Huge thanks to Heather for sending us this brilliant report of her recent racing exploits – there are some fantastic stories in here!
I have been rather tardy in writing up recent race reports, and have therefore decided to write up a race report mega-mix detailing all my various running adventures. I am usually someone who does one or two races a year, the exception being if I enter the Sexarathon series, but I always feel they don’t really count as big events. So, I’m not sure what change of personality has come over me that means I have done five races in the last two months.
We start with the Ironbridge Half Marathon on 22nd March. A classic local race that many people will be familiar with. I had a training run scheduled that weekend but picked up a last-minute race transfer as a friend was injured. In my opinion there’s nothing better than a low-pressure race, and that’s exactly what this was for me.
This training block has been plagued by a low-level niggle in my Achilles. Early on in training, I switched to three runs a week (from four) and did all of them run/walking. I then added a session on the bike and lots of time in the gym, including fifty thousand calf raises (I know every variation going if you ever find yourself exceptionally desperate for a topic of conversation with me!).
On race day I made a deal with myself. I decided I could blast it on the running bits during the first half where the course is downhill, IF I stuck with my run/walk plan. Then I needed to really ease off on the uphill later on as hills seem to aggravate the Achilles injury. This worked really well and I had a fabulous time. The weather was perfect, cool but sunny. And (with one exception) the hills weren’t as long or as hard as I’d remembered them being. I finished the race feeling confident that I had 21.1k under my belt in 2:16:17 and in a much better position ahead of my goal race.
A week later, on 28th March, I had the Shawbury 10K. This race wiggles around the airfield at RAF Shawbury and is hands down the windiest race I’ve ever experienced. On a calm day this would easily be a PB course. It was not a calm day! It’s a fairly flat course and has some long straight stretches, but sadly I felt as if I was about to be knocked over by the wind, and then there was some hail thrown in for extra character building! I gave it a really good crack and weirdly enjoyed the challenges. It was my first continuous distance run in a few months as I decided to test the Achilles without the run/walk strategy. The course came up long at 10.6km but I was very pleased to get round and feel strong all the way, securing a time of 1:00:25 (and 57:11 at the 10k mark).
My goal race for this spring was the Magaluf Half Marathon in Mallorca on 18th April. Amy Hughes and I had both planned to run it, but unfortunately Amy was injured, and came along for official support duties instead. This looked like a more appealing option, as she was eating an ice cream and about to go for a dip in the sea as I headed off to my race in the blazing Mediterranean heat. We had a fabulous four-night break that consisted of delicious food and drinks, at least one sea swim every day including two swims out to different islands off the coast, and the general peace that comes with leaving your kids back in the UK while you swan around in the sunshine!
The race was at 5pm, which seemed like terrible scheduling to me. Being a road race, the tarmac was super hot and reflecting heat up at me, and although it was cooling down while I ran, I struggled with the temperature. The course is pretty flat, and does a few long stretches out of Magaluf before finishing with a loop around the town itself that featured many enthusiastic supporters watching from bars and restaurants along the way. Having had an imperfect training cycle that featured no speedwork, I wasn’t sure of a goal time but settled on what seemed like a sensible pace. Things fell apart at the end as the heat got to me, but I pushed really hard from the beginning and was proud to have continued racing even when it felt like my heart rate was about 200bpm from the moment I set off.
The race was small and well organised and there was also a 10k course. It wasn’t an especially scenic route but it made for a fantastic spring break in the sunshine and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for an island retreat. We did stay down the road in another town as I’m not sure the nightlife of Magaluf was exactly what we were looking to experience on our peaceful holiday. Despite doing all my training runs following a five minute run/one minute walk strategy, I decided to risk going all in and running the whole race and came away with a time of 2:11:58.
On the Wednesday following the Magaluf HM, I took on the Lilleshall 5 Miler and, despite having very tired legs, managed to run a course PB of 44:50, beating a time that had stood since 2018. Apparently, all I needed to find some speed was not to be running in double-figure temperatures!
The final race of my running extravaganza was the Cannock Chase Trail Marathon Relay on 16th May, which I took on with my husband, Daniel Campbell-Miles. This was a fun format as the aim was to complete a marathon distance as a team, with both individuals doing a half marathon leg each. I took the first leg and was the last person to cross the start line as my daughter wanted to run with me. This turned out to be a bad tactical decision as the first five miles of the race were on mountain bike single-track, meaning it was very narrow with lots of lumps and bumps.
I couldn’t run for at least the first few miles due to the bottleneck of runners and, even after that, was running behind people and having to work my way up the field. This was slightly frustrating as it was a super fun bit of trail to fly around, but it probably saved my legs for later on so was likely not a bad thing in the long run. After five miles the course opened up onto fire trails and was much more runnable, both in terms of how technical the terrain was and how open it was, meaning I could settle into running at my own pace.
I managed a decent trail pace and was having the time of my life, running with a huge grin on my face as I passed the canicross runners and all the cute doggies who had been set off 15 minutes before the other race distances started. Then I hit kilometres 14 and 15, which were basically straight up and down some big hills with very slippy conditions underfoot (lots of sandy rocky gullies). At one point I remember laughing as I came down a hill and saw what appeared to be a vertical wall stretching up in front of me. I didn’t remember signing up to a mountaineering expedition. I used to do a lot of trail running but haven’t had the opportunity since having my daughter, so this was very much a chance to get used to the terrain again and enjoy being out in nature. And with these crazy hills I had plenty of time to look around and enjoy the views.
After 10 miles, the course was runnable again but sadly my legs had done all the running they were interested in for the day. I undertook a sort of run/shuffle that ultrarunners will be familiar with and made it back to base in 2:48:12. It wasn’t an especially high-tech set-up so Daniel and I swapped over our ankle monitor timing chip and off he went on a very quiet course to blast around the second relay leg, giving us a total marathon time of 5:01:26. There were canicross, and solo 10k, half and full marathon distances on the day and we were delighted to be the first marathon relay team to finish, for which we were each awarded a box of Heroes chocolates. This victory was not at all tainted by the fact that it turned out we were in fact the ONLY marathon team running that day. BUT a podium finish is still a podium finish, even if you’re not racing anyone else!
This was a fabulous small race and very well set up for beginner trail runners, or people like me returning after a long hiatus. The race briefing pack was very comprehensive and the course was the most well-marked trail race I’ve ever taken part in. The course looped back through based camp three or four times so you could see your support team multiple times (if they weren’t off having strawberry milkshakes in the local café). My only advice would be to make sure you get out ahead of the crowds or be sure you’re happy to walk/jog the first third of the race.
All in all I’ve had a fab spring of racing and now plan to have a bit of a rest from events (once I’ve done the Phoenix Flyer!). I have started training for my first marathon in eight years, so that will be the primary focus of my summer running, meaning lots of long runs and no more racing for a while.
Newport & District Running Club 