Great Midlands Fun Run 2016
June 5th 2016
8.5 mile mixed terrain race
The second event of my accidental double event weekend - and I was looking forward to it! The Great Midlands Fun Run is an 8.5 mile (very odd distance!) which starts and ends in Sutton Coldfield. The route is largely tarmac and takes in Sutton Park, which is where I run fairly often on Sundays, with the Boldmere Bullets 9s. Practically home turf!
I caught the train for the 5 minute journey to Sutton and soon came across some school friends in the start pen. I chatted to them and ended up staying until the start, not too worried about being halfway down the pen. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as when the run started the course goes straight up a hill, and going was incredibly slow! This event is advertised as a "fun run", and not a race, but the word "run" still forms part of the description, and there were definitely a lot of people already walking on the course ahead of me. I don't take issue to anyone walking, just the lack of self-seeding at the start. I'll know for next year...
After a mile or more at 10-15 min/mile pace the course finally opened out a little, and turning right at the Monouth Road traffic lights I could actually run freely and start to get into a rhythm. I was a little worried about my legs after yesterday's Adrenaline Rush Obstacle Course, but I felt surprisingly alright (indeed better than yesterday) so I kicked on up the hill to the Jamboree, knowing there was a fairly relaxed downhill to come.
After the downhill, the course takes a left bend and runs flat to the lead up to Cardiac Hill. By this point people were going very slowly, most likely anticipating Cardiac Hill already. Having practised this hill as part of Bullet's "Hill Junkie" segment a couple of weeks ago, and having suffered greatly, I also wasn't thrilled at the thought of it. This mental build-up probably helped me, as it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, and being one of the few people still running (rather than walking) at this point was a nice confidence boost.
Four Oaks gate marked the end of Cardiac and it was pretty much downhill from here on. I enjoyed gradually increasing my pace to the finish, and the large number of spectators. Crossing the line I realised I had kept approximately 08:35 min/mile pace, which I was certainly pleased with, taking into account the exhausting 10k the day before. This certainly was a well-supported local event, and something definitely to be repeated and recommended.
Times
Total time: 01:12:25
8.5 mile mixed terrain race
The second event of my accidental double event weekend - and I was looking forward to it! The Great Midlands Fun Run is an 8.5 mile (very odd distance!) which starts and ends in Sutton Coldfield. The route is largely tarmac and takes in Sutton Park, which is where I run fairly often on Sundays, with the Boldmere Bullets 9s. Practically home turf!
I caught the train for the 5 minute journey to Sutton and soon came across some school friends in the start pen. I chatted to them and ended up staying until the start, not too worried about being halfway down the pen. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as when the run started the course goes straight up a hill, and going was incredibly slow! This event is advertised as a "fun run", and not a race, but the word "run" still forms part of the description, and there were definitely a lot of people already walking on the course ahead of me. I don't take issue to anyone walking, just the lack of self-seeding at the start. I'll know for next year...After a mile or more at 10-15 min/mile pace the course finally opened out a little, and turning right at the Monouth Road traffic lights I could actually run freely and start to get into a rhythm. I was a little worried about my legs after yesterday's Adrenaline Rush Obstacle Course, but I felt surprisingly alright (indeed better than yesterday) so I kicked on up the hill to the Jamboree, knowing there was a fairly relaxed downhill to come.
After the downhill, the course takes a left bend and runs flat to the lead up to Cardiac Hill. By this point people were going very slowly, most likely anticipating Cardiac Hill already. Having practised this hill as part of Bullet's "Hill Junkie" segment a couple of weeks ago, and having suffered greatly, I also wasn't thrilled at the thought of it. This mental build-up probably helped me, as it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, and being one of the few people still running (rather than walking) at this point was a nice confidence boost.
Four Oaks gate marked the end of Cardiac and it was pretty much downhill from here on. I enjoyed gradually increasing my pace to the finish, and the large number of spectators. Crossing the line I realised I had kept approximately 08:35 min/mile pace, which I was certainly pleased with, taking into account the exhausting 10k the day before. This certainly was a well-supported local event, and something definitely to be repeated and recommended.
Times
Total time: 01:12:25
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