Remember!

Hello blog lovers.

What a day it was today.  An emotional day, a muddy day and a beautiful day! A day to remember!

This run, is part of our club's Grand Prix events and I have committed myself in doing these races.  So another day away from church, but I knew I would  be praying all the way round the course today. It's remembrance Sunday! A day that we remember those that have given their lives to protect the freedom of us all.  A day to remember exactly what the sacrifice of a life for the sake of others really means. God bless all those that have laid down their lives and God bless those service men and women who also serve to protect that freedom!

I met DiscoRich at the rec, he had kindly offered to drive today.  I was excited about the race, the Kent Fitness League Swanley 5 miles. But I was also a little anxious.  These events are attended by club runners from all over Kent; Canterbury, Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Swanley of course and my club, Pettswood Runners .  There were loads more other clubs too, and they are going to be running fast! But I am just going to do my best, and try to stay upright at all times.

The rain had done it's best yesterday, to create a sticky and wet course, for all of the cross country runners who just love mud.  Although I run through our woods, I still haven't acquired a pair of trail shoes, I will be slipping and sliding through todays race.  We met up with the rest of our club members, altogether there were 51 PWR's competing in this race, a very good turn out indeed, but unfortunately for me no other group 1 runners. I am going to have to encourage all the group 1's to enter the races that's in our fixtures! It's good to have a bit of competition.

The race began after a time of silence.  The 500+ runners and all the entourage and spectators fell silent, thinking, praying about the soldiers who fought for our country, not a murmur from any of the runners.  The birds tweeted, a child was heard in the playground, but just at that moment, on the start line, it was utter silence...... Then a voice brought us all back from our thoughts and it was time to go.

The course is three laps of the park, taking in the boating lake, the slight undulations and the wooded areas of the park.  The going was really, really soft! 500+ pairs of feet churning up the mud before I even got there.  The sun was shining down so brightly I was having difficulty in looking ahead.  I had forgotten my hat. This was going to be fun!  With my head down, all I could see was the muddy path, I thought to my self  "At least I can't possibly get lost, all I have to do is follow the sticky footprints in the muddy paths"

The first turn left bought us down to towards the boating lake, and it seemed to be even more muddy than the first bit, if that is at all possible! I was slipping and sliding about just as I predicted.  I thought that maybe the answer to the problem was to just 'go for it', straight through the middle of the path, but that didn't help at all, so I just slowed down and tippy toed through it, 'ewww-ing' quietly to myself. 

Picking my way through the mud I saw the front runners heading towards me, they had completed the U-Turn at the end and they made their way back past me and up to the next part of the course.  I reached the U-turn and I looked to see if there was any one else behind me.  I could see a few others picking their way through the mud, so at least I am not the last person ......yet!

This bit had a sandy path to run on! My 'sense of balance' was taking a huge sigh of relief! But not for long as it was back into the mire for some delightful uphill pleasure!  I had forgotten to bring my Garmin with me (again), but my phone app was keeping me company and it started telling me how well I was doing, calories burnt up etc, but I was just concentrating on keeping up right and trying to run! 

At this point I was talking to myself, as I nearly slipped over again for the umpteenth time, "Stupid idea, you should be at church,  worshipping, playing guitar, eating biscuits after" I am not sure if I was saying that out loud.  But from that moment I started to think about today, and I started to remember about today. 

I started to think about the soldiers that had to spend weeks and weeks in muddy fields and trenches, with bullets flying over head, and bombs exploding, and the rain and the cold and their friends being killed. This is where the emotional part started for me.  Here was I, traipsing around in the mud for fun,( and by the way, running is fun, even in the mud,) all because of our soldiers and sailors and air force continue to fight and protect to keep us in the freedom that should be everyones!

Yes, I had a few tears just then,  and I decided  that from that minute, I was just going to have fun today, because....because..... well, because I can! Thank you, you brave men and women!

So with a renewed spirit and the fact that I am allowing myself to enjoy this run, I just plodded along, doing what I always do, my pace.  The route took us pass some allotments and the car park, and then through a narrower path as we went into the wooded part of the course.

The narrower path with
the wooden edges

The course marshals had been busy before hand, highlighting all the bigger roots that could be a trip hazard.  We then came out of that and into a wider path.  I was passed by a lady wearing a purple top who told me to "Keep going"  I smiled as said "yes, thank you."  And that was the first of all the encouragement from all those that started to pass me.  From this point on the course, is where the first of the front runners started to lap me!


The lady in purple, who passed me
with the front runner disappearing from view

Now I can remember why I don't like doing laps in races! Apart from the fact that you know what is coming, it's also the lapping of the other runners that is just a tad demoralising!  But I again came back to the my thoughts of what this day was and I just kept going at my own pace, determined to finish, stay on my feet and above all to have fun!

The route took another  U-turn, which led us back on to ourselves again.  I tried to see how many others were behind me, but that was impossible now as more and more of the faster runners were catching up.  Just up ahead there was another.... well.... I can only describe it as a ridge, it was only about three or four feet high, similar to one that I had already gone over just a few moments earlier. Only that one was grassy! A little grassy ridge that you ran up and ran down, no problem. But this one was not grassy.  This one looked like every little school boy and girls' mud pies stacked together to make this ridiculously muddy ridge!

The steeplechase type hump!

I watched as some of the faster runners just flew up it and down the other side and then carried on running! "Ok Old Girl, you've seen the technique, now go for it" As I got nearer to it I realised that this particular Old Girl would not be 'flinging' her self up there and down the other side!

I chose some particularly well 'dented' footprints to use as steps to get up to the top of the ridge. From the top of the ridge it looked higher that it actually was! I could really see myself sliding down here on my backside if I wasn't careful.  I again chose some well dented footprints to get down, and I was also aware of the faster runners wanting to get past me. "Please don't let me fall, please don't let me fall" I was saying to myself! 

The ridge safely over I am now heading back to the starting point, over the little miniature rail lines and heading off into the cheering crowds. And now.... do it all again!  The sun was still in the same position, the grass was now even more muddier than I have ever seen, and the 'lappers' were still flying by me, splashing the mud about and with shouts of "Well done, keep going",  the encouragement was most welcomed! 

It was good to hear my name being called out, having it emblazoned on my top is a very good motivational move indeed! The marshals and the runners all shouting encouragement to everyone!  Getting back into the wooded part of the course, with the narrow path, I was particularly aware that I was totally in the way of the faster runners!  I could hear them coming up behind me, but as I was having to concentrate on where I was putting my feet I really didn't know which way to 'give way' to them.  On a number of occasions a tried to get out of the way and tripped over tree roots and even the wooden edging that was in place.  So I decided that the safest thing to do was to let them run around me.

I was feeling a bit jaded now, knowing I still had to do another lap, the constant slipping and sliding was taking its toll on my legs and knees.  I knew I had another lap to do, and I was just following all the other runners, but of course the runners I was following was the ones that had lapped me.  They were all heading for the finish line, a keened eyed marshal could see that I was on the wrong track, heading for the finish and quickly guided me  to the right path. I still had one more lap to do! 

Now there was no one to follow, I was heading up on the very sticky churned up path alone. The sun was still shining down as bright as ever and I was blindly heading in in the right direction, but then   I noticed that I wasn't on the side of the marked route! I quickly pulled myself back on the muddy path, ready to jog and squish my way up and then down towards the boating lake for the last time. 

By now I knew what was a head as I saw the boating lake. I knew, more or less, how all the other runners had been running through it,  and I knew this was the last time I had to do this bit.  I just had to go for it.  It was down hill, which made it a lot more appealing for what I was about to do, and that was to run faster through this wet, sticky slippery mud bath!  I picked up the pace, I slipped, slid and just about stayed on my feet, as my body contorted in ways that it never should do for a women of my age, an ex couch potato no less,  should be doing!  I twinged my back again, just slightly.  So I had another deciding moment, and that was I decided from then that I was just going to take it easy.

One particular marshal was very encouraging indeed, of course they all were, even with my very slow efforts of running around and keeping them knee deep in the mire, but this one chap said "You've done it, it's all yours, you are going to complete this and you will be very pleased, keep going Donna, keep going" I smiled, I was still smiling when I passed the next marshals and they cheered me along.

I started to sing to my self.  A song that they may have been singing at church today, #When the spirit of the Lord#  which was a particularly good one as it speeds up as you sing along!  This kept me going until I almost got to the rail way lines, where a "Keep going Donna, you're doing really well" from Sherry made me realise that I was almost to the end.

It really isn't that far now, I started to allow myself to get just a tad quicker, at least it felt as if I was doing that.  I could see the play park now, and I know the finish is that that way, "To the left, to the left" was the call I heard, obviously with no one to follow I was relying on the marshals and the bystanders to keep me heading towards the finish line. 

My head down, staring at the ground, I started to get faster, "Right! right" I head some one call, I looked up and I could see the finish flag, I was heading slightly left of it!  I think I must have been heading for the coffee shop! I finished! I was so pleased, just as the marshal had said. But a fantastic race! I really did enjoy it.  I was muddy, I was a bit achy and I was smiling!

No geeky stats, but I was 535 out of a field of about 537! 51st Pettswood runner home! My official time for this, my first KFL XC run is 01:05:19. A tad quicker than I thought I would have been in those conditions!

Me, after the run!

Here is a video that PhysioMike had done!
http://youtu.be/T7hNMqzf0vU

Pictures of me courtesy of Sherry Bevan and Mike Reeves, video courtesy of Mike Reeves.