Since I did not do a parkrun on Saturday, and therefore have no further parkrun news to impart, I thought I would provide an update on August's races. I did two races in August (parkrun is of course
not a race) and both were very different and very cool.
Hart 4 Trail Relay Race - 11 August
The first was the Hart 4 Trail Relay Race, an excellent event consisting of teams of 4 running 4km laps for 4 hours. Fitstuff had 4 teams entered so we had quite a crowd of us. As the slowest member of my team "Team Gorgeous" I elected to run last so that the others would each be able to fit in 3 laps before the cut off, leaving me to run 2 or maybe 3 laps, depending on how fast we went. The rules state that as long as you start the last lap before 4 hours has elapsed, you can then finish and count that lap.
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| "Team Gorgeous" |
As it was a hilly trail route, I had no great expectations, estimating that I would take around 30 minutes. I was therefore very happy to finish my first lap in 26:48, a pace of 6:42min/km. It was very much a course of two halves, starting with an uneven grassy stretch, then around 1km of hill climb, then from around 2km it was mostly level finishing with a lovely fast descent. So as long at you could push through to halfway, you were pretty much there.
Going into the second lap, my legs were a little tired but I knew what to expect so didn't feel too daunted. It felt like a slow lap so I was surprised and happy to complete the second lap in 26:54, only 6 seconds slower than the first lap.
As we were all running well, I had no excuse not to do a third lap, tired legs meant this took a little longer at 27:51 but I am proud to say that I still ran up the hill, even though at that point I could have taken it easy as we were outside of the 4 hours. Maybe the thought of the Prosecco waiting for me at the end helped with the motivation!
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| Well earned fizz! |
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| I love how grumpy the deer looks! |
This race was a real confidence boost for me as I had run 12km with not a step of walk including some rather long hills. It helped me see how far I have come over the last few months. After all the running was done, we got on to the serious business of chilling out with a picnic and Prosecco. It was lovely to be a part of the day with the wonderful Fitstuff people.
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| Pristine came too! |
London Spitfire 10K - 31 August
I am a bit of an aviation nut, so when I found out there was a Spitfire themed 10k around the historic London Aerodrome and RAF Hendon site, it had to be done! The race started with a wiggly route around the grounds of the RAF Museum, then out to two 4km laps following the old airfield, then back to the museum to run through Hangar 1 and under a Short Sunderland flying boat before heading to the finish. Each runner had the name of a Battle of Britain pilot on their back which made the run feel very special. I had
Sergeant Holmes who was best known for using his own aircraft to ram a German bomber.
I must admit, the 4km lap around paths and streets did not feel particularly special, just a bit crowded and narrow. But I did enjoy running past the Spitfire Gate Guardian and running through the hangar was extremely cool.
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| RAF Museum Hangar 1 |
I had decided before the race not to think about my time but just to run, so I did not look at my watch the whole way round. My time was 1:07:45, which was around 4.5 minutes faster than my last 10k, four weeks earlier. Still trending faster which makes me happy!
Check out the medal, the propeller actually spins!
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| One of my favourites so far! |
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| The Spitfire Gate Guardian |
So, overall, August was a pretty good month. Now, on to see what September will bring.
