Mid Sussex Marathon Weekend

COVID CHANGED the landscape of running with all the major events unfortunantly closed to try and contain the dreaded virus.   Races that were normally run in large numbers suddenly became virtual events to give runners that incentive (like we need it!) to train and aim for something.   We are at last beginning to see some restrictions being lifted with a slight return to what will be the new normal.

Keeping the training going through the pandemic I decided to enter the Mid Sussex Half Marathon (MSMW).   It's not the first time the thought has gone through my mind but normally it falls on days that I am working and I cannot do it.   But it's virtual and the beauty of a virtual is that I can choose the dates that I run it, as well as the locations.   The important part, for me, is that I remain the spirit of the event.

What is the Mid Sussex Half Marathon weekend?

Before COVID restrictions it was a three day event.    Being organised by People for Places who have three sites in Sussex, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and East Grinstead there is a run at each location ...

1. Friday, East Grinstead 10 miles.

2. Saturday, Haywards Heath 10 miles. 

3. Sunday, Burgess Hill 10 km.

Over the three days you run the distance required for a marathon and earn three medals that come with each run.   The medals interlock to become one, which is a coveted prize.

The training has continued through the pandemic and recently came to a head with the Haywards Heath Harriers Spring Series Virtual Runs.   First was a tough 10km followed by an even tougher 10 miler.   The spring series ended with a very tough half marathon on the South Downs starting at Ditchling Beacon.   I managed to injure myself twice on the half marathon and only just made it to the finish line.

Having spent the last week not running and waiting for the injuries to heal I was back into training in preparation for the MSMW.   The question is where am I going to run the three events and what is it going to look like?

The Haywards Heath 10 mile disaster

STARTING OFF in my home town with the first 10 mile run.   I planned out the route and on my first rest day from work set off, determined to complete it.

This is a route that is very familiar to me and I have noticed, what I believed to be, an empty house part way round.   But today as I ran past it I noticed a light on in the the upstairs bedroom and it triggered an alarm bell!

The post was piling up on the inside of the front door, the curtains were pulled shut and they had those horrible brown stains from damp all over them.   It also appeared the premises had a rat issue.   I knocked on the front door, but got no response so decided to try the neighbour.   They confirmed someone does live there, who is a man who suffers from mental health issues and is in and out of the property all the time.

They let me into their garden to "look over the fence" and it was clear the man who lived there was a "hoarder".   Loads of books, furnitive, plates and cutlery all over the back garden.   They had not see or heard the man in over a week.   At this stage I was concerned about his welfare and called the Police to try and arrange a welfare call.

Luckily, I put my Garmin on "pause" whilst I was "making enquiries".   So 30 to 40 minuties later I restarted the run.   I hit Cuckfield and was coming up to the roundabout at the end of the village when I saw a lorry coming towards me.   It had a number of long canvas  straps hanging off it and the load didn't look steady.   I flagged the driver down and gave him a hand secure his lorry.   He was commiting a number of road traffic offences.

Towards the end of the run somehting went in my right foot and my toes started to hurt.   Somehow, it appears I have bruised them, possibly from "digging in" on the hills.   I may even have dislocated one somehow, but not sure.

So the plan to do the second 10 miles the following day didn't occur as I was having enough problems walking on it, letting alone running.   But I did feel good that I had managed to achieve two positive things on the run.   I really must either learn to mind my own business or get a life!

Police did check on the male who was located safe and well.   At least he is now on the "radar" with GP and Social Services being made aware.

 The Haywards Heath 10 kilometre

TIME WAS really running short to complete the MSMW.   But the right foot was feeling better, so I decided the time was right to try another run and see how it held up.   Taking into consideration the amount of pain I was in, the amount of time it's taken to feel better and the two races outstanding, I had a decision to make!

I decided to remain in Haywards Heath and go for the 10km.   I completed a 10km run a short while ago in a Run 4 Wales challenge, so decided to use the same route.   The main aim was to get the distance, without causing any further injury and not worry about the time.

Starting at the Princess Royal Hospital I ran up Haywards Heath High Street, and then past both Victoria Park and Muster Green.   Once I was at Miller and Carter I stared the Haywards Heath Harriers Virtual 5km route.   This took me into Cuckfield to the Church at the bottom of Chandlers Mead and return to Miller and Carter where a took a left turn and followed the road round past the Railway Station, Waitrose and then towards Lindfield.

The only upset was a phone call from a social services financial advisor who wanted to talk about my Dad, who has recently had to move into a home.   You have to answer these calls otherwise they think you are being awkward and the process can get a lot more difficult.   But they were happy I was on a run and they agreed to call me back five minutes later (I was at 9km and only had 1km to go).

Two run's down and only one 10 miler to go.   This is looking positive again, but I would have preferred to have kept in the spirit of the event and completed the three run's over three days.

The Redhill, Reigate and Earlswood 10 mile

WITH TWO of the three runs completed I needed to find time, strength and mental commitment to getting the last 10 mile run completed.    I was due in Redhill to do some work on my Dad's house and decided to go down there early and get out on the road.

I was still struggling with my foot, but felt so close to achieving the challenge that I didn't want to stop now.   I love these runs around my home town, they always being back memories and Surrey can be very beautiful.   Starting in Garlands Road I headed down towards the main Brighton Road and then round to the Railway station.

Circled around Redhill and down from the Water Company to Raffles Bridge, past Shaws Corner and then down into the old Market Town of Reigate.   Turning into the Priory I did a loop of the park and lake taking me out onto Cockshot Hill, heading for Meadvale.   Passing Meadvale I did a loop of Earlswood Lakes (top and lower lakes), there is a burger place there and thankfully they refilled my water bottle as the day was a lot hotter than I expected.

Once past the lakes I headed for Salfords and back towards Redhill.   I did a quick turn at the East Surrey Hospital and took the footpath towards the Royal Earlswood Mental Hospital.   I used to go down this route regularly as a school friend lived at Whitebushes.   Then it used to be fields, but now it's housing estates, but the footpath is still there linking it all and it was great to run it.

As I came back through Earlswood I realised that I wasn't going to get the 10 miles.   So, I created another loop going past St. John's Church, on to Pendleton Road, along Sandpit Road that runs between Redhill's bottom and middle commons.   Then down Mill Street past the Garabaldi community public house and down the Brighton Road heading back to Garlands Road.

The heat and the injury didn't help things.   But I concentrated on the distance and not the time in order to get to the finish line.   Determination won the day.

 

Good mental health at work

WITH NATIONAL news picking up on the increase in depression amoungst the young and women the promotion of "good mental health" is even more important now than ever.   Being on a wellbeing committee at work I wanted to look at the benefits of employers having a healthy workforce that means a more productive workforce.

Mental health problems at work are common with at least one in six workers experiencing common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression.    Healthy and productive employees who are engaged with the business will deliver the best outcomes and means there is a dependency between emloyer and employee.

If you want to attract and retain committed employees, prioritising the mental health of your staff needs to be core business in your organisation.   You might not be talking about it, because mental health is still a taboo subject.   And many people feel scared and confused about confronting the issue at work.   But there are small, simple steps you can take to look after yourself and make your workplace mentally healthier.

Taking care of yourself

Mind, the mental health charity, carried out research and it confirms that a culture of fear and silence around mental health is costly to employers:

• More than one in five (21 per cent) agreed that they had called in sick to avoid work when asked how workplace stress had affected them.
• 14 per cent agreed that they had resigned and 42 per cent had considered resigning when asked how workplace stress had affected them.
• 30 per cent of staff disagreed with the statement ‘I would feel able to talk openly with my line manager if I was feeling stressed’.
• 56 per cent of employers said they would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing but don't feel they have the right training or guidance.

 Be active

Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.   Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being.

But it doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.   One of their top tips is to sign up to a challenge and be part of a team and this is just where Miles For Mind comes in to play.

Miles For Mind is a virtual run that encourages entrants to be as active as they can.   With 7 distances to choose from, starting at 25 miles and going up to 200 miles, you have 31 days to cover the total distance through as many runs, jogs or walks as you like.   At the end of your challenge, you simply drop us an email to say you've completed it and we'll get your Miles For Mind medal out in the post to you!

As well as the physical aspect to the month, encouragement and support is offered in abundance over on social media as fellow participants spur each other on.

As well as daily updates, runners also share their experience of how running has helped them overcome their own mental health challenges through a series of blogs that Mind host on their site.   From day to day mental challenges, to helping overcome PTSD, each story is personal to the writer, yet inspiring to others that might find themselves in a similar position.

 

Click here for BBC article on depression in young people and women.

Click here for BBC article on partents stress and depression in lockdown.

Click here for BBC article on how COVID-19 has affected mental health.

A Guide to Hill Running

FOR ANY new runner the thought of hills can cause some form of anxiety.   It's far easier to stick to flat routes and run around the hill, but half of the problem is phychological and you just have to get over it, sometimes literally.

Having invested in a LiRF course with England Athletics I decided to look into the whole issue and use the information to coach and support other athletes.   Here is the highlights ...

Begin with a gentle slope; it will start you off in the right direction, never go straight for the mountain and end up injuring yourself.   Running isn't a sport that you should aim to do between injuries!

What is hill training and what are the benefits?

There is a simple answer to this as it's simply repetitions of running up a slope or incline.   The benefits of hill running can result in your leg muscles gaining strength and it helps to improve your running technique, improve endurance which makes you stronger over distance, also add variation to your training and are a form of strength training.

How to include hills in your training?

It's recommended to add a hill training session to your training once a fortnight, and on a day where you are rested.   In other words not the day after a long run!   The day following a hill session, if you are planning to run, then make sure you run slow and easy and use the run as recovery.

As time goes on and your strength improves, weekly hill runs can be built into your training or alternate them with other fitness sessions. For example: one week add a hill run and then the following week an off-road interval session.

Example hill sessions

To get you started here are two options to try out.   Make sure that you have done a really good warm up because you don't want to go into this with cold muscles.   And don't forget to stretch the muscles out afterwards.

Session one (starter level)

If you have not run a hill session before and want to get a taste of what is involved, look at your routes and find a 1 to 2 mile loop with a few hills of varying degrees and distance.

Run at an easy-steady pace on the flat.    Once you get to the first hill, run hard to just over the brow.    Then run steady from the top of the hill onto the next one – and repeat.  Do as many times as you feel you can manage. 

Session two

Where I live there is a park with a hill up one side that's about 400m in length.   There are six lamposts that run up the side of it.   I get a good pace up to run to the bottom of the hill and then come back to the first lampost.   Once there I run back down and come back up to the second lampost.   I then repeat working my way up to the last lampost.

The aim is to slowly increase the length of time I am running up hill and recovering on the run back down.   I am aiming to run down hill slower so that my recovery time is greater than my effort time.

Hill sessions can sound tough so this is where I use the Haywards Heath Harriers sessions, but you can just use a friend to join you for motivation.   To begin, you may feel that you cannot jog down the hill and recover.   If this is the case, do not panic and just walk down instead.   Always do this at your own ability and build up your resilience by using stress and stimuli.  Gently build up the running staying free from injury and remember the most important part, ENJOY IT!   There are sompe beautfiul hills around the country.   The pictures used on this blog are from the Haywards Heath Harriers Spring Series Virtual Run - South Downs Half Marathon.