Meet your Max

  We're 6 months into the year and I was pretty nervous about my first race of the year.  I was going to be running a tough multi-terrain course for 6.5 miles. My knee seems to be improving and there is much less pain during recovery. I can even walk most days! Should I be racing with such a list of injuries? See photo below for my MRI results. Next stop orthopaedic surgeon.. The main fear was that I was going to be running for a new club where I hadn't really met anyone or knew anyone. This isn't strictly true though as I met Jane when I collected my awesome vest the other day and have had email contact with a few others.

      I love the fact that this race is on a Wednesday evening and I was able to get a bus into Truro from where I live near Mount Ambrose. I arrived in Truro with plenty of time to spare and then another mile walk to the Rugby club and a big hill called St. Clement hill. I got there and picked up my race number. I stood around for a bit until Jane recognised me and called me over to a small group of other Penguins. NRR's nickname due to the Black and White kit I guess! Everyone was very welcoming and it didn't take long until I was chatting away while more and more club members arrived. It was getting pretty busy despite there being less than 250 runners in the results.

       I did my mile warm up and then we walked to the start line. On the start line it began to rain while the run director spoke about the perilous course. Was this a good idea? I'm more of a road runner than a trail runner I think. My ankles aren't too strong either!
No chip time in this race, just good old fashioned gun timing, so I made my way near to the front. And off we went running through a field and towards a narrow looking gate. It soon opened up though when we hit a road and started to run downhill. This is where I got carried away and started to pass lots of people with my long legs. I was running at 6 minute mile pace and I had only been racing parkruns since April. I tried to reason with it and say to myself that it's good to blast the road section and it was downhill afterall. Mile one in 6.12.

      We soon hit the trails and the course became quite technical. There were many tree stumps and roots to manoeuvre around. It was nice and undulating through the woods and under the trees. We could have been anywhere. I was so disorientated by direction due to all the weaving in and out of trees and concentrating on my footfalls. We rounded Pencalenick school and were soon beside the Tresillian river. Even though we were racing I had time to admire the beauty of the course with the River on the left and a lake or pond on the right? I thought that I should come back here sometime for a walk with my camera. It think it was actually St.Clement.

    I had hit the 5k mark and sure enough, I was starting to feel it. I passed three of my club runners earlier on, on that downhill section and they were to overtake me now with lovely words of encouragement as they passed me. I had definitely gone out to fast as my splits show. It was quite narrow on a lot of the course and hard to pass others. I would offer to let people pass me.
I saw the girl in front of me trip on a tree root, she went flying but cleverly managed to stay on her feet and continue running. I had also kicked a tree root and my big toe was throbbing. I was wondering how many runners got injured on this race with the dangers of nature. We descended some steps that were quite spread out as well. 

   We came out of the woods and I was glad to see the water station halfway round as it was quite humid now and the rain had stopped just after we got running. Verity shouted encouragement as I ran past. I have got to know quite a few Truro Road runners due to doing Trelissick parkrun quite a bit. Lots more lovely people.
   Now, my story is a bit all over the place as I can't quite remember where stuff was on the route or even where I was. We had a tough drop which was a bit muddy so I just slipped down the bank and into the water. We then had to run through a muddy but shallow river, climbing over one tree trunk and ducking under the next. My feet were nice and wet but I knew this about the course and brought spare trainers with me.

    I actually knew where I was at one point when we came onto a road and into Malpas. At this point I was greeted by the Devil... or a lady dressed as the devil at least. Little did I know that this was a sign that the true suffering was about to begin. We turned right and then there were these steps. I started walking up them and most others did too. I think maybe 2 people passed me. This steps were hard work and I could feel the lactic acid forming in my calves. Even when the steps were done the course still seemed to climb. I was really struggling now but didn't want to lose the guy in front of me in case I got lost. Not that I should have because the course was so well signed and the marshals on course were great.

    I came into a field and was able to pick up some pace again. A marshal said something as I ran past but didn't quite hear it. Sounded like "Watch out... Wheel...?" I kept on running through the long grass looking for a wheel and trying to decipher the marshals message. Then it came to me. Watch out, it's real uneven. The grass was long and it was hard to see what was underneath. It wasn't too bad though but the field afterwards was quite rutted with 4x4 wheel implants.
  After my third mile all my miles that followed were around the 9.30 minute mile pace. I was almost dead and running on empty... apart from the fact that I needed the toilet really badly. This made me press on quite hard. Not sure that I would even make it! On the last mile I looked around for somewhere to stop despite having no toilet roll. My stomach was cramping and it was getting quite intense in there!

     Not long and I could hear people cheering. I turned left into a field and could see the finish. The race was described as "a long 10k nearer to 7 miles" by the race director at the start. I was expecting 6.7 miles but ended up just over 6.5. This made me happy. Someone shouted my name and some of the lovely penguins cheered me in as I did my best to race to the finish. See the pics of how bad I look! Not sure who took them but thank you.
I finished in a time of 55.15 and was 52nd overall. I was also shocked to pick up the above plaque for 3rd V40 male. Not bad for my first race back and my first race for NRR with all my injuries. To say I was over the moon was an understatement. Oh yeah and there was a total of 747ft of elevation. Probably the toughest 10k I've done but a great experience.
 

    Looking so destroyed in the above photo but the good news is that I made it to the toilet in time and got a nice medal and a cup. "What no pasties?" Everyone was saying..lol. I had a couple of Doombars while I waited for my plaque in true athletic style.

Lanhydrock parkie

     The thought of doing Lanhydrock parkrun definitely wasn't at the top of my list. I had done the Bodmin half marathon a few years back and I can tell you now that it is hilly, very hilly. But this is parkrun right and it's only 5k? I was heading to Plymouth anyway so I thought I may as well jump on the train from Redruth and alight at Bodmin. This would be my 155th parkrun, my 40th different location and the last of all the Cornish parkruns for me to complete.
It's important to remember your barcode for parkrun or else you won't get a recorded time but also in Cornwall and Devon, quite a few of the parkruns are run on National trust sites. I have also done a few in Wales. I usually remember my barcode but sometimes I forget my National trust Loyalty drinks card! Let's face it, we only really go to parkrun for the coffee and gossip afterwards ;) Anyway, I made a conscious effort to take my card this time around.

   I get off the train at Bodmin and realise that I don't even need Google maps as Lanhydrock is sign-posted from the station. It's a lovely 1 and 3/4 mile walk too. The sun was out and the birds were singing and the only other sound I could hear was that from a babbling river on route. I got to a gate and an entrance of Lanhydrock but wasn't really sure where to go from here. I looked at Google maps but still no idea. Luckily all parkruns have a website and I followed the postcode to the car park at the top. I had a big hill to walk up where I saw an arrow sign. One of the ones they use in parkrun in fact. There were cows everywhere though. Surely we weren't going to be running here? I walked to the big house which I remember from the half marathon and take a right up another hill. I could see the "Finish" sign to my right and further up the "start" sign to my left with a few people gathered around. It was still early though. About 8.30.

 
  I talk to a few friendly marshals who tell me... A: This is not a PB course and B: This is the toughest parkrun course in the U.K. Now, I have heard the latter stated by a few proud parkrun directors before including Trelissick which has nothing on Mount Edgcumbe or Parke parkrun. So, I was going to take these words with a pinch of salt. I put my bag and hoodie into the back of a jeep thing where they tell me the bags get taken to the finish for us to collect. I decide on a warm up and do a couple of Kilometres which entails lots of effort and heavy breathing. "That's just the way it is sometimes I tell myself".
I was feeling like I might get a top Ten finish here as no-one the previous week could even manage a sub 20. Not that I was at that level of fitness and it was only the previous night that I had had an MRI scan on my knee. The knee wasn't feeling too bad but I never knew until a day or two later what sort of pain I would be in, if any.

    Anyway, I kind of missed half of the first timers briefing and the course sounded quite complex so I would do what I always did.. follow the person in front and then the person in front of them etc..

3.2.1. We were off. It was a fast start and there was no congestion whatsoever with such a wide path and just over 200 runners/joggers and walkers. I guess the fast start was due to it being down hill. There appeared to be a lot of people in front of me too and I wasn't passing many. Think I remember glancing at my watch and seeing a sub 6 pace at one point. I was soon to slow though. We passed the big house and then there was a brief climb on a gravel path that I also remembered from the half marathon. After this climb though it was back downhill at full speed. It was all uneven gravel paths. every footfall was exciting yet dangerous. You had to think and place well every time you landed. It didn't help that my eyes were watering. I wiped them dry as I ran twisting on the gravel paths with the woodland all around us. It sure was a very hot day. The sun was shining but here we were protected by the trees, but not the heat.

     It's very hard to try and remember a course when you are racing. it wasn't like I was taking in all the beauty of the course but I was aware of it. I was also struggling to breathe despite the majority of the first mile having so much descent. I was close to twisting my ankle just before the end of the first mile as well but I survived.
Coming to a junction I had trouble slowing and turning right. I nearly ran straight on as it didn't seem to obvious to me. The marshal managed to steer me to the right after I had asked. I guess I should have been paying attention to the runner who was in front really! It flattened out but before long, we were running downhill again. So much downhill. Doesn't seem like a tough course right? Maybe a little technical underfoot though.

   6.44 for my first mile and 7.20 for my second mile. I was slowing and really feeling it in the heat after the first mile. And I knew it was going to get worse! In fact, I have just checked my strava stats and it's pretty much downhill for 1.5 miles and the rest just climbs with a nice bit of a downhill sprint finish. My heartrate felt pretty high on the last mile and I was struggling to keep it down. My breathing was really laboured too. I decided to walk for a bit. A couple of people passed me as we headed on the road back up towards the big house.

   I started running again though and soon caught them up. We turned right and crossed a field and then another ascent began where I walked again. Ok, it was a tough parkrun. That pinch of salt was now truly sore in my open wounds. I kept on going regardless. A bit more running and a bit more walking. Not many people were passing me though. Maybe one or two? It did flatten out again eventually and then there was a crowd of people supporting and cheering including Lordshill's speedy Pete B who I had spoken to at the start. He was supporting and his wife was running. He shouted words of encouragement that pushed me that little bit harder and all I can remember shouting back was "brutal mate". It was a nice speedy downhill sprint through another field and I felt fast at that point even though I had run/walked my last mile in just over Nine minutes.

    A finish time of just under 23 minutes and 18th place. It's a lovely course and the marshals were fantastic. I chatted to few after the run as well while I waited for the jeep thing to turn up with my bag. The jeep thing never showed though. I walked towards the café hoping it was there but no sign. It turned up in the end but I was getting a bit concerned at one point. I was in no rush to be anywhere. I was in such nice surroundings and the sun was shining. The weather forecast was set for thunderstorms, they never came, thankfully. After tracking my bag down, I then went for Coffee and got my loyalty card stamped. I had sadly forgotten about Pete and his Wife and never saw them again.

   I felt satisfied with my run as I drank my Latte in the café. I also decided to retire my trusty Mizunos that day too.
It is a very hard course. Tougher than Mount Edgcumbe with its 3k climb at the start? Tougher than Parke with the hill that you can barely walk up near the start? I couldn't say but they are all lovely places to visit and great experiences to be part of. What's next? All the Devon parkruns? I think I need to head back to Penrose for a faster time as I had cycled about 500 miles to get there the last time I did it.

The good thing is that I have had very little knee pain after this parkrun and had little knee pain after Trelissick parkrun but after Eden project parkrun in between, I had bad knee pain for 7 days where I struggled to sleep every night. The trails seem to be better for me because of less impact I guess.
Either way, it's good to be running parkruns again even if that is my limit at the moment :D

Heartlands parkrun

                I'm only 5 miles away from Heartlands parkrun so I thought i'd give it a go. It has only been going for 3 weeks now but was a bit put off when I heard it was 4 laps! I was later to find out that it's actually 3 and a bit laps, consisting of almost 1 mile loops. Anyways, i'll go through the course with you as I ran it....

     

       I get to the start, say hello to a few friendly faces and try a 1k warm up. My ankle hurts and so does my knee. I am recovering from a sprained ankle and I have cartilage damage in my knee. My doc and Physio both say I can run though as long as I take it easy and go slow. I hadn't run a 5k in 3 weeks and I was hardly training with the achy knee.

The usual race briefing ensuing and then the 3.2.1... 

    You run out towards the Heartlands Engine house and Café, which I forget the name of both. Then you take a right a run across this narrow bridge. If you wanted a speedy time you'd better start at the front. Although they barely get over 100 runners at the moment, but we all know how that goes ;) Remember, I am not racing though am I? Doctors orders and all that. 

     

       The course kind of gets technical now as you enter these lovely enclosed gardens. There are lots of twists and turns and the lead runners take a left past a cone when they should have gone right. They don't lose too many seconds though and are back on track in no time. I get to witness this as I have obviously gone out too fast in my excitement of being able to run. 

   There are more tight turns until we exit the gardens from the otherside. Now we take a right onto a path and then a left onto a little bit of off road. Another tight bend and through a gate and then we are heading back towards the café. I get to the straight and realise than I am running too fast for my own good. My breathing heavy and laboured. You run a nice flat bit towards the road though, nice and straight too. Then you go left around the grass, sticking to the smooth path. 

       I get a few words in with a fellow runner. I can't even remember what we talk about but we exchange a few words of pleasantries in the sunshine. He leaves me and then I notice we are running into a children's play park. I duck just in case I am tall enough to hit my head on the bridge that we run under. It's an interesting park with lots to look at. I later go back and notice I am a couple of inches clear of the bridge when I stand under it.

      We appear at the start again and pass the parkrun tent thing. 1 lap done but not quite a mile yet and I am feeling it. But something inspires me and pushes me. There is music coming from the tent. We have music! Also it's a song I love... Highway star by Deep Purple. A surge of energy hits me and I run my first mile in a little over 7 minutes.

   
      It's much easier to pass people now as the field really opens up after the first mile. Plenty of space for everyone. It's not long before I see the tail runner and we are lapping people. The ones who are running and sweating I shout words of encouragement as I can see they are putting all their efforts into it. They usually huff and puff a "well done" back unless they are wearing headphones of course.

    So, around we go again. I guess there isn't much more else to say except that I slowed on that 2nd mile and ran about 20 seconds slower. The course may have lots of twists and turns but it is pretty fast as it is flat and if anything there is a bit of overall descent.

   The last mile or loop 3, I picked up the pace again and ran with another guy at a similar pace. We chatted a bit. I told him to stop slacking when I caught him up again and he laughed and obliged by picking up the pace. The last mile was only just about my fastest. The ankle had stopped hurting after the 1st mile and the knee felt ok after the 2nd. My body almost felt normal again with no aches and pains!

     I hadn't even thought about position or racing today. I was more concerned if my knee and me would actually complete a 5k. After the 3rd loop you begin to run a 4th but then turn left along another path and towards the finish. I was glad to get there and I was on such a runner's high. I had missed running so much. I was on cloud 9 for quite a few hours after parkrun but knew I would pay for it in the coming days. It would be worth it though. Next parkrun I will run slower and see if the recovery time is quicker with my knee. It was a fantastic sunny day and my 38th different parkrun location.

   Surprisingly I came in 9th place with a time of 21.51. Not a speedy time at all and the winner only ran a 19.01. I guess he did go the wrong way near the start though! Lots to see on this parkrun despite it being just over 3 laps.

Trelissick parkrun

It was a tough decision to make. Should I run Trelissick parkrun? I had been injured since January and only ran 2 miles the day before, there was a bit of knee discomfort but I got through it albeit very slowly with some heavy breathing.
I was discouraged again when I woke up to the sound and sight of torrential rain. I knew it was a 10 mile cycle there along the coast to coast path with some challenging terrain and a couple of very big hills. Coffee and crumpets first to wake up.... Fuck it, let's do it!

         I leave the farmhouse at 7.15 and arrive at Trelissick at 8.30. Perfect! I am soaking wet though. My feet are freezing and wet despite the waterproof clothing. I have spare socks and a t-shirts though. It's still quiet but I chat to an elderly man who tells me about the parkrun and informs me that he is to become the next race director at this event. We chat for 10-15 mins and the national trust site is starting to get busier. Another guy comments on my lack of clothing, which makes me observe all the other runners wrapped up in coats and leggings etc.. I shrug it off and smile... "I'll soon get warm".

        At 8.50ish there is a race briefing where we are told about the course and at the end this little girl turns around and says "Mummy, what does undulating mean?". They ask if there's any visitors. Someone says Somerset, someone jokingly says Cubert and Truro. I was waiting for my mate Larry to shout "Singapore" but he wasn't there.
We then walk about half a mile to the start. Down the main road on the right as the King Harry Ferry is located at the bottom of this hill. We then cross the road and walk up some steep steps and into the woodland with what I am guessing is the river Fal on the right. We get to the start where we are told that it may get congested at the start. I look around laughing to myself thinking... they obviously haven't done Southampton parkrun. There is a total of 83 runners here. No dogs and no buggies. Just as well as the buggies would probably need tractor tyres in the hilly, waterlogged field.

          And we're off. I start mid pack and there is no congestion whatsoever. It is a downhill start and an out and back course, which does mean a nice uphill finish. The terrain is a little tricky as it's bumpy, uneven trail with bits of rock and slate everywhere. It gets easier though and my knee feels okay. At the bottom of the descent is a little stream with a stepping stone. Not sure my balance is good enough for the stone so decide to just try and jump the stream. I don't quite make it but don't get too wet.

      The trails continue and it's nice and flat now. At this point, I am thinking that 5k is such a long way as I've only done a mile and already my breathing is becoming more laboured. And then we hit the field. It's muddy, it's waterlogged and it's straight uphill. I decided to walk it along with most of the others who wore road shoes. This gave me the opportunity to take a few photos of course.
When you reach the top of the field, you run from left to right looking for the least boggy path and then descend. This was the technical bit! I dared not run as I was already sliding all over the place. I was close to falling over at least 3 times despite being very cautious. Very surprised I stayed upright. Obviously the marshal at the bottom was laughing like a drain at our levels of concentration.

        We were just over halfway and now would be running back the way we came. What a crazy course I thought to myself. I bet it's nice in the summer though. I exchanged a few words with another guy. He had quite annoying squelchy shoes from running in the flooded field... or so I had thought. He was just behind me but I was picking up the pace a bit now after my second mile was over 11 minutes. Knee was hurting a bit too but around 2.5 miles, I had found a second wind as someone had commented as I passed them. I even managed to balance on the uneven stepping stone on the return journey.
Someone also commented on my squelchy shoes as I passed them too. I was passing people happily but knew the hill was to come soon.

       The last climb is roughly a quarter of a mile. I wasn't going to walk, I kept on pushing myself as I saw more opportunities to pass other runners. It was a bit late to start getting competitive but I was enjoying it all the same. I crossed the line in just over 28 minutes. Which will be a course pb as it's my first time here. It's good not to set your targets too high to start with. Although, seeing how boggy the field it at the moment, I had decided that I was going to volunteer next weekend. I was happy enough with 32nd on my come back tour of running. The knee was hurting but who cares about a bit of pain right?

    I took my shoes off and wandered into the National trust café for a Latte. I sat there and some guy asked if he could join me. Somehow we got talking about Genealogy and some other stuff and I almost felt intelligent for a while. Then another guy asked to join our table. Three complete strangers chatting about life, beer and cake. That's what's great about the community of these smaller parkruns. We all put our names down to volunteer too, so i'll see them again next week for more coffee and banter. Then Another 10 mile cycle to get home... but it was worth it :)

My review of 2017

       After reading my review of 2016, I realised that I had a very different year in mind. The first thing I decided was that I wasn't going to run any marathons in 2017. I just wanted to get quicker on the shorter distances. After 25 or so marathons, I just got bored of running 3.30+ somethings. It didn't feel like racing anymore and I wasn't pushing myself. I had become too comfortable in my running shoes so to speak. So my goals were to run faster and lose weight....

                                   (On my way to my first PB of 2017 at the Romsey 5)

January 2017

    I always seem to pile on the weight over xmas and struggle in the New year. 2017 was no exception. It started with a couple of slow parkruns at Southampton and then the Stubbington 10k. I was hoping to run a sub 42 minute 10k but ran a disappointing 42.04. Not far off and my fitness was definitely improving. Stubbington had more hills than I had remembered!
Not long after a 20.12 parkrun was achieved although I pushed hard hoping for a sub 20. It seemed impossible or a long way off. I was still 16 stone and struggling to lose weight but to my surprise I got my first PB of the year at the Romsey 5 miler. 32.38 was a big PB for me knocking nearly 30 seconds off my time at Romsey beer race a few years back.

                                                          (What number am I thinking of?)

February 2017

     Not much was going on in Feb for me. I ran the Valentine's 5k in Lover with the 2 Ali's who found it funny to parade me around Lover with my race number much to my embarrassment. It was a really fun day though and very low budget. I even sent my Captain Jim a card from the Lover post office! I can't even remember my time but it was a stunning muddy trail course around the New Forest.
The other thing that happened was that I ran my first sub 20 in a long time at Southampton. A time of 19.55. Yes, it nearly killed me but I was so happy about it.

                                             (Bargain of the year. £8 for Tavy 13)

March 2017

    My running for March seemed to take a dive for some reason. A few slow parkruns were done and me, Mikey and Larry ran the Tavy 13. A half marathon with hills and strong winds on Dartmoor. A stunning course though and a nice change from Eastleigh 10k. It was the farthest I had run in a while as I was doing speedwork and 5 and 10ks. I really struggled but Mikey kept me going to the finish. I got a really bad 1hr 49 mins and 36 secs. Obviously Larry was nowhere to be seen with his lightning speed!
I ran Basingstoke parkrun for the 1st time and failed the sub 20 test once again. Running a 20.40. It was a nice parkrun though and really enjoyed it. The very same day I walked to Amport for the Amport 10k race. It was a small village Saturday afternoon race organised by Muddy runners. It was really great fun. Made me laugh that some people took it so seriously though. Was a hot day and there was a nice pavilion to chill out on and watch all the runners coming in.

                        (Thanks to Lois for this photo of me at Salisbury 10 on a very hot day)

April 2017

Salisbury 10 was a race I was hoping to see some progress and start to run the longer distances. I saw this as great training for my planned PB attempt at Swansea half later in the year. I wanted to run sub 7's and achieve a sub 70. I ran a 70.35 but it was a very hot day. I was kind of ambivalent about this result. My fitness was getting better but not running a sub 70 for 10 miles seemed like a failure.
I ran Portsmouth Lakeside parkrun for the first time and ran well with a 20.11 but again didn't get that sub 20.
I was hoping for a PB at Southampton 10k. Sadly this was disappointing again. The race started while I was still in the warm up area. No gun had gone off and I was stuck at the back walking. It took me nearly a mile to catch some of the veterans from my club. I ran hard but all the efforts were never going to be enough. I even had to do a quick turn as I was heading for the marathon route. This race was a shambles with the 10k, half and full marathon all going on. I vowed never to run this event ever again. 43.34 on a course that should have seen me PB!

                                              (That sting in the tail at Bratton hilly)

May 2017

    Alton 10 I remember nothing about. I ran a crappy 82.08 though. Southwick parkrun was done before my favourite race of the year. The Bratton hilly 11.4k. This year we took Di for her first time and she loved it. I always go on about this race. Low budget trail race with lots of hills and great views. First time I ran the whole course without walking up any hills and I was a minute slower than my course PB the year before! This day never disappoints though and i'll be back there again next year.
Netley 10k was next and I felt I had to do it some justice after the Soton 10k. I achieved what I had set out to do... A sub 42. 41.55 was my time. I was happy with this.
Not long after I got a SB at Soton parkrun with an impressive time of 19.55. I think this was the first time I Sub 20'd twice in one year. Little did I know that more were to follow!

                                (Running the Cotswolds with Chloe was a fun adventure)

June 2017

   I decided to quit work for 2 months. I was going to cycle and run around Wales but then other stuff happened and I didn't. I also decided that all the cycling around Wales would slow down my running pace. I was also going to concentrate on losing some weight which was slowly coming off me.
I did Whiteley parkrun for the first time and the beer race in 33.17. Not too bad but no course record. Think it is 33.04 still. I did some more parkrun tourism with Mount Edgcumbe which has to be the hilliest parkrun ever? 3k uphill, some fast downhill and then an uphill finish again. I was 5th with 22 minutes. People who win it don't always sub 20 but then they only get 40 runners and most of them are tourists.

Not long after I run a 20.21 at Llanelli coast with a heavy rucksack full of clothes. I wasn't going to race it but I was in the top 5 from the start and got carried away. I finished 4th. May be a good excuse for running a crap half the next day.
Swansea half was supposed to be my PB target race. Training hadn't gone great though. I wanted to run another sub 1hr 30. 1hr 33 is what I got. I just didn't have the endurance yet. I could no longer run sub 7's after 7 miles.

In June I also got to run some of the Cotwolds way with Chloe from Cheltenham. We ran parts of it twice in different directions. We got a bit lost at times at thumbed down a bus after 18 miles but it was a wonderful mix of terrain. I plan on going back again at some point.
Something else that happened is that I became a pescetarian and ran my fastest mile in a time of 5.29

                                    (Running down the Big Dipper in Merthyr Mawr)

July 2017

Since becoming a Pescetarian the weight was falling off me. I was only running 20-30 miles a week too. No junk miles for me. Every training session was pretty intense. This is when I was starting to feel pretty good and quite fit.
I ran a 19.21 at Moors valley parkie, a 19.54 on my first visit to Guildford parkie and a 19.23 back at Soton parkie. I was also loving the parkrun tourism. I ran a comfortable 21.23 at Porthcawl parkie where I met up with fellow V40 club runner Neil Catchlove who came in first place. I was saving my efforts for 2pm though. The Merthyr Mawr rabbit run. A 7.3 mile trail race. I was staying at my cousin Phil's in Ogmore-by-sea and was grateful for him looking after me, It rained a lot though and was pretty windy too.
This race had it all. Lots of mud, hills, big sand dunes, river crossings and a secret tunnel. It was a wonderful experience and I have already entered for 2018. It's a must do race along with Bratton.
Obviously I got a 7.3 mile PB of 1hr 3 mins. A time to beat next year.
That day I caught the train from Bridgend to Frome. The Frome half marathon was the next day. I met Di and Ian Bower there. I ran pretty well and didn't finish too far behind Ian. Despite being very hilly it was my best half marathon in a while.

                                                 (Another sub 20, this time at Upton House)

August 2017

    I was now down to 14 stone. I had lost 2 stone and people were starting to notice. 91.36 at Sturminster half which isn't flat. A 19.43 at Upton house parkrun where I met up David Rees. One of the nicest courses with a hill on the second mile. I was very happy to finally run a sub 20 at Netley parkie. Scraping just under with a 19.53 and a 19.41 at Brockenhurst with great support from the Letherens.
Another PB came too at the Trowbridge 10k. I shocked myself with a time of 40.28. Sadly though, it's not UKA race so won't appear as my PB on Runbritain or Power of 10. I spoke to the winner of the race and he said he was surprised I got a PB on such a technical course. It sure wasn't flat as advertised but a great course.

                                                   (Very determined at Maidenhead half)

September 2017

   August was great, September was going to be my best month!
I ran a PB at Maidenhead half marathon. I was aiming for my second sub 1.30. I got 88.12. I smashed my half PB by over a minute. I couldn't believe it. I was even chatting to other runners on the way round and ran a 34 miler to Sailsbury from my house the weekend before. So much for no junk miles. I am still over the moon about this PB. I paced well and held on for the last 5k.
Not long after I got a 5k PB at Soton parkrun. A time of 19.02. This was painful though and I thought I might die at the finish line..lol.
I also ran the hilly Winchester half marathon with nearly 1000ft of elevation gain. I ran a time of 1hr 32. I had put everything in and was happy with this result. At last, my results were worthy and no longer a disappoint to me.

                                                          (The finish of Winchester half)

October 2017

Not much going on in October. I was starting feel a bit burnt out and worn down, yet I would race another very hilly half at the Eden Project. It was so hilly in fact that I walked up 5 hills and finished in 1hr 36 and was still 35th overall. It was a stunning race with free entry to the Eden project but I was too tired after drinking my free beer in the hot tropical forest. I also did Parke parkrun the day before. Another hilly Devon one near Bovey Tracey. 3 hills and 1 pretty much unrunnable but again very stunning scenery on the National trust site.

                                                    (I seem to be attracted to hilly halves)

November 2017

   The AVR Wiltshire half was my idea. I had been wanting to do it for a while. I wanted another PB or a another sub 1hr 30 at least. It didn't look hilly but Mikey reckoned it looked it. It was hilly but somehow I just snuck under the sub 1.30. 1hr 29 something. I was over the moon again. It was a tough race on country lanes with not too much to see to be honest. Very friendly and well organised though. Again, not a UKA race so no results to show...
I also went back for that sub 20 at Basingstoke parkie with Rob Agar and Emily Smith. I didn't get it though as it was pretty muddy and water-logged in places. 20.34.
I did a very muddy Reading parkrun where the website says "Road shoes are suitable all year round". I could barely stand up and ended up chatting to people on the way round with a 21.13
More tourism followed with a shock at Isle of Wight Medina. I was expecting a very boring course and it turned out to be one of the best I have run despite getting lost 3 times and being redirected. A time of 20.22 on a pretty quick course.
Brockenhurst parkie moves from the college to Wilverley plain in the winter. I had never done it so decided to cycle there one freezing cold morning. I'm glad I did. The start is super fast and then you meet this massive but runnable hill at 2.5 miles or so. Stunning woodland with the sun shining through the trees and it's on gravel track so you don't even get muddy! It was great to see Alice Rudd too who always beats me..lol.

                                           (My last PB of the year at Victory 5)

December 2017

   I told myself and everyone else that I was running a 22 minute parkrun at Soton. I started off faster than anticipated though and there was a 19 minute pacer ahead of me who I would later befriend by the name of James Clarke. I tried to stick with him but failed. I finished in a time of 19.04. 2 secs away from my previous PB and not far from Sub 19 really.
Victory 5 was a weird one for me really. I got a place last minute from poor injured Chris Lamb. I knew I was going to get a PB before I even turned up. All I had to do was pace 6.30's for 5 miles right? I was confident but it's also easy to get caught in the race especially when it's a HRRL race. The first mile was something like 6.02 or 6.04. This was not my plan was it? Anyways, I settled in a bit better later on and made sure I ran the sub 6.30's. I finished in a time of 31.34. A massive PB by nearly 90 seconds.
That was my decided last race of the year all though I still had Bovington half to do which I dressed as a rainbow fairy and jogged round with Simon Ashdown. It turned out to be a 16.5 half mara course. I didn't care as I wasn't racing. A big thanks to Helen and all the Itchen Spitfires who made me fell welcome on their coach. It was a great day out.
I also did Weymouth parkie where I was quite hungover and ran a 20.53. It's a fast course when not muddy!

                                                   (It seemed like a good idea at the time!)

A fantastic year of running for me with 5 PB's despite having a nasal infection for 11 months where I had trouble breathing. I had asthma tests, camera up my nose, chest x-rays, allergy tests and nasal sprays. I currently haven't used a nasal spray for 4 weeks.
I ran 1,356 miles and cycled 3,426 miles in 2017.
Thanks for reading some of it. I hope you do some of these great races next year :)