Spitfire Scramble Event Review

For the second year running I spent my weekend camped in a field with a group of relative strangers taking it in turns to run 5.8 mile laps of Hornchurch Country Park as part of the 24 hour team relay event that is Spitfire Scramble.

Writing up a 24hour event could well turn into a long progress, if you would prefer to read my summary of the event you can do so here.

As with last year I was competing in the event as part of UKrunchat's #teamred against the fearsome opposition of #teamblue.

Our team consisted in the end of 7 runners whereas #teamblue had their full compliment of 8 runners so already competitive advantage was theirs! 

Being a local to the event I arrived on Friday evening to get the task of setting up my tent out of the way. I arrived to a much larger campsite than the previous year which made it difficult to find the UKrunchat area. I soon found the right place and was ably assisted in putting my tent up by team mate Laurence and teamblue opposition Paul, my blue tent further muddying the waters of this team competition.

I had decided on the easy option of spending Friday night in the comfort of my own bed rather than camping for two nights, a decision I was pleased to have taken on Sunday after the lack of sleep achieved on Saturday night. So I returned to the campsite on Saturday morning to meet the rest of my team mates captained by Jen and the opposition for the weekend marshaled by Jeff. It was my second year locking horns with Jeff as we were both the sole survivors of the UKrunchat teams from Spitfire Scrambles inaugural race last year.

After the introductions and pre race photos and briefings were completed the race was soon underway at 12 noon and the gruel ling 24hours was underway! The thrill of these 24hour events is the unknown, how many laps will I be required to run? What will it be like running in the dark? Will the team survive the 24hours intact? Will there be injuries and dropouts? All I knew was that I was scheduled to run as the 7th member of the team with an estimated starting time of 6pm. 

So quite a difference to a normal race where you get up early, get to the race and bang your off! The first few hours were going to involve a lot of sitting, chatting, cheering, clock watching, eating and relaxing before my running got under way. 

The race soon sets into a rhythm though of supporting other team members as they either complete laps or start laps, then a debrief of how the lap went before a quiet period where the runner on the course completes their lap before the whole cycle starts again.

My lap came around pretty quick to be fair at around 5.30pm and by that time I was desperate to run! I figured that as my second lap would be at about 11pm in the darkness when I would have to take things easy I might as well go for it and go flat out rather than save something for a second faster lap. The problem was when I got underway I was pretty lethargic from all the hanging around and realised I had eaten far too much during the afternoon, an easy trap to fall into! 

I completed the lap in 45.41, my aim had been to rival my first laps time from last year which was 43.40. Realistically I knew I was not as quick as I was last year so I was pretty pleased to get within a few minutes of last years time.

After lap number one I had some pasta from the onsite catering, continued getting to know the rest of the team and enjoyed watching the bright summer sun head in for the night. Around 9pm I managed to grab about 45 minutes sleep before getting ready to run my second lap. 

Head torch at the ready I set out on my second lap in the darkness of night. My plan was just to settle into a pace that I was comfortable running at both in terms of pace and where I was confident of finding my footing on the uneven trail surfaces. I also decided to take on the giant Ingrebourne hill at mile 2 a bit gentler. 

The lap was brilliant despite it being at 11pm and having already ran a fast lap I felt brilliant and felt like I flew round despite the tricky underfoot conditions. A speedy run coupled with the magic of running in the stillness and peacefulness of night combined for one of my favourite ever running experiences. 

Getting back to camp I was conscious to try and keep warm and get some rest so after a Mars milkshake and a few half hearted stretches I climbed into my sleeping bag with my alarm set for 5am to be ready to get up and run again at about 6.

Although I didn't feel tired I was soon asleep it was just unfortunate that the sleep didn't last too long! Our tents were positioned alongside the course route about 50m from the changeover point which meant we had runners coming past at regular intervals calling for their various team mates in the change over area. It was pretty frustrating to be constantly disturbed but it was made bearable by the funny remarks and commentary from Paul in the neighbouring tent who was very amusing! 

The time to get up soon came and after a pain au chocolate and a handful of jelly babies I felt ready to run despite the early hour and the lack of sleep. 

Lap 3 was again an enjoyable experience as I was heading out soon after sunrise and the course felt peaceful with the day yet to begin. Again I ran a pace that felt comfortable, took it easy on the hill and tried to enjoy the route and the scenery. 

Both before and after the lap I was surprised with how well I felt, yes I felt tired and lacked a bit of energy but my legs felt good and I felt more than capable of running at a decent speed.

My third lap completed and it was still a way off 8am on Sunday morning! 

After the initial buzz of the run faded I definitely started to feel fatigued so I did what what I need to do eat and sleep.

The eating came courtesy of a brilliantly greasy and fatty bacon bap, bacon makes everything better!

Then the sleep followed shortly after with a 40 minute power nap in my tent.

By this time it was around 10am and the event was entering its final stretch, there were noticeably less runners running around and less team mates waiting for changeovers and signs of people starting to pack up camp.

I knew our team had time had enough time left for me to squeeze in my last lap as Sarah Jane didn't want to run another lap as her back was sore from all the running and sleeping in a tent so this meant I got pushed up the order and would have a chance to run lap number 4. 

It was great to see that satisfaction on runners faces as they came into the finish to complete their final laps, a grueling 24 hours of running was over and people could start to enjoy the rest of their weekends. The sense of achievement at the large number of miles ran by everyone was almost tangible as every runner completing a lap started to get cheered and clapped home as all of a sudden everyone seemed to have a beer can providing celebratory refreshment. 

Before I knew it I was waiting for outer teams penultimate runner Simon to complete his lap, the 24 hours had simply flown by! 

There was no pressure on Simon to complete his lap although he still completed a speedy lap and set me on my way at around 11.30 to complete team reds final circuit of the course.

I wasn't sure what to expect from my final run, I kind of thought to take it easy, enjoy the run, enjoy the scenery, take lots of pictures and ease my aching legs around the course. Surprisingly though I felt brilliant after the initial stiff and achy first few hundred metres so I threw caution to the wind and thought I would just try and blast my way around the course.

After a few miles I realised I was at least matching my first lap time so decided to push on and try and beat my time set some 17 hours earlier. 

I think it was somewhere around mile 4 when I heard the distant roar of the mighty spitfire and it wasn't long before I saw this majestic fighter plane soar overhead, a sight that will stay in my memory for some time. After coming in low over the start/finish area the spitfire circled to repeat its fly past and I was fortunate to get a great view of it banking and circling back on its self right over my head as I ran, a real spine tingling experience.

As I approached the finishing straight my UKrunchat team members were all gathered so we could run in the closing metres together. This prompted a Mo Farah style sprint finish from me as we all stormed across the finishing straight, it was a privilege to have run the last lap for the team and I even got to keep the slap wrist band relay baton as a souvenir! 

Getting my hands on the medal was now on the agenda, and what a medal it is?! A shiny silver outline of a spitfire, very fitting and very attractive, easily one of my most impressive medals.

With the running all over there were plenty of congratulations all round with team mates and fellow runners before plenty of post race team photos. 

So in the end I ran 4 laps composing around 23 miles with split times of 45.19, 47.37, 47.53 and 46.00 all on only a few hours sleep.

Unfortunately I faded away in the last mile and missed out on beating my first lap time. 

The final team results were somewhat disappointing for teamred as we finished someway behind the speedily impressive teamblue but we were really pleased with our overall finish of 17th out of 42 teams. 

The weekend was then all of a sudden at an end as I started to pack up and pack up my tent. Goodbyes were said and everyone reflected and agreed on what an enjoyable weekend it had been.

UKrunchat team members you were all awesome, it was great to meet you all and teamred will be back stronger and faster for 2016!

Spitfire Scramble you were bigger, better and more gloriously enjoyable than last year! A great event so well organised in a great venue, thank you for all the organisation from the event team and massive thanks to all the marshals for their cheery encouragement and assistance throughout the 24 hours. I hope to be back again next year! 

Hopefully this read will give you an insight into the action packed adventure that is a 24 hour team running event, a grueling mix of running and fun that quickly flies by in a blur of excitement, I would definitely recommend giving one a go! 

What did you do this weekend? I got scrambled!

Between midday on Saturday and midday on Sunday as part of the amazing 24 hour team relay event that is Spitfire Scramble my weekend consisted of the following:

• Spent the whole time camped in a field with people I have never met.
• Ran approximately 40K
• Slept for about 3 hours 

           

• Ate large quantities of jelly babies and my home made chocolate and banana cake
• Didn't shower for in excess of 24 hours despite all the running and some hot and sweaty conditions 
• Got bitten to within an inch of my sanity by a variety of creepy crawlies
• Enjoyed meeting UKrunchat members from Twitter and they turned out to be a friendly bunch of runners with a range of running experiences.

• Despaired at early morning visits to the portaloo
• Witnessed the awesomeness of a spitfire flying and swooping down over me while running my last lap.
• Helped steer UKrunchat #teamred to a very respectable 17th place out of 42 teams, a top half finish that was well deserved that we were very proud of.

• Earned an amazing medal

• Overall had a blast, enjoyed some epic running experiences and reconfirmed my love of running.

Come Sunday evening I felt exhausted which to be fair had a lot to do with having my tooth extracted in hospital on Friday as well as the running and the lack of sleep. On Monday morning when I got I regretted not taking the day off and wished for a weekend to recover from the weekend I had just had but by the time I left for work I had the smug glow of knowing I had done something awesome at the weekend.

Never entered a 24 hour team event? You should! They are a bit crazy but in a good way, lots of running interspersed with eating, socialising with other runners but not so much sleeping, give one a go you just might find you like it! 

Day 8 A tough but exciting week ahead

Todays run- Evening - Recovery - Pavement - 5K - 29 minutes.

Today is day 8 of my runstreak and with 7 days behind me I am feeling good and enjoying my running.

This week always promised to be difficult as my schedule is busy and varied as I am on a course on Tuesday and out of the office again on Thursday. 

So it was always going to be a bit of a challenge fitting in my training and it was going to be a case of just fitting it in rather than having good quality enjoyable training.

The plans for the week were of course complicated by my news that I will be attending boot camp on Friday for Runners World Target Asics 26.2. 

This has changed my focus and made me scale back my training, with the emphasis now being on feeling in the best shape as possible for whatever Friday has in store.

As excited as I am about being involved with this amazing opportunity of being involved in the Asics 26.2 competition its a little disappointing that I haven't been able to throw myself fully into my runstreak challenge.

The runstreak was all about me pushing my limits and taking my training out of comfort zone however with boot camp looming on the horizon at the end of the week I have somewhat retreated into my comfort zone and am just ticking over by completing minimum distance of 5km most days.

I have enjoyed trying out new routes and exploring new roads and areas as my increase in running has demanded more variety in my running routes to help keep things fresh.

Today's route took me through Hornchurch Town Centre where the Christmas decorations are in full flow.

On Friday before I had received the good news about Asics 26.2 I did a bit of online shopping looking for some winter running kit. Sports Direct were doing some great bargains so I filled my boots with what the y had to offer. I figured that with my runstreak and with planning to increase my training generally I thought I needed some new kit. I have never really invested in much winter kit just thrown on any old hoody or jacket with a wooly hat and made do. But last year I invested in a few base layers and got on really well with them and felt the benefit of being warmer and more comfortable. My main purchase was a running fleece which I wore out tonight and it worked out really well, warm, light weight and comfortable.

For an order placed on Friday morning you cant complain with delivery on a Monday I was pleasantly suprised.

So how am I coping with the demands of consecutive days running? Overall pretty well my legs feel good and I still feel strong.

My only two concerns are firstly my lower back which is stiff and sore and I have been seeking some advice looking into some exercises and streches to help.

My other slight issue is a classic winter training problem of dehydration and bot drinking enough in the colder weather. Its easy to forget about drinking enough and rehydrating when it not so warm and you don't feel so sweaty so I will be focusing on staying hydrated for the remainder of my runstreak and to ensure I am in the best condition come boot camp on Friday.

Thanks for reading and thank you for all the well wishes and support on both my runstreak and on my inclusion into Asics 26.2.

My run commute all the way home

So I did it! I finally managed to complete one my main running ambitions, to run all the way home from work! Which is no mean feat as I work in Central London and live out in Essex approximately 13 miles as the crow flies or around 18miles to run.

I have ran part of the way home several times, often running the 11K back to West Ham station to then jump on the tube for the remainder of my journey.  In the summer I did plan to run the full route but dropped out after around 13 miles as I wasn't quite fit enough to run longer and didn't have the mental strength to push myself to run through the mean streets of Dagenham.

I have planned to run the full route a few times as well but have either been waylaid by other commitments or had to focus on my marathon training rather than pursuing this goal.

But my hand was forced somewhat as I might be moving soon so my chances to run this particular route have become limited. I thought Id better do it before the dark nights and the cold winter really sets in but I was surprised at how dark and cold it got relatively quickly.

So how did it go?

It took me just under 3 hours and the route was almost 18miles! My mapmyrun didn't seem to function properly either so the real distance will be even further! 

It was long and it was draining!

The first few miles are quite fun as the route takes me along the Thames, to the Tower of London past all the various sights of London.

Then its a straight run down Commercial Road to Limehouse before heading towards Canning Town an out onto the A13 for real out through Beckton and onto Barking.

The pathway is good and wide with a dedicated walkway and cycle path but you are running along the side of a busy motor way which isn't everyones idea of fun! 

Then after about 12 miles the junction to finally turn off the motorway and into residential territory comes and I head towards Becontree and Dagenham.

The route then takes me past these respective tube stations before continuing my journey out towards Dagenham East in the direction of Rainham.

The most direct route is the tube route of the district line but I cant imagine TFL or thousands of commuters taking kindly to me running along the tracks! 

I did try to plan my route to be as direct a possible although that's not all together direct as the road system doesn't always head where you want it to.

Soon enough I was in Elm Park and heading towards Hornchurch which gave me a much needed spring in my step as I was on home turf and running on roads I had often ran on before.

A few more roads and a few more turns and I was back in Upminster  within a stones throw of my flat. The last few hundred metres gave me time to reflect on my journey and the realisation of completing my commute without the aid of a car, a taxi, a bus, a train or the tube. A pretty special feeling especially when its something I have wanted to achieve for so long! 

The only down side was that my evening was pretty much over as it was now 8.20 an I was definitely too tired to do much else! 

A pizza and a much deserved pint provided my refuel and after some stretching and foam rolling and a bit of a chillax in front of the TV it was time for bed! 

Spitfire Scramble 24 hour team relay race

The weekend saw me take part in the inaugural Spitfire scramble, a 24 hour team relay running event held in Hornchurch Country Park Essex. 

First up I would like to say that it was an awesome event held in a great location providing great scenery and interesting landscapes and I really enjoyed the challenge this endurance event provided.

Being a 24 hour event its going to take a bit of time and quite a words to summarise and report on it, if you are a bit strapped for time my mini, condensed bite sized summary of the event is here.

As soon as I heard about this event earlier in the summer I was desperate to take part but I reluctantly decided it wasn't going to work out as I had already committed to three marathons this Autumn. I was keen to get involved as the location is ideal for me being located only a mile or so from my flat and taking place in the Country Park where I have put in so many training miles and hours over the last few years.

Up until Monday the before the race I was fairly content with planning to take part in 2015 and putting my name forward for volunteering duties at this years race. That was until I saw a tweet on Monday morning from the race organisers requesting assistance to help out a team left decimated by injury and illness. Several people had offered to run already but either couldn't commit the time or were too far away and unable to make the journey at short notice. So as a local runner my offer to run was happily snapped up by team red and I was soon welcomed into the team by my team mates on social media.

So on Tuesday, four days before the start of the race I had to quickly figure out how to plan and prepare for some grueling miles at the weekend!

I quickly scaled back the weeks training plans and after much deliberation decided It was best to stay at home and 'commute' in to the course rather than sort out camping on site at such short notice.

Saturday Morning soon rolled around and Made the 2 mile bike ride to the course to meet up with my team and to have our pre race photo. 

I was happy to meet a friendly and happy bunch all relatively eager for playing their part over the next 24 hours. 

A race schedule covering the next ten hours or so was soon in place despite the best efforts of the liveliest member of the team Bella to distract us with her insistent eager pleas to constantly throw her ball or Frisbee (don't worry this wasn't some weird warm up routine or an odd demand of the course, Bella is a gorgeous dog!)

My thoughts quickly turned to my race plans and how to fuel up for the miles ahead and I started taking on fluids and munching my way through a flapjack.

The race was soon under way and as the teams second runner I enthusiastically waited around the start area to welcome in our first runner and sprint off on my first lap.

My local knowledge served me well and I had mostly anticipated the paths and trails the course took. 

Being so focused on the event, the course and other runners the first 3kms flew past and I was ticking over nicely moving at around 4min/km pace and enjoying the run. 

5K was soon up and I was pretty shocked to have smashed my 5K PB by around 30 seconds! 

Considering the undulating terrain and the demanding Ingrebourne hill in the 4th km that's no mean feat! 

My speed week in recent weeks has obviously worked well! 

I pushed hard enough over the rest of the lap to make sure my time would have equated to a 10K PB while still being conscious of having something in the tank for future laps. 

The next few hours whizzed by and I was soon back at the course waiting for my second lap. I was a bit early and the team a little behind schedule so the runner before me was still yet to go, however our runner on the current lap was soon finishing and I was urged by other team members to run the next lap rather than waste time waiting around.

So with no warm up, little hydration and no time for a pre run toilet break off I set on lap 2!

I quickly set about passing a dozen or so runners in front of me in the first few hundred metres. Feeling Good I kept the pace and I surprised myself by being only a few seconds off my 1st lap time at 5K.

My second lap was completed in a little over my first lap time and I was incredibly proud of knocking out two blistering 10Ks only 4 hours apart! 

I headed home for food and rest before returning to the course for my 3rd lap scheduled for around 10.45PM. Thanks to the team for the lend of the head torch and off I went. It took me some time to adapt to running in the dark and the course had several areas that demanded a slower walking pace in the poor visibility.

I managed to get back home before 1AM and got just under 2 hours sleep before heading back to the course soon after 3.00 for my next scheduled lap.

London in the distance, the bright lights of the big city still shining

It was while waiting on the start line for my fourth lap that the cravings started to kick in! All I wanted was a KFC and a Lucozade and that quickly developed into a specific KFC craving, I wanted a mini chicken fillet burger and a mini chicken fillet snack box. Lets just the thought of KFC motivated me massively through my next two laps as I fantasied about eating succulent fried chicken and then formulated plans as to how I might get my hands on a KFC substitute, could I cook something similar when I got home with the ingredients I had in the kitchen? My mind raced around the local area trying to pinpoint a fish and chip shop or fast food joint that might be open in the wee small hours that might be able to satisfy my craving but I came up with nothing!

My fourth lap started at around 4.00 and I was nervous to see how my body would react to running at such an unusual hour, with little sleep and after having already covered almost 30K. 

Pretty good was the answer! Again I walked when the course demanded it and slowly plodded up most of the hills.

By the time I had finished the mixture of lack of sleep, coffee, energy drinks and endorphin's had created a heady mix in my mind for which I will call the 'Forest Gump Feeling', I am sure we have all experienced it, the feeling where you just want to run, and run, and run!

So when I was told that barring the runner after me the rest of the team would be catching up on some much needed rest I crazily put my hand up to run another lap! 

My fifth lap kicked off at around 6AM and I will be honest with you the Forest Gump affect only lasted for the one lap before tiredness and fatigue set in.

Courtesy of Andrew Kenyon https://plus.google.com/app/basic/s?sc=po&sq=andrew+kenyon

My experiences on this lap were pretty different to anything I had experienced while running before. I really enjoyed running in the calm and quiet of the early morning sunshine and the satisfaction that came with knowing I was completing something awesome while the rest of the world slept. The second half was a real challenge though as the lack of sleep turned my mind into a zombie like state. At least two runners spoke to me as they passed, I heard them, I registered their greeting and formulated a response in my mind but my brain was too tired to put any of these actions into practice. I even had my photo taken at this point but couldn't really muster a decent pose or expression!

After this fifth lap my legs were know heavy and stiff and tiredness had now well and truly set in, the bike ride was tough but did energize me and loosen up my legs somewhat. 

Having failed to find of a solution to satisfy my KFC craving I still required some serious calories and good tasting ones at that! As soon as I got in the through the door I started preparing a bacon sandwich! It filled the gap but unfortunately it didn't go anyway to satisfying my craving, stomach filled it was time for a nice warm shower before jumping into my comfy bed (not to rub it in anyone that camped!).

Sleep didn't readily come over me and when it did it was only in a short sharp 20 minute burst. Waking up feeling refreshed but with my legs suffering the pain of running almost 50K I decided I definitely had one more lap in me and I knew by the time I got up and ready I would feel a lot better and so I did! I definitely didn't have the mental or physical strength to bike there again though so I took the tube one stop and the short bus ride back to the course.

By 10.30 after a coffee, some jaffa cakes and an energy drink I was waiting eagerly on the start line to run again. The last lap I wanted to run well and enjoy, I reflected on my positive performance, how well I had coped with the demands of such an event and how I had enjoyed the course, its location and scenery and the fact I had been able to share my usual training routes with so many other runners.

Courtesy of Andrew Kenyon https://plus.google.com/app/basic/s?sc=po&sq=andrew+kenyon

With my last lap completed by 11.30 the team had time to send out a last runner before the 12.00 deadline. All was left for me was to sit on the grass in the warm, bright sunshine and reflect on such an enjoyable event and experience. 

After some team photos and plenty of cheering and clapping for the various medal winners it was time to head off, it was a bit weird leaving the course knowing I wasn't going to be heading back in a few hours! 

Thanks for reading, to anyone that ran in Spitfire Scramble I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and if you didn't run this year I hope you are inspired to run next year or to enter a similar event. Massive thanks go to everyone how made the event possible, the race organisers and marshals for their time and for all the participants for taking on the challenge and creating a great atmosphere, lets do it all again next year?!