Training Run 73

Tonight's training session was gruelling.  Manu lead it and she always works us hard!  Tonight we were practicing running uphill again, but interval sessions this time and we were working in pairs.  While I ran up and down the hill in a pyramid set of one short, one long and one short up and back run, my partner Blake undertook various exercises, including squats and spotty dogs, and then we would switch over.  We did six sets of this and I was absolutely exhausted at the end, though I noticed that my cardio was keeping up with the exercise even when my body had nothing left.  I have definitely improved my cardio capacity over the last year and I am really pleased with myself.  I know that at the beginning of the year I simply wouldn't have been able to complete tonight's session.  Thanks to everyone at the club who has helped me get to this level!

Training Run 72 - 5.6 miles, 9.01 km, 45'23''

Tonight I did a shorter version of my usual Monday run, along the South Bank to the peace pagoda in Battersea Park and then back again.  December is a bad month for training, I have eaten and drunk too many good things and this has made me feel sluggish and unhealthy.  Tonight's run was tough but I am glad I did it, as I want to keep my running ticking over, at least for now; I suspect that there won't be much running going during the last two weeks of the year!

Training Run 71 - 4.26 miles / 6.85 km, 33'52''

Today is the day of the Frontrunners Christmas party, so later on we will all be going out, eating and drinking a lot and generally having a good time.  This morning I ran with the guys once around Hyde Park - I didn't want to do anything too strenuous today.  It was good to get out in the fresh morning air and just run as fast as I could at times, it really blew all the cobwebs away.  My body felt ok and I didn't have any of the niggly aches or pains that I have suffered from during the last year.

Training Run 70

Wednesday night means training, but tonight's session was impromptu as the person who was supposed to be leading the session did not turn up!  So we ran around Primrose Hill in loops for exactly 30 minutes, doing some parts fast and other parts at jogging pace, in order to teach us how to better maintain stamina over long periods.  It felt like very hard work (all those Christmas drinks and chocolates are beginning to tell!) but at the end I knew I had done something tough and been able to get through it.

Training Run 69 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 58'37''

I ran my usual Monday evening run, along the South Bank, around Battersea Park and back again.  I suspect this may be one of the last times I do this run in 2015, what with Christmas coming up.  Tonight's run was good, I ran alone and enjoyed the speed and solitude after how busy everything has been lately.

Training Run 68

After last week's uphill session, tonight we practiced running down!  This is not as foolish as it sounds - running down hill without a good technique is a sure-fire way to injure yourself (so I am told), so it was good that Steven was showing us how to improve our technique when tackling down hill sections.  This involved us jogging up to the top of Primrose Hill (quite a feat in itself but worth it for the amazing view at the top) and then running down at different speeds.  We tried running really fast with very small paces (extremely hard for me and not very effective), then running slower but with huge bounding paces (very painful on the feet and I felt like I was going to crash any minute).  Finding something somewhere between the two was the key, as you can use the downhill section to maintain your speed, but making your paces larger and less frequent gives you a chance to recover, ready for the next uphill section.  After practicing this several times, I can't say that my technique is perfect, but it definitely felt better than it was before we started and now I know what I need to do in order to practice this myself in the future.

Training Run 67

I haven't been running since last Wednesday's session, but tonight's session more than made up for that in my opinion!  Cristian led this evening and we were practicing running uphill.  We ran up the shallower side path of Primrose Hilll, where Cristian had laid out markers denoting 200m and 250m up the hill.  He said that if we wanted to run to the very top, that would be about 270m.  The aim was to run up as fast as possible and then use the run back down the hill as active recovery.  I did 5 reps of this - I ran to the top of the hill on the first one, up to 250m for the next two and only up to 200m for the fourth one.  It got harder each time - I really pushed myself running up the hill, I could feel the charge in my sprint, but also the burning in my lungs as I willed myself to run as hard as possible up the hill.  On the final rep Cristian encouraged me to run all the way to the top again and that was very tough, but I felt great when I reached the top.  This was definitely one of the tougher sessions I have done in a while but I know that hill work is always beneficial, especially at the moment during cross country season!

Training Run 66

Tonight's training session with the London Frontrunners involved sprint training with Chris McMahon.  We did 15 reps of 100m sprints, with short pauses between, followed by 10 reps of 150m sprints, also with short pauses between.  Although I can sprint quite quickly for very short periods, I can't maintain that level of speed for long and I felt as though I needed more time to recover between each rep as time went on and I became more breathless.  I know that I used muscles in this session that I don't usually use because I could really feel the aching sensation in both legs for the next couple of days afterwards.

Training Run 65 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 44'19''

This was one of those runs where I felt highly energised.  I noticed on setting off that it felt much easier running on the hard surface than the mud and soft ground of the cross country run on Saturday.  I felt as though I was running really fast, although I noticed towards the end of the run that the sides of my feet were aching.  I am speculating that they were not used to the difference in surface from cross country to hard pavement.  It was another dry evening but it had rained earlier so the ground was a bit damp.  I felt nowhere near as cold as I had done during the cross country run.  I was pleased that I was able to run really fast at the end, saving that burst of energy to ensure that nobody passed me, which is always good practice for future cross country runs.  I ran to the pagoda and back as opposed to the usual seven miles I do, because I was tired and really wanted to finish a bit earlier and get to the pub in good time!

London Cross Country Championships - 6.21 miles / 10 km, 51'06''

At last week's cross country meet I honestly didn't think that it would be possible to have worse weather than we had there.  It turns out that I was wrong!

John Keenan had organised for us to enter some teams into the London Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath.  He lured me in by saying that it was a good course and that it would be an enjoyable experience.  It certainly was an experience!  On leaving the warmth of the Overground train I was immediately assaulted by persistent drizzly rain and a cold wind.  The rain would not let up all afternoon and rather than feeling warm and wet like the previous week I felt cold and wet because of the wind.

Nineteen of us turned up to run and I think we all thought that it would have been nicer to stay in bed!  There were a lot of other running clubs standing near us beside their flags and under their awnings and tents (London Heathside were obviously hard as nails as they didn't have any cover at all!).  Our gazebo did not do very well at keeping us or our possessions warm or dry but it did keep the rain off a bit as we got ready to start.  I saw how muddy some of the women were as they returned from their race and knew that this was going to be messy!

After the starting gun went off, we climbed a steep hill (possibly Parliament Hill) and then ran into the first circuit.  There was a steep downward slope and the course bent to the left at the end of this; it was already very muddy here and I skidded slightly near the bottom but was able to stop myself from falling.  Then it was up another very steep hill and through the trees, which every time I ascended felt like really hard work.  I enjoyed the first lap, the second was a repeat of the first but by the time I reached the second steep ascent I was feeling really tired.  I kept thinking that these two were only the shorter ones and that there were still two long loops to come!

The rain did not abate and my hands felt freezing cold (I had worn gloves before the start but taken them off as my hands usually get really hot when I'm running), as we started around the first of the two longer loops.  These were the first loops with two rabbit-ear shaped extensions included, which were both relatively flat.  By now I was finding the conditions really tough, as I trudged through deep swamps and wet boggy bits of the course, I had mud splattered all up my ankles, shin and back.  Luckily my fellow Frontrunner Ciarán joined me and we kept each other going for the last part of the run.  I have never been so relieved to see a finish line as I was that day!

I was very pleased with my time of 51 minutes 6 seconds, finishing 319th out of 353 runners, which, as it was my first ever 10km cross country, would be a personal best.  Despite the atrocious conditions and the toughness of the course and distance I nonetheless really enjoyed the experience - it's always fun running a race with my Frontrunner buddies!

Training Run 64

Tonight was the first Wednesday training session that I had been to in some time and I really enjoyed it.  Karl led the session and after warming up we did six 500 metre laps at a fast pace.  I ran with Cristian for most of these laps which was great, as we run at a similar pace so we are able to keep each other going.  I'm still not great at maintaining my focus, I was day dreaming at one point and clattered into Cristian on a corner because I forgot we were turning there!  He didn't mind though and we got round all six laps in the end.  I worked very hard and I felt exhausted at the end but I think that's usually a sign that the training was sufficiently challenging.  Bring on Saturday's cross country!  The weather forecast is not good...

Training Run 63 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 51'31''

It was another mild and damp evening, with very strong winds blowing off the river.  Leaves and dust blew into my eyes which made it difficult to see at times.  I talked with Alistair as we ran along the South Bank, down to Battersea Park, round the pagoda and back again.  We chatted casually about all sorts of things, mainly the International Trip, but also how beneficial Frontrunners has been for me and how much I have enjoyed being part of such a friendly group of people.  We passed by some canoeists on the river, illuminated by tiny lights that each person was wearing.  As we passed the MI6 building by Vauxhall Bridge I thought of how it had been represented in Spectre, which Chris and had gone to see on Saturday.  I didn't run as hard as I know I could have done, but that was because I was enjoying talking with Alistair and didn't want to leave him behind; I know that in future I will need to train harder if I want to continue to improve.

Met Cross Country League 2015/16 Fixture 2 Stevenage - 4.97 miles / 8 km, 44'57''

This was my first attempt at cross country running since the last Met league meet with the London Frontrunners, which was at least two years ago.  At that time I had intended to run these more regularly but after doing the first one I got injured and then never got around to signing up again.  I couldn't come to the first fixture this season at Claybury but, despite the problems with the trains, I made it to Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, where the run was to take place.

From what I saw of it, Stevenage looked pretty grim.  It was a new town with lots of concrete modernist buildings and grey canyons running around these.  The rain and wind did not improve my perceptions; the place seemed cold, unwelcoming and unfriendly.  Fairlands Valley Park would be a lovely place to walk or run around in good weather, but by the time I arrived the rain was pouring and there was a very strong wind blowing; I did not want to take my coat off when the time came to run, it was so cold!

The start of the race was fairly haphazard but I got going and not long afterwards the rain stopped and the sun came out.  I was glad I had brought my spikes as conditions underfoot were muddy in places, though it wasn't too wet.  The course itself was not very interesting.  In previous years it had apparently taken in some woodland next to the park, but on this occasion we did three loops around the playing fields, with a couple of minor humps to run up and down.  It was tough going on the soft ground and my feet were wet before the race even started, so it wasn't especially comfortable.  Apart from these grumbles though I felt fine throughout the race, my legs kept me going and my tiredness was more mental than physical.  It was hard not knowing exactly how many laps I would be running, and other people I asked there didn't seem to be sure either.  I was very pleased to finish, feeling cold, wet and tired!

It is tradition on the cross country runs to make and bring cake for group consumption.  I had made a lemon syrup loaf cake and brought it with me to share, it was very moist and tasted very good, even I do say so myself!  There were a lot of other good cakes on offer too, and I may have had a small nip of the cognac that Christos brought with him - it really helped to warm me up!

This was a good reintroduction to cross country running and I thoroughly enjoyed the run and the company, in spite of the weather.

Training Run 62

I hadn't run on a Thursday evening with the London Frontrunners for quite some time and as I missed training yesterday I thought I would run tonight instead, given that I will be doing cross country on Saturday for the first time in two years.  As a club we are temporarily homeless on Thursday evenings due to our previous changing gym letting us go, so our Saturday venue (St. Mary's in Paddington) have let us use their changing rooms for now.

Tonight was mild, with damp conditions underfoot although it wasn't actually raining.  It was a relatively small group of us, with Simon doing the starting circle.  We ran around Hyde Park and I ran with Paul pretty much all of the way, who helped me to run faster than I normally would do as his pace is quicker than mine.  We ran one full lap of the park, incorporating two laps of the Serpentine before returning to our start point.

As I ran around the Serpentine I saw it in a whole different light to how it is during the day.  The area was deserted and quiet, with a strong breeze whipping up droplets of water from the lake; there was water in the wind.  I felt a strong impression of freshness blowing in on the wind and an inexplicable sense of change on the horizon.  Maybe I think too much!  I could also hear distant drums, which may have been from the Million Mask protest taking place nearby.

I didn't time or measure the run but I think it was about a 10km distance, which was slightly longer than I'd been intending to do.  I felt pleased that I had come along and confident about Saturday.  We went for a meal together afterwards in KuPP, a Scandinavian restaurant that did excellent food (I had a delectable trout salad) but which had terribly slow service.  All in all it was a very pleasant evening.

Training Run 61 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 1'16''

Today's run took place entirely in the dark, with the clocks having gone back and the true end of British Summer time.  There was a chilly wind blowing off the river this evening and there had been lingering fog that had not really cleared all day, which lent the riverside a mysterious quality, like a Victorian detective novel.  I felt tired going into it and the time reflects the fact that I didn't run as hard as I could have done.  I spent the early part of the run talking to Michael, who runs slightly slower than I do anyway, but I ran the latter part alone.  I felt slow and sluggish running around the entire route and was glad to reach the end when I did.  I know that I am going to need to change my habits, making sure that I go to bed earlier during the week and drink less alcohol over the weekends.  I did go to the pub tonight and it was really nice to have a sociable chat with some of the Monday runners, who I don't usually get to see socially.

Training Run 60 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 59'11''

Having not run for a week, and having been to a wedding the weekend before, I really felt this run in my legs.  I did the usual Monday evening seven-miler along the South Bank, around Battersea Park and back again.  It had been a cold, clear afternoon and the evening was dry, with lots of people out and about along the South Bank and in the park.  I ran by myself this evening, taking the chance to get back into my running rhythm.  It was very pleasant running through the park, although now that it is fully dark in the evening it makes some of the unlit paths quite difficult to traverse safely.  The number of people running without any reflective gear on was quite concerning - with lots of people running in all directions, nobody wants to collide with anyone else.

Although this felt like a difficult run, I felt better in myself as time went on (though today my legs ache more than they usually would do after such a run).  I want to get a pacing watch of some kind so that I can check my splits for miles/kms and get a better idea of keeping my own pace than I currently have.  All of this will help me to improve going forward, especially if I decide to run a marathon later this year.

Training Run 59 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 58'49''

This was my first run since the Royal Parks half, having given myself a week off while Chris and I were on holiday in Cornwall.  After a week of bright sunshine, today was grey and wet, reminding me of how autumnal Britain can feel.

I enjoyed tonight's run, along the South Bank and once around Battersea Park before returning again.  I ran with Rich and we talked about politics (as we always do) and I didn't try to push myself too hard.  It was a good evening, despite the rain.  I am thinking now about doing a marathon at some point in the future, although I am a bit scared about the amount of training that I will need to do.  I know I should be brave though and make the commitment - the marathon is the ultimate distance, and I would really love to do it, to prove to myself that I can.  So watch this space for further updates!

Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon - 13.1 miles / 21.08 km, 1 hr 46'43''

My first ever Royal Parks Half Marathon could not have been better. A beautiful sunny but cool day, lots of enthusiastic supporters along the route and a new personal best combined to make it a hugely enjoyable experience.

Chris and I arrived at Hyde Park bright and early, along with a chunk of the other 15,000 runners. I headed off to the start area and he went to Buckingham Palace to find a good place to watch out for me. The start area had a large marquee for the charities, and I dropped my bag off at the Amnesty International area and said hello to Ben and Daisy from Team Amnesty, who have been the principal organisers of my place in the run. After that I headed for the blue starting funnel, which was the specific area for my predicted time.

As the race began, I was just behind the 1.55 pace runner. I was aiming to do below 1.55 so I overtook him fairly rapidly. The first few miles were crowded, with lots of overtaking and (polite) jostling. The early morning sunshine was bright and there was a light breeze to keep me cool. I saw a few well-dressed charity runners in these early stages - a man dressed as a bottle of London Pride beer, a woman in a tiger onesie and even a man in a squirrel outfit, complete with bushy tail, running to raise money for the Royal Parks Foundation.
The first half of the race felt very good. I knew I was going at a faster pace than in my previous half marathons and my legs felt strong with no aches or pains. There were so many friendly people cheering at the sidelines - as I had my name on my vest, lots of people kept calling out my name which really helped to keep me motivated.

I realised as time progressed that I was tiring, but I wanted to keep the pace going.  The latter half of the race was harder than the first, and my splits were slower too.  However, as I neared the end I knew that I would be setting a new personal best and was hoping that I would be able to get home in under 1 hour 50.  I need not have worried, as I crossed the finish line in 1.46:43, well below my target time, 9 minutes faster than my previous personal best and a full 15 minutes faster than the time I ran in Porto only a month ago.  I got my lovely oak leaf medal and had a wander around the stalls at the food and fitness fair, enjoying the late autumn sunshine in one of London's loveliest parks.  The perfect end to a perfect run!

Training Run 58 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 56'18''

I had not intended to run all the way around the park tonight, but I was enjoying the company and the running so I thought I would go all the way.  It was a dark, cool evening, with the feeling of autumn hanging in the air.  It was dry albeit overcast, so good conditions for running in.  The Royal Parks is taking place this Sunday and I am looking forward to it, as well as the holiday in Cornwall that Chris and I will be having afterwards.  I ran with Tom before breaking away by myself, pushing myself quite hard to record my fastest time at this distance so far.  I hope that this is a good omen for the race on Sunday!

Training Run 57 - 4.26 miles / 6.85 km, 33'15''

This was a good run for a number of reasons.  I ran with Tom for some of it and we talked about a number of different things, before I ran on ahead and started chatting with James, who gave me lots of hints and tips for running marathons.  This has made me feel a bit more confident about the idea of running one at some point in the future (having not got into the ballot for the London Marathon this year).

During the run I got that feeling I get sometimes, of all my cares and concerns falling away, of feeling well and truly alive, the energy flowing through my body.  Sometimes when I run I feel as though I can just keep going forever, and today was one of those days.  I only did one lap of the park in the end, but I felt energised and refreshed afterwards.  I enjoyed talking to three newbies (Nick, Nick and possibly another James) along with José and Blake at brunch, before heading for coffee afterwards.

The Royal Parks is next Sunday, I will need to check what I need to do and where I need to be.  I have almost reached my fundraising target too.  Very exciting!

Training Run 56 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 45'36''

Having rested for a week after all the exertions and fun of Porto, I came back to running tonight ready and raring to go.  The Royal Parks is the next target and it is only a few weeks away.  This evening I eased myself back in gently, running to the Pagoda and back again, chatting rather than exerting myself, to Conor, Tom and various others.  The sun was already setting and this is probably the last time there will be any sort of light by the time we reach Battersea Park.  The changing from summer to autumn always makes me sad - I would much prefer having the long light evenings.  Having said that, I wouldn't appreciate them as much if we had them all the time!  Tonight went well, although I am still feeling a bit tired and will need to be careful between now and the 11th October.

Porto Half Marathon – 13.1 miles / 21.08 km, 2 hrs 1 min

My thoughts and fears had been focused on this race for so long that when the day finally arrived it felt as though I had been preparing for it for ages. Having been in Porto with my London Frontrunner friends since Friday I had enjoyed the opportunity to explore the city and see some of the sites. However, by Saturday afternoon I was feeling nervous, large butterflies flapping within my stomach. We ate dinner on Saturday night, which was enjoyable, but all of us had the following day’s run on the mind, with most of the concerns being about the temperature. It had been 24 degrees, warm and sunny in Porto for the previous couple of days and this was set to continue on Sunday. Would I be able to cope with the heat? I had never really trained under such conditions apart from the odd training session and this was my principle concern.

The following morning we left our hostel as a phalanx, a huge group of 90+ London Frontrunners, sporting our distinctive red and white vests. Although I was still nervous I felt braver with my friends around me. It felt like we were comrades, heading out to battle, ready to face the difficult task ahead. It was cool in the early morning but the sun was already out and the air was warming up. When we got off the bus by the start line, I sat on a wall by the River Douro and watched the large shoals of fish swimming in the water below. The race would mostly be along the river, which flows through a steep-sided gorge and is dotted with some stunning bridges, including the double-decked Ponte Dom Luís I which we would be running over later. The setting was certainly impressive.

We had about an hour’s wait before the race was due to begin and all of my nerves had re-surfaced. I queued for the toilets and then entered the start funnel, looking around me for other Frontrunners. The announcements in Portuguese made little sense to me but the atmosphere was similar to the start of previous races that I have run in, with lots of tense but excited people finding our positions, checking our laces were tied and doing last-minute stretches. Fearful thoughts raced through my mind – what if my knee injury recurred, what if I collapsed from heat exhaustion and what if the organisers couldn’t get hold of Chris if anything went wrong? Before I knew it though we had started and I had to push all these doubts and fears to the back of my mind and focus on the running.

The early stages of the race felt significantly harder than I usually find them on half marathons. The temperature had reached 26 degrees and there was very little shade anywhere along the route. I was sweating profusely after not very many metres and although I had put sun cream on prior to the start I was worrying about my skin cooking in the searing heat. The water station at 5km was very welcome and I doused my head and face as well as taking a drink. My leg muscles felt much more tired than usual and the cobbled road surface felt like hard work; at one point I accidentally kicked a loose stone onto the pavement, luckily it skidded harmlessly across the empty path.

I don’t remember much about the first half of the race, other than impressions of the bright sunshine, views of picturesque old houses and boats by the river, the sound of feet pounding the ground and the wobbling of the Dom Luís Bridge as we all ran over the lower deck. The running began to feel a bit easier after the 10km water station; this may have been psychological but I definitely felt lighter in my legs, as though I had got into my running rhythm properly. This early part of the second half of the race was my favourite, as I enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine, the sounds of the cheering spectators and the sights of Porto town.

The euphoria did not last though. At about 16km I started to feel really low on energy. I had brought one sachet of energy gel with me, which will usually be enough to sustain me for a half marathon, but having taken it just after the hour mark I was not really feeling its benefits. My body felt slow and sluggish and, more alarmingly, I started to feel cold at about 18km in spite of the still intense heat. By now though I knew that the end was in sight and, with each kilometre feeling longer and more difficult than the last, I gritted my teeth and carried on. I knew that I was feeling a bit fragile because when I ran through a tunnel where a sound system was playing the theme from Chariots of Fire, I teared up a little bit. At one point some (exceedingly handsome!) firemen were standing on one of their engines and spraying their hose over the road and I gratefully ran through their cooling mist.

The end of the run was frustrating because, as a number of us commented afterwards, there was a fake finish line! I could see an orange arch made of balloons ahead of me at what appeared to be the end of the track, and I assumed that this marked the finish line. However, as I got nearer to it I realised that the track bent around the corner beyond the arch; the official finish line was a couple of hundred metres further along. By now there were loads of people cheering the runners down the home straight, and they encouraged me as I somehow put in a final burst of speed to charge over the line in two hours and one minute dead. The time was a full six minutes slower than the personal best that I set in Reading earlier this year, but I was pleased to have finished my first ever international half marathon and my first race in such challenging conditions.

I walked through the area after the finish line in a daze, feeling physically exhausted and extremely hot. After collecting my medal, a goody bag and some fruit, I walked down to the river’s edge, took my trainers off and paddled in the shallow water, which felt blissfully cool to my tired feet. This had been the toughest half marathon of my running career to date, but on balance it had been an enjoyable experience. Seeing my fellow Frontrunners finishing one by one (and chatting with the ones who had already finished) added to the sense that we had collectively achieved something special and that we had survived a difficult challenge. It was good to know that, now the hard work was done, we had the rest of the weekend to look forward to!

In the end all of my worries failed to materialise. I did get a tiny bit sunburnt on my back where my vest had moved during the run, but the rest of my body was fine. My knees felt fine afterwards, apart from the usual tired aches which I feel after running such a distance. No emergency phone calls had to be made to Chris or anyone else and I did not have to be carried off the course on a stretcher. I had survived a tough challenge and confronted some of my fears, which made me feel really good about myself. I want to keep on pushing myself and facing my fears, proving to myself that in spite of my lack of self-belief, I am capable of achieving my goals.

I really want to thank all of my fellow London Frontrunners for being such amazing buddies, training partners and friends; without you all I know I would not have been able to achieve what I did in Porto. Everyone who has spoken to me, encouraged me, helped me train or had a drink with me in the pub after training has helped me to evolve as a person, to learn more about myself and to learn to love myself that little bit more. My transformation from the body-phobic couch potato that I used to be to the person who I am today could not have happened without your support along the way. Having an environment where I feel safe to be open and honest about who I am means everything to me and even in these supposedly more LGBT-friendly times, having such a space is as vitally important as ever. Thank you all for your continuing friendship, encouragement and support; together we are stronger!

Training Run 55 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 44'35''

Tonight I ran to the Peace Pagoda and back again, not wanting to over-exert myself prior to Porto.  Simple but effective, and very enjoyable.

Penelope Fitzgerald Offshore (1979)

Having lived in London for a while now, I have learnt that the city changes all the time.  Parts that would once have been working or industrial areas are colonised by the edgy and the fashionable and, eventually, become gentrified to the extent that their previous existence is scarcely more than a memory.  To walk around Battersea now would give very little indication of its industrial or maritime past.  Penelope Fitzgerald’s Offshore peers into this not too distant history and focuses on a point in time during the swinging Sixties when this part of London was rapidly changing.

The novel is a tale about a group of neighbours who live on old Thames barges at Battersea Reach.  It is set in 1961, a time when the character of Battersea was beginning to change.  Published in 1979, the locality described in Offshore was already a historical memory; Battersea had moved on.  There is definitely a sense of wistfulness about Fitzgerald’s prose, portraying a setting that even the residents know is rapidly dissolving around them.  The mariners are clinging on to this older way of life, in the same way that all of them can be said to be clinging on to memories of a past that held more promise than their lives reveal to them now.  Richard keeps his vessel ship-shape while seemingly avoiding the fact that his marriage is on the rocks; Nenna pretends that her errant husband will return to her; Willis continues to paint watercolours, while the number of clients that appreciate his old-fashioned seascapes dwindles.  Fitzgerald says of them all that they “would have liked to be more respectable than they were… But a certain failure, distressing to themselves, to be like other people, caused them to sink back, with so much else that drifted or was washed up, into the mud moorings of the great tideway”.  This sense of failure and disappointment pervades Offshore, marooning its characters on a desert island of their own regrets.

The novel weighs in at a relatively short 181 pages, but provides a fascinating vignette of the lives of a disparate group of unhappy individuals, all united by their lives between earth and water.  However, I didn’t feel strongly for the characters and the spare style of the prose doesn’t really allow the reader to get close; the brevity also left me feeling as though I was just beginning to understand the characters, only for the end to come much too quickly.  In my opinion it’s not a vintage Booker winner, but it’s an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Training Run 54 - 6.26 miles / 10.08km, 48'55''

Today I ran with Cristian, we did a lap around Hyde Park followed by a lap of the Serpentine in Hyde Park.  The weather was grey and overcast and the ground was slightly damp from the drizzle that had been falling earlier that morning.  This felt difficult - I was running at quite a fast pace and my hips felt tired and achey.  However, I persevered and was able to finish, and still have a slight burst of speed left for the very end.  Cris and I were really pleased with our times for this distance, and this bodes well for Porto next weekend.  Later I went for brunch and then on to Cristian's for a drinks party in the evening.  A great day all in all, I am really looking forward to Porto now!

Training Run 53

This evening Cristian led his first training session, which consisted of 300m, 200m and 100m repetitions at speed, with various forms of rest between them (jogging, walking and pausing).  This was much more challenging than I was expecting it to be, mainly because running at speed and doing four sets of repetitions makes each individual run feel harder and harder.  By the time I had finished the last 100m dash I felt exhausted, but able to jog back to get changed nonetheless.  There was another beautiful sunset on this dry and bright evening, but it got dark quickly and I think our park-based training sessions are going to be coming to an end soon.

Training Run 52 - 5.6 miles / 9.01km, 44'38''

This evening started out cloudy, but the sun had come out by the end.  The nights are drawing in now and it was beautiful to see the coral coloured light of the sunset reflecting off the buildings between Westminster and Battersea.  Initially my knees felt a bit stiff but once I had got going they felt fine.  I only ran to the Peace Pagoda and back again as I felt tired and I don't want to run too much before the Porto trip (I am supposed to be tapering after all).  I didn't stick around for the pub this evening but had a leisurely shower which was bliss.

Training Run 51

This was the first run in a while when it has rained significantly during the session.  There was steady drizzle as we started the session, but my new trainers gripped the surfaces well in the wet.  Alice and Simon were both there again and we all did the training, which consisted of 4 laps of 800m around part of Regent's Park.  My knee was quite tender by the time we had finished.  I really hope that it is going to hold up during Porto, I am going to need to work on the strengthening exercises that I have been doing.  Going to the pub afterwards was very enjoyable though, Simon is friends with Emil and it was nice to talk to both of them.

Training Run 50

I trained tonight with the Frontrunners as usual.  I made friends with two new people, Alice and Simon, and enjoyed their company as we ran in a group around Regent's Park with some others.  I hadn't done that route for a while and kept missing where I was supposed to go!  My knee still ached a little bit.

Training Run 49 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 59'33''

We ran around Battersea Park in the drizzle this evening, the first time that it has rained during a training session that I have been to in quite some time.  I initially ran with Rich and Lucio although in the end I took it slower when returning to the gym because my knee was feeling tender.  I will need to keep up with the strengthening exercises from now on in order to prevent any recurrence of the knee pain I had in my last half-marathon.  

Training Run 48 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 59'37''

This was a fairly standard Monday evening run.  Kieran and I saw Dominic Cooper in the park with a film crew, which helped to raise our pulses a bit!  My knee didn't play up, and everything felt fine when I reached the end, which was good.

Pride Run 10k 2015 - 6.21 miles / 10km, 46'45''

After a few wet and rainy days, this Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny.  I made my way on the Overground to Victoria Park for the annual Pride 10k, organised by my running club, the London Frontrunners; a race that is always sociable, friendly and fun to run and which raises money for LGBT-related charities.

This was the third year that I had entered the race and I didn't really know what to expect in terms of time.  I hadn't run the 10k distance since running the same race the previous year and I had undertaken quite a bit of training since then so I was hoping that I would be able to improve on my time.  I met with my friends Stephen and Chris who were also running the race and we all queued up at the start line, enjoying that rush of excitement that you feel at the beginning of every race.  James Wharton started the race and we were off, taking in three laps of the park.

I had been worried about my knees prior to the race, as my right one in particular had been a bit achey when running ever since the half-marathon that I ran in July.  I did lots of stretches before the start and as we got going I focused on getting the early kilometers done.  I completed the first 5k in 23 minutes, which seemed fast to me and I thought I wouldn't be able to maintain that pace.  Around about 6.5km I started developing a stitch but I didn't want that to hamper my progress so I tried to maintain the pace and ignore the discomfort.  I was really enjoying running in what I think is one of London's most beautiful parks in delicate warm sunshine.

The second half felt tough, and by lap three I felt as though I was going really slowly, especially along the long straight part around the park of the park.  I did still have something left in the tank however as I managed a sprint finish on the last 200m or so, ending up finishing with a time of 46 minutes and 45 seconds.  Not only was this the first 10k that I had completed in under 50 minutes (thereby smashing my previous personal best), I also completed both halves in a consistent 23 minutes, which suggested that I kept a steady pace throughout (apart from the speedy burst at the end).

The Pride Run 10k is always well organised and we were well supplied with bananas and bagels filled with cream cheese for munching after the run, as well as free wine and other goodies.  We joined the other runners in the pub afterwards for a barbecue, where the prizes were also given out.  We all drank a toast to Nikki Grace Bovine, one of our members who had sadly passed away the previous weekend; I was wearing a headband that day in memory of her as were a number of others who ran the race.  Running may seem like a solitary sport at times but it is the friends that you make along the way who really make it what it is, people like Nikki.  I will miss her but I know we were all enriched for having known her and I know she would have enjoyed today if she had been here.

Self-Transcendence 3x1 mile relay - 1 mile / 1.61 km, 6'16'' (team time 18'30'')

This was the second and last of the relay races that I signed up for with the Frontrunners.  These races involved competitors taking part as a team of three, with each member running a one mile lap around an area of Battersea Park.  On this occasion I was on a team with Simon, who I had been team-mates with last time, along with Christian who made our trio.

I found this race to be just as tough as the first one (though without the slight knee pain that I experienced last time), but I improved on my previous time by four seconds and our team time was a full 17 seconds faster, which was very pleasing.  Our men's A team came third overall so they won medals!  It has been nice to try something a bit different, I think I would like to do more of these types of races again in the future.

Training Run 47 - 5.65 miles / 9.1 km, 46'37''

After having taken a break from running for a few days, due to the pain that I had been feeling in my knee, I returned to the Frontrunners this evening.  Normally I would join in the coaching session on a Wednesday night but this time I wanted to take it easy, so I ran one lap around Regent's Park at my own pace, making sure not to overdo it too much.  It was a pleasant evening, though very quiet - presumably the Tube strike had frightened a lot of the usual park users away.  My knee felt fine - I took great care to stretch properly before the run and to warm down afterwards, so as to give me the best possible chance of avoiding any difficulties later.

Training Run 46

This run did not go particularly well.  I had completed almost three-quarters of the usual seven miles distance when I noticed the same gentle ache beginning to develop in my knee that had affected me at the end of the half-marathon recently.  I stopped running immediately and walked the rest of the way back to the changing rooms.  This was concerning for me and I decided that I would do more strengthening exercises from now on and always ensure that I stretch properly before any running that I do.  I may also see a physiotherapist but I'll see how things go for now.

Self-Transcendence 3x1 mile relay - 1 mile / 1.61 km, 6'20'' (team time 18'47'')

Tonight I joined in a 3x1 mile relay race with the London Frontrunners.  I was on the London Frontrunners F Team with Simon and Chris and I ran the second of the three legs.  I had never run a mile at speed before so didn't know how to pace myself for the distance.  I think I set off too fast because I know I was finding it really tough towards the end - the finish line seemed like it was miles away!  I also could feel a bit of niggly knee pain, the same as the one I got towards the end of the half-marathon.  I made it to the end though without overdoing it and helped our team to a time of 18'47'', with my individual lap being 6 minutes 20 seconds.  I have another one of these races to come in a few weeks, hopefully I'll have a better awareness of the pacing by then.

Training Run 45

Today Steven led the training session today, which consisted of 4 one-mile laps of a route within Regent's Park.  We were aiming to run this at mile pace, and trying to get each lap to be slightly faster than the previous one.

This was an enjoyable but tough speed session.  The weather was dry and warm, so conditions were perfect.  The final lap felt like a very long mile indeed!  I didn't feel any obvious pain, I just felt low on stamina and a bit fatigued.  I may still be tired after the half-marathon last weekend, so perhaps I should take it a bit easy and try and rest up a bit.

The Surrey Badger Half Marathon - 13.1 miles / 21.1 km, 1 hr 57'39''

After a couple of days of warm, sunny weather, this morning dawned grey and overcast, with slightly cooler temperatures than on previous days. As we arrived at Denbies Vineyard for the start of the race I felt relieved about this, as I hadn't particularly wanted to run in 25+ degree heat.

This was to be a smaller race than the others that I had taken part in previously, but it felt much more collegial and good-natured right from the start, with lots of friendly stewards and racers talking to one another. At the start we were warned about hills, and having not really studied the route in great detail I felt a slight sense of foreboding - had I bitten off more than I could chew by picking a very hilly course?

I ran the first two miles very conservatively, averaging 9.5 minutes per mile. Mile three was flat and alongside a busy road.  I ran it in 7 minutes which was very quick for me, and I reined myself in a bit after that, especially as mile four was mostly uphill. There were lots of water stations around the course, with people giving out jelly babies too (which were very much appreciated!) and I passed one of these just before mile five.

The middle of the race was steady and provided lots of beautiful views of the Surrey countryside and woods.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere and all of the marshals were very encouraging and friendly. Towards the end, at about mile ten, I realised that I might be able to get home in under two hours, so I ran a very fast mile ten (about 7 minutes). I immediately realised that this was something of a tactical error, as mile eleven was a slow and steady uphill stretch rather like mile four.  My right knee began to ache a bit at this point and I did find the last 3.1 miles quite challenging. I did manage to run down the last of the hills, back along the road and into Denbies, crossing the finishing line with a time of 1 hour 57 minutes 39 seconds.

I thought it was a very scenic race and I loved running through all the woods and countryside. It was also good to take part in a smaller race, as it felt like a more personal experience. At the end there was fresh melon, pineapple and oranges to eat and lots of water, before we were given our shirts and bottle of Badger beer. It was a great experience and I definitely want to run it again next year.

Training Run 44 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 46'58''

I did my usual Monday night run with the Frontrunners, this time only to the Peace Pagoda, round it and back again, as I don't want to overdo it for the half-marathon on Sunday.  The weather was fine and my legs felt normal.  I didn't run particularly fast but I didn't want to overdo it tonight.  Everything seems to be going ok so fingers crossed for Sunday...

Training Run 43 - 4.26 miles / 6.85 km, 34'19''

It was still quite hot (though not as hot as it was on Wednesday!) and this was definitely running vest weather.  I ran one leisurely lap of Hyde Park with the Frontrunners and followed them for brunch afterwards.  The changing rooms were diabolically hot, I sweated more after the run than I did during it!  My running itself is going fine, there are no niggles that I am aware of and with the Surrey Badger half-marathon next Sunday I feel fairly confident that I am as well prepared as I can be.

Training Run 42

Today was the hottest day of the year so far and for our training run, Ed ensured that we were running close to the water fountains in Regent's Park so that we could keep hydrated.

We did several there-and-back sessions.  Initially we ran for 30 seconds in one direction and then 30 seconds back, with the aim of reaching where we had started from.  This was with the aim of ensuring that we ran consistently throughout.  We then did the same thing for 60 seconds, 90 seconds, two minutes and finished with two-and-a-half minutes in each direction.  I enjoyed this in spite of the heat - it was a beautifully sunny evening to be outside and I definitely found the pacing practice to be beneficial.

Training Run 41 - 7 miles / 11.27 km (ish), 56'32''

Tonight we tried to run around Battersea Park as usual, but because the Formula E track was in the process of being dismantled, newbie Kieran and I ended up running around the outside of the park, because we couldn't get back in at any of the usual points as all the entrances were closed.  This meant that the route was slightly longer than normal, but we got around it ok nonetheless; the time we did it in was surprisingly fast.  My legs felt fine all the way around and it was nice to talk to somebody new to the club, so all in all it was very enjoyable.

Training Run 40 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 59'36''

This was a usual Monday night run, along the South Bank and around Battersea Park.  The route was slightly different as the park was being prepared for the Formula E car race that would be taking place the following weekend, so there were concrete walls and metal fences along most of the road parts.  It was another warm evening, and the run itself was very pleasant.

Training Run 39 - 6.89 miles / 11.08 km, 59'06''

I ran today during the day by myself, as I was off work this week.  I had been feeling down, and found that this run really helped to lift my mood.

It's a route I've done a few times before, that takes in three parks: Finsbury Park, Clissold Park and Highbury Fields.  As I run around the inside of the parks I can only do it during the day, so it's not one I do very often.  Today it was warm but overcast, with dry pavements and paths underfoot.  Finsbury Park is quite hilly, while Clissold Park is flatter and Highbury Fields is somewhere between the two.  All three parks have different characters; Finsbury is mostly used for sport and is the largest, Clissold is popular with families and young children, and Highbury Fields allows barbecues and is the smallest.

I found that as I focused on my breathing and looking at the scenery around me that my worries gradually melted away.  By the time I headed for home, I was amazed to see that I had run for nearly an hour, as it hadn't felt like that long at all.  

LFR Handicap 5k - 3.11 miles / 5 km, 23'03''

This was a race organised by the Frontrunners, to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the club.  It was different to any other race I had run before, in that we had to give an estimated time of completion of the 5k in advance, and each runner was set off at a different time based on the time they had given, with the slowest times starting first and the fastest starting last.  The idea was that everyone would complete at roughly the same time.  I hadn't run a 5k race before, so I estimated that I would complete in 22'43''.

On the day, it was grey, damp and chilly.  The ground was damp but not wet and we all gathered in Hyde Park, ready to run.  I started in the lower half of the group and made up some time on a few people in front of me.  I think I started a bit fast though, as I found the later part of the race quite challenging, and a number of people passed me all the way through.  I felt exhausted by the time I turned the last bend and had to run the long straight to the finish, but I made it in 23'03'', twenty seconds outside my estimated time.  I wasn't unhappy with that as it was the first time I'd run a 5k race, and I will know to pace myself better next time.

Training Run 38 - 11.5 miles / 18.5 km (roughly), 2 hrs 15'52''

On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, I caught the train to Tunbridge Wells with friends from the London Frontrunners.  Today's run would be very different from our usual city jaunts.  This was an 11.5 mile trail run, following public footpaths across country in a circular route that started and ended at Tunbridge Wells station.

This was my first such run and I really enjoyed it.  The pace was relaxed, with occasional stops to check the map, making sure that we were going the right way.  The terrain was softer than it usually is in the city, as we were running on gravel and sandy paths, or through woodland with bark and twigs underfoot.  While this did mean having to take more care, it was a more forgiving surface than the usual tarmac!  We also saw some beautiful scenery, running through some picturesque Kentish villages and lush countryside.  There were also some unusual landscapes; we passed some very large rocky outcrops that people were climbing, as well as running over a boardwalk section in an area of wet woodland.  We even passed through a railway tunnel, just as a steam train roared over above our heads, which was an amazing sight.

Afterwards, we had a slap-up pub lunch back in Tunbridge Wells, before sitting outside with a coffee and enjoying the sunshine.  All in all, an excellent way to spend a sunny summer day.

Training Run 37 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 57'16''

I don't remember very much about this run, I have to say I ran in a bit of a daze.  I've been going through an anxious period and my thoughts have been very pre-occupied lately.  It was good to have the distraction of running this though, and I spoke to Tom (one of the Frontrunners) for part of the way round which was nice.

Training Run 36

Tonight was a practice session for the upcoming LFR20 Anniversary Handicap 5km race, on Saturday 12th June.  We warmed up and then Ed asked us to run two loops of part of Regents Park which he had worked out would add up to 5km.  I was pleased with how this session went - some of the guys set off very fast, but I held back on the first lap, as I know that sometimes I have a tendency to set off too quickly and then run out of steam later.  On this occasion I was able to maintain a decent speed on both laps, and finish a lot faster than my previous 5km PB.  Ed did say afterwards that his loop may have been slightly short but I was still happy that I had been able to run the second lap only nine seconds slower than the first one, so my speed was fairly consistent throughout.  I am looking forward to the Handicap race as its a format I've never done before - people are set off earlier the slower they run the distance, with the idea that everyone will finish at (roughly) the same time.  It should be interesting!

Highbury Fields Parkrun - 3.11 miles / 5 km, 22'39''

The weather was warm and sunny when I woke up this morning, as I headed out for the Highbury Fields Parkrun.  After smashing my personal best the previous week, I wasn't sure how I would do this time, especially as I had a little bit of wine the previous evening!

The run today felt tougher than last week, but I did beat the time I set last week by four seconds which surprised me.  The conditions were warm and dry and I was sweating a lot even though I was wearing a vest.  I am hoping that Porto will not be too hot when I will run the half marathon there in September...

Training Run 35

Tonight's training session saw myself and the Frontrunners working on our speed.  This consisted of four sets of repetitions - the first and second sets were seven lots of 30 seconds running at high speed pace, followed by 30 seconds active recovery, while the third and fourth sets involved the same but with 20 seconds high speed and 20 seconds active recovery.  I usually find training sessions challenging but this one really was very hard work, I am not used to working at such high speed over such periods of time.  The weather was dry and warm as it has been for a while now and I think I might have found it easier in the cold and the rain!  I do feel that the speed work is helping me to improve my technique though, and with three more half marathons this year I need to keep the training up.

Training Run 34 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 55'28''

This was a regular, 7 mile run along the South Bank, around Battersea Park and back again.  55 minutes 28 seconds is a new personal best for this run, which I was surprised about as it was quite warm and I felt very tired.  There was also a lot of wind which was blowing the tree pollen into my face.  Weather conditions aside, it was very enjoyable.

Highbury Fields Parkrun - 3.11 miles / 5 km, 22'43''

This was the first time that I had run the Highbury Fields Parkrun since October last year.  I usually train with the Frontrunners on a Saturday morning but I didn't really have the time today so thought I would do my local run instead.  This was also an opportunity to see what my 5km time is like, in advance of the upcoming Frontrunners time trial.  Conditions were warm and fine and it was great to really push myself in a race situation for a short distance.  I absolutely smashed my previous personal best time, setting a new one of 22 minutes 43 seconds, which is two-and-a-half minutes faster than my previous PB for this distance.  I really like the ethos of Parkrun and I'm going to do this more regularly, having signed up to volunteer to help run the event too.

Training Run 33 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 58'17''

A regular, 7 mile Monday night session around Battersea Park and back.  Not much to comment on this time except that I felt more tired than I have done of late and I think that showed in the time.

Training Run 32 - 4 miles / 6.44 km, 32'56''

Today I ran with the Frontrunners, doing one lap of our usual route around Hyde Park.  I enjoyed it very much, a nice relaxing run not at an especially fast pace, followed by a sociable brunch with the other runners.

Training Run 31 - 1 hr 4'22''

Today did not go according to plan.  This was the usual Saturday morning run with the Frontrunners around Hyde Park.  I came out of Paddington tube station and walked around the corner towards the hospital to be greeted by a phalanx of photographers and journalists who were waiting outside the hospital.  I asked a policeman what was going on and he said "the princess' baby".  As I hadn't heard any news that day I had no idea that the royal baby was about to be born inside the hospital.  We joked later that the cameras had turned out for our training session!

The reason the session did not go according to plan was because I got lost.  Yes I have run around Hyde Park LOTS of times before and in theory I do know where all the paths go (roughly).  However today I thought I'd change it up a little bit by running in the opposite direction in the loop around the Serpentine.  Instead I found myself right back at the beginning much too early and with no idea of which path I should take in order to make my way back, so I carried on and ended up losing the path and getting very lost.  I did find my way back to the start later on in the end but I had to cut across the park to do so, through some (very nice) parts that I had never run through before.  Consequently I don't know how far I ran this time, only that it took me over an hour to do so.  I need to invest in a watch that measures distance as well as time!

Training Run 30

This week's training session was on hill reps.  We convened at Primrose Hill on a warm and sunny evening, and proceeded to jog up Primrose Hill nine times (!) in order to practise running down it.  Running downhill is not something that I've had much training on previously so it was useful to learn about the importance of looking up, using my arms to steady myself, leaning slightly forward and running slightly on tip toes.  Primrose Hill is steep though and trying to do all of these things at the same time was challenging!  Running up the hill nine times was hard work, but by the ninth time I had got into the rhythm of it and it didn't feel quite as bad as it had done earlier.  This was a very useful session, all in all.

Training Run 29 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 58'32''

This was a good, solid, unremarkable Monday night run - 7 miles, there and back, with little to remark on.  I felt much better than I had done the previous week.  Regular practice is key!

Training Run 28

The Wednesday before the London Marathon (which I'm not running) and the coaching team had organised a session on sprinting.  I like sprinting a lot, but it's not something I use very often when running because I am usually attempting to conserve my energy over a greater distance.  Tonight we did nine reps of sprinting for 30 seconds, with 30 second cool down periods between each rep.  This got steadily more challenging as time progressed, and I didn't help myself by setting off way too quickly for the first rep.  By the end of the ninth rep I was physically exhausted, but very pleased that I had been able to complete this challenging session.  I think it shows how much I have improved since I started running intensely again in November last year that I was even able to complete this, as I know I would have found it far too challenging to even attempt it previously.

Training Run 27 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 1'43''

I didn't run last week as I had a bad cold, and although I still didn't feel 100% well today I decided it would do me good to blow the cobwebs away and run this evening.  It was the first Monday run I've done since the clocks went forward and the weather was sunny and warm, and watching the sun set over the Thames in Battersea Park as I ran reminded me of just how beautiful London can sometimes be.

The ground conditions were dry and firm so there were no problems there.  Nonetheless I think my recent lack of practice showed and I felt quite tired by the end, and I noticed this feeling more going around than I normally would do.  I know that this will pass with time however, and that my performance will improve as I get back into more regular practice sessions.  I hope that conditions are like this more often, as I need to get used to running in warm, dry conditions for when I go with the Frontrunners to run the Porto Half Marathon in September.

Training Run 26

This was another training session with the Frontrunners (the first in British Summer Time!), in which we did five reps of 200m at half marathon pace, a 1km run at marathon pace and another five reps of 200m at half marathon pace.  Conditions were warm and dry and although the session was physically demanding I was pleased that I was able to stay the course and run quite hard, even at the end.

Training Run 25

At this session we did four sets of reps, which were 500m at half marathon pace and then 800m at a slightly slower pace.  We repeated these four times with pauses in between each run.  I was pleased that I was able to sustain a steady pace throughout, and managed to run the final set of reps at the fastest pace of all four.

Training Run 24 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 45'25''

After the excitement of the Half Marathon, I decided to give myself a week off, so today was my first run since then.  I definitely felt a bit out of sorts, although the time is consistent with what I was running before the Half Marathon so I wasn't running any slower, even though it did feel like I was at times.

Distance: 5.6 miles / 9.01km
Time: 45 minutes 25 seconds
Conditions: Cold and damp, with a keen breeze blowing off the river.  Battersea Park absolutely stank of fertiliser!  By the time I got to the pagoda I knew I didn't feel up for a longer run today so I turned around and came back.  I'm happy to be easing myself back into it though, and my leg muscles felt ok so I feel as though I have fully recovered from the race.

Reading Half Marathon, and many thank yous

After all the preparation and training, the day finally came.  My alarm went off at six o’clock this morning and Chris and I wended our way to Reading for the half-marathon.  The weather was perfect – cool but sunny, with a slight breeze.  I had worked so hard in the run up to the race and I couldn’t help worrying about a couple of little niggles I had – the toes on my left foot hurt a bit, as did my right knee and I was worried these might affect my race.  Would I be able to finish?

I need not have worried.  The gun went off and I ran my own race right from the start.  All of the pacing training that I’d had with the Frontrunners really paid off.  I felt confident in my own speed and pace, and was able to not set off too quickly.  My first mile split time was 8.53, which was fast but not excessively so.  I was able to maintain this speed going around.  I also noticed that I felt so much better in myself than how I felt during the first two half marathons I ran several years ago.  Today, the first seven miles felt like a normal training run, enjoyable and effortless.  I had a great time watching the crowd and high-fiving the small children by the trackside.

It did get a bit harder later on, but I didn’t hit the wall at mile 11 like I usually do.  I kept my speed down and focussed on my breathing, and I was able to keep going without it hurting.  By the time I reached mile twelve I knew that this was going to be a personal best, and when I ran through the thirteen-mile marker and into the Madejski Stadium I realised I had absolutely smashed my old PB.

I crossed the finish line in a time of 1 hour 55 minutes 39 seconds.  My previous personal best, in the Birmingham Half Marathon in 2011, was 2 hours 9 minutes.  I was absolutely overjoyed at my time!  I could not believe that I had completed a half marathon in under two hours and was ecstatic.

The last few months of my life have been difficult for a number of reasons.  I want to thank lots of people who have helped me when things have been hard.  Firstly, I want to thank everyone at London Frontrunners for being the most driven, friendly, sociable and hilarious training partners anyone could ever want.  Particular thanks go to Manue, John, Neil, Karl and all the other members of the training team who have all worked to make sure that not only does the club have an outstanding training plan, but also that training with everyone feels like a pleasure and not a chore.  To every other member of the club who has run with me, talked to me, drank with me in the pub and laughed at my terrible jokes, thank you for making me feel so welcome.  We are the best running club in the whole world!

More thanks go to friends for their help and advice.  Stephen Bramah, Chris Calvert, Tris Davies and Pip Green, you are the reason I got into running in the first place way back in 2009, and I will always remember that first half marathon and all the training we did along the Birmingham canals with huge fondness.  Carly McIver, your help, advice, tips and humour have been invaluable and inspirational.  You are the queen of running!  Thank you also to everyone who donated money to my fundraising campaign.  As of now I have raised just under £500 for Alzheimer’s Society.  Each and every one of you who helped to reach this total is marvellous!  If you are reading this and haven’t donated yet, you will still be able to for another few weeks, you can do so by clicking here.

Finally, I want to thank my parents, Caroline and Alan Rendall, and my boyfriend Chris Curtis.  All three of you came to watch me run today and it was inspirational to know that you were cheering me on.  Mum and Dad, you have been cheering me on my whole life and you have been there for me over the last year or so when I really needed you.  I cannot thank you both enough for all the many wonderful gifts you have given me over the thirty years of my life so far.  I love you both so much.  Chris – my life has been enriched so much by you since we met in 2004.  You love me for who I am and you allow me to be myself while also a part of you, which I think is possibly the greatest gift anyone can give.  I love you so much and I hope that you continue to support my running (you won’t always have to get up at 6am to do it!)

Today is dedicated to those people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia everywhere, as well as those who lived with it and have sadly passed away.  Iris Murdoch, Terry Pratchett, Prunella Scales, and my own grandmother, Ivy Gibbs, née Hiscock, who died last year aged 92 and who inspired me to run today for Alzheimer’s Society.  We are all living longer and we all face the very real possibility that either we or someone we love will be affected by Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Our government keeps cutting NHS budgets and we need to ensure that we fight for good Alzheimer’s and dementia care.  Terry Pratchett showed that with the right care and support, people with Alzheimer’s can continue living full and enriching lives and that they do not need to be labelled as “sufferers” or “victims”.  I feel that I owe it to my Grandma to fight for more publically funded Alzheimer’s and dementia care, not just for those who are affected by it now but for all of those who will be affected by it in years to come.

Training Run 23

This was my last training session before the half-marathon.  I had decided beforehand that I would take it relatively easy, but in the end I ran almost the whole session and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was hard work.  After warming up, we did eight reps of 800m, aiming to run them at about 80% pace.  I still ended up running quite fast, but like all the sessions I am finding that upping my pace slightly in order to keep up with faster runners is really helping my speed.  This was tiring but not excessively so, and I now feel fully prepared for Sunday.  Bring it on!

Training Run 22 - 5.6 miles / 9.01 km, 45'18''

I'm now into the last week before the half-marathon on Sunday!  This was shorter than the run I usually do on a Monday evening as I am now tapering - I ran to the Pagoda in Battersea Park and back again.

Distance: 5.6 miles / 9.01km
Time: 45 minutes 18 seconds
Conditions: Cold and damp.  The ground was wet underfoot but not slippery.  This was shorter than I usually run on a Monday but I didn't feel that I ran quickler, my legs felt quite tired afterwards.

Training Run 21

In this training session with the Frontrunners, I ran four 1.5km laps of Primrose Hill park, with the aim of keeping our time relatively consistent.  Although the distance is relatively short, there were a lot of uphill sections and I found these slowed me down considerably.  With only a couple of minutes rest between each lap, this became a harder challenge with each subsequent one, although I did manage to run the fourth one slightly faster than the third, which was my slowest.  This was a challenging session, but afterwards I felt as though I had really worked hard.

Training Run 20 - 11.5 miles / 18.5 km, 1 hr 45'31''

This was my last long run before the Reading Half Marathon, I will be tapering after this.  It was a beautiful sunny morning and the first day that did not feel cold in ages.  We ran along the Regent's Canal, up to Primrose Hill and then onto Gospel Oak and then onto Hampstead Heath, around the heath and then back down the canal again, before the others headed back to Primrose Hill for a bit of a longer session and I ran back to the changing rooms.  This was a good pace, although I did feel sluggish in the last part heading back (I had an energy gel, though my feet still felt like lead I am sure it helped).  I am looking forward to the Half-Marathon immensely, I hope I will set a new PB!

Distance: 11.5 miles / 18.5km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes 31 seconds
Conditions: Sunny and warm.  Dry surfaces, some mud underfoot on the trails through Hampstead Heath.  My legs ached a bit afterwards but felt fine all the way around the course.  I did feel tired in the last 2-3km, even though I consumed an energy gel.

Training Run 19 - 7 miles, 11.27 km, 56'35''

I set another PB on this Monday night session and the run felt so good!  I really feel as though I am in the form of my life at the moment, the training is really helping and I feel so positive about it all, I am really enjoying training.  Plus I have now hit my £250 target for fundraising for the Reading Half-Marathon, which is excellent news.  I have raised the threshold to £500, in the hope I can reach this target by 22nd March.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 56 minutes 35 seconds (a new PB!)
Conditions: A cool and clear night.  Dry surfaces which were not at all slippery.  Part of the Thames path was closed so we had to go round via the road but this didn't add very much time (and I still got a PB).  I really pushed myself again this time and I these sessions are really showing me what I am capable of.

Training Run 18

This was another Wednesday night training session with the Frontrunners.  On this occasion, we ran 3 lots of 5 x 400m reps, with short rests between, the aim being to maintain a steady pace throughout the session, but still running quite hard.  I found this less challenging than the previous week's training session, and I really enjoyed it, in the sense that although I was working hard, I could feel that my running was faster and more controlled.  My stamina is definitely improving and I am feeling very optimistic about the Reading Half Marathon.

Training Run 17 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 57'46''

I absolutely smashed my 7 mile PB on this training session, I am so pleased!  I had a really good run and caught up with friends at the pub afterwards.  I really enjoy the social dimension of running with a club and my running has improved so much since I've been attending regular training sessions.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 57 minutes 46 seconds (a new PB!)
Conditions: A cold and clear night (there were so many stars in the sky!).  Dry surfaces which were not at all slippery.  There was a keen breeze blowing off the river which made it feel quite cold.  I really pushed myself this time and I did have a stitch towards the end, but ran through it and don't feel as though I've suffered for it.

Training Run 16

This was a Wednesday night training session with the Frontrunners, I did not measure the distance.  We were meant to 10 laps of 500m at an intense pace (70-80%), then do a small recovery jog between laps.  As I ran at a relatively slow pace compared to the rest of the group I did 9.  The fact that I kept going was  result for me, as my stomach ached badly all the way round and I felt really uncomfortable.  Like the training sessions I found this one challenging, but I do think that these are helping me with my core strength and are improving my stamina.

Training Run 15 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 0'30''

I ran this in one of the fastest times I have ever done this run; I just need to push a tiny bit more and I will be sub one hour.  I definitely think that the Wednesday speed sessions, though challenging, are really helping me to improve my pace and are making me work harder.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27 km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 30 seconds
Description: 5 and a half laps of Highbury Fields (plus there and back)
Conditions: Wet and cold.  The rain was fairly constant throughout, but once I got started I didn't really notice it.  The surfaces were not slippery.  I felt very comfortable over the distance.

Training Run 14 - 5.14 miles / 8.28 km, 40'10''

I missed my training session last night, so got up early and ran this morning.  This is the fastest I have run this distance for quite some time and I am pleased with how I am progressing.

Distance: 5.14 miles / 8.28 km
Time: 40 minutes 10 seconds
Description: 5 and a half laps of Highbury Fields (plus there and back)
Conditions: cold and cloudy, but dry.  I felt very tired this morning, I am still not used to running so early in the morning.  My left foot ached quite a bit by the end, but feels fine now.  This was the first time I ran in my new anti-blister socks - they felt comfortable but as I already have the blisters I don't know if they prevented them from worsening or not!

Training Run 13

Another training session rather than a long run, so no distance or time.  After warming up, we did ten intensive sprint sessions (at 80% fastest speed), with small jogging breaks between them.  The aim of the session was to work on speed rather than distance and although I felt very achey and tired afterwards I definitely think I will have gained from the session.  It was another very cold night, slightly damp on the ground but no rain.

Training Run 12 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 7'26''

I ran this one a bit slower, as I was running with my friend Chris.  He felt that he ran the distance faster than he otherwise would have done, and I was glad I could help him with his pace.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 7 minutes 26 seconds
Conditions: Very very cold.  Clear night, no damp patches on the ground.  I feel very comfortable at this distance and pace.

Training Run 11 - 9 miles, 14.48 km, 1 hr 14'23''

A tough but enjoyable Saturday morning.  We ran together from Hyde Park, along Birdcage Walk to the Houses of Parliament, then round the corner to Victoria Tower Gardens, once round these and all the way back again.  On the way, while passing through Green Park, we ran in single file, taking it in turns to sprint to the front.  This wore me out considerably and I felt very tired on the run back.  I also forgot to bring an energy gel with me, which I really felt I needed by the time I reached the end.  I might have run quicker if I'd brought one with me, who knows?

Distance: 9 miles / 14.48km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 14 minutes 23 seconds
Conditions:  Cold and damp, but not raining.  Slippery underfoot in places, especially in the park.  My legs ached considerably afterwards, I had an ice bath later in the day though and this seemed to help ease the aches and pains.

Iris Murdoch The Sea, The Sea (1978)

There are many books that have been a real pleasure for me to read.  I derive a great deal of enjoyment from reading, or else I would not have embarked on this project (or stuck with it for so long!)There have also been some books that are mediocre, which I would not say I have enjoyed, and which I would not read again – ones that are written in a not very interesting way, or where the plot is fairly predictable and not very exciting.  Then there are a small number of books which I enjoyed reading for the elegance of their prose, the creativity of their story and the contemplation of ideas that they evoke, but which nonetheless contain characters that are so repulsively vile as to leave the reader with little or no sympathy for them.  The Sea, The Sea is one of those novels that falls into the latter category.

It took me several months to read The Sea, The Sea.  That does not mean that I did not enjoy it, but it was not an easy novel to read.  A combination of dislikeable characters and unhappy events populate the narrative, while its dense descriptive paragraphs and long chapters require commitment and concentration.  Charles Arrowby, the narrator of the tale, moves from London to a little-visited coastal community, in order to escape his past as a well-known theatre director.  The book consists of long but elegantly written analyses from Arrowby’s point of view, where he makes plenty of erroneous assumptions about the people who have populated his life.  He tries to think through his concerns rationally and methodically (Murdoch’s academic career as a philosopher shows throughout this work) but his thoughts are frequently overruled by his strong emotions.  His delusions and fantasies about his previous life are harmless enough initially, but these develop into a maniacal obsession after someone from his past unexpectedly appears.

Murdoch uses the theatre as a metaphor throughout the work, with almost the entire story taking place on the “stage” of his house at Shruff End and a dramatis personae of Arrowby’s friends and former stage colleagues appearing and leaving again at regular intervals.  The story is always from Arrowby’s point of view, so it is as if these characters have left the stage when they leave the house.  Arrowby compares himself to Shakespeare’s Prospero from The Tempest, forsaking the fame and trappings of his previous career in favour of a supposedly simpler life.  Indeed, Murdoch writes Arrowby writing his memoirs with a sense of his own theatricality, as if she is constructing him in the process of constructing a character for himself.

Arrowby’s memoirs and thoughts indicate to the reader that he is not a reliable narrator, drawing as he does remarkably inaccurate inferences of the intentions and behaviours of those around him.   His obsessive jealousy leads to his flawed assumptions about the various other characters who populate the tale.  In addition, he experiences a number of troubling visions, which are never satisfactorily explained; he sees a face on the other side of an internal window when he knows no-one else is there, and he witnesses a dreadful sea monster on a couple of occasions.  Arrowby is just one of a panoply of flawed characters however, all with underlying agendas, and most of whom demonstrate vanity, jealousy and a lack of compassion.  Mary Hartley Fitch is histrionic, her adopted son Titus lacks direction and Arrowby’s terrifying former lover Rosina Vamburgh is portrayed like a vengeful harpy.  These characters are contrasted with Charles’ only remaining blood relative, his cousin James, a mysterious character who has spent time in the military and has extensive knowledge of Tibet and Buddhist practices.  He maintains a Zen-like calm whenever he appears, and acts as a counterbalancing force throughout the novel.  Arrowby finds him superior and is clearly jealous of the cousin who enjoyed a much happier childhood than his own.  Murdoch uses James’ portrayal to demonstrate a different philosophical outlook to Charles – whereas he seeks sensual pleasure and is utterly selfish, James seemingly desires nothing but to help others and to seek true inner knowledge of the world.

What do we learn from The Sea, The Sea?  Iris Murdoch was a philosopher as well as a writer, who spent considerable time thinking about the nature of morals.  The French philosopher Simone Weil, who greatly influenced Murdoch, believed that evil is spread from person to person, and the only way to stop it is for people to selflessly absorb it without passing it on.  We can apply this idea to the novel, where we can think of Charles as the creator of evil, with his disruptive jealousy and covetous personality, and his cousin James as the absorber, who tries to prevent the seeds of his destruction from taking root.  Arrowby is an anti-hero, a character so pompous, selfish and ridiculous that it is easy to consider him a caricature of a certain type of London theatre personality.  Murdoch makes him thoroughly dislikeable, but this does not impair on the enjoyment of the novel.  His attempts to flee his past life fail because of his earlier selfish actions, which come back in the form of his old flames to avenge themselves upon him.  Murdoch’s ultimate philosophical message to be taken from the novel, if there is one, is one that James would recognise from his Buddhist teachings: that of the concept of karma, that every action has a consequence.

Training Run 10

I did not time this one, and as it was a training session there is no measure of distance either.  This was hard work - after an intense warm-up we did a pyramid session, running for 2, 3, 4, 4, 3 and 2 minute intervals.  On each occasion, we had to turn around half way through and get back to the start in time, in order to show that we could maintain a steady pace throughout.  This was challenging, but I was pleased that I was able to almost maintain an even pace on every lap.  The ground was damp and a bit skiddy in places, and it felt very very cold but otherwise the conditions were good for an evening run in January!

Training Run 9 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 2'28''

This felt like quite a quick one.  I ran alone, to Battersea Park and back as usual.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)

Time: 1 hour 2 minutes 28 seconds

Conditions: cold, cloudy but no rain.  Surfaces damp but not slippery.  Good final burst of speed but still not pushing myself hard enough.  I want to be able to do this in under an hour.

Training Run 8 - 11 miles / 17.7 km, 1 hr 39'

The longest run I have done to date!  This was with the Frontrunners again - Manue took us to Hyde Park, along Birdcage Walk to the Houses of Parliament, then along the North Bank of the Thames as far as The Tower of London.  We then turned around and made our way back.

Distance: 11 miles / 17.7km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Conditions: Cold and sunny - a beautiful day!  No damp or icy surfaces.  Consumed one energy gel near the end, as felt very low in energy.  Had an ice bath at home afterwards - it really helped my muscles and I felt much better than usual the next day.

Training Run 7 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 1'23''

This was a fairly routine Monday night training run.  I ran with the Frontrunners again in a group but I ran most of it on my own.  I noticed that I ran considerably faster than when I run and chat with someone.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 1 minute 23 seconds
Conditions: Cold but clear.  No damp or icy surfaces.  Thigh felt a bit tender after Saturday but was fine by the end.  Good final burst of speed.

Training Run 6 - 9.5 miles / 15.29km, 1 hr 22'36''

Today was my first long run in a long time – 15.29km, or 9.5 miles, which I did with my friends in the London Frontrunners.  We started in Paddington, ran along the Regent’s Canal to Primrose Hill, did a small loop around the park there before running up the hill, around and back down to Regent’s Park, doing a loop of that park before heading back along the canal to Paddington.  I more than felt I had earned my brunch afterwards!  Manu, who organised the run, said that if I was running at this distance now I would be fine for the Reading Half-Marathon in March.  I am very glad I got up so early this morning!

Distance: 9.5 miles / 15.29km (roughly)

Time: 1 hour 22 minutes 36 seconds

Conditions: Cold, with occasional flecks of snow/sleet, clouds breaking at times.  Some icy surfaces in places.  Did not feel particularly long or difficult - did not need energy gel that I brought with me.  I was probably running slower than I usually would do in a race situation though.

Training Run 5 - 4.72 miles / 7.57 km, 37 minutes

I missed my training session with the Frontrunners last night so I got up early before work this morning to run this one.  I am still not used to running early in the morning but this went fairly well.

Distance: 4.72 miles / 7.57 km
Time: 37 minutes (roughly)
Description: 5 laps of Highbury Fields (plus there and back)
Conditions: Dark. Damp surfaces but not raining, overcast, not too cold. I've got much more used to running this distance so it felt fairly comfortable today. I think I may need to up the pace in future.

Training Run 4 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 05'02''

I ran with the Frontrunners tonight, a good training session and a chance to talk with Chris and Gareth, who I ran with for part of the way.

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 5 minutes 2 seconds
Conditions: Cloudy and cool but not cold, damp surfaces but not slippery underfoot.  Run felt like it went fine, I am getting used to this distance.

Training Run 3 - 6 miles / 9.66 km, 54'56''

This was my first Saturday training run with the London Frontrunners for over two years.  I am not usually good at getting up early on Saturday mornings!  I plan to do this regularly however, as I am training for the Reading Half-Marathon on Sunday 22nd March.

We ran around Hyde Park and I ran with two people I didn’t know: Andrew, who is new to London Frontrunners having only moved to London from Chicago a week previously, and Gareth, who has been running with the club for two years.  It was a very pleasurable run; we chatted all the way round, although at one point there was a torrential rain/hail storm, with driving wind right in our faces.  This was possibly the toughest weather conditions I’ve ever run in, though it did not last long.  We then went for a well-deserved brunch afterwards.  If only getting up early on a Saturday could always be this much fun!

Distance: 6 miles / 9.66km (roughly)

Time: 54 minutes 56 seconds

Conditions: Cool and overcast initially, with light rain turning into a heavy rain/hailstorm while we were running round The Serpentine.  The wind was so strong it was blowing water into our faces!  All surfaces had good grip though and it did not feel especially cold.  My feet began to hurt a little bit towards the end, a sign of minor blisters, so I’ll need to keep an eye on this.

Training Run 2

I attended my first Wednesday night training session of 2015 with the Frontunners, after a long time away.  This was not timed, simply five ups and downs of Primrose Hill.  It was extremely hard work – my legs ached after only the second attempt and I felt very out of breath.  However, I was able to better control my breathing and my gait on the subsequent laps and they did not feel as tough.  By the time I reached the fifth one I felt that I had it under my control.  There was a brief heavy rain shower during this but it did not last long.  My legs ached considerably afterwards, though the view from the top of Primrose Hill is definitely worth the effort.

Training Run 1 - 7 miles / 11.27 km, 1 hr 04'01''

Happy 2015 everyone!  As promised, I'll be starting the counter back to 1 from the beginning of the year.  I got to 21 in 2014 - I am definitely intending on beating that number of runs (and posts) this year.

My first run of 2015 coincided with the first day back at work after the Christmas and New Year break, and I was feeling optimistic and enthusiastic.  I ran along the South Bank and around Battersea Park with the London Frontrunners, and I accompanied my friend Richard, who I had not seen for months.  My legs did not feel tired afterwards and I felt I really enjoyed it.  Bring on 2015!

Distance: 7 miles / 11.27km (roughly)
Time: 1 hour 4 minutes 1 second
Conditions: Cool and overcast but but no rain.  My shoes had a good grip on all surfaces.  We took it at a comfortable pace, chatting all the way round.  I felt as though I was running well within what I am capable of in terms of speed, I need to up the pace more in future but this does no harm for the first run after a two week break.