The one about the marathon weekend

As anyone will ever tell you who has been running for more than a couple of years, there is almost a routine in the running calendar, where it's time for this race, then that race and so on. The opportunity to do something very different doesn't come along very often, due to that necessary mix of injury, finance, and commitments needing to fall in the right place! The Mid-Sussex Marathon Weekend was one I'd heard of a couple of years ago and it was on the "like to try that" list. Well, 2018 was the year this was possible - something totally new! Three races, three days, totalling the illustrious 26.2 mile distance!

East Grinstead 10 Mile Race

So, the first one on the list! For all of these events, it was unknown territory but in how I'd recover from each race and also, where the heck they went! My anticipation was a little daunted when Georgia tagged me in some photos the event organisers had posted! They advised wearing trail shoes (tied up tightly) due to mud on some* parts of the course. (I'm learning more about official race "speak". I know now that "undulating" is bloody hilly, and I now know that "some" means bloody loads - anyway more about that later!)

Race morning saw some warm temperatures and a number of familiar faces at East Grinstead Rugby Club where the event started from. Arena 80 were out in force again, along with the Rogue Runners, Lancing Eagles and friends from Bri-Tri. Heeding the advice of Facebook, my first battle of the day was to get said trail shoes on my feet. You'd think this was easy, but since they hadn't been touched since the last time I used them (and quite frankly that must have been in 2017!), the pulley type laces were a little stiff to say the least! First battle won (though getting them off later would be another fight!) The temperatures were rising and despite the efforts of the lady on the PA, the warm up didn't have many taking part! I took my position towards the middle of the start and had a few words with fellow Arena Brigitte - asking for any tips about the course. We then couldn't remember if we were chip timed or not (serious stuff this for B and I!). Chip located on race number and then off we went on a curious little lap of the start area, then out to the rugby pitches and off the complex.

It was here I first encountered the mud! "Not so bad" I thought to myself and with good reason - because that wasn't the mud. Through some trees, up a road and then back into the trees again, we were on our way. I'd looked at the map beforehand and knew there were a number of sections that we would come back on, so it was hard to enjoy the downhill section approaching two miles in, as I knew that what went down..... Having said that, the view was stunning and you felt completely in the middle of nowhere. The terrain was pretty solid and I was starting to doubt the trail shoes. It was about this time that I was joined by Ant, a fellow Rogue Runner and we kept with each other for the rest of the race. Out on the course there were a few grunts of acknowledgement from friends along with the usual "aren't you that guy from the prom?" questions. I took it as a compliment!

Then came the mud. Thick, gloopy (is that a word, well spell check seems to like it!) and sticky. The shoes were staying firm (I'd still be out there now if one of them had came off!) but the sections of mud were pretty long. I had a heart-in-the-mouth moment when two lady runners in front of me, started slipping and one made a grab for the fence....which had barbed wire on the top of it. Thankfully, she realised as that would not have been nice and I made a mental note that if I was to slip, I'd just have to embrace the mud! The route weaved it's way around bringing various terrain and copious amounts of mud. I glanced down at where my shoes should have been but all I could see was two muddy size twelves with a mud line that only stopped above my ankles! Pete and I passed a runner with "Mudd Queens" on her vest and she was comparatively spotless! Naturally, this had to be commented on (I know, not like me at all!) She replied that the trick was to skip over the mud.....I'll leave that to her!

A long, gradual uphill section was particularly warm but I was pretty pleased with the constant pace or it. Neither Pete nor I were sure of how long this section was and it was a little depressing to see some of the runners that appeared heading the other way. Mike Miller from Arena was noted and the others around him didn't look particularly slow either! We must have a bit of a way to go then! Several runners passed and I gave a shout out to Georgia who was steaming down, and one to Mark too as he was about a minute behind (unbeknown to me but was suffering with a knee injury - but hid it well!) I was encouraging (well, probably annoying), runners from Horsham Joggers. A good friend is a member with them and I was telling all of them to say hello to him. Judging by the lack of messages from said friend, it seems my cunning plan failed! It hadn't gone unnoticed though that the returning runners then had to do a sharp right up another hill to the bridge that crossed the route. As Ant and I finally turned and headed back down, there was the chance to see runners coming the other way! Claire was the recipient of a high-five and there were others who got a cheer too!

And so to the incline! We were ready for it but it was a sharp little turn! "Not far to the top" called the marshal. "It's not that steep!" he added. I replied, "that's a bit like saying Hitler had a bit of a temper!" Thankfully, there was some laughter behind. Pace was all over the place now! Up to the bridge it was about 11:30/mile, down the road the Garmin flashed up 8:10/mile though of course the downhill couldn't last! Still we were safe in the knowledge that we were over half way and that the mud hadn't been that bad...or so we thought. A narrow downhill section proved "tricky" (see, this race speak is catching on) as there was not only thick mud to content with, but a long crevice down the middle meaning it was impossible to get a good footing anywhere. With the memory of the barbed wire fresh in my mind, it was an uncomfortable section and the fact that I was holding people up, didn't help either although in fairness, no one complained! One lady behind me commented that if I fell, she knew not to try and get her footing where I'd gone! Harsh, but fair!

And so to our paux pas. Approaching eight miles we were back on familiar territory, but obviously not familiar enough. We entered a field and in the distance runners were heading up towards an arrow sign....which we should have gone round the field to get to. Pete and I realised the error of our ways and corrected as soon as we could, but this meant my OCD kicked in. This was a ten mile race and I was going to have to complete ten miles. Mile nine saw us reduced to walking pace up the last hill and I identified a point at which we would start running again (cue VMLM flashbacks!) As we started off, an older runner who'd targeted getting past us called out, "you pair of b@st@rds!" and had a good laugh! We offered to step aside but he wasn't having it! As we entered the rugby field, there was much checking of watches as the miles weren't adding up and the finish line was getting closer. Damn it! I crossed the line, received my medal (I think from the Mayor - if it wasn't, she was a huge fan of Mr T. given then gold around her neck!). A quick gulp of water and a trot to bring up the ten miles. The water station at the end was great as there was ample opportunity to top up bottles and cups of water, plus they offered fig biscuits! A nice treat! Muddy, aching and sweaty, we made our way from the venue with the realisation we had to do it all again tomorrow! My final battle with the trail shoes (hidden in there amongst all of the mud) was finally won and it was time to refresh and get ready to go again!

Haywards Heath 10 Mile Race

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who started this morning with a few aches and pains, whilst bemoaning that we had to do it all again! Unusually for me, I'd rolled the legs and done a lot of quad stretching before I left the house and it seemed to do the trick. Legs felt a little better, but that was tempered by the fact that it was rather obvious it was already significantly warmer than yesterday. Never let it be said that running isn't the gift that keeps on giving, as upon opening the car door, a "souvenir" smell was in there - yesterday's trail shoes! Well, I suppose it was practice for the country air!

The start line was on familiar ground - Victoria Park in Haywards Heath is also the home of Haywards Heath junior parkrun which was my first activation as an ambassador. Sometimes it's better that devil you don't know as that little park is like a rollercoaster (ironically the name given to the event's big brother, Clair parkrun). There were much mutterings about how our legs were, how we'd do, and I was clinging to the fact that I'd been told that the worst event was done (hills and terrain wise, not saying it's a bad event!!!) and this one was undulating (there's that word again) but not as bad! It was a dead cert that there'd be less mud!

We started on the main road and the heat really was building. An out and back down the high street and a left turn into Victoria Park, crossing the start line of the junior event and a lovely down hill section! Nice! "Put some effort in Brocklehurst" came the cry from Danny from Arena as he snapped away with his camera! "How rude" said a fellow runner but all concerned were just joking - though I'm not so sure about Danny!

Once again, it was into the unknown for me as we left the park, into a housing estate, weaving our way through parked cars, inquisitive residents and fellow runners. Making our way across the railway bridge into the woods brought some temporary shade, but these first couple of miles all seemed to be climbing! For every short downhill, there was a much longer uphill section. Water stations were at two miles (the same one at seven miles) and...to be honest, I can't remember the other! Suffice to say, I'd already decided that for the sake of a few seconds, I would take on water carefully, pausing to walk, before carrying on. Once again, the marshals were friendly and encouraging, and there were a few familiar faces out there amongst the watching public! Eventually the miles ticked away and we crossed the railway bridge again, heading back to the park for lap one, which meant, a tricky uphill section that at least had a short downhill part to let you catch your breath. A couple of Arena runners were charging up as I came the downhill section and I commented to a fellow runner, that it's always good to see runners coming the other way when you're on a downhill section. Well, that soon ended and as I headed up the last bit of the uphill, there was Georgia speeding down the other side. A couple of shouts to each other, (including me shouting to have the coffee ready at the finish - its twenty degrees Mark! Who wants a bloody coffee after ten miles in the heat!?!) and we carried on - Georgia actually heading towards winning the first lady home in her age category (though it would be much later before any of us realised this!)

Into the park and I was pretty pleased to see we didn't have the out and back section on the road as that would have been a little soul destroying. Passing the finish line, there was even chance to give the PA lady a little grief by getting her to give Arena a shout! "I've shouted for them loads" she retorted...."how about the ones at the back?" I laughed and she gave me the thumbs up! (Seemed to work though as Arena got a shout as I finished and she never mentioned the word "gobshite" once!)

So to the second lap and I was already thinking about the uphill sections on the course. Strangely, they didn't seem as bad to be honest and whilst I won't say I was comfortable in the heat, I wasn't uncomfortable. Mentally, I was ticking off sections, and the miles did seem to tick away. Approaching eight miles, a runner in front of me called to a lady with two labradors, asking to borrow one! It made me smile and eventually I caught up with said runner, and seeing she had a green number, mentioned "at least it's not like yesterday!" I'm really glad I did as Gemma and I talked and encouraged each other all the way round for the last two miles. She was proving her brother wrong by doing the event (he said she wouldn't be able to do it) and on those hilly bits again, we just talked about anything, wishing the inclines away. As we entered Victoria Park, she headed for the finish line with an impressive surge. I was happy plodding along until I heard a few familiar shouts from the side, and Dorian encouraged me to do a sprint finish. After (jokingly of course) giving him a V-sign, I thought, "why not?" I felt strong and stepped it up to the end, where Gemma and I high-fived, and said "see you on the start line tomorrow". Her brother will be doing some serious eating of words.

In the shade, Mark & Georgia were waiting with the most delicious cold can of coke ever! Georgia and I made a recce back to the finish line to get our quota of fig biscuits - the food of champions I'll have you know! It was pleasing to feel significantly better after this ten miles than the previous, despite having of course, those miles already in the legs!

And so to Burgess Hill for the final 10km of the event. Again no idea what the course is like, but I've heard, just for a change, it's "undulating". Well, let's face it, it'd be rude if it wasn't!

Burgess Hill 10k

New day, new race, new aches! At least my legs were being kind and allowing different parts to suffer. Today it was the calves that were feeling it, and a new habit was being born - rolling the legs first thing in the morning! A message from G meant she was feeling it too, but we can be content with the fact that today was "only a 10k" and there was wine/ice cream/tea/beer* (*delete as appropriate) once this was all done.

Those extra couple of degrees today were more than noticeable as we arrived at the start of the final race at Oakmeeds Community College. Once again there were the usual suspects eager to complete the race to tick the marathon distance off. Whilst looking at the map, there was Shorty checking out his route. "Where are the hills?" I asked him. Ben replied, "here, here, here...." "Forget I asked" I interrupted! A quick hello to Gemma whom I ran with yesterday and we were assembled on the start - a start which saw a lap of the playing field which wasn't the best surface for tired legs. As we made our way out to the road, there was a shout from Bob to "take it steady" which means I must have looked pretty awful at that point already.

Out of the school and up a gradual hill towards the railway bridge where we crossed into open fields. This would be the make-up of the run for the next 4.5 miles or so. Following the paths around the outside before crossing into the next field and doing likewise. The lack of shade was noticeable and the rim of my hat was like a leaky tap! "Spoils of war" I told myself. In truth, for a shorter race, there wasn't much more to go into! There were warnings of mud which were naturally scorned at given the East Grinstead experience but today the heat was more of a factor. Water was carefully consumed at the water stops and not wasted but I did make sure I slowed for this!

With two miles or so to go, a familiar figure was up ahead! "Get a move on", I shouted to Gemma, "I don't have any more stories left, you'll be so bored!" The heat was taking it's toll on her (possibly aided by a large amount of alcohol she confessed to drinking the night before), so once again we joined forces for the last few hills of the race. We were safe in the knowledge that there was a nice downhill section back to the field so we ticked them off one by one before we were were finally back on terra-firm...erm, tarmac. The heat must have affected the uphill section as it was significantly shorter down that it was on the way up! Into the school we went where I ignored the rest of the runners cutting the corner and followed the race route! "Nearly 26 miles in and I'm not going to start cutting corners now" I laughed with the marshal. The final sting in the tail was something I'd been aware of, but it doesn't make it any less irritating! As we entered the field, there was the finish line on the right.....and we turned left! One more lap of the field to go. Like yesterday, Gemma put a kick on for home and whilst I followed, the tiredness started to seep in. Undaunted, I crossed the line in approx 1:01:00 though time wasn't important. The previous six weeks had seen a lot of races on legs that weren't ready! Nevertheless I collected my medal plus my bonus medal for completing all three, complimentary t-shirt and tucked in to a jam ring biscuit (you know the ones - those that pretend to be Jammy Dodgers but aren't!) No fig biscuits today but a welcome pack of crisps started the recovery off well!

Some amazing performances by friends and team mates over the weekend but a very satisfying collection of medals. New friends made, good laughs and a real sense of achievement. Now, if it's ok with you, I'm off for an ice cream! Completely guilt free!