2017 - A funny old year

So, it’s that time again when I look back at the year that’s gone and ahead to the one to come.  2017 was a funny old year really as I only managed six races in total – one cross-country and five road races!  But of those races, three of them were pretty significant.  You can read detailed accounts of these races in my previous blogs, but here’s a quick synopsis:

Mud, mud, glorious mud!

7^th January - Warwickshire County Cross-Country Champs. at Newbold Comyn in Leamington.  This year was my 21^st Warwickshire Cross-Country Championship (the first being in 1987).  I decided to step down an age group and run as a senior rather than a Master in order to try and help my club, Leamington C&AC, win a team medal.  It proved to be a good decision as we came away with team bronze, which was a great result, especially considering we were up against the likes of Birchfield Harriers and Coventry Godiva.

 

15^th January - Not the Roman IX in Stratford-upon-Avon (12k).  I was a far cry from the course record I set there several years ago (which still stands) but was happy enough with my third place in the women’s race.

 

5^th March - BHF Warwick half-marathon.  I ran this as a tempo training run, deliberately holding back from my all-out race pace, but still finishing 4^th female.  

 

11^th March - a 50km race at Long Marston airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon.  I say “race”, but it was slightly odd in that I was really running a time-trial.  I’d been asked by the England selectors to “prove my fitness” in order to hopefully gain selection for the England Team in the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100km in May.  Due to a lack of suitable races I contacted Raceways, the organisers of a 5k / 10k / half marathon and marathon race at Long Marston, to see if they could accommodate me running a 50km while everyone else did the other distances.  They were brilliant and really helpful, suggesting I run 10 laps of the 5km route which would give me an accurate chip-timed 50km.  So this is what I did, finishing in 3hrs 42.13 which was comfortably inside the time required by the selectors. 

 

Winning my first British Championship

21^st May - Anglo-Celtic Plate and British Championships 100km in Patrington, near Hull.  I started at a steady pace and gradually worked my way through the field, eventually finishing first female in 8hrs 01.25, thereby winning the British Championship and helping the England team to victory in the Anglo-Celtic Plate.  This was my first British title, won at the age of 45.

 

At the start of the Fuxian Lake 50km

 

 

30^th September – Fuxian Lake Highland Ultra-marathon (50km), China.  I was invited by the race organiser to compete in this event and it was an amazing experience.  I gradually worked my way through the field from 13^th at 5km to 4^th at the finish.  My time of 3hrs 53.38 reflected the altitude, hills and hot temperature!  This was my first race in Asia and the 12^th country I’ve raced in.

These last three races were definitely the highlights of my year, but as is usually the case they were interspersed with some low points too!  My final weeks of preparation for the ACP 100km were hampered by bad blisters on the balls of my feet and also by a calf strain, which meant some time off running.  However, at least I was able to cross-train on the bike and in the pool.  Luckily it all healed enough to allow me to run the 100km.  Unfortunately, though, the calf re-strained during a training run in July, with a sudden stabbing pain that forced me to walk / hobble the 3 miles back home!  It was three or four weeks before I was back into training properly again, which was rather concerning as I’d accepted my invitation to run in the 50km in China and I really wanted to perform well there.  I was just starting to build my mileage up again in preparation for China when I stepped awkwardly on a sloping pavement and aggravated the calf yet again, just a couple of weeks before the race!  I did everything I could to help it heal and, thankfully, didn’t feel it at all during my race in China.  It did mean, however, that I went into that race less prepared than I would have liked, making my 4^th place in a quality international field even more pleasing.

Amongst the races and injury woes were some other enjoyable highlights too.  In June I gave a talk to my local WI group on “My running story”, which was extremely well received.  I donated my speaker’s fee to Warwick Hospital’s Aylesford cancer unit, where my coach, Les, has received excellent treatment.  It was great to be able to share my ‘running story’ with the local community, many of whom see me out training regularly, follow my progress in the local Leamington Courier newspaper and are always really interested and supportive.  Their enthusiasm told in the number of questions I was asked and the number of people who came to chat to me afterwards.  And, yes, I was asked the question that I always get asked – “What do you do about going to the toilet when you’re racing for that length of time?”!  

With RLAG founders Rebecca and Lauren

In July I was really honoured to be invited to the ‘Run Like a Girl’ (RLAG) anniversary party as a ‘Surprise Guest’!  This is an absolutely amazing women-only running group based in the Warwick / Leamington / Coventry area, which has encouraged and inspired thousands of ladies to take up running and nurtures them through various programmes for improvement.  They were celebrating their 2^nd anniversary in July and I was invited along as a local GB international athlete as a surprise for the two leaders and to present some awards to their members.  I had such a fab time meeting and chatting to people I’d never met before, but feeling we had so much in common as runners.  The mutual support and encouragement that all the members give to each other is fantastic and it was truly inspirational listening to their stories about the amazing difference running has brought to their lives.  The short ‘speech’ I gave before presenting their awards seemed quite inadequate in comparison.  I’m so grateful to them for inviting me and it’s great that we still keep in touch and I give them a wave whenever I see them out training in the local area!

 

Coverage in the local newspaper!

 

Page from the Event Bochure

After this came another high when I was informed that I had been shortlisted as a finalist for the ‘Amateur Sportswoman of the Year Award’ at the Coventry and Warwickshire Sports Awards.  This came as a total surprise as I didn’t even know I’d been nominated!  I still don’t know who nominated me, but a massive thank you to whoever it was, if they’re reading this!  The ceremony was held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and hosted by ITV weather presenter, Emma Jesson, and television sports presenter, Gary Newbon.  After a champagne reception and three course dinner the awards, in various categories, were presented.  I was proud, honoured, delighted and shocked to be named the winner!  The evening concluded with the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to former football player and manager, Bobby Gould.  It was a lovely evening, but what really made it special for me was the fact that Les and my parents were there as my guests.  None of my achievements would have been possible without the support of my family and friends and, of course, the dedication and commitment of my coach, Les.

 

Receiving my award from Paralympic skier, Anna Turney (left) and
with the event hosts, Gary Newbon and Emma Jesson (right)

 

Sharing my success with my coach, Les (left) and my parents (right), and thanking them for all their support

So, to bring the year to a close.  I’d like to say it’s ended on a high with lots of running and races, but sadly the opposite is true!  Regular readers of my blogs will know that I’ve been suffering from high hamstring tendinopathy now for a number of years.  Sometimes this has been bad enough to cause stress reactions in my ischial tuberosity resulting in several months of no exercise whatsoever.  At other times, such as this year, I’ve been able to manage it enough to be able to run and race.  However, it has never cleared up completely and my physio’s advice was that we should make a concerted effort to resolve the issues properly, for the sake of my longer-term running career.  This has meant a programme of hamstring loading in the gym and, initially, minimal running to compensate for this additional loading.  However, with no improvement being evident I have now been reduced to no running at all for the last month or so.  It remains to be seen whether this will have any effect as I’ve still not noticed any improvement so far, but I’m hopeful that it will begin to feel better soon!  It feels quite a strange and frustrating situation to be in – I don’t feel like I’m injured and yet I’m not allowed to run!  It was a massively hard decision to make, to voluntarily stop running, but I weighed everything up and felt I had to give it a go for my long-term future as a runner.

Despite the hamstring issues, calf strains and blisters I still managed to run over 2,300 miles this year, all in my trusty Mizuno shoes of course!  My time in the ACP 100km ranks me number one in this year’s UK rankings for 100km and also number one in the World in the W45 age group (and 12^th in the World all ages)!  My time in the Raceways 50km event is actually the second fastest 50km by a British female this year, but unfortunately as it wasn’t an official race it doesn’t count for the annual UK Ranking list!  My official 50km time from China ranks me number four in this year’s World W45 rankings.

All in all I can take many positives from the year, despite the disappointment of ending it unable to run.  Whilst running is what makes me happy and fulfilled I know it’s not the ‘be all and end all’ of life, and there are many more people who are worse off than me.  So it’s now time to look ahead to next year in the hope I’ll be back running again and doing what I love!