Race Muppetry

Yee gadds I'm soo annoyed with myself. I've entered the Great North 10k, without realising it fell on the same day as the Northumberland Coastal Run, which I've already entered. Going to try and sort something out, but with the Great Women's Run always being held in June I think I'd just mentally thought it was the 12th June and not the 12th July.

what a muppet :(

So for future reference, and so I don't do any more clashing races, here's my list for the Spring & Summer. I'll be doing the ones in bold

March
21st - Royal Signals Relays, Watergate Park
28th - NEHL Temple Park XC
29th - Middlesborough Tees Pride 5k

April
5th - Sanddancer 10k (Multi Terrain), South Shields, VAANE Vets MT 10k Champs
10th - Elswick Good Friday Relays, Newburn (possibly)
12th - North Tyneside 10k
19th - Rising Sun 5m, Wallsend
19th - Redcar Half Marathon
26th - Blyth Valley 10k (possibly)

May
4th - Tees Barage 10k, Stockton
4th - Jesmond Dene Handicap 1
12th - Les Alcorn 10k, Alnwick
17th - Pier to Pier, South Shields to Roker
18th - VAANE track meeting 1
20th - Clive Cookson 5k & 10k races
24th - Raby Castle 10k
25th - Jesmond Dene Handicap 2
30th - Allendale 8
31st - Watergate Park Trail Race, Gateshead

June
1st - VAANE track meeting 2
9th - Blaydon Race
10th? - Newburn River Run
15th - VAANE track meeting 3
17th - Penshaw Hill Race, Sunderland
21st - Aycliffe 10k, VAANE 10k road champs.
22nd - Jesmond Dene Handicap 3
27th - VAANE track& field championships

July
1st - Tynedale 10k
8th - Sunshine Run 5k, Newcastle
9th - Angel View Run
12th - Northumberland Coastal Run, Beadnell to Alnmouth
12th - Great North 10k, Sunderland
20th - VAANE track meeting 4
22nd - Sunderland 5k
22nd - Jesmond Dene Handicap 4

August
3rd - VAANE track meeting 5

September
2nd - Watergate Park 5k
6th - Tynedale Jelly Tea 10mile, Hexham to Ovingham, VAANE 10m champs.
13th - Paras 10 (MT), Catterick Garrison (possibly)
20th - Great North Run
23rd (or 1st Oct) - VAANE 5k & 10k track champs.
29th - Tees Pride 10k, Middlesborough

NEHL Prudhoe Cross Country

Sunday....supposed to be a day of rest (and running) , but the work gods decided otherwise and being that I've just finished, I haven't been able to get out for a run today. That said I almost certainly made up for it with yesterdays outing at Prudhoe XC. It was a tad windy.. 38mph, which didn't help the cause much, kind of like being thrown around in a tumble dryer, then there was THE hill...but I'll get to that in a sec.

I'd been woken up at 4am by the puppy wanting to go to the loo, dutifully got up and let her out, but then she was awake and wanting to play :S Rather than have her bark the house down I stayed up and indulged her for 10 mins before she went back to sleep, and I was left wide awake :( After work had a bit of a mad dash getting myself over to Prudhoe, but eventually found the school, got myself parked about a mile from the start and headed on over there. I just caught the end of the men's race as I arrived, and couldn't believe how windy it was...being that we started pretty much at the top of the hill where it was exposed, I had a hard time believing the guys saying I didn't need a long sleeved top on.

Anyways, I'm rambling ;)

We set off, across farmers fields, heading generally down the fell. I couldn't see a damn thing cause my hair was swirling round my head like some mad Old English sheepdog. Hanging onto Lynn from Tynedale and Lisa from Wallsend, I was following their feet and hoping I didn't step in a rut, or trip over. We seemed to go down for ages, and knowing that the finish was up near the start you started to get the sinking feeling that the hill back up was going to be horrible.

We passed through a stream twice, lots of boggy muddy bits and then we hit the big climb. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but with the strength-sapping mud at the bottom, and the high winds it felt like climbing a mountain. I have to admit to walking part of the way up - as evidenced in this piccie by Ally McDonald

I think I just felt really unfit rather than in pain, I'm putting it down to the three months off with injury, but after all that I did manage to come in 37th, in a time of 28:42 which isn't too unreasonable. I didn't manage to stick with Lisa or Lynn up the hill, but I did feel pretty pleased that I managed to get out there at all. After a warm down I headed inside for coffee and cake and then a nice chilled out ride back home with Galaxy FM on ...sounds for the weekend :D

One final shout out to Lesley Anne from Stocksfield Striders...she picked the hardest xc of the season to choose as her first race, and got round admirably, despite the course markers being taken down as she finished...a big Well Done Gal ! and I hope this doesn't put you off too much - Temple Park is a lot easier :D

Two Laps are better than one

Morning Campers :)

I know I'm a little late with my report, but this is the first moment I've had free to sit down and write something!

Here goes...

After Coach Jim's evil hill torture session on the Tuesday, an a 6 miler on the Wednesday, I was in no real fit state to do the club track session last Thursday...It was a pyramid, 400 - 600 - 800 - 1000 - 1200 then back down again, and I only managed up to 1000m before my legs gave up in protest. I was kind of thinking that the XC on Saturday may be a bit too much, so I told Jim I'd attempt to do one lap and see how I got on, his reply was "Two laps are better than one" and that I ought to take it steady instead of taking off too fast (like I normally do).

Another factor of me doing the race was that I was working in the area that morning, I'd already been up to Ashington, Bedlington & Blyth, so I didn't have to drive back home then come out again, just toddled (in my own white van woman driving style) down the road, so I managed to see a few of the junior races and the senior men's race before mine started.

Was surprised at how warm it was, no wind either...hardly the usual gale force winds and sleet you'd expect for xc weather, but judging from the numbers of folks who dropped out of the men's race, and the fact that one of the juniors lost both shoes on the course, I was expecting something pretty tough.

Met up with the Jarrow & Hebburn lot and did a bit of a warm up with Rachel and Michelle (this was her first race), before stripping off to vest & shorts and heading over to the start. It was flippin' cold just standing around, but I always overheat so I thought it was worth the chance of a chilly start to just leave my long sleeved top off.

Not before long we were off..

Plan: To make it round the two laps without stopping, or dropping out.

I felt pretty comfortable round the first lap - the hills weren't too steep, but the mud was between 6-12 inches deep in places, which made for quite interesting running. A lot of the ladies (well most of them to be honest) in front of me were running wide on the corners to avoid the mud, but I thought: sod it, I'm already minging, and I don't want to run any further than is necessary. So I just ploughed my way through the middle taking the shortest route possible.

Many thanks to Simon Simpson, our resident Jarrow & Hebburn photographer

I actually felt more and more comfortable as the race went on - maybe because I wasn't fleeing along at a silly pace, and I was actually really enjoying all the mud in some bizarre masochistic way. I had a few shouts of support on the way round which really helps too - many thanks the the Sunderland Stollers, Martin from Gateshead Harriers and to Micheal and the rest of the J&H lot! By the finish I was actually smiling :D

Came in 55th of 93, not too bad for a comeback race, my first since Blaydon XC in November, and what a better way to lift your spirits, to don your club colours and go plodging in clarts ;)

A big well done to Rachel & Michelle, and many thanks to Blyth for a great job of marshaling the course.

After a long run on Sunday too, I was obviously still suffering with the xc in my legs last night's club handicap, when I ran my slowest 5k since 2006 - 23:53 - dire. This doesn't bode too well for this years sub 21 attempt, but I was windy, and it's only the third session I've done in 3 months, so I guess I cant expect miracles :/ Just hoping I can recover in time for the summer races, as the spring 10k's are prolly going to be at a snails pace.

Anyways...I'm still out there, and my ankle isn't giving me jip :)

Happy Running folks!