SOCS are Running Miles for Pupils' Smiles

Steve Cram; Friend or Foe…the ramblings of an elderly runner - Part 3

Six weeks ago, I embarked on a journey that seemed as daunting as scaling Everest in slippers. But here I am, six weeks into my 'couch to 5k' program, and I've lived to tell the tale.

As previously mentioned my virtual companion on this journey has been the Geordie voice of former Olympic athlete Steve Cram, a virtual trainer who has become both my mentor and my nemesis. His words of encouragement, piped through my earbuds, have been a constant presence. There were days when his voice was the last thing I wanted to hear, especially when my legs felt like lead and my lungs like they were about to burst.

I'll admit, there was a moment of guilty pleasure when I heard that his 39-year-old UK mile record had been toppled. 'Take that, Steve!' I thought, as I trudged along, one foot in front of the other. But today, as I crossed the 5k mark without stopping, with a time just shy of 28 minutes, I realised I couldn't have done it without him.

Steve's Geordie words of encouragement have helped to push me through many moments of doubt and despair. And now, as I stand at the threshold of 5k, panting and proud, I can't help but feel a twinge of gratitude for my virtual coach.

Yet, as I bask in the afterglow of this achievement, I'm acutely aware that the road ahead is longer and tougher. The half marathon looms on the horizon, a formidable challenge that makes my 5k triumph seem like a mere warm-up.

But I've learned something invaluable these past weeks: the power of perseverance, the strength that comes from within, and the surprising motivation that can be found in the voice of someone who's run the race before you.

So here's to the next leg of the journey – to the sweat, the sighs, and yes, to Steve Cram. May his words continue to guide me, even when I'd rather throw my trainers at his virtual head.

My tortoise against a lot of hares…the ramblings of an elderly runner - Part 2

It is no small feat (and I certainly don't have small feet) to embark on the ‘couch to 5k’ journey especially when you’re more accustomed to the comfort of your trusty sofa than the pounding of the pavement, as I was. So congratulations to anyone who is giving it a go. I was certainly sceptical at first – wondering whether it would be the right approach for me, but for now it seems to be working. I don't mind getting up early to undertake each new session, three times a week and while it's not quite what I would call running, it’s certainly a jaunty jog that’s a notch above a walker’s pace.

I have completed 9 runs, and am gradually getting faster (and hopefully fitter). My target is to be able to run at 7mph (faster) for two hours, and I’m no way near that yet, and in reality have rarely achieved it before. Currently it is largely because each session still includes more walking than running, although this starts to change from next week, when the ‘Jarrow Arrow’, Olympic legend Steve Cram, as my virtual podcast coach, starts to step the pace up a bit.

It's not that I haven't run before or taken part in endurance events. I have completed the 63-mile (in 24 hours) Trailwalker event over the South Downs, twice; the London and New York marathons, the Wimbledon, Barns Green, and London Royal Parks half-marathons, not to mention an assortment of shorter races. But each of these has one thing in common, they were completed when I was a LOT younger.

In the past, my training was also more ‘last minute’ than ‘well planned,’ resulting in finish times that still left much to be desired.

The most unprepared I’ve ever been was for a race I never actually signed up for – a five-mile dash around the Olympic Park, ending with a ( theoretical) glorious sprint down the stadium’s home straight, just before the 2012 London Olympics.

I was convinced an email congratulating me on winning a place in the run was a scam – after all, I hadn’t entered. But a call to the Evening Standard and a confession from my son Matt revealed the truth: he’d entered me months before, and now I had just ten days to prepare. “Taper down,” he advised. If only I’d had something to taper down from!

This time, I’m hoping that by following a more measured approach, I may have more success. So if you see me out and about early in the morning, you will see that I’m still firmly in ‘tortoise’ rather than ‘hare’ mode, but we all know how that story ended. Keep watching this site for progress in the weeks ahead.

The first step is the hardest...the ramblings of a ‘elderly’ runner - Part 1

They say age is just a number, but apparently, mine now also has a label. Ella, my granddaughter, announced that she had learned in E4S that due to my age, I was now officially classified as 'elderly.'

Now, I’ll admit, the idea of being labelled as such wasn’t exactly motivating me to lace up my running shoes. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

So there I was, at the ripe old age of [cough, cough], contemplating the insanity of taking on a half marathon. Sure, I’d conquered marathons and half marathons before, but that was back when the Y2K bug was the world's biggest [albeit misplaced] concern.

The catalyst for this madness? Ella’s innocent declaration combined with the inspired idea from Castlewood Primary School's wonderful Headteacher, Mrs A-B, for SOCS and the teaching staff to put together a team to take part in the Race Barns Green Events in late September to raise much-needed funds for the school.

The thought of running a short distance to support this cause seemed good. So, I have no idea why I thought that volunteering to run 13.1 miles was anything short of insanity. Anyway, as my chances of getting an unfavourable psychiatric evaluation before September seem unlikely, I shall continue.

Step one: Find those dusty running shoes buried in the back of the wardrobe. Step two: Attempt to remember what 'running' actually feels like. Let’s just say my first jog resembled more of a slow-motion interpretive dance than a graceful marathoner’s stride.

But hey, every journey starts with a single step, even if mine looked more like a wobbly stumble. And thus, my training for the Barns Green half marathon began.

Week one: Surviving the warm-up. I quickly realized that running after a seven-year break is like riding a bike, except the bike is on fire, and you’re being chased by a swarm of angry bees.

Week two: Embracing the struggle. The term 'muscle memory' clearly didn’t get the memo about taking a seven-year vacation. Every step felt like a protest from muscles I forgot I had.

As I embark on this journey, the road ahead seems daunting, filled with hills, both literal and metaphorical. But as the saying goes, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So here’s to embracing the wobbly stumbles, the sore muscles, and the inevitable setbacks. Because every step, no matter how slow, brings me closer to that finish line.

Stay tuned for more updates from the trenches of half-marathon training. Who knows what adventures lie ahead? But one thing’s for sure: I’m not letting a little thing like age slow me down. After all, age is just a label, but determination? That’s ageless.

THE 5K ROUTE

This is the second time Run Barns Green has staged a 5K race and the new route is very exciting. It starts on Muntham Drive outside the Village Hall and Social Club in the centre of Barns Green. Unlike the Half Marathon and the 10K, the route starts with the runners going away from the crossroads up to the entrance to Muntham House School. The route goes through Muntham House School and onto the long lane at the top of the hill past Barns Green Rugby Club on the left and all the way along to the old Barns Green Primary School in Itchingfield where runners turn right onto the road for about 500 metres. At the junction runners turn right and go on for about 400 metres before turning left into a field leading to Sharpenhust Hill. The runners will then get a spectacular view from the top of the hill of Christ’s Hospital School and the surrounding countryside. This short section off tarmac leads back towards the main road where there is a left turn onto the road before then going straight on for the final 1.5 kilometres downhill into the village finishing beside the green in Sandhills Road.

THE 10K ROUTE

The race route begins on Muntham Drive outside the Village Hall and Social Club in the centre of Barns Green. The route goes down to the village crossroads and then along Two Mile Ash Road for a mile and a half leaving the village and heading towards Horsham. The route then turns sharp left over the old railway bridge crossing the South Downs Link by the Bax Castle Pub and proceeds towards Christ’s Hospital for another mile.

Dropping down towards Christ’s Hospital the route then takes a very sharp left turn through the East Gates of Christ’s Hospital School and into the school grounds. The runners enter the school grounds where there is a water station and then get to run along the picturesque school avenue before branching left off the avenue separating from the half marathon route for a short while and going along a road through the school playing fields before rejoining the half marathon route and exiting the school grounds through the West Gates. The route then turns left over the railway bridge and heads towards Weston’s Farm before turning left and joining the main road and heading back towards Barns Green.

There is a slight incline before once again separating from the half marathon route and then going straight on for the final 1.5 kilometres downhill into the village finishing beside the green in Sandhills Road.

HALF MARATHON ROUTE

For those runners who are brave enough or experienced enough, here is the 2024 half-marathon route. They say that every journey starts with a single step, so here goes!

The Half Marathon is the oldest race in the Run Barns Green portfolio. It began in 1982 just after the first ever London Marathon. It has been run every year since then with the exception of 1987 when there was the great storm and in 2020 when the pandemic struck. 2023 will be the 41st anniversary of the race.

The race route begins on Muntham Drive outside the Village Hall and Social Club in the centre of Barns Green. The route goes down to the village crossroads and then along Two Mile Ash Road for a mile and a half leaving the village and heading towards Horsham. The route then turns sharp left over the old railway bridge crossing the South Downs Link by the Bax Castle Pub and proceeds towards Christ’s Hospital for another mile. Dropping down towards Christ’s Hospital the route then takes a very sharp left turn through the East Gates of Christ’s Hospital School and into the school grounds. The runners enter the school grounds where there is the first water station and then get to run along the picturesque school avenue before exiting the school grounds through the West Gates. The route then turns left over the railway bridge and heads towards Weston’s Farm before turning left and joining the main road and heading back towards Barns Green.

There is a slight incline before taking a right turn into Itchingfield heading towards the church. As the runners reach the bend they turn left by the old Barns Green Primary School into the back lane and proceed along this for a mile passing Barns Green Rugby Club on the right before reaching the grounds of Muntham House School. The runners go through the school grounds and there is a short section on grass before rejoining the road out of the school and back onto Muntham Drive and past the start finish line in the centre of Barns Green where there is the second drinks station.

This is the start of the second loop of the race. Once again the runners go over the crossroads but this time just before they leave the village they turn right into Trout Lane. A short way down Trout Lane is the half way point of the race. The route then continues out of the village for a mile down to Brookes Green where there is a left turn at the junction. Runners are really in the country now and there is a 2 mile section of the race through the wooded lanes towards Dragons Green. As the runners approach Dragons Green there is another drinks station. The route reaches the Dragon’s Green pub before turning and heading back for a couple of miles towards the finish skirting Southwater. The final drinks station is at the junction of the route into Southwater and the runners then continue back towards the village rejoining Two Mile ash Road but running in the opposite direction from the first loop. After a mile and a half the runners re enter Barns Green with the finish in sight and head over the crossroads and up to the start/finish line.