Mutterings for the Minority

Pudsey Bear

With Children in Need 2011 being today, it means fundraising time and this years ‘event’ is running 10 miles dressed as a pirate!

Every year a group of about 10 or so of us organise a fancy dress event in order to raise money for what is probably the nation’s favourite charity – Children in Need.

Symbolised by the seemingly immortal Pudsey Bear, Children in Need day makes parents, grandparents and children all over the UK do the nuttiest things in order to raise money for a wonderful cause.

So come noon today, I along with my fellow dodgy seamen and fair maidens/wenches will be casting our ship ahoy (laden with fundraising buckets) from the Guildhall in Swansea and steering a steady course along Swansea promenade down to the booty in Mumbles Pier.

Once we’ve filled our booty, we’ll make the return voyage – ensuring that the said buckets are brimming with silver and gold.

And if any of ye scurvy dogs reading this be kind enough to make a donation, then they’d be most welcome by me and me fellow shipmates.

Now if you’re wondering what me and me muckers will look like, then cast ye eyes on these beauties from last year (I be the one dressed as Darth Vader)…

Baywatch Babes

Talking of the past, you can read all about our last year’s Children in Need exploits on this blog too!

Well tally-ho me hearties, I’d best get on and get me pirate gear on.  So here’s to a barrel of rum and a damn good run!

[EDIT] Here’s a picture of me and the rest of the motley crew at the half way point by Mumbles Pier

The 2011 Llanelli Waterside 10K was only my 2nd race since being classed in the Veteran 40 (V40) category in March this year.

I’d never run the Llanelli 10K before, but from all I’d read about it, it was a flat, fast course – if a little open to the elements. Thankfully the thundery downpours of the previous few days had departed and we were greeted by sunny intervals – with a brisk 12mph wind – which made it feel a lot cooler that it actually was.

As a V40 runner, my challenge this time was to break the 50 minute barrier, but alas it ended in failure as did my first attempt in the Richard Burton 10K back in March.

My official time for today was 50 minutes 17 seconds and quite frankly I was bitterly disappointed with it. I always knew it would be a tall order to do a sub-50 time, as despite me putting the necessary miles in relatively consistently, I simply hadn’t done the necessary interval sessions required.

In order to satisfy my appetite for stats, the tale of the tape was as follows… 226th out of 559 runners overall, 60th out of 122 in the V40 category and 189th out of 358 in the Male category.

Looking back through the lap times on my Garmin after the race, I was on course for actually achieving my goal having managed to set a pace up until the 8K mark which was 17 seconds below my target.

However, the course had a lovely sting in the tail at around the 8.5K mark with a steady climb which I’d face again on the return leg with around 800m to go. This really blew me out of the water and over the last 2k I dropped 34 seconds, thus giving me my disappointing finish time. This little stat only served to make me more annoyed and disappointed!

As for the rest of course it was predominantly flat with the odd hill here and there – but nothing extreme. The circular course is along the Millennium Coastal Park, starting at Festival Fields and heading in a westerly direction towards Pembrey for about 4K, before doubling back on itself towards the start/finish line at Festival Fields.

The course does pose a problem though as it isn’t exclusive to runners during the race, so there were a number of walkers/cyclists on the path at the same time as us – which wasn’t ideal and could obviously be dangerous.

The views and scenery are varied and picturesque, which make for an ideal distraction if you’re feeling the pain! The race was well marshalled with pockets of supporters shouting encouragement along the route (including the house of DDWT) – which is always a welcome addition to any race.

Parking was a breeze (no pun intended) as it’s literally right alongside the start/finish line and the race compare deserved a medal for being such a bubbly, positive and most of all supportive chap – his constant encouragement for all runners was fantastic.

Mind you that fact that he gave a mention to the Swans reaching the Premier League might have well struck a cord with me. Although perhaps he only did it as a certain John Hartson was taking part

By the way John, if you’re reading this (which I doubt), I’m not following you mate, you just seem to be at the same running events as me! Remember Nos Galon?

If running isn’t your thing, then you could do a lot worse than visit the Millennium Coastal Park for a relaxing family walk, scooter or cycle anyway. If you do decide to give it a go, don’t forget to pay a visit to the Sandy Water Park too, where there’s quite a bit of waterlife to keep the young nature enthusiasts entertained.

All in all it’s been a very energetic Father’s Day and I now look forward to finding another 10K in the not too distant future – if only to try and finally get this V40 sub-50 minute monkey off my back!

But first of all there’s the little question of a 50 mile British Heart Foundation South Wales bike ride in two weeks time…..

The 2011 Richard Burton 10K will go down in memory (well mine at least) as my first ever race as a runner in the men’s veteran 40 category and what a cracking day it turned out to be.

Despite trying to remain relaxed about the whole event, I found myself filled with excitement and nerves as soon as I got out of bed this morning. This was fuelled further by several very supportive tweets (thanks guys!), which I happily digested along with my pre-race breakfast…

Being someone whom hates rushing about and being late, we left with plenty of time to spare and reached a sun drenched Cwmafan – or perhaps Cwmavon as it is better known if you’re not a Welsh speaker – by around 10am.

Having picked up my race number and timing chip from the race HQ in the Cwmafan community centre, things were going well and to plan… until the toilets packed up and were made ‘out of bounds’.

Now as any runner will tell you, having a (PRP) – that’s pre-race-pee by the way, not performance-related-pay – is as essential as wearing trainers, unless your name is Zola Budd of course.

Thankfully the giant freight containers alongside Cwmavon RFC’s ground provided a suitable alternative location for numerous runners (including moi) to fertilize the grass/overgrowth.

Bladder emptied, I made my way to the start line along with the other 180 odd runners and began to think about how ‘hilly’ the course would actually be. I say that because I’d been told by experienced runners over the last couple of weeks that if a PB was my aim, then it would be a tall order given the nature of the course.

The starters horn blew at 11:15am and we were off and supported by a healthy crowd – including the team DDWT. The conditions were perfect, dry and sunny with a slight breeze. Having never run this course before, my main tactic was simply to try and run every 1KM at a consistent pace and in under 5 minutes.

After an initial steady and flat ‘ish 3.5K the aforementioned hills started to appear and just when you thought you’d conquered one, you turned the corner to face another. It’s was as much of a mental challenge as a physical one.

Two climbs in particular stick in my mind – at around the 5K and 7K mark – which when combined with the fantastic support of the local residents cheering and shouting constant encouragement, reminded me of the mountain stages in the Tour de France…although having never ridden it, perhaps it’s grossly unfair to make the comparison!

Here’s a breakdown of the course elevation in feet, courtesy of my Garmin – whom I wouldn’t be without!

I must say in all of the races I’ve done, the crowd today was the most supportive and vocal I’ve come across to date. So a big thanks to you all, you wouldn’t believe how much it helps us runners – especially when the going gets tough. Special thanks to Eleanor as well for the surprise support during the mountain stages

So after 6.27 miles (according to my garmin) of huffing and puffing I finally crossed the line in an official time of 50 minutes and 2 seconds. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t disappointed with my time, especially as I wanted to break the 50 minute barrier in my first vet’s race. Two bloody seconds mind you grrrrrr and *big sigh*

In retrospect having taken the course into account, I should probably be pleased with my efforts and the dubious honour of being the 7th man home in the V40 category!

All in all it was a good day and I did enjoy the experience of running a 10K which wasn’t as flat as a pancake. Having said that, I wouldn’t advise anyone to run the Richard Burton 10K as your very first race – the hills might put you off running for life *wink*

It’s fitting however, that the last person I should mention in this post is Mr Allen Watts of the Sarn Helen running club, whom completed the race today at the tender age of 82.

Now that’s inspiration enough for anyone to give this or any other 10K race a go don’t you think?

Prior to today, I’d not undertaken any fundraising challenges for Children in Need for several years but I now remember how much fun it was!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in a 10 mile run in fancy dress by some of the guys I know from work – whom I know from our regular lunchtime training runs.

If memory serves me correct, they’d undertaken the same challenge to raise money for Children in Need over the last 3 years – each time dressing up as women!! Which if I’m brutally honest had put me right off joining in.

But this year was different – as everyone could dress up as whomever they wanted – I immediately opted for Father Christmas. Simples.

Well it would have been simple if it were not for one small issue. Upon checking my fancy dress outfit last night, I couldn’t help but notice a rather large gaping hole between the legs of the Santa trousers! This would have no doubt increased the potential for chafing as well making my nadgers assume the role of shrivelled prunes for the afternoon.

After some ranting and raving, my memory recalled the time when I’d “modelled” a Darth Vader outfit belonging to Victor Lesbos – whom incidentally had told me it was a surprise bedroom outfit for his wife’s birthday. I didn’t like to enquire any further…

One quick phone call and short car journey later, and I was in the possession of the very same Darth Vader fancy dress outfit.

We all gathered at Swansea’s Civic Centre to have our photo’s taken and by 12:15 were we on our way, armed with one donation bucket and lots of jelly babies for energy!

Our route would take us all the way along the path that hugs Swansea bay right the way down to the lifeboat house in Mumbles, at which point we would turn around and head back to the Civic Centre – a nice 10 mile round trip.

I’m glad to say that it wasn’t long before we started having lots of silverware donations from the various people we encountered along the way. Our spirits were boosted further by the seemingly constant honking of horns from the passing traffic – which I assume was in support of our combined fancy dress effort, rather than our 3 Baywatch babes

After donation collecting stops at The Junction Cafe, West Cross Inn, Ripples Cafe and the White Rose – all of whose customers (and owners in some cases) we very generous, we arrived at the lifeboat house in Mumbles in just over an hour.

So after a quick intake of water and some jelly babies, we were off on the return leg of our journey.

However, as with seemingly most charity events nowadays, there is always someone whom doesn’t exactly get into the spirit of things. For the 2nd year in succession, that someone turned out to be Verdi’s ice cream parlour in Mumbles. Let me explain to you why…

Two members of our party went into Verdi’s to ask the manager – after showing him some identification – if he minded them asking the customers if they would like to make a donation for Children in Need. He declined (which is fair enough), but when asked if he would like to make a donation on behalf of Verdi’s instead – he also declined! We were left both shocked and aggrieved by his stance.

Once outside and having heard the news, several of us couldn’t help but burst into a brief chant of “There’s only one Castellamare” – which for those whom don’t know is a rival business in Mumbles!

When an elderly gentleman can give a £10 note to us when we are running along, yet a well established, profitable business can’t even give a pound, I do wonder what the world is coming to. There is a strong temptation to mention this little episode to the local rag to see what their take on it is. No doubt Verdi’s will stump up some cash then in order to avert more negative publicity.

The misers from Verdi’s however were soon forgotten, as once again the numerous people whom were out and about in Mumbles were more than generous in their donations.

We finally completed our 10 mile journey at around 14:15, which was quite good considering the number of stops and the fact that over half of the participants had never run more than 3 miles let alone 10!

At the time of writing, the amount of money we’d raised hadn’t been calculated but I suspect it was nearing the £500 mark with everyone’s individual effort.

If you haven’t donated, but would like to, they can can still make a donation online.

So thank you to everyone whom took part, supported us and most of all those of you whom made a donation – it is very much appreciated and no doubt will help some child somewhere have a happier and healthier life.

Today’s Cardiff Half Marathon was a milestone for me personally as it was the first ever half marathon that I’d taken part in. And what a day it turned out to be with the 15,000 strong field enjoying a gloriously sunny – if a little chilly – day.

My day began with at 6 am with a spot of breakfast. Which on a race day involves 4 slices of wholemeal bread, topped with jam and bananas, and swilt down with orange juice. By 8:20am I was in Cardiff, parked up, changed and raring to go!

I’d arranged to meet Reeso and Huw the Cat for the race and we’d set ourselves a target of a sub 1 hour 45 minute time. This was always going to be a big ask, as we’d need to be running at an 8 minute mile pace for the entire 13 miles.

It’s fair to say that we were like sardines all crammed into Lloyd George Avenue but nevertheless, we took up our starting position just behind the 1:45 race pacer. Shortly after, the hooter went and we were off.

Reeso and I tried in vain to spot Craig Bellamy, whom had blown the hooter (not for the first time I’m sure *wink wink*) but alas he was nowhere to be seen, so we gave the Lord Mayer of Cardiff the Swim Away instead as we crossed the start line.

My running style is such that I don’t like to talk and prefer concentrating on the running rather than what is going on around me. However, Reeso and Huw the Cat in particular fall into the other category – constant chatter and watching everything around them, especially if it’s female and wears lycra!

Having said that, their company was most welcome – in terms of motivation, support and fun. They managed to raise no end of chuckles from fellow runners – especially when they were cheering and applauding the spectators along the course! Yes I know it’s meant to be the other way around.

Not even a resounding “if you talked less, you’d run a lot quicker” from a passing tall, long haired, lycra clad blonde lady deterred them from their incessant chatter.

Still it did them no harm as they both did remarkably well with times of 1:44 and 1:45 respectively – well done guys! In fairness they dropped me around the 10-11 mile mark as I began to feel the pace and I finished in a time of 1:47:20 – not bad for a first attempt I guess.

As this was my first half marathon race, I took a great deal from the experience and perhaps am being too critical of myself in terms of the time. As I was extremely disappointed not to get below 1 hour 45 minutes.

Having said that, what I mentally and physically felt during the last 3 miles and what my Garmin split time actually shows me are two totally contrasting tales.

Towards the end I felt quite literally out on my feet, almost unable to run and felt positively quite sick – to the extent that if it had been boxing, the towel would have been thrown in the ring. Although looking at split times, I can see that whilst I was slowing the pace remained quite steady.

They also illustrate why I blowed up during the latter stages. I was simply too erratic with my pace times during the first 6 miles. This was probably partly down to inexperience but also because of the course.

I should have remembered the hard lessons I’ve learnt over time, in that you should never under estimate factors such as the course, weather, number of runners, lack of vaseline on nipples, etc.

My first impressions of the Cardiff Half Marathon are that there were too many pinch points for the number of runners and often the course was over crowded – to the extent that some parts could be considered as dangerous. Having not done other half marathon courses I can’t compare, so this really could be a feature of most of them. I have little doubt though that this did impact on my pace, especially in the early stages. Still another valuable lesson learnt

I do have one major gripe though (putting my Victor Meldrew hat on). As you approached the finish line on Lloyd George Avenue (which is where we started) it became apparent that it had been moved to the opposite side of the road!

This sight was heartbreaking and rather than thinking yay I’ve only got to sprint/jog/whatever over the last x kilometres to the finish line, you realised you had to go up Lloyd George Avenue and back down it again. Upon realising this, the mental blow was almost tangible.

Afterwards I asked myself whether I would do a half marathon again – be it in Cardiff or anywhere – and I have to admit, at that stage the answer was a definite NO. The sight of one male runner whom had been wearing a white running top, which was now stained with blood from his chafed nipples, did nothing to inspire me either.

But now I’ve had several hours to reflect and look back (aided by a nice warm bath), I probably will do it all over again actually. Not because I enjoyed it, but simply because I have unfinished business and a 1 hour 45 minute barrier to break!

So watch this space….