, more or less, but knew she would lubricate her vocal chords with Pino Grigio at the Dilly Dilly later.

Many congratulations to all the Harriers who ran pbs, Sue Nicholls who won her age group (again) and first age graded overall and the Ladies team who were 2nd.

A London Marathon place is the ultimate prize for all runners. The medal is coveted and the sense of pride wearing your finishing tee shirt on your next run. For those few days when the expo opens and you collect your number and kit bag to the post race ‘waddle’ for home maybe on London transport brandishing the medal for a free ride like a detective, those days I felt special, like a proper runner, an athlete. I usually ran trying to raise money for charity mostly for Macmillan Cancer Support and this led to the interest of local newspapers so I became something of a local, minor celebrity* (Clutching at straws. Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Meeting place of the rivers Severn and Avon, birthplace of newsreader Anna Ford and deathplace of Eric Morecambe). I did get a free bottle of wine at a Vietnamese restaurant (questionable professional status?).

My first London Marathon was on Sunday, 18th April 1999. I had missed out on the Tewkesbury A.C London Marathon club place and had been training hard for Spring half marathons and 10 km races to satisfy my soul. One of our members had a Good For Age place for the race and was in his usual 3 months fit 3 months injured phase so naturally enough his Achilles flared up. We had a chat. He wanted me to take his place and run a qualifying time for him for the next year. He had deferred from the previous year. This of course is against all UKA/EA regulations so I jumped at the chance. I didn’t care as it’s so difficult for club athletes to run the London Marathon I thought this would be my only opportunity. That was 1999 and now it’s even more difficult. I had only a couple of weeks to extend my long runs but I worked hard and felt I was is good shape. Fortunately I had the room that my colleague had booked for the race so I had little to worry about in that regards.

A group of four of us travelled down to London on the Thursday for the Expo at the now demolished London Arena in Millwall where The Trap composed by Ron Goodwin, BBC’s London Marathon theme was blaring out. Inside the exhibition hall I was met a number desks manned by volunteers to sign and collect my bib number and kit bag. The kit bag is for your change of clothes and belongings to be transported from the start to the finish. Once past this you welcomed into Charlie’s chocolate factory, kids in a sweet shop for runners. They’re were literally hundreds, or seemed like it, exhibitor stands covering every aspect of running, nutrition, pre race accessories and post run recovery. Many of Britain’s and the world’s top races were there to sign up runners by giving away pens or key rings. Shoe manufacturers were handing out tee shirts and goodie bags. Top athletes and coaches were having question and answer sessions. I didn’t want to leave and I couldn’t wait to start on Sunday morning.

A ‘couple’ of pints of Guinness followed by a good night’s sleep, my alarm woke me at 5.30am and was instantly struck with fear and a wish it was 5.30pm and I was home with my medal. I made my way to breakfast, but too nervous to eat, and then to Waterloo East station for the train to my start at Blackheath. Even at 7.00 in the morning and the race starting at 9.30, the train was packed and full of celebration and panic. The conversation I remember in particular follow as thus: ” How many miles have you ran up to?”, “That’s good”, “No, in total”. I’m beating you at least I thought! The train stopped and like cattle we all disembarked and walked what seemed like miles to the Blue Assembly Area. It was now around 7.45 and people were arriving in large numbers all the time. The announcer was announcing, what I don’t know, and music was playing. I sat on my kit bag and looked around. Helicopters and balloons flew above and Graham Gooch was to my left. Crikey, my hero. Time was getting on so I went to one of the tents to get ready before taking my bag to the appropriate lorry. Inside a young lad, running for a cancer charity, was carefully pinning a memorial to his grandparents. This struck me deeply and brought a lump to my throat. I’m just a runner but this meant so much more to this guy.

It was chilly but sunny as we were gathered for the start. Perfect conditions. I was in pen 2 so I’d have about 30 seconds before crossing the start line. Being so close to the front meant I could easily slip into race rhythm. The elite runners were disappearing into the distance and I was surrounded by good club runners. The Green Start from Maze Hill joined us at the mile mark and Greenwich Park at mile 3 just before passing The Valley, football ground of relegated from the Premiership the day before, Charlton Athletic. Cutty Sark, a sign of British maritime heritage, was at 6 miles just before entering the borough of Deptford home of Squeeze, a sign of British musical heritage. The course continued along Surrey Quays and Bermondsey for a couple of miles before crossing North of the River Thames at Tower Bridge. The Bridge is at 12 miles and is a good point for Blue Peter presenters to interview charity runners, celebrities or rhinos. I then turned east toward Canary Wharf and the docklands along The Highway. The docklands always used to be the loneliest part of the marathon because of dereliction and lack of spectators but today it’s a carnival. The area is busy with supporters and music and skyscrapers with glass and chrome and thoroughly enjoyable to run round at 16-19 miles into the race. Now just a little 7 mile jog back to The Mall. Heading back along The Highway and seeing runners to my left laughing and cursing and only halfway. The route then passes St. Katherine’s Way and through a gate passing underneath Tower Bridge and over the infamous cobbles. I was flying and didn’t notice the uneven surface and as I ran along the Embankment past Westminster the cheering was deafening. Birdcage Walk and then The Mall. I passed Buckingham Palace without even realising and finished at 2 hours 53 minutes and 26 seconds. I elated, tired and emotional. I wanted to cry. I was awarded my medal and goody bag and staggered to the lorry to collect my kit bag ( don’t stop, keep moving after finishing!).

• 

• 

Marathon over, don’t you believe it. I queued in an orderly fashion as the volunteers took note of my bib number and looked for my bag. After many minutes no bag appeared but an official did and I was taken to a portacabin where I was issued with a forensic suit, and way cooler than a foil blanket. Apparently someone had ran with the same number but from a previous year and had picked up my kit bag. My fellow clubmates were highly amused and I saw the joke some two hours later when my kit bag had finally been returned. The journey back was quiet as I dreamt of a beer and a hot meal.

Just for the record Abdelkader El Mouaziz won in a time of 2:07:57. A good Pointless answer.

And, What does the London Marathon, St. George’s Day and William Shakespeare’s birth/death day have in common?

Well, occasionally they all fall on the same day.

I recently took on a race I’ve never ran before. Nothing unusual there as many Somerset races I’ve never ran before. My previous club, Tewkesbury Athletics Club, were situated in Gloucestershire and all the local clubs were falling over themselves to put out races. Some of these races made their way onto the county series list, others were 5 mile or 5 km or 10 km series races. You could almost race twice a week all year round. The biggest difference between Gloucestershire and Somerset I’ve found is Somerset have many more multi terrain races both in and out of the county series.

This particular race was the BHAM! 10k ish multi terrain.. I was in considerable doubt whether to run as I had been suffering from flu like symptoms, later diagnosed as a chest infection, but was desperate to participate as photographs from the previous, and inaugural, event made this one not to miss. I wasn’t the only one. Being a series race, this brought the Harriers out in force but limited places reduced our usual 20 odd. Ten ran, Mark and Tracey Benton, Tracey Thomas, Jason Roberts, Lauren Summers, Phil Strang, Stuart Anderson, Matt Powell, Phil Hobbs and myself.

We arrived early and the car parking marshals were very efficient and we parked in a small trading estate in the grounds of a farm. Parking overall was very well regulated and nobody seemed to have any problems. The race village and registration was well organised with a useful bag drop and race briefing was well delivered and audible for a change.

We lined up to start the race. I find it amusing at the start of races that all the Harriers meet in a group and chat but as soon as we’re called to the start we all disperse to our possible finishing places. I could just make out Matt’s balding dome at the front of the field. The race started with a longest, steep downhill section which troubled me because it meant a uphill section somewhere! The race then followed some 7-8 km of flat trail of mud, puddles, tree roots and a cut down tree that was blocking the path. The course was terrific with the only problem being the murky, foggy weather spoiling the views. I was right about that uphill section though. About 9 km into the race I looked ahead and saw Cripple Hill. ‘Mother of God’ I thought, I feel like sh*t and they expect me to run up this! So I walked and was greeted by a photographer. Man, normally I could run this easily but today no way, Jose and was duly recorded. The finish was thankfully near. I felt really disappointed about my run but I wasn’t well. The race was fabulous and I enjoyed it perversely but I know I can do much better and next year I will. Everybody ran well especially Matt who finished 9th overall and Tracey T who was 4th Lady. The bling was great also being in the shape of a hand grenade, BHAM think 1960s Batman.

We were fortunate to have a chat with BHAM Runners treasurer after our race. He revealed that the race was their only money making opportunity and that members paid no subscriptions. I guess that members aren’t EA affiliated athletes even though Bham are. Seems a great initiative which works fabulously with the local community.
He asked for feedback and everything was positive. This race took me back many years to when I started racing. Everything was simple and well organised and not ran by some company who’s only concern was to cream off as much profit as possible. The homemade cakes were delicious.

After coming home from holiday and receiving an email saying I’m only 12 weeks away from my next half marathon I figured it was high time I got back to the bosom of my running club family. It wasn’t a great evening for a run by non-runner’s standards, rain and breezy, but a true runner would embrace any weather to run in.  After warming up and a mile into the run, we turned to run along the esplanade. The weather had closed in and visibility out to sea was poor. 

About half a mile along the seafront laying at a shelter there appeared to be a bundle of rags. On closer inspection it was body. We approached and asked if everything was ok thinking maybe it was a drunk or drug addict but it was a young girl, soaking wet, muddy, shivering and in a state of shock. A couple of our group ran to nearby apartments to ask for blankets and to notify emergency services. The rest of us tried to keep the girl alert by engaging her in conversation. We were fortunate to have Jayne and Tracey B. with us as leading members of our brilliant NHS. I useful as I was nearer her mental age!

The girl gradually became less shy and more communicative. She had walked a couple of miles along the beach and had got caught in the mud and incoming tide at Burnham-on-Sea but had managed to drag herself off the beach and to the shelter. She was cold, wet,  muddy and distressed. While chatting to her we discovered she was 15 and liked Heavy Metal and Musicals so our medley of Paranoid and Happy Talk went down well, sort of well. Our conversation included such varied topics as Red Dwarf, Dr. Who, Les Miserables and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. We tried to keep the chat light and positive through our own concern. 

She had a mobile phone which had an unlocking code so complicated she couldn’t remember and was also clearly undecipherable to us. Her parents had texted but we had to wait for a phone call to speak to them while the paramedics/ambulance services had another emergency to deal with. Time was going on and we were wearing just tee shirts and shorts and we were starting to feel the cold but all the time knowing that this poor girl’s need was greater than ours. 

Realising the girl had numerous missed calls from her parents, a gentleman from the neighbouring flats called the Police suggesting they could send a car to her home to reassure her parents and put them in ‘the loop’. Not such an easy task as the call went to a call centre some 30 miles north to Portishead, Bristol so their local knowledge wasn’t that great and the conversation took some time. Eventually after what seemed like hours but actually only an hour had passed, The Burnham Coastguard Rescue Team and her mother arrived and took control of the situation. The girl was sat upright and the blankets and her jacket were removed and replaced with clean, dry ones and she was put in a recovery bag. Finally we could see her face. She had a relieved look on her face. She smiled sweetly as we said our goodbyes. 

Of course we ran off and completed our designated route but it gave us an opportunity to reflect on the incident. It seemed very silly to walk along the beach so far on such a filthy evening especially as the tide was coming in. The weather was so bad few people would have passed by the girl and the conclusion could have been far worse. I was also concerned about the length of time it took for help to arrive. Then I thought about my own safety as a runner. I never run with my mobile and if I should find myself in a similar predicament, and other walkers and cyclists, would I have the information to simplify a response? Clearly it’s very important to carry some basic information with you. On a pleasant day a walk along the beach is wonderful but remember the weather can change rapidly and the tide rises quickly.

The clocks sprung forward and we all lost a precious hour’s sleep also a 9.00am start makes this race as popular as a fart in a spacesuit. I ran the Yeovil Half Marathon last year when Weston Super Half had been cancelled and I panickily signed up for halfs as to not waste the long runs I had been turning out. Although not particularly flat, I enjoyed the race immensely. Especially running through the Montecute estate, which reminded me of my hospital stay as I was in the Montecute Ward. The main highlight was watching Jayne Biddiscombe Jackson having a post run massage. The language was not, shall we say, becoming of a lady of her class and elegance. Jayne, I have photos! They tell a story but not as much as your potty mouth. Sadly this year, I had to pull out due to illness. I was truly gutted. It was Kelly Sherriff’s first half and she ran a fantastic 1:57. Definitely room for improvement. Kelly runs very well and would benefit with a mixture of confidence and belief. Phil Hobbs ran a personal best and Dave Darling and Jon Jacobs ran encouragingly and posted good times.

These few weeks have been busy for Somerset half marathon running. Harriers have been, or will be, represented at Bath, Weston, Yeovil and Taunton over consecutive weeks. It really is encouraging to see so many of us out and about in races. This will of course lead to the possibility of fatigue and injury from over racing. The age old formula is to rest for a day a mile ran in a race. For example 13 days rest after a half marathon. I always imagined the rest to be from hard training or racing as running, if only, very easily is imperative to dispersing the build up of lactic acid and ease the micro tears in the legs. It’s not only the tiredness but the effect on the immune system. Colds, influenza and over use injuries can be prevalent during periods of heavy training or racing therefore it is much wiser to target maybe two races in the Spring and two in the Autumn and use other races as training runs or to practice specific techniques such as hill running, even pacing for mile splits, negative splits (running second half of a race faster than the first), concentrating on stride patterns, getting used to running in a crowd, or even taking drinks whilst running. The one skill I’m yet to acquire is grabbing jelly babies from small children so I’ll just stick to my energy gels.

So, what if you’ve only raced 10k races and decide to go up to a half marathon? The long runs of 8 – 10 miles have been done but the biggest worry is pace management or not going too fast too soon. The bigger races will have pacemakers which will keep an even pace throughout the race but sometimes it will be necessary to ‘hold yourself back’ at the start to prevent being caught up in the euphoria or nerves of waiting for the start. Ideally, start slow and as the race evolves go a little quicker and gain experience from your first half whilst still being able to enjoy it. If you feel as though you haven’t left all your effort out on the road and have more to give, save it for next time.

This leads me to my next deliberation: is there a next time? I’m ashamed to say I coerced my Harrier friends into a poll stating the number of half marathons they had ran. I always enjoyed the distance providing it wasn’t out and back or multi laps. What better way to see the area where you were running and take in it’s natural surroundings. The 13.1 mile distance is perfect as it’s far enough to warm up, push yourself harder and hang on to finish. 10km races are sometimes too short. By the time the race finishes, I often feel I haven’t gone threw the gears and have more to give or are two lappers to incorporate a 5km. I’ve ran nearly 70 halfs and is clearly my most often raced race but I always wondered how others saw it and whether they felt the same as me. But I’m stalling you all want to know the results of my poll. Hands sweaty, how disgusting.

0-5 half marathons 53%

11-20 half marathons 21.8%

6-10 half marathons 15.6%

20+ half marathons 9.3%

This is a small sample size and of course doesn’t incorporate those who haven’t or aren’t interested in running a half marathon but it still interests me as I think in, maybe, only a couple of years the results may be very different as runners become more experienced and look for something challenging or increase in fitness and confidence. The club is growing at a incredible rate. I truly look forward to the next couple of years of Burnham-on-Sea Harriers development. Things are going skyward.