Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon
At the weekend I competed in one of my final races before the London Marathon - the Hogweed Hilly Half.
I picked this because I knew from the comments on the Runners' World website that it would be a more than useful training run; it scored a PB potential of 2/5 and the profile was described as "hilly". Slightly more honest than just "undulating". It also had very positive reviews, which is - albeit in my limited experience - always a good sign.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?en=32534&sp=&v=2
I decided to treat the race as a training run and also to fit in another 6-7 mile run later in the day. I trained every day in the week apart from Monday (even I need some rest after a 20-mile race!) and just took Saturday as a rest day before the race.
I spent a few hours at work Saturday - that may sound really sad but I am starting to get seriously behind which is never good, and it is truly amazing what you get done in a few hours with no interruptions. I managed to fit in a trip to the cinema as well, this time to see "Outlaw", a film about a vigilante gang in Blair's Britain. Not the best film Bob Hoskins has starred in, but entertaining enough, yet at the same time slightly depressing, knowing that we do live in a "yob culture", where custodial and non-custodial sentences are often a joke.
Moving on, I had a good night's sleep before the race and set off. The location wasn't too far from home at all; I drove down the M4 to junction 18 and then travelled about 5 miles to the village of Horton, just outside Chipping Sodbury, where the race HQ and start was located.
I had a little bit too much time to kill before the race but that is always better than being in a rush. Before too long we were ushered to the start line and the horn sounded. The race soon lived up to its description, and uphill stretches were soon followed by downhill ones. In fact, hardly any of it was flat at all. And when your downhill running is as poor as mine, this makes it nigh impossible to run at a decent pace.
Having said that, this was not a course to run round in a hurry, even if I could. On the way I passed through some of the most glorious English countryside and villages I have seen in my life, a timely reminder of why I love this hobby so much. The other runners were all pretty friendly, and on the way I met walkers and horse-riders and everyone seemed in a good mood on this fine spring morning (spring - how nice to use that word in conjunction with running again).
The marshalls especially were fantastic, handing out water at regular intervals - I was careful to stay hydrated during the race - and jelly babies as well. I plan to do some marshalling myself this year to try and give a little bit back to the sport.
In the end I finished in roughly 1 hour 58 minutes, which I was quite pleased with considering the course - the hill at mile 8 finished any hopes of getting close to my PB -, and the fact that it was only ever intended as a training run.
At the end I received a goody bag with a difference - a smart shoe bag with the name of the race and the running club on it. A very original and useful memento, much better than a medal. I also availed myself of a free massage, which was very welcome as my legs were sore not just from the race but a hard week's training.
I did manage a 6-7 mile run in the evening which was fairly painless, so another confidence builder for London. No alcohol to celebrate, as this was just another day's training and I wanted another decent run the next day.
So that was the last of the "tough training" races that I shall be doing for London, and I'm feeling in pretty good nick. Next up is the Bath half marathon on 25th March (where I shall be hoping for a new PB) and the White Horse half marathon the following weekend. I won't have recovered from Bath to get a PB but it is a flat and fast course by all accounts. Throw in a 5-mile race at Highworth the week before the big day and a couple more really long runs and I'm ready and raring to go.
At this stage I have to say I'm really looking forward to London and am quietly confident I shall get round painlessly and in a fairly respectable time. I'm also looking forward to the summer that follows, where I can just enjoy my running and focus on improving my half marathon and 10k times.
So all in all, lots to look forward to.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, March 2007
I picked this because I knew from the comments on the Runners' World website that it would be a more than useful training run; it scored a PB potential of 2/5 and the profile was described as "hilly". Slightly more honest than just "undulating". It also had very positive reviews, which is - albeit in my limited experience - always a good sign.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?en=32534&sp=&v=2
I decided to treat the race as a training run and also to fit in another 6-7 mile run later in the day. I trained every day in the week apart from Monday (even I need some rest after a 20-mile race!) and just took Saturday as a rest day before the race.
I spent a few hours at work Saturday - that may sound really sad but I am starting to get seriously behind which is never good, and it is truly amazing what you get done in a few hours with no interruptions. I managed to fit in a trip to the cinema as well, this time to see "Outlaw", a film about a vigilante gang in Blair's Britain. Not the best film Bob Hoskins has starred in, but entertaining enough, yet at the same time slightly depressing, knowing that we do live in a "yob culture", where custodial and non-custodial sentences are often a joke.
Moving on, I had a good night's sleep before the race and set off. The location wasn't too far from home at all; I drove down the M4 to junction 18 and then travelled about 5 miles to the village of Horton, just outside Chipping Sodbury, where the race HQ and start was located.
I had a little bit too much time to kill before the race but that is always better than being in a rush. Before too long we were ushered to the start line and the horn sounded. The race soon lived up to its description, and uphill stretches were soon followed by downhill ones. In fact, hardly any of it was flat at all. And when your downhill running is as poor as mine, this makes it nigh impossible to run at a decent pace.
Having said that, this was not a course to run round in a hurry, even if I could. On the way I passed through some of the most glorious English countryside and villages I have seen in my life, a timely reminder of why I love this hobby so much. The other runners were all pretty friendly, and on the way I met walkers and horse-riders and everyone seemed in a good mood on this fine spring morning (spring - how nice to use that word in conjunction with running again).
The marshalls especially were fantastic, handing out water at regular intervals - I was careful to stay hydrated during the race - and jelly babies as well. I plan to do some marshalling myself this year to try and give a little bit back to the sport.
In the end I finished in roughly 1 hour 58 minutes, which I was quite pleased with considering the course - the hill at mile 8 finished any hopes of getting close to my PB -, and the fact that it was only ever intended as a training run.
At the end I received a goody bag with a difference - a smart shoe bag with the name of the race and the running club on it. A very original and useful memento, much better than a medal. I also availed myself of a free massage, which was very welcome as my legs were sore not just from the race but a hard week's training.
I did manage a 6-7 mile run in the evening which was fairly painless, so another confidence builder for London. No alcohol to celebrate, as this was just another day's training and I wanted another decent run the next day.
So that was the last of the "tough training" races that I shall be doing for London, and I'm feeling in pretty good nick. Next up is the Bath half marathon on 25th March (where I shall be hoping for a new PB) and the White Horse half marathon the following weekend. I won't have recovered from Bath to get a PB but it is a flat and fast course by all accounts. Throw in a 5-mile race at Highworth the week before the big day and a couple more really long runs and I'm ready and raring to go.
At this stage I have to say I'm really looking forward to London and am quietly confident I shall get round painlessly and in a fairly respectable time. I'm also looking forward to the summer that follows, where I can just enjoy my running and focus on improving my half marathon and 10k times.
So all in all, lots to look forward to.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, March 2007
posted by Jon | 9:46 pm
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