West Sussex Fun Run League - Littlehampton 8k

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 12 months, 18 runs and 85 miles of running!   These are open to all runners regardless of whether you are a member of a running club.   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.

You won't get a T-Shirt or a medal on these runs,  but you get a well organised event for the love of running that gives 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 but you will get a rather nice race bib!

Wednesday saw Arunners host the 5th WSFRL event of the season at Littlehampton with a 8k/5 miles run along the beach.    I found this one very different from the usual road or cross country run, a beach run on sand!

 It started with a lap of the local park, up onto the footpath along the beach and then down onto the beach just below the shingle line on the solid sand.   The most difficult bits were the soft sand down to the beach and parts where you had to run on shingle.   But it's all good for leg muscles and ankles, so no complaints from me.

With the sun, the wind coming off the sea, soft footing on the sand and sea water it was a challenging five miles.   But I wasn't alone as there were another five members of the Beetroot Army with me.   This was my first go at assembling the team. I turned up early and went through the registration and getting the race numbers issued.   Then pulled the team together to hand out the numbers.  Luckily I remembered to get a team photo before we set off.

I was warned about the water so turned up with a towel and fresh pair of socks and trainers.   After that we went for a debrief and had seaside fish and chips which were amazing after all the sun, running and fresh sea air.

I have to say thank you to Arunners for a well organised, very different run.   I will certainly be looking out for this next year.

To finish the blog off my report and photo was used in The Mid Sussex Times (The Middy).    With a beatiful by line of, "Beach run report and photo by Mike Parish".

 

Clair Park Run and RunGatwick

MY PLAN going into the weekend was simple.   Go for a long run on Thursday and then taper off for RunGatwick on Sunday.   The problem was by Friday I was suffering with itchy legs and decided to do Clair Park Run.

Clair Park Run PB

The aim was to take it easy and complete the course.   I got to the front which meant that I didn't have to stop when everybody hit the first bend going into a narrow footpath (I should have realised that my body was telling me something!)   The first lap went well and it looked like a PB.   So I maintained the pace and tried to increase it on the downhill section.   Going into the last half lap there was a chance I could achieve the elusive 5k in 27 minutes.   But no, 27 minutes and 29 seconds.   Nevertheless it was still a PB.   So much for taking it easy!

RunGatwick was a very different experience for me this year.   Last year was the inaugural run and I did the race just for me.   This year the event hosted the Sussex Athletics Association Half Marathon which means a show of strength from the Beetroot Army and I am now running as a member of Haywards Heath Harriers and under Sussex Athletics official race rules.

Three years ago I suffered from work related stress and it really hit me hard.   I didn't know what I was going to do and the amount of physical issues I had was ridiculous.   I went to the local gym and then took up running.   I didn't own a pair of trainers and wouldn't run for a bus.   This was a real change of attitude for me.   I never believed for one moment that I would be chasing a 27 minute PB on 5k, running half marathons or joining a club and it is so inclusive and motivates you to push yourself that little bit further.

Beetroot Army Team Poto

I have to say thank you to my beautiful wife for driving myself and two other Harriers to the event.   She then had to find something to do for five hours with a lot of road closures in place around Crawley, and pick us up.   She was amazing. (From the wife - I agree!)

RunGatwick kicked off at Southgate Park and went past The Hawth Theatre before turning back towards the town centre.   Up the dual carriageway past County Oak and into the industrial units at Lowfield Heath.   It was where it became RunGatwick as you run the main road and can see all the aircraft at the busiest single runway airport in the world.

 

Turning onto the Perimeter Road you are running parallel with the runway.   You can't see it because of trees but aircraft landing and taking off were coming towards us.   So you can hear and see them when they clear the tree line.   Coming up the road there were three Gatwick Security Jeeps playing "Eye of the Tiger" really loud.   They got a big cheer from the runners.   At the end of the road you cut across the end of the runway with the perfect view straight down it.   With aircraft coming in over your head, the sight and noise of them makes this really a unique run.

Next stage is the road to Charlwood in Surrey.   This is a great run. You get to go through a busy major town with full road closures in place and run around the Perimeter Road at Gatwick and see some amazing countryside in both Sussex and Surrey.

50plusandrunning coming in
to the last half mile.

Charlwood was amazing. It's a small village and lots of people turned out to support the event.   At the end of the village we turned onto the Ifield Road and headed back towards Crawley.

By the time I hit the Ifield Roundabout I had picked up a fellow member of the Beetroot Army and we were motivating each other to get to the finish line.    Ifield Roundabout was significant for me as I knew where we were, how far we needed to go and I could visualise the finish line.

We hit the 12 mile mark and the route took a different direction to last year.   We were pushed through the town centre and up and around County Mall shopping centre.   The effort had really hit our legs and we needed to get up Southgate Avenue and cross the finish line.   With a bloody big push we got up the hill and on seeing the finish line I just put everything I had left into one final sprint.

Once over the finish line we got the medal, T-shirt, banana and protein bar.   Then headed directly for the beer tent and had a pint of ale.   Cor, that was really good.

 

The experiment with energy gels seemed to work quite well.   Last year my muscles were seizing up in the last three miles; this time they held on until the end.   I took a caffeine gel half an hour before the start and then used two energy gels one at one hour and the next at one hour and forty five minutes.   I had meant to have another caffeine one for the last couple of miles through the town but totally forgot it because of the support I had which was a pity as I wanted to see if that made any difference.   I will have to save it for my next race.

Things were looking good leading up to RunGatwick and I managed to knock just under 20 minutes off my PB.   Very pleased with that.   Except the day before I started to go down with a cold.  Taking part in the event I just dosed myself up with paracetamol.   That night the cold really kicked in.   So, I have spent two days in bed snotty, sweating and coughing my lungs up!

At least I have my RunGatwick medal and goodies for another day.   And my important race number.   I have these all stored in a photo album because they mean so much, even more than the medal because that little piece of memorabilia was a part of that journey on the day.

If you want to see and feel what this run feels like.   Experience the amazing support around the route then check this video out on YouTube by Fordy Runs.   Click here.

Why do runners dress as superheros?

I HAVE SEEN the question, "Why do runners dress like superhero's?"   So many times and it always makes me smile.   Perhaps deep down inside I am Bruce Wayne and when I go out running I become my alter ego, Batman!   Who knows but the question still remains, why do runners dress like superhero's?

If you’ve ever felt a burning sensation in your muscles and can’t keep going, then you know all about fatigue.   But muscle compression technology helps you gain an extra edge but how does it work? 

 

WHY YOUR MUSCLES GET TIRED

We’ve all felt that feeling somewhere during a race when your heart is pounding and your muscles are burning, crying out at you to stop or slow down. But why does this happen?
It’s all because of oxygen.    Oxygen fuels our muscles during exercise, giving us the power to go further and faster, and ultimately to cross the finish line.   When you don’t have enough oxygen in your body you produce lactic acid which causes that all too common burning sensation and tiredness every runner has felt at some point.

• Then there’s the heart – the further and harder you go, the faster your heart has to beat. And once again, it’s all down to oxygen
• Blood passes through the lungs where it picks up oxygen to deliver to the muscles (oxygenated blood)
• The heart pumps oxygenated blood to your muscles where it drops off the oxygen your muscles need and picks up waste lactic acid
• The blood – now de-oxygenated – returns to the heart through your veins, ready to start the whole process again

So to reduce tiredness and fatigue, you need to be able to deliver oxygen more efficiently.   But you also need to get de-oxygenated blood back to the heart and remove lactic acid from your muscles as quickly as possible.   That’s where compression running clothing comes in.

HOW COMPRESSION CLOTHING WORKS

Compression clothing features compression panels that are graduated throughout the garment. Greater pressure is applied on the muscles furthest from the heart compared to those closer to it.

Using a pair of support tights as an example, the pressure is greater around the ankle than it is around the knee, squeezing the calf muscles and giving your veins a helping hand to push de-oxygenated blood back up the legs and towards the heart.
This means you can:

• Run further as you’ll get more oxygen into the blood to power your muscles
• Recover faster because you’ll be removing waste lactic acid quicker, reducing soreness in the muscles.
  

 

 

HEAD-TO-TOE – HOW CLOTHING USES COMPRESSION

The ASICS Muscle Support range is designed specifically for running and targets key areas to reduce muscle vibration and improve your posture.

Take a look at how some of our Muscle Support clothing works: 

COMPRESSION TIGHTS
Provide muscle support in the areas needing it most – the knees and quads. The pressure cuts down on muscle vibration while a core belt helps improve your posture. 

COMPRESSION CALF SLEEVE
Calf sleeves are ideal for when it’s too hot for full-length tights as they help to increase circulation of de-oxygenated blood from your calf muscles and back to the heart. 

COMPRESSION CALF SUPPORT
Keeps your calf muscles in place and reduces vibration so they can work more efficiently and recover faster. 

COMPRESSION SOCKS
Provides pressure from the ankle to the calf to increase bloodflow and also reduces vibration in the muscles during your run, helping them work more efficiently. 

RECOVERY SOCKS
These can be worn all day and are made of a special CELLIANT™ material that promotes healthy bloodflow and oxygen levels. They also provide compression to help your muscles recover faster. 

COMPRESSION TOP
These work to adjust your posture, opening up the chest and allowing you to take in more oxygen to feed your muscles.

The London Marathon the shame and the glory

THE WEEKEND saw Virgin Money take over the London Marathon for it's 39th year with over 40,000 people running.   It was spectacular and embarrassing at the same time.   Is there anything more British than that?

The route is through London so it's got to be amazing, with all that history right next to you, the major sights and the crowd just pushing you on.   It all starts off at Greenwich and goes around London (you have to remember that the City of London is only one mile square) and then down to Westminster.

The stars of the marathon were Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei who won the mens and womens elite races.   And what a spectaular sight it was when Kipchoge crossed that finish line.   Mo Farah trailed slightly behind and afterwards said, "He [Kipchoge] is a very special athlete and he is humble.   If Eliud can run those sort of times it just gives us another level of possibility."

The fun kicked off after this with the craziness that you can only expect from London.   Runners in normal attire, running club vests, superhero costumes and everything inbetween.   Where else can you see this type of behaviour in the world?   It's one of the most amazing sights you can ever witness and all on our own home turf.

Underneath it all there is something very British about the whole event.   We don't just do it, we do it in style and with great humour and spirit.   If we can run 26.2 miles then we are going to do it dressed as Big Ben and in the process raise a load of dosh for charity.   Everyone who ran London was amazing and will remember the day for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately not everybody will remember it for the right reasons.   Official pacer Liz Eyres stepped forward and told how she and fellow runners were treated "horrendously" during the race.

Liz was asked to run the course in 7.5 hours to aid participants.  She said runners were called "fat" and "slow" by contractors and volunteer marshals and one woman received chemical burns from the clean-up operation that began around them while people were still running the marathon.

It's a fact that when these events are run through major towns and cities the organisers have to get road closures in place.   These have to be strictly adhered to and runners who are behind the times have to either stop or move to the pavements as the city needs to come back to life.   However, there are ways and means and this is not how it should be done.

To read Liz's story as reported by the BBC click here.

It's a sad state of affairs when this type of thing happens and all I can hope is that the sponsors and organisers investigate this and ensure that it never happens again.   Not only were these people running their race but they were earning a lot of money for charities all over the country and world.

Lets not end this on a negative and talk about Hayley Carruthers.   Hayley gave London her all and then some more.   She ran down the Royal Mile all over the place due to exhaustion before, less than a metre away from the finish line, she collapsed.   With everything she had, this Spartan got up and somehow found it within herself to cross that finish line.

This was the real show, the determination was absolutely inspiring.  It was the moment you got up out of your seat and applauded.

David Smith journalist with The Herald Scotland did an amazing review of Hayley's efforts.   To read the story by David click here.

I have just got to half marathon status and next year I am going to have to seriously think about running a full marathon.   We should all be a little bit like Hayley.