Chapter Ten - There is a green hill far away

Chevin Chase 2009 was one of the highlights of what I laughingly call my running career.  So when I concocted my proper race plan for VLM, I started there.  Day One – run Chevin Chase, preferably faster than last time.

It seemed like such a good idea, but that was then, and this is now.  Now, that green hill is all too close, and I need to figure out a way of getting up it, down it, and up it again.  What’s more, I need to do it with more grace than last year.  This year, I do NOT want to have to walk up that first brutal mile, and I do NOT want to come to a complete standstill at Surprise View, leaning on my knees and gasping like some sort of stranded fish.  Most of all, I do NOT want to end the race with the ludicrously red cheeks I developed last year.

Unable to put it off any longer, Nicky and I thus set forth for a trial run on Friday.

We didn’t follow the Chevin Chase route, but given that the blithering thing is vertical wherever you attack it, I don’t think that matters.  What we did do was force ourselves to run downhill at every opportunity, thus ensuring that we had to run back uphill if we wanted to get home.  Six and a half miles – rinky-dinky.

On Sunday, my planned race (Thirsk 10) was cancelled, so I did it all again.  The good humour brought on by the events of Chapter Nine gave me a bit of pep, but I still failed to catch Chris, who was walking.  I did give him a head-start, but even so, it’s depressing.

Still – I didn’t stop (other than to admire the view), and I didn’t gasp.  And as for the red cheeks – I think I’ll just cover them with makeup.

Chapter Nine - Spice up Your Life

How many emergency blogs can you do before people start to think you’ve lost the plot? 

On top of my most successful running fortnight ever (PBs at 5k and 10k, plus a second and third prize at HPH annual awards) comes my most successful fundraising day.

OK, OK, not strictly my fundraising day.  More like Jaz and Ken’s fundraising day.  She cooks, he pays.  What’s not to like?

Thanks, guys. 

Liz

PS – for those who don’t know, Jaz has offered to cook a vegetarian Indian meal for any of our friends, including a chapatti-making lesson, in return for a donation to Age UK.  Not content with a) being the first person to donate to my justgiving page, and b) generously forwarding his Abbey Dash sponsorship to me, Ken has now become Jaz’s first customer.

Double-dog thanks

Chapter Eight - Jump

Dawn Hogan and her husband Mick are amongst the nicest of the West Yorkshire running fraternity.  They are also very useful to me and Chris, as they provide a good barometer of form – Dawn’s somewhat faster than me, and Mick’s somewhat faster than Chris.  They aren’t so far out in front that they are untouchable, but they are fast enough to offer a proper challenge.

So when I managed to pass Dawn yesterday at the Abbey Dash, and at the same time got down to below one hour for 10k (for the first time ever), I did feel justified in celebrating a bit.  It’s a feeling I’m going to hang onto, because I’m under no illusions.  Dawn is fundamentally faster than I am, and that ain’t about to change.  She’s training for London, too, so I can look forward to seeing her back plenty more in the months to come. 

Still, it was nice while it lasted, and I can now set myself up as a role model for Chris, as he follows Mick.  Other people might try to keep up with the Joneses, we try to keep up with the Hogans.

58:29

PS – This is an unscheduled, emergency blog, brought about entirely by the need to show off.

Chapter Seven – Roadrunner

The best gig I ever went to was Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.  This will mean nothing to anyone under 50, but those of my age may remember “roadrunner”, and indeed may have been at that very gig (1977, Leeds Poly Students Union).  ‘Twas a great night.

I’ve always especially liked the line “going faster miles an hour”.  It’s non-specific, yet implies improvement.  I think I’ll have it as my mantra.

I’m a bit of a mantra freak.  I have dozens of ‘em, ranging from the instructive (hips high and light) to the ridiculous (embrace the hill) to the downright delusionary (this is easy).  I’m not sure whether they work or not, but I am a woman obsessed.

Sometimes I use single words (“surge” is a favourite because it makes me think of the Atlantic at Inch beach in Co Kerry), and sometimes they are so long they practically qualify as essays (“strong, relaxed, faster and faster” is a current chart-topper).

It’s certainly all in the mind.  Last week, I knew I was going get a PB at parkrun from the moment I woke up.  Last time I got a parkrun PB was exactly the same – I knew I would do it, so I did it.  The only problem is that on current evidence, this knowledge only comes around once every two years or so.  In between, despite the mantras, I am certain that I can’t run under 30 minutes for 5k, that I can’t break an hour for 10k, and that I definitely can’t do a marathon.

So this week, I’m going to take my mantras to the Abbey Dash, and see if they can get up that bloomin’ slip road.  I’m in love with the modern moonlight, I’ve got the radio on.

Chapter Six - Country Love

This week got off to a great start with the first PECO cross-country of the season.  We never did cross-country at school, so I never got chance to be put off it, although at the time I would probably have been nicking off round the corner for an Eccles cake.  I was too much of a wimp to smoke at school (even though in those days it was still possible to buy cigarettes in ones from the corner shop), so I had to build my rebellions on pastry.

This fresh-faced innocence means I undertook my first X-C (I have the jargon, you know), last year, in Ilkley.  People who ran it are now shaking their heads and saying, “Oh Lord, that puddle!”, but for me it was a revelation.  A boring, smelly course that went round and round and round a field, but Joy of Joys, a humungous muddy puddle in the middle that you had to go through six times.  I was converted.

And so, on Sunday, to Pontefract racecourse for a 5.7ish mile trot in the sharp winter sun.  Not exactly a great course, with rather too much road, but some nice bits across fields, and guess what?  I didn’t walk once.  Nor did I wheeze, or whine, or collapse in the last half mile.  I even had a (sort of) sprint finish where I passed several people, and only one person (thank you, Jill Stocks, of Kirkstall) passed me.

What I really enjoyed was the excellent spirit amongst Hyde Park Harries and the other clubs.  The PECO league is definitely competitive, but friendly at the same time, and we had a great turn-out, with new members and old; speedy and not-so-speedy.  Caught up with some old faces (ie Adrian and Bev) before repairing to Kay’s house to look at the PECO catalogue (how apt).

This week, I also clocked up a good session with runclub and a completely unscheduled three miler through the streets of London town with heavy rucksack before wimping out of my planned Thursday hill session with Nicky.  Best of all; the week ended with a PB at Leeds parkrun – first time EVER under 29 minutes.  Go, me!

Chapter Five - November Rain

Now this can’t be right.  Several weeks in and I’m still feeling motivated.  I even ran up Scottish hills I had no need to do (ie on my own, and not in a race) in the pouring rain, and enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.

When put into context (I was in Scotland anyway for a conference, and running gave me a reason to get outside for an hour) it doesn’t sound too grand.  But six months ago I would never have done it.  What’s more, I came back on such a post-run high that I sailed through three hours of work that I had considered ignoring before I went out.  When I started this malarkey I was concerned about how I would fit running in around work, but it turns out that it actually makes me work longer, faster and better.  I was right – this can’t be right…

Another wonderful thing happened to me in Scotland.  I won a vacuum cleaner in a raffle.  Given that I was at the conference representing the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (the voice of choice for all matters relating to healthcare cleaning) this was rather apt.  As I lugged the blessed thing around Edinburgh airport, I wished I’d got the £100 John Lewis vouchers, but once home I changed my mind.  I’ve even vacuumed the stairs, and anyone who’s been to my house will know that this doesn’t happen often.

Top wonderful thing?  £60.01 raised by Jaz parkrunning with no makeup.  Personally, I couldn't see the difference, but people stumped up none-the-less.

This week I have mostly been wet, clean and happy.

PS – phrases you thought you’d never use…

“post-run high”

“enjoyed every minute of it”

“ran up hills … in the pouring rain”

“vacuumed the stairs”
"£60.01"

PPS – I know the lyrics of November Rain have nothing to do with the topic, but the title was too good to pass up