It’s not always been that easy for me to get along to ParkRuns in recent months but for various reasons my Saturdays have recently become a bit freer and so it was, as I had a bit of a spin round Platt Fields last week thanking marshals along the way, that it occurred to me I should really put my trainers where my mouth is and sign up to the volunteer roster.
| Fast forward to this weekend and there I was on marshal point 6 ready and waiting alongside a row of friendly looking, if slightly squashed, cones to politely request that the speedier runners keep to the left and allow those still coming round the corner the luxury of doing so safely without any head-on collisions! I felt initially a little awkward; would my encouragement be appreciated? Would it be enough? Would I run the risk of pouring children’s TV presenter style irritating and disingenuous saccharinity on the poor sweating masses? These concerns were soon dispelled as the appreciation of the runners was shone back at me with every shout of ‘great running! Keep it up!’ I proffered. Armed with this boost, and the information I had been given that I was at the 3.5k point, I happily whiled away the minutes, reassuring everyone that they only had 1.5k left to go and incapable of keeping a huge Cheshire Cat grin off my chops. Unfortunately, after the speediest runner zipped back past me, (Ah yes, and ‘Keep to the left for me please guys!’) it slowly dawned on me that the 3.5k distance was for the return loop. As such, I had been chronically misinforming everyone on the out-bound section! They did not have ‘3.5k in the bank already!’, nor had they ‘broken the back of the course, nearly there now!’ Whoops. So if you did South Manchester ParkRun on Saturday 26th October and feel like murdering the marshal in the turquoise woolly hat who callously mislead you, broke you mentally and ruined your chances of a PB… Um… Sorry. Note to self; pay more attention. Slight mishaps aside, I did really enjoy being ‘on the other side’ as it were and it seems well timed that the ParkRun newsletter this week reflected on the benefits of being a volunteer; “I still hear the term ‘giving up their time’ when referring to volunteers. I do believe that one of the biggest barriers to people getting involved with volunteering is the incorrect assumption that by doing so you are somehow making a sacrifice.” | 
A semi-run selfie... Of my boob.
The first runners approach my marshal point!
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It’s certainly true that I in no way felt I was losing my time any more than I feel that way when I choose to attend a ParkRun event to participate in the physical activity. In fact I felt I had done far more than if I had ‘invested’ my Saturday morning in a lie in, or faffing around at home completing mundane tasks! I’ll do the housework later, when there isn’t a hoard of ambitious runners who need a shout of encouragement! It really is a great way to start a Saturday morning (aside from actually running of course!) especially when weekend race plans make it inadvisable to actually run.
The way I was supposed to go...
...Vs the route I took!
| Cones safely packed away, I hopped on the bike (after a quick trip home to refuel and change!) towards Wythenshawe for the Manchester University Cross Country Relays to compete in a team of 3 for Salford Harriers. Now, there had been a certain amount of discussion on the email thread that it was difficult to find the university sports ground and there were various directional instructions offered. As these were for car drivers and I find it less easy to follow verbal directions than visualising it with a map, I had thrown myself on the mercy of Google for a suggested route. I had looked at a couple of options throughout the week and spent some time on Friday evening, as well as Saturday morning reviewing these and planning how I’d get there. I also allowed myself roughly double the predicted journey time to get there. HAH! Never underestimate just how confusing enormous ‘spaghetti junction’ roundabouts can be. I was doing soooo well until I got within 5 minutes of the place, at which point I was reduced to spending the next 40 minutes going round in circles, following poor directions from passers by and showering my very patient team mates with increasingly frustrated texts and ‘phone calls. By 5 past race-start, I had pretty much given up the chance of running, feeling crestfallen to say the least that I had let the side down and wasn’t going to get my run in. Still, I figured I could cheer them over the finish if I got there in time for that at least. |
When I finally found the venue and spotted the runners chasing round the field, a glimmer of possibility shone through the gathering clouds of embarrassed disappointment. I threw the bike at a railing, dragged off my helmet and legged it, spikes in hand to what I determined to be the start/finish change over point (add to all this that I had never done a relay before and you get the idea that the concept of ‘comfort zone’ had been abandoned somewhere in the middle of a motorway flyover). There was poor Bev, ready and waiting to do what would have been her second lap for the side, my number pinned to her front. I’d like to say she was probably pleased to see me, and I guess for many reasons this was probably the case but I suspect she’d also quite have liked to bop me one too. Still, she had a plethora of encouraging words, kindly took responsibility of the cast off clothing of my impromptu alfresco strip-tease and pointed me in the direction of the changeover point where I stood in a queue of hyped students, un-warmed up and not entirely sure exactly what to do when. Eventually, I spotted a familiar face in a Salford shirt barrelling towards me and took this as my cue to commence operation ‘run as fast as possible through the mud’. With Bev’s words ‘just go flat out, it doesn’t matter if you blow up, it’s only 3k’ ringing in my head (and trying to ignore the potential impacts of this approach on the requisite return cycle) I did just this. And then 12 minutes and 13 seconds later it was over.
| Oh. Right then. Er… I’ll just… Um… go home now. Our team came in at 21st with a total time of 00:36:13. Bev, as always, absolutely battered it with a lap of 10:56, and Amie a respectable 13:04. I didn’t get lost on the way back to town either so all’s well that ends well. I’d like to say I learned a lesson about being more prepared, and checking my route but in all honesty I don’t think I could have been more thorough and I’m not sure I’d have run any faster if I’d had time for a warm up anyway. What I did reaffirm however, is that it’s worth persevering with something, even if it seems all for naught. I won’t pretend I didn’t think ‘I’ve missed it, I’ll just turn back and go home!’ a couple of times but I am, of course, so very glad I didn’t! | 
The swap over point at the University Cross Country Relay... Spot the Salford Harrier!
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Sunday wasn’t short of run-portunites either and I had decided to swap my Sunday Long Run for the Tandle Hill Trail Race, organised by impressively speedy, very committed and untiringly enthusiastic Salford Harrier John under the guise of Cannonball Events. Far easier to navigate to (we’ll skip the bit where I almost went past and ended up on the motorway) I was as ready as ever on the start line, fresh from a 1 mile warm up! I’d even had time for a wee! Luxury! It was good to see a few people before we set off too; including Lisa of Belle Vue Racers, who had been so welcoming to me as marshal 6a to my 6b at yesterday’s ParkRun! It’s a small world, this northern running one! Soon after we set off I realised I recognised the route for a reason; it wasn’t just generic British countryside; we were in the same place as the Royton Trail Race that I’d done with Up and Running Staff in the summer! I knew I recognised that place name! Ah well, in that case this was going to be a lovely run!
| | And it was; 5.8 miles of beautiful country park and stunning views that are rather wonderfully captured in this video by John! (not that I had much time to appreciate these - check it out at about 5:37!) One of the best bits though, occurred on the backwards loop of my warm down; jogging back along the lane and trying to stay out of the way of runners who were still finishing, one lady in a Rochdale Harriers strip called out to me ‘come on, you will push me!’ I was about to say ‘actually I’m already done and just cooling down’ when I realised how arrogant this could make me look. |
Instead, I buttoned up and replied with a cheery ‘Yes, come on, let’s do this!’ To say my warm down turned into a slightly speedier affair than I’d planned would not be an overstatement and I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep up with her for long if I’d really been racing! Still, the sweaty hug at the end was worth every twang of muscle fibre in the knowledge that I’d helped shave a few seconds off a finish time. I’m still not sure if she realised I’d already finished. I hope not. I wouldn’t like to seem patronising! Still, it was a good day for Salford Harriers anyway as Bev in usual style grabbed the spot of First Lady with a course record. No prizes for fourth (third place was a good minute ahead of me!) and so I wrapped up my weekend of run-citement with a gentle (downhill!) cycle to what felt like a very well-earned sauna!
So; that weekend went past like it was chasing a PB but I’ve plenty to look forward to with Lancaster Half Marathon next weekend and more Cross Country the weekend after! Apparently some people start running a bit less as the seasons change towards winter… I wonder why…
