Runner of the year

If you talk about the impact one runner made in 2016 there’s only one man, 401 Ben. On day 391 I was proud and privileged to run along with many others around our local countryside. A brief chat along the Staunton Way brought home to me how one special person can make such a difference. Inspiration of the year, Mr Ben Smith.

Quote of the year

Your long steady run only really starts when you forget that you are actually running.

My Longest Race & Best catering of the year

White Star Running’s Ox Ultra was 36 miles of well organised and well sign posted (we where in the middle of know where) trail running. So many different trails, fields, hills and always supportive marshals, not forgetting the Love Station. Catering wise there was a fish & chip van, an ice cream van and a cider wagon #perfect.

Friendliest race of the year 

On The Whistle’s Winter Frolic was based around laps which meant we passed each other quite often and the supportive friendly banter was great to be a part of.

My favourite home video of 2016 !!

Not the best quality but the fun we had shines through. Thanks Paul, Howard, Rob & Simon.

Proudest Blog moment

Attending the 02 in my first year of blogging at the Running Awards. Best blog category shortlist. PS the voting is still open for the current awards if you would like to vote, thanks.

2016 Scariest Hour

Signing up to co-host UKRunChat, wow that was the fastest hour of the year too, crazy and exciting in equal measures.

Best Mug of the year

A few people could have won this !! but it was the Imber Ultra that did win.

Favourite photo of the year

Me, the Trig point and a curious sheep. Taken by my best trail running mate Paul Coates.

Best Twitter support in 2016

Running Blogs Simon, thanks for the “retweets”. If you don’t already follow @runningblogs, do it now !!

Best Race Director

Second Wind Running’s Phil Hoy, a “runners runner”. Their Meon Valley marathon / half is my favourite race.

Best videos of 2016

Film My Run’s Steve Cousins and his team produce inspiring and amusing videos on a regular basis. On The Whistle’s Wickham Whistler was a classic example and it was great to meet Steve in person too. Their videos are also great to get an idea of what to expect in races.

Best Running Shop

Absolute Running in Gosport, are a father & son team who serve our local community with a passion for running. Go chat with Nick and Harry, Follow the Shoe !! I love my Mizuno Wave Inspire trainers.

In Summary, a great year with great running friends

You have already read the blogs so there’s no need for me to recap on those, if you haven’t, there are 56 to choose from in 2016. And finally to all the people I have run with over the year as well as chatted to on twitter & facebook ……..

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

On a surprisingly mild Wednesday this week I popped down to Gosport for Absolute Running’s mid week, all inclusive, 5K training run. This open invite to the running community sums up the philosophy of shop owners father & son, Nick and Harry (H). My second reason for visiting was to have a chat with Shane from the newly created Endurance Hub about the combined service he and his fellow triathlete Roman are offering in the fields of Training, Nutrition and Performance.

A group of about 20 of us chatted away in the shop with the upcoming Portsmouth Coastal marathon being the main topic, what with it only being 4 days away. I asked Nick how Harry would get on, Nick’s response was “ask H and he will tell you he just wants to finish his first marathon but what that really means is he wants to come top ten” 🙂

After posing for a quick “florescent” photo we ventured out into the night. I introduced myself to Johnny and Kieran who were running next to me and a brisk pace was set. The pace was quicker than I’ve been used to recently and considering I wasn’t 100% sure where I was going, I appreciated Johnny’s comment that the group approach is no one was left on their own, so we eased back on the pace a bit.

The 5K wizzed past with me exploring parts of my lungs that I haven’t used for some time. Back at the AR shop Harry gave us the choice of water, hot chocolate or a tot of rum as the theme for tonight was “rum runners” 🙂

After catching my breath Shane started to explain the background behind how he and Roman were combining their knowledge and strengths to offer a bespoke service rather than a general, “one size fits all” approach. Roman is a qualified Ironman coach and Shane is a personal trainer / nutritionist.

Shane was keen to stress that the service they offer extends right across the sporting spectrum whether that’s competing in an Ironman triathlon or simply conditioning. His enthusiasm for the topic shone through !!

Their measuring device pictured above covers so many body indicators it’s safe to say the word comprehensive is the right way of describing it and not only does it give overall readings it breaks it down into 5 separate body areas on some too. If you’d like to learn more then visit either their website, facebook or twitter pages.

I have waited until Sunday, “race day” to see how the partnership between Harry and the Endurance Hub had faired and to say that H had a great race was probably the understatement of the year. I have run this marathon myself and considering it has off road sections it wouldn’t be everyone’s first choice as a fast course even though it’s flat. The Hub’s expertise and support combined with Harry’s talent and hard work paid off.

Harry’s result : Portsmouth Coastal marathon : 3rd place in a time of 2.43 for his first marathon. I only have one word ….. Amazing. Congratulations to Harry, AR and the Hub.

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This Wednesday evening I took a drive over to neighbouring Sussex for a visit to The Run Company in Chichester. James the owner and Tony the manager host regular mid week runs and quite frequently invite along a running related sports rep, tonight it was Tomtom sports gps watches.

With the temperature at a balmy 1.5 degrees the Chichester Christmas lights gave a warming welcome as I parked up (free after 6pm, please note other towns). A good 20 or so runners were chatting away when I arrived all set for a brisk 5K and the chance to talk about and try out the gps watches. I was greeted by Tony, the enthusiastic manager, who I’d tweeted earlier to say I’d be there and I also saw my running friend Ros too.

There were a selection of watches to try with the Tomtom runner 3 being my choice. Features wise I could write a whole new blog about but gps, route exploration, 24/7 activity tracking, goal setting and interval training modes were just some of the options we talked about. The built in heart rate monitor made the cardio model my choice for the nights run. I’d just stepped outside and picked up the gps signal and we were off !!

I don’t know Chichester that well but we were guided around the busier town centre with its inviting pubs and restaurants as well as out towards the university. The centre piece of the Christmas lights was a large tree I managed to get a quick photo of before we ran past.

I chatted to Ros about her first marathon, the Portsmouth Coastal, that’s coming up on the 18th and before we knew it we were heading back to the shop. On our return to the warm Run Company I chatted to the rep about all the Tomrom runner 3 cardio data that could be downloaded, wow !! , lots !! Time was against me to stay for too long but I had a quick chat and picked up a leaflet from John who develops training plans with his Pure Sports Performance company and to round the evening off a quick chat with Tony and James to thanks them. It’s a bit of a drive from home to Chichester but it’s always good to run somewhere different, talk to different people and actually get to try out kit rather than just read about it. If you’re in Sussex or just over the border like me, pop in and have a look around at The Run Company.

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On a chilly November morning I headed for Staunton Park and the surrounding Forest of Bere and Havant Thicket. Our hosts were On the Whistle and their brand of running which is to map out a lap, 4.6 miles on this occasion, and then you simply run it as often as you like with a 6 hour limit. One lap still gets a medal, 3 laps = half marathon, 6 = a marathon and then you are into ultra running. Today I had 4 laps & 18.4 miles in mind through the lovely Forestry Commission land as a stepping stone towards more.

Upon arrival I soon bumped into Richard Hill, Paul Jeffrey (blogger http://paul-jeffrey.com/) , Brian and Richard from work, Paul Coates (fellow Crusader), Cat Underwood Team MND and Kiernan, one of the 3 organisers who was in an “Elf” outfit. We assembled for the pre race safety brief close by to the HQ/ aid station. With the laps being 4.6 miles only one aid/feed station is required and naturally it was the hub of everything that was going on, food, drink, kit bags etc etc .

The beauty of a race with laps is that it appeals to a really wide cross section of the running community. The second feature of On the Whistle running is that the lap has sections where you pass each other in opposite directions which is great for motivating each other !!

Once we’d got underway the conditions underfoot were pretty good, compacted paths and very little mud while still running through wooded areas and open heathland, the perfect combination really. Paul and I settled into a steady nine and a half minute miles pace that would mean he could carry on for 2 or 3 laps after me. With the exception of a rant from Victoria, another blogger http://mrsbridgewater.blogspot.co.uk/  about a dog owner, all was unfolding in front of us, Autumn colours, a bright and crisp day, oh, and a fire engine !! Yes you are reading that correctly !! Not what we were expecting. Naturally with Paul previously being in the fire service there was quite a lot of banter between him and them. It also caused quite a bit of interest with the ladies 🙂

 

Apparently there are heath fires in the Summer and this was a training exercise. Paul took control of the situation and then we pressed on. The route had a cheeky short hill just before the end of the first lap and then we were retracing our steps. Both Paul and I are always keen to encourage others so there were high 5’s and motivational comments a plenty. We saw Paul, Brian and Richard along the straight section before the course turned left and took a large circular path back to that point again i.e. a lollypop.

By the end of the second lap we took advantage of the two portaloos which wasn’t significant on its own but was to Brian who was just behind us and had to wait, sorry Brian.

We saw Richard Hill running well and I think it’s fair to say everyone that we saw was in good spirits. By now it was noticeable the temperature was started to drop on the third lap and by the fourth Paul pulled away from me and I settled into a steadier pace. After a couple of more miles Paul was heading back towards me so I took a quick photo and wished him well. He’s a quiet, retiring type as you can see 🙂

On arriving back at the HQ I told Kiernan I was done, the medal was a classic Christmas jumper (see below) !! Not too long after Brian finished the 18.4 miles and even though Paul Jeffrey carried on he joined in the photo. Richard arrived not long after only to top up his drink and set off again. Paul Jeffrey ran 28 miles, Richard Hill (7th overall), Paul Coates (8th overall) and Richard Law (10th overall) ran 32 miles each, great effort lads.

 

All in all a great days Autumnal running with everyone achieving their goals. Love the medal !! A very successful year for On the Whistle, well done Kiernan, Claire & Del.If you enjoyed reading my blog please vote for it here http://therunningawards.com/vote/109/110#vote Just scroll down through Community, Blog and vote irunoffroad. Many thanks.

I’ve taken a weekend off from running ….  (I can hear people screeching like the seagull in the photo) 🙂 The opportunity came up to pop down to Devon for a catch up with my brother and folks so I took it.

The irony of not running is that I have come back home fired up to start again. My runs generally combine the countryside and coast so when a walk along the beach was suggested I was happy to revisit the best beach in the country, Woolacombe. A bracing November stroll into bright sunshine made for the perfect Autumn walk. You could almost taste the salt on your lips as the spray came off the sea breeze.

We were walking to the headland and a café I have heard of but never visited in all the years we have been connected with North Devon. The sound of the waves lapping on the miles of golden sand were calming and therapeutic in equal measures, “me” I just wanted to run !! As we walked I soaked up the scenery and “fresh” air knowing that this battery charging weekend was only confirming what we all know, I can’t wait to get my trainers on.

As my brother and I drank our cups of tea and chatted about a whole host of topics we could have been anywhere in the world, I find being by the sea gives you that feeling. The walk back also had the added bonus of the late afternoon sun slowly sinking down behind the headland.

So in summary, if you run week after week, my thought for the day would be take a weekend off once in a while and it will confirm just how much your running means to you.

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Last year I pondered for quite some time whether to enter the RTTK and I regretted it when I didn’t. So in 2017 this double marathon along the South Downs Way will be my main focus. I have run the majority of the 53 mile route over the years so the challenge will be to string those runs all together. It’s fully supported so that’s food, drink and medical help if required, all I have to do is run 🙂

I’m super excited at the prospect of running and blogging the RTTK !!

Slindon to Winchester

 

 

 

Preparing for a half marathon wouldn’t normally mean running the same 13.1 miles a week before the race but this group run was too good an opportunity to miss. Today’s hosts were again Second Wind Running’s Phil and Teresa and as the photo above shows there was quite a gathering of runners. Regulars to these runs Paul, Ros and Dean were joined by a number of ultra Pompey Joggers and two other local runners.

As we set off from the Meon Hall Phil gave a brief outline of the course as well as relating it to the marathon that’s on the same day. Out of the runners present the majority were running the marathon but they had chosen today to recce the 7 miles of the route back to the race finish, as this is the same for both races. The pace was brisk initially, especially considering the Pompey group had already run 6 miles but nature took its course as we joined the South Downs Way and started running up Old Winchester Hill.

The path from the photo above then skirts around the base of Old Winchester hill (OWH) and leads up a steep incline which is quite taxing but runnable with a short stride. The bigger than normal group meant we had some different conversations about races already run and events that we were looking forward to. Needless to say the view across the valley towards Beacon Hill was worth the effort and with the recent mild weather (we are almost in November !!) there was very little mud to contend with so as we dropped down the other side of OWH the pace continued.

Not long after this photo we arrived at Meon Springs which is a fishing location that has a very handy water tap in the car park so this made for an ideal “pit stop”. Ian from the Joggers introduced himself as a fellow twitter runner and we both agreed that off road running offers you challenging routes but with the rewards of the scenery. Our next test was a long gradual country road that had quite a steep incline but with the promise of sweets and drink that my first photo showed.

At times the larger group did spilt up but Phil’s extra pace always meant he could run on ahead and get us to re group.

The unseasonal 13 degrees from today meant I was over dressed with a t shirt and HH so I took off my t shirt and did think to myself I now looked like a football referee 🙂 The route snaked its way through more country lanes and across fields before we came across a very grand country wedding that was being set up. Marquees, VIP parking, staff parking and us sweaty runners passing by. We ran along the edge of one field that went on for quite some time but were then rewarded with a straight tree lined road that lead us back towards Meonstoke.

The usual banter between Paul Coates and everyone else meant the miles were soon clocked up and finally, after a short walk for a lady on her beautifully groomed horse, we headed downhill along a colourful trail of Autumn leaves towards the Meon Hall. Yes that’s a good mile and a half that’s downhill or flat !!

Both the full and half marathons are sold out and I believe there’s a waiting list in operation. The success of these types of countryside runs are down to the location and the planning that goes into them. Second Wind Running’s Phil & Teresa are runners who design races for runners. I have no doubt next weekends event will be a great success.

I have decided to add an email to my blog for any where, when, what or why questions !!

I’m no expert but if I can help, I will.

Thanks,

Roger

irunoffroad@hotmail.com