SKYLINE 120 BRAINTREE 5

Sunday 27 April Race

Becci, my brilliant running buddy, and I set off in 'Matilda' for Braintree where we were going to run the Skyline 120 Braintree 5 mile fun run.

Race ready 'Matilda' with Maisie, the cat,
 living dangerously 

There was a bit of a queue for the car park but we were soon parked and ready to get our race chips. These were new to us and were worn round the ankle. Becci said that if we lost them they would charge us £50 - I hoped the Velcro was going to be sturdy enough.

Something that all runners talk about are the toilet facilities as it can prove to be one of the most traumatic of things before a race, especially if you are a female. There were some portapotties outside which did not appeal in the least but, thankfully, those indoors were fine. If you are wondering why I mention this it is because anyone looking for information about going to this run will want to know.

That being sorted we went out to say hello to our fellow 'Commando Runners' (a Facebook running community group) who were all in good form and looking forward to the run.

• The start
• The course
• The finish
• Thoughts on the race
• If I were in charge

The Start

The start reminded me of Parkrun where you just line up wherever you feel would suit you. There were not a lot of announcements beforehand which was good as I cannot always hear them anyway.

Garmins etc were activated and then we were off - well - almost as there was the inevitable bottleneck effect slowing everyone down. As soon as we were running it was quite a fast pace for me.

I decided to go with it but didn't want to overdo the speed at the start. We were immediately faced with a downhill which everyone noted would be an uphill at the end of the course. I quickly put that to the back of my mind.

The course

Braintree

We were soon running through villages past beautiful thatched cottages and the Spring foliage made everything look wonderful. There was the problem of pollen though and I found it quite difficult to get my breath for quite a distance. 

The course itself was undulating rather than hilly with some inclines that increased slowly rather than sharply which was an interesting experience as they seemed to go on for ever.

The marshals around the route were very good on the whole although we did think one of them had been telling us to keep right when he meant left. 

Mile One

At 9.41 this is a fast start for me. It took me a while to get my breathing and heart rate to a sustainable level but for once I pushed myself as I felt it would be ok.

Mile Two

A time to settle in and I knew that we were, very definitely, still working hard as we were not talking except for the occasional comment.

Mile Three

Psychologically getting past the half way mark helps you maintain a reasonable pace and we began moving up the field. We were careful to slow the pace before  an incline so that we would have the stamina to climb without losing too much speed.

Mile Four

It felt like time to get home and there were a couple of difficult inclines and also the annoyance of some runners we had passed getting in front of us again. Nothing gets me frustrated quite like that as you will read later.

Mile Five

The dash for home. Well not quite up to a sprint standard but quite a slog to keep the pace going. 

The finish

Well as I said being overtaken by an older veteran who I had managed to pass earlier was not going to go down on the records. So I called out to Becci just before the line to go for it and dashed in front of this poor lady to get placed before her and finish at a sprint. Bad sportsmanship or all is fair in love and war? Who knows - something competitive came over me at the last minute.

Thoughts on the race

The results

Plenty to work on. That there were ten in my age category before me shows that I could be better. Then again 119th female at my age sounds good to me. It was not a PB which remains at 46.38 for a five mile run. If I had thought about that before this run and perhaps put the pacer for that run on my Garmin I think I could have gone just a little stronger to beat that time. I didn't. Overall though I thoroughly enjoyed the run on what was a perfect Spring day weather wise. The pollen was a nuisance but bearable. The company was good and the venue very pretty. We had a lovely quick ride home having earned ourselves a tee shirt, a bottle of water and a delicious helping of flapjack. 

If I were in charge

The winner's tee shirt and race number

I have to say that if I were in charge I would find a tee shirt designed for women. How hard can it be to indicate gender as well as size? These necklines are not flattering or run friendly and just need to be cut differently - anyone listening out there! They just need to be 'V' neck or cut on a lower curve. 

The Country Park, Braintree

Overall, I would definitely be happy to run this again and would recommend it for all levels of running ability.