30 years as a runner Part 1: The track & cross-country years 1986 - 2000

Having recently entered my 30^th year of competitive running I thought now would be a fitting time to look back and reflect on how far I’ve come and what an incredible journey it’s been.  I’ve learnt so much about myself and had the most wonderful experiences that I never even dreamt existed!  Okay, there have been some very low points too, but although they are extremely hard to deal with at the time I know they’re part of the bigger picture, and part of what has made my life as a runner so special.  Thirty years is a long time, so I’ve decided to split this blog into two parts:  Part 1: 'the track and cross-country years from 1986 to 2000' follows here and Part 2: 'marathons and ultras from 2000 to present' will be coming soon!

I say that my competitive athletics career started 30 years ago, but that was when I joined Leamington C&AC (where I’ve been a member ever since).  I suppose my competitive athletics career really started at primary school, where I competed in sports days and inter-school sports.

Primary school sports day:  60m sprint (left); an early form of strength training! (right) 



My head teacher at primary school thought that girls shouldn’t run ‘long distance’ so my main events in those days were the 60m sprint and long jump.  I used to represent the school in the Henley Area School Sports, always finishing 2^nd to a girl called Jo Wise, who later went on to become Commonwealth Games long jump champion in 1998!  Coincidentally, Jo and I later found ourselves in the same class when we both moved up to the same secondary school - Stratford Grammar School for Girls.  It was there that I was finally able to run 800m and 1500m in PE lessons, and I soon realised how much I enjoyed those events.  I lacked confidence in those days and was quite timid, so it took three years of gentle encouragement from my parents before I entered the school sports day!  However, once I did (finishing 1^st in the 800m and 2^nd in the 1500m) there was no looking back!  I set new school records for the 800m and 1500m and was picked to run in the South Warwickshire School Sports.  I had a lot of encouragement from my PE teacher, Miss Lawton, and she was very instrumental in my early athletics career.  But little did my parents know what their initial words of encouragement would lead to!



Running in the South Warwickshire schools sports

In 1986 I entered the 800m in the Warwickshire Schools Championships held at Warwick University - my first race on a proper all-weather track.  It was a really close race and I finished 3^rd, just a fraction of a second behind the winner and with the same time as the second-placed athlete.  I was really excited about my result and that was probably the first time that I really thought that maybe I had some talent as a runner.  After that I really got the running ‘bug’ and pestered my parents to let me join the local athletics club – Leamington C&AC.  They eventually relented and in September 1986 my mum took me to the track in Leamington for the first time.  We met one of the coaches – Les Barnett – who sat down with the two of us and talked through various things about training and joining the club.  Les is still coaching me 30 years later.  I clearly remember that one of the things he said on that first evening (bearing in mind he’d never even seen me run!) was that who knows, perhaps I would make it to the Olympics one day.  My mum just laughed with a ‘don’t-be-silly’ kind of look; however, a small seed was planted in my mind … …



Midland Women's League Cross-country

My first race for the club was a Midland Women’s League cross-country at Newbold Comyn in Leamington and I soon realised the world of club athletics was on a different level to schools athletics!  In the few schools track races I’d done I’d consistently finished in the top three, but suddenly here I was finishing half-way down the field or more.  Okay, so it was the first time I’d ever run cross-country, but even so – what was that Les had said about the Olympics?!  I didn’t realise at the time that it would take many years of hard work, dedication and perseverance through good and bad, to eventually make the international stage.  

 

I did, however, manage to make the Warwickshire team for the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships in my first cross-country season.  I was thrilled to be selected – I didn’t know such opportunities existed and I felt hugely proud and honoured to be representing my county and running against people from the whole country!  The championships were held in Kettering and I finished 149^th out of 240 in the Intermediate Girls age group.  The thing I remember most about this race, though, is losing my shoe in the mud!  I’d never faced that kind of predicament before and didn’t know anything about taping them on beforehand.  I wasn’t sure what to do – stop and put it back on, or carry on regardless?!  In the end I carried on and ran half the race with my sock flapping off the end of my foot!  Luckily my dad rescued the shoe for me after the race, as he’s done several times since, most notably at Stafford Common where he had to poke around with a big stick to find it in the quagmire! 
 

One shoe on and one shoe off!

In my first senior National Cross-country Championships in 1989, at Senneleys Park in Birmingham, I finished 202^nd out of around 600 finishers.  In the same year’s Midland Cross-country Championships I was 71^st out of 130 and in the Inter-Counties Cross-country, 197^th out of about 230.



English Schools, Chesterfield 1988

Luckily I wasn’t too disheartened by my early performances and my enthusiasm for training and racing remained undeterred.  I continued competing in schools events, as well as club races, right through my school years, including sixth-form.  In fact, it was while I was in the sixth-form that I set up the school cross-country club, with the blessing of Miss Lawton, as up until then there had been no provision for running cross-country.  We used to train once a week at lunchtime and even managed to win team silver in the Warwickshire Schools Cross-Country Championships in 1988.  Altogether I won ten Warwickshire Schools medals on track and cross-country, six of them gold.  I represented Warwickshire Schools in the English Schools Cross-Country Championships in 1988 (Chesterfield) and 1989 (Hertford), but was never quite good enough to achieve the English Schools qualifying standard for the track & field championships.

Running for Warwickshire Schools

After I left school I went to Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Beckett University) to study Landscape Architecture.  At the Freshers’ Fair I made a beeline for the Poly. Athletics Club and signed up straight away.  I started training with the rest of the club under the guidance of world renowned coach Wilf Paish, with track sessions at Beckett Park, hill reps. up the infamous Carnegie Hill, long runs on the Meanwood Valley Trail, weekly circuits and even tyre-pulling strength sessions.  It was Wilf who introduced me to strength training in the gym and twice-a-day running and consequently I saw huge gains in my fitness levels.  Although Wilf set the training sessions at Leeds I never regarded him as my coach – that has always been Les’ role.  To me a coach is much more than someone who just sets training schedules.  I was still in regular contact with Les and kept him up to date with my training and racing.  However, training alongside ‘proper’ athletes at Leeds did make me realise what it would take to reach my full potential, and I was more than prepared to put in the necessary work to achieve that. 

BPSA Champs. 1991

I made some huge improvements during my time in Leeds, winning eleven British Polytechnics Championship medals (8 gold) on the track and cross-country and silver in the British Students Champs. 3000m in 1991.  I was also proud to represent both the British Polytechnics Sports Association (BPSA) and British Students Sports Federation (BSSF) on various occasions.  In 1992 I was non-travelling reserve for the World Student Cross-Country Championships in France, but sadly didn’t get to go.  Although we were all committed athletes it didn’t stop us also enjoying a social life after training, and there was plenty of joking around in the back of the mini-bus en route to fixtures the length and breadth of Britain!

 

 

 

Representing BPSA against BUSF, BCSF, WCC & RRA, Civil Service &
Combined Services, Camberley

In 1991 I won my first Warwickshire titles, first in the 800m and 1500m in the track championships, and then in the cross-country championships that winter.  In the track champs. I lowered my PBs to 2:13:2 (800m) and 4:28:6 (1500m) – both of which still stand as my PBs to this day!  Over the years I’ve won a total of fifteen Warwickshire medals on the track (6 gold) and twenty-four on the country (13 gold).  I’ve also represented Warwickshire five times on the track (including in the 400m hurdles – they must have been desperate!) and twelve times on the country.



Representing Warwickshire: 1991 Inter-counties XC, Gateshead (left) and
1989 Jackson Trophy, Leicester (right)



1998 Inter-counties XC, Cardiff

My racing took me all over the country and I’m indebted to my parents who gave up their weekends to ferry both my sister and myself everywhere from St. Helens to Rickmansworth, Carmarthen to Gateshead, and pretty much everywhere in between!  I’m forever thankful to Mum and Dad, who not only persuaded me to enter that very first school sports day, but who have also supported and encouraged me ever since.  They’ve never pushed me, or criticised me when I’ve had a bad race, but have always been there for me.  I hope that my achievements have, in some small way, repaid them and made them proud.

In front of Paula Radcliffe for
at least part of the race!

Apart from student championships, my first national-level competition was in the 1991 UK Championships 3000m in Cardiff.  The race was packed with some of the big names of the time – Liz McColgan, Jill Hunter, Karen Hutcheson, Andrea Whitcombe and a young Paula Radcliffe to name but a few.  This was the first time I’d experienced the atmosphere of a big event and all its procedures, like reporting to a call-room before the race.  It was a bit nerve wracking to say the least, but I loved being part of such a prestigious event.  I was rather overawed and couldn’t quite believe I was participating in the same meeting as the likes of Linford Christie, John Regis, Kriss Akabusi, Peter Elliott and Sally Gunnell.  I’d built up a pretty good autograph collection by the end of the day!



1991 UK Championships 3000m, Cardiff

At the end of 1992 I received a surprise letter from the British Athletic Federation inviting me to a GB Under-23 squad training day as I was, apparently, ranked in the top 10 in the GB Under-23 rankings.  I had no idea there was a GB Under-23 ranking list, let alone that I was on it!  The day was really valuable and I made lots of useful contacts, but moreover it gave me a real confidence-boost.  To know that I was ranked so high in the country, albeit in my age-group, helped me to believe in myself, and slowly my self-esteem started to grow.  I guess that the following year, 1993, was really my ‘break-through’ year.  I’d been steadily improving in my winter cross-country races as well as on the track over the last few years, but it was the 1993 National Cross-Country Championships in Luton where I broke into the top 20 at national level for the first time, finishing 18^th out of around 600 runners.  I’d come a long way from my 202^nd place four years before and it just shows that hard work, patience and commitment does produce results. Consequently, I was selected for my first England representative - England v. Combined Services v. Civil Service in Plymouth. 

 

Home Countries International, Carmarthen

I was so excited about getting my first England vest; the only problem was that there was no team manager and so we didn’t actually get any England kit!  I remember just running in an old t-shirt I’d travelled down in – it was such an anti-climax!  The race was won by a certain Kelly Holmes running in the Combined Services team.  No-one had heard of her at the time, but it wouldn’t be long before pretty much everyone had!  I finished 5^th in that race, but I had actually beaten Kelly in the Nationals a few weeks before - when I’d finished 18^th she was 31^st!  A couple of weeks later I had my second England call-up.  It had taken me seven years to get one, now I had two within the same month!  This one was a home countries international (England v. Scotland v. Wales v. Ireland) in Carmarthen and this time we did get kit!  This was a much more impressive affair, with a team parade before the race.  This time I finished 4^th and England won the team race.

 

Team parade before the race - at least we had kit this time!

I was on a real high after my two England appearances, but as is so often the way in sport I was quickly brought back down to earth with a very big bump.  I’d been suffering with pain in my left shin for some time, but naivety and inexperience meant I’d carried on regardless.  However, it got to the point where I could no longer run on it.  I was sent for various scans and it transpired that it was a full-blown stress fracture in my tibia.  I was distraught – this was my first injury and I just couldn’t comprehend that I wouldn’t be able to do the one thing I loved.  I spent many a night lying in bed in tears!  I somehow managed to get through with many hours of pool-running in the deep end of the local swimming pool, but it definitely served as a crucial lesson in the importance of listening to your body.  I ran no races at all for 8 months!



Midland Championships 1991

In 1994 I completed a post-graduate diploma at Leeds (the Poly. was by now Leeds Metropolitan University) and then got a job in Birmingham so returned back home and back to training with Les again.  The next few years were very erratic.  In 1994 I won my first Midland Counties AA title - the 3000m - and in so-doing set a new PB of 9:25:5 which still stands as my best time.  Over the years I won a total of nine medals (4 gold) in Midland Counties AA track championships and represented the Midlands four times on the track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Representing the Midlands, Bristol 1991

In 1998 I won my first (and so far only) AAA of England medal - Bronze in the 3000m in the AAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham (9:39:18).  Although I mainly concentrated on cross-country during the winter I did do a handful of indoor races over the years, first at RAF Cosford (that shows my age as that track no longer exists!) and later at the NIA in Birmingham.  In 1992 I was selected to run for the Midlands in an indoor match against a Scottish Select team at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.  I finished 2^nd and was randomly selected for a drug test after the race.  This was my first experience of the rather undignified, but necessary, procedure of having someone watch you pee!  One of my fellow students at Leeds was also selected to compete in this match and coincidentally she was also required to give a urine sample for testing.  We travelled back to Leeds together on the train afterwards and both of us spent most of the journey disappearing to the toilet for a wee due to the amount we'd had to drink!  It's a tricky business giving a sample as you have to be sure of giving a certain amount to fill two sample bottles (A and B samples).  If you can't manage enough in one go you have to start all over again as you can't add to a sample a bit later on after you've had some more to drink!

 

My second Achilles tendon operation!

In between these high points, though, I was also plagued by injuries.  I had no races at all in 1995 due to an operation on my left Achilles tendon and no races for a 12 month period in 1998 / 1999 due to an operation on my right Achilles tendon! 

At times I began to despair that I would ever get back to where I’d been in 1993.  I wondered if my England vests were going to be the pinnacle of my career and whether I would ever achieve my ultimate dream of running for Great Britain.  But somehow I still managed to find an inner determination and resolve.  I wasn’t prepared to just give up and so kept myself as fit as I could through cross-training in the gym and in the pool.  That tenacity paid off and, eventually, by 2000 I was back to my best.

By now the women’s 3000m had been replaced by the 5000m to be in line with the men’s event.  I remember running in the AAA Championships / Olympic Trials that year in Birmingham.  Running down the home straight on one lap the cheering from the crowd was almost deafening.  I then realised they weren’t cheering for me, but that Paula Radcliffe was just about to lap me!  I wasn’t the only one she lapped though and I actually had my best ever 5000m, finishing 14^th and setting my PB of 16:32:73.  It was also in 2000 that I had my first experience of competing abroad.  I was selected to run for Midland Counties AA in a match in Ghent, Belgium.  We all travelled as a team, by coach and ferry, and I roomed with a hammer thrower and another middle-distance runner, both from Staffordshire.  I won my race (3000m) and as well as a medal picked up a small amount of prize money too.  Having started to do one or two road races the concept of prize money wasn’t new to me, but some of the field event athletes found it quite a novelty as prize money in track & field meetings wasn’t typical!

Inter-counties 5000m 2000 (5th place)

As I’ve just alluded to, by the end of the 1990’s I’d started to do a few 5m and 10K road races, but it was in 2000 that I really started to move more towards the roads.  I realised that I just wasn’t fast enough to make it at international level on the track and that my future probably lay in the longer distances on the road.  Somehow I just seemed to flow better on the roads and didn’t get the mental block that I had when running round and round in circles!  And so it was that I ran my first half-marathon; but that’s another story, to be continued in Part 2 of this blog, coming soon!

The first fifteen years had been an incredible journey, from my first tentative steps on the grass track at school, to racing against the likes of Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan, and my first race abroad.  Joining Leamington C&AC was one of the best things I've ever done; I've always been proud to represent the club and still am today.  Being a member of the club gave me countless opportunities to race:  various Leagues; Club, County, Area & National Championships; open meetings; representative matches, the list was endless!  To me that is the whole point of it all - I love to race.  My philosophy has always been that "I train to race and race to win".  That doesn't mean that I am a bad loser, or that I don't enjoy training - far from it!  It means that my training has a purpose and that I always try to give my absolute best in both training and racing.



LC&AC Club Championships 1500m 1989 (left); 
Midland Women's League, Sutton Coldfield 1987 (right)

In those first fifteen years running had given me much more than just a way of keeping fit; it had helped to shape me as a person.  I became more confident in all other areas of my life too and learnt many things about myself.  However, although I didn’t know it at the time, the next fifteen years were to hold even more exciting opportunities!

Part 2 coming soon!

100 Not Out !

I’ve managed it at last – I’ve just recorded my 100^th road race win in today’s ‘Christmas Cracker’ 20km at Moreton Morrell!  It’s been some time coming – I realised I was getting close a while ago, but injuries prevented me actually achieving it until today!  And it was made even more special by the fact my coach of 29 years, Les, was there to share it, especially after everything he has been through over the last 12 months.  He marked the occasion in style by arranging for some balloons printed with ‘100’ to be handed to me just before the finish, for me to carry and wave as I crossed the line!

 

Crossing the line with my '100' balloons (which Les also managed to colour co-ordinate with my kit!)

My 100^th win comes from a total of just 254 road races (not including all the track, cross-country and trail races where I’ve also notched up quite a few wins too).  My first road race was in 1987 as a junior and since then I’ve run over a variety of distances ranging from 5km to 100km.  In addition to my wins I’ve also finished 2^nd on 52 occasions and 3^rd on 22 others giving a total of 174 podium finishes from the 254 races!  A few facts and figures:

 

·         My first win was in 1992 in the Rugby Women’s 10k.

·         My first Warwickshire AA gold was in 1996 in the Chelmsley Wood 10k.

·         My first Midland Counties AA gold was in 2000 in the Erewash 10 mile.

·         My biggest win was the 2010 50k World Trophy Final in Galway.

·         I’ve raced in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Lebanon, Morocco, The Netherlands, Slovakia and South Africa.

 

I’ve had some fantastic opportunities and have many great memories from my road races – winning the 2010 50k World Trophy Final and setting a national record; standing on the podium at the European 100km champs. and watching the Union Flag hoisted; the amazing atmosphere in the Comrades Marathon in South Africa; beating Berhane Adere in the Great North Run and being mentioned by Brendan Foster and Steve Cram on the TV commentary; the incredible atmosphere of the London Marathon; proudly wearing my GB vest on five occasions, including two World Championships; standing on the podium in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium – the list could go on and on! 

 

Of course, my 100 wins haven’t come without an awful lot of hard work and dedication.  And one thing is sure, I couldn’t have done it without the support of many people – Mizuno for supplying me with shoes and kit; X-Bionic for their fantastic compression wear; The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club for the use of their gym; my physio Mark Buckingham for putting me back together when I’m broken; my club, Leamington C&AC for their encouragement and recognition in making me a life member; my family for all their support and finally, of course, Les who has been there at nearly all of my road races to celebrate the successes and pick me up when things haven’t gone so well.

 

It was a great race to achieve my 100^th victory today – superbly organised, as ever, by Raceways Multi-sport Event Management in aid of their charity ‘Kids Run Free’ (http://www.kidsrunfree.co.uk/site/index.php). The course was a two-lap undulating route through the Warwickshire countryside and was well-marshalled.  An uphill climb at the end of each of the two laps was made harder by the strong wind blowing straight in our faces, but at least the pre-race rain held off!  And despite my clocking up 254 road races I’ve never actually raced the 20k distance before, so I ended up with a PB too!  I think the celebratory mince pie afterwards was well-earned!

 

 

‘Making my century’ was a fitting end to the year and it was great to finish on a high.  After the World 100k in September I was selected as a non-travelling reserve for the GB team for the World 50k champs. in Doha, Qatar.  This meant I spent three months training for a race that I didn’t know if I would be running!  I was always on stand-by to jump in at the last minute if the girl who was selected had to withdraw, however I didn’t hear anything from the GB team management so I assumed all was OK with her.  It came as somewhat of a surprise, therefore, when I read the results of the race, to find that she hadn’t even started!  I was never called upon to take her place, despite making myself available right up to the last minute!  So much for selecting a reserve!

 

The last three months haven’t gone to waste though, as I’ve been working with one of the personal trainers at The Warwickshire, Sam Baker, on my strength and conditioning.  He’s been really great working with me on my technique, trying to get my glutes firing, working on core and upper back strength and addressing a muscle imbalance in my legs.  He’s very knowledgeable and excellent at explaining everything (and very patient with me too, when I can’t seem to make my body do quite what he’s looking for!)  I’ve also been working with my physio on addressing my ongoing hamstring tendinopathy.  He’s recently acquired a new ‘toy’ which he’s been using to give me Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy – basically it’s a probe that pulsates on the affected area.  It’s early days yet, but fingers crossed it will start to have a positive effect soon.  I’ve also started to wear a sacroiliac support belt to see if that helps too.

 

And on top of all this I’ve ventured back to the athletics track in Leamington to start doing track sessions again, after a gap of 18 months!  It’s a vague hope that I’ll get some speed back in my legs again, although I think it’s a bit optimistic!  However, it’s been really good fun and I’ve enjoyed training in a group again; encouraging and pushing each other, as well as the friendly banter.

 

So 2015 hasn’t been a bad running year for me really.  I’ve managed to come back from my injuries last year to finish 10^th in the World 100k championships and go to 5^th on the UK All-time rankings, and to eventually reach 100 road race wins.  Here’s to 2016 – I may have reached 100 but I hope I’m not out just yet!

 

Have a great Christmas everyone, and I hope you have a happy and healthy 2016.  

 

IAU World 100km Championships 2015

What a difference a year makes!  This time last year I was unable to do any exercise whatsoever, let alone run, due to hamstring tendinopathy and a stress reaction in my pelvis.  Now, I’ve not only finished 10^th in the IAU World 100km Championships, but also smashed my personal best by well over 8 minutes.  My time of 7hrs 39mins 50secs elevates me to 5^th on the UK All-time 100km rankings and also broke my own British Masters W40 age record.  And I won the silver medal in the World Masters W40 Championship to boot.  Wow!  I really can’t believe I’ve managed to come so far since I tentatively resumed light jogging last November.  It really does go to show that perseverance, determination and hard work do pay off.  I have to say that I totally exceeded all my expectations.  Even though I always dream of winning a medal (after all, my motto is “train to race and race to win”) realistically I thought a top-10 finish would be amazing.  I was ranked about 12^th on paper going into the race and I wasn’t sure how much my lack of background due to injury over the last couple of years would affect me.  In terms of time, I thought if I could shave even a minute or two off my PB I would be doing extremely well, so to take over 8 minutes off and break that 7:40 barrier was incredible.  Given the past couple of years I'd have been happy just to be there and able to take part, so to come away with such a substantial PB was incredible.

 

For me the story really started back in November last year.  Originally there wasn’t going to be a World 100k Champs. this year as the IAU had decided to make it Biennial.  However, in the very same week that my coach, Les, was given his initial diagnosis of incurable bile duct cancer, the IAU announced there would be a World 100k Championship in The Netherlands on 12^th September.  I was just resuming light training after my injury and I remember visiting Les in hospital and telling him it was a good omen – a positive goal for us both to work towards.  And so it proved to be, as his diagnosis was changed to Lymphoma which has currently been put into remission, and I managed to build my training up to a level where I could put my name forward to be considered for selection.  I was really excited when I received my selection letter from British Athletics in June.  I always feel extremely proud and honoured to be selected to represent my country and I was also really grateful to the selection committee for showing faith in me, despite me not having run a 100k since 2013.  So three months of hard work followed in order to get me to the start line in shape to do myself, and my country, justice.



The GB team travelled out to The Netherlands on the Thursday before the race, flying from various UK airports and all meeting up at Amsterdam station.  The team consisted of three men, three women and three team managers and it was great to meet up with them all and catch up with friends I hadn’t seen for ages. 





GB team: women - Sue Harrison, Holly Rush, Jo Zakrzewski; men - Steve Way, Craig Holgate, Marcus Scotney

Team GB girls' bungalow!

 

Several hours, and trains, later we arrived in Winschoten in northern Holland, and were taken by mini-bus to the athletes’ village which was about 25km from the town itself.  We were all staying in a ‘holiday camp’, with individual bungalows comprising a couple of bedrooms, bathroom, kitchenette and sitting area.

 



 

 

Meal time!

  

 

A big sports hall was set up as a dining area for our meals.  This gave us the opportunity to catch up with friends from other countries and to check out the opposition, as well as decide which other countries’ kit we preferred to ours!  France got a thumbs up but Japan’s luminous orange was a definite no-no (we did think they looked rather like workers about to carry out some road repairs!). 



 

 

  

My day's food and drink supply!

I seemed to spend most of Friday, the day before the race, preparing my drink bottles!  I’d asked friends and family for motivational messages which I stuck on my bottles, and again this worked really well during the race – it definitely gave me a lift when I read them, so thank you to everyone who sent me a message.  As usual I’d also decorated my bottles with big silver stars to make them easier for me to spot, and then it was case of measuring out my various drinks and attaching gels and food - pieces of flapjack, energy bars, Hula Hoops etc.  Les and I often joke that running 100k is really just a 'picnic on the run'!  Luckily I’d prepared a nutrition plan beforehand so I knew exactly what I needed for each of my 19 bottles!



 

 

And thanks to the brilliant GB team management each bottle was handed to me in the right order and without mishap during the race.



Drinking on the run

 

On the Friday evening everyone was bussed into the town for the opening ceremony.  This started with various dance displays by local children and then a flag parade through the town by all the teams.

Mingling with the other teams before the flag parade



 

Team Groot Brittannie parading through the streets of Winschoten!

A local band led the parade, which also passed IAU delegates and local dignitaries outside the Town Hall



38 countries sent teams to the Championships

The parade ended up at a big sports centre where, after the obligatory speeches and official 'opening of the Championships', we could carbo-load on pasta  ready for the following day.

The best bit about running 100k is the amount of food I get to eat!
 

Final preparations before the start

And so, finally, after all the months of hard training, race day was upon us!  I felt a mixture of nerves and anticipation as I carried out my final preparations - applying Vaseline to my feet, making sure my numbers were pinned on and, of course, numerous visits to the toilet!!  On the one hand I couldn't wait to get out there running, on the other I was asking myself "why am I doing this?"!!  The answer was, of course, to burn off all the calories I'd eaten the previous day!  Oh, and also because I can, because I want to, because it's what I'm good at and because my country has selected me to represent them.  What more motivation could you need than the desire to perform well for the team?

 

 

Street party!

The weather seemed almost perfect at the start – cloudy, not too hot, not too cold, and not too windy.  This changed throughout the day – at times the sun broke through the cloud making it quite warm and the wind also picked up, making some sections of the course quite hard going.  The race comprised ten laps of 10km around the town and, as you would expect in Holland, was predominantly flat.  There were just one or two minor alterations of the course from when I last ran this race four years ago, but basically it followed the same route.  And, just like four years ago, the locals all did an amazing job of cheering on the runners.  As is their tradition they decorated the streets with bunting and balloons, played music, had barbeques in their gardens, kids were giving out sponges and there was generally a fantastic atmosphere around the course.







The early stages

I had a slight glitch right at the start when my GPS signal temporarily cut out, which threw my early pacing slightly.  I found myself running with my team-mate Jo, but soon realised I was going quicker than I’d intended so dropped back and ran in a group of girls from the USA, Croatia, Russia and my other team-mate Holly.  At this stage I was about 15^th in the women’s race. 

 

After a while this group started to pull away from me and I let them go, knowing I was already running slightly quicker than I’d intended and didn’t want to get dragged into running too fast too early.  I was feeling really good, smiling, acknowledging the crowd support and generally trying to enjoy it while I could! 
 

Enjoying the atmosphere

 

Deep in concentration!

It was great to see the friendly faces of our team managers and helpers at the drinks stations at the 6km and 10km points on each lap.  Les was also at the 2km and 7km points on each lap, giving me much-appreciated encouragement and information about where others were in relation to me.  At around the 50km mark I pulled back Meghan Arbogast from the USA and was steadily working my way through the field.  At this stage I was feeling pretty good, but was also very conscious of not getting carried away and picking up my pace too soon.  After all, I was only half-way through the race!  I just tried to stick to my plan and enjoy the atmosphere, and hope that some of those in front would come back to me in the latter stages! 

Still smiling at this point!

By 60km I’d moved up into 8^th place in the women’s race and was still feeling good.  However, by 80km it was suddenly all starting to feel a whole lot harder and I was passed by the Australian, Kirstin Bull, who eventually went on to finish just 22 seconds in front of me in a new Australian record.  At this point I was still leading the World Masters W40 age group, but unfortunately for me Stina Svensson from Sweden then passed me at 92km.  I tried desperately to hang on to her when I realised she was in the same age category as me and I managed to stick with her until 95km, but I just didn’t have enough in my legs and she started to pull away.  For the last 10km or so I was just hanging on as best as I could.  My smile had given way to a grimace of pain as my quads were screaming, but I carried on running right to the line.  As I ran down the finishing straight I could see the clock in front of me and was willing my legs to keep going as I was desperate to break 7:40.  I eventually crossed the line in 7hrs 39mins 50secs – well over 8 minutes quicker than my previous best time.

 

The end at last!

Post-race exhaustion!

The minute I stopped running my legs turned to jelly and I had to be helped to a chair!  It’s a strange feeling immediately post-race, with a whole mix of emotions – relief at finishing, happiness with my time, but also sheer physical exhaustion and not quite knowing what to do with myself to ease the pain.  As it all started to sink in I was delighted about what I’d achieved, but at the same time had a slight feeling of disappointment that I hadn’t pushed myself hard enough to hold onto 1^st place in my age group, even though I know damn well that I was giving 100% at the time!  That’s the thing with me, I’m never totally satisfied, but that’s what makes me a competitive athlete and always striving to do better.

 

It took me a little while before my legs recovered enough to be helped into the sports hall for a very welcome shower, after which we all managed to hobble a short distance down the road to a restaurant that had laid on a post-race meal for all the athletes.  After consuming nothing but sugary sports drinks, gels and flapjack for the past seven and a half hours a plate of lasagne was perfect recovery fuel.  Then it was a hobble back to the sports hall for the medal ceremonies.  If you didn’t know the Swedish National Anthem before the medal ceremonies you certainly did after it as they took six of the eight overall titles on offer (men’s World & European individual & team; women’s European individual & team).  Of the six GB athletes that started, four finished (two men, two women) and all four set massive personal bests which was brilliant.  Three of us also picked up World Masters medals in our respective age groups, and Jo won bronze in the European Championship which was fantastic.  It’s always great to be able to cheer team-mates on the podium and it was a wonderful feeling to be standing there myself to receive my World Masters W40 silver medal.  For me, it was made even more special by the fact Les was there to share it with me.



On the podium receiving my World Masters W40 silver medal

 

GB medallists



A happy coach and athlete



So, having now had chance to reflect on my performance, my overriding feeling is that of immense satisfaction at what I managed to achieve.  Just getting myself fit enough to complete the distance was a huge achievement after my injury nightmare.  After all, running 100km is no mean feat - for those who haven't worked it out, it's 62 miles, or the equivalent of running from Warwick to Nottingham, or Warwick to Reading, without stopping!  To do it wearing a Great Britain vest, in a lifetime best time and winning a silver medal in my age group - well that's something really special.

 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the huge amount of support I’ve received from many people and I want to say a MASSIVE ‘thank you’ to them all.  In no particular order they are:

• Mizuno – for supplying me with kit and the best running shoes ever.  Their Wave Creation give me superb cushioning and support for my longest training runs; Wave Ultima are perfect for my intermediate runs; Wave Sayonara have just the right balance between being cushioned but lightweight enough for road interval sessions; and finally my trusty Wave Riders – my shoe of choice for tempo runs and, of course, the race itself.
• X-Bionic – for supplying me with their first class compression clothing and socks.  I quite simply can’t imagine running that far without my Effektor compression socks to support my calves and reduce the risk of blisters.
• The Warwickshire Golf & Country Club – for complementary membership which allows me to use the gym for my strength and conditioning sessions.  This is invaluable not only for my general strength and core stability, but also specific re-hab. from my hamstring injury which enabled to get back to running at international level again.
• Pioneer Trading – for supplying me with Blue Active Gel – a brilliant muscle rub which definitely helps my recovery between training sessions, as well as after the race.
• Mark Buckingham – my fantastic physio, without whom I wouldn’t even have made it to the start line.  The monthly trip to Northampton, and paying for 40 minutes of torture, are definitely worthwhile!
• Martin Bower – for his slightly less painful, but still very effective, sports massages.
• Family and friends – for all their support, encouragement and understanding when my training and racing needs have to come before social engagements.
• Colleagues, Managers and Councillors at Warwickshire County Council – for their support, interest and recognition of my achievements, and allowing me time off work to compete for my country.
• And last, but most definitely not least, my wonderful coach Les – for being there throughout my training despite undergoing six months of chemotherapy at the same time.  How can I ever repay that sort of commitment?  Les, you truly are my inspiration and I couldn’t have done this without you.

And just to finish - a few statistics that Les has come up with:

• This was the 28^th women’s World 100km Champs. and was the best field ever assembled with 16 athletes breaking 8 hours, more than ever before in any championship.
• My time of 7:39:50 would have won 9 of the previous championships and would have put me on the podium in 16 of the 28 championships.
• The quality of this year’s race can be seen as follows:
• 1^st Camille Herron (USA) – ran the 4^th fastest of all time
• 2^nd Kasja Berg (SWE) – set a new Swedish record
• 3^rd Marija Vrajic (CRO) – set a new Croatian record
• 4^th Sarah Bard (USA) – set a new lifetime best
• 5^th Jo Zakrzewski (GBR) – set a new lifetime best and is 4^th on the UK all-time rankings
• 6^th Marina Zgalybina (RUS) – was world champion on this course in 2011
• 7^th Stina Svensson (SWE) – set a new lifetime best and Swedish W40 record
• 8^th Kirstin Bull (AUS) – set a new Australian record
• 9^th Irina Antropova (RUS) – has been World / European medallist at 100k on 3 previous occasions
• 10^th Sue Harrison (GBR) – set a new lifetime best and British W40 record
• 16^th Mieke Dupont (BEL) – set a new Belgian record
• I would have had to have broken the British record to have finished in the top three in this year's race.

  

The Railway Ultra 2015

I fancied a change from my usual training routes along the canal towpaths and Warwickshire lanes, so decided to run The Railway Ultra, organised by ‘How Hard Can It Be Events’, as a long training run this week.  The race takes place along part of the disused Severn Valley Railway track, which runs beside the River Severn, between Coalport and Bridgnorth.  I guess a disused railway is an appropriate place for a ‘training’ run!  There’s a choice of distances – 19 miles, 28 miles or 36 miles – so, as part of my build up to the World 100km Championships, I chose the 36 mile option (which actually turned out to be just short of 38 miles by my GPS watch!). 

On the start line



As we started off I settled into my planned pace – I wanted to run at a steady pace and not get caught up in racing people, as I wanted to be able to recover well afterwards in order to get straight back into training in the following days.  This was quite hard, as I race to win, but I was very disciplined and maintained a pretty even pace throughout.  As it happened, I slowly picked people off who had started too fast.

Drinking on the run

The 36 (38!) mile option comprised four out-and-back laps with a drinks station at each end, giving me ample opportunity to try out some of my nutrition options for the 100km.  Les, as usual, did a great job handing me my drinks, as well as offering plenty of encouragement, at the far end of each lap.

 

Being an out-and-back course meant we were continually passing people going the other way and exchanging encouraging words which was great.  You got to recognise faces and everyone supported each other, which gave the race a lovely friendly atmosphere. 

 

 

 

Approaching the finish

 

As you would expect from a disused railway, the surface was quite stony and more uneven than the surfaces I’m used to running on.  I was a bit worried this might hurt my feet more, but I’d worn my most cushioned Mizuno trainers (Wave Creation) and, thanks to them, my feet were absolutely fine.  The route was very scenic, with glimpsed views down to the river below, as it flowed towards the famous Ironbridge Gorge.  Luckily, much of the route was within woodland which provided some welcome shade when the sun came out and some shelter from the breeze.  And the rain that was forecast fortunately didn’t materialise. 

 





I eventually finished 1^st lady and 2^nd overall out of the 30 finishers of the longer distance.  I was pleased with my official time of 4 hrs 51:19, especially as I ran the second half of the race around two minutes quicker than the first.

Chuffed with my 'training' medal!

It appears that my time was approximately 25 minutes faster than any woman had previously run on this course.

Added to the friendly atmosphere and scenic route was a striking finisher’s medal (that I think my Dad would probably rather like, being the Great Western Railway enthusiast that he is!), an engraved pint glass and a very yummy ‘9 Bar’. 

 

 

 

A satisfied finisher!

 

 

So, all in all, it was a very worthwhile trip to Shropshire to take part in a well organised race that I would definitely recommend.  And thanks to my fantastic X-Bionic compression clothing, and copious amounts of Blue Active Gel muscle rub, my legs seem to have recovered well enough to be able to do today’s two hour run as planned.