Tuesday, 29 August 2017

Dartford 10k 2017

The Dartford 10k is a brand new (as of 2017) August Bank Holiday event hosted by Dartford Road Runners (DRR). It effectively replaces the Les Witton Dartford 10 Miler which had its last running in 2014 (blog here). DRR are also responsible for the Joydens Wood 5k race series and the Run Dartford race series (my venue guide), so they are well rehearsed and have a reputation for putting on great races.

I entered the Dartford 10k a couple of weeks beforehand via the Runbritain online race booking system and paid the affiliated runner price of £15. Non-affiliated runners had an advance entry fee of £17 while on-the-day entries were £20. I received a detailed race instructions email a few days later.

The race headquarters was at the Dartford Football Club stadium, Princes Park, and the venue also has car parking available. Being a football ground, it has toilets as well as post-race refreshments facilities. The race HQ was set up on the first floor inside the main stadium overlooking the football pitch. Race numbers and timing chips were collected on-the-day from the desks at HQ. There was also a bag drop available in this room and once changed I left mine with some of the lovely DRR volunteers.

dartford 10k 2017 [photos: 7t]

Despite already being warmed up from my 2.5km jog from home to the HQ, I took advantage of the caged astroturf football pitch adjacent to the stadium that had been put aside for runners to warm up for the race where I did a few strides etc. The race start time was 9am and the participants had all gathered at the start area a few minutes beforehand. After a quick briefing, the race was underway...

Heading along the football stadium access road the course initially headed downhill where runners had to take care passing over the cobbled speed bumps. A quick left-right took the runners onto Powder Mill Lane where the downhill gets even steeper (-11% at one point). Upon crossing the River Darent, the course hits one of its lowest points and things level out.

My pace was already quite fast due to the downhill start and I worked my way through the Questor Industrial Estate in the bright sunshine - it was a beautiful August Bank Holiday Monday, but the heat did make things feel tougher out there. I passed the 1km mark in 3.49. I knew this was a pace I couldn't sustain so I did my best to relax and ease into a more settled pace.

number collection / course map [photos:7t]

Exiting the industrial estate for a 3km stretch along Hawley Road, the course passed under the A2 and M25 motorways and felt totally flat. However after reviewing my GPS data, there was a very gentle incline all the way along this road right up until 4.4 kilometres where the route turned off of the main road and into South Darenth. The gentle incline naturally lead to a gradual slowing of my pace, which was needed.

The route through South Darenth took the runners along a residential street before heading into a single file, slightly uneven, alley way path for 500m which runs alongside a lake. Turning back onto the residential streets the course crossed the River Darent again and this roughly marked the halfway point. I crossed 5km in pretty much 21 minutes flat, which is only about 15 seconds slower than my current 5k pace. I had set myself up for a pretty painful second 5k and there were times where I wondered why I continue to put myself through this self-inflicted misery.

If there's anything that can be said, it is that this is definitely a race of two halves. The first five kilometres allowed for a quick pace, but the second half contained the some challenging undulations and hills. Straight after crossing the river, the inclines started - first of all along Holmesdale Road which turned into Holmesdale Hill after rounding a bend. Then the course turned onto Roman Villa Road and the first water station was found, I was suffering quite a bit at this point and eased off the gas to take a sip of water before dumping the remainder of the water over my head (I've since decided that pouring water on myself didn't really help - all it did was make my vest heavy and uncomfortable).

the opening downhill [photo: becca] / about 9k [photo: ann langdon]

I'm quite familiar with Roman Villa Road as I quite often cycle along it. It is 1.5km in length and is the most scenic part of the course with lovely views across the Darenth Valley to the left. The heat was still an issue but by staying to the right hand side of the road it was possible to keep in the shade. I kept plugging away along the road's undulations until reaching the end where the incline is a little steeper (roughly 10% gradient).

A bit of relief was found at the end of the road as the course swept down the steep decline of Darenth Hill towards Green Street Green which is flat for a short while and due to the high temperatures an additional water station had been set up just as the course passes back under the A2. The flat section gave a little time to mull over the final climb of the day, which was Trolling Down Hill. To be fair the incline here is not very steep (around 3%) but it heads uphill for almost a kilometre. As you'd expect, it felt harder being towards the end of the race, plus there was nowhere to hide from the blazing sunshine.

The course eventually crossed over the M25 and reached the end of the road where the runners headed back into the football stadium complex via the Princes Road gate and the finish was found shortly afterwards. After composing myself and letting the urge to vomit pass, I picked up my participation medal and headed over to the water table to start re-hydrating.

trolling down hill [photo: ann langdon] / race medal [photo:7t]

The design of the medal was pretty cool - the top border matched the hill profile of the course, which I thought was a great idea. There was no shortage of familiar faces to be found and I spent a fair bit of time chatting to fellow runners and exchanging thoughts about the tough second half of the course. The results were available instantly via two laptops which had been set up for runners to use - I had a quick glance but didn't linger for too long. I collected my belongings from the first floor of the stadium and headed back out onto the road for my short cool-down jog back home.

The official results and a great album of official photographs were published a bit later in the day. I also generated the course fly-by with the Relive app and you can view it on youtube, here - Relive: Dartford 10k 2017.

Results:
Position: 27th / 276 (26th male)
Age Group (Vet 40M): 7th / 59
Official chip time: 43:44
Official gun time: 43:46

Race Links:
Official Results: Race Timing Solutions - Dartford 10k 2017
My GPS data: Strava - Dartford 10k 2017
Course fly-by: Relive - Dartford 10k 2017

Related blog race links:
Les Witton 10 Miler 2014
Canterbury Half Marathon 2014 (local August Bank Holiday race)
Sevenoaks 7 2016 (local August Bank Holiday race)


Posted by at 10:35
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Saturday, 26 August 2017

Burnham-on-Crouch parkrun

Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in the Maldon district of Essex. It lies in the Dengie Peninsula which is formed by the River Crouch, Blackwater and the North Sea. The soil on the peninsula is rich which makes it ideal for farming, in fact some of the oldest and largest vineyards in the UK are found here. The town itself has a population of around 7,500 and the wider peninsula is home to around 20,000 in total.

At the eastern end of the peninsula is the 3,105 hectare, tidal mudflat and saltmarsh, Dengie Nature Reserve which is (deep breath)...... a 'Site of Special Scientific Interest', a 'National Nature Reserve', 'Special Protection Area', a 'National Conservation Review' site, a 'Geological Conservation Review' site, a 'Ramsar Site', and part of the Essex estuaries 'Special Area of Conservation'.

burnham on crouch / with fellow tourist gary

Burnham-on-Crouch is found, unsurprisingly, on the banks of the River Crouch. The river has always been key to the prosperity of the town, first as a ferry port, and subsequently for fishing and oyster farming. The Crouch Oysters were famous across the country and beyond during the 17-1800s with the Burnham Oyster Company being one of the town's major employers.

In modern times it has become a centre for yachting and you'll find many yacht and sailing clubs in the town. Since 1893 there has been an annual yachting regatta known as Burnham Week and out of pure coincidence our visit here happened to fall on the first weekend of the regatta.

start

After driving for about an hour from Dartford we arrived in the town and made our way to Riverside Country Park where we parked in the free car park just past the Dengie Hundred Sports Centre. The country park is the venue for Burnham-on-Crouch parkrun. It is the second parkrun located within the Maldon District - the other being Maldon Prom parkrun (blog here).

Had we decided to use public transport we could have travelled by train to Burnham-on-Crouch Train Station which is only fortunate enough to still be in existence as the line was previously used to supply the now-decommissioned Bradwell Nuclear Power Station. The train station is a short walk away from the venue and the toilets (open from 8am) can be found right next to the start/finish area.

first part of the lap / zig-zags / saltmarsh coast trail

The run starts on the grass playing field opposite the sports centre and Burnham Rugby Club, and is made up of two, mixed terrain, clockwise laps. It's generally flat but has small changes in elevation. For shoe choice I went for trail which were a bit over-the-top in the summer, but in the winter they'll come in handy. The briefing takes place on the grass at the start area and the runners then assemble on the start line before being sent on their weekly 5 kilometre trot around the park.

From the start, the run heads off around the grass field until it reaches the zig-zag path that leads up onto the Saltmarsh Coast Trail river path. Here the course heads westwards past the moored house boats. It's important to keep left along here (especially on lap two) as this section contains a short contraflow of parkrunners. At the same time the river edge has no railings so be careful.

river front / harbour

After 0.6km (3.1km second time around) the course bears around to the right and the participants run adjacent to the Burnham Yacht Harbour which has berths for 350 boats. Continuing northwards and deeper into the park, the elevation ever-so-gently rises as the course passes through wildlife habitats and wildflower meadows.

Underfoot here were slightly-rutted-in-places mown grass paths which I suspect could get a little muddy in the minter. The long grass in the meadows are home to Adders and the advice is to avoid walking in the long grass during the spring when they are coming out of hibernation (not a problem for the run, but bear it in mind of you go for a walk afterwards).

inner park meadows / back past the amphitheatre

After running the loop through the meadows, the course pops out on the open grass field adjacent to the yacht harbour path, which is known as 'The Plateau' - I found this area was particularly popular with dog walkers and there were quite a few big dogs running around.

The course is marked with cones along here and it passes through a picnic area next to the small riverside amphitheatre before joining the contraflow section of the river path.

weaving back towards the start area

The course turns away from the river immediately after the fire beacon and follows a stony path which contains a few twists and a very sharp turn that take the runners past the skate park and multi-sport courts. Finally the course heads back onto the sports field where the halfway point is reached. An identical lap is run and the 5 kilometre course is complete.

Barcode scanning takes place at the finishing line and once all participants have finished. the team move onto their post-run coffee venue 'Happy Returns' which is outside the park on Station Road. We had already decided to have a day out in the town so had brought a packed lunch, and we found a nice spot in the well-equipped playground to eat it while our daughter played.

final part of lap

The results for event 6 were soon processed and my result notification came through as we were eating where I saw that 52 people had taken part which was slightly lower than the average to date. I recorded the course data using my Garmin and you can view the course in further detail on Strava - Burnham-on-Crouch parkrun GPS data. I also generated a fly-by video using the #relive app and you can watch that on youtube - Burnham-on-Crouch #6 relive video.

Afterwards we headed off to the independently-owned two-screen Rio Cinema which has been in operation since 1931 in the definitely-not-art-deco purpose-built building on Station Road. The entry-fee was £3 per person and they have many of the latest films on the bill. It was very different from the modern-day cinemas and they even had comfy sofas at the back which we used - you could say that we were in Burnham-on-a-couch (or even in Burnham-on-Crouch-on-a-couch)!

finish

Links:


Posted by at 22:16
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Friday, 25 August 2017

My parkrun venue write-ups (A-Z List)

A
Aachener Weiher
Aldenham
Alice Holt
Ally Pally
Alton Water
Ashford
Avery Hill (formerly Greenwich parkrun)
Aylesbury
Bug Hunter Waters

Please note: Information contained within the blog posts, such as the course configuration, parking arrangements, availability of toilets etc, may change. Please always check with the relevant event's web page and social media channels for the latest and most accurate information.


If you find the write-ups useful and wish to support the blog, please consider doing so via the button below. Thank you.


 





Posted by at 17:12
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Saturday, 19 August 2017

Dartford Harriers Open - August 2017

My first two 3,000m races ended with less than a second difference between my two results...

2015: SCVAC Kent Divisions meet 1 (Norman Park, Bromley) - 11.26.80
2016: Dartford Harriers Open (Central Park Athletics, Dartford) - 11.27.45

In August 2017 the opportunity to race the distance again came up, so I got myself over to my running club and entered on the evening for £5. That's quite a reasonable price considering the events are all professionally timed and eligible for inclusion on the Power of 10 website.

3,000m is seven-and-a-half laps of a standard 400m running track and despite it being a little more intense than a 5k, I actually really enjoy racing the distance. On the subject of racing, there wasn't really much racing going on from my point of view because the field was mostly made up of youngsters with much more speed in their legs.

Over the last couple of years, I've done more training on the track and one of the big things I've been hoping to improve is my track pacing - it's way too easy to get dragged out with the whippets on the first lap and suffer for the remaining laps.

trackside details

I managed to test out my track pacing a few days before this race during the Run Dartford 2,000m race and that turned out alright (blog here). I put my 2,000m time into a pace calculator and it threw out a suggestion that I would run somewhere between 11.30 and 11.40 over 3,000m, a bit slower than my previous efforts.

First things first - I almost missed the start because I was chatting away before realising that the time was 19.07 and I thought the race started at 19.15. In fact the race was scheduled to start at 19.10 and I just made it to the start line with 30 seconds to spare!

As expected, the majority of the field were faster than me and they headed off out in front while I settled into a nice spot behind another runner further back. The field spread out pretty quickly and after an ever-so-slightly-too-fast opening 400m (1.28) I settled into a nice rhythm.

By the time we hit the 1000m point, I felt it was time to move in front of my companion so I did so on the back straight. From here on in it was a case of ticking off the laps while still maintaining the same pace.

Before I knew it there were two laps (800m) left to go. The first of these was probably the toughest of the whole race, but once it was over the mental boost of being on the final lap kicked in and after reviewing my GPS data it looks like I ran a fairly even-paced race.

With the race over and the results in, I found to my great amusement that I had run 11.27.62 which was still inside the same 1 second window that I had run my previous two 3,000m races. It was also quite satisfying to beat the predicted time from the online race time predictor.

power of 10 results page screenshot

Results:
Position: 14/16
Official Time: 11.27.62

Splits:
1km 3.50 (3.50)
2km 3.44 (7.36)
3km 3.51 (11.27)

Links:
Power of 10: DHAC Open Meeting 3,000m
Power of 10: DHAC Open Meeting Full Results
Results from all the evening's events: DHAC Open full results spreadsheet
GPS data: DHAC Open 3,000m on Strava



Posted by at 21:01
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Monday, 14 August 2017

Hoblingwell parkrun

In the London Borough of Bromley you will find an area called St. Paul's Cray just to the north of Orpington. It takes it's name from the 11th century church St. Paulinus Cray which is dedicated to an early Christian missionary, Paulinus. The Cray part comes from the river which flows along the eastern border of the village and lends its name to at least three other places, collectively known as 'The Crays' along its banks in the Cray Valley.

On the western side of St. Paul's Cray you will find a wooded area which contains a holy, or perhaps sacred or healing spring, more commonly referred to as a well. Legend has it that this well was home to some kind of elemental creature, perhaps a sprite, an elf or a goblin. In Old English, a creature of this kind was known as a 'hob', so the well became 'Hob's Well' or 'The Hobling Well' and over the years this has evolved into Hoblingwell.

hoblingwell

Hoblingwell Woods still exist but smaller in size than in earlier times. Sometime after 1949 the eastern half was landscaped into an open grassed area and is now called Hoblingwell Woods Recreation Ground. It is marked with rugby and football pitches and also features a playground and a multi-use court. In the centre of the recreation ground is the Orpington Rugby Football Club clubhouse and car park.

In August 2009 a proposal was put forward to use the recreation ground as a temporary landfill site, but due to the local resident's objections this was rejected. It did however lead to the creation of the Friends of Hoblingwell - the group's main aims are to help combat the anti-social behaviour that is prevalent in the area and to bring the community back into the park and woods through various community events.

football / rugby fields (running photo: pinoy runner uk)

On 15 July 2017 Hoblingwell Recreation Ground became home to Hoblingwell parkrun which is a free, weekly, 5km event which is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk - perfect for bringing the community together for a spot of exercise every Saturday morning. The name has of course gone down well in the running community, where the irony of the 'hobling' part has not been missed.

I have visited the venue four times, but my first visit was on 12 August 2017 with my friend Richey to take part in event number 5. The park has a free-of-charge car park which can easily accommodate around 50-or-so cars. Cyclists can use the small bicycle racks which are dotted around the edge of the car park. If travelling by train the closest station is St. Mary Cray which is just over a kilometre south of the venue. There are toilets located in the aforementioned rugby clubhouse.

rugby field / western section (running photo: pinoy runner uk)

Moving onto the parkrun itself, it's a two-lapper but has an extra few bits on either side of the laps, which may seem a little convoluted at first glance, to help make up the full 5k distance. Underfoot the course is mostly grass but also features a small amount of tarmac and a short dirt trail path. The profile of the course is generally flat-ish but there are some gentle undulations thrown in. For choice of shoe, given the nature of the course I would go with trail shoes at all times (which I have done on all four of my visits). However, if visiting when the ground is dry, road shoes would do the job.

The start/finish area is located on the grass next to the car park and once the first-timer and main briefings have taken place the participants are sent on their way. The first section takes place over 1.5 anti-clockwise laps of the football field at the southern tip of the park. During my first visit, I was worried about getting this part wrong so was very pleased when I found myself running alongside Ralph, the event director, who was very encouraging throughout the run - thank you, Ralph.

inside the wooded area

The grass here was long and holding onto a lot of water and it didn't take long for my shoes to become soaked through (and I forgot to bring a change of socks). Just as the course reaches the first kilometre, the participants peel off and join the tarmac path which runs alongside the rugby pitches which are at a slightly lower elevation than the rest of the run.

Transferring back onto grass [link: video of this point by Pinoy Runner UK from the event I visited] the course soon reaches the beginning of the main 1 mile (1.6k) clockwise loop which is run twice. This firstly takes the parkrunners up a short, sharp slope and around to the western side of the playground (and as of 2024, the BMX track) and clubhouse which is slightly wilder in appearance with long grasses and wildflowers. Following the flags, stanchions and cones along the grass, the course runs along the edge of Leesons Way until reaching the entrance to the woods.

back on the rugby pitches

Turning into the woods underfoot changes to tarmac for about 100 metres and a right-hand-turn takes the runners onto a gently meandering dirt trail path for another 200 metres. The section in the woods is really enjoyable, but is over quite quickly and the course emerges back into the western part of the recreation ground. After progressing along a cambered section along the northern border, the route drops back down to the rugby pitches where the course continues all the way to the north east corner of the park.

A brief section on the pavement adjacent to the park takes the participants southwards before turning back onto the grass and along the strip of grass between the rugby pitches. At the far end the 1 mile loop is complete. A second, identical loop is then run and when the parkrunners return to this point they turn to the left and retrace their steps back towards the start/finish area - back along the tarmac path and then all the way back around the football pitch loop, but in the opposite direction.

more rugby fields

Once over the finish line, the parkrunners take a finishing token and have it scanned along with their personal barcode. When everyone has finished, the participants and volunteers move over to the rugby clubhouse for some post-run refreshments and chat. When I visited, the results were processed and online shortly after the run. For the record there were 66 participants at event 5. As of 2024, the attendance figures seem to hover around the 70 mark, with just the occasional week where they pass the 100 mark. 

I recorded the GPS data using my Garmin and you can view the course in further detail on my Strava account, here - Hoblingwell parkrun #5. I have also used the Relive app to create a video of the course and you can watch that on YouTube, here - Relive: Hoblingwell parkrun. The course as of 2024 is ever-so-slightly different as the course now has to go around the edge of the new BMX track, but it is a very minor change. If you would like to see the subtle difference, here is a link to my May 2024 GPS data on Strava and its accompanying Relive video on YouTube.


finish


Overall, once you have been around the course it all makes sense and not as complicated as it might appear upon first glance. The combination of longish grass, the undulations and the cambered pathways made it feel harder than it looks on paper. Any, it is a lovely little venue to visit. We've always been made to feel very welcome, so a big thank you goes to the wonderful team of volunteers.


Course data:



Related blog posts:



London Borough of Bromley parkrun write-ups:







Posted by at 19:54
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Sunday, 13 August 2017

Run>Dartford: Central Park Athletics 2,000m Track Race 2017

The Run Dartford race series started in 2016 and I ran every race in that first season resulting in a fourth place trophy for me. When 2017's series came around, I was having some trouble with my ankle and decided to give the series a miss.

However, there was one new race added to the series and I really fancied giving it a go. So. I entered the final race of the series which was a 2,000 metre track race at my running club's home track, Central Park Athletics, in Central Park, Dartford.

start [photo: dani]

If you haven't read all about the series, please have a quick read of my Run Dartford information page or visit the official Run Dartford webpage and read about it there.

I'd never run a 2,000 metre track race before - the closest I had done would have been a 1 mile track time trial, or 1,500m or 3.000m races. The exact pacing was going to be just a fraction off 1 mile pace.

I had run just under 6 minutes for a 1 mile race a couple of months earlier so I knew that I'd be able to easily run a sub-8 time and had an idea that 7.30 would be a good target with anything under 7.30 being an exceptional performance for me at my current fitness level.

end of lap 1 [photo: alan]

With that in mind, I went over to the track a few days before the race to practice my pacing - my main concern being that I'd be dragged along too quickly over the first lap. The track session went well and I ended up doing 10x407 with each lap coming in at somewhere around the 90 second mark - just the right pace I need to run during the race.

On the night of the race I paid the £5 entry fee and had a nice warm-up run around the track with my friend Adam. It was mostly an easy pace, but we did include 200m at race pace followed by a few strides to get the legs in the zone for the faster pace required for the race.

end of lap 2 [photo: alan]

The runners were divided into groups of similar ability and each group had their own heat - there were four heats in total. As I usually end up towards the front end of the field, I was put in the fastest group. This was good, but did increase the risk of being dragged along too fast during the opening lap.

So I hatched an opening lap pacing plan and before I knew it, the race briefing was happening and I was ushered over to the start line. The 2,000m race takes place over 5 laps of a standard 400m running track and with the race under way, I immediately placed myself at the back of the pack (that was the plan) as we headed around the opening bend.

starting lap 3 [photo: dani]

The pace felt solid but comfortable during this lap and I moved up one position just after the 200 metre point. The fastest runners had already headed off into the distance, but I was now in a pack of 7 runners.

I spent the second and third laps in the pack, but on the outer edge running in lanes 2 or 3 which meant I was running further than I needed to (maybe 7-10 metres or so extra over each lap). For the record, I went through the halfway point (2.5 laps / 1,000m) in 3.45 which was perfectly on pace for the time I hoped I would run.

end of lap 4 [photo: alan]

The pace of the pack started to slow during the third lap, so towards the end of lap 3 I knew I had to get myself onto the inside lane and have my own space. So I moved to the front of the pack and got myself over. Behind me, the pack then started to fragment.

Lap 4 went by pretty well and before I knew it I was on the final lap and slowly gaining on the runner in front. The final 100 metres saw me moving closer to the runner in front, but at the same time found myself being overtaken by the runner behind me. I pushed as hard as I could and then it was over.

end of the final lap [photo: alan]

Individual and cumulative (x.xx) lap times:
Lap 1: 1.28 (1.28)
Lap 2: 1.30 (2.58)
Lap 3: 1.35 (4.33)
Lap 4: 1.30 (6.03)
Lap 5: 1.26 (7.29)

Looking at my lap split times I was pleased with the way my pacing had gone, the only blip was that third lap, but overall I finished in 7.29 which, being sub-7.30, was a fantastic result for me. The official results were published the day after and my time was confirmed.

the series medal (completion of four races required to qualify for one)

Links:
Run Dartford 2017 series race results webpage
Run Dartford 2017 series consolidated results PDF
My GPS data

My stats:
Official time: 7.29
Age grading: 66.74%
Position (by time): 11/53
Position (by age grading): 19/53

Posted by at 10:57
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