This Thursday the Ageas Bowl is hosting a cricket match so our normal home is not available to use, but we have the opportunity to use the equally impressive facilities at Wyvern School.


The training session on Thursday 4th June will take place at Wyvern School, using the 2 running tracks and fields available to us.

The plan is for a structured training session which will be  suitable for all abilities.

The following link shows a map to find the school: Google Maps - Wyvern

We will meet at the track which is across from the Sport centre on the far side of the site from the main Botley Road.

A pint or two on a hot sunny midweek day lead to a conversation Mike and I were having about up and coming races. Brighton marathon (seems like an age ago now) was looming, and Southampton half marathon, but Mike mentioned a spot at Hackney half was available, I contacted Karen and within days I was booked into the race. Mike, Karen, Anna and I were booked into Ibis Styles, smack bang in the middle of the most multi-cultural street I have ever been to ( I lived in St. Paul's Bristol too!!!). Mike kindly agreed to drive up, so we set off on Saturday lunch time, a nice sunny day, and not a bad journey (apart from the usual London busyness!!). 

After arriving at the hotel, we set out to find Stratford Westfield shopping centre... (Centre?? It was a world of shops!!)Anna needed to find certain items for the race, so we wandered around Primark, Nike and other shops, before hunting food. Cabana.... That's a name I won't forget. Brazilian cuisine, and quite honestly, I've never seen so much meat being put on plates! I opted for a pulled pork burger and the others had various meats!! What a feast!! ....and let's not talk about the slab of cheesecake after! Arriving back at the hotel, we had a cuppa together and plotted our trek to Hackney marshes in the early hours of Sunday!! Mike and I had done quite well, Not only did we get dragged out shopping, but we had also gone alcohol free all day!!(This was put to rights as we sneaked down to the hotel bar... For a 'couple' of night caps!!). 

No need for alarms, Mike was up and getting ready at 5:30am, and I slowly followed. We ventured down for a continental breakfast, had a few coffees and set off at 7:30. It was quite some walk, somewhere between 2.5 - 3 miles, but it went quick and we nattered all the way. Race Is quite a big one, and the 12000 or so runners soon filled Hackney Marshes!! After baggage drop and a few selfie/photo snaps, it was time to get into race mode and pens... (Anna and Karen aiming for 1:30-1:35) mike and I edged back towards the 1:45-1:50 marker! A slow walk down the start mats, and we were off!! The weather was very warm and the first mile seemed hard work! My legs felt battered from Brighton and Southampton, but I was determined to stick and pace with Mike for a PB of around 1:45 - 1:46! We got into the race well, becoming comfortable enough in the busy roads, to go through 10k in 50 minutes, by this time, those Kenyan fellas were probably nearly finished!! 7 miles, 8 miles, I started to feel tired, and breathing got heavy and hard, I reckon a chest infection was still lurking from before Brighton (still got it now!!!), at 9-10 miles Mike had a touch of cramp, which became heavier in the final miles!!, we stuck together, and only slowed up a tad, and gave up on the PB mission, A sub 1:50 was still on, but we both wanted to get finished. Crossing the line together( pained!!) mike with cramp and me with a two mile stomach ache( probably lack of cooked breakfast!!!) we got a respectable time of 1:50!!. Medals on necks, goody bags and t-shirts collected, we found the girls (comfortably finished way way before us!!! Anna in an amazing PB of 1:34 and Karen in a fantastic 1:33). 

So team Hedgie delivered in Hackney, Very good race, atmosphere and organisation/support!! Just a small matter of a slower 2.5 mile walk back to the hotel. We all freshened up and changed ready for the journey home. The trip back seemed long and the traffic was heavy out of London. We stopped at Fleet services for large coffees, selfies and I couldn't resist a massive Burger King! and then set of for home. A great weekend with great people!! Being part of Hedge end running club is like having a massive new family, and the 'family' Hedgie holiday to Hackney was a great experience!!

On the 3rd May I took part in the 2015 North Dorset Village Marathon which is based out of a small village called Sturminster Newton about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Hedge End. A few from the club took part last year and had such fun that when looking at my schedule for this year it looked well worth a crack. 
Having notched up my first three marathons last year I was determined to at least learn from the experience so spent a good amount of time looking at the route and profile of the course to come up with a strategy. It's a tough course, mainly due to it being undulating through country lanes with a few hefty hills thrown in, including an uphill start. I'd been experimenting earlier in the year with an approach of walking steep hills and running flats faster as a way of managing my mental and physical fitness better so resolved to walk the hills at 8, 20 and 21 miles and seek to gain maximum advantage on the downward slopes. As some of you know I was injured in February/March so realistically had about a month to prepare so a PB wasn't likely but I thought I'd try and see how long I could sustain the right kind of pace as an exercise. I also thought I'd experiment with caffeine gels later in the race to see if that helped with mental sharpness.

I decided in the end to stay down the night before and luckily only the week before  found a great B&B a couple of miles away for Helen and I and the two dogs. I was umming and ahhing about driving down in the morning but in the end figured that the break would be nice for us anyway and that I could do without the earlier start and stress of getting down there on time. An 8:30am race start means probably 6am to leave home, allowing some contingency. Handily the local pub was well briefed and had a nice selection of carb-heavy dishes for me to get stuck into too. In the event I didn't sleep well, mainly because of worrying about sleeping through the alarm but still, worth staying down if you ever consider doing the race.

So the big day arrived and I headed down to the race HQ at the Sturminster Newton school to pick up my numbers. Unusually, they insist on marathon runners having numbers front and back, but only front for the relay race that runs alongside it. It was steadily raining when I got there, and I just hoped the weather forecast was right and it would halt by the time we got going. Once inside the race HQ I caught up with Michele and the "Robson and the Cougars" relay team which helped take some of the nerves away before we headed for the start line. There's no chip timing, and it was a pretty low key start - basically a chalk line on the road, with a hollered countdown!

The first couple of miles are all uphill and as predicted, a lot of people went off reasonably quickly to get the points on the board whilst they were still fresh. I tried to stick to my "flat" pace to take a bit of advantage of being near the start of the race. Most of the first few miles are down lanes through fields and the occasional built up area. They have nine water breaks, which is pretty impressive and also helps break the race up. I reached the first of my designated walk points at the first major uphill at 8 miles and was glad I did, it just wasn't worth the effort and there was the anticipated payback of a downhill decline afterwards to make back the lost pace (and more). 

After that it was pretty solidly down undulating lanes between fields before the next major hill at 20 miles - not a whole lot to look at I must say, so you have to work quite hard to stay focused. The sun had broken through and by about 15 miles it was starting to get seriously hot. Around 17 miles the heat, headwind and relative solitude as the race spread out started to get really had work but I managed to stick to my plan, with the planned walk at 20 miles being my reward when I finally got there. Again, walking the hills proved a good strategy, as the declines compensated for the loss in pace. As I headed off into the final leg after the last two major hills I was still in PB territory according to the Garmin. One other thing I noticed is that they course seemed to be measured a bit long which was slightly annoying - less so at the start but more so when your legs are starting to hurt. 

One thing I hadn't prepared for was the course having a long straight with no obvious end in sight around miles 23/24. As anyone who has run a marathon will tell you, those miles can be a dark place in your head and it was there that my lack of training time started to take its toll, my legs seriously began to tire and I had to ease off. I started to regret the caffeine gels as well as I was starting to feel sick which isn't great at this particular stage of a marathon. Feeling a bit down at this, fortunately a passing Hedgie relay runner (Tiggy) raised my spirits and even offered to run with me. I didn't take her up on her kind offer (I didn't want to wreck her relay for one thing) but that meant a lot and gave me a lift, thanks Tiggy.

The final leg of the race is about 2km down a disused railway line which is now a gravel path. Again not the most exciting scenary but by that point the end was in sight. As the finish line came into view I was again lifted and touched by the cheers of friendly Hedgies as I crossed the line. Throughout the race at the relay changeover points I'd been cheered on by our relay team, and there they were at the end - what a great bunch of people to have on your side. Finally over the line, clutching my medal and reunited with the family we set off back to the race HQ (a reasonable walk, especially if your legs are cramping up) for a shower and complimentary hog roast. Amazingly, they also offered free beer and cider but I decided that would probably not be the best way to rehydrate again...

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you're looking for a good test of your marathon running. I'd probably say not for a first marathon - tough course, long stretches without crowds - but still well organised and with a cool medal and nice technical t-shirt. I was really pleased with the first 22 miles and felt that I'd definitely learnt from the previous marathons, just my lack of training time started to kick in a bit at the end. Better luck next time hopefully.

As usual I'm particularly thankful to Helen for traipsing around after me to cheer me on and for the opportunity to train (and run) with such a special group of friends. Special thanks also to Tiernan for his consultancy in my planning, and his motivational pep talks in the run up when doubts were setting in. Thanks to this club I've achieved things I never thought I would do, and for that I will always be grateful.

Arriving at Excel around lunchtime on Saturday meant it was very busy as most of the runners who did not live in the London area were arriving to do the same. The crowds dropped off after 1600 so I would suggest aiming to get there later in the afternoon for anyone going there next year.

The process to collect your pack was straight forward. When you entered the Expo, you went to the first desk to collect the pack - race number, instructions explaining the details for Sunday, large kit bag and a sticker for the kit bag with your race number on it - then you went on to the second section to collect your timing chip which was paired to your race number.

After this you could then go into the Expo to browse around the various things on offer (mainly retail). The most useful stand for me was the Lucozade one as they had timing bands for various target finish times showing the time that you should be on as you pass each mile marker.

This would prove useful in the race as there are a few underpasses along the way that block GPS watches so the distance is no longer accurate.

On the way out of the Expo, runners were given a small goody bag with a few leaflets and food based items.

We have relatives who are close to Morden tube station so stayed with them overnight and was on the tube around 0730, arriving at Waterloo shortly after 0800. Everyone running gets free access to the TFL network on the Sunday - you just show your race number to the person at the gate. From Waterloo there is was a short walk to Waterloo East to get the train to the Blackheath blue start point.

Compared to the Tube to Waterloo which was nearly empty, the train from Waterloo East to Blackheath was standing room only. Speaking to a few people in the staging area later on who arrived later, they had to wait for 3 or 4 trains before they were allowed on one so the trains before 0800 appear to be quieter (the disadvantage being that you have to stand around in the staging area for longer.) 

Your start pen is allocated based on the finish time you predict when you register and is designated by a smaller number on your race number. Once in the pen you can move around to whichever location you like but the further forward you can go the better. Certainly aim to get ahead of any pacers in the pen as they are surrounded by a wall of people in the race which is very hard to get past once the race starts.

There are a few differences compared to a 'normal' race as well:

The sheer number of runners. At the start of most races, there is a bit of congestion as everyone finds their place and gets into their pace before the field thins out. At London, this sort of congestion is pretty much for the whole of the race which makes it difficult to settle into any sort of rhythm and make up and time that is lost due to it.

When the red and blue starts merge around mile 3  it seems customary to boo each other as well - probably because if the field looked like it was about to thin out, the merge soon puts an end to that :)

Spectator support. For pretty much the whole course, there are spectators lining both sides cheering the runners on and various bands and DJs providing entertainment along the way as well. If you have your name on your top then people will cheer you on as you pass them as well.

Someone on the London Marathon Facebook page also highlighted (after they had run it) that the St John Ambulance people along the way that hold their hands out have Vaseline on their gloves and not some sort of fancy energy gel so its best not to eat it like they did...

As for the race itself, I remember going round the Cutty Sark, over London Bridge and a few landmarks towards the finish but most of the time you are focusing on picking your way through the traffic so you cant really relax and really take it all in. A bit of a shame given how difficult it is to get a place to run it but that applies to most races really.

Would I do it again? Yes (I have put my name in the 2016 ballot). The atmosphere is different to any other race and the organisation is first class as you would expect. I also am grateful for being given the place through the Club as its one ticked off the bucket list. Plus the changes to the ballot system for 2016 will probably make it harder again to get a place in the public ballot. 

I travelled up to London on Saturday morning and collected my race number and chip and had a good look around the exhibition.  After looking around we checked into our hotel, which was near the Tower of London, and went out for a pasta dinner in a nearby restaurant.
 
Race day started early at 6am.  I’d prepared all my race clothes and items the night before, it looked like I was packing for a week all the layers of warm clothes and food and race paraphernalia that I had!  I got dressed and had 2 Weetabix for breakfast and some water.
 
I travelled from Aldgate East tube station, where the attendant wished me luck and I experienced my first ‘free’ train journey of the day.  I arrived at Charing Cross in plenty of time to meet the other Hedgies who I’d arranged to meet at 8am.  I was pleased to see that Anna and Angela had already arrived and gradually the others turned up.  The train journey from Charing Cross to Blackheath station passed quickly and it was good to be with a group of Hedgies, I would have been terribly nervous had I have been on my own.  I ate an energy bar and drank some water on the journey; little and often.
 
Arriving at the Blue start there was an air of anticipation and excitement.  The organisation was superb, it was clear which truck to drop my bag off to, so final preparations went well and after some photos it was for the Hedgies to split up into our starting pens.  I was in pen 8 with Georgina, a fellow Hedgie who I met for the first time that day.
 
We crossed the start line 11 minutes after the official start and I soon found myself stuck in the human traffic and running very slowly, but after a time I was able to settle into a comfortable pace and enjoy the atmosphere, which after the loneliness of my previous marathon, was a little overwhelming.  There wasn’t much to look at here so I amused myself listening to some music and thinking about what lay ahead, soon enough twenty minutes had passed and it was time to eat my first shot blocks and take on board some water.  Somewhere around here I overtook the 4 hour 15 minute pacer and I was feeling comfortable at 9.5 minute mile pace.
 
After joining up with the other start groups the human congestion occurred again but after a few manoeuvres I freed myself and continued at my comfortable pace.
 
At around 7 miles the route entered Greenwich and the crowds were enormous and very close in to the runners, I felt overwhelmed once again as I was completely unprepared for the noise levels but I used this to buoy myself on and I took a good look at the Cutty Sark as I went by.  It was also time to take on board a couple more shot blocks and there was a water station not too long afterwards to wash them down.
 
At this point I felt great, with no discomfort and I had a massive smile on my face.  The next few miles flew by and I listened to my music and continued to concentrate on my hydration and nutritional needs.  I did try to eat an energy bar at one point, but I just couldn’t swallow it so I put it back in my belt and decided to stick to my sugary items. 
 
I made it to Tower Bridge, around halfway, and checking my watch I was just over 2 hours, which I was very happy with indeed.  Tower Bridge was amazing, the crowds and noise levels increased again and the image in my mind of running up to the bridge will always stay with me.
 
There must have been a Lucozade station around this area because just afterwards the road surface became very sticky which was strange to run on.  Just like at the water stations there were thousands of discarded bottles to negotiate too.
 
Somewhere after Tower Bridge I started to feel a light headed and a pain developed in my stomach.  I’d had this once during training and it hadn’t ended well, so when it didn’t pass I stopped and was sick in front of some very lovely people who made sure I was OK before letting me carry on.  After this I was unable to carry my earlier pace so I decided to slow down and take it easy as I wanted to make it to the finish. 
 
The Isle of Dogs passed by and I was surprised at how many people were around offering jelly babies, Jaffa cakes, bananas and I even saw some beers on offer somewhere.
 
I was pleased to make it to 22 miles as I knew my friend would be at the Cancer Research stand and sure enough I spotted her in the crowd and stopped for a much needed hug of encouragement!  Whatever she said worked because I knew I had 4 miles to go and I could do it, even though I felt pretty out of sorts.  At least I wasn’t suffering with cramp or blisters like many others around me who were clearly struggling.
 
The crowds here were amazing and full of encouragement.  I heard my name so many times and, although I wasn’t feeling my best, I kept going knowing that there was only a ‘Parkrun’ between me and the finish.
 
This section of the race was very familiar to me along the Embankment and back to Charing Cross where I’d been just a few hours earlier.  Many familiar landmarks to look at.  Still my legs were fine, no aches and pains, but I was still dogged by the stomach ache.  I kept my head though and ate as many jelly babies as I could lay my hands on and drank some more water.
 
I tend to run a bit of a trance, but for the last mile I made myself focus on my surroundings and look around, take in the atmosphere, as I may never experience this again.  I felt very emotional for the last few hundred yards as the distance signs counted down to the finish.  I rounded the right handed bend into the Mall and towards the finish, I could see it! Head up and suddenly some energy appeared and I felt like I was sprinting, highly unlikely, but I had a smile on my face when I went over the finish line and held my arms aloft thinking.  I’d done it!  My watch said 4 hours 34 minutes and for once I remembered to stop it at the end of a race……
 
What a day, one that I will never forget.  Things that will stay with me are Tower Bridge, the crowds who are simply awesome and the feeling that I had really accomplished something by making it to the finish despite my difficulties. The whole event is supremely well organised and I would do it again tomorrow given the chance!
 
I’ve said it before but I must thank Hedge End Running Club for giving me the opportunity to run in this race and thank all the wonderful people I have trained with along the way. 

Carlo van Leeuwen was HERC Member of the Month for April 2015.

This was in recognition of running back to back races at the Southampton 10K and the Southampton Half Marathon, and for leading a group of Hedgies to achieve their target time in the Half Marathon.

​Congratulations Carlo.  

The day started early. Too early. The day before was spent with my in laws in Tonbridge, Kent, so after not a lot of sleep I was up at 5.30 getting breakfast and making final kit checks. The weather forecast was rubbish so I had to take with me (in addition to my running kit, drinks, food etc) warm clothes for the start and a change of clothes for afterwards.

After a breakfast of a bowl of granola, 2 bananas and a bottle of Lucozade sport, I headed off to Tonbridge station and caught the first train of the day to Charing Cross. Luckily it was on time, the 45 minute journey passed quite quickly and I was soon looking out of the window at the London suburbs we would soon be running through.

At 8 am I arrived at Charing Cross and met up with 6/7 others from the club. It was good to see the others and to be able to travel to the start with them as they helped me relax. So after another train journey back to Blackheath and a short walk we were on the common at the blue start. The weather, which had started wet windy and cold, had improved slightly to just windy and cold. Everything about the race, was organised to perfection so bag drops, last minute toilet stops etc were managed with ease. There were big screens so we could watch the start of the womens and wheelchair races, so the final hour before the start passed really quickly.

Just before 10 we all split up and headed to our starting pen. I was in pen 6 with Lauren and Anna from the club so we went and waited together. We were probably about a quarter of a mile back from the start line, and somewhere between the 4 hr 15 and 4 hr 30 pacers.

We spent the last few minutes discussing our race strategy (find a good bottom to follow to alleviate the boredom was one piece of advice passed on via another club regular). Finally, 7 minutes after the start of the race we finally crossed the start line and were off. I ran with Lauren and Anna for the first half mile or so and then headed off on my own. My plan was to run steady 8 min 45 second miles the whole way round and to finish somewhere under the 4 hour mark, but I found early congestion meant the first mile took 9 mins 15, 30 seconds slower than target. The congestion cleared slightly though and I settled into a steady 8 40 pace for the next few miles.

The first landmark on the route is at 7 miles when you run into Greenwich and around the Cutty Sark. The atmosphere here was incredible, with deep crowds on both sides of the road. Unfortunately I got stuck behind the 4 hour pacer, who had about 300 other runners with him so miles 7 and 8 were finished at 9 min 10 pace, some 30 second slower than planned.

After finally passing the pacer, again the race settled down and I tried to focus on maintaining target pace and relaxing for the next few miles through Bermondsey and Southwark.

Just after 12 miles the race comes to life. After a few miles of running through fairly dreary London suburbs you make a right turn and before you is London Bridge. As you come onto the bridge the noise and crowd levels increase and you get a great view of the London skyline. Just after the bridge I managed to spot my wife & kids on the side of the road that gave me a huge boost. I made it to the halfway point in 1 hr 55 mins and 25 seconds, at an average pace of 8min 49 seconds per mile. I was bang on target and feeling ok.

Next is a trip into and around the Isle of Dogs in docklands. I found it hard to focus on the surroundings though as slower runners kept getting in my way and there are thousands of drinks bottles on the floor to be avoided. Again the miles just ticked by, at and around my target pace. At around 20 miles you come off the Isle of Dogs and it’s a 6 mile slog to the finish. I saw my family again, another huge boost,  and got to the 35km (22mile) mark in 3 :12 at 8 min 50 secs average. I knew that all I had to do was hold it together for 4 more miles and my target would be hit.
The next 3 miles were just a wall of noise, as I made my way from London bridge along the embankment, under Waterloo Bridge and to Charing Cross. I was running on empty and feeling sick but managed to keep going without slowing down too much. In the final stages the course takes you to the end of Westminster Bridge, around Parliament Square, along Birdcage Walk to Buckingham Palace and along the Mall to the finish. I was so pleased to cross the line in the time of 3 hrs 56 minutes and 19 seconds, a new personal best in one of the worlds best marathons.
 
Would I do it again? Absolutely. The positives were the organisation and the crowd were like nothing I ever experienced before. The only negative was the congestion caused by all the other runners, meant I found it really hard to settle into controlled running as I was forever having to weave around others and dodge discarded drinks bottles. In the end I ran 26.75 miles, half a mile longer than the shortest route.
Finally, I want to end this report by thanking Hedge End running club that awarded me the place in the race through the ballot and to everyone I’ve trained with at the club.