Race Report – Ikano Robin Hood Half Marathon – Sunday 25th September 2016

Certainly my biggest frustration of 2016 has been my lack of racing – mostly though lack of opportunities through clashes with work / holidays etc.. I had been targeting an autumn half marathon ever since March. Ideally I wanted a fast flat race but all the tempting ones clashed with Formula One races, and I was basically left with the Robin Hood Half Marathon.

If the race was held on the 2012-14 course, I would have had no qualms over entering. The course was fast and, save for a couple of minor rises, pretty flat too. The issue for the organisers, so they claim, is that the race wasn’t pretty enough. Runners, it seemed, weren’t enamoured with navigating their way through Boots HQ so, for 2015, the course was changed so, you were led to believe, to bring runners more of the sights of Nottingham.

Apparently those sights were also not that well received, for in 2016 it was announced the course would be changed again. The 2015 course didn’t go down too well, from what I heard, because the fast, flat course had been replaced with a slower, hillier one. Ominously the organisers didn’t promise a faster, flatter course for 2016, just more sights for the runner to enjoy. A quick scan of the course and it was clear to see that the hills remained – especially in the opening few miles. At the end of the day though, if I wanted to enter an autumn half marathon, this basically had to be it. Plus the race had its benefits: it’s close to home; it was awarded the status of being the British Athletics National Half Marathon Championships; and being the fifth time I’ve entered the race, it is now my second most visited half marathon (only Reading, with six appearances, is more popular).

I trained for this race, but didn’t really train in a structured manner for it. I used the three weeks of holiday runs to get some solid mileage in – there was no interval or hill sessions, but there was a fair amount of quicker running and in some parts of the country, certainly some hills to be run up and down. On my return from holiday I shared the running with plenty of cycling, partly out of enjoyment, but also because my left Achilles was beginning to ache during every run. I’m fairly sure it was a legacy of the blistering that occurred during the holidays. I could run through the discomfort, but was aware that it was, in classic Achilles style, just getting a little bit worse with every run.

I had no pre-Robin Hood races to gauge my fitness, but I had the impression I was in pretty good shape. There was a ‘Straight outta bed’ run on a Saturday morning after a hard spin session the evening before, which was ten and a half miles covered in 65 minutes, with the final six miles run at comfortably under six minutes per mile. There was a club 20 minute distance trial where I ran a part solo 17:17 5k on a canal trail path before getting quicker for the final three minutes, and there was the cycling efforts that showed I was doing well in that discipline. There was though a mediocre parkrun where the Achilles pain was too much to extend the run after, and the unavoidable truth that I had to miss ten days of running after the parkrun in the immediate buildup to the race to rest the Achilles. It was only a late fitness test that made me comfortable that I could race with the Achilles aching, in the knowledge I would have to rest and fix it after.

Another slight issue was a little bit of illness in the three days up to the race. It wasn’t enough to see me retire to my sick bed, but enough to fell a little sub-par and reluctant to want to exercise (Which is usually a sign of being ill in my books….) I did consider scratching from the race, but I decided to go along and give it a go, happy in the knowledge I could jog if things felt bad, or even pull out if necessary.

The morning was wet after heavy overnight rain, but by the time I reached Nottingham – over two hours before the start of the race, it was dry, but overcast. With time to kill I had a little walk around the race village, before stretching and heading out on a 1 1/2 mile warm up. Warm ups aren’t always the best indicator of how a race is going to go, but this raised a few alarms: the Achilles was pretty good – just a little ache for a minute before disappearing – but the heart rate was high, and the legs felt heavy, especially when I tried to pick up the pace.

With just over an hour to the start, I made a trip to the Portaloo, then found some Grantham Running Club friends, some who were taking part in the half and in the full marathon. We posed for a photo at 8:45 before I got changed into my race kit and headed to another Portaloo queue. Thankfully this trip was just a nice to have visit rather than a dire necessity, because after 20 minutes of queuing it was obvious I wasn’t going to make it to the start in time if I hung around much longer.

Me, Nick, Andy, and Paul, before the start of the race. Robin Hood Half Marathon, Nottingham, Sunday 25th September 2016.
Me, Nick, Andy, and Paul, before the start of the race.

I jogged over to the start – vaulting the barriers somewhere near the start line to be just behind the elite runners. I had no qualms in doing this – the organisers had made the elite field sub 70 minutes (There weren’t that many of them) then made the next pen 74 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. I knew that if I started at the back of that pen any chances of a good result would be over, especially as positions for the championship race were to be based on gun position, rather than chip.

It was a long eight minute wait before the start but, on time at 9:30, the horn was fired and we were off. Happily it didn’t take long to get up to speed and dodge the few runners who had no right to be so close to the front. Sadly after less than a minute I knew that my legs were not going to have the best possible day – they were heavy and felt lifeless. Moreover the heart rate was showing some alarmingly erratic figures, some were very high, but not so high as to assume it was a dodgy reading. In hindsight, I think it was just a case of dry, slightly loose strap, as it gave more assuring figures after a couple of miles, but as I went into the race with concerns over carrying a virus of some sorts, it didn’t inspire me with any confidence to want to go out and race hard.

So with less than a mile covered I made the decision I wasn’t going to race flat out. I was to race conservatively and see how I felt later in the race as to whether I would push on. The start of the race was familiar to years past as we skirted the city center. Mile 1 was clocked at 5:46. The second mile saw us leave the course of yesteryear and it degenerated rapidly. We endured a hefty climb containing some wet, slippery, cobblestones where, I’m guessing, we were meant to be enjoying the sight of a castle which couldn’t be seen. The second mile was clocked at 6:04, although Strava GAP states it was worth a 5:44, so steady effort was maintained.

The third mile was quite possibly one of the strangest I’ve ever raced in – certainly in a ‘big city’ race. It was entirely run on residential roads, twisting and turning what felt constantly with no real direction nor purpose. It also did a fair amount of climbing, which dispirited me somewhat, and I know quite a few others too. By now I was past caring what time I was going to run and was just focusing on staying steady and relaxed. The good news was that there was no left Achilles ache at all and the heavy legs were no less or more heavy than when we started. Garmin clicked over through the third mile at a slow 6:12; when Strava adjusts it, it was worth 5:33, so quietly I was working a little harder than I thought.

Mile 4, and at least we were back on wider open roads. We swept mostly downhill in a not particularly pleasing way for someone who was concerned for his Achilles, but still all was good. What wasn’t good was the water that was handed out. The organisers have persisted with the pouches rather than tried and tested water bottles. I think they are next to useless. They are really hard to get any water out of and impossible to pour over your head / wrists / legs etc.. They were lucky it wasn’t especially hot. If Jonny Brownlee were given these at the recent Mexico triathlon rather than water bottles, I fear he may not be around to tell his tale. At the next stop I squeezed the bottle hard to try and increase the flow – it exploded in my hand! Thankfully the runner I was with offered me his.

Mile 4 was a rapid 5:34 (But only 6:01 on GAP). Mile 5 had us running through a university campus and it became apparent we would be running back down the other side of the road in a few miles time. The course was beginning to smack of attempting to minimise the number of roads closed and to use quieter roads whenever possible. This is fine, but when you are paying a premium price to enter a race and it is declared the National Championships, I kind of hope and expect for something a little better, and more interesting.

What also wasn’t good for such a large race was that, had I gone by official splits rather than using my Garmin, I would have covered the fifth mile in a shade under four minutes! When the sixth mile also had us over a third of a mile short, I literally began to question with other runners whether we were taking on a short course. I’d overheard officials before the start stating the course had only just received its measurement certificate and I did wonder with all the twists and turns whether we had been inadvertently sent the wrong way at some point. All this didn’t really help with the concentrating on the race at hand. On my Garmin mile 5 was a 5:42 and mile 6 was a 5:58, but this featured a nice little climb through Wollaton park, which really was pleasant as we were lined by cheering spectators all the way up – cycle race style. The lack of crowd support was a feature of the race, which was a shame, because where there were pockets of supporters, they were loud and appreciated greatly.

I had run the past two miles with just one other runner who was happy to sit on my tail for the most part. We had one more distinctive course feature to navigate in the form of some gates on a path in the park which were locked and we were forced to take to the grass to circumnavigate. Coupled with some low tree branches tree routes, these were obstacles we could have done without, but they were safely passed. The seventh mile saw us leave the park and, thankfully, the official mile splits tallied again with the Garmin, clocking a 5:50. Our group of two caught another group of two and then one more runner so we formed a group of five.

Here I went into full race mode rather than chase a time mode so, when the wind was in our faces I slowed and slipped to the back to take shelter, when we had a tailwind I moved to the front to show that I was helping with the work. Mile 8 was a 5:39, but with mile 9 mostly into a headwind and also with a tight U-turn to tackle, the pace slowed to 5:47. It was here my left Achilles began to ache a bit. It wasn’t enough to slow me, and at times I felt nothing at all. The massage and stretching I’d done since a fairly painful run on the Thursday had done wonders to see no pain at all for 8 miles.

I sat in with the group, running well within myself, the heart rate suggested I was generally around 4-5 bpm below what I’d try and run a full gas half marathon at. Completing the tenth mile (another 5:47) we had another tight hairpin to negotiate.  It was here we could see runners ahead and behind us. I wasn’t surprised to see Adam Holland (Newton’s Fraction half winner (among many other achievements, one of which the Hull Marathon a week before Robin Hood) around two minutes ahead of me. I couldn’t work out if he was running the half or full marathon – it turned out he was running the full marathon, which he won. I spotted a familiar face a minute or so behind me – it was the runner I pipped to second position at the Newton’s Fraction.This actually gave me some encouragement that I wasn’t racing too badly.

What also spurred me on was that, as we began to gently climb, I recognised the new course rejoining the old one. With some mental maths and a little guesswork, I figured that the course would remain the same as it used to, albeit with the loop on the Victoria Embankment cut out. This was confirmed when we hit the top of the rise, ran down a little hill to a familiar roundabout and took a right down Castle Boulevard. Although this mile was actually slightly slower than the past two (5:48), it was sufficient to see me edge away slightly from the rest of the group.

As we took a right into Wilford Street we were hit with another little rise and a headwind. I also had two runners ahead who I was catching. Feeling strong I pushed on again, passing them and setting my sights on some more ahead. Thankfully we quickly turned left after the bridge so we lost the headwind. The twelfth mile was a 5:32, the fastest of the race and what I think was an indicator of the kind of pace I may have been able to maintain had I felt 100% and if the course was fast and flat.

The final full mile saw me pass one more runner early in the mile then it went a bit quiet as we headed back towards Victoria Embankment. As we were guided right to not take the full marathon course I closed on one more runner. He looked a little older than me. I passed him and put some distance on him. I closed on one of the lead female athletes as we turned right onto the grass finish. Mile 13 was 5:45. Happy I wasn’t going to be passed by any runner behind, I held station as we crossed the finish line. I glanced at my watch – 1:16:33. Not my quickest, but as I felt barely out of breath, especially with those who finished around me, I quickly concluded it was probably my easiest sub 1:18 half marathon to date.

My immediate post race thoughts were that I was content with the performance but frustrated with the hilly, twisty course, and not feeling great – especially in the opening miles. I think had these factors been different, a PB could have been on the cards. As it was I quickly returned to my car to partly change, before heading back to the finish to see home my GRC colleagues in the half marathon.

(L to R): Me with Nick and Andy after the race.
(L to R): Me with Nick and Andy after the race.

And with that photo taken I headed home, glad to be missing the traffic out of Victoria Embankment. There was no news of any results until later that evening when the Nottingham Post produced some results – I was apparently 32nd. A little lower than in previous years, but to be expected given it was a championship race.

The next morning and I was just preparing a little piece for the club to send to the local paper. I looked at the official website for the provisional results and they were there. Gun position was an improvement – I was now 29th. Age category: third! That was a complete surprise! I checked the full results to confirm it. The first V40 had run 1:09, the second 1:13. The guy I had passed in the final half mile – he was a V45 and would, I think, have taken my place as third V40 had I not passed him. This made the effort of catching him particularly satisfying! The £50 of vouchers should also be satisfying, if and when I get them!

Future plans? A break from running, likely to be three weeks, to let the Achilles sort itself out. I hope to do at least one Duathlon this autumn and then I’ve entered the Turkey Trot Half Marathon in December. Hopefully I can find one or two other races too, but this is all dependent on fixing the old heel…

 

 

 

 

What I Did Last Summer…

Summer 2016 is fast becoming a fading memory as the nights draw in, vests and t-shirts are slowly shifting towards the back of the drawers as the long sleeve tops look more likely in the coming days, weeks and months.

For the record I probably had the best summer holiday I ever had. Long a dream of mine, my family and I spent three weeks touring with a caravan up and down the British Isles – three nights each in seven different caravan sites. With the Robin Hood Half Marathon the target race at the end of September, I didn’t want to neglect the training (not that I ever really do), so I packed a couple of pairs of trainers with the intention of trying to run as near as possible every day while away. I had no hard and fast training plan, other than a rough idea to try and run around 10 miles each day, occasionally putting in some effort, but really just trying to bank plenty of miles.

Some years ago (2011, I think) when I was traveling on the F1 circus and trying to run as much as possible, when technology allowed me to carry a portable waterproof camera, for one year I attempted to take photographs during each run to capture some of the interesting things you see every day when running. I had grand intentions to make something of them but it never really materialised, partly because I had no real medium to show off the pictures.

Fast forward to 2016 and thanks to the wonders of smart phones having cameras that can, in some situations, rival SLR cameras for clarity, and a Flipbelt to easily carry the phone, I planned to try to capture my holiday through three photos uploaded with each run that appeared on Strava. Not always very good nor interesting, nonetheless I really enjoyed capturing the different things I saw over the three weeks and thought that, some weeks later, I should really put it in my blog, for posterity, if nothing else.

Run #1 Exploring the Norfolk Broads

Morning run - River Ant, How Hill. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant, How Hill.
Morning run - River Ant, How Hill. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant, How Hill.
Morning run - River Ant. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant.
Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.

We had arrived at the caravan site much later than planned on the Tuesday (AA called before we even left, nearly didn’t make it at all!) so Wednesday morning was the first opportunity to run. The two Norfolk Broads morning runs were the only two which took place ‘mid-morning’. After this run it was up at 7am and out running by half past the hour, whenever possible.

Having never experienced the Broads before, I was struck by the beauty of the area – even if it soon dawned on me that the canals / rivers were not easily navigable by foot.

Run #2 More Norfolk Broads Exploring.

Morning run - Bewilderwood entrance. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – Bewilderwood entrance.
Morning run - Horning pleasure steamer. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – Horning pleasure steamer.
Morning run - footpath near Horning. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – footpath near Horning.
Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.

I still didn’t have much of a clue where I was running on our final day in the Norfolk Broads. The site of a pleasure steamer was a bit of a surprise! I took a picture of Bewilderwood! to show the kids, as it one of their favourite days out and I wanted to show them how relatively close we were to it. This run saw the first of some Stravalek efforts on roads where I thought there may be Strava segments to have a go on or, later in the holiday when I realised how few existed in some parts of the country, where I could create some of my own.

Run #3 Promenade stroll from Sutton on Sea to Mablethorpe

Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe beach.
Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe funfair. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe funfair.
Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe beach.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.

Friday saw us travel up from Norfolk to Sutton-on-Sea, which is a stone’s throw from the better known (and much busier in the summer) Mablethorpe. Having unhitched the caravan and left the wife to try and work out how to erect the awning (This may sound harsh, but I had her blessing and I would definitely have just got in the way) I went on a late afternoon run along the promenade that runs for around 8 miles up to Mablethorpe.

I’ve had the good fortune to run beside beaches on a number of promenades all over the world. I think this was as quintessentially British as you could get and very pleasurable too, if it weren’t for a pair of quite badly blistered Achilles, which would cause me no end of grief over the coming weeks (and months, it seems).

‘Halfway’ etched into the sand? That was Whattsapped to my wife to tell her where I was. Couldn’t do that a few years ago….

Run #4 Early morning beach recovery 10k

Morning run - Sutton On Sea - fishermen. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton On Sea – fishermen.
Morning run - Sutton On Sea beach huts. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton On Sea beach huts.
Morning run - Huttoft beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Huttoft beach.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.

A necessity to be back at the caravan early and some very bloody looking Achilles meant Run #4 was the lowest mileage day of the holiday. Turning right at the promenade rather than left took me to a beach car park at Huttoft Beach, having passed some brightly painted beach huts – of which there are hundreds on the promenade. The fisherman shot could have been wonderful with the right camera and lens, as it is it serves as a reminder that mobile phone cameras still have their limitations (It would not have been picked if it weren’t for a need to get three photos…)

Run #5 Mablethorpe before the crowds swarm in.

Morning run - Sutton on Sea - Russells International Circus. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton on Sea – Russells International Circus.
Morning run - Sutton on Sea. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton on Sea.
Morning run - Mablethorpe - homage to the Rio Olympics. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Mablethorpe – homage to the Rio Olympics.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.

Typical for the area is the reality that roads were relatively few and far between, so the promenade was used for a third run in a succession, albeit I opted to stick to the main road for the opening half of the run. This meant interesting photo opportunities were limited, but I was pleased to discover Mablethorpe’s homage to the Rio Olympics, which had begun that weekend and saw the TV bought out to try and watch as much as possible, while still enjoying the holiday (And getting sleep!)

Run #6 Barnard Castle exploration loop.

Evening run - Barnard Castle - near Stainton. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle – near Stainton.
Evening run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle.
Evening run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.

From Sutton-on-Sea we headed north to Barnard Castle. The first six runs had been all but pancake flat – How Hill, which I ran to on the opening run in hope of a hill fix, was a huge disappointment. Having driven in to the caravan site on some very undulating roads, I was dead keen to get out and find some hills. I wasn’t disappointed as within half a mile of setting off, I was climbing a short ramp of around 20% to witness Barnard Castle itself. Another shorter run (seven miles), I was pleased to make a loop out of it rather than an out and back thanks to Google Maps. Again, something I couldn’t have done a few years ago….

Run #7 Teesdale Way. Met angry cows… Stuck to roads!

Morning run - Teesdale Way path - blocked by Cows! Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path – blocked by Cows!
Morning run - Teesdale Way path. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path.
Morning run - Teesdale Way path. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.

The caravan site was yards from the Teesdale Way path, which I knew nothing about but figured it may be well signposted and a good opportunity to do some off-road running. For the first three miles or so it was and quite good fun until I met those Angry Cows! I was sure I was going to be chased and / or crushed by them! I counted my blessings when I escaped them, any plans of doing an out and back were thrown out of the window. Thankfully the first road I arrived at happened to be the one that took me back to the caravan site, a few miles less than the ten I had planned.

Run #8 Short, technical, trail run after visit to High Force.

High Force Waterfall, near Bowlees. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
High Force Waterfall, near Bowlees.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths.

Afternoon run on the local footpaths. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.

This run was notable on two accounts. Firstly it was the shortest run, albeit highly technical off-road, with plenty of obstacles made it a harder effort than the 3.7 miles suggested. Secondly, the picture of High Force wasn’t taken on the run, but a couple of hours earlier on our trip out. This cheat was partly because I didn’t have three decent photos, but also because I was particularly impressed with High Force and felt the need to show it off in all its glory!

Run #9 Barnard Castle – Whorlton out and back.

Morning run - Bowes Museum. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Bowes Museum.
Morning run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Barnard Castle.
Morning run - Whorlton Suspension Bridge. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Whorlton Suspension Bridge.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.

Having secured two pleasing photos, I was rapidly running out of opportunities to take a third photo of note on my mostly flat 10 mile out and back run. As chance would have it as the fifth mile clicked over I found myself hurtling down a steep hill, complete with alpine style switchback, and at the bottom a rare site of a wooden slatted  (Whorlton) suspension bridge – which I ran across and then swiftly back as I commenced a Strava segment busting five miles of continuous tempo.

Run #10 Powburn > Glanton loop.

Afternoon run - lake on Caravan site. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – lake on Caravan site.
Afternoon run - Glanton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – Glanton.
Afternoon run - Glanton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – Glanton.
River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.

It was the shortest drive from Barnard Castle to Ingram, near Alnwick, but high winds, steep hills and some lofty elevation made the journey with caravan in tow the hairiest of the holiday. Whether this was the cause for some severe calf pains during the run I will never know, but it cut short what I’d planned to be a ten mile run, and I feared that my running adventures for the holiday may be over.

Run #11 To Bolton and back.

Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.

Photographically this run promised more than it delivered, I wasn’t really happy with any that I took. That is a shame because the three days spent at the River Breamish Caravan Site was a real delight. We had only really gone to see Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter) and found it to be extremely scenic, yet not that busy. The run though I was happy with. Having had the first day off running on the Friday, some massage and stretching had more or less fixed the dodgy calf by Saturday.

Run #12 Killin Time.

Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Loch Tay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Loch Tay.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Loch Tay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Loch Tay.

Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Falls of Dochart. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Falls of Dochart.
Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.

The middle Sunday of our holiday and of the Olympics, it had been a pleasingly easy journey from Alnwick to Killn. This was inadvertently the longest run of the holiday. It had meant to be around 10 miles like many of the others, but running alongside the stunning Loch Tay my tummy began to feel a little dodgy and I reckoned that if I ran a few miles to the Hotel that was being signposted I may be able to use their facilities. So many thanks to Hotel Ardeonaig, you saved me! This was the first time I ran on National Cycle Route 7. It turned out to not be the last.

Run #13 Heading up and back down cycle route 7.

Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.

This was possibly my favourite run on a holiday full of enjoyable runs. Almost the entire route was devoid of traffic noise, or any other human interaction. The scenery was stunning, amplified by the mist hovering in the valley as I ran up a big hill then came back down it. It made me want to go back and ride National Cycle Route 7 in its entirety.

Run #14 Misty, murky, early morning 10.

Morning run in Killin - National Trust House. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – National Trust House.
Morning run in Killin - Hydroelectric on River Lochay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – Hydroelectric on River Lochay.
Morning run in Killin - Long no through road. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – Long no through road.

I had been, and was, really lucky with the weather. Most days it was sunny, and even when it had been cloudy, it had often enhanced the photo. This was the first day when the cloud and mist made photo opportunities difficult, but there was still a couple of unexpected sights on a run down a very long no through road (I never got close to reaching the end of it!)

Run #15 Getting Ayr.

Afternoon run in Ayr - Auchincruive. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr – Auchincruive.
Afternoon run in Ayr A77 crossing River Ayr. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr A77 crossing River Ayr.
Afternoon run in Ayr - Bridge over River Ayr near town centre. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr – Bridge over River Ayr near town centre.
Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.

We drove from Killin to Ayr on the Wednesday. The caravan site is next to the University in a residential area and it came as something of a culture shock having enjoyed the tranquility of the previous destinations. The opening miles of this run were perhaps the most frustrating of the holiday as I dithered over where to head and was frequently let down by poor footpath signage. Once I headed back from my ‘out point’ the run was saved by some of the quickest miles of the holiday.

Run #16 Cycle route 7 hits the coast.

Morning run in Ayr - Esplanade. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Esplanade.
Morning run in Ayr - Lang Scots Mile on Esplanade. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Lang Scots Mile on Esplanade.
Morning run in Ayr - Greenan Castle. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Greenan Castle.
Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.

For this run I explored Ayr some more, and after seeing the racecourse headed to the sea where I found an unexpected esplanade. The Lang Scots Mile was a brilliant idea and a good opportunity to put my foot down and see how quick I could run. National Cycle Route 7 did itself proud once again.

Run #17 Last run in Scotland, including Ayr parkrun (1st).

Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).
Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).
Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).

My first proper parkrun tourist event (not that I mentioned the fact that I was at the time) happened by chance as I had been looking at Alnwick as a possible parkrun event, and only found Ayr had an event when I was looking at Strava segments. Having had the Friday off, I was fairly fresh for the run. I used Google Maps and earphones to direct me to the start. I soon took the lead and ended up finishing first, although would have preferred company as the course had plenty of opportunities to take the wrong turn!

It was fortuitous that I took part in parkrun. At all the other travel days I ran at the destination rather than run before we departed. As soon as I got back to the caravan in Ayr the heavens opened, the wind picked up, and it rained relentlessly for hours and hours and hours…

Run #18 Finding Appleby.

Morning run - Appleby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Appleby.
Morning run - Hoff. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Hoff.

 

Morning run - Rutter Falls. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Rutter Falls.
Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.

The Wild Rose Caravan Park was our final stay on our three week holiday, a place I had stayed at as a child some 29 years previous. The place was unrecognisable but Appleby remained much as I remembered it. The reward for 24 hours of heavy rain was seeing Rutter Falls in all their glory early on in the run. I’d only ventured down the quiet road because I could hear a roar of noise from the main road and was curious!

Run #19 About as wet as it gets.

Last run on holiday - Mask Road near Soulby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Mask Road near Soulby.
Last run on holiday - Mask Road near Soulby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Mask Road near Soulby.
Last run on holiday - Hill to Asby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Hill to Asby.

Save for a couple of minutes at the end of the parkrun run in Ayr, I had enjoyed 18 rain free runs. The running gods saved all the precipitation for my final run of the holiday! Heavy rain from beginning to end, I had considered not taking any photos, but settled on taking the barest minimum while trying to protect my phone from the water. A pity, but at least the final photo showed one of my favourite stretches of running on the holiday – the long hill into and out of Asby, which I think was made all the more enjoyable for the bad weather, the sense of solitude, and the sense of purpose that this training in adverse conditions may help when it came to racing a month or so later.

All pictures © Matthew Kingston-Lee