Category: Exercise

Race Review: North Tyneside 10k 2023

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I’m in a bit of shock and still processing this one, really!

Bag drop for this point-to-point race has to be done and dusted a full 45 minutes before the race start, so I was up early and at the race start early in order to get my bag on the van. This meant a bit of hanging about, but gradually other folks from my running group started to arrive so there were lots of people to talk to. Last time I did the race, in October 2021, runners weren’t allowed to congregate inside the sports centre due to COVID restrictions – I’m so glad this has changed, because it was a chilly morning and I was cold after putting all my warm stuff away in the bag!

I hoped to average 10:30-minute miles, as that’s the faster end of the pace I’ve been doing with the group recently. The aim was to get well under 1:10:00 and close to my PB, as on paper that was the expected result based on my recent training. However, none of my races were as they should have been on paper last year, so I was incredibly nervous (see yesterday’s blog post). I felt a brief spondylitis twinge on my left side as we were walking to the start line, which didn’t help! But the calm side of my brain reminded me that these twinges while doing warm-up walks hadn’t continued into my runs recently.

First mile was 9:54. Too fast! I managed to settle into a more sensible pace after that, probably helped by the big hills in mile 2. One of my major worries was just not being able to find the speed on the day, but the race atmosphere was a huge motivator, as were my race shoes (Saucony Endorphin Speed; I only ever wear them for faster efforts).

North Tyneside 10k
With one of the many North Tyneside lighthouses in the background. Photo from Coastal Portraits by John Fatkin.

Issues that cropped up during the run:

  • That weird shoulder stitch (which tends to happen if I’ve eaten less than 12 hours before the run)
  • The beginnings of an actual stitch that didn’t quite develop into a full-blown one (ditto)
  • My standard-issue foot pain (I’ve accepted that this is inevitable in the later stages of a race when I wear my speedy race shoes, as they’re not wide enough for my mile-wide flippers; I can put up with it for distances up to 10k, as the extra speed they give me is more than enough of a tradeoff)

Issues that did not crop up during the run:

  • Anything spondylitis-related. Score!

Running at under 10:30-minute mile pace (10:24-minute mile average pace, to be precise) for 10k was definitely a harder effort than I’m used to at the moment, but it was manageable. I did think from my on-the-spot maths during the race that I might be on for a PB, but it wasn’t quite to be. However, I was only 26 seconds slower than my PB (1:05:07 today), and prior to the race I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near it – so I can’t be anything other than thrilled. Training has not been at all ideal for the last few months, so I’m hopeful I’ve still got a bit of room for improvement in the 10k. I still want that sub-hour one day and I still believe I can do it in the right circumstances.

A few more 10ks booked for this spring/summer. Fingers crossed I might see that improvement soon.

Race eve and general health/fitness update

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I’ve been a bit too busy recently to blog about things beyond my weekly phone boxes, largely because the first quarter of the year has been taken up with game-making. There has also been a lot of health and fitness stuff going on behind the scenes, though, and I’m in a very different place to where I was after the Winter Warmer half in early February.

Spring blossom

Spondylitis-wise: the flare-up lasted about another five or six weeks after the half and only really subsided in mid-March. This meant that I couldn’t really follow the 10k training plan I’d hoped to do after deferring Manchester Marathon and giving up on my marathon training plan. During that time I just muddled through, did what I could do and didn’t push through the pain. Over the last two or three weeks, though, I’ve been able to run completely without pain and to keep up with others (just about!) when I go to the TMBR social runs. Running is feeling really enjoyable again and I hope that continues.

Part of the reason the condition has largely retreated for now, I think, is because I’ve been absolutely religious about doing all the strength and conditioning recommended by my physio. I have a set of exercises I do before every run, a set of exercises I do after, and a rehab-focused set that I do every evening. I’ve made it a real priority and it is working, so I need to make sure these habits don’t slip away again.

In terms of medical treatment, I’ve been to see the hospital consultants and have agreed to start biological therapy. This is a bit of a lifestyle change as it means I’ll have to start being much more careful about my immune system, watching out for infections, protecting my skin etc. I am nervous about it. But if it can help with the spondylitis to the extent that I’m not stiffening up painfully during long runs anymore, it’ll be worth it. There’s also a likelihood that it could help control my chronic uveitis, which would be a real bonus.

I have a race tomorrow – the North Tyneside 10k. The last time I ran it, in October 2021, my then-undiagnosed spondylitis kicked in about two miles after the start and I was dragging a dead leg by the end. The pattern of my current running, with everything I’ve described above, suggests that this should not happen again – but I’m still really anxious that it will. I haven’t run a spondylitis-unaffected race since London Marathon 2021 (with the possible exception of the Blaydon Race last year, but I had a ton of other issues going on in that one!). It always shows up at the worst possible time – even if I’ve been pain-free for weeks leading up to the race. I am scared. We’ll have to see.

Putting the spondylitis aside (because, as ever, it’s out of my control), I shall set some goals:

  • Goal A: 59:59 (this is completely pie in the sky. I’ve wanted a sub-hour 10k since I started running eight years ago. I’d love to get it this season and will be entering every 10k I can… but I know I won’t get it tomorrow. I’m not there yet)
  • Goal B: 1:03:29 (this would beat my fastest 10k split ever – again, this is perhaps a bit ambitious at the moment)
  • Goal C: 1:04:40 (this would beat my fastest 10k race result ever – again, not hopeful)
  • Goal D: 1:09:09 (I’d be happy with sub-1:10 tomorrow)
  • Goal E: 1:20:17 (this would be a course PB due to the disaster in 2021. I should be well within this unless I have another disaster)
  • Goal F: finish (I really hope things do not come down to this)

Despite my nerves about this race, I am generally in a happy running place at the moment. In general I feel hopeful for the first time in ages. I hope tomorrow doesn’t do anything to spoil that.

Geth’s injury saga has rumbled on for a few weeks now but we’re hoping he’s at a turnaround point. We don’t know 100% what the injury actually is (different professionals are of different opinions), but it’s a metatarsal problem, possibly a fracture. The instigating factor was a bad fall when he was still marathon training (he gave up on the marathon plan once the issue became apparent). The pain got a lot worse this last Tuesday – to me it’s clear that this was because he’d spent a week on his feet walking back and forth to work. The GP had told him not to run for 4-6 weeks but he felt he could still walk! He’s now on enforced total rest and it is working. The question is how we get him back on his feet without it flaring up again, and also how he’s going to keep his fitness up in the interim.

I’ll try and get the race review blog up in the next few days. I’ll also try and keep up with posting life updates a bit more frequently!

parkrunday: Jesmond Dene #102

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It’s finally starting to feel more springlike…

parkrun volunteering
The hat is starting to become more aesthetic than functional now.

I always find there’s one day in spring when Jesmond Dene starts to look a bit tropical in the sunshine if you squint. Today was that day.

Marshalling today for the first time since January. I have enjoyed the variety of doing different roles over the past few months, but it was also nice to get out on the course again. Meant I was finished a bit earlier too!

An actual run at parkrun next week. I’ve almost forgotten how to do that!

Race Review: This Girl Can Newcastle 5k 2023

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Not the best title. The ‘This Girl Can’ event isn’t a race, not being timed or having winners or anything. Also, it took place nearly a month ago now, on International Women’s Day on 9th March. I am really behind with my blogging (watch out for two years’ worth of gig reviews coming soon…ish…possibly). Nevertheless, I wanted to get this ‘race’ review out now, before my next race this coming Sunday. Hopefully I’ll be quicker to blog about that one!

I had heard about the annual IWD ‘This Girl Can’ 5k on the Town Moor years ago, but had never run it before. I don’t tend to do fun runs or non-timed events because I’ve traditionally been quite result-focused (I may be a slow runner but I do care about these things 🙂 ). However, a few people in my running group were doing it this year, and it seemed like a nice thing to do with friends, and it was a free event, so I decided to sign up and give it a go.

TMBR at This Girl Can
With the rest of the TMBR girls who were doing the run. Photo from Chelsea at TMBR.

The half marathon I’d done at the beginning of February had been a real knock both mentally and physically, and in early March I was still struggling with the same spondylitis flare-up. I’d only been running short distances in the intervening time, and I knew it would just be a jog round on this occasion (I was quite pleased with 34:08 in the circumstances, even if the course was a bit short!). Still, it was lovely to be running in an event again and to feel part of something.

They were giving out a choice of either a cotton t-shirt or a tote bag at the start, which was nice for a free event! Our group managed to snag the last few t-shirts, and then at the end they were trying to get rid of the tote bags as they had some left over so I ended up coming away with both – win.

It was a lovely atmosphere and I would absolutely run the event again. I’ll probably be back next year.

parkrundays: Jesmond Dene #96, #97, #98, #99, #100 and #101

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It’s been a while since I blogged about parkrun – the last few weeks have been really busy and I haven’t had much time to write – but I’ve been enjoying my Saturday morning volunteering. I was originally doing it because running parkrun didn’t fit into my marathon training plan: that plan went kaput a couple of months ago, when Geth and I decided to defer our Manchester Marathon places to next year (which eventually turned out for the best as he’s since had a complicated TLDR injury that has put him out of the running game for now), but I’ve continued volunteering anyway. I’m planning to keep doing it till the end of April and then switch to alternate weeks running and volunteering, as it’s been something I’ve really enjoyed.

Jesmond Dene parkrun pop-up sign
Jesmond Dene finally has a new pop-up sign, much to the joy of both volunteers and tourists. The original ‘mysteriously disappeared’ last year (multiple theories abound).

The last few weeks I’ve continued doing finish area roles, variously finish tokens, barcode scanning, timekeeping and funnel managing. I like all of these as it’s nice to be at the end when people finish. I always find the roles a bit nervewracking the first time but it’s fine once I get into it, and it’s been so much more interesting than just marshalling all the time.

It’s been a cold few weeks for standing out for an hour (especially when doing the phone roles!) but it is gradually getting warmer now.

The 100th event on 25th March was a highlight – there were some Benchies (folks from my social run group) in attendance and there was cake afterwards. Event 101 this last weekend was interesting too as I was funnel managing for the first time – lots of running back and forth (possibly even more than I did on my short run earlier that morning!).

A bit of marshalling this coming weekend for the first time since January.

parkrunday: Jesmond Dene #95

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Back in the Dene today for my first shot at timekeeping. Nowhere near as scary as some people say – I really enjoyed it! Hope I’ll get to do it again sometime.

parkrun volunteering

The weather (whisper it) is so far on unusually good behaviour for February. A nice contrast to all the storms we had last year!

A different role again next week.

Race Review: Newcastle Winter Warmer Half Marathon 2023 (and also some thoughts about consequent rejigging of spring race plans)

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I’ve been having a lot of ankylosing spondylitis flare-ups recently, and they’ve been really scuppering my long runs (and sometimes my shorter runs). It’s not just the pain; it’s also the seized-up stiffness that means my legs won’t move properly and running becomes impossible – or at least not possible without the kind of limp and imbalance that will cause inevitable further damage in the long term.

I’ve been managing this for the last few weeks by taking a lot of extended walk breaks on my long runs (e.g. run a mile, walk a mile – or do this for alternating half miles). I’ve been able to maintain a steady speed doing this and I’ve felt quite good, so even though I was a bit nervous about the distance, I didn’t have any doubts about starting the Winter Warmer half this last Saturday.

The half distance for this race is four and a bit laps of the Town Moor, rather like when I did the Town Moor half in 2018, although the lap route is different. The half starts an hour before the 5k and 10k, and it was a fairly small field, the rest of whom hared off at what looked like eight or nine minute miles in the first hundred yards! As such, it wasn’t long before I couldn’t see anyone else.

I let this get into my head a bit during the first lap. I’d planned to take the usual walk breaks but I was nervous about getting further behind. I ran the whole of the first lap, but by the end of it, I was limping really badly due to my stiff, painful hip. At that point I felt like I wouldn’t be able to finish the whole distance, but I decided to powerwalk the second lap and see if I could ease things up a bit.

I felt a lot better on the second lap – I was able to keep a good brisk pace up and there were a lot more people out on the course once the 5k and 10k races got underway, so there were lots of lovely supportive comments. By the halfway point I was in a really good mood, but I still felt stiff so lap three needed to be a powerwalk lap too.

Unfortunately everyone had disappeared from the course on the third lap, so it was a bit lonely again! I wasn’t sure if they would let me go out for a fourth, but Geth appeared at the end of the lap, having long finished (along with everyone else) and also having confirmed with the race director that they would wait for me. I was determined to get the distance done by that point, so with Geth accompanying me for support, I headed out again for the final lap, vowing that I would actually run bits of this one (as apart from anything else, I was feeling really bad about keeping the race volunteers out for so long).

I took up a strategy of running to one marshal point, then walking to the next, then running to the next, etc. I got about two-thirds of the way through the lap before it became too painful to run, and I had to walk the rest of the way before limping over the finish line at a slow jog. All the volunteers were there to cheer me in, along with the Benchies in attendance that day who had all waited for me, and I got fairly emotional. My time was 3:27:51, which was the second half in a row (after last year’s disastrous GNR) where I’d ended up over an hour slower than my PB. I am hugely grateful to the race organisers and everyone who waited, but I do not want to be in this situation again.

Some decisions made since the race and some general feelings:

  • Geth and I have deferred our places for the Manchester Marathon to 2024. I am absolutely gutted about this, but I simply cannot guarantee that this series of spondylitis flare-ups will go away in the next couple of months. I’m really grateful that Geth offered to defer as well, as I would have found it incredibly hard if he’d done the race without me.
  • We will still go to Manchester that weekend. Our hotel is booked and it will be nice to take in the atmosphere, do some reconnaissance for when we run the race next year, and finally get my sub-40 at South Manchester parkrun (six years after I last ran it!).
  • Our replacement race for Manchester this spring will either be The Nearly But Not Quite London Marathon (Team North edition) or the Gateshead Half Marathon and 10k. The choice will depend on Geth’s soon-to-be-decided work schedule. If we do the former, Geth will go for the full marathon distance and I will do as many laps as I feel I can; if we do the latter, Geth will try for a speedy half and I will do the 10k.
  • The above replacement race will be Geth’s spring goal race, but not mine. My plan is to train properly for the 10k distance and try and get a PB this spring/summer. As such, I’ll be running several 10k races, starting with the North Tyneside 10k on 9th April. Training for this will give me a break from the longer distances and hopefully get some speed back into my legs.
  • However, given that I can’t currently run more than three or four miles nonstop without pain, I need to go back to the hospital consultants looking after my condition and see if we can change strategy. I phoned up today and was able to get my next checkup moved forwards, so fingers crossed we’ll soon be able to find something that works a bit better.
  • I also need to be absolutely religious with strength training, foam rolling etc. I’ve been gradually getting back into these habits over the last few weeks and need to prioritise them. Regular physio visits feel like they’re helping too.
  • Lastly, this is a chronic condition, not an injury, so at the end of the day there’s only so much I can control. But I had a great few years from roughly 2017 to 2020 when the spondylitis basically left me in peace to get on with my running. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I was close to target weight during that time, putting a lot less pressure on my joints. Losing the weight again is proving really hard, but I have to keep trying.

I feel like I keep saying the same things and making all the same resolutions after these bad race experiences. I don’t know if any of it will work this time. We’ll see.

parkrunday: Jesmond Dene #93

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No picture today as my fingers were a bit too frozen to take one by the end!

I was on finish tokens today for the first time. It was really fun and quite possibly my favourite of the roles I’ve done. Looking forward to doing it again next month!

No parkrun next week as I’ve got a Saturday race booked. One of hopefully only two or three weeks I’ll be skipping it this year!