West Sussex Fun Run League - Lewes 10km

THE WEST Sussex Fun Run League (WSFRL) is made up of 18 running clubs from all over Sussex.   Each club holds one annual event per year which gives you 18 fun runs!   These are open to all runners regardless of whether you are a member of a running club or not.   Many of the races are run over the stunning South Downs and cost just £3 to enter with the emphasis on the fun run element.

Don't expect a medal and T-Shirt on these runs,  They are well organised events for the love of running and give you the opportunity to run Sussex taking in some of the beautiful countryside and oldest towns and villages in the county.   You may not get some flash goodies from these events but you will get a rather nice race bib!

Click here for the WSFRL webpage.  

Bank Holiday Monday was the turn of Lewes Athletics Club to hold their annual 10km.   I only found about this league late last year and have only managed to run two (Tilgate and Horsham).   So, this was my first run with the Lewes Athletes.

I arrived at the Lewes race track on what turned out to be a very hot and sunny day.   Found the Haywards Heath Harriers aka the "Beetroot Army" encampment and started my warm up for the run.   With all the running clubs putting up their flags and race colours it looked more like a Lewes invasion force than a running event!

I started off quite strong completing half of the athletics track and out into a small lane heading for the A27 pedestrian underpass.  After that it was out into the country using footpaths.   I suddenly became very aware of how hot it was.   Running in the open using footpaths and across fields you feel quite exposed to the elements.

Thank heavens the route was well marked out as I didn't have a clue where I was a lot of the time.   I remember going through the village of Iford which was beautiful before heading back towards Lewes.

At the 6km mark I was beginning to really feel it because of the heat.   My trustee bandana did it's job in keeping the sun off my head.  The last thing I wanted was to end up with sun stroke or a sunburned head!

After the harsh dry footpaths the athletics track was a welcome relief. I couldn't believe how springy it felt.   There was a line of runners in front of me and I suddenly found my second wind and with the finish line in sight half way around the track I just went for it.   I lost count of the number of people I overtook but crossing that finish line felt really bloody good.

I was aiming to achieve the 10km in one hour.   At 6km I didn't think I could achieve it because of the heat and went across the finish line at 1 hour and 30 seconds.

Bank Holiday Friday

I PLANNED a training run on Friday in preparation for the West Sussex Fun Run League (WSFRL) 10k at Lewes and Run Gatwick.

Woke up and it was a beautiful day, so got ready and headed out for at least a 12k run.   I was looking forward to going around Lindfield, through Haywards Heath and over to Cuckfield before the long run back.

The run started well, but I had underestimated how hot it actually was!   Luckily I had taken a bottle of water with me and I started to use that throughout the course.   This made me start to think about the runs coming up and what if they were also on hot days?   How can I get through a 13.1 mile run without the proper fuel and hydration.   Luckily Run Gatwick were giving out information which I will be following and I have also shared it because the advice is good.

I have been experiementing with SIS Energy Gels to see if they are effective or not.   Up to 10k I find i don't need to use them.   Once I am just over 10k I start to get tired and my leg muscles start to ache.   I have found a few minutes after using one of the gels, my energy levels do recover and the dull ache stops which allows me to get much further.

I don't think I will need them for the Lewes run, but I have a bottle of Lucozade Sports for after the run.   Gatwick is going to the one to test the gels to see how effective they are.

By the time I got home I decided to take on the jungle of my garden.   The patio and path all needed some attention, the borders down both sides needed weeding (and there were a lot of weeds in there), the grass needed cutting and there were a lot of bushes that needed cutting back.

It wasn't easy with aching muscles from the run and having to keep kneeling up and down!   Got close to finishing but had to do the last bits the following day.   It was good to put everything away at the end of the day and have a soak in the bath.   With the sweat from the run and dirt from the garden the bath looked dreadful! Missus says it reminded her of my return from my first Glastonbury which was a mudfest!!

Surprise in the post from Run Gatwick

Those amazing people at RunGatwick have been busy this week mailing out all the race numbers with course information.   This is their second run and to add a little bit more colour to the event it will also host this year's Sussex Athletics Association Half Marathon Championships.

It was good to arrive home from work and find my pack had dropped through the letterbox.   It's all now very real with only three weeks to go before the big event.    I have been training and hoping to get a PB improving on my result from the inaugural run last year.   I have shared an article from RunGatwick entitled Safe Run which I will be following to ensure I am fuelled and hydrated.   I will also be looking forward to an artisan burger once I make it to the finish line!


Highlights from last year include running through Crawley on the closed roads, down the perimeter Road and across the end of  Gatwick runway.   I remember Charlwood (Surrey) was beautiful and the local residents were out to cheer us on with a live band playing. It was very uplifting.

Sussex Road Relay Championships

I HAD a great plan for Saturday and was looking forward to it.   Park Run followed by the Sussex Road Relay Championshps.   Things didn't quite work out that way!

Park Run

Put my running gear out ready and set the alarm clock.   Got up nice and easy, made a cup of tea, stroked the cat and checked the time!   I've been on leave and hadn't used the alarm clock since the clocks went forwards.   I was an hour behind and couldn't get there in time!    So that was a non starter and I went back to bed leaving the cat to stare at her food bowl wondering what happened!

Sussex Road Relay Championships

This was the first time I have been a part of an event like this.   Run by England Athletics across the county I was at Christ's Hospital School nr. Horsham with a team from the Haywards Heath Harriers.   There were about 700 athletes in attendance from running clubs across Sussex.   God did I feel out of place!

The aim was to run two miles around the school course.   I had no knowledge of the route or how to pace it.   But it was less than a Park Run in distance so what's the worst that can happen?   It felt very lonely standing at the start line waiting for your team mate to arrive and hand over the baton.
 
It seemed to take an eternity, runners were coming in and handing over the baton and I was just standing there!   Then my teammate appears running towards the finish line. I grabbed the baton and shot off suddenly realising that I had two miles to go and needed to slow down and pace it!

It was a tough one because it's no longer about you.   You are running as a part of a team and you don't want to let them down.   Without knowing the course you are unsure where the hills are and where to conserve your energy.   But due to the distance only being two miles I just went for it as best as I could and enjoy the moment.

 

I was a good run, really enjoyed it and would definitely do it again.

South Wales

SOMETIMES I have some good ideas that just don't quite happen.    Over the weekend I went to South Wales with the wife for her friends 60th birthday party.   The plan was to go up on the Friday and do Ynysangharad Park Run in Pontypridd on the Saturday and then go for a run across the Brecon Beacons on the Sunday morning.

Ynysangharad Park Run

This is now my second home Park Run as it's just down the road from the mother-in-laws.   The aim today was to try and achieve the 5k in 27 minutes.   I keep persevering to do this and it never quite works out!

It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people who turned up for the run (between 300 and 400).   The course comprised of a short loop followed by three big loops of the park.

We started off towards the bridge and turned left along a single track pathway, this was the most tricky part of the run, with all those people trying to get through it became a bottle neck and I had to hit the brakes for a while.   Coming out of that the runners between to filter out and the going became clearer.

Ynysangharad park is beautiful in the middle of Pontypridd, which is currently undergoing a mjaor rejuvination project.   The marshalls were excellent giving runners the motivation to keep going.

The time was getting on and wasn't sure if I was going to get close to the 27 minutes, so I upped the pace and just went for the last part as fa


st as I could.   Final time for 5k was 27:20!   So close but if I had put myself further at the front of the run I could have achieved it.

Brecon Beacons

We went out for the 60th birthday on the Saturday evening and my plan was to enjoy it and have a couple of beers.   In reality it was a really good birthday party and I may (or may not) have gone over the couple of pints!

I don't normally drink a lot, but that went out the window and by the time the morning came round I wasn't going for the run!   Scores on the doors in traditional pints Run 0 Beer 10.   So that was a great evening then!

So that was two things I learnt over the weekend.
1. Get further to the front at Park Run.
2. Stick to the two pints before going for a run the next morning.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?