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| Mike was off and running, and wisely didn't look back... |
There's nothing quite like a Nuts challenge with people running around in Mankini's on what was potentially the coldest weekend of the year - fortunately the snow cleared and whilst quite a few races were cancelled when they had to make the hard decisions on thursday or friday - the temperature rise overnight, together with the inevitable "ok, we might not make then skate across the ice" - you knew that the Nuts Challenge was going to be on - whatever...
For the brave few who raised over £5000 for charity - I salute you - although I've seen prettier things down my camera lens, I so very don't recommend that people go looking for the photos. As it was some of you didn't even stick your numbers on your chests, or write them across yourselves - so searching for yourselves in the 000 folders will be the thing to do - although I warn you - you might regret looking...
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| Just seen the back of a mankini challenger ahead... don't go looking on the gallery |
Eat to Run - from The BBC Radio 4 food program - in three episodes.
I was listening to this on my long run the other day, I'd seen some comments pop up in my timeline on facebook and thought that I'd better listen to it to "educate myself".
Some really good insights here - especially as Matt in the office once was a massive raw vegan food based runner, (now less of the raw), but by episode three there's a good background summary on Tim Noakes - and I know my opinion on him - but I think you should form your own.
If nothing else - it's a good bit of history to know about food, diet and running from around the world :
Episode 1:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06tq3tk
Episode 2:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06zqd89
Episode 3:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09smnhd
Meanwhile the Leicester Town and Gown 10k for Muscular Dystrophy was cancelled due to the snow and rescheduled for mothers day on the 11th of March (Note to self: go and get a card now).
The Berkhamsted Half marathon was also cancelled due to the severe weather, as was the very large Bath half marathon which was under 6inches of snow when they made the decision, and no snow when they finished emailing everyone because of the rain that then fell... I wouldn't want to be a race organiser in winter !
Also in other news - the Cambridge Half marathon wasn't won by someone who hadn't entered the race - he was given a race number by his boss who had injured himself. After crossing the line he told the organisers and he was eventually as you would expect - DQ'd (disqualified).
However - message to all of you that do number swaps without the events knowledge or consent - none of the people we have seen go to hospital after an event expected to (and we see quite a few a year), they range from the very fit and young to the not very fit and old, and everything in between. Some don't make it to hospital. But what I do know is if you run with your bosses race number and your bosses wife gets a phonecall saying your boss has gone to hospital, or worse - the police have to make a visit and knock on the door - someone somewhere isn't going to see it as "just a number swap". Please be aware, number swaps are not just about running in the event - quite a lot of other very serious stuff hangs on a race number and who is wearing it. At the very least - always fill the back of a number in with emergency contact details - it might take a bit of time, but you will never regret doing it.
Anyway, here's a few nutty pictures and a few Stingers too
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| Wrong wrongens |
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| with their carefully curated collection of ice |
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| Ice in our time |
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| cheap medical grade mud facials |
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| squirrel nutkins |
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| the beauty of thixtropic materials |
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| He was off his head on hypothermia at one point, but got it back after a bit of a run |
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| ooh splinters... |
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| on Sunday at the stinger, it was a bit muddy under foot |
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| jumping at the surprise of finding a photographer this far away from civilisation |
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| enjoying the big skies at the top of the course |
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| should probably do the nuts challenge with that |
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| down towards the final descent |
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| nearing the finish joy |
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| Made the rather muddy end of this years stinger ! |
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| how to take on the joy of Sundays Nuts challenge |
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| Proud of their particular piece of ice curation |
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| Bansai !! |
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| All good because one leg is warm |
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| eventually dug out, but no number stuck on or with a pen, so no idea who, so we put them back for safe storage. |
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| wait what... |
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| always dive for the finish line |
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| not sure the mask helped him do 5 laps, but good effort all the same, whoever you are oh numberless one. |
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| the simple joys of tyre carrying makes ice so much more fun |
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| Chilling the finishing champagne on ice was actually pretty easy for a change |
In other news, 6 years on from my first half marathon, I'll be running my second one at Woking in the Surrey Half Marathon - if I get under 2hrs I'll be pleased. The betablockers are taking 40secs per mile off me, so 10minute miling will suite me just fine for a 2:10 sort of thing and if I go faster and hang on - then that's great and my second mid-life crisis Half marathon will be complete, some way off from my last time of 1hr:46m
My slow cruising pace is 8:30 at the moment, but I don't have the strength or inclination to go faster for long enough - whilst I can blast a 5k in about 24mins at the moment, a bit of speed endurance is on the cards for my future training. To run on my calfs and push, or just plod comfortably within my abilities and HR ? I think it's going to be a plod with hip flexors doing a lot of the work ! Meanwhile, my backs truly stuffed - so off to the chairopractors tomorrow morning...
Hopefully I'll see plenty of you out there on Sunday - say hello if you see me, Sally or Matt in our SSP Blue Tshirts (but it's going to be cold, so you probably can't see them through our jackets!) - the current weather forecast is almost perfect 9degC and sunny.
Finally, I promised a school friend who mentioned his neighbours
Trail Running Guided holidays in Scotland that I'd share them with you -
https://www.facebook.com/rannsaich/ I know a few of you are interested in this sort of thing - so check it out ! it looks beautiful.
until next time, I'll let you know how Surrey goes, and hope that you all have a good one this weekend and enjoy the respite in the weather down south at least !!
Anthony
p.s. don't forget to enter the Brentwood Half this year - it's going to be wonderful
http://bit.ly/Brentwood-Half and pre-register for your free photos
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