 Caer Caradoc It's not very often that i gush about how lucky I am, but last night was one of those nights that made me feel incredibly thankful. It was a glorious, if slightly chilly Wednesday evening, which was to see the first fell race of the Shropshire Summer Series; Caradoc Classic. I'd never done this particular race before and the butterflies in my stomach were well aware of that fact, as they fluttered on the drive to Church Stretton. I don't normally feel the nerves before fell races so i was glad to relax a bit when i met up with everyone else from BRC at registration. Fell races are a far smaller affair than most road races, and always friendly and welcoming of everyone. You end up with a real mix, from speedy under 15 kids to over 70s, and you'd be incredibly brave to try and guess who's going to finish where. Looks can be deceiving and experience plays a massive part when racing on the open hillsides. 7:15pm and we made our way to the start, Caer Caradoc looming over us in the evening sunshine. My nerves came back...  Team BRC (missing Robin) Time for a quick warm up and some traditional BRC pre-race selfies, courtesy of Nat, before we were called forward to the start line. The BRC support crew of Will, Sharron, Julie and Andrew had already headed off to provide much needed encouragement along the route and with a shout of 'GO', we were soon in hot pursuit. The race started with a runnable 1.5km stretch to the foot of Caradoc before a steep climb up to the first false summit. Smile and wave to the camera and an exhausted 'thank you' to Julie, Sharron and Andrew. We climbed again, levelled off, then up yet again to the turn around point. The view at the top was stunning, clear skies and patchwork fields as far as the eye could see. But now the fun bit.  Immediately from the turn around we were into a pretty fast steep descent. I really really love the downhill and over the years I've either grown in confidence or managed to block out the fear, allowing me to go pretty fast. I barrelled down, overtaking a fair few runners, thighs screaming with every foot plant. Before I knew it the ground levelled off and we were on the the run in.
My legs were like jelly, breathing hard, desperately trying to stay in touch with the runners in front. Finally, back onto the tarmac and a short sprint to the finish; time to breathe! As I watched everyone else come in it was wonderful to see the mixture of real effort and pleasure on people's faces. Fell running is hard, but I can't imagine a more amazing way of spending half an hour on a gorgeous Wednesday evening in Shropshire. Quite simply, I love living where I do, I love running and I love the hills. I'm very lucky to be able to be part of such special moments with a brilliant, supportive running club around me. Well done to everyone that took part at Caradoc, but special mention to Derek in his first fell race, Rich getting a massive PB and Jenny on winning her age category. Now onto the next in the Summer Series, the Wrekin Streak. Strava link - https://www.strava.com/activities/959361822 Results - http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/2912
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 BRC member Gemma Brown tells us about her first Half Marathon experience... by Gemma Brown On Sunday 12th March, I took on my biggest running challenge yet since joining the club in 2015 doing couch to 5K, The Silverstone half marathon!! There were 3 of us from Bridgnorth Running Club there, we travelled down together and in good spirits. We arrived in good time, I was under trained, over prepared (enough food for a family, half my first aid kit, extra clothes, extra drinks and extra gels) and super anxious!! As soon as we began the trek from the car park I began to feel intimidated and a little over whelmed by the crowds. The baggage drop was easy, there were plenty of toilets and a disappointing charity village, still so many people all milling around and of course it was trying to rain. I had already had to make a big decision about whether to wear my coat and ditch it at the start, it was now in the baggage drop and we were getting damp shoulders. I had decided to wear my asthma UK charity vest even though this was not a sponsored event for me, mainly because all of my running is for them in memory of my son. I so pleased I wore it as I soon got chatting to another man raising money for them through taking on a 1000 mile challenge, I was reminded of my determination and my excitement was growing!! Off we wandered to the starting pens, so many people everywhere!! We were near the back with our estimated finish time and couldn't even see the start. We made sure we stayed to the open side, the last thing I wanted was to be stuck on the inside, trapped by people. My first gel was consumed and we waited, we had a giggle about a bit as it was starting to get a bit cool although the rain seemed to be stopping!! Time soon crept up on us and almost without warning there was music and excitement and the race had started.  I had been given lots of advice from fellow runners, mainly not to start off too quick, so naturally, this is exactly what happened! The first Km was exhilarating but it was tough, my watch told me I had done it in 7mins, I'm a steady runner and never do 7 min Ks!! I had a word with myself and told my friend I needed to slow down so we did. Sadly not enough, the next K was only 30 seconds slower and I was getting stitch. So I listened to my body and slowed down to my pace and the stitch eased and disappeared, thank goodness for that. The sun was starting to shine through the clouds, before we had even got to 2 miles the buff was off and I had stripped off on the racecourse to remove my long sleeve top, I figured most people would have seen a sports bra and it was a case of needs must. Running with just my vest felt great, there was a cool breeze and I felt great and raring to go again. My fellow running club friend had initially encouraged me to take on the challenge and we agreed to run in together, our other friend had trained properly and was aiming for a time rather than a finish so it was just to two of us. We chatted and the distance passed. We listened to dodgy music from the DJs and were in high spirits enjoying the company of those around us. We even ran with a man in a giant Mr Rush costume who was running barefoot! I had another gel after 1 hour and was enjoying the caffeine high. Again the time and distance passed and we ran whilst chatting, there was the odd walk break and jelly baby consumed. We got to 10k and had beat my previous 10k PB, I was buzzing!! A quick text to my husband reassured him that I was loving it!! Before we knew it we has got to 16k and decided to make the most of the toilets with out queues. Sadly a few people I wanted to beat seemed to have passed us during this time including a four person plane. We carried on but my friend was starting to struggle, she was recovering from injury and I tried to motivate and support her. We joined a lady who was 'jeffing', we ran for 45seconds and walked for 30. This was somewhat enjoyable and lifted our spirits. We were running at a slightly faster pace than her so we so pulled away and carried on. I realised I had missed my second hourly gel by 25mins and decided I was okay and we were near enough to the finish. The water stops were often and alternate ones were lucozade, I had decided to carry my own drinks so I could drink when I needed to instead of being confined to water stops and risk running with a bottle or even worse throwing an almost full bottle on the floor, going against my recycling and waste morals!! We had got to 18k before pain in my upper inside legs was becoming more and more problematic, the painkillers I had taken half an hour previous were not as helpful as I had hoped and I was really regretting not taking that second gel. My friend was struggling and urged me to leave her, but ensuring we both got round was more important than me getting a better time so she was stuck with my fairly consistent chatter. Fast forward a the last couple of Km, some moaning about blisters and a few expletives and we crossed the finish line together, running with a smile on our faces.  Almost instantly I felt heavy, stiff and tired, I was out of adrenaline and the goody bag was almost too heavy!! I found my medal straight away to take a selfie to send my family against the clock as my phone was nearly out of battery. I was so chuffed, so tired and my legs didn't feel like mine. We got our bags and the slow painful walk back to the car felt like miles, I had convinced myself that my feet had been replaced with two large blisters. On further inspection when we got back to the car, only 1 blister on my middle toe and no blisters on the soles of my feet, they were just incredibly sore! I felt a little worse for wear and extremely tired, but I had done it!! I did a half marathon and I really enjoyed it (this was a big surprise to me!).
The course was pretty flat apart from slopes under and over bridges. I was worried it might be boring, it certainly wasn't! In fact, I was quite excited to be running on a Formula 1 race circuit! We weaved around all of the circuits there, we could often see runners in front or behind through the fences, towards the end of our run, a lot of people had finished and were leaving on mass. The section from and to the start/finish was the only part we ran twice, it felt much longer on the way back though! There seemed plenty for spectators in the form of food stalls and places to stand. All in all, a great day, if not a little exhausting! More importantly, I can't wait for the next one!  By Andrew Davies
It is raining hard and blowing an icey cold gale as I leave the accommodation, with the fell tops all covered in a white blanket of snow, as I drive to Keswick. On arrival I find the weather has improved as I park up at the town Football Club’s muddy car park to make my way to Keswick School to collect my running number at the check in desk having already pre entered the sold out race with its limit of 500 competitors. The race start at 12.00 is at the other far end of town, a fifteen minute walk and all congregate outside George Fishers ( walking / activity shop) for the pre-race briefing, before being led a hundred metres or so to the official start just below the traffic island on the B5289 road to Borrowdale. It is a slow start for me and six seconds have already elapsed after the gun before I even get moving due to the final total field of 476 runners. The first part along the B5289 is very crowded with runners and I have to weave in and out to get past some of them. The temperature is only 3 degrees and my legs feel heavy and cold as I run the four miles to the Grange turning. The road has not been closed to traffic and although only light, there are still a couple of vehicles which come past the runners at a too fast a speed. On one occasion I am nearly hemmed into the rock by the roadside as two cars come from each direction and I bang on the car’s side window to show my annoyance. Why is he in such a hurry on a road that goes to nowhere except Borrowdale? He replies by blowing his horn at me before then continuing to speed off. Once over Grange bridge I feel I am beginning to get into the race with all my body at last warmed up as the route takes a minor road which climbs for about a mile following under Maiden Moor and Cat Bells and looking across down to Derwent Water on the right hand side. Along here a water station is provided but the water is like ice and two sips are plenty! I look at the runners in front of me and select a certain runner, say sixth in front of me and decide to make the effort to pick them off. I do this three times between here and the finish and succeed in the quest. By Hawes End and before the cattle grid, the route turns left along a narrower road leading to Skelgill from where there is a long descent to bypass Stair and then onto Swinside where another left turn is made half way up a hill which immediately passes behind a pub cooking Sunday lunches as the smell of fat wafts out of the extractor fan. It is level running now along the road under Swinside hill and beside its forest over to the right to reach the next T junction through Ullock before a long final climb to join another wider road taking us into Portinscale where the finish is down a cul de sac to the right of the hotel. At the finish the lady number taker says to me’ V65 I have been waiting for you’ for I am first in age category and have won a prize being a ten pound note, a bottle of Wainwright beer, a Keswick AC clothes bag and a free entry into next year’s race. However there are no goody bags or anything else at this event – just running for the enjoyment! After a shower back at the school I attend the prize giving. It has been a good day out and event, just a shame about the traffic on the first part of the course. Time 1.15.16 Position 138 / 476 runners.  The Start - Montford Bridge By Nickie Smith I can't really remember what it was that made me agree to take on the Severn Path Ultra, at that time I had so much going on with a new job, new home...lots of changes...I do remember thinking that if the lovely Vicky Andrews was going to do it, then so was I and that was that - Team UltraBot. But, as I think everyone knows now, the lovely Vicky only went and got pregnant so had to pull out, no such liberation for me.... That was way back in October 2015... A long time until May 2016, plenty of time to train, or so I thought. So how do you train for a 60+ mile run..? In truth, I don't know how a 'proper' athlete trains, I don't read autobiographies about amazingly inspirational super heroes who achieve epic runs, I don't follow any training plans or have a special diet.... My 'plan' was to run with the club on the usual Monday & Thursday sessions and then go for a long run at the weekend, aiming for about 40 miles if I could. My 'actual effort' was a bit different....I lost my mojo for running and life in general for a while and the longest training run was only 18 miles, so not even a third of the distance of the event.. In my head I had broken the run down into a more manageable distance, so I just had to run four half marathons and a 10k to finish...that's ok...right..? So that's pretty much what I did. I hadn't trained enough, didn't eat the right food, and definitely didn't get enough sleep - but I went out with a relay team and support runners from the club and did it...  Simon and Nickie on the first leg  A well earned ice cream in Bridgnorth A brief run down of the day; Start point - Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury. I set off with Simon & Matt, though Matt clearly wanted to go his own way...he did follow the route, even when we couldn't find the first gateway because it was so overgrown since we did the recce back in March. A lovely, mainly off road section round the meanders of the river. CP 1 - Atcham One down, three and a bit to go.... Said 'see you laters' to Simon and 'Hello' to Harriet, the next relay runner. I ate a few handfuls of salted peanuts, a quarter piece of cheese sarnie and a slice of malt loaf - I wasn't hungry but knew that I needed to keep the energy levels up. A fair bit of on-road running in this section but still plenty of lovely country side views and animals for Harriet to talk to. CP 2 Ironbridge Two half marathons done, two more and the bit at the end still to do... Stepping up as the relay runner was David, and joining the support crew was Natalie - who was also turning Ultra as she was going to stick with me to the end... Had another few handfuls of the nuts - loving the salt, a quarter of the cheese sarnie, more malt loaf and washed it down with a cup of squash. I topped up the hydro pack with water and set off. This section is very familiar to lots of us, down the old railway track, so it did just feel like I was running home. So great that the route came through Brignorth and there were some lovely peeps waiting to cheer me on. This was not an official stop, but the lure of ice cream was too great for Matt and so in his place as support crew were Jenny & Amanda. I took the opportunity to change my socks, after thirty or so miles they were a little bit mingy (thanks Nina for washing them) CP 3 Hampton Loade Three half marathons done, just one more and the 10k... The next relay runner to join the team was Laura (Simon's sister) I stuck to the same eating pattern - it seemed to be working out ok, and I really didn't fancy anything sweet. I was really starting to feel it in the legs by now, and this next section had a lot of grass fields that had been cut leaving the long grass on the ground, it kept tangling around my feet which I was already struggling to lift off the ground..A much slower walk/run pace from now on.. Onward into Bewdley to be greeted with provisions of ice cold water (thanks Amos) and to say goodbye to Jenny & Amanda.  On the bridge at Arley  CP 4 Stourport on Severn Four half marathons done, just this last little bit... More nuts, cheese sarnie, malt loaf and squash. After running over 25 miles already as my support crew, the official relay runner to take us to the finish line was Natalie, and Sarah joined as my support crew, along with Simon who wanted to do the start and the finish of the day. By now I was pretty knackered, and so running was out of the question. I'd never been down the neck of the river and so was totally reliant on the others to keep us on course. My watch had died at 52 miles, so I was recording the last bit on my phone - my brain couldn't compute the distance remaining, and it was clearly more than the stated 58 on the entry form. I did turn into a bit of a toddler, asking for distance updates every few minutes - "are we nearly there"... And was most put out that a bull, along with his cows and the calves, were blocking the path - how inconsiderate!! - we had to go all the way around the outside edge of the field - there was no way I was going to outrun a pissed off bull... With the light fading and me dead on my feet, we found our way to the finish line, a caravan park somewhere in Holt - no crowds or fanfare, just Steve in his orange Landrover. A quick medal presentation, handing out of t-shirts & a buff - photo taken for the website, and he was off to find the other chap who was 2 hours behind us.. Thanks to Rob Carr & Julie Roberts who were there to get us back home, I was a total zombie by then…… What an amazing day, a totally surreal experience... 62 miles in a day. In hindsight, just a few things I would do differently;
 The 5 piece Severn Challenge medal I hadn't realised that my one day run was actually part of a five day challenge, The Severn Challenge - from the source to the mouth of the River Severn, 217 miles in total.....
And the medal I received is part of a larger five piece medal that's really pretty cool... Too cool actually not to get the rest of it, so now you've all seen it too - who's in next year..? If this girl can, then you can too :-) Massive thanks to all the peeps who helped me along the way... Natalie Carr, Simon Mapp, Matt Kirkby, Harriet Quast, David Carson, Stuart Carr, Rob Carr, Sarah Millington, Nina Williams, Jenny Norton, Amanda Prescott, Laura Livesey, Dave Prescott, Richard Amos, Julie Roberts, Vicky Andrews.  All smiles at Edinburgh Marathon BRC Member Sam Trevor recounts her first (and maybe last) marathon experience at Edinburgh Marathon. So the day eventually arrived. Nerves were bad as I left the apartment but once I met with the others and said a teary goodbye to Craig I felt good. Had a few pictures with Cat, Bec and Craig and we left Craig and Bec at their pen and Cat and I went to ours. Still feeling happy, a few more pictures and we were away. The first few miles were around town, always having Arthur's seat in view and saw an amazing fairy house for Holly. We saw Craig, Kieran, Holly, Dad and Sherrell at mile 4 quick kiss and off we went. Just after mile 4 we joined the seafront; running down Portabello sea front was amazing. Time was good, had to rein Cat in a few times, but on the whole things were going well. Mile 12 is where it started to go wrong, yes mile 12 was not happy, the sickness made its appearance. I thought if I get a fizzy drink I'll burp it away, so bless Cat she ran into Lidl and came out with coke for free, bless the lady in the shop. I didn't have much just enough to burp lots, Cat started grading them! After this we decided that we would have to opt for the run / walk strategy. We then arrived at my new house (an amazing stately home) where at mile 18 things went from bad to worse. I stopped and threw up in the garden of the big house (surely this means I own that little bit of land!). We walked for a good half a mile just to sort myself out hoping that would make me feel better. We then carried on run / walking until mile 20 where I started to feel very poorly, felt very wobbly and yes threw up again. The temperature was really hot at this point Cat said “We are walking you can't run anymore if we are going to finish this marathon you have to walk.” After some crying I knew it was the right thing to do. I was bitter and disappointed but every time I ran I felt so ill, I had to finish one way or another. Thought that if we just walked I wouldn't be sick again, wrong, mile 23 just before the wonderful Lucy appeared with Lucozade I threw up again. Anything I drank just kept coming back I was feeling so disappointed as this isn't what I wanted, I always knew it was going to be incredibly difficult and had already said if I have to run / walk I will, but walking the last 6 miles wasn't my plan. Bless Lucy, she walked with us for 2 miles, apparently we walk incredible quickly. Heading towards mile 25 I was feeling awful and yet again I threw up. Turn the corner and I saw Kieran, there was crying from me and he walked with us for a bit before we headed into the last corner. Feeling very ill I was not going to walk that last bit so off I ran with my wonderful friend Cat. Crossing the finish was just the best thing ever.  Sam and Cat Running this marathon has been the hardest thing I've ever done, I couldn't have done it without the support of Craig, Kieran, Holly and my family and friends who have help me by looking after Holly so I could run. Thank you to Bex for making training so much fun. Thank you to Lucy for being the best supporter ever, getting me Lucozade and walking the few miles with us. Thank you to you all. But my biggest thank you goes to Cat. Cat got me through all the training and has been truly amazing. But on marathon day she stuck by me for 26.2 miles even when I was throwing up she was amazing, she made me laugh when it was going all wrong, she went to the shop to find me a drink. But most of all she got me round without ending up in the back of an ambulance, which at one point I thought I may have. Cat is amazing person who I can't thank enough for what she did for me.
So to sum up my marathon experience. It was hell and I'm never doing it again!!!  Mark Gibbs at the Hagley Hall 10k By Mark Gibbs
Sunday 13th March I entered this race to keep a friend company who is getting back into running following a serious injury. She lives in Brum so Hagley Hall is conveniently located for us both but I almost cocked-up my entry as I managed to enter another in the Resolution Run series the previous Sunday at Ragley Hall! Easy mistake to make, who would think that there would be consecutive races with only a letter difference and 30 miles apart. Still, I managed to rectify my mistake before turning up at Hagley Hall to find out that I hadn’t been entered for the race. It was a gloriously sunny morning in a stunning setting with the start and finish in front of the stately hall. The race description said the course was undulating but in my book that means there downs as well as ups. This was mainly up and from the start, with the first 2km steeper that the Hermitage. Moreover, as the circuit was 5k, 10kers had to do it twice, it felt at times like I was running on the spot. The course was all trail running through woods and across heathland which interesting landmarks and a herd of deer. Despite the hills, we both enjoyed it and it was good to see a fellow BRCer, Sergio Ramos (a football joke). I would definitely recommend it if it happens again. It was well organised by the Stroke Association but the goodie bag wasn’t half as goodie as the one at our own Bridgnorth 10k.  By Andrew Davies
In my years of running this is the first time that I have tackled this race, mainly due to compulsory marshalling when at Telford Harriers and as it is one so local and well known I have a need to bag it! I leave home just after 09.00 so as to be at Telford early but the journey is stressed as I back up behind three slow crawling tractors for some considerable distance before eventually overtaking them on ****** ****e lines. There is more stress at the Randley Interchange where I find the traffic is all stacked up all the way down to the hotel due to an old car convention taking place nearby. I sit in the queue a few minutes before deciding to drive to the next turn off for the town centre to then go back on myself. This works and I find a place to park in the Cherry Pink carpark. I find I am still in good time for the start at 10.30. I make my way over to the information office in the Town Park to register and collect my race number; waiting outside the building are the other six members of Bridgnorth Running Club namely Lou, Jenny, Deb, Ed, Dave and Robin who are taking part in the half marathon. A brief chat is had with each and Jenny organises a group photo for the Facebook. At 10.15 I make my way to the start line in the arena but on arrival an announcement is made saying that the race will be delayed by fifteen minutes due to the traffic congestion in the town. Despite it being blue sky and bright sunshine a cold wind has developed and I begin to feel cold, nobody likes race delays as it undoes a lot of the pre race preparation. A couple of minutes before the new start time, the race director gives out notices of what to expect, including mention of a lot of mud on the Rough Park section of the race, she then sounds the clangon to start and I press my GPS on the chip mat. The race immediately turns right up the hill back towards the information centre before turning left to go past the rugby club and then left to descend down a narrower track to join the Parkrun route in reverse. I go past Ed on the narrower track but expect him to come past me later. He doesn’t. After a loop of the park passing the hotel and Alice in Wonderland the route follows the Silkin Way down to Coalport, much of it being in descent and I feel I am running well and getting past many other competitors. I note the mile markers and mile two to three seems a particularly short distance probably due to it being all downhill. At Coalport Bridge the race is already at mile 5 and I glimpse Nickie on the other footway out of the corner of my eye who shouts me some encouragement as I run past. Just after the turning onto the old SVR track there is a welcome drinks station and I rehydrate. The old railway bed is quite dry today and I make good progress to the Ironbridge where I am amazed at the large crowd of spectators so there is no slacking here. I hear someone shout for Bridgnorth but do not see them. It is then onwards over the uneven flagstones down to Merrythorpe and beyond as I start to cross the road only to be told off by the marshall to go back and use the pedestrian crossing. The marshall is of course quite correct for what she did as safety hazards must always be considered. The race now turns right up the tarmac lane which climbs steadily up to Coalbrookdale and Enginuity. Here some jelly beans are handed out, I take a couple but am suspicious as to whether they are vegetarian or not. Once over the road at the bottom of Jigger’s Bank the race continues straight ahead and another water station is reached. I take a bottle to drink some and pour some more of it over my head to cool me down.. The route is now on a gravel path and slightly up hill but I still feel strong as the course reaches Rough Park where deep puddles and bounds of mud have to be negotiated and I have to pick my way without getting my legs too dirty! This section also becomes quite undulating. Still in the park but just before the exit by the windmill I meet William and Emma running towards me from the opposite direction and I have a high five greeting with one hand for each of them. It is now back onto the Silkin Way to retrace the last three miles passing another water station where Art Zammit hands me an orange gel to go with my bottle of water. The race is soon back on the familiar territory of the Telford Parkrun once again passing the Alice in Wonderland but my legs are by now getting tired and my speed is far below par for a parkrun. The sign for 400 metres to go is seen and I put in a full effort on the final climb back into the arena. My chip time is 1.42.49, position 142 / 678 and I feel very satisfied with how I have run today. After collecting my goody bag and doing some stretching I walk down to the amphitheatre by the lake to watch the other runners come in and offer them some encouragement as a young boy blows a trumpet each time a runner goes past him urging them on. Once Jenny goes past I wander back up to near the finish point to continue seeing the runners coming home. To summarise, this is an excellent course to run but not one for a PB, maybe I will be back next year for some more!  Lucy and Natalie By Andrew Davies I had heard a lot of good reports about Lakeland Trails Ullswater race but it is one I had never done so this year I decided to enter and was looking forward to..... I am about to leave Sweden Park at 10.45 when a text comes through from Natalie saying that all the Ullswater steamer ferries have been cancelled and that it will be a mass start at 12.00 for all race categories. It is raining very heavily and the rain is cold despite a warm air temperature, I am already considering whether to go to do this race or not. I decide to drive to Glenridding in the hope of better conditions plus the fact I have already paid for the race and so would like to receive the t-shirt. Upon arrival at Glenridding I find the carpark that I had used yesterday completely full and drive around looking for somewhere to park before pulling up on the edge of the road near to the race field entrance. I get ready to run and put on my trail shoes when a race marshall informs me that I cannot park here as I am on double yellow lines and that the police are carrying out checks. The yellow lines are completely obliterated with fallen wet leaves and cannot be seen. I drive further up into the village to find another carpark with a space. I find this carpark technology controlled and have to enquire of someone to show me what to do. It is necessary to enter the car registration into this machine on parking and pay when leaving, all too much for someone in a fluster with twenty minutes to go before the race starts and still to register! The carpark has its own toilets so decide to visit on the way out and am greeted by Lucy, not recognisable dressed head to toe in black waterproof clothing drawn up around her face standing under the shelter of an overhang outside the ladies. I notice that the mens want 20p for entry, there is no way that I am paying this and find a hotel to use across the street before going to register to collect my race number and chip timer in a large white marquee. The marquee is packed tight with runners all avoiding the conditions outside. At 11.50 we are called to line up for the race, I am still undecided whether to take part or not for the rain is still lashing down. I stand under shelter on the step of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue truck shivering and cold as all the other runners line up in front of me to receive their final instructions. It will now only be a 9 km race as opposed to the intended 14 km. I decide that I can manage 9km but will not put in any effort on this occasion and just run to complete the course and get the t-shirt. It takes a while to get to the chipmat as everybody is marshalled to cross over it individually. At last the race has began as I run over the lumpy turf to a gateway leading onto the road and the first section on tarmac at the head of the lake before entering a path through a wooded area parallel to the road only to re-emerge back onto it.  Andrew and the mysterious 'Dave' At Patterdale the route turns off onto a stoned farm track leading to Side Farm, along here two cattle grids have to be crossed, everyone around me stops to walk over them, myself included! Once at the farm building a left turn is taken and the race follows along a footpath behind the farm and then between a wooded area on either side of the path where there is a small climb only to descend near to the lake, although the lake itself is hidden from view in part by a tall stone wall. Above Bleawick the route becomes undulating with many rocky boulders to negotiate. All of a sudden there is a large thundery crash as 'Dave' appears from nowhere slipping and almost falling backwards on one of these slippery stones. I recognise him from the red marking at the top of the back of his trainers for otherwise he is all dressed in black. There is another small up and ‘Dave’ strides out and I find myself four runners behind him. I had completely forgotten ‘Dave’ was taking part in this race as I had not seen him prior to the start and now I will have to put in some effort! I manage to close the gap and get in front of him for the climb up Silver Hill near to Silver Point where the race turns to head back to the finish. Incidentally Wainwright describes this last section just run back to Patterdale as the most beautiful and rewarding walk in Lakeland although his comment does start from Scalehow Beck near Sandwick further along from here where we have not run today but would have done if all was normal. The climb up Silver Hill is painful with driving rain and hail stones landing straight into my face like lots of small pin pricks. ‘Dave’ is behind giving encouragement to all the runners as usual and once at the top it is at first a grassy descent and I try to gain ground on ‘Dave’ but seem unable to shrug him off. This higher path leads back to Side Farm and the loop is completed and the route now retraces itself back to the field above the landing stage in Glenridding. It is from here that I am able to get away from ‘Dave’. I need to make up to two or three minutes lead on him to make sure that he does not beat me and I put in full effort for this last part and yes I am back well before him, job done! Eventually ‘Dave’ finishes and we compare our times, ’Dave’ has 55.11 on his GPS as opposed to my 55.49. ‘Dave’ mutters something about dogs and in the flash of a wush he is gone never to be seen again on the race ground or in the village. It is Thursday when I get home to look up the Ullswater race results and just as I had imagined all the time there is no result shown for ‘Dave’ for he was just a spirit encouraging me along and telling me at the finish that if I had put in effort from the start my time would have been 55.11 !!  Amanda in the grim weather conditions
 Becky after her success at Cannock Chase 10k By Becky Coates
I started walking with hubby to build up some fitness after a very sedentary pregnancy. It was a lovely way to enjoy time together with our new arrival as we took him out in a sling. I'd ran a bit prior to pregnancy so knew it was something I wanted to get back in to. I started running little sections of our walks to see how my legs felt and was surprised that they took to it very well, almost like I hadn't been pregnant at all. However, I was very aware of how much stress my body had recently gone through so I took it easy, gradually testing the water with more walks. When I ran previously I'd started with the C25K program so I decided to give that a go again. I jumped in at a further point than the start as I already felt fit enough and didn't want to waste any time as race ambitions were already building. With the support of my husband and friends I built myself up to running a couple of miles without a break on the lovely hills near where I live within a few short weeks. I went to parkrun on the day I was due to run for 28 minutes and with the support of Deb Lowe, I was able to run the whole thing. This was a huge achievement to me and at one point it seemed so very far away. It made me realise that if you want something enough, anything is within reach. I was introduced to the trails by some friends in the running club and I discovered a real passion for them. As a city girl I loved being out with nature and feeling free. Once I got to 10K I was itching to enter a race and as I love running off road, I decided to enter the Cannock Chase 10k. I knew it was going to be a challenge as I'd only just reached 10K and it was a difficult race, but my time wasn't important - having fun was. The race was tough but the one thing I wasn't expecting was the heat which brought its own challenge. I just kept going and made sure I dropped my pace and kept hydrated. The first 5K was tough with some serious inclines, but I seemed to really ease into it after the halfway point. I got to the finish line and was greeted by my wonderful supportive husband and our 4 month old baby. It was very emotional and it really made me realise that I can do anything; this is something I want my son to grow up knowing. My journey from non runner to a fully fledged running new mum has taught me some wonderful things and allowed me to experience some peace during a very hectic period of my life. Running has helped me cope with tremendous adversity and taught me just how important for everyone, new mums especially, to find that piece of time they can call their own. |
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