Monthly Archives: July 2015

Two Tunnels 10k: Race Report

by Lolly

At the start of the year I signed up for the Two Tunnels Mini Challenge. This would involve doing a 5k in March, a 10k in May and (gulp) a half marathon in September. Two days before the 5k I got a chest infection, and so I re-scheduled to do the 5k in May and the 10k in July. Useful to have a series of events with 4 dates in the year!

Unfortunately this screwed up my timings somewhat. I ended up doing the Glastonbury 10k just a week before the Two Tunnels 5k, with no recovery runs in between. Achey legs and an annoyance at driving all the way to Bath for a (probably short) 5k made it a pretty miserable experience. Ben tried to persuade me that it was good experience for the later runs, but I wasn’t having any of it. By the time I reached last weekend, I wondered what the point of doing a 10k at this point was, particularly having already hit my sub-60 target for the year.

The Two Tunnels events are based around a section of the former Somerset & Dorset railway line that’s been turned into a cycle path. Along the line it goes through, wait for it, two tunnels. Bet you didn’t see that one coming. All the events start in a park in Bath, and the ‘Return ticket’ 10k goes out through both tunnels before coming back the same way.

The events have quite a laid-back feel to them, with everything you really need from a race but not a lot more. On arriving in the park (field) I collected my number and then headed straight for the very long toilet queue. Four toilets between several hundred runners led to a long wait, but as luck would have it I was queuing right behind two fellow club members.

The range of events and size of path means that runners are sent off in waves. We were in the last wave to go, and during our (very good) briefing the first few 5k runners started to go through. Many of us were clapping and cheering them in – it was that kind of event. There was a countdown until the start clock got to 20 minutes, and then we were off.

Well, we were mostly off. Some people nearer the front weren’t in much of a rush, so it took a little while to properly get going. We headed across the field and then down a bank to meet the footpath. Lesson number 1 from the 5k – there is no need to rush down the uneven bit. I nearly twisted my ankle first time out, but in the 10k I took my time and chose my footing carefully.

Once we were on the path properly I started weaving to try to get into the right position. What I didn’t learn from the 5k is that the bridges have posts in the middle at either end, and so I nearly smacked straight into one of them. The typical re-shuffle for the start of a race continued, and I found myself overtaking people who were overtaking people themselves. Reminded me of the motorway on the way up! It was also pretty hairy at times, as the 5kers were flying along in the opposite direction.

Tunnel! (credit: Leigh Dodds)

Having settled into a pace, the first tunnel approached. Lesson number two from the 5k – the tunnels are your friend. The footing is solid throughout, and there is a surprisingly consistent cool, easy-to-breathe air quality. There are lights at regular intervals, and the path is easily wide enough to run three across. I knew this was my chance to get into a solid rhythm at a quicker pace.

Heading out of the first tunnel, I lapped my watch. Then I lapped it again. The tunnels are great for running but terrible for GPS. By lapping once it had re-found me, I could use my lap pace to get an approximation of how fast I was going. Something else I’d thought about after my 5k experience.

We passed the turning point for the 5k and then, in what seemed like no time at all, had reached the second tunnel. It’s fair to say that this part didn’t seem like no time at all. This tunnel is very long, just over a mile long in fact. Somewhere in the middle I spotted the distance markers on the ground, telling you how far it was to each end. The atmosphere was good, as runners from an earlier 10k wave were heading back the other way. Friendly faces and the tunnel features made for nice racing conditions.

The major downside with a mile of cool tunnel was coming out the other end. It was like running into a wall of hot and humid. My watch took a little longer to find me this time, so I was lapping for quite a bit. It helped to pass the time until that magical moment – drinks station! The water was in the usual cups, and was handed out very efficiently.

Course map. Note the tunnels.

After a short while longer we reached the flag. Turning round on a reasonably narrow path made for a tight corner. I went round at the same time as a reasonably tall guy who was packed with muscle. This gave me that brief smug moment of being small enough to accelerate back up very quickly. Pretty sure he caught back up shortly after though.

As inevitably happens, the way back seemed to take that big longer. The drinks station was further than I remembered, although I did have the lift of seeing club members passing through. The drinks were outbound only, but someone nice had taken a few cups to the other side to give us the option of more water. And it was then furhter to get back to the tunnel than I’d remembered as well.

The atmosphere changed on the way back, as I was fairly lonely in the tunnel. Fewer people were running the other direction, and I was a way behind the runner in front as well. Every hundred metres I looked to the ground to see the distance markers, and it’s fair to say they helped keep me going. So much so that I caught and overtook the girl in front, who was very supportive in cheering me on.

Leaving the tunnel meant another wave of heat, but a psychological milestone had been passed. The marshal at the 5k turn point was a welcome sight, and by the final tunnel section I was feeling pretty good. So I started to speed up. Compared to the longer tunnel, with the knowledge of heading home, the shorter tunnel was over much sooner than expected.

Back out in the open I was aware of someone catching up to me. At one stage we were side-by-side, and he told me not to let him overtake me. Even though it felt harder the pace was still good. We crossed a bridge, and in one of those horrible moments I forgot that there were, in fact, two bridges and so we weren’t as close to the end as I thought. I felt like I had nothing left to give, but with the support of my new running partner I maintained pace.

We finally got to the bridge near the end. Some earlier finishers were waiting there cheering – one of my favourite features in any race or parkrun. The final lesson I had taken from the 5k was that the finish was relatively difficult, going up a reasonably steep slope before heading back to the grass. I really struggled up the hill, but I got a lot of support from the guy I was running with. Then we reached the last slog along the grass. Cheers came from all around, including from Ben and our daughter, and I gave every last thing I had to make it over the line.

I’d seen the clock as I crossed the line, and it’s really not hard to subtract 20 minutes from a time. Which mean that as I turned to shake the other runner’s hand I was able to thank him for pushing me back to a massive PB. He said that he’d been using me for pace for quite some way. I think it was really nice of him to cheer me home instead of overtaking – I know which option Ben would have taken!

Inter-locking medals!

Across the field I took my toddler to pick up my medal – number 2 as it was my second race in the series. The bag literally just contained a high-quality medal and a chocolate bar which, to be honest, is all I really want at the end of a race. Ben then took a trip to one of the food vans, and so I was happily munching away as I watched some of my club friends cross the line. Special shout out for Kirsti who had an amazing sprint finish to pull off an overtake just before the finish line.

So what started off as a pointless event turned into one of the best 10k experiences I’ve had. In September there will be events ranging from 300m to a full marathon, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone in the area. Scenic race with everything you need, and the added bonus of going through some old railway tunnels. Definitely one I’d happily recommend.

My 3-part medal is now two thirds complete, and I worked extremely hard for that second piece. My 10k PB was reduced by almost 4 minutes to 55:23. The scary thing is though, I’ll have to work even harder for the third part. I’ve never run that far before!

A little bit about… recovery weeks

by Ben

[Disclaimer: I am not a qualified coach, and this post is only based on advice I have received, and my own experience. What works well for me might not necessarily work well for you.]

This week, I can’t rave about a successful tempo run, or setting a new elevation record. I won’t be extending my long run, or running a set of intervals. In fact, this week my running is extremely dull. That’s because I’m on my recovery week. A few people have asked me what this is and why I’m doing it, so I thought I’d write a bit more about it here.

Unfortunately a recovery week is NOT all about relaxing on the beach…

Essentially, a recovery week is exactly what it sounds like: a whole week of recovery! Unfortunately though, this doesn’t mean that I’m sat on the sofa the whole time. (Or at least, I’m not meant to be…) Much as after a particularly tough race you might want to take a few days to recover, probably including a low intensity workout, a recovery week comes after a tough few weeks.

For my own training, I tend to include a recovery week every fourth week. After three tough weeks of training, normally including the full variety of hills, speed and distance, the body is fatigued. To continue to train at the same level increases the risk of injury or illness, so I scale everything back for the following week. Normally, this would be a total distance drop of around 30%, so if I’ve been totalling 25 miles a week, I’ll drop down to around 17 or 18 miles. Within that, each run will be easier. That’s not to say that every workout will be at a “recovery pace”, but I won’t be conciously pushing myself to run fast: just comfortably.

In addition to the lighter workload, I try to include more “mat work” – core exercises, stretching and foam roller sessions. It is also a great time to get a deep tissue massage, as it’s best not to get these shortly before harder workouts.

Recovery is not just important for injury prevention though; it is while the body is not exercising that it strengthens; without effective recovery exercise sessions and training plans will only make the body weaker, not stronger. Personally, I hate recovery weeks: I feel like I’m not achieving anything. But I know that it is helping my body improve from the last three weeks of pushing myself, and will leave me rested and better able to push myself over the next three weeks.

So, how can you incorporate recovery weeks into your own running? Firstly, don’t feel you have to do exactly what I do! That’s just what I’ve found works best for me. In fact, at the moment while I’m still essentially in rehabilitation for my knee injury, I’m dropping about 40%. You might want to cut back more often, but by less (maybe every third week, but only drop about 20%), or less often, and by more (perhaps every sixth week, but cut back 50%).

Sticking to recovery for a whole week isn’t always very easy, particularly if, like me, you enjoy parkrun on a Saturday: sticking to a slightly gentler pace rather than chasing a PB on rested legs can be tough. But, for me at least, it’s worth it over all!

Quantock Beast: race report

by Ben

In the past few weeks, I’ve been making an effort to incorporate more hills into my training. This came about for two main reasons: Firstly at the start of June I ran the Crewkerne 10k, which was an… undulating race that I was woefully unprepared for. Secondly, I’ve recently been looking through my running logs and realised quite how flat the majority of my runs are. Running in Taunton, and primarily along the river and canal, this is hardly a surprise, but all the more reason that I needed to make a special effort.

With some club mates at the start. Credit: Lolly.

So, the Quantock Beast seemed like an ideal opportunity: a small race local race (five miles from home) with a fair bit of climb over a relatively short distance. In the week leading up to the race, I began my “hill hunting” in earnest: last Sunday I tackled (got lost on) Cothelstone Hill, to clock up 258 metres of climbing, easiest my most ever, and then on Tuesday I managed to find 163 metres in a run from my house, which mostly involved trying to run as far from Taunton as I could manage and still get back in time for breakfast. While I’m sure that this will pay dividends with my long-term running development, I did belatedly realise that it perhaps a little foolhardy in terms of short-term race preparation. But then, it’s not like I had a 5.5 mile race time to try and beat!

The race starts and ends at a free admission National Trust property, Fyne Court. This provided a lovely location to mill around in before and after the race, and also an area suitable for my toddler to charge around in while I was racing: something my wife and brother assure me she did plenty of!

Fyne Court, when not full of runners! Credit: Rose and Trev Clough

A short briefing before the race mentioned some of the marshalling and route problems from the previous year, when a variety of routes were run as people went off track in a few different places. We were assured that this year there were plenty of marshals, arrows and marker tape to prevent the problems being repeated. After a further warning about a fallen tree we’d have to clamber over, we were off! I intentionally positioned myself slightly further back in the pack to try and avoid haring off too fast, but the plan back-fired slightly, as after an initial road section, we climbed onto some narrow paths on which overtaking was impossible. I spent a while stuck running slower than I would like, but when the path opened up onto a field, I was able to move through the pack in front of me a little more easily. Around this point, I fell into sync with a runner in a fluorescent vest, and we ran together for most of the next two miles. Which was a steep descent, followed by a long, long, long ascent.

I soon adopted a tactic of run – walking up the hill. For all those around me were running quickly enough that I did drop back when I walked, I found I was gradually making up ground on those ahead of me by doing it. I know some people try to avoid walking during a run, but personally, in a race, I’ll use which ever method I think will get me to the end quickest. Towards the top of the hill, I began to pull away from the runner I’d been with for a while: at the end he told me that he’d tried his best to stay with me, but just hadn’t been able to.

What a face! Credit: Lolly.

The climb got a little muddier towards the top, although the hot weather recently made the terrain much better than it could be. One runner I spoke to on the climb said that things had been a lot worse last year! I passed two more runners during the final stage of the ascent, and slotted in behind a chap from Weston AC as we weaved our way through the trees. At one point, one of the arrows had fallen slightly and appeared to be pointing down the right-hand fork, but the marker tape continued along the left-hand fork, and so we headed that way. (Apparently, not everyone did, and there was a fair bit of moaning and groaning at the end about people going off course “again”! Personally, I felt that the marking was fine, although as I was following another runner through this section I can’t tell for sure whether I’d have gone wrong or not if I was on my own.)

The route dropped downhill from this point, and soon moved onto the road for the last mile. I allowed myself to speed up as we cruised downhill, although I was a little wary that I didn’t know the course well enough to be sure that there wasn’t another climb or off-road section, so I was careful not to push too hard. As it turned out, I ran my fastest kilometre of the year to end the race, and even put in a sprint finish, despite there being no one close in front or behind me. Although I was slightly worried that I would trip over the toddler who ran out into the finish funnel in front of me… yes, my own daughter!

After a chat with a few other members of the club, including a couple that I hadn’t seen at the start, we headed home, to enjoy a well deserved (in my opinion at least) Nando’s!