Race 3: Sevenoaks Rotary 10K: A lesson in why you need to train!

Well, that was tough! It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday over in Sevenoaks for the 8th annual Sevenoaks Rotary 10K in Knole park. It was been a difficult few weeks and I've not been able to get out to run since the Headcorn Half Marathon. I went in to the race aiming for a sub-45min time, given my lack of practice. What followed was an abject lesson in a number of things!

1. Training really pays off, even if you have been suffering with a bad cold
2. A water bottle is essential!
3. Pace management pays dividends
4. Remember to learn the course before you start...

I am pleased to report that I finished in sub-45, finishing 22nd out of 452 in a time of 43:40 but it was very hard going. Were it not for the 2nd water station there is a good chance that I might not have been able to finish! I did manage a sprint finish again (that's 3 from 3!) although I needed a good five minutes lying down afterwards.

Still, I am stiff & sore but pleased with the result this morning. I have a few weeks now until the next race so, regardless of a few snuffles, I will be out running again later this week to make sure that I am as primed as possible.

No race support team for this one, sadly (Nikki missed out on the first sunny race!) so I had to make do with a rather sweaty selfie afterwards.

Race 2: Headcorn Half Marathon

Sunday saw the second of my races, the inaugural Headcorn Half Marathon. It was a pretty cold day, albeit dry. The going was all on the road, thankfully, although it started with a lap of a very small park (more on the wet grass/mud later). I was supported as usual by my very understanding wife, my grinning little boy and this time by my mum, who doubled as official photographer.

It started with smiles before the hooter went off. There were not quite so many smiles at the end...

There were 380 starters on the day and I am pleased to say that I came in 37th with a time of 1:30:54. I am really pleased with this time, it being my first half marathon. The going was pretty tough, even though it was a flat course. Running into the wind was not overly fun but it was nice to run around the Kent countryside! I managed to keep myself going at a pretty consistent pace of 7 minute miles, upping it to 6:30 for the final mile. I even managed to sprint over the finish line, even though it involved running on mud which felt like I was running in slow motion! A bout of nausea later and it was off to the pub to rehydrate with a couple of creamy pints of Guinness and a roast dinner.

Onwards and upwards. Next up is the Sevenoaks Rotary Knole Park 10K on 16th March. I am expecting a slower time than the Bromley run, as this looks like it is mostly off-road. Here's hoping for no rain for the next few weeks!

Race 1: Bromley 10k results

The official results of my first race are in! I came a respectable (I think) 15th out of 292 people in a time of 40:39, which was 4:45 behind first place. It was a VERY cold day, so gloves, long sleeves and tights were the order of the day. There were a few brave souls just in shorts and a vest but that was a too hardcore for me! My support team were wrapped up nice & warm, with hot sausage rolls to keep them going.

It was a good course, starting with 3 laps of the running track, followed by 4 laps of the park itself. About half of the race was off road, which very quickly turned into thick mud. There were a few slippages (only one of them was mine!). I'm pretty pleased with my time and feel like, on a dryer surface, I would have shaved at least 30s off my time, so sub-40mins is definitely achievable!

That is the first race done and dusted. Next up a half marathon at the end of February!

(Semi) Finalised events

I have finally pulled my finger out and pretty much got the events sorted! There is a decent mixture, I think, of distances, with a fair few 10k and half marathons plus two full marathons.

Training is going well and I have already managed to bring down my 10k time to sub-45mins, which I am very happy about. My aim is to get to 40mins for 10k by the end of the year. The route that I am running around Rochester is about 11.5k (if you have seen it via the Nike shares on Facebook or Twitter) which includes running over the Medway twice. It is a pretty scenic route in parts, running alongside the M2. Next step is doing a couple of laps to get me up to 20k runs, but that can wait until after the first event, which is in a couple of weeks. Speaking of which, here they are;

Date	Event
12/01/2014	Bromley 10K
23/02/2014	The Headcorn Half
16/03/2014	Sevenoaks Rotary Knole Park 10K
06/04/2014	DARENT VALLEY 10K
31/05/2014	2014 Kent Roadrunner Marathon
22/06/2014	North Downs Run 30K
27/07/2014	WIMBLEDON COMMON HALF MARATHON
31/08/2014	Spartan Race (13K)
14/09/2014	Bacchus Marathon
26/10/2014	Tough Mudder (12 Miles)
26/10/2014	Great South Run
29/11/2014	The 10k MoRun London Greenwich Park 2014
14/12/2014	Capital Runners Richmond Park Christmas 10K

My one month where I am torn is October. The Tough Mudder would be fun but I feel that the Great South Run is more in keeping with the spirit of what I am doing. I'll wait until Feb to decide, I think.

If anyone is interested in joining me in any of these, the please give me a shout!

What is this all about?

A couple of years ago, two of my friends ran a series of races to raise money for a very good cause called Simon Says (more on them in another post). This really resonated with me and next year I have decided to do something about it! As such, I am going to be running a series of 12 races in 12 months, mostly 10k-20k with a couple of marathons as well.

I will be posting regular updates on this blog, including the details of each of the events, pictures & race times.

You can donate here http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EdHockey

I look forward to boring/inspiring you throughout next year!

Why am I doing this crazy event?

Background

Simon Stanley was a 37-year-old teacher from Southampton, Hampshire, when he died from cancer.  His wife, Sally, found there was no bereavement support locally for their two sons, Andrew (5) and Tom (2).  Research indicated that The Stanley’s experience was not unique and there was a wider need to provide resources and information to children, parents, teachers, health professionals and emergency services in Hampshire.

Simon Says became a registered charity in 2001, and was formally launched in 2002 with Sally Taylor MBE as its patron, with the aim of supporting children and young people within Hampshire, who have a close relative/friend who has died or is dying.  The death of someone important can have a devastating effect on a young person, but we know that given appropriate support and information, children and young people can be helped to understand what has happened and can be helped to rebuild their lives.

Simon Says supports children, young people and parents through workshops, support groups, training and written information and documentation. We run help lines and offer befriending and counselling services and most importantly, the opportunity for families to share their experiences of pre-bereavement and bereavement in order to support themselves and others. 

Simon Says also works very closely with professionals working with children offering advice and training on dealing with child bereavement.

With the help of The National Lottery, People’s Millions award, Simon Says launched a satellite service in  New Milton, giving easy access to those living in New Forest.  In October 2008 Simon Says opened a temporary office in Gore Road and launched the children’s support group offering support to children aged up to 11yrs.  In March 2009 support groups for young people (aged 11yrs – 18yrs) will be launched; and from the end of April Simon Says will be based in The Phoenix Centre; the New Milton Childrens Centre.

Facts & Figures

It is estimated that every 30 minutes a child or young person in the UK is bereaved of a parent – that’s 55 a day, 20,000 children every year facing the future without a parent¹

It is estimated that 4%¹ of school aged children (between 5yrs and 16yrs) will have experienced the death of a parent or sibling, which equates to 7500 children in Hampshire.  This figure does not account for those who have lost another relative eg grandparent, uncle, cousin or a close friend.

Covering just Hampshire, the Simon Says Helpline receives over 1500 calls per year requesting support and/or information for helping bereaved children

It costs approximately £85 per referral for Simon Says to support a bereaved child

An average of 400 bereaved children attend the Simon Says support group per annum

Almost 50% of the deaths Simon Says has supported, have been sudden deaths eg heart attack, road traffic accidents suicide, or murder