Brighton 10k 2011

My third consecutive appearance at the Brooks Brighton 10k and once again it would be following a period of reduced training caused by minor strains. My yearly schedule seems to peak in late spring and summer and then gradually decreases until I finish my race diary in Brighton. This year I had organised a challenge for current and former work  colleagues who have either taken part in this race before or are themselves runners. To keep things interesting we based our mini-race on a first past the post system rather than looking to see who recorded the fastest chip time.

The early morning rise and drive down to Brighton did not go well for me as I made the rookie mistake of not checking that the car had enough petrol for the journey. I was due down by the start line early to check all our our team in and organise everyone into a group in the start area so we all started in a couple of lines. Instead I was busy motoring around the countryside as my satnav directed me to the nearest petrol garage while I kept my fingers crossed that I had enough fuel to make it. This added a good 30 minutes to my journey so ended up parking a lot further from the start than planned and I only just made it to the meeting point in time to herd everyone ready for the start.

We were soon off and I had to grin and watch my fellow competitors slowly moving ahead of me as I knew that I was well off in terms of fitness and race preparation. The Brighton 10k still retains the 3k out and back to the start / finish area so it gets quite cramped for space but I was prepared for this and just went with the flow of people until the path widened as we ran past the pier. Thankfully the organisers have improved the km markers over the years and there is plenty of help on the way to gauge distance. This year even saw bright sunshine and I was chuffed that I had gone for my summer running outfit and my sunglasses because I was soon very hot.

My lack of recent training contributed to not enjoying the run that much as I struggled with the pace and it’s always difficult when you know that there is no chance of matching you normal times (let along best times!). We all met up at the finish in time to hold our little award ceremony with a small trophy given to the winner. Unfortunately I know that I cannot run the 2012 Brooks Brighton 10k so won’t be there to try and take the title.

• Category: Senior Men
• Category Position: 515/ 656
• Gender Position: 1125 / 1478
• Gun Time: 57m08s
• Chip Time: 54m37s
• Chip Position: 1536 / 2680

Moor Park 10k & Junior Fun Run

The 2011 Moor Park 10k and Junior Fun Run was a late addition to my race calendar following the recommendation of a family friend and also had the dubious honour of being my first race following a lapse in my normal training. I always seem to have a period of minor injuries around August where my training suffers and this year was no exception. However, I was fit enough to enter and use the event as a normal training run while MiniMe was more than willing to take part in the Junior Fun Run. We arrived at the venue reasonably early and took some time to look around the small amount of stalls and also watch the start of the Under 12  2.6km race so MiniMe could then see the route that he would then have to run. He seemed a little shocked at first as he thought that his race would be 2.6km but he was much happier after we explained that his race was only one lap and 1.3km in distance.

After stressing to MiniMe that he needed to pace himself and not try to sprint the entire race, like he tried previously at the Crouch End Junior Fun Run, he was soon lined up on the start line. There was plenty of gentle pushing and shoving from the kids as they jostled for the front spaces and the line of kids kept moving forwards while the race marshals had to keep asking them to move back so that they were back on the actual start line. Finally the boys were off and running and we watched them circle around the playing field and eventually the front runners were crossing the finish line. MiniMe looked exhausted as he ran the final bend but he did manage a final sprint across the line to make sure that no-one overtook him and then managed to collapse onto the floor clutching his bottle of water after his medal had been draped around his neck. Thankfully his tiredness was soon solved by a quick visit to the cup cake stall and MiniMe was soon eyeing the big bouncy castle style slide.

Cup Cake Win

There was quite a gap until the start of the 10k so we amused ourselves by watching some of the morris dancing in-between MiniMe snacking on some more cupcakes and a hot dog. I believe that in previous years the 10k would be run in the morning followed by the junior races in the afternoon but this had been swapped, possibly to encourage more to watch and cheer the junior races. However, it did mean that we were hanging around until the start of the 10k so it was a little boring for MiniMe and Mrs danyul. If the weather had been warmer then we would have probably taken a picnic but it was a bit cloudy and overcast so we did not really have that option. If I did consider running this even again in 2012 then I would probably just enter the 10k and then arrive in the afternoon by myself rather than asking my family to wait around for several hours with little to do.

Finally the runners were bunching up near the start line but again there was a delay as the start time was put back by 10 minutes to allow for all the people still trying to drive into the parking area. There was plenty of parking space on a large field and it was well marshalled but it seemed like a lot of people all tried to arrive near to the start time and the weight of cars started to block up the entrance.

The 10k was soon under-way with the same lap of the playing field that MiniMe completed earlier for his race and as we circled back past the start line there were still latecomers sprinting to the start to begin their race. The course then headed out to the private estate at the far side of the school and it was interesting to run through such an affluent area and take a look at the large houses. The flat part of the race seemed to be over soon as we turned into the golf course and tackled two long and somewhat arduous climbs. I am not sure what all the golfers made of the runners stopping their play but was I was too focused on beating the first hill than to worry about interrupting their round. The first hill levelled out at the old manor house and I thought that would be the end of the hills but around the next bend there was another equally arduous climb that I was determined to make sure I ran up rather than resorting to walking. Thankfully the climb was soon over and there was a lovely downward section that allowed me to catch my breath again. The rest of the course continued through the private housing estate and then back to the school grounds for a final lap of the fields and then through the finish arch. One of the runners just behind me managed to lose the route through the final bend of cones and started to run through the spectator area until people started to shout and get him back to the finish line.

MiniMe Race Start

There was no chip timing for this event so my timing is based on my Garmin watch and the race timers.

u10 boys

MiniMe – 5 mins 49 seconds (23^rd out of 105 finishers)

10k Results

danyul – 52 mins 8 seconds (235^th out of 691 finishers)

Garmin time: 52 minutes 3 seconds

One of the regular runners was unable to race this year due to an injury so instead filmed this great video of the day:

British 10K London Run

The British 10K London Run is bit of a strange race in that it is a large scale, well advertised, and well attended event, but suffers from a poor approval rating from the community on the Runners World Forum. I was debating whether to enter this race, mainly because of the high entry fee, but equally I wanted to take part in a run through some of the major streets of London so decided to give this one a go. I paid for my entry although for the first time I did not go for an official timing chip since it was not included within the entry fee and I did not feel it was worth the extra charge given I could time myself with my watch.

I was wary of being stuck in a large crowd at the start and the prevailing advice on various running forums was to arrive early and endure some standing still waiting time to try and get as close to the front as possible. This event is well known for attracting a large number of first time runners or non-runners participating on behalf of various charities, which is an admirable thing, but with no staggered starts or starts based on predicated finish times it does mean that frustrated runners are trying to weave around frustrated walkers who are unhappy about being jostled. So I was on an early train from West Acton into London and I joined other keen runners heading to the same run as I noticed a lot of British 10K timing chips attached to laces and race numbers stuck to bags.

I quickly found my baggage drop area and went for a gentle jog around the nearby streets along with a toilet break. Again, the entrant magazine highlighted the high numbers of runners and the ratio of toilets provided so I wanted to get ready before any large queues formed. With a steady stream of people heading towards the start area I decided to carry on with my warm-up by jogging up to the start line. The waiting runners were initially being held at the top of St Jame’s Street where it meets Piccadilly so it was a case of trying to keep warm while being stuck in a crowd for a good 45 minutes before the marshals led the runners along Piccadilly to the start line at the top of the slope by the Piccadilly Arcade loop. I did notice that there was a fair number of runners warming up in Green Park who then slipped out into the moving start line to ensure that they were nearer the front (so if you did reach this blog entry to try and seek some advice on running this race then you could take the tip to avoid the crowded wait area and just perform your warm-up in Green Park alongside the road and then slide onto into the walking crowd as they are led towards the start line… although debating the ethics of this I shall leave to you).

Unfortunately we were kept waiting again following the move to the start line and eventually a marching band made its way along the opposite side where they then proceeded to play the national anthem before the race was allowed to start. I probably would have felt this was a nice touch for a race billed as the ‘British 10k’ but I would have much rather started the race on time than have to wait even further. Finally the elite runners were under-way and I snaked around and was running under the start arch and then along to Piccadilly Circus. At this point I appreciated just how many people were taking part in the race as thousands were still waiting to shuffle up until the start. It was still a little crowded as the route turned into Trafalgar Square but it was nice to have lots of cheering people on the paths encouraging all the runners. With the road widening as we turned into Embankment I was finally able to hit my stride and it was nice to see a water station because it was a hot day and I needed something to cool down a little. However, I did start to wonder whether the water station had enough helpers to hand out the bottles as I pictures the thousands of runners and walkers who I knew would be making their way down over the next 20-30 minutes.

British 10K London Run

The elite runners were soon passing us on the opposite side as we descended through the Blackfriars Underpass, where a lot of runners made use of the tunnel acoustics to shout out and make echoes, before we looped up and around back onto the Embankment but now on the opposite side. Thousands were now streaming along the route we have already passed through and my fears about the early water station were correct as runners were having to stop and force a way to grab their own water bottle through a crowd. I generally do not need to take on any liquids for a 10k but this was a hot day and there were a lot of non-runners who probably needed water to keep them going and, although there was plenty of water bottles, there just wasn’t enough people staffing the first station to keep up with the demand to hand them out and keep people running.

I made sure to enjoy the view as I passed opposite the London Eye and then lopped across Westminster Bridge and through to Parliament Square where I was able to give a quick wave to the protesters manning the centre section of the square. A final burst saw the finish line in site just past Downing Street and I was able to sprint through for a reasonable time given the heat and the amount of runners lining the course.

I enjoyed my run through a sunny central London and it was nice to run past so many famous landmarks but it’s not an event that I will enter again. The entry fee was staggeringly high and the organisers have raised this cost even further for 2012 in some a very tenuous attempt to associate the event with the Olympics just because they are going to be in the same city in the same year. The event literature has to be very careful to not impinge on the Olympic trademark but with ’2012′ plastered all over the t-shirts and adverts, the organisers are certainly trying their best to skirt the legal association. I would also avoid the race because it clearly needs to implement some sort of mechanism to either implement wave starts or at a minimum attempt to get starters into blocks based on their projected finish times. I read through the forums after the race and found plenty of runners unhappy about having to force their way through blockades of charity walkers stretched across the width of the road and equally complaints from charity walkers / runners upset about people jostling and barging past them.

Due to the high cost of entry I did not pay extra for a timing chip so can only provide my time based on my own Garmin watch, which is only going to be a few seconds out anyway.

•  Garmin time: 49 minutes 31 seconds

Gunnersbury 10K 2011

I caught a passing post on the Runners World Forum for a fast approaching local 10K to be held at Gunnersbury Park so entered online to continue my recent  run of races. The event had taken place before but this was the first outing to be supported and promoted by my local running club Ealing Eagles. I had checked out their web site previously while looking for local running clubs and I was impressed by the information presented on their web site but unfortunately family and work commitments stop me from going along to join them. I quickly signed up for the race and then headed down to Gunnersbury Park on a very sunny Sunday morning to collect my race number.

There was a reasonably large group hanging around the start area but with plenty of time until the start I went for a gentle job around the park. I was soon back waiting at the start area and listening to the instructions for the course. The sub 40 minute runners were asked to move to the front, prompting a step back from most of the field, and then we were soon off under starters orders. With the wide open spaces of the park ahead I parked myself reasonably far back and there was no need to weave in and out of crowds as I hit my target pace from the off and found myself passing groups of runners. I have a weekend long route that includes Gunnersbury Park  so I was familiar with the route although there were plenty of friendly marshals from Ealing Eagles lining the key points to ensure everyone knew the correct directions.

With the sun beating down I found a small group of runners who were set at my target pace so I latched onto them and enjoyed the run around the park, particularly enjoying the shaded areas as a respite from the hot weather. We were soon hitting a second loop, following a fast pit stop to grab a drink at the water station, of the park and I decided to up my pace a little and selected a runner slightly further ahead to gradually catch and eventually pass. Unfortunately I had misjudged the location of the finish line (I expected it to be where the start had been… must remember to check) so missed an opportunity to sprint the final 100 metres and suddenly found myself rounding a hedge to see the finish just a few metres in front of me.

The race was very well organised so thanks for all those involved, especially the marshals from Ealing Eagles whose cheers for the final 1K helped me tackle the final part of the race, and congratulations to all those who took part. Ealing Eagles posted the race results on their web site.

• Gun position: 65th out of 179
• Gun time: 48 minutes 53 seconds
• Class: male
• Class position: 58th out of 113
• Garmin time: 48 minutes 45 seconds

2011 Crouch End 10K

We were sent details of this event and race by a friend and his family so I signed up for the 10k, MiniMe for his age group 1 mile run, and Mrs danyul to look after MiniMe while I was running and also to generally walk around the festival. MiniMe was looking forward to his race in the weeks leading up to the event and he came with me to the park several times to train with me.

We arrived nice and early to make sure that we secured a parking space near the park since we knew that there was no on-site parking. There were plenty of runners making their way into the park so, after getting changed into my kit, we followed the crowds through the park onto the staging area where most of the stalls were setting up and getting ready for the day. After finding our friends it was soon time for the aerobic warm-up that was let by a very energetic lady standing on the stage area and MiniMe joined in with me near the front with great enthusiasm.

I didn’t throw myself into the warm-up too much but I enjoyed it and made sure that I was ready for the race. All the 10K runners were called over to te start area, where I found myself quite far back once again, and the race was soon underway. The start wound through the park and was quite narrow so I had to slow myself down as there was little chance to pass through the crowds but as the route left the park onto the open roads there was plenty of room to hit my preferred pace due to the roads being closed off to traffic.

With runners now streaming down roads, along some footpaths, and on some pavements where traffic was still allowed to run, the field soon spread out and I was on my just below 5 mins per kilometre pace. The route included a second loop of part of the course and on the first pass I skipped taking a drink and unfortunately on the second pass of the drink station the person holding out the sponge I was aiming for moved slightly am I missed out. The lady was very apologetic as I passed but thankfully it was not a hot day and I did not really need a drink. The final stretch led downhill back to the park and I picked up for a near sprint through the park and onto the finish line where MiniMe and Mrs danyul were ready to cheer me through with a preliminary gun time on the overhead counter of 50 minutes 6 seconds.

I made my way through the finish area to grab a bottle of water but steering clear of the free donut stall and had a look around the festival area while waiting for the kids races to start. Eventually it was time for the kids races to start so we stood near the start line to watch the start and finish of the younger kids so that MiniMe could see how things worked. We were quickly surprised to see just how competitive some of these races were and as the age groups got higher, the start area became more and more crowded with quite a few kids falling due to clipped heels as the mass of runners increased.

MiniMe was due up next for his category and given some of the mayhem and tears from a few kids accidentally tripping in previous races, we urged him to get as close to the start as possible just to make sure he didn’t suffer a fall. This turned out to be a good idea as there were close to two hundred kits and they all sprinted off at the start and we did see a couple of kids trip and fall due to some accidental heel clipping. We stayed near the start / finish line and waited for MiniMe to come sprinting around the final bend so that we could cheer him on. MiniMe was soon sprinting down the home straight and we made sure to give him as much encouragement as possible. All the finishers were presented with a medal, which MiniMe was very proud of, and all had the option to take a free donut as provided by a local bakery (see above picture for MiniMe enjoying his finishing food).

We all had a great day out and wish to pass on our thanks to all involved in the organisation of the Crouch End 10k and Children’s Fun Run 2011. We will definitely be back in 2012, good health permitting, and will be recommending the event to our friends.

 
MiniMe results:

• Gun position: 64th out of 177
• Gun time: 6 minutes 49 seconds
• Class: Under 10 boys
• Class position: 64th out of 177
• Chip time: 6 minutes 49 seconds
• Chip position: 64th out of 177

danyul results:

• Gun position: 277th out of 1018
• Gun time: 50 minutes 6 seconds
• Class: male
• Class position: 107th out of 216
• Chip time: 49 minutes 28 seconds
• Chip position: 268th out of 1018
• Garmin time: 49 minutes 26 seconds

Farnham Bluebell 10k

Paddleboarding at East Wittering

With the Easter break fast approaching and a forecast of hot weather, we decided to make sure of the time and take a short break somewhere in the UK that would be at a suitable location should I be required for work purposes. We also wanted to keep within a low budget so we would still go away during the summer so we plumped for a last minute caravan based stay at the Haven Church Farm Caravan Holiday Park. The Park is based near Chichester, which provides for a reasonably short drive to Brighton if I were to be called into a work office, and being on the coast meant we had easy access to the beaches at West Wittering and East Wittering.

We arrived at the Park in some trepidation since Mrs danyul had never stayed in a caravan before and things didn’t start well when we found that the lock was broken on our caravan so were not even able to get in. However, the on-site staff were fantastic and they quickly replaced the broken parts so we could unload the car and take a look round. My last caravan park stay was at least fifteen years back and the size and quality of holiday caravans had changed during that time. The caravan itself was large enough to include a living room with kitchen, two bedrooms (one with en-suite bathroom), and a separate shower / toilet room. My memories of staying in a caravan with my grandparents was of a tiny living room area that became my bedroom at night, a small kitchenette with cramped dining table, and a small bedroom at the end. Back in the day there was certainly no bath or shower, let alone a toilet, and all amenities were provided through a shared block.

The site itself included a small supermarket, some sports facilities (bowls, archery, and small football pitch), an indoor swimming pool, an outside swimming pool (sadly closed for our visit for an unspecified health and safety reason), and a bar / cafe / entertainment complex. During the check-in process we were advised to visit the sports booking area because a lot of the organised activities had limited places available so it was recommended to go book places straight away. Good advice but it turned out that nearly all the pool based activities were already booked and we were only able to get a single place on organised pool session (aquajets), which turned out to be the last available place.

With glorious sunshine waiting us as we woke on the Saturday morning, we grabbed our bags and set off for West Wittering  in the car. However, it seemed that all the surrounding area had the same idea as well as hundreds of people from not quite so near so we were soon stuck in a snarling traffic jam that queued miles from the actual beach. Fed up with inching our way to the beach we instead turned off and followed signs to the less popular East Wittering. Less popular than its neighbour since it has stone covered beaches rather than miles of soft sand but we soon realised that we’d discovered a gem of a town. Mrs danyul was soon off checking out the local shops (i.e. looking at estate agents to see how much houses were worth and if it might be possible to invest) while I took MiniMe around the town and along the beach. We discovered an equipment hire shack next to the beach and, although they had run out of our preferred twin canoes, we rented out a paddle board for a couple of hours. MiniMe took to it like the proverbial duck to water and I walked or swam beside him as he paddle around the calm water. With the evening creeping slowly into focus we boarded the car and headed over to West Wittering for a walk along the sands just as the majority of people were heading home for the day, which just showed the advantage of staying locally as we could stay out late and still get back to make dinner.

We had enjoyed going to East Wittering so much that we decided to forgo going to the beach at West Wittering during the day and decided to head back to East Wittering and rent a twin canoe for several hours. MiniMe took his seat at the front and with me sitting at the back we paddled our way out to the boats anchored out at sea, which formed the furthest boundary as stated at the hire shack, and then paddled back to shore. MiniMe wasn’t so sure about being so out to sea so we then spent the rest of our time paddling as fast as we could onto the waves hitting the shore and quickly picking up speed before turning to the side before we hit the beach. Again, we headed to the sand at West Wittering in the evening as the crowds were again leaving and we went for a stroll along the beach as the sun set.

West Wittering Beach

MiniMe enjoyed the activities back at the Park and each morning I would take him to the sports hire / booking facility just as it was opening, allowing Mrs danyul an opportunity to get some extra sleep, and we’d hire out a peddle kart for an hour and then ride around the Park. Our first foray out on the kart was on a shared vehicle with both of us peddling (or actually just me for most of the time) but on the second day we hired a small kart each and toured the Park again. MiniMe particularly enjoyed the road section near the car park as it had a speed warning system to warn drivers they were going above the Park speed limit by flashing up their speed. MiniMe took that as a challenge for us to measure how fast we were going and to then see which one of us could record the fastest speed.

The only pool activity MiniMe could book a place for was aquajets and he loved every minute of it. The inside pool was closed except for the small group of kids and each was given a face mask, a snorkel, and a motorised aqua jet (like the one pictured here). They were all soon zooming around the pool and taking part in games to race the length of the pool, to dive underwater to pass through hoops, or to retrieve items thrown to the bottom of the pool. It was a shame that each and every pool activity had been fully booked because MiniMe would have loved to have taken part in another session on another day. I did take MiniMe to the open sessions at the pool each day and he had a great time with me swimming around and using the water slides although at times it did get very busy in the water due to the amount of people.

It was soon time to pack our things and drive home but we had a great mini-break where we really enjoyed ourselves. We didn’t make use of the entertainment complex on the site, primarily because the immediate entrance took you through all the slot machines and arcade machine and we had no interest in those. We knew that MiniMe would be enticed by all the noise and flashing lights but we have no interest in exposing him to the gambling machines on offer. The surrounding area offered lots of places to visit so we did also take several drives around the scenic water side towns and villages as well.

In terms of the Haven experience? We enjoyed ourselves but decided that we probably wouldn’t go back again. The staff were really nice and helpful, the caravan was large and had everything we needed, and the site had lots of activities of offer if required. However, we found that the entertainment complex had lots on offer at night (disco, show etc) that meant lots of people were wandering back to their caravan late at night while making noise. There’s nothing wrong with that in the grand scheme of things but it’s not something we’re interested in and we found the noise of the revellers woke us up, especially the young kids who were being allowed to stay up late and were still running around the site still.

Grand Union Canal

Spring Flowers

SKCE Squad Training