The Gosport Golden 24 is a new event that started on Saturday 12 noon and finished Sunday 12 noon today. The basic idea was to use the measured Golden mile that’s already an established race and simply invite runners to contribute both miles and money to charity. The coastal tarmac route is a scenic mile of Stokes Bay, close to Gosport itself and also offers great views of the Isle of White. As this photo suggests some runners were more tired than others 🙂

Clothing sales had generated the majority of sponsorship before the event even started with the funds going to Depression Friends and the Brathay trust ….. “GG24”

When I arrived at 8am for an hours recovery run after last weekends Purbeck marathon all I had to do was add my name to the ever growing list. A variety of local club running vests were in evidence and it wasn’t long before I bumped into Johnny that I’d met at and Absolute Running 5.45 evening. Unfortunately the reason I struck up a conversation was because Johnny had clearly injured himself.

If Johnny did need rescuing we were in the right palace !!

As we walk/jogged while Johnny and I were talking both Shane and Roman from the Endurance Hub came into view so it was a hello and good morning to them and then I set off running again. Naturally with the route being a mile out and back you saw people on a regular basis. Ben Jarvis from Gosport Road Runners (GRR) was the next person I recognised, Ben did last weeks Purbeck marathon and when we talked later he’d run a 50K yesterday too.

By now the sailors were getting their yachts organised for racing out on the water and the junior run was being organised too. It was at this point I saw Lee Rhodes from Bayside Tri club who use Stokes Bay for their open water swimming but today he was a supportive parent.

The friendly nature of this low key event certainly came through with numerous “well done” and “morning” comments. As I came to the end of my hour I could see quite a few runners gathered at the start/finish HQ tent. I signed for my mileage and almost immediately saw Paul Pickford (Blue top), Fareham Crusaders new men’s captain for the 2017/8 season. We only had a quick chat as Paul was just about to set off running but there was still time for a couple of photos with Shaun and Ronan (Blue caps) & Ben (thumbs up).

By all accounts there’d been a great response from runners attending on the Saturday and into the night. As I left more people were arriving so all in all the event sounds like its been a huge success. The number of a thousand miles had been mentioned as the target for the 24 hours, I may have only contributed a small amount to this but I felt part of the great effort everyone made.

Well done to the three organisers Terry, Steve and Rob for harnessing the community spirit that our local runners possess. If the event is repeated in 2018 I’ll be back for a much longer run 🙂

It’s only two weeks now to the Purbeck marathon so today needed to be a descent test of my form. I managed just over 19 miles with 2,170 feet elevation in quite Autumnal conditions. Also my Tailwind trial moved into its second week which you can read about further down.

Todays added bonuses were bumping into Ray Gunner from Stubbington Green who I haven’t seen for ages and Rosie from my club Fareham Crusaders who again I haven’t seen for quite a while. On my way home at about 18.5 miles with two lanes of heavy traffic to my left I also spotted the bright red Absolute Running van with owners Nick and Kim in it, so that was a great “pick me up” with waves and shouts of encouragement.

Well, September is with us, the football posts were up next to the cricket boundary, the leaves have started falling onto the path and todays drizzle was (although refreshing to begin with) fairly constant from mile 6.

However, none of the above dampened my spirits because today was the furthest I’ve run since June and being on the move for over three hours gives you “belief”.

As the initial miles ticked by I contemplated on my liquids and nutrition strategy. I’d filled three 500ml soft flaks and only packed one gel and one energy bar. Ordinarily for a 3 hour + run I’d have taken three or four gels as well as a couple of SIS energy bars so it was going to be “sink or swim” time. Granted I was running conservatively but when I say the first time I thought I may need something extra was at 15 miles then that’s a big thumbs up to Tailwind. You read the recommendations but it’s always best to try it for yourself. I’ll come back to this later.

The first 6 or so miles were really an introduction before I reached Portchester Lane. This Lane is a favourite of mine due to 3/4 of a mile giving you 270 feet elevation. I set myself 4 reps and I wasn’t alone as a number of cyclists passed me too. As I mentioned earlier Ray Gunner passed me going up one of them. Ray has always been quick and he was on good form as he easily caught me up.

I really believe hill reps are an essential part of any runners training regardless of their race distances. The strength work really pays off physically and mentally.

The route may be tarmac which isn’t idea and it is open to traffic but generally on an early Sunday morning its quiet. As you can see it’s a hill that just keeps giving as it snakes up to the horizon.

The fields to the right had wheat growing three weeks ago but that’s all been harvested so this was another reminder that Summer is disappearing.

I generally use a “bump bag” these days that I swivel around when I want something. My preferred choice of liquid containers are soft flasks because once empty they take up no room at all, they can be rolled up like an empty toothpaste tube.

Once heading down Portsdown Hill there’s a section with no pavement and it was starting to get busier as the morning progressed. I always like to run towards the traffic on these sections as I’d rather see them and move out of their way. Naturally I avoid doing this wherever possible.

Once heading for the creek at about 15.5 miles I’d taken a gel just for good measure and it was all flat from now on. Passing my friend Rosie was a surprise and then waving to Nick & Kim was a great motivator. At 17.5 miles I had the energy bar just to be on the safe side but to be fair I was still feeling good on the back of the Tailwind. Is Tailwind the answer to all our running needs ?? I will let you know over the coming weeks, however, the signs are promising.

Finally, I thought this sign from our local council was well thought out by aiming it at the kids 🙂 Although to be fair most people are pretty good.

So, great miles, plenty of hills, more Tailwind feedback and a few surprise friends along the way. “Good Times”