Member's Meander

This was a bit different for a change, last night was the annual member's meander handicap race at running club. I've done shorter timetrials before, but this was almost 7 miles and a bit more challenging. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I was a little concerned about the expected time they'd put down for me which put me far further back in the field than I was hoping, but actually it wasn't too far off. I overtook more people than overtook me, and finished about a minute outside my expected time, which wasn't too bad considering how muddy parts of the course were (not to mention the bit of the course which had partially disappeared into the river in the floods a few weeks ago and had to be carefully negotiated).

And of course, the thing that guaranteed a substantial turnout wasn't the fact that the sun made one of its rare appearances, it was the free food at the end...

When I got home I got some good news. It looks like I'll be doing the Great North Run with Matt as well as New York. This is pretty good news because it gives me the chance to see what sort of pace I'll be running at in New York and see how hard it is. I also get to enjoy the GNR atmosphere without getting frustrated by the slower moving runners, because I'll be one of them! Then I can make an informed decision about whether to do the full in Amsterdam, and how much energy I need to leave in my legs for New York.

Great Capital Run

This was my first "Great" run, and I wasn't sure what to expect from it. I didn't know how my legs would feel, and I didn't know how crowded it would be. Last year this race wasn't "Great", and it was a free for all at the start. This year there were different waves, but the success of that sort of start really does depend on people entering an honest time when they apply.

Since Edinburgh I've not felt like I'm running at my best. Some people seem to come off a marathon and whip round shorter races. I've been struggling, and I'm certainly not back at the speed I was before the marathon. But I was hoping that a couple of extra weeks since my last 10k (the Jane Tomlinson race) might have put some speed back in my legs.

On the other hand, my preparation on the Saturday was a bit altered from normal. Because I travelled down to London and spent the day with Jen, I ended up getting up earlier, drinking more, and eating more than I normally would the day before a race. And while I slept fairly well (for me), there's something about waking up in a strange bed and having a slightly different breakfast that just throws me a bit.

When we got to the race I had a bit of a jog round before the warmup, and realised that I didn't quite feel on top form. On Wednesday I fell on a club run and on Thursday my knee had ached a bit during a short run. I hadn't run since then and my knee did feel a lot better, but I just didn't feel like I was going to run particularly close to my PB. My fall back plan was to at least beat my Jane Tomlinson time ot 49:55.

The waved start worked pretty well for me. I can't remember what time I put down, but as it was in 5 minute increments I may have put 45 down rather than 50 (based on a PB of 47). That got me into the second proper wave to set off, and although I certainly wasn't one of the fastest in the wave, I certainly wasn't the slowest and I wasn't overtaken by too many from the wave behind who set off 3 minutes later.

Last year I was dodging walkers very early on in the race, this year it was pretty much clear and uncongested from fairly close to the start. There were plenty of people running of course, but there was always room to go round them without having to weave too tightly. Also far better than Jane Tomlinson. Last year it was also VERY hot, and despite the rubbishness of the summer so far, the sun came out again. Fantastic timing. The first time it's been seen for weeks and it beats down on my head during a race. It wasn't as hot as last year, but I still think it slowed me down a little, partly because I'm so unused to running in it!

I started off a bit fast, and then decided to take it easier. Unlike last year I kept running all the way round, and because the route doubles back in itself for a lot of the way, it was nice seeing the runners from later waves coming round. And the elite women and men who were way ahead of us. I saw Jen and gave her a wave, and saw some impressive looking fancy dress costumes (how anyone could think of running as a tap I'll never know...).

By half way I knew that a PB wasn't on, so just focussed on getting under 50 minutes. At 9k I was a little bit behind target so tried to pull off a fast finish, typically on the main uphill stretch of the course. Still, I managed to pass a fair few people going up (although not, sadly, the beer bottle which overtook me just before 9k), and snuck under my JT time at 49:50. I was 974th out of ???? (plus I did better than the thousands who registered and didn't turn up) which isn't too bad.

I'm kind of disappointed with that, because I know I can run faster than just sneaking under 50 minutes each time, but equally I'm quite happy that I now think of 50 minutes as a "disappointing" 10k time. Last year I just snuck under the hour, whereas now I'm consistently sub-50. And even though I've slowed down compared to my times immediately before Edinburgh, I'm still faster than I was when I started training for Edinburgh so there's no reason why I can't get back up to that standard again before Amsterdam.

I guess it doesn't hurt to have a reminder every now and then that you have to work to maintain form, it's not just a case of training up and then miraculously staying at that level. And if I peak for the right events, what's the harm in having some slower "fun" races in between. I don't need to get a PB every time I run.

In terms of the "Great" run experience, the bands didn't really increase my enjoyment of the race that much, the banded start was good, and the baggage reclaim was a shambles. There was lots of water and lucozade, so bonus points for that, and the t-shirt and medal were decent quality. It's sometimes nice to take part in an "event" rather than a "race", particularly when I'm not in racing form. But is it worth paying the substantial premium for it? I'm not sure to be honest. For that, possibly because the race entry was only part of the cost of the weekend - by the time I'd paid for train fares and meals out etc. But if it was closer to home, I'm not sure that there's much added value over a £6 club run 10k.

New York

If you read my other blog, you may agree with me that it's kind of ironic that just as I start to think about scaling things back I sign up to something challenging like back to back marathons. On different continents. Oh well...

I'm fed up of not being able to talk about this, so it's time to get it out there. On 4 November I will be running in the New York Marathon for a charity called XIII Heroes. Even though I'd already signed up for Amsterdam by this point (that is on 21 October*), the opportunity to get involved with this was too good to turn down. Admittedly I was very drunk when I first agreed to do it, but since then I've had time to consider it sober and it still seemed like a good idea.

It's no ordinary charity place. I've always said that I wouldn't do a race through a charity just to get into it. There are other races I can do while waiting to get a place of my own in the big ones, whether it's through ballots or qualifying times or club places. So finding myself signed up to a charity complete with a mandatory fund raising target is a bit of a turnaround. But it's a bit special.

Last year XIII Heroes helped Matt King achieve a world first by completing a half marathon. Matt was very seriously injured a few years ago in a rugby accident, and is now on a ventilator and in a wheelchair. He's the first person to do a half marathon in that condition, and wants to be the first to complete a full one too. For the Great North Run he had a team running with him, for support, fund raising, moving discarded water bottles out of the way and stuff like that, and that's what I'll be doing in New York. I've achieved a dream by running a marathon, and it's time to help someone else do the same thing.

This might actually help me slow down and take the pressure off. We'll be running as a team, at the speed of the slowest runner. The slowest runner won't be me. Because I won't be aiming for a fast time, I can (hopefully) relax and enjoy it. Well, as much as you can enjoy running a marathon on tired legs...

So it's not just "go to New York for a run", it's more "go to New York to do something special and have a once in a lifetime experience", and that's why I'm prepared to put my anti-charity places rants behind me and dive straight into fundraising. However, that means that it's time for a shameless appeal for money.

If you would like to sponsor me, you can do it right now by going to XIII Heroes There's no info on the site yet about the run because it's not being officially announced until the end of the month, but I promise you it's happening. Because it's a general donation link rather than an individual one just for me, if you'd like to help me reach the personal fund raising target I've been set, it's important that you put my name in the notes section when you donate then it can be allocated to me. For those of you who don't know what my name is, cut and paste "I'd like to sponsor Helen Goldthorpe to run the New York Marathon".

There is obviously no obligation to donate money, or to donate any given amount of money. I'm going into this with my eyes open, and I know that if I fall short of my target I'll have to make up the difference. No matter how much I raise I will be making a sizeable personal donation, (not least because I'd feel guilty about getting other people to pay for me to go to New York for a week without contributing myself) but I'd love that donation to be in addition to the target they've set me rather than part of it. I have to provide the minimum sponsorship in stages by certain dates, so please don't wait until after the race if you're going to sponsor me. The earlier you can contribute, the less you'll have to suffer me begging as 14th September and the deadline for the first installment approaches!

*The status of Amsterdam is unclear. As I've entered and paid for flights etc, I'm going to train as though I'm running both. But if I don't feel right closer to the day, I might drop out of Amsterdam, or at least take it gently, rather than letting the team down in New York.