RACE RUNDOWN: Cabbage Patch 10 (2014)

Ten mile races are few and far between around my area but are a brilliant distance to compete in. Falling short of a half marathon but a bigger challenge than a 10K, the distance is very doable and enjoyable. 

This is the second time I have ran Cabbage Patch 10 (first Race Rundown for the event HERE). Held in Twickenham in the name of The Cabbage Patch pub, the ten mile course is a fabulously flat, scenic route. With very little training behind me for this, in the week leading up to the race I was a tad worried about my ability to complete the course. I myself haven't ran this sort of distance since April and with only a couple of eight mile training runs behind me, I opted to take this event easy and enjoy it! Waking up at 7am to get ready and make my way there, I felt SUPER keen to get going.

Arriving at the The Cabbage Patch pub, I met my best bud from home and dropped off all my stuff in the bag drop. I started to feel a little nervous as all us runners made our way down to the start which is half a mile away but having my pal there to natter to helped. To add to my nerves, my Garmin wasn't finding signal and whilst this sort of thing would normally frustrate the hell out of me, I actually stood back and saw it as a blessing. Switching to stop watch mode, I made the decision there to just see how I got on and simply go with the flow.

This event only logs a gun time so for anyone looking to take part, I highly recommend counting the time from when the gun goes to when you cross the start line. It took me 35 seconds to reach the start line so I knew I would need to subtract this from my finish time. Saying that though, having the stop watch was still handy as I would know my exact time when I reach the end.

I crossed the start line with my friend and we stayed together the first four miles having a good chatter and catch up. We were still managing 8.30 minute miles between the chit chat and I was feeling ok. I could tell she was eager to trog on ahead so after saying farewell she was off and I was on my own to take in the surroundings and find my pace. 

What I love about this course is the mixture of grounds. From town centres and residential streets to country lanes and riverside running, the route is really rather pleasant. I reached the halfway mark at 42 minutes and surprisingly felt like I had a lot left in the tank. I decided to pick up the pace a tad and push on. It was great as I began to pass people one by one and taking over other runners is the best feeling ever. It shows clear progression right in front of your eyes and I felt my confidence soar each step I took. 

By mile nine (which by the way is marked on the course way too early!) I dug deep for the final mile and crossed the finish in 1.21.21. Not a PB but much, MUCH faster than I was expecting. Plus, I had a huge grin wiped across my face which normally isn't the case at finish lines (it tends to be a look of pain and nausea ha!).

Overall, my legs felt like they had a good run but weren't tired, my body didn't ache and I certainly didn't feel disappointment. Picking up our complimentary technical t-shirt, we headed back to the pub to collect our belongings and of course have a post race snap with some cabbages!

The Cabbage Patch pub is soooo busy at the end with everyone changing, ordering drinks and milling around we decided after a quick change to head to a nearby pub for a well deserved carbed up lunch. I opted for this super scrummy bean burger and chips. It was delish and I think very much deserved. 

RACE OVERVIEW

Course: 5/5

Scenery: 4/5 (I gave it a 3 last time but I definitely don't think I appreciated it enough then)

Facilities: 3/5

Water Stations: 5/5

T-Shirt & goody bag: 4/5

My time: 1.21.21 (PB remains at 1.18)

LIPSTICK RUNNER'S OVERALL RATING: 4/5

Find out more about Cabbage Patch 10 HERE.


Lipstick Runner.

TRAINING UPDATE: Run, Cycle, Swim, Repeat

This last fortnight has been far more successful than previous. Coming out of the flu was a slow(ish) progress. The snuffles and an awful cough were what remained from my bed ridden state but I was just grateful to be back up and running again.

I felt fully recovered midweek but still opted to avoid exercise until the weekend. Despite that though, I didn't hold back come Saturday and I headed out bright and early for an easy eight mile run. The first mile was literally run at snails pace just to get me into my rhythm but by 5K I had found my feet and was running on average just under nine minute milling. By 10K my legs were aching but I trooped on to complete what I set to out to do. I did keep coughing a lot on this run and I felt a tad wheezy but way better than I was expecting which was a great sign!

I had planned a bike ride on Sunday as the weather was going to be nice. I woke up with very heavy legs from my run but despite this, I still got ready to head out for a cycle. It would probably do my legs some good loosening them up. I took the route through Hampstead to Regents Park where I did a lap of the outer circle. I then took a quick pit stop and walked my bike up to the top of Primrose Hill (one of my favourite spots in North London) to take in this beautiful view:

After Primrose I then looped back round through Kentish Town to bring me back home. My cycle was roughly 10 miles so not too strenuous but enough to wake my legs up.

By Monday, I was craving a swim. I haven't been for a good couple of weeks and previous to this I was really making progress with my front crawl. I don't want this focus to slip so after work, I headed to my local lane pool and set myself a little workout based on exercises and technical movements a good friend (and incredible swimmer!) had taught me:

Front Crawl Technique (in 30m lengths)

4x standard front crawl (warm up)

4x arm pulls with float

2x standard front crawl

4x around the world hand touches

2x standard front crawl

4x leg kicks with float out in front (THESE KILL ME!)

2x standard front crawl

4x 'sharkies' (where you touch your shoulder on every arm stroke)

2x standard front crawl

4x leg touches

2x standard front crawl

4x arm pulls with float

2x standard front crawl

TOTAL: 40 lengths (1200m)

By mixing standard front crawl lengths between each technique it is helping me to put them all into practice when swimming normally. I do feel like my style is improving - I am using less energy per stroke which in turn is making me go faster. I do however need to work on 'cutting' through the water better. I do worry when I swim I am a bit all over the place, kicking and splashing.

Tuesday was club night for me and as I was missing the track session this particular week, I opted to head with a few others to the Regents Park dirt track which is situated on the outer circle. It was just over a mile jog there and then after some drills we went straight into 400ms. Two sets of 4x400m with decreasing rest periods (45secs, 30secs and 15secs). I found these hard, especially as my body was feeling fatigued from the last three days of running, cycling and swimming but I stuck to working as hard as I could. You can see below with my times that my speed greatly improved whilst on the track and I even managed a faster run back to the club than I did running to Regents Park. 

I really feel my core working when doing these high intensity workouts and they are a brilliant way to kick your metabolism into gear and burn fat faster. That said though, after jogging back to the clubhouse I did have two chocolate biscuits. Oops!

The rest of the working week was fun and play after this. Thursday I would normally head to the track for a HIIT session but instead I spent the evening with family at my favourite dim sum house, Ping Pong. Check out this scrummy cocktail!

By the time the weekend arrived it was time to head out on a long run again. This is actually my last shot until Cabbage Patch 10 to squeeze in a decent run as the next couple of weekends I'm away. I chose to do eight miles again with the aim to be quicker than last week. I set off not really knowing where I was going - I sometimes prefer planning the route on the spot as it makes the run more adventurous and free. 

I headed to Hampstead Heath but only stopped there for five minutes, choosing to run through and up to Kentish Town and onto the towpath towards Angel. I have only run along here once but where I cycle along it weekly now, I thought this would be a great place to pick up some speed (something I am lacking greatly at the moment!). It was really quiet and peaceful running along here and I was boshing out some great times too (miles 2 - 8 were all sub 8.30)!

By the time I reached 10K, I didn't feel tired at all which I saw as a great sign compared to how I was feeling the week previous. Running along the towpath also allowed me to keep my pace consistent as its a straight path with very little people. Once I was off here and onto the busy streets of Angel there was lots of stopping and starting, weaving in and out of people. Still though, I was super chuffed with my time. I was nearly four minutes faster than last week and had plenty of gas left in the tank, which is very reassuring for me as Cabbage Patch is fast approaching.

By Sunday, it was time to head out for a bike ride and after heading to Regents Park last week and seeing all the cyclists on the outer circle, I wanted to head there to experience my first proper speed session on the bike. After a comfortable cycle there once I was on the outer circle I aimed to do four laps (I'm not too sure on the distance per lap but I would predict 2.5KM), two laps fast and two laps recovery. This was the first time I had picked up speed on my bike without lots of traffic around me and it as brilliant! Although many fellow cyclists sped past me, I revelled in pushing myself around the circle and in the final straight to the marker point where I move into a steady lap, I made sure I pumped my legs harder and faster. 

Doing four laps was definitely a good starter. My legs felt like they had a good workout and bum hurt which can only mean I worked hard *must invest in cycling shorts*. After the session I remained in Regents Park to meet a friend at the boat pond for a coffee. It was such gorgeous weather and lazing around in the sun relaxing was a lovely way to end my exercise fuelled week. 

Here's to the same next week!


Lipstick Runner.

RACE RUNDOWN: Wiltshire 10

I entered the Wiltshire 10 as it is a perfect spring half marathon training run. It takes place every year in the middle of February and is a great local organised event.

Starting in the King George V playing fields in Melksham, you head out on a very pretty, scenic route. It starts off relatively flat and you spend the first couple of miles running down some winding country lanes. Traffic isn’t closed off for the event but as it is a quiet area, there aren’t many cars about but you do need to be on high alert for any that come careering around the corner. There are also plenty or marshals along this part who are on guard to warn runners of cars approaching (and vice versa).

After this you carry on through some undulating areas before arriving in the quaint village of Lacock (where I believe parts of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed!). There were a great bunch of crowds at this point cheering you on, which was fab as we had reached the half way mark at this point. 

(Lacock Village)

Next, you do head up a small, steep hill but nothing too challenging before ending back up on the bendy country lanes heading back on yourself to the King George V playing fields. I actually liked this part of the course as it gave me a good gage for how long I had left and determined whether I could start to push the pace. The very last mile of the race is along the River Avon, which leads up the playing fields where a good, straight sprint finish awaits!

The capacity for this race is very small (when I ran there was around 200 participants) so I would recommend getting in quick when entries open, which I think is late summer. This does come with pros and cons. The positive side is that you aren’t sandwiched into large groups all pushing and shoving but the downside is that it is quite a lonely run – I ran mostly by myself.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Wiltshire 10 and I will definitely try to return in 2015. I loved the whole experience and the course was varied, scenic and not too challenging. You also get a finishers mug at the end (because you can never have too many mugs!). My only niggle would be the toilet situation. There weren’t many as they only open those available in the playing fields hall so I did have to wait in a big queue for a while. But I can safely say that everything else adds up for this.

RACE OVERVIEW

Course: 5/5

Scenery: 5/5

Facilities: 2/5

Water Stations: 5/5

Medal & goody bag: N/A

My time: 1.23 (Feb 2013)

LIPSTICK RUNNER'S OVERALL RATING: 4/5

Find out more information about Wiltshire 10 HERE.


Lipstick Runner.

RACE RUNDOWN: Cabbage Patch 10

Every year, the famous Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham hosts a fast, flat 10 miler that is a great race for a target PB. I completed the race in October 2013 and made sure I got my entry in early for 2014!

Spanning 10 miles over Twickenham and parts of Kingston, Cabbage Patch 10 has been running since 1982 and if you one of the speedier ones, you are in with a chance of landing some great cash prizes.

If you are like me and want to write a new PB in your record book, Cabbage Patch can easily offer this. With the race taking place in October, the weather is normally mild and it is, I find, a great opportunity to keep the legs ticking over a long distance, especially if you are pre/post marathons and half marathons.

The course starts in Twickenham town centre, with the Cabbage Patch pub the main hub to plonk all your bags and clothing during the race. The road in which the race begins is quite narrow so if you are gunning for 1.15 or below, I’d recommend you try and get a spot in the first quarter pack of runners.

As I mentioned above, the course is incredibly flat and takes you through pretty residential areas, along with a couple of spots where you run through nearby town centres along the route. Around mile three, you enter Hampton Wick where you are directed to run on the path round the centre. Last year at this point, I was running with my best bud and was having a bit of a natter when I turned a sharp corner to go over a bridge and ran hard straight into a lamp post! Luckily, we both found the funny side of it, but I did feel daft and it reminded me that I needed to stop yabbering and concentrate on where I was going.

Past the halfway mark, you begin to come into some lovely scenic routes, which eventually leads you along the canal.  Here, as like any other towpath, it can get quite narrow and as this is around the mile 7/8 mark, make sure you have done all your overtaking before this and leave the last stretch which loops back in town for putting your foot down!

Once you’re off the canal, you then trot over a bridge and are on the final stretch. I was in a bit of a daze at this point so I don’t remember very clearly the last mile but the finish is at York House. Once you cross the line (and cheer!), it’s a nice open space so great for a meeting point with fellow runners. You also collect your free t-shirt here (which by the way I LOVE and wear all the time in the winter training months as it’s long sleeved yet thin).

Now sadly last year when I ran, I did have a troubled ITB and I did struggle by the time I got to the canal and my pacing drastically dropped. I remember feeling exhausted and regretted setting off too quickly at the start (epic fail for many of us eh?). I somehow managed to pick myself up and crossed the finish line at 1.20, which was still a PB but not quite what I hoped for. Next time, I want to aim for 1.18 and more importantly, avoid running into any lampposts! Overall though, a fantastic race, perfectly organised and a bubbly atmosphere with bubbly runners. The only thing I will say (and it is only a minor niggle) is that back at the race hub, it does get rammed with people changed and freshening up so make sure you get back there in good time after you finish!

RACE OVERVIEW

Course: 5/5

Scenery: 3/5

Facilities: 3/5

Water Stations: 5/5

T-Shirt & goody bag: 4/5

My time: 1.20 (October 2013)

LIPSTICK RUNNER'S OVERALL RATING: 4/5

Find out more about Cabbage Patch 10 HERE.


Lipstick Runner.