London – Page 8 – Run With Dai

The Nohtaram

Published on January 29, 2018February 12, 2018 by runwithdai1 Comment

It was late one Friday night on the 22^nd April and I received a text from Daryl. “What are you doing tomorrow night?” (I assume it said that, I honestly can’t remember, but it makes for a good story so let’s go with it.). “Nothing” I respond. “Want to run a marathon” he replies….

Now then. What’s all this about? Daryl explained that there was an unofficial London Marathon taking place the night before the race. In a nutshell, you meet at 2am at the finish line, run the course in reverse and finish before the marathon starts in Greenwich. This did sound appealing. I was generally in a good state of fitness. I hadn’t run more than about 10km that year though. Either way, I understood it would be a casual run. No pressures. No expectations. Fuck it. Why not.

Saturday evening I was in a pub watching Man United vs Everton with two friends. They’d arranged to go out and ‘make a night of it’. I was thinking ‘when the game end will so I can get some sleep’?!

I met Daryl in the city near his office. Our plan was to leave our stuff there and head back afterwards for a shower before joining his running group – Run Dem Crew – to support the marathoners doing the actual race. We prep’d up, had a laugh with the security man on duty about how ridiculous what we were about to do was, and headed over to Birdcage walk and the meeting point.

The runners started trickling in before a large group, who’d met at McDonalds for some calorie loading, showed up. I distinctly remember overhearing one guy say he’d just come straight from a wedding for the run. He was loaded up on Gin. Crazy fool / legend! I think there was close to 200 people in total who showed up (or would be showing up as there was also a second pace group starting later).

Someone gave a little speech. I don’t think they said much other than “Off you go” and that was it. We were running a marathon. At night. Through the heart of London. It wasn’t long before the mayhem of a large group of runners took over. People headed off on their own, at different paces. Runners were separated at traffic lights and junctions. People took slightly different paths/cut corners at their discretion. Daryl and I stuck together as we intended though. I think somewhere along Embankment we found ourselves in a little group of about 6 people, we started chatting away and settled into a pace we were all happy with.

The vast majority of the run was uneventful and can be summarised as follows: Drunk people, Canary Wharf – getting lost, pit stops & cheese, getting to know each other, Canary Wharf – always visible, Woolwich – so dull, The hill – the damned hill! Let me elaborate…

As we ran through the city, I realised that, in all my time in London, I’d rarely (if ever) enjoyed London at night Sober. But one thing was immediately clear was the volume of drunk people staggering around at 2:30am. We got plenty of cheers from the drunk revellers searching their next party.

We reached Canary Wharf at some point. I don’t know when or how. This was back when I wasn’t recording/tracking runs. We were just running. Whilst the majority of the route was prepped with railings ready, Canary Wharf wasn’t. We were running the major roads with traffic in all directions. We were going round in circles and had no idea where we were. Fortunately one guy had a pretty strong understanding of the route (you’ll find out why in the next section) and he managed to direct us through the dark concrete jungle. Two fingers to you Canary Wharf. We win.

In our group was a gentleman (I forget his name) whose friend (I forget her name too) had decided to cycle the route with us. Whilst she had to take different roads a lot of the time, we’d often find her waiting up ahead. This was brilliant for two reasons. Firstly, it made us regroup and stop and re-fuel. Secondly, she’d packed a tonne of food in her bike bags. We were treated to homemade flapjacks, fruit, chocolate and cheese. Cheese on a run?! It’s been a staple of my running nutrition ever since! Whoever you were, thank you!!

And so to the runners we were with. It was a mixed bag. There was a woman who was training for an 8 day, self-supported ultra across Scotland. A man who would be running the marathon straight after this one following a bet from a friend to raise an extra £500 for charity, the gentleman who knew the route as he paces at the London Marathon as a guide for partially-impaired runners (he too would be running the race after completing this one) and some dude who was dressed as Spiderman. I don’t know why. Then there was Daryl, running his first marathon and me, the tag along with a days’ notice. A mixed bag! I remember the woman’s story was particularly impressive and touching. She was a keen runner and cyclist but last year was knocked off her bike. She broke both her legs. Less than a year later, against her doctor’s advice she was running marathons and ultras. In her own words “it doesn’t hurt when I run. But it does when I don’t run”. She was one determined lady!

Night Running — Running through the capital at night

The second half of the course was tough going. As we entered South London the streets were quieter and there were less distractions. For me, Canary Wharf become the bitch of my fascination. She was so visible, all lit up in the dark. Everywhere we turned we could see her. She never escaped us. Always teasing us. She was doing my head in! We then reached Woolwich, I’m guessing around 5am. It was very cold by now and raining. Woolwich isn’t the most attractive of places at the best of times. On a grey, damp, pre-dawn April morning it’s an absolute shithole to look at for an exhausted runner. The chatting had gone. We were all in silence. Just running. Plodding along. I (and probably a few of the others) knew what lay ahead. Daryl didn’t….

Back when I ran the London Marathon in 2013 I remember the starting few miles. The crowd is split over 3 different coloured running starting points. Just before you enter Woolwich Arsenal all the starters merge together as you run downhill. Yep, downhill. It isn’t particularly steep or much of an elevation but, running the course in reverse and having to go up the hill after 20 plus miles was going to be a struggle. I was mentally ready for this. Daryl wasn’t. Eventually we hit the hill, and with it the runners wall. None of us were particularly good at this point and we all slowed and walked where we had too. Daryl dropped off slightly as he vocalised his mantra “Daryl made for hills, Daryl made for hills” repeatedly. We eventually regrouped at the top again as we reached Blackheath. It was completed.

The Notharam — The people that got us through the run! Thanks

There was no fanfare. No supporters. No cheering. No congratulations. No medals. No anything. Just rain and a desire to get the fuck out of there and find somewhere warm. We took a photo with the group. Said our thanks and all parted different ways. Daryl and I headed down into Greenwich. We were freezing as the dampness and morning chill combined to make us shiver. All the restaurants and cafes were still closed (it was before 7am after all). We sacked off waiting to meet with other runners completing the run and instead jumped on a tube back to Daryl’s office. Warm showers and some more snacks and we started to perk up.

We headed out to East London to join the Run Dem Crew supporters. They were in amazing spirits with music, instruments, banners and loud voices. We spent most of the time in a busy café eating huge breakfasts. I don’t remember what happened after this but I know I slept well that night!

London Marathon — Watching and cheering the marathoners with tired legs of our own.

Salomon Sunset Series – Box Hill 10km

Published on January 29, 2018February 16, 2018 by runwithdaiLeave a comment

I’d signed up to Race to the Stones, but I’d never run a trail run before. It was time to get some practice. Facebook kept prompting me with the Salomon Sunset Series adverts. A 10km around the infamous Box Hill. It was set up by Salomon as part of their Sunset Series across the UK, the race taking place at 8pm a night as the sunsets (duh!). I was in.

This is where I mixed it up a bit, I decided to combine the 10km trail experience with a long training run and also gain some experience of running in the dark (because I had no idea how long I’ll be out on the course for Race to the Stones!). So the plan was, head down to Box Hill, enjoy the afternoon, take part in the workshops (trail running, Yoga etc.), run the 10km, pick up my bag and run the 18 miles back home to London. Simple.

The event itself was great. It wasn’t a big crowd in the day, although numbers increased for the race start. I’d gone down to Box Hill early and had me a little wander. It was early afternoon and I just lay in the field, my eyes closed, enjoying the relaxation and wind before I realised I was getting bitten to pieces by an army of ants. Fuckers. Inside the race village there were some stalls and products available as well as workshops on trail running and yoga. I enjoyed both. The techniques for running up and down hills particularly useful! Afterwards it was time to grab some food and listen to the professional Salomon athletes talk in a Q and A session. There was something ironic about me sitting there eating a pie whilst listening to them talk training and nutrition. I was happy. Before long it was time to run.

Part 1 – The 10km race. This in itself was tough but manageable. It was good fun getting on the hills and properly testing my trail trainers. There were a few very steep sections that required ‘power marching’ – a technique taught in the workshops earlier that day – and I certainly felt the effort this required! Towards the end of the race though it started to rain, pretty heavily. There was no “Sunset” on this run. Finishing up at Salomon’s Memorial I decided not to stick around. I grabbed my finisher’s coaster (better than a medal!) and ran back to the baggage store and quickly getting changed and setting off for home…

Part 2 – the run home. This was going to be dull. It was dark. It was wet (very wet!). I was soaked before I’d even begun. I was committed though (I had miles to do!) and I had recently bought a waterproof jacket (OMM Kamleika Smock if you care!) so this was the perfect opportunity to also test running in that! There would be a lot of testing on this run!

Do you ever get that Deja-vu feeling? I’ve often experienced that in London, mostly being in a place I recognise from a drunken night out somewhere, well it happened here again. Many many years earlier I’d spent some time with a woman who lived out in Reigate. This one time she took me to a pub in the middle of nowhere where I had an awesome Chinese duck and plum sauce Pizza (I know right!). I never knew where that pub was (or even what it was called)…until my route home took me past it shortly after leaving the race village. It’s the Arkle Manor for those interested. Get involved.

As I continued running I soon realised I’d planned my route home based on roads, not necessarily those roads that were safe for pedestrians, never mind pedestrians in the pitch dark. I did not enjoy running those country roads in the dark and the rain, although I was so glad of my head torch.

After about 6 miles I took a stumble in the dark after a short detour through some paths in the woodlands. I stumped my toe pretty hard and now I was also grumpy bastard as well as wet and tired at this point. The rest of the run was uneventful though until I rocked up in Croydon shortly after midnight on a Saturday. Seeing all the drunk party-goers on their nights out spurred me on to get home to bed! Hah, how times had changed. I was home a few miles later. Finally.

Muscat Marathon

Published on January 26, 2018February 1, 2018 by runwithdai5 Comments

Where & When:

Muscat, Oman, January 2018

Oman is truly spectacular with an incredibly beautiful landscape full of mountains and Wadis. We spent a few days exploring some of Oman’s offerings and were welcomed by such a welcoming culture with very smiley and happy locals.

Why I ran this course:

This is a great example of meeting people through running, being inspired by other runners and discovering amazing new places. Laura, who I met at the Lisbon Marathon, spent some time in Oman when she was younger. On talking about races and adventures she suggested I look at the Marathon in Muscat and shared some pictures from the country of places where we could visit easily on a trip. As always I didn’t need to think twice after seeing the pictures! I was joined on the trip by Angela and Stephane whom I met running in Myanmar back on 2016.

The Course:

A very flat, 2-lap route along the coast taking in golf courses, rich-people’s housing areas and the sea front. Nothing overly scenic and an extra 3-mile (out and back) stretch on the second lap added a particular mental challenge to the course.

The Organisation:

Pretty good. Everything leading up to the event was efficient and informative. The organisers were quick to respond to questions via email and accommodated overseas entries and runners very well (e.g. able to make special arrangements to collect race packs). A slight delay (20mins) to the 6am start was annoying but beyond the organisers control (technical difficulties ensuring traffic barriers were cleared). I feel the organisers were let down though by the volunteers on the day who were mostly not particularly attentive (needing coaxing at the water stations for example) or just appeared un- interested in the race.

The Atmosphere/Support:

Non-existent. Despite plenty of people being about the atmosphere was as flat as the course. I can recall just a handful of people clapping/cheering/supporting runners around the course. This naturally improved at the finishing stretch but not to the extent that it created an atmosphere. A traditional Omani band provided some entertainment along the route which was a pleasant relief.

My Race:

You might have gathered by now that I don’t tend to stick to any particular, regimented training plan. This continued through November and December as I just ensured to do a number of long runs and few shorter ones in the week. In December I started going to some ‘Mountain Athletics’ training sessions held in London by the Never Stop London community (North Face). These sessions focus on upper and lower body workouts fused with running and techniques. through the community I also started trail running with a few people I met. So distance wise I was certainly covering the miles now (December ended up being my third highest month for total mileage, impressive considering the top two months included a 100km race each time!).

I set out in the morning with Angela and we walked the brief stretch from our Hotel. Stephane, staying else where that night, joined us at the start line.

muscat me and ang — The darkness surrounds us as we arrive at the race village for the 6am start

By now I’d identified my plans for 2018 and the Muscat Marathon would be the first race of my 2018 12 month challenge. I’d decided to approached the marathon with a relaxed “just enjoy it” attitude. However, after the frustration of being kept waiting at the start line (and thinking to much about risking a toilet stop) I got a little caught up in a sprint off the starting line. I settled in behind a local runner and progressed through the crowd over the first few kilometers. I felt good, so I decided to keep the pace going. I devised a race strategy there and then, telling myself to keep running at a 7min/mile pace for the first 10 miles before dropping this to 7:10-7:20 min/miles for the next 10 miles. The final 6 miles I’d run at a comfortable pace and enjoy the finish. The first 10 miles went to plan and I continued strong into the second 10. Around mile 17 though my pace started to drop and I was struggling to maintain the target 7:20 min/mile pace, fluctuating more around 7:30 min/miles. I adapted once again, making the promise that I could keep this pace instead if I continued for an extra mile before dropping to the more comfortable pace at mile 21. As I reached the turn around point on the beach straight I didn’t realise that the second lap involved running further along the coast before turning back towards the finish. This was admittedly a struggle as the road was so straight and there was no sign of the turn in the distance. Eventually I reached this point (coincidentally it was about 21 miles into the race), grabbing some flat coke, popping an SIS gel, which I picked up earlier,and settled into a slower rhythm, aiming to maintain 8:00 min/miles to the finish. Over the next few miles I was over taken by two runners looking strong (one of whom was to come home as the second female finisher) and I must have sub-consciously recognised the chance at a sub 3:10 finish as my pace picked up again for the last two miles. Gladly the finishing stretch was short! job done. I stuck around at the end to cheer and support (some one had too!) and to catch Angela cross the line.

The Goodies:

Besides the medal (which I actually really like for a change, a very simplistic and stylish design) and the T shirt, participants received a rather high-quality looking swim bag. Nice touch.

Time/Standings:

3:09:24 (PB)
18/159