#10 Flitch Way

New Years Eve 2014
4:50:50

Visiting family and travelling I'd forgotten to think about how I was eating. Food in days before consisted of chocolateageddon, fudge and KFC. Managed to eat some sweet potatoes the night before but probably was too little too late. It doesn't help that I've put on some 'holiday weight' either.

Ground conditions- solid ice and frozen mud- the kind of mud that has been churned up by bikes and horses to form peaks like whipped cream cheese frosting on a birthday cake.... But is now so solid it's like running on granite or marble and was an experience to run on something so unforgiving and hard. Ow my knees. Ow my feet.
The start was treacherous as crowds of us stormed down the track not seeing the huge patches of ice between the mass of bodies.
Some areas had thawed and were soppingly squelchy and took a great deal of care to dodge through.
Between 11 and 15miles the ground was good. Compacted gravel, quite level.
Then back onto the mud and frozen stuff. My feet were agony by 40k due to the hard ground, and I'd begun to walk on-and-off. The warmest part of the day had been and gone and I was quite tired and had started suffering the cold, shivering in my jacket and hat, hands getting cold for the first time. Whimpering. I didn't feel too well tbh.

Aid stations awesome. Volunteers so cheery and fantastic selection and volume of snacks, sweeties and drinks. Minor criticism was the spacing of the aid stations 5miles, 11miles, 13miles, 15miles then an age back to 21miles and another loooong trek to the finish. At the finish there was a small jug of water but only 4cups which runners were sharing round. No thank-you do I want people's winter germs at the end of a long run!

Gear- Inov8 Roclites- ideal for conditions as the icy mud was like rock. Taped seam jacket- good, not too sweaty, keeps the chill off. Thin hat- glad I had it, probably best option for cold-hot-cold conditions.

Fuelling- handful of Haribo at each aid station, and cola at the later ones too.

Pacing- did the first 6miles or so at a very leisurely 7mins/km and the ramped things up a bit after that but only to around 6mins/km which is still very comfortable. When feet started giving me grief near the end was when my pace suffered.

Body- hamstring/glute first area to feel tiredness. Must strengthen this in gym. Feet painful (aching) but blister-free- taping is working. Right ankle taped for support was fine, applying the tape I maybe was a bit rough and upset things a bit, but running on it was fine, I was being cautious with that foot in particular over rough ground but nothing to report. Post race some tightness above knees, more so on rhs, in lower ITB area.

Course- out and back mainly along an old railway line. Most of the time easy to follow. Though on the outward leg there were at least 3 occasions where we saw other runners had missed the tape and were running off in the wrong direction! They were called back.

Finish- the race director clearly thought his idea for the finish was funny but I assure you after slogging out 26.2 miles in the freezing cold, ice and mud the last thing runners want to do is hill sprint up a muddy bank to touch a monument. (Or hobble back down it afterwards). And no it didn't spread us out so your marshals could take down our numbers more easily.



Medal very nice, bit smaller than I'd expected from the photos, but clever non the less and good quality. Nice shirt, bit big in a size small, but again good quality. I think I will wear it to the gym.

Ticket inspired medal

#9 Enigma Christmas Day 2

14th December 2014
4:36:43

Day 2 of my first double.
Woke up feeling good physically and mentally.
Had the idea that sub 9 for the double could be doable.
Calculated pace required, still sounded doable.

Very windy outside so similar outfit to yesterday swapping base for a less warm one and omitting the gloves.
I was quite thirsty and hungry so grabbed water and snacks every lap (except when getting the bell).
Enormous head winds on a few stretches of the course.

Pace wise:
Laps 1-4 at my target pace. Tightness in lower-lower outside of right leg.
Halfway point first time legs felt a bit heavy.
Lap 5, bored. iPod wouldn't work. Popped a caffeine tab. Walked the top half of the lake. Feet hurt. Hands got so cold in the wind I could was loosing grip of the laces as I loosened and retied them. Then returned to running for the larger loop.
Laps 6 and 7, caffeine had kicked in and leg heaviness had gone. I found some speed hitting maraPB pace, felt nice to stretch out the legs, just wanting it to be over.

Lap 6 Phil walked around the dam with me- view across to the aid station/finish.

Sprint finish and the pleasant surprise of Paris buddy J on the finish line with Phil, and El there too just getting changed as she'd been at MK Half with J and some others of the crew.

Double medalling

The route is nice enough and has a fair bit of variety in it.
7 laps is ok, but 14 over 2days is a bit torturous. Keeping motivation is tough. Running with a buddy could help reduce boredom, or planning a more reserved time and allowing more walk breaks. Or having an iPod that works would probably have made a big difference for me.

Doubles are definitely a mental game.
Body felt fine. Feet a bit hurty but to be expected after spending so much time on them. 

#8 Enigma Christmas Day 1

13th December 2014
4:31:23

Phil drove us up on the Friday evening, easier than expected now the Darford toll is not pay at barrier. Had Pizza Hut in a shopping mall (after figuring the MK grid system) then checked into 'the windmill' that is the Premier Inn at Caldecotte- very nice rooms. Couldn't see the lake properly because of the winter dark.

Next morning. Still couldn't really see the lake because ice had formed on the outside of the windows :-0
Extra layers required then!

I was very excited for my first double and was hoping to average 4h40 pace, not work too hard and save energy for tomorrow.
Simple number collection, briefing plus 200marathon patch awarded to Foxy by Traviss while we tried in earnest to keep our fingers warm. Then a walk to the start of the first extra section. Simple navigation following the flour on the ground, the course is quite twisty with several bridges. The ice on the ground at the start was to be respected. I walked all bridges and slowed for corners and to dodge ice-puddles.
I was still being cautious but on lap 3 I walked a hump bridge and then upon jogging from the end and into the turn to the right I slipped and fell, bruising my right knee and scraping my right palm. I'm soooooo glad it was not the left side as I'm still bruised from the dog incident at Saxon Shore 2 weeks ago.
--- update, turns out quite a few slipped here including at least one injury- the one where details were made public involved teeth being knocked out and some damaged and a lot of facial stitches. Ouch!

Anyways, it did warm up after a few laps, most of the puddles melted and then evaporated in the sun. I ditched my gloves but kept two hats (perfect wicking combo as the outer merino wool one was visibly wet but my head dry) and jacket with 3 layers under was a bit toasty at times but I kept it all for the full race.

Aid station and lap counting all good. Had some Haribo on earlier laps, and my own Lucozade Sport later on. Loved getting the bell to mark my penultimate lap :D

Approaching the finish I caught up with a group of 3 runners, and then one other joined us. The two of us were behind the three of them and catching them on the final stretch. We were just outside of 4:30 and had no reason to sprint finish- in such a casual race would it be rude to overtake in sight of the finish? Anyways it did turn into a bit of a skfuffle for the line with the other guy making a break for it and me coming in second. As he said it's always funny to have something like that at the end.

Medal and a hug from Foxy, then a Builders protein bar and a little walk before heading straight back to the room for a shower and some foam rolling before heading out to Hungry Horse for a big meal (chicken and ribs), then the cinema to see the Magagascar Penguins' film (feet up) and a nosy at the SnoZone.

#7 Saxon Shore

30th November 2014
4:10:28

Soooooo foggy- after setting off to drive I'd assumed I'd end up late due to lack of visibility on the roads- wasn't the case.

Arrived to the sea front venue. It was spooky, visible was the pebble top of the beach and then a blanket of nothingness. This didn't lift much the entire race, though on the second 'lap' I noticed lots of buildings and stuff I hadn't on the first, and on occasion caught glimpses of sea and a few seconds sound bite of shore break lapping the shingle. Other stuff to see included Walmer Castle, Deal Castle and the historic shops/theatre/museum in Deal.

As far as the running goes, I was feeling surprisingly fresh. My body seems to have coped quite well with recovering from the 3 previous marathons (all 2 weeks apart)- I know this is 'normal' for some marathoners, and actually quite low numbers for those who do doubles every week/fortnight, but I'm just starting out on this multiple-madness so I'm pleased with my 'beginner progress'. Definitely running the day before/after marathons has helped teach me to run on tired legs.
Actually I'd run 9 miles yesterday and kept forgetting this during the race too. I'd meant it to be 12 miles but I'd ran out of time before work (grrr Saturday school).

Each "lap" (out-and-back) was 5.25 miles very simply along the Tarmac/concrete footpath beside the sea. 5 laps was ok. I was concerned for boredom, but only used my headphones for the final lap. The aid station was awesome. I'd left a Powerade at the 'own drinks' end, but the supplied spread of Haribo (nom nom), jelly babies, M&Ms, Mars bar, peanuts, cake, crisps as well as water, squash and some electrolyte drinks. I was particularly taken by the Haribo sweets- the ones which are gummy on one side and foam on the other. Loved those.

After half way, on my third lap, around 10:30 on a Sunday morning all the dog walkers had flocked to the green areas along the route. Loose dogs were playing and chasing balls. I was quite aware of the dogs, and in the middle of some complex maths over pace, distance, time and projected finishing time. Two dogs ran sideways across the path and I couldn't react in time. I had momentum, clocked one dog really hard across the side of its body, fell to my knees and rolled until I was on my back. I muttered 'FFS' under my breath, laid a while in a tucked position, the owner and a couple of other runners asking if I was ok. I did a head to toe check. I thought I was ok. Staggering up, I started mouthing off to the owner- had he not noticed how many runners there were here today, did he not think it was about time he got his dogs under control and  put them on on a lead, before someone else gets tripped up.
Bruised knees, I thought I'd slightly landed on my left hip but that seemed ok. I stood for a while, and then set off again. Could. Have. Been. Worse.

Finished the race uneventfully. Averaging 5'50"/km when running plus walk breaks at the aid station.

Friendly. That's the word to describe the team, Traviss and Rachel.
There was encouragement every lap, and bibs had our names on so it felt more personal to get the "still smiling, Natalie" and other motivating comments.

Oo the goody bag.
Check it out!

#6 A20 Path 'n' Downs

16th November 2014
4:16:44

Well, not a lot to say really- I went on my own so no photos. I ran, I got a medal and I came home.

Observations:
-Ducks
-A windmill
-A gazillion 100 Club runners
-Noisy, smelly traffic on the A20
-Litter
-The Eurostar
-Fog
-Flat Coke -yummy and my belly agrees
-Milky Ways -yummy but my belly disagrees
-If there are other runners around I naturally want to catch them up and overtake. When lone running I pace nicely.
-Pee twice before going to the start line or spend the first 4 miles trying to spot a suitable bush (as did a Vegan Club runner also)
-Race fuel is of low importance when not racing
- I'm good at hills so run-walk steep ones is a good strategy

#5 Thames Meander Winter

1st November 2014
4:05:00

Things I have learned:
-I need to wear trail shoes on ground which may be uneven else I get blisters
-Take spare caffeine tabs in the event of losing one set
-Phil is an awesome crew, not just supporter. Pack more supplies into his bag

Right, what to say about this one then.... I ran the half here in summer and hated the course but had already signed up to the full. Being so chuffed with what I achieved at Chester meant I could test myself (on this challenging course) using my gained fitness and have nothing to lose if things went a bit pear shaped. I say challenging because although flat and quite pretty in parts, the Thames Path is uneven underfoot and slippy with mud in places. The field thins by half way becoming lonely, water is in cups and is at unequal distances, and there is heavy pedestrian traffic intermittently.

Met up with some BCRC girlies pre-race and chattered rubbish for a while before having a few photos and this happened:

Race start, short loop out to the South, back through the start and then long loop North and East all meandering as the names suggests alongside the Thames.

Nothing much to say about the first half, took a few k to find a runner with a suitable pace to tail-gait.
It was at this time I confirmed I cannot run behind runners with a) poor form, b) kit issues like flappy iPod sleeve zip ends, or c) bouncing bottles/bags. It just annoys me too much.
He slowed to eat a Snickers (!) so I went on ahead and found another suitable pacer.
From Richmond onwards we were met with increasing traffic on the path. The most noticeable were rowing boats being launched/retrieved in at least 3 different areas- nightmare to dodge, often had to stop and let them pass. At halfway my pacer stopped at the aid station so I had to lead myself. Now about 11am on a Saturday in half term the pedestrian traffic was more noticeable. Families walking 4 abreast, small children on bikes swerving across the path, dogs chasing toys. I also had to dodge a reversing ambulance, an ice-cream van and pedestrians joining the path without looking. If my strategy had been to enjoy the scenic run and have a nice day out I don't think I'd have minded so much, but after deciding to push it I was regretting the decision somewhat.

Anyhoo, I sound like I hate this race, but, what I mean to say is the organisers do a grand job of setting up a nice route with a good start, good marshals (tho far too few of them along the route) and awesome medals. Things which are out of their control like other events and other users on the path are a big hindrance if you're going for a time.

25-32k I ran on my own. Lonely. Overtaking the occasional runner but often no other runners in sight. It was here I rummaged around in my shorts finding I'd lost my caffeine tabs. I'd taken one earlier in the race and was needing to top up or crash, uh-oh.

Feeling pretty awful

These 7k were the longest. Phil had been at 15k which would also be 32k. My average pace was spot on for achieving my whacky target at this point. This was the first time I walked. (Annoyed at myself now). My left hip/bum was screaming and my feet ached like I hadn't sat down in a week.  He handed me a Powerade and (on his fancy mountain bike) crewed me towards the finish. He sacrificed some of his own drink so I could dissolve an electrolyte with caffeine as an attempt to reduce the crashing which I was definitely suffering with by now. I run-walked for a bit.

[ I sound like I'm trying to blame my pacing failure on caffeine crashing. What I mean to say is I think could have run a bit further at this pace, or not slowed so significantly if I hadn't been suffering. And I accept that risky pacing is always gonna bite me in the ass and was a decision I chose to make so take full responsibility for poor pacing.]

I nearly ruined K's day when she caught up with me and dropped to a walk for the first time in her race. I refused to let her, breaking into a trot to encourage her to keep going. She passed me at the aid station and a km or so later I sneaked in front of her, perking up a bit from the caffeine. We finished 30 seconds apart.

Saw the gang on the finish line, tried to get a shower discovering they have only one set of showers and they're in the same room as the urinals so had been assumed male only.....
Waited a while for the others to finish,
Went to the pub,
Ordered burger and fries,
Felt nauseous,
Food arrived,
And it took an age for me to eat it. Even though it was yum.
....hmm need to work on this before doubles.

#4 Chester

5th October 2014
3:52:47

SUB 4
SMASHED IT

Tbh I'd had some rough training runs with the FURMAN plan: mentally- far too many walking breaks during long runs- finding the summer tough, and physically- suffered a viral sinus infection and missed weeks 6 to 4, the peak stuff, so the longest solid long runs I'd had in the final15weeks were 13-15 miles. (Though I had repeatedly sneaked time off my Half PB over this period and also done 'time on feet at Giants Head and Salisbury)
Anyhoo. To cut a long story short I'd tamed down my target to just 'Sub 4'. Having missed the long runs in training I wasn't sure what would happen once I hit 18+..

The start

I set out cautiously behind the two 4hour pacers. It was fun in the group and I enjoyed the chats with some of the other (female) runners who had broken the ice. But the crowding was getting to me and I kept getting elbowed in the face. I felt fresh at 15 and wanted some space to run in. There was a hill I bounded up and found myself in front of the group and momentarily told myself off for rushing away and was about to drop back into the group, but I found some gumption and decided to stay ahead.
I was still being cautious through to 20 miles but had allowed my legs to push on just a little bit. I'd been switching between fore/midfoot running (good posture but calves still get tired) and my old heel strike, which was giving different muscles a break.

Photo used by the Chester Marathon website to advertise next years race.

10k to go I was still breathing easy, fuelling had gone well and there were more frequent hills. (I like hills) Other runners were starting to flag now so I was playing the mentally boosting game of reeling them in. At mile 24, the biggest hill, two friends were there taking photos of their club mates. I threw my arms in the airs announcing "I LOVE HILLS" which didn't go down so well with the other runners. Oops.

Sandy Lane "The Hill"

The final stretch was on footpath in the town so a bit narrow and twisty but I was hitting and average 4'44"/km for the final 2.2- doing my usual and starting my sprint finish at 600m and regretting it at 400m but pushed on along the grass racecourse to "and we have Natalie Atkinson. She's flying. I can't believe how strong she's finishing" over the tannoy. BOOM.

Sprinting for the finish

Bling shot, post jockey's showers

#3 Salisbury 54321

10th August 2014
5:03:00

The seemingly endless weeks of scorching 32* sunbathing weather was to become interrupted by hurricane Bertha said weather forecasts. They was not wrong!
The rain had started in earnest on the Friday with intervals of torrential downpours. Thoughts started to move toward trail shoes for what I predicted could be quite sticky trail routes by the a Sunday.

Phil drove us across to Wiltshire while wind and rain battered the motorway, reducing visibility and making 7am on a Sunday morning seem rather a silly idea. Online forecasts suggested it would stop by 10am so we remained hopeful.

It was drizzling upon arrival. Jacket on, quick loo queue, quick number pick-up (someone had painstakingly handwritten and organised all the envelopes of for collection with runner/walker name and their number).  Decided to keep the jacket as the weather looked set in and I knew I'd be walking a fair bit of the course.

Simple start with rolling clock, and away we went. Down a back-alley type Tarmac path for maybe a mile and then hit the first standstill at a gate. This stop-start was a feature of the first couple of miles as we headed up onto and across the Old Sarum with slidey singletrack, gates and stiles. Down the other side and onto some pretty standard trail footpath with long grass and nettles either side. Some paths were quite narrow and I felt sorry for the walkers who must have felt they were being trampled by the runners.

Around 4km at a steep incline I caught up with 'MarathonMan' Rob Young who had at only 6am that morning completed the NDW100. He was being congratulated by many as they passed him but looked bushed, and was mumbling/slurring I assume due to exhaustion and lack of sleep between his series of challenges. I stayed a while with him, asking him questions about his events, nutrition, feet. I had no real targets for completion time for the race so didn't mind taking a slower pace for a while. I did eventually (stop annoying and) leave him after an aid station saying "you'll probably catch me up later".

The course was well signed and easy to follow with consistent mile markers. Most of the route there were groups of runners and walkers though I did enjoy the odd moments of solo plodding through bits of forest, and then catching up with other runners and having a quick chat.

The prior and current rain had made for lots of mud on what really should have been a hard packed trail by August. I slipped a bit in several places, even in trail shoes- I might have to consider getting a pair with more aggressive tread before my winter trail races. We passed through country estates, along roads, private driveways, forests smelling of pine, fields of calves, cut straw, boggy fields and gravel tracks. A real mixture.
Aid stations were mainly water, squash and jelly babies. I really appreciated the flapjack at one station, but the one before 20miles running out of water was a real disappointment!

#2 Giants Head

28th June 2014
7:15:28

After the notorious Friday evening traffic on the M25 we arrive at Sydling St Nicholas around 8pm for camping and the first of the banter with the BCRC gang. It was hard not to be distracted by the orange onsie but we did manage to pitch a tent (poor Phil hates camping) and join in with the giant cock jokes and mental preparation for the 10hills we would face tomorrow.

The following morning. No sign of the predicted rain- in fact the sky was looking positively clear and promising. I risked it with just a folded up bin liner in my back pocket as an emergency rain jacket. A quick race briefing in the village and we lined up on the road for the start: the farmers wife and a shotgun! There was a short jog (about half a mile?) before we hit the first hill and preceded our casual run-walk. I had decided to tag along with four of the BCRC girls as this kind of 'race' for me was really only about getting round within the time limit so I'd decided I'd rather have the company and a natter than go out alone.

The Start

The (naked) farmer was in his bath at ~3miles, drinking a glass of champagne. He had two other ladies also in baths, so we had a few photos. We saw the chalk giant with his giant *ahem* head and had more photos. It was a very leisurely day. Apart from the bit where we jogged for a whole unbroken 2.5km somewhere in the second half!

Cerne Abbas, the Giant

The Dorset trail was varied- hard packed, gravel, uneven, cambered, hidden, grassy, soft, narrow, woodland- everything you could image underfoot, but happily 99% mud free, and even that was avoidable. The aid stations were amazing well stocked- cake, sweeties, squash, vodka, cake, jelly beans, biscuits, crisps, cake, hugs and cider! Some of the hills were beasts. But we just walked. It was reasonably hot with thankfully a breeze where it was open enough.

Trail

Phil met us at 'the love station' at 20miles and jogged back down with us. We also picked up a girl called Jessica who was suffering with calf/foot cramps and did actually stumble on the final decent into the village.

The Finish

All the girlies crossed the line arms high to receive our medals, t-shirts and pint glasses.
A fun day out!

Enormous Ice Cream                                                    Super Bling       

#1 Paris

6th April 2014
4:14:37

Make or break. I would either love it or hate it.
Or so I thought.

I was hideously over-excited and slightly nervous. 7 months of hard training had led to this one journey and I knew it was going to be something special.
The journey started early on the Saturday morning with breakfast and a train ride into London to catch the Eurostar.  Phil (the super boyf) would be accompanying me on my marathon adventure, as my personal supporter:) It was a carb loading day so I would be eating pretty much constantly. A second breakfast after checking in, and lunch #1 on the train. We took le Metro to the Expo where I did the medical certificate gubbins, collected my bib and got a change of pen sticker to go on it while Phil took the other entrance and started browsing some of the stalls. Overall the expo experience was very smooth. The stalls were pretty good but mainly full price so we didn't buy anything.

Outside the Expo

I'm not sure when we started talking in French, possibly before we'd even set off tbh, we know enough basic French to drop bits into sentences, so we did have quite a laugh all weekend improving each other's vocabulary.
We took le Metro to l'Hôtel (same one we stayed in last year for a romantic weekend away) and soon after headed out for 'cheese-less pizza', my go to night-before-a-race meal.


Race morning. 
Pre-sunrise jog around the plaza. 
Breakfast.
Was running (excuse the pun) a bit late leaving l'Hôtel for le Metro. 
Thought was doing ok for time once had arrived at l'Arc, but was 2minutes off missing the BCRC photo. Dammit. 
Went straight to bag drop. Quite a long walk but smooth drop off. Long loo queue. Then headed for pens, and this is where things started going wrong for me. I have no idea what was going on. I thought I was in the right place, trying to get into the green pen (4h), I couldn't hear the announcements, I was in a crowd of at least 200 people and we weren't being allowed into the pens.... There was still 30-40 minutes before our advised pen entry time so I'm confused as to what was going on really. And I needed to pee again. 
Eventually we got into the pen. After the greens had been released I think. I decided to queue up for a portaloo hoping to set off at the front of the greys. Wee done, the crowd of slower runners had been moved forwards along the start area. I nosied closer to see what bib colour they were. It was a mess of greys and pinks. I decided to try my luck going forward through the crowd to the tape at the front being held by security guys. When I eventually got there, they let me through and I walked alone to the start line and with a couple of meters to go broke into a jog.
A stressful start followed by a serene moment trotting down the Champs Élysées on my own. The crowds cheering just for me. 

I had it clear in my mind the pace I was aiming for and the advice from many of going out slow. This worked for about 3k when, near le Louvre, I hit the back of the grey crowd- aka, slower runners than me. I let them keep my pace slow for a couple of k through Bastille and towards Chateau de Vincennes, where at 10k I checked my pace band and was a little concerned of having lost about 3minutes from where I'd wanted to be, so I figured what was going to have to happen. I was going to have to weave through them to get to the pace I want to go. And this was going to be tough. 

It was hot. The forecast in the week leading up to the race was for overcast/light showers and 8-12degrees. But a last minute check of the forecast the night before had showed a clear day with lots of sun, very little cloud and 18+ degrees by lunchtime. Soooo many people were overdressed with base layers, jackets, full length tights and long sleeved tops. I was comfortable with my thin capris, short sleeved top and my saviour- the visor. I'd only worn it once before, and now I love it. At each water station (bottles) I would drink ~half the bottle, and put the other on my head to cool me down. The visor made the water stay on my head and soak in rather than running straight off and down my face.

Somewhere along the Seine. Is that a stool flag behind me?

For the latter two thirds of the race I ran in the gutter, squeezing and wiggling my way through the crowd. (It was a nightmare) I stuck religiously to my fuelling plan, only adding to it with a sugar cube at about 40k when I though I was getting a bit dizzy. Later the app stats would reveal I'd overtaken close to 12,000 other runners! A mighty achievement and one I hope to never have to do again!
I sprinted my teensy little legs off for the final 5k (<27'00"), knocking plodders and walkers out of my way as I got closer, busting the finish line in under 4h15, my original target, but with mixed emotion. I'd completed my first marathon but knowing I could have run it faster. 

 

Le Tour Eiffel, shiny bling