Westminster Mile 2017

The Westminster Mile has become a bit of a family tradition and the 2017 event was fifth year of the event and the fourth that I had taken part in. As I had in the previous few years I entered the race via Sweatshop and ran in one of their waves.

The event takes place on the late May bank holiday weekend and uses the same set up as the London 10000 event which takes place on the Bank Holiday Monday. Last year (2016) I ran in both events, but for this year I had a bit of a dodgy ankle and decided to just stick with the 1 mile event.

I wasn't feeling particularly racy, so I set myself the goal of running an even pace and aimed to come in a smidgen under 6 minutes. If I was going for a full-on race I would have ditched the Sweatshop Running Community t-shirt that I was wearing and opted for a singlet instead. These days I find that during races even a short-sleeved tech t-shirt makes me overheat.

So I had registered myself, my wife and my daughter, and we arrived in good time to wander around the event village where my daughter had her face painted in the kids zone. There are always loads of activities going on in Green Park and worth spending some time checking it all out.

We had been put into Sweatshop Running Community's first wave which had a 12 noon start time. At about half eleven I started to warm up with a jog around Green Park and I then made my way to the start on The Mall.

As I was going for a sub-6 minute time, I headed up towards the front of the starting pen while my wife and daughter stayed closer to the back. At the 2016 event my daughter had set a personal best time of 12.11 which she wanted to beat this year.

At 12 o'clock on the dot, the air horn was sounded and we all headed of along The Mall with St. James' Park on our right hand side. I kept my pace relaxed but strong. The first 400 metres were a little congested as my sensible pace tied in with most other runners' 'run as fast as I can for 200 metres and then suffer the rest of the way around' pace.

By the time I reached the 400 metre mark, I had found some clear air and the timing clock showed 1.27 which was right about where I needed to be time-wise. Once past the 800 metre mark at 2.54 and turning onto Birdcage Walk there is a slight rise of elevation which slowed my pace a little.

With 400 metres to go the timing clock was on 4.27 and all that was left to do was maintain that pace and I successfully continued my sub-six minute streak with an official time of 5.57.

A few hundred metres down the road, my wife and daughter were making good progress and after a few minutes of loitering around the finish area, I spotted them heading towards me. The clock showing just over 12 minutes, but by the time the official chip times were confirmed it showed that my daughter had set a new mile personal best of 11.51.

With that all done, we had our timing chips removed, picked up our free lunch from Sweatshop, and collected our goodie bag and medal from the wonderful team of marshals that had made the day possible.

We didn't have much time to spare after the run as we had already arranged to head off to watch the Monaco Grand Prix with my brother (on the TV, we weren't actually jetting off to Monaco), so we shot straight off to do that. It had been another excellent morning at the Westminster Mile and I'm already looking forward to doing it all again next year.

Results page (with filters applied): Sweatshop Wave 1 Results

My Strava GPS file: Westminster Mile 2017

Related blogs:

• Westminster Mile 2013
• Westminster Mile 2015
• Westminster Mile 2016
• London 10,000 2016

Westminster Mile 2016

The Westminster Mile has become one of those races that I just keep returning to year after year, so far there have been four events and I have attended three (2013 and 2015 being the other two - I missed 2014 as I was travelling to Germany for a half-marathon). This event has grown off the back of the London 10,000 which took place the day after and turns the weekend into a celebration of running.

Even though the race itself is good enough, it's all the other small things that makes this a great event. We stayed over in London the night before the event and even had time to visit Highbury Fields junior parkrun (blog to follow) before heading over to Green Park to the main hub of the Westminster Mile event.

This year was a little different because instead of just myself racing, I had registered my wife and daughter as well. We had entered as part of the Sweatshop Running Community and made our way to the SRC tent where we did our last bits of preparation. Me and Matilda were both wearing our New Balance Zante v2 running shoes (blogs: mine / matilda's).

getting ready [photos: 7t / dani]

Sweatshop had three waves of runners, A, B, and C. I had registered first and my predicted finish time had me in wave A, while my wife and daughter were in wave C. I was a little apprehensive about the start time which was advertised as 11.55am because in 2015 the Sweatshop waves had been set off early which lead to some confusion and a little panic.

This year. the organisers stuck to the advertised time slots which was a relief. So at 11.55am, wave A was despatched and all was fine. After 2015 where I went out too hard and suffered. I decided to approach the race with a slightly different strategy this year - I went out at a strong pace but tried to keep things under control.

My goal was to finish in under 6 minutes and while on paper this looked do-able, my own confidence was a little low and I was unsure if I'd be able to do it. The race had markers every 400 metres plus an extra one with 200 metres left, so I used these to judge how I was doing. I knew I had to reach 400 metres in around 1.30, and I passed this at 1.24 which made me a little nervous that I had gone out a little too fast.

ready to go... [photos: dani / mum]

So I tried to stay relaxed through the second 400 metres in an attempt to reach the second half of the race in fairly decent shape. As I ran along Birdcage Walk I was overtaking other runners which was the complete opposite of how last year went, and mentally this really helped to get to the 1200 metre mark.

The last 400 metres was a case of giving it everything that was left. It was at this point that I spotted one of my running buddies from Dartford. He was a good 10-15 metres ahead and I wondered if I might be able to reach him if I had left enough in the tank.

As we turned the final corner and the finish line came into sight, I was about 5 metres behind. I really pushed hard and edged in front a couple of metres before the finish line. So a big thank you must go to Alec for giving me a target to aim for during that last 400 metres.

After finishing I hung around at the finish area to await the arrival of my wife and daughter whose wave were just about to be despatched. About 12 minutes later they came into sight and they crossed the line together. The same post-race system was in place as was last year. First there were the timing chip removal stations and these were followed by the goody bag station. The race medal was inside the goody bag.

We headed straight back over to the Sweatshop Running Community tent where we picked up our free lunch and found a nice spot to eat it. One of the great things about this event is that I find that I bump into so many people I know from various running groups, races and parkruns. It's such a great event for the running community and I have every intention of returning in 2017.

post-run [photos: 7t / dani]

The results were online later that day and my official chip time was 5.41. My wife and daughter completed their mile in 12.11. I've had a chance to think about things and I reckon that the track sessions I've been doing recently played a massive part in helping me to get the pacing for this just right.

Official chip time (me): 5.41 (Westminster Mile (search fields applied)
Dani / Matilda: 12.11 (Westminster Mile (search fields applied)
Official results: Westminster Mile 2016 (main search page)
Official results: Westminster Mile 2016 (run britain)

The following day I took part in the Vitality London 10,000 2016.

Sweatshop 5 x 5km (4.2km) Relay 2014

On 29 June 2014, Sweatshop held a running event at the Cyclopark, near Gravesend in Kent. Rather than just putting on a bog-standard race, they decided to make it a relay race. The plan was for it to be a 5 x 5km event. However, on the day, there was some kind of mix up with the bookings on the track and we lost a 400 metre section of the track. As the 5km would have been made up of two laps, it meant that the 5 x 5km turned into a 5 x 4.2km relay.

team o (bluewater src 4) [photo from vikki louise russell's set]

The entry fee was £25 per team, so we paid our £5 each and collected our race bibs - I was running in one of Bluewater Sweatshop's teams (sweatshop src 4) and we had been allocated team O. The bibs were marked with the team letter and then the runners' individual number. The number referred to what leg of the race each person would run. The team decided that I should run the fifth and final leg, so I was handed the O5 bib.

In total there were 19 teams;

SRC Bluewater - 9 teams

SRC Maidstone - 4 teams

Istead - 4 teams

Runfit - 1 team

plus one other team with no name.

The event was taking place in the afternoon and there was a really good turnout of runners and their families. The cyclopark has a playground to keep the children occupied, plus it has a cafe and toilets all located in the main building at the entrance.

the start [photo: 7t]

At some point just after 12 o'clock, the teams gathered next to the track for a briefing. Once done, all of the teams' first runners headed onto the track to get the race underway. As I was the fifth runner to go, I would have a wait of over an hour before it was my turn to run the two lap course. In the meantime, there was plenty of banter between the teams on the sideline.

As time went by, each of my fellow team members were called into action to put in their best effort around the track. First it was Dave Tyler, then Jodie Rawlinson, Lee Edwards, Simon Hassett, and then it was my turn. With the team counting on me to do my best, I started at an aggressive pace. As the track weaves its way away from the crowd, things become much quieter and even a little lonely at times.

me with fellow slgr runner, chris preston [photo from vikki louise russell's set]

The wind around the back of the course was blowing. Not too much, but enough to wish it would stop. Then of course there's the uphill section at the end of each lap. But the support from the other runners was fantastic coming up the final incline and into the start/finish area.

Once I had completed my leg of the race, I took a few moments to recover, then resumed my position at the side to encourage the other teams' remaining runners. Not too long after, all the runners were back and the race was over. The results were soon ready and the Sweatshop organisers held a little presentation ceremony where spot prizes were awarded and lastly the winners were presented with their trophy.

the full results

The full results were posted online. We finished in a total time of 1.25.37, only 4.8 seconds in front of the next team. I was pleased to see that our team had finished in 4th position overall. It also worked out that we were the top placed of the 9 Bluewater teams. I'm very proud to have run with such a fantastic team - thanks for having me.

Looking at and analysing my own time, if each leg had been the full 5k, I may well have been on for a new 5k personal best. My overall average pace was 3.39 per kilometre (5.52 per mile), which if I could have maintained for a full 5k would have given me an 18.15 finishing time. According to my gps data on Strava, I set new best times for half mile, 1km, 1 mile, and 2 miles during the race. Not a bad afternoon's work at all.

our individual splits

Just as the presentation ceremony had finished, the rain started to fall. I think everyone agreed that the rain couldn't have timed itself any better. It was a great little event, which we were promised would be bigger and better next year. I can't wait!

Bluewater Sweatshop Running Community

Bluewater's Sweatshop running community meet on two occasions per week. Both runs take place on the pavement areas in and around Bluewater shopping centre. For the evening runs you can meet in-store between 7pm and 7.15pm and walk down to the start area with the staff or when you know where the start area is, you can go straight there.

Monday at 7.30pm

The Monday evening session is when they run intervals.

The first week I went to this session we ran on a 300 metre loop of one of the lakes/ponds. Each runner had a partner of a similar ability and took it turns to run the loop with the rest period being the time it took for your partner to complete the loop. For me and my partner it worked out at about 1 min run / 1 min rest. We did this for about 25 minutes and in that time me and my partner ran the 300 metre loop 11 times each.

They don't always stick to the same format. Sometimes the session takes place on one of the access roads, which is quite a steep hill. The session I did had us running up to a certain point, resting, then running again, resting, running, resting, then back down to the bottom to do it all over again. I really liked this session.

Also, I'd add that if you want to get properly warmed up before the interval session then do it before 7.30pm because that's when the intervals themselves start.


Wednesday at 7.30pm

The Wednesday evening session is suitable for all levels of runner from beginner through advanced. I have run with this group once. They have a few variations on the route, I'll add the links to the gps files below;

The Hospital Route (approx 4.7km) -  The Hospital Route.
The Beefs 'n' Babes Route (approx 4.7km) - The Beefs 'n' Babes Route

It's worth noting that once the runners have assembled, walked up the access road/hill (Cliff Reach) to the start point and started running it may well be getting on for 7.45pm.


Saturday at 8am (4km time trial )

The store also do a Saturday morning 4km time trial.. I haven't run at this one, and with Saturday being parkrun day it may prove difficult to do so. Times are posted on their facebook page.


Sunday (time tbc)

I haven't been to this session yet, but will write about it once I have. It is a new addition to the Bluewater SRC running schedule.

Trump Street Sweatshop Running Community

The Trump Street branch of Sweatshop is the flagship store and used to have a whopping fifteen Sweatshop Running Community runs each week. After reviewing the website, it looks like they have scrapped the early morning 7.30am run, so it is now down to ten runs per week, which is still pretty good!

Monday to Friday 13.00 and 18.30

The route generally heads from the store and down to the river Thames, at this point it can vary depending on the run leader, distance and how busy the Southbank is. The first evening I ran with them was quite warm and the Southbank was heaving, so we avoided crossing the river and did an out and back route down to Embankment underground station and back to the store - approx 5k. I ended up running with a very friendly bunch, including the run leader, Hazel (I think).

Before the run Hazel spoke to the group to find out the general feeling as to which type of run we'd prefer to do. The group chose an easy, social run and I was more than happy with that.

She also put as through a really good warm up session before we headed out. There were around twelve runners in total for this session.

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A few weeks later I joined Carlos (I think, sorry) for a 7.30am run. In total there were five of us and we did the same 5k out and back route down to embankment as I had done on the previous run with them. However this time we did an Indian interval session on the way back. It was the first time I had done anything like this in a group and I loved it. I'm looking forward to the next one!

(I'll update this with more info every now and then)

Rathbone Place Sweatshop Running Community

The Rathbone Place branch of Sweatshop does the follow runs each week

Monday - 5k (approx) at any pace, average 24-30 minutes.

Wednesday - Group interval training for all running levels. This session is joint with the local fitness first branch.

Thursday - 5k at any pace and 7k at about 40 minute pace.

The runs generally head through the side streets just North of Oxford Street and then into Regents Park for the bulk of the session. In my opinion Regents Park really is one of the nicest places to run in London.

So far I have only run with the Monday group, which had about ten runners.

(I'll update this post once I have run a few more times)

Dartford Sweatshop Running Community and Strava Segments

My home Sweatshop Running Community venue is Dartford. The route here is 5 kilometres and has its fair share of undulations.

Below is a map of the standard route. I thought it would be fun to some weeks use it for a spot of interval training so as I am using the Strava app to log my runs I thought I would set up a few segments. Not all of the segments below were set up by me (1,2,3,4,5 and 8 are the ones I set up) but here are the ones that are currently active on the route that I'd use for running the interval or fartlek style training. There are two others, the first half and the second half, but they are not relevent to the training in this post.

1. Darenth Road From the un-named Side Road up to Dene Road (0.2km flat-ish)
2. Is the length of the bus-only section of Darenth Road (0.4km slightly uphill)
3. Princes Road, from Darenth Road to Lowfield Street. (0.6km downhill)
4. Heath Lane from the roundabout to Sycamore Road (0.3km uphill)
5. Sycamore Road - Halfords Car Park Road (0.3km uphill)
6. Princes Road, Heath Lane to the Highfield Road South junction (0.9km downhill)
7. Princes Road, from Lowfield Street to Darenth Road (0.6km uphill)
8. Darenth Road - The Final Sprint (0.1km flat)

Of course these segments are too close to each other to run all of them at a hard pace all on the same run without going for an all-out 5k effort (which is of course another training option), but by mixing them up from week to week it should keep things interesting. For example, last week I ran hard on segments 2, 4 and 7 but ran an easier pace (approx 10k pace) for the rest of the run.

All of the segments avoid sections where I have to cross a road, so I can concentrate on running them at my chosen pace and not be tempted to take risks crossing a road at speed or without looking. I'm finding this segment thing quite addictive at the moment so I'm also setting up others around Dartford - The library to the bandstand (and bandstand to library) are two others that I set up - so far I've only run them while being out with the toddler in the running buggy, but that just adds to the challenge!

Update: As of the end of 2013, the Dartford Sweatshop store closed down and despite some initial hope that the run would be able to continue, Sweatshop HQ have decided that it cannot do so under the SRC name. Runners that would like to continue getting their stamps to earn their rewards will probably end up running with the Bluewater branch of Sweatshop, but as it does not run on the same evening it may not be convenient for all. Other options, which do not include Sweatshop, are being considered for the Tuesday night running group. I will update this post when things settle.

Sweatshop Running Community

A few months ago I registered with the Sweatshop Running Community and recently I finally got around to running my first session with them. I ran my first and second sessions with the Dartford branch as this is going to be my SRC home, my third run was at Rathbone Place, in London.

The process for signing up is simple, you just fill in the online form and they send you a welcome email containing your unique registration number.

When you arrive for your first ever run the store will issue you with your 'run record' card, which lasts for exactly 52 weeks, and a SRC wallet to hold it. Each week you can have your card stamped to record that you have run that week (you can run at as many sessions at as many different branches as you like but you can only have one stamp per week).

In order to encourage you to keep running, Sweatshop offer rewards for each milestone you hit within your 52 week period.

5 Weeks - Free Adidas Sweatshop Running Community technical t-shirt

Sweatshop Running Community technical t-shirt

25 Weeks - Free Lucozade nutrition pack (isotonic drink / 2 x dual fuel gels / jelly beans / yoghurt coated cereal bar / protein and carbohydrate bar - although it is possible that contents may vary)

the nutrition pack

30 Weeks - Free foam roller (worth £25)

new best friend?

50 Weeks - Free Garmin Forerunner 610 (worth £329.99)

garmin 610

Please note: The rewards above were current when I registered. I believe the current rewards system offers a foam roller at 30 weeks and a pair of running shoes at 50 weeks. Always double check with Sweatshop for the latest information.

You don't have to go to the same branch every week, but in order to qualify for the rewards you do need to have the card stamped each week - so it's a bit like parkrun's barcode system in the sense that you have to remember to bring it with you each week in order to have the run recorded.

The runs vary from branch to branch - you can see the full list here. Some branches have one all-ability run per week, some have a few different types of session and one branch (Trump Street, London) has three two runs per day from Monday to Friday - that's fifteen ten opportunities per week. With so many options it's tempting to start touring around the different Sweatshop branches, but I'll hold back on that for now.

For example, my former home run at Dartford which has closed (Bluewater is now my home store) did the same 5k route every Tuesday and I had set up a few strava segments to use for a spot of interval training. Rathbone Place do a Monday 5k (or even 6.9k if you take a wrong turn - whoops) for beginners and intermediate runners which always heads over to Regents Park, but doesn't always follow exactly the same route plus a few other sessions throughout the week.

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For the record, I ran the 50 runs without missing a week and was presented with my Garmin 610 at the Sweatshop store in July 2014.

50 week reward presentation