My Running Diary

The midweek series of four 10k races are a must for any runner in the West Midlands/North Worcestershire area. Race 1 is at Hagley and out of the four is easily my favourite. Don’t expect to be setting yourself a new PB on this course though it’s not very likely! The race is well organised and well marshalled by Halesowen Athletics and Cycling Club and offers great value at just £4 for affiliated runners and £6 for unattached runners.

The race is two laps of a course comprised of a small section of road and then bridleways and public footpaths for the remainder. The weather plays a big part in how the course will be on the day, in the wet some of the bridleway sections are a nightmare of shin deep, slippery mud, the sort of stuff that just sucks running shoes from your feet. Wet weather is a bonus when you get to the sandy sections though, the damp sand is firm and easier to run on. Dry weather reverses the situation, there are two sandy sections that become really hard going as the dry sand slips sway under your feet and saps energy from your legs.

This year the weather was dry and made for a really great race, not too much mud but hard work in the sand. Personally I had a great race and finished in 46th place in a time of 44min 47sec, taking over 5 minutes off last years race time, it’s not often you get to do that!

If you haven’t tried a midweek race yet then put them in your diary for next year, you won’t regret it.

The Leukaemia Research Bromsgrove 10k and 5k Fun Run is organised by Bromsgrove & District Branch of the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Fund in conjunction with Bromsgrove & Redditch Athletic Club. If you live in North Worcestershire or the south end of the West Midlands then this run is a perfect addition to the beginning of your 10k season.

I set a goal for myself last winter to set a new 10k pb this season, I really didn’t expect to achieve it on the Bromsgrove 10k because it’s hardly a course where you expect to do so, however I was rather pleased to do just that.

This race is always well organised, there’s plenty of parking at Bromsgrove Rugby Football Club where the race congregates for the start and where the race finishes. Entry is £10 on the day and goes towards the fundraising for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Fund. The rugby club provides changing rooms and there’s always a free sports massage available courtesy of students of NEW College. Post race refreshments are well catered for too, burgers, hot dogs, tea, coffee and a bar are all waiting for you on your return.

The start is carefully marshalled, runners congregate at the Rugby Club and are then marshalled a few hundred yards up the road to the start at the end of Walnut Lane. Marshalls are positioned at crucial points throughout the course and there are two well stocked water stations. The 10k usually kicks off at about 11:00am closely followed by the 5k race at 11:15am. Beware of traffic on some parts of the course it’s mostly but not entirely traffic free.

I’ve used this route as a training run so many times that I’ve learnt every inch of it… Keep reading if you’re particularly interested. The Bromsgrove 10k route starts from the junction of Walnut Lane and the Finstall Road and heads of down Walnut Lane, there’s a short incline at the beginning into a long downhill until the right turn into Dusthouse Lane, flat then until the short downhill at the left turn into Upper Gambolds Lane.

A hard climb then until the right hand bend at the top and flat until the canal bridge, a short sharp downhill then into a hard climb up Fridge Hill (there was an abandoned fridge in the ditch at the top for years!) and downhill again until the left turn into Copyholt Lane.

Copyholt Lane meanders upwards (mostly) until roughly the halfway mark in the race where a few hundred yards of flat running leads you to a left turn into Sheltwood Lane which rises slightly before dropping steeply to a sharp right bend and a hundred yards of flat.

Sheltwood Lane then heads uphill steeply, bending left and right before a left turn into London Lane still climbing, the climb is almost three-quarters of a mile in total and is probably the toughest section of the run.

The pain doesn’t stop there though! London Lane drops away very steeply, over the canal bridge and even more steeply toward the end of the lane, tired legs take a real pounding here as you try to keep control of your descent. London Lane ends with a sharp, short and very steep kick up to the left hand turn back into Dusthouse Lane.

Dusthouse Lane undulates gently until the right turn back into Walnut Lane, beware of 5k runners emerging from your left here, and settle in for another long climb back up to the top of Walnut Lane. The hill peaks just before the left turn into Finstall Road where you can settle in to the sprint home to the finish in the driveway of the Rugby Club!

You can also check out the Bromsgrove 5k Route on MapMyRun.com

I have to tell you that my run on the day was just excellent! A brand new PB for a 10k in 43′27″, achieving the goal I set for myself  in the winter. Not only that… I’d decided to use a strategy of running at 7 minute miles for as long as I could and slowing down if I needed too, if you do the division you’ll discover that my time is spot on 7 minutes miles. The power of the mind eh?

Stratford-upon-Avon Marathon and Half-Marathon is organised by the Rotary club of Stratford-upon-Avon and is usually run around the same time as the London Marathon, for that reason it’s a great alternative to those who either didn’t get in to London or just can’t be bothered with all the hassle and expense involved. This year it happened to coincide with London.

For me this race was an opportunity to improve on my previous half-marathon times, I’ve known I could better for sometime and here was the day to prove it.

I’d really like to say that this race was well organised and operated with the same military precision as the Kilomathon I ran in March but sadly that simply wasn’t true. Pre-race instructions are provided in a rambling newsletter format that does little to encourage the busy runner to read the important stuff…

Important stuff like where you should park your car… I recommend the Leisure Centre car-park off the A439. I appreciate that the instructions contain a map showing where the car parks are but it makes it easier on everyone if you just tell participants exactly what to do! They are focused on their race and their performance and just a little bit stressed, make getting to the start line dead easy for them and they’ll thank you for it… if you don’t they’ll complain… (what? me? complain?!).

Other little matters like making it very clear that the baggage store is NOWHERE NEAR the start would be good too, yet again it’s there in the instructions on the printed map but nowhere does the given advice suggest that you make your way to the finish line once you’ve parked your car because that’s where the bag store is… Personally I’d go for the usual big race tactic of collecting all the runners luggage on an open-sided truck at the START and then driving it to the finish for collection, an extra expense I’m sure but well worth it to avoid confusion.

Talking of getting from the car-park to the start… or the finish for that matter… a few signs would’ve been good. In fact ANY signs at all would have been good. Otherwise you find that all the runners have followed each other to the start and have now discovered that the baggage store for their ‘keep warm before the start’ gear is half-a-mile away!

Ok… just one last gripe… There’s no segregation at the start to put the faster runners at the front and the slower people at the back. It’s a harsh thing but it just makes so much sense… The slower runners really don’t need faster people shoving them out of the way to get up to their pace. the fast people really don’t need the risk of falling over slower runners as they make their way through the crowd. The start left from the main street through the town, it would have been quite feasible to herd groups of runners (fast, medium, slow) up the side streets off the main road so that they could then be organised into ability groups at the start. Well worth thinking about for any race organiser surely?

The race itself was really well marshalled, loads of drinks stations for those that use them and an unusual feature of handing out wet sponges, absolutely brilliant!! The wet sponge is so much better than grabbing a cup of water to throw over your head on a warm day, the sponge is much more effective… and it prevents you grabbing a cup of sports drink and tipping it over yourself… (thanks to the Birmingham Half for that fabulous experience!).

The route is largely flat with a few moderate hills and one long climb with a rapid descent. The route along the abandoned railway line is a bit odd, a very white chalky surface that reflects light like mad, like running on snow! The route is far from traffic free but all the danger points are adequately marshalled and reasonably safe unless you’re being really dim about it.

Every mile is clearly marked out allowing you to work out your pace and keep to your plan if you have one.

The Champion Chip timing system ensures that you get the most accurate race time measurement possible between start and finish, marshalls were on hand to remove the timing chips at the finish. Thanks to them for doing that, it’s a perfect way to get cramp if you try and do it yourself when you’ve just finished your race.

From a personal point of view this race was brilliant for me, once I’d chilled out after the hassle of the start I settled into a good even pace and had a bit left to up the pace after the 12 mile mark. A sprint finish for 1h 42m 14s set a new personal best for me, chuffed, couldn’t be happier with that result!

Well done to everyone from Stourbridge RC that took part in the half or the full marathon (and London!) looks like we had a good day out for all of us.

This was a new one on me!

I’ve heard tales told of the Sutton Park Road Relays at Stourbridge Running Club but 2010 was the first year that I’ve run in them.

I ran the fourth stage (5.3 miles) in a six man vets team, I was very fortunate that the weather held for the first four stages giving me a cool environment to run in. Shame about the 5th and 6th stage runners… it absolutely bucketed it down with rain!

The start is very carefully marshalled with runners held in a pen until their relay partner is spotted making their way up the hill to the finish line. You’re then marshalled onto the start line and given the signal to go as your relay partner finishes.

The 5.3 mile course undulates nicely, nothing too severe in the way of hills and mostly tarmac surface underfoot. The course is well laid out and very well marshalled. A good proportion of the course is made up from a long run out to one of the park entrance gates at which point you’re turned around and sent all the way back again!

I was really pleased with my pace in this run, it was evenly maintained throughout. I think it’s time I got myself a GPS running watch though because it was difficult to judge distance over that terrain and I would’ve gone faster if I’d known how far I had to go to the finish.

The finish line appears quite suddenly after a right-hand bend onto a short but quite steep hill. Breaking into a sprint at the bottom of the hill was a bit of an error, I soon realised that the finish line was further than I thought! Still, I managed to finish well and kept my breakfast down…

Sutton Park Road Relays are a must for any club runner; Great atmosphere and a great team event, the fast course and park environment make for a really enj0yable race.

This was the world’s first Kilomathon, a 26.2 km road race from Nottingham to Derby, so everyone who finished got a personal best!

What a fantastic race this was. Pre-event information was regular and really informative, the organisation at the start was executed with military precision. During the race, marshalling, road closures and water stops were all carefully controlled and well manned. Even the finish was superbly organised!

I think race is going to prove very popular with the London Marathon trainees, at 16.3 miles almost flat and just 6 weeks before London it’s a perfect pre-marathon warm-up race.

Leaving from Nottingham University and making our way through the city there was no-end of support from cheering onlookers. Even as we made our way out into the local countryside there were still plenty of people following the race and providing support at every turn. Turning into Elvaston Castle Country Park made for a pleasant off-road section of the race before making our way through Alvaston village and on to the finish in Alvaston Park.

There were plenty of supporters to drive us on to the finish line, I was pleased with a 2hr 26min finish. Usual medal to finish and a really excellent goodie bag (not that it’s important of course…) with a superb long-sleeved race shirt!

If you’re planning to do this race (I’m assuming it will run again) then find a hotel near Pride Park for the night before the race (I’m assuming it’s the same route too) and you can walk to the shuttle bus point in the morning, and walk back from Alvaston Park at the finish.

What a great experience, I’m looking forward to running it again next year!

A Description of First Aid

First aid training addresses the primary tending of an illness or injury. The care is often administered by someone who is educated in life saving methods and the care of injury and illness but isn’t a expert medical practitioner. The care provided could save a life, or it may render the patients condition more secure and be an aid to their recovery.

The first aider has been trained how to administer care, and control the situation until paramedics arrive on the incident. Satisfactory first aid often begins with common sense measures; people often discover some of the fundamental skills through everyday experiences: Treating a burn or cleaning a wound, for instance. At times the primary treatment needed for a casualty might be invasive or hazardous to the patient if not administered carefully, for these reasons successful first aid requires training.

Can Everyone Benefit from First Aid Training?

Yes. First aid training is valuable for anyone and everyone because you can never tell when circumstances might arise where first aid care is required. Sometimes, during a critical situation, the emergency services telephone operator may deliver straightforward first aid advice while the paramedics are on route. It is at some point in these vital situations that people are often unable to do something because of anxiety, panic or shock.

It’s at that moment that the benefits of valuable first aid training become abundantly plain.

How to Get First Aid Training

Numerous first aid training courses are operated by community organisations such as the Red Cross , St John Ambulance and The Scout Association but also by industry organisations like First Response Training.

What Training Courses are offered?

There are two core levels of first aid training:

The first is Emergency Aid for Appointed Persons training which covers the most frequent scenarios, it may also include lessons on more serious conditions like cardiac arrest and profuse bleeding. A recognised assessment is not usually carried out

The second is First Aid at Work training, the primary training takes 3 days and the regular review class takes 2 days. This course covers a broad range of first aid procedures, and HSE approved organisations will carry out a recognised assessment. The training organisation will give you a certificate for this training which will last for three years and then re-certification is necessary.

I never did that. I mean, I never made a New Years Resolution to start running and get fit.

I can see why I didn’t too, it’s a rotten time of year to decide to change your life and get fit and exert yourself. Very short days, very little light, cold, wet and miserable. I don’t think it’s a great time to get out there and do new stuff, if it goes wrong it’s just so de-motivating isn’t it?

Anyway, can you imagine starting out on your new running regime this week? As I speak there’s still 6 inches of snow sitting on the lawn outside and the pavements are smooth with packed snow and ice. Perfect way to go out and break an arm or a leg!

No it’s not big and it’s not clever, running in icy weather is just plain stupid if you ask me. I’m planning to have a long life and keep running throughout it, so missing six months of running because I broke my leg running on ice holds no appeal whatsoever.

One advantage of starting running at this time of year is that you can get a great deal on your running shoes in the sales! Decathlon have some fantastic discounts on good running shoes at this time of year. My preference is for ASIC GT2140’s, a brilliant running shoe that never lets me down.

Of course that’s another great mistake when you first start running, everyone you talk to is an expert on the right running shoes… Yeah right… Take my advice (I’m an expert on the right running shoes… ) you’ll need to try a few different brands and models of shoe before you find one that suits you, when you do find one stick with it as best you can. The perfect running shoe for you is as individual as your finger prints.

Don’t think you need to spend a fortune either, if you can find a cheap shoe that works for you and you don’t get any niggling injuries from using them then good for you! You’ll need to replace them every six months… think about that when you decide that a £200 pair of shoes is exactly what you need…

Oh yes. Decathlon do some really great running gear for very little money too. Shorts, shirts, gloves, hats, they’ve got all the angles covered. I still only buy Ron Hills running longs though… they last for ages and are comfortable right to the end!

If you really have made a New Years Resolution to get fit then do yourself a favour, sort out your diet and find yourself an indoor circuit training class. Much more fun at this time of year and less likely to go wrong. Check out your local running clubs and find one that has a beginners group and some decent coaches, you can get your road running together in a few weeks time when the snow and ice has gone!

Leave a comment and let me know what your plans are to get fit this year.

This was the 2nd race in the North Staffs XC League for 2009, the event was run in the Park Hall Country Park around the Hulme Quarry end.

Great scenery, mostly dry weather if a little bit windy at times. The course was mostly firm on gravel tracks and well drained grass, not much here for the mud enthusiasts. Access to the event is good, a straightforward run from the West Midlands up the M5 and M6.

Well what a race this was for me, a full day of firsts, unfortunately not really in all the right ways…

1st time I’ve ever run in the North Staffs XC League.

1st time I’ve ever run at Park Hall in Stoke-on-Trent.

1st time I’ve ever failed to finish a race (it had to happen one day).

1st time I’ve ever fallen ar*e over tip during a race.

I wouldn’t mind so much but it was only the first lap! A short decline down a gravel track towards the end of the first lap did the damage, to be honest I don’t think I was wholly concentrating on where I was putting my feet and the end result was a sprained ankle, skinned knees and elbow, dented pride (what again?) and some careful and expert attention from St John Ambulance. There ends my personal race report!

Stourbridge RC had a great turnout and turned in some good results, the ladies did particularly well with Louise Collins and Amanda Dibble making it into the top 25 in the senior womens race, and Joan Clarke winning the W50 category (nice one Joan!) and Matt Giles making 19th in the senior mens race.

I’ll just have to look forward to next year… with a bit of luck I’ll finish next time!

It seems like an age since I first started running, I only did it because it was an easy way to keep fit and didn’t really cost anything to do. Easy enough to do as well, so I thought, as I set off down the road on my first run in many years… The first 100 metres was fine… and then I quickly began to realise just how unfit I’d managed to get!

At the time I thought it was just me, I was quite sure that other people took up running and were able to run for miles and miles straight away… What a daft thought that is! Everyone I know who has taken up running seems to go through a similar cycle of events in the first few months.

First there’s the STOPPING, the overwhelming “have to stop now before I die” kind of stopping, a bit annoying every half a mile! Eventually I thought about what was going on and realised two important things, my respiration was heavy but ok and my leg muscles were fine too, so what the heck was stopping me?

Well it’s obvious now isn’t it with a bit of hindsight? I was only stopping because I let myself THINK that I needed to! How you think has a very direct effect on how you perform, if you think that you need to stop then you will stop, if you think your way around the stopping then you won’t. So I worked out a simple strategy to keep me going, it went like this:

As soon as I noticed the STOP thoughts coming up in my head I picked out a landmark in the near distance, usually lampposts or telegraph poles, and gave my self permission to stop as soon as I reached the landmark…

As I reached the landmark I’d then pick out the next one and tell myself that actually I didn’t need to stop at this one but I had permission to stop at the next one…

And so on… essentially telling myself the lie that I could stop at the next landmark in the distance!

It worked! In fact in worked really well, I’d overcome the stopping feeling with one easy strategy!