Tuesday 31 December 2013

Frolicking through the Festive Season

As some of you may remember towards the end of my last blog entry (assuming any of you read that far) I mention I was planning a bit of a back-to-back running extravaganza between Christmas and New Year. I was going to wait until next year to tell you all about it but as I seem to have a few hours to kill until its time to open the champagne I thought I'd write about it now.

As I mention in the last blog the opening event was a three legged navigational event organised by one Mr Ian Brazier who I met on the Saltmarsh 75. Incidentally by three legged I mean it had three sections, not that it was like the horses my Father-in-law bets on. The sections were 12 miles, 12 miles and 6 miles - however being a navigational event these were the minimum mileages necessary to reach the checkpoints, if you wanted to go further (or did so involuntarily) that was up to you, this would become important later...

I was planning on doing at least the first two loops and possibly the third dependent on how I felt, bearing in mind I had another four 20 mile runs planned for the following days. It had rained a fair bit before the great day and more was predicted and so I dutifully turned up at the start  (which was at a local pub, always a popular venue to start and finish a run from) with a map, compass and snorkel. To be honest I had more idea what to do with the snorkel than the map or compass - something which would become very evident before the end of the day...

Ian welcomed me, signed me in and gave me a card with some numbers on it. The numbers were grid references, more of them than I expected, which I dutifully marked on my map. Just before 8 a.m. Ian gathered us all outside the pub, gave us our briefing, wished us luck and sent us on our way. I felt quite confident at the start as the first part of the route took me out over paths I know well. The first checkpoint was actually a footpath post I pass probably three or four times a week whilst running - so it would have helped if I hard marked its location correctly and not instead put my 'x' on a random piece of road a couple of hundred metres further on... I eventually realised my error and had to suffer the embarrassment of passing several of my fellow competitors going the other way as I doubled back to the signpost.

After this things improved and I found myself in the very agreeable company of (I think) Fran, Lloyd and Richard from Southend. We all agreed to run together for a while as they had a better map than me and I had local knowledge (I didn't mention checkpoint one to them). Frighteningly they even deferred to my navigational skills on a couple of occasions and only once did we have to cross a ditch to get back onto the right path. We found the aid station, a chap called Darren Coates - someone I was particularly keen to meet as it was rumoured his navigational skills were worse than mine. After orange squash and a biscuit we set off toward more checkpoints and race HQ (the pub).

As we ran back towards the A12 the issue of how to cross it arose. It was perfectly safe to cross the double mini roundabout at its junction with the road we were now running on but I decided to go back the the bridge (and checkpoint one, just to prove I could find it twice in one day) I crossed it on at the start. The others felt there should be an underpass on a footpath by the junction. I agreed there should but did point out I'd never found it. So we went our separate ways and I arrived back a few minutes before them as this was one of only two occasions I was right all day...

Ian welcomed me back and tried to hide his relief that I'd found my way back and gave me the card for the second loop. Strangely I was feeling confident now, especially as I definitely knew where the first three checkpoints were - even to the extent that I quizzed Ian on whether or not I would need my snorkel as one was by an underpass I knew had been completely flooded the week before. I was assured it was 'absolutely fine' and set off, confident that this time checkpoint one really was where I thought.

One horizontal hailstorm later I arrived at it and, whilst 'absolutely fine' was possibly going a bit far the underpass was passable. Checkpoint two was quickly found as was (apart from a small error involving the wrong side of a hedge) checkpoint three. At this point the numbers 'four' and 'five' became confused in my head and so as I left the gentlemen driving their Landrovers through the ford at checkpoint three I set off on a slightly less than optimal route to Danbury. Fortunately I realised on the way and readjusted my route to make sure I reached checkpoint four. This was important as this was the aid station and they would be waiting for me - wouldn't they?

As I reached the location I saw a large truck with a sign in the window. 'Aid Station'? - no, 'For Sale'. A solitary car in a nearby car park, surely that was it? No, it was just a car. The pub car park? Yes (the second time I was right this day), except that due to a slight miscommunication race HQ thought I'd gone through and as I was running (a long way) last the aid station had packed up and gone. This bothered Ian a lot more than it bothered me when I phoned to enquire exactly where said aid station was. So long as no-one was looking for me I was fine as I had enough water to last until the finish (and beyond) and even if I hadn't I was in Danbury, its not a place I know well (as became clear on my journey Back to race HQ) but I'm fairly sure I could have obtained food and water if I had needed it. Mistakes happen, overall the organisation and effort that went into the Frolic was excellent and an errant aid station in no way impacted my safety or affected my enjoyment - actually I was quite relieved that no-one was having to wait for me to find my way through Essex...

Predictably things still weren't quite going to plan. Fortunately I allowed the compass to override my in-built sense of direction or I would be in South Woodham Ferrers now waiting for the 2014 Saltmarsh 75 to start. A slightly hidden footpath and a map that was  about 14 years out of date caused some back-tracking. I knew exactly where the checkpoint was, it had masqueraded as checkpoint two several hours earlier, I just didn't know how to get there directly. 

A final run in from Great Baddow to Galleywood saw me arrive 6 minutes past cut off, not bad as a 12 mile loop had taken me 15.9 miles to complete! Add to that my bonus miles running round checkpoint one in the morning and I had covered over 29 miles. Ian generously offered to allow me to go out for the third loop as he blamed my over-time on the missing aid station (it really wasn't) however I felt the aim of the day had been to have a good time and run about 30 miles so mission accomplished and... hey, I'm in a pub, my £6 entry fee included a £2 drink token, so time for a beer!

Many thanks to Ian, Darren, Bob and anyone else that helped with the Frolic. Apart from possibly one moment somewhere outside Danbury when I had no idea where I was, it was raining and my map was disintegrating, I enjoyed every minute of it and hope to take part in the Frolic 2014!

The rest of my long runs were no where near as exciting. Saturday saw me doing 20 miles round Hylands park as I had a family commitment in the afternoon and so didn't want to risk getting lost. The highlight was Sharon joining me for one of my laps and so alleviating some of the boredom. Sunday I relived loop 2 of the Frolic. Having spent the previous evening studying (an up to date) map I found most of my bonus miles, although I did seem to climb more of Danbury Hill than appeared strictly necessary. By now I had had enough of mud, the weather was getting worse and a few niggles were making themselves felt so the last two days simply consisted of road laps with my house as the checkpoint (even I can find that). Sharon accompanied me on the last lap of each day once again alleviating my boredom. I have to say the support she has given me has been amazing - even I'm starting think I'm becoming a pain in the backside with all the running but she is bearing it with no complaints - yet!

So there you have it, 111 miles over 5 days, no day less than 20 miles of running. hopefully that will stand me in good stead for the next big event, The Pilgrims' Challenge. However before then there is just time for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that you will continue to follow my (mis)adventures through the first part of 2014 to the Marathon des Sables!

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