Date: Sunday 26 February 2012
After last years entry into the Dudley Action Heart 5 run and also my first ever race, I decide to go for a Sunday morning jog again this year, doing my best for charity.
Just before Christmas, I checked the
Action Heart Running website, and noticed that the dates had been posted for the Dudley Action Heart 5 run, there was also a link to download the entry form, so a glutton for punishment, I filled the form in. With the form filled in and my entry money counted out, I thought that I would go the
extra mile and personally hand deliver my entry form to the offices of
Action Heart. I pop outside the door at work, turn right and walk to the offices next door, this was also the offices of Action Heart, so I ring the door bell and hand my form in. I enquire to see if I was the first to hand my form in, and also asked "If I am first does this mean that I will get the number 1?" The reply was that I wasn't the first, but she would see what she could do. A few weeks later, Action Heart returned the favour and delivered my race details and my race number and personally hand delivered it through the letter box at work. As soon as I had the envelope in my hand, I ripped it open to see what number I had got. I was shocked when I first saw my number, it wasn't the prestigious number "
1", but it was quite literally second best, I will be running the race with the number "
2". There were a few weeks to go before the event, so I got in touch with Mr
UKBuses to give him the date, and also ask him the question "Are you going to take part this year?" A quick reply arrived and he declined to be mad like me and take part in the race, but he did state that he would be undertaking the driving duties that day.
After weeks of waiting, the big day had arrived and with a pleasant night's sleep before the day arrived, I woke up and was so enthusiastic that I decided to have an extra five minutes in bed, then another, but I couldn't keep delaying the inevitable I had to get up and get ready, as I waken I realise that I have the start of a cold, something that I didn't really want on this day. I dig out the running tights and shorts and my bright yellow running top, the first outing since last years killer
Kinver 10K run in September, all I need to do now is wait for Mr UKBuses, just before 08.45 he turns up and I start getting into the spirit by running across the road to his car. I get myself strapped in and off we go. We pass through Wollaston and Mr UKBuses decides to go via Wollaston Farm, this is where I open my bag and find out that I haven't got my energy drink with me so Mr UKBuses pulls up at the Nisa shop where I run in and buy a couple. The person serving me spots my race number peeking out from under my coat and then asks me if I'm going to be doing the course in my jeans, would love to but they are a bit too heavy and my legs would be sweating by the first half mile. I get back into the car and start drinking so I get an energy boost, and we make our way through Brierley Hill where Mr UKBuses is getting held up by a cyclist who thinks he owns the road, we overtake him as we get to where Harts Hill Garage once stood, but when we get to the lights at Holly Hall he pulls up at the side of us whilst we are waiting for the lights to change. Luckily we turn left and he goes straight on, we are now by
Russell's Hall Hospital, and we have been allocated a parking space on the car park at the steel company opposite the hospital. I take my jeans and coat off and put them in Mr UKBuses boot and we make our way across to the hospital. As we are near the reception, my bladder decides to make an appearance so I pop into the hospital where I use the toilet, and when I come out Mr UKBuses is there hanging around by the "Healthy Hub", as he had a change of mind on race day? Sadly not, and we make our way around to the back of the hospital. As we are nearing the corner we pass some mobile toilets and the bladder decides to play up again, so I join the other runners and queue for my last toilet break before the race. With the deed done, we make our way around the corner with the start line in my sights.
There are only a few minutes before the race begins,
this time last year I was not sure what lay ahead, at least this year I have an idea and know the course which means I can plan my run around the hilly parts. I do a few warm up exercises and before I know it I hear the klaxon go off and the race is under way,
see me in the left hand side of the picture, left. The klaxon took me by surprise and I hadn't done a lot of warm up, but I make my way pass the Bushey Fields part of the hospital, and out up Bushey Fields Road onto the main Kingswinford Road. From here I make my way along part of the 246 route, a road I'm getting used to having run along here last year, and walked down as part of the
first 246 Charity Walk in August last year (where I think I ended up running down this road to get to the hospital to deliver a message to Mr UKBuses who had gone ahead on the support bus). At the end of Kingswinford Road we arrive by the Holly Hall School and the marshal helps me across the road safely (it was me marshaling that spot
last time I was here), and up the main Stourbridge Road up towards Dudley. Just before I make our way to Queens Cross, I see the "1 mile" sign, which I was expecting this year, and I slow down as I know what lies ahead. As I arrive at Queens Cross, I turn left into Wellington Road, taking a steady space as this is the killer hill
(see a graph showing the gradients on the course, above right) on the route, and I make it to the top without stopping, I had to last year at this point as I didn't know how big the hill was, and I turn left into Stafford Street, where at the end of the road, I turn left into Wolverhampton Street. The hill has taken its toll on me again, but instead of stopping and walking up Wolverhampton Street this year, I slow down to near enough a snails pace, which gives me time to recover and a chance to have a couple of gulps of energy drink. As I arrive at the island at the top of the Himley Road, I gather pace again and we turn into Himley Road and this is where I start to enjoy the run now as I know the next bit is downhill.
As I start making my way down Himley Road, the "2 mile" sign is seen and the gradient starts to descent and as I gather up pace, it starts to get tricky to overtake runners ahead as the pavements we are running on are getting really narrow due to a large number of cars being illegally parked half on the road and half on the pavement. I decide to do what other runners are doing and that is running on the road, making sure that I don't stray too much into the road and try to keep to the kerbs side as much as I can. I am just passing Grange Park now and am loving this part of the route as the descent is making it nice and easy, I make my way further down Himley Road and just as I pass the junction of Sandford Road, the lovely descent starts to turn into a small ascent and I my pace is slowed as I make my way to the Milking Bank Island. I carry on along the Himley Road, and I have to make my way onto the side of the road again as there is no pavement to run along on this part of the route, just as we arrive at Coopers Bank Road, I know there are only a couple of miles left as I see the "3 mile" sign.
As I turn left into from Himley Road into Coopers Bank Road, I am at the apex of the last ascent and it is another part of the route I like as it is all downhill for about three quarters of a mile. I carry on down Coopers Bank Road and about a third of the way down I am opposite the Gornal Wood Crematorium and it was at this point last year that I thought that is where I would have ended last years race, this year I am looking more hopeful and I carry on down the hill. I am now approaching Smithy Lane and as I make my way into Smithy Lane, the descent turns into another ascent, and I slow down a little as I know what lays ahead again, another hill, not a big hill such as the one at the beginning of the course, but a long small hill which drains your legs of energy. I reach the end of Smithy Lane and I have to turn into Tansey Green Road. From here to just past the High Oak in Pensnett it is uphill and I make my way along Tansey Green Road and pass the sign that points out "4 miles".
It was just before I saw the "4 mile" sign last year that I had to stop and walk for a bit along this part of the route, but as I know what to expect this year, I drop my pace as I run along Smithy Road and along Tansey Green Road and sail past the sign this year. I am now at the end of Tansey Green Road and I turn left again and into High Street Pensnett, I can see what was The High Oak pub in the distance and make my way up the hill. I pass the Post Office and disaster strikes, just as I get to the High Oak, I have something that stops me in my tracks, a dreaded stitch. This causes me to stop for the first time in this run and I have a minute or so to get my breath back whilst holding on to my left side. One of the runner asks me what's wrong as she passes me, and when I tell her I have stitch, she shouts to me as she makes her way to try and run through it, so I take a few stops and as I make my way past the High Oak, the hill levels out and I take a few strides and make my way from Pensnett High Street and up towards Russell's Hall Hospital. Even though my side is killing me, the lady who passed me has given me good advice, I may be running at a snails pace, but the pain is starting to go. I am level with the
Fox and Grapes and I have a hill to climb, so I put a bit more pressure on my legs and run faster, I can see the junction of Elgar Crescent ahead and as I add more pressure, the stitch in my side decides to fight back and I have to stop again and walk along a bit. I cross Elgar Crescent and carry on up the High Street, I see Mr UKBuses ahead and I hope that he hasn't seen me walking that last bit, so through my pain I gather pace and make my way towards the first entrance road to the hospital, and pass Mr UKBuses who is videoing me on his camera, as I pass I don't know what expression I was making towards him as I was fighting a bit of a pain in my side, if it was an evil look I apologise to Mr UKBuses but I'm sure the evidence will be appearing on his
blogspot for all to see. I'm only three corners away from the finish line and I am having a final blast of energy on the last part of the course, one corner down, and I'm straight into another corner (this was where I surprised Mr UKBuses last year as he was asleep around this part and wasn't expecting me), and another pick up of steam as I pass the mobile toilets (I think those will be used in a while), and now I can see my final corner. On the final corner I can see a clock and it is showing 50 minutes I can't see what the seconds say as I have my thoughts on the finish line, with the final corner down I can see the finish line and there is another clock there and as I pass it I think my time is around the 51 minutes 30 seconds mark (When I get back home, the official time is 51 minutes and 26 seconds), but with a pain in the side (Mr UKBuses is still making his way from the main road so it isn't him), I slow down and stop just by the t-shirt stall where I am given a free t-shirt for taking part and completing the course,
see picture above right. I walk a few more steps and I am given a free bottle of water.
As I take a few sips, I make my way back towards the finish line where Mr UKBuses spots me, Mr UKBuses takes a photo of me, and then decides to take another, but I walk a few steps and take a seat on a waiting bench before he takes the shot,
as can be seen pictured left. I spend the next five minutes getting my breath back and as I finish off my water I stand, where my right ankle is now aching loads, and we make our way towards the front of the hospital. I turn the corner and just before I spot the mobile toilets, the water has already made its way to my bladder and I have to make a stop and use the facilities, at least I haven't got to queue this time. After my toilet stop, we carry on towards the front of the hospital and across the main road towards where Mr UKBuses car is parked. As we arrive back on the car park, my legs are now starting to copy my right ankle and ache, we finally get back to the car where I spot a bin and run over to it to throw my empty bottle away, the running bit was a bad idea, and I slowly walk back to the car. I get dressed back into my jeans and coat and decide to throw away my energy drink which I left in the car earlier, this time I walk to the bin and back. I finally crawl into the passenger seat where I can have a rest on the journey ahead. About twenty minutes after leaving Russell's Hall I arrive back home and as Mr UKBuses pulls up outside my house, I struggle to get onto my legs. Before I clamber out of the passenger seat, I "throw" my money at Mr UKBuses which means that I have paid my debts for the train tickets for a trip to London next Saturday, and I say my goodbyes, walking across the road and into home, where after a well deserved "fresh air" break, I have a long soak in a hot bath to soothe my aching bones.
I enjoyed my run even though I was about thirty seconds over last year's time and I suffered a stitch for the last half mile, but at least I can go away knowing that I have raised some money for a well deserved cause. The only let down of the day was the high numbers of cars parked half on the road and pavements along the course, this is out of control of the organisers but it does ask the question of what the local police force are doing. A BIG thank you goes to Mr UKBuses for taking on the role of driving duties and getting up early on a Sunday morning to take me there and also for not making me walk all the way back from Russell's Halls Hospital (via the 246 route of course!), only one thing for it now that I have refreshed my self and wrote this, "Same time next year?", I may not be asking the same question in the next few days as my bones are sure to be aching.
Even though I have completed the run, donations can still be made on-line on my
justgiving.com page, to
view my page and make a donation (no matter how big or small, every little helps), click here.
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