When I found out I was going to be made redundant, I realised that I may end up having some time on my hands between jobs. I figured it would therefore be a good time to start looking into the options for further study relating to alternative dispute resolution. That was when I decided to do the RICS Diploma in Arbitration distance learning course. It was an 18 month course that started on 10th January 2018 and I thought I would at least have plenty of time for some of the first module given the work situation.

However, as mentioned in my previous article, I managed to find work again fairly quickly so I didn’t end up with a period of time in which to study. Thankfully, my first commission was the other side of the country and I was due to travel there by train, every week, for a period of approximately 16 months. This meant that I would actually have a fair amount of free time whilst sat on the train and in the hotel in Hatfield :slightly_smiling_face:. So it all worked out quite well really.

The first module was The Law of Obligations and covered most of the first year of a law degree, excluding criminal law, in 6 months. It was great to be studying again, even if it was pretty intense. There was a huge amount of information to digest and understand and a lot of case law to learn, but thanks to the extra time I had available with the Hatfield project, I was able to get through it all in time for the assignment and exam at the end. However, it was at this point that I realised the 12 week marking period set by the RICS was going to be painful. We submitted the assignment 4 weeks before the exam, then had to wait 12 weeks after the exam for any kind of result. This felt like the longest wait in history and was fairly agonising as we had no idea whether we were on the right track or not before submitting our assignment for the next module. And when the results came out it was simply pass or fail, no mark or anything. Did we scrape through, or pass with flying colours?? Anyway, I passed that module so I guess it didn’t really matter.

The next module was split into 2 halves:

1. Arbitration Law and the Law of Evidence; and
2. Arbitration Practice and Procedure.

Each half of the module included an assignment and an exam and ran for a period of 4 months. This was where things really got interesting though. Although the course was technically limited to domestic (UK) arbitration we touched on some international arbitration law as well so it was brilliant. We found that domestic arbitration is governed by the Arbitration Act 1996 and that particular act is incredibly well written. It clearly sets out a very good default set of rules for running an arbitration, defines the duties of everyone involved and hasn’t been amended in over 20 years, other than incorporating other legislation changes. This single document is more important for domestic arbitrators than any other. Again, I agonised over the results as this was all completely new to me and I didn’t know if I had understood it correctly or not. It was worse given we submitted the assignment for the second half of the module before we had the results for the first. This could have meant re-sitting both modules if we had the wrong end of the stick in the first place. Thankfully, we all got through it so we must have done something right :thumbsup:.

The final module was Arbitration Drafting, Award Writing and Evidence so was obviously the most important module in the whole course. We had to learn how to assess the evidence, make judgements and write clear, concise, enforceable awards. Unfortunately, part way through this module my work away changed meaning I had a lot less spare time to devote to my studies. This made the module much harder not only because of the content, but also because of the time management issues involved. Over the course of the module, we had to produce 3 practice awards for different disputes so that we could understand the process. Each of these awards took a significant amount of time to properly review, assess and then draft and I definitely found it much more difficult fitting this one in, but by the time I submitted my third practice award, I was feeling fairly confident about award writing.

The exam for this last module was due to be a fairly gruelling ordeal, and unfortunately, due to the very nature of the assessment method, was not going to represent real world conditions in any way. We were to receive a bundle of documents 1 week in advance of the exam to enable us to prepare and start working on our award, then on the day we would receive a second bundle of documents. We then had 1 hour for reading through the new documents and 4 hours to finish the award. It all sounds fairly good until you realise that it took me an average of about 15 hours to draft each of the practice awards so I knew I had to get my preparation right. I decided to take the week off work so I could concentrate on getting it right, although I think this may have contributed to the problems I had given I ended up over thinking things and over analysing the evidence we already had. By the end of the exam, I felt that I had completely messed up the entire thing. I thought I had got confused by the new documents received that morning and on talking to the others, I was convinced. I knew that it would be 12 weeks before the result was out so I put it to the back of my mind knowing I would be re-sitting later in the year.

Well, 12 weeks came and went and all we knew was the results would be delayed due to the external examiners. At this point I was nervous again, but we finally received the results on 8th October, 14 weeks after the exam. I couldn’t believe, I had passed :relieved:. The feedback I had confirmed that this was not the best award I had written, but I had passed so I was over the moon!

It was a long and difficult 18 months, but in the end it was worth it. In general, I thoroughly enjoyed learning everything could about arbitration. Since completing the course, I have applied for, sat and passed the Peer Interview for Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators meaning I was admitted as a Fellow on 9th December 2019. I am now able to actually work as an arbitrator, therefore it is time to try to put my new found knowledge into practice :slightly_smiling_face:!

1. Changes with Work (this article);
2. Diploma in Arbitration; and
3. Taekwondo.

At the back end of 2017, after a difficult period in work, the tough decision was made to downsize to almost nothing before the business collapsed. It was a really tough time for everyone given most people had worked there for at least 10 year, but some over 25 years. By the end of the year there were only a few of us left wrapping things up and trying to sell off the leftover stock before the final stage of the downsize completed at the beginning of 2018.

All this meant that I had to look for a new job as soon as I could. Thankfully I had seen an appeal for main contractor’s quantity surveyors for a small consultancy business in Bristol a few months earlier. I was under no illusion that getting a new job would be easy, but it sounded interesting, so I sent in my CV with the expectation of at least getting some experience applying for jobs. After a couple of good meetings with the existing partners of the business I officially became a partner at VOLOCO LLP on 1st January 2018.

An interesting opportunity presented itself fairly early in January. ISG Construction Ltd were looking for a project surveyor to work on a student accommodation and hotel refurbishment project in Hatfield for approximately 18 months. Now Hatfield is a fair way away, but the prospect of a guaranteed income for the next 18 months was very appealing. I visited site to meet with the team and discuss their requirements, and within 2 weeks I had started my first project with VOLOCO. The main downside to that was that I had to spend three days a week away from home. It was great to be back working on a large construction project. I hadn’t realised it beforehand, but I did miss large scale construction.

It was definitely a new experience working away from home, but it wasn’t anywhere as difficult as we thought it might be. Given that George was that little bit older, he was able to understand what was going on and why, so he dealt with it really well. I made the decision to travel by train given the M4 and M25 were part of the commute. I generally left very early on a Tuesday morning and returned just before bed time on a Thursday. I was then able to work from home on a Monday and Friday. In the main, the train was fairly uneventful and consistent. Once I learnt the best time to be at the station to ensure I got a seat, it was even easier. I did have a couple of issues with delays, or broken down trains, and one fairly major issue with the snow virtually shutting down Paddington station, but otherwise it was a good choice. Some of the other guys on site had problems with the traffic on the roads almost every week.

I am still doing little bits of work on the project in Hatfield, but I stopped commuting at the end of May 2019. It felt strange not spending a couple of hours on the train each week, but I’ve learnt to manage :joy:.

Luna Student Accommodation
The Comet Hotel, Hatfield

In October 2018, a new groundworks contractor, Ingenium Civil Engineering Ltd, in Bristol approached VOLOCO looking for some commercial support as they were struggling to cope since winning a few projects. As I was actually only working 4 days a week with ISG, and they were only looking for a little bit of extra support, I took on the challenge. I initially got involved with carrying out valuations and pricing variations for a large mixed use development in Bristol and have since helped them out on a number of other project in the same vein. These have included:

• general builders work package, basement box and external finishes at The Old General Hospital, a mixed use development in Bristol;
• enabling works at The Wave, Bristol;
• basement construction and external works at a new private house in Bath;
• rendering and paving works at Factory No. 1, a mixed use development in Bristol.

It’s been really interesting working on behalf of a subcontractor and seeing the industry from a completely different perspective. I now have an even better appreciation for the position of subcontractors, and I’m enjoying working with this growing business.

As I was nearing the end of my stint away from home, another opportunity cropped up with a developer in a town called Freshford just south of Bath. This meant that once the workload dropped at Hatfield, I had somewhere else to go. Therefore, at the start of June I started working 2 days a week on the Freshford Mill development. The project involves the construction of 24 high end residential units on a heavily contaminated site on the edge of the river
Rackham Court at Freshford Mill Avon across 2 phases. This was again a completely different perspective on the quantity surveying role. On this occassion the developer took the decision to take on the construction works themselves instead of employing a main contractor. This meant that there wasn’t really a top level client so the usual cost value reconciliation process was very different. Each of the subcontractors were employed as trade contractors by the developer meaning they were all essentially employed by the client who was also managing the project (in simple terms). This also meant there was never going to be any discussions of variations with a PQS, or asking for instructions from the employers agent/contract administrator etc. It was certainly a learning experience, but it has also been very interesting seeing things from another viewpoint again.

Unfortunately, there have been a number of problems that have lead to some significant delays on the project. Not least of these being the level and variety of contaminated material that has been discovered on the site prior to my involvement. Phase 1 of the project (the first 10 units) was nearing completion when I got involved, and in theory was due to be complete by mid September. However the bank then made the decision to put the SPV into administration and bring in Fixed Charge Receiver’s to complete the project. This meant there were a number of additional delays to the works, like renegotiating contract’s, reassuring the subcontractors that they would still be paid etc. This is why I am still involved in the project now. Phase 1 of the project should be complete by the end of January and my involvement will cease fairly soon after that.

By the middle of the summer I was fairly busy, but looking for some work to move onto once Freshford was complete. As it turned out, ISG had won a number of projects in South Wales which immediately piqued my interest given the proximity to home :smile: . After a few discussions, we have managed to get involved in The Interchange, Central Square project in Cardiff city centre right next to the train station. This could not be better placed for me as it means that I can get the train from just down the road basically straight to site. It’s even quicker than driving. So I am now providing senior quantity surveying services on a number of the larger packages in this £89m multi use development project for ISG Construction and really enjoying it so far.

In summary:

• I lost my job at the beginning of 2018;
• I managed to join a consultancy basically straight away;
• Through VOLOCO LLP, I am currently providing:
  • commercial support services to a groundworks contractor;
  • commercial support services to a Fixed Charge Receiver for a housing development;
  • senior quantity surveying services to a main contractor for a project in Cardiff.

Despite the rather difficult end to 2017, it hasn’t been all bad news. I was looking forward to taking over the family business, however I am now enjoying my new position and the challenges involved with this new way of working :smile:.

Image by Maddy Clabon via Facebook/Flickr

At the start of this year, Cardiff Half Marathon was going to be a big race for me. I was going to give it everything to try to break 90 minutes. Then I ran Gloucester City Marathon and my motivation seemed to drop off the end of a cliff! I had planned on a bit of a break after the marathon to recover, but then I never seemed to get going again. I only did a couple of long runs and I managed to average 21.35mi per week in the build-up. There is no way that is sufficient to get a sub 90min PB. So I resigned myself to taking it steady and enjoying the event without pushing myself to my limits. Then, along comes the Mic Morris 10k to change my mind. After the performance I was able to put in at that race, I thought it was stupid not to give Cardiff a damn good try :grinning:!

This year was also a little different from a Club perspective. A coach had been organised by the club to ease our transportation woes. This was a brilliant idea given how much trouble everyone has getting parked each year so I made my way to NHSOB on the morning of the race knowing I wouldn’t have any problems parking. It was a huge relief to just turn up without any real stress and was very much appreciated by me :grinning:. We were dropped off at Sophia Gardens so we had a little walk to the start which was a pretty good warm up. Once we got there, however, the race organisers had decided that race day wasn’t stressful enough for people and were checking the contents of everybody’s bags before allowing them into the baggage area. There were definitely not enough people tasked with this so it added a huge delay to the bag drop causing a lot of people to have to rush to get to the start on time.

This year, I had to wind my way through to the pen immediately behind the elite runners, but I had no trouble finding the 1:30 pacers so it was good. At this point, I was feeling pretty good so I planned to go out at about 6:50 pace and see how long I could hold it. If everything went to plan, that would bring me in under 1:30, but only just. The gun went, and eventually, we started moving. With 20,000 runners, this is a huge event so there is never a danger of being on your own but it does make the start a little tricky having to dodge and weave to keep an even pace.

Everything seemed to be going well, my first 3 miles were 6:44, 6:51 & 6:50 and I was feeling comfortable. I took on water at the first drink station, which is unusual for me but I felt it was a good idea. The next 3 miles then continued fairly well at 6:46, 6:48, 6:51 and I crossed the 10k marker at about 42:17 meaning my first 10k average was 6:49/mile. Unfortunately, shortly after I started to feel like the pace was a bit of a struggle so, just before the 8 mile marker I dropped off the back of the pacing group and made the decision to slow down a little at this point rather than blow up later on and end up walking the last bit.

This was probably the best decision I could have made. I was still pushing myself, just not quite so hard and it meant that I was then able to give everything in the last 0.1 miles to the finish line. I do feel better when I can finish with a sprint :grinning:. This year was not the year for me, but I had a great race thanks to actually choosing to slow down before I was forced to. That is something I need to remember in future. It certainly made the remainder of the race more enjoyable than it could have been, and I still managed a pretty good time so I can’t complain.

As always, the atmosphere and support were fantastic throughout. There wasn’t a single section of the route where there wasn’t somebody to cheer you on. The weather held off, despite the horrendous forecast of a few days previous, and the day was amazing. I do love the Cardiff Half Marathon :grinning:.

Strava Details

Cardiff Festival of Running

This year, we also decided that we should check out the Cardiff Festival of Running on the Saturday before the Half. George has definitely gained an interest in running again, so we decided it would be a good idea to take him to do the Family Fun Run. Whilst we were there, I also thought it would be a good idea to have a go at the One Mile Road Races given I missed the Crooked Mile this year.

We arrived early on Saturday morning and picked up some of the Snowdogs on route. We got to the Festival and I went to the tent to register for the Mile race. When I saw the list, there were only a hand full of other runners doing it. The announcer was also in the process of describing the calibre of these other runners soon after. It seemed that I had entered an elite race! Ah well, I thought, maybe there are only a few fast ones.

Race time came and the other guys lining up all looked like they were fast. I asked one of them, who looked a little nervous if everyone was an elite. He tried to reassure me and asked what time I was going for (≈5:30), then he responded by saying, “Oh, well that’s ok. Just try to enjoy yourself and run your own race”. Helpful advice, but not great for making me feel any better! Just before the start, a guy from Parc Bryn Bach running club arrived and he seemed to be as far out of his depth as I was so I think we then both felt a little better.

We lined up and the gun fired shortly after. By the first bend, the bulk of the runners were pulling away from me. At the end of the first loop (400m), I was clearly lagging behind, but I was really enjoying myself. Someone shouted at me “Go on mate! You can catch them!” which was nice, but absolute nonsense. They already had a 100m lead on me. I kept pushing hard despite the position I was in because I was only running this for the fun of it. I was never expecting to win anything so I just enjoyed myself. As I came around the final bend the time on the clock was just ticking over to 5:30 so I put in everything I had and managed to cross the line in 5:37. I was the last but one finisher. It was great fun and I would definitely do it again.

Unfortunately, at this point, I only had 10 minutes to recover and change my number for the family fun race. I hopped out of the racing area to join Rosie and George in getting ready and we then made our way around to the start. There was an awful lot of people there and the starting pistol fired long before everyone managed to get lined up at the start. We headed out and George was dragging us along with him, seeming to have a great time. We saw a few kids crying along the route and their parents trying to get them moving again, but we didn’t have any incidents like that. George wanted to make sure he wasn’t last so once he had ensured that, he decided to take a more leisurely approach. It was good fun, and it’s always great running with George, but it was an altogether overcrowded event and we might give it a miss next year. There seem to be plenty of small family fun runs around so we’ll probably stick with those from now on.

Mic Morris was a police officer and brilliant British international middle distance runner from Pontypool who died aged just 24 years during a training run in 1983. The trust fund was set up between Gwent Police and Torfaen Council to raise money for Torfaen’s elite young sports people, specifically for young people aged 11 to 21 who live in Torfaen.

Image by Mic Morris Torfaen 10k via Facebook

The Mic Morris Torfaen 10k is a fast, downhill road race that starts in Blaenavon and finishes in Pontypool Park. The plan this year was to run the race with Rosie to try to help her get a new PB, and maybe even break the 1 hour mark for the 10k. Unfortunately, the world conspired against us and Rose had to pull out of the race 10 days before. We were both a little disappointed but, looking on the postive side, it gave me the opportunity to see how I would do on a fast, downhill 10k race :grinning:.

In the lead up to the event, since doing Gloucester City Marathon at the beginning of August, my training has been a little lacking in structure and consistency. This meant that I had very little confidence in my abilities, but I thought the marathon training would at least get me through the event in a reasonably quick time.

On the morning of the event, I got myself sorted and jogged to Pontypool Park to catch the bus up to Blaenavon. Thankfully this felt good so my hopes for a sub-40 minute 10k came back into my sights :grinning:. On arrival in Blaenavon, I huddled into the Race Headquarters to keep warm whilst waiting for the start of the race.

At 8:40 we all headed out to join the masses already gathered at the start line, had a little bit of a warm up jog then lined up ready. There were a few complaints that the race was starting on an uphill, but given the rest of the course is downhill, I thought it was only fair :wink:. The mayoress gave a rousing speech (at least I assume it was a rousing speech, but unfortunately no-one could hear a word she said), then the gun was fired and we were off.

In my usual manner, I pushed hard right from the gun and on reaching the crest of the first hill I noticed my pace was approximately 20 seconds per mile faster than my plan. However, given the race was downhill, I made the decision to stick with it for as long as I was able. I passed the first mile in 6:04 on the assumption that I would get slower and slower through the race. The first downhill section of the race is the steepest and as you get closer to Pontypool, the course flattens out with a downhill finish through the park.

I was running with Matt from Club and we were able to keep each other motivated so we didn’t slow down. We kept pushing hard whilst we were still on the relatively steep downhils section when we passed the 5k marker. I looked down at my watch to see that I had beat my 5k PB by 1:14 as part of a 10k race :open_mouth:!! Things were looking good for sub-40. The next mile was announced on my watch and it was another 6:05 mile. I knew this would be the last one at that pace, but if I just managed to hold the same effort level as the course levelled out, then I would surely achieve my aim.

The water station came and went, given the length of the race and how I was doing, I decided that I didn’t want to waste time getting a drink so pushed on. As we dropped off the main road onto the final stretch before the park, I felt amazing. This was the point where I knew I had done enough, all I had to do now was make sure I didn’t trip or anything stupid like that.

I hit the hill by Pontypool Museum at about 6:20 pace and suddenly felt like I was trying to run up Everest! The ‘hill’ into the park is nothing more than a slight rise normally but it took everything I had to get to the top today, at which point I had slowed to 8:04 pace. At least it was all downhill to the finish from there!

What little energy I had left I put into propelling me down into Pontypool Park with the hope that the momentum would get me over the line. The last quarter mile was a blur and I could barely stand after I crossed the finish, but I did it! I finished a 10k race in under 40 minutes! Not only that I finished in 38:10! A time that I would never be able to repeat on a standard course, but I don’t care :grinning:.

It was a fantastic race and I will definitely do it again in the future. The psychological boost you get from finishing a race like this is incredible. It gave me a lot more confidence for the Cardiff Half Marathon :grinning:.

At the same time as I was pushing myself to the limit, Rosie and George were getting involved in the Junior Fun Run in the Park. They both really enjoyed themselves and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are back again next year :wink:.

Strava Details

Last weekend (09/09/2017) it was my birthday and George decided that he wanted to take me running for my birthday. I thought it was a really nice idea, but I wasn’t sure he would get all the way around parkrun without getting bored. George, on the other hand, had other ideas. So Saturday morning, we all got up and headed to the Riverfront parkrun in Newport with the idea of running together. I think both Rose and I thought George would get bored and give up half way through so we tried bribery for encouragement :wink:. Whilst we got ourselves lined up at the start, we gave him a sweet to put in his pocket that he could eat at the halfway point.

Image by Caerleon RC via Flickr

After the briefing, the whistle went and we were off, running along the riverside. I set my watch up for a run-walk strategy, 5 minutes running and 90 seconds walking, to try to make sure George didn’t burn out too soon and give up. The first couple of sets we had to make sure he walked even though he wasn’t keen on it, but as we were approaching the halfway point he wanted to walk before the 5 minutes were up. I’m not sure whether he actually needed to walk, but he definitely wanted to, so we tried to encourage him by telling him we were nearly at halfway and that seemed to work :grinning:.

Up to this point, he had not stopped talking (not really unusual for George, I guess), but as soon as we rounded the last bend before the halfway point, George got very shy and quiet and wouldn’t say hello to the marshall :disappointed:. Instead, he turned on his heel and started back whilst retrieving his sweet from his pocket. Once we were going again, George resumed his chatter exactly where he left off!

The second half was a little more difficult for him and he had to walk a little bit more, but he seemed to be having a great time so it didn’t really matter. Also, he seemed to be going a lot quicker than he ever did when he did junior parkrun. Everyone around us was giving George encouragement and cheering him on and he was having a great time, but he was definitely starting to struggle a little as we approached the University building. He was starting to talk less and walk more, but he was still going, so we told him we were nearly there and kept encouraging him until he crossed the line to cheers from everyone watching. It was really nice! Given the amount of walking we did, George still managed an incredible time for his first full parkrun, finishing in 44:19! Well done George :grinning:!

Image by Caerleon RC via Flickr

Once we crossed the line and had our barcodes scanned we headed back to the car. Rosie had arranged a little surprise for George courtesy of a friend of ours (The Scouting Woodworker). She had designed and organised a custom 5k medal for George to celebrate completing his first 5k run! So Rose collected the medal from the car and presented it to George on the waterfront. He was so pleased with it that he didn’t take it off for the rest of the day!

Image by Caerleon RC via Flickr

It was absolutely brilliant being able to run parkrun with both George and Rosie on my birthday (it also helped that it was followed up with pancakes at Frankie & Bennys :wink:). As always at these events, everyone was very supportive and encouraging with George, which I think really helped him to keep going. And although it was my slowest parkrun to date, it was probably the most fun one that I’ve done. I am now looking forward to doing many more over the coming years :grinning:.

View on Flickr Image by Johnny Lam via Flickr

It’s September again, and that can mean only one thing… it’s time for the Rose Inn Relays again :grinning:. I first took part in the Rose Inn Relays in 2014 and absolutely loved it. It’s a great team event and it is absolutely brutal. The race is centred at the Rose Inn (oddly enough) in Redwick and consists of three laps of 1.91 miles around the village. Around 100 teams take part each year and it is highly competitive. What makes it so brutal is that it is pancake flat and it is near impossible to keep to a sensible pace off the start.

This year, there was a big push within the Club to get as many teams entered as possible and we absolutely smashed it. Out of 113 teams entered, there were 19 from Caerleon Running Club :smirk:. Not bad eh! When I arrived, the place was packed, but there were purple vests/t-shirts/hoodies everywhere. We were definitely making our mark on the event. The weather was just right for the event, and I was feeling confident. I was hoping that this would be the year I finally broke 12 minutes.

I was the second leg runner, so Rob lined up at the start line with all the other A runners, the gun went and they were off. That gave all the B runners between 9 and 16 minutes to prepare/nervously pace around waiting for their turn. The first runner came through the transfer at 09:15, a blistering time that might even be a course record. In no time at all, I saw Rob flying along the road towards me. I got into position nervously awaiting the handover, expecting myself to drop the baton (although I haven’t before so I don’t know why), then I grabbed the baton and I was off. Looking down at my watch on the first bend I realised I was running way too fast (as usual) and dropped my pace slightly to something I had a chance to actually sustaining. A guy from Griffithstown Harriers passed me, but I ignored him and tried to stick to my own race.

As I was approaching the halfway point I passed a couple of runners and I could feel the pain starting to set in. I was on target for sub 12 minutes so I dug deep and kept pushing into the wind on the long, straight section immediately following the turn. As we were coming back into the village I pushed a little harder thinking the transition was just around the bend, then quickly realised it was further than I thought! Too late though, I was committed and I had to keep pushing and handover to Ian for the final leg.

By the time I crossed the line I had nothing left at all, I’m not entirely sure how I managed to walk out of the handover lane in reality. I collapsed in the pub car park where I was handed some water and I realised I had smashed my target, finishing my leg in 11:47 :grinning:. Once I had regained control of my legs I headed back to the handover area to watch and cheer the rest of the race. It was at this point that I noticed that the whole area was purple! Caerleon runners lined both sides of the road! It was an incredible sight.

The first team to finish crossed the line in just 29:01! The first CRC team home was ‘The Old Spice Boys’ who finished in 10th place in a time of 33:35, and all 19 teams finished in very respectable times. Unfortunately, we didn’t win any of the awards, but we were definitely the most highly represented Club at the event :grinning:.

The relays always have a really great atmosphere, highly competitive but very friendly, and this year was no exception. I think everyone had a great time, despite the serious suffering caused by the running :wink: and there is talk of running it twice next year! That would be great :grinning:. In the meantime, I recommend you check out the photos from Johnny Lam of San Domenico Running Club to see how much fun the event is for yourselves.

Strava Details

Race Pictures

Image by Andrew Taylor via Flickr

View on Flickr

View on Flickr

View on Flickr

View on Flickr

Images by Johnny Lam via Flickr

On 06 August 2017, I managed to finish my second marathon :grinning:. This time, hopefully, it will not be remeasured and declared short! Earlier this year, when I finally decided on which marathon I wanted to do, I set myself a lofty goal of beating my PB from Manchester. Given Manchester was declared short, equalling my PB would have been enough. Unfortunately, I overdid it early on in the training and injured myself losing a week of training and having to start back gently. I decided that chasing my PB was probably not a good idea, but I would see how I felt on the day.

WARNING! This is another long post!
Basically the event organisation wasn’t great and I didn’t finish the last 7 miles as well as I would have liked, but otherwise, I’m very pleased with myself :wink:. I completed the marathon in less than 4 hours, but I spent a lot of time on my own. I probably won’t look at doing any more small marathons again.

I managed to get a lift up to Gloucester with Jason and Vanessa (thanks both!) which made life easier for me and Rosie. We parked up at the College almost next to the finish line and, after having a few problems with the machine not accepting the new pound coins, we made our way to the race village. I feel that I have seen quite a variety of race villages over the last couple of years, but this one was very different. We wandered through to the registration desks so Vanessa could change her vest and then started looking for the start so we would be ready. However, there were no signs anywhere. The finish line was fairly obvious, a funnel, a gantry and some pedestrian barriers along the quay where we were expecting it. The map we had to show the start was not at all clear so we had a look around, asked a few people (including some of the pacers) and the best answer we got was “well, I think it’s along here somewhere”. Not a promising start.

The next issue was the bag drop. I hadn’t seen it when we were wandering around so I asked one of the official looking guys where it was and he directed me in the opposite direction to where I eventually found it. Not only that, but it wasn’t managed and it wasn’t even covered. It’s not a major issue, but if the weather had been different, then it could have been a problem! By this time, I was more stressed out than I’ve been in a long time and the marshalls were telling us to head to the start. So I said goodbye and good luck to Jason, Vanessa and Mark, who were all doing the half marathon, and started looking for the 3:30 pacer.

It was 07:55 when I found the pacer and noticed one of the marshalls trying to tie a sign on the barrier designating which ‘pen’ we were in. I still had no idea where the actual start line was, but at least I was in the right place and ready to go. The gun went and I quickly found the start line as I tripped over the starting mat on the bend. My first thought was how terrible the organisation had been thus far, but I was feeling good and looking forward to the race so I put it all behind me and concentrated on what lay ahead instead.

The pacer told us he was planning on sticking to a pace of 7:50-7:55 per mile to allow for the massive hill at mile 17…good to know! This seemed fairly reasonable to me so I stuck with the group for a couple of miles before watching the half marathon runners disappear at the 4 mile marker. We started to notice a few discrepancies with the positions of the mile markers against the various GPS watches in the group. The pacer wasn’t overly worried but said he would pick up the pace if necessary as a precaution.

At about the 7 mile mark, I felt that the pace was a little slow for me so I picked it up slightly (5-10 seconds per mile), trying not to overdo it of course. This pace still felt very comfortable and I was confident it was a pace I would be able to hold for the bulk of the race. I passed the halfway point (based on my watch as there was no marker on the course) at about 1:42:00 and I still felt very comfortable. The next couple of miles were slightly slower due to some small hills, then I came to mile 17. They were not kidding about that hill! 100ft of elevation in 200m! As I approached the water station at the base of the hill, I made the (rather sensible) decision not to try to run up that hill. I figured there was no point in killing myself so after having some water and a gel, I started walking up the hill.

I think that may have been the end of my confidence really. Over the next two miles, I could feel myself slowing down and fatigue was starting to set in. I couldn’t believe it. After the last long run I did, I thought I would at least have another couple of miles before slowing down! At about 19 miles, the 3:30 pacer group caught up with me and I stuck with them for about ¼ mile before dropping off the back. It was at this point that things really started to go wrong.

I actually stopped running and walked for a few minutes. When I got running again I was hovering around 9-10 minute mile pace and that was how I got through the next 5 miles or so. When my watch ticked over to 25 miles, I dug deep and told myself that I had to finish this race at a run, no matter how slow. The next 1.2 miles were a little bit of a blur, but I ran every step. As I came around the bend towards the college, I heard Vanessa cheering me on and shouting to Rosie and George that I was coming. Seeing them at the end really helped me to find my head again and I managed to pick up the pace to cross the finish line in 3:55:01 :grinning:.

I must admit that I am a little disappointed with my time, but at the same time, I am extremely happy with it. At mile 22, I got to the point where I thought I wouldn’t finish so the fact I actually crossed the line at all is amazing. Hopefully, this time, I can officially say that I have completed a marathon :grinning:. I’m also extremely pleased with the fact I still managed to complete a sub-4 hour marathon despite all the difficulties in the last 7 miles.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the organisation of the event, and I didn’t enjoy spending large portions of the race running completely on my own. There was a lot of support from the marshalls, and the few residents that live on the route, but it was nothing compared to the support at Manchester. I really struggled with the loneliness of this event so I don’t think I will be looking at doing any more small marathons in the future. I think I should stick with the big city marathons instead.

The team that organised the event took a fair bit of negative feedback following the event, but they responded promptly by email with apologies and the offer of half price entry in next years event. I get the impression that after a very successful first year in 2016, the team got carried away and aimed too high with this years event. I am sure they have learnt a great many lessons and I wish them luck in the future.

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Image by Andrew Taylor via Facebook

A bit of a different Leisure League race for me tonight. On Sunday I will be running the Gloucester City Marathon so now is not the time to be pushing hard and risking an injury. Instead, my plan for today was to enjoy the event, take it steady and make sure I had 4 races completed in the series :grinning:.

This last race was organised jointly between Fairwater Runners and Griffithstown Harriers and it’s probably the second flattest course out of all the different GLCL races (Undy being the flattest with an elevation of 0ft!). Although the route is pleasant and mostly flat, I do find that it is a little on the boring side given there are 2 laps of the riverside path and I run along that section fairly regularly on my long runs.

So this year, I took my place in the starting pack outside of Morrisons, but I was a lot further back than I usually am. After the safety briefing, we were off and it took every ounce of my concentration to stop myself from launching off the start line at full throttle! At the end of the first mile, my watch informed me the pace had been 8:14/mile. Perfect! I was keeping at a steady pace, slightly slower than marathon pace, but it was only the first mile so about right in my book.

After the first lap of the riverside paths, the route moves up Llanyravon Way, which is a moderate hill, before starting on the second lap. This was where I started to overtake people. Given I was looking for a steady training run, I was able to maintain a good pace up the hill, where the people around me were pushing hard to keep going. It was an odd feeling passing people with relative ease when normally I am pushing hard to maintain my position, or at least not lose too many places. When I crested the hill I tried to maintain a steady pace back down to the riverside and only slightly increased my pace in the last mile.

Overall it was a nice run, but I don’t think I’ll do it in this manner again. If I need to take it easy in future, I will run from home. It didn’t feel right not putting everything I have into the race. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy our standard tea and cake session that followed :grinning:.

Time to concentrate on Gloucester City Marathon now.

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Friday was George’s last day in school meaning he has now finished his first year. I’m not entirely sure I will ever get used to how fast he is growing up, but I am trying to enjoy every minute of it :grinning:. Over the course of the year, he has gradually got more tired with small amounts of recovery during each of the holidays. Now he is desperately in need of some down time, but given he is 5 years old, he has little to no inclination to take a break. He is now a bundle of extremely tired energy, bouncing around until he crashes. I think Rosie has her work cut out over the summer!

He has had a brilliant first year in school and seems to have loved every minute of it. George was in Owl class and his teacher was Miss Preece. He thought she was really nice and got on with her really well. Thankfully, she also thought he was a good kid (meaning he kept his naughtiness for whilst he was at home, I suppose that’s the right way round though :wink:). He has made incredible progress during the year, although only on his terms. When he has decided to put his mind to something, he has learnt it really quickly. Try to teach him something he’s not interested in at the moment and it just doesn’t go in! He has learnt:

• to count to 100;
• to count backwards from 20;
• his 2, 5 and 10 times tables;
• to read much more fluently, and really enjoys it so is progressing very well;
• all his phase 5 spellings (not exactly sure what the phases mean, but he seems to be doing amazing to me!);
• to tell the time on a proper clock!

I am very proud of him :grinning:.

During the year he has also had the opportunity to do all sorts of great things with the school:

• 5 & 6 December - He was a shepherd in the school Christmas concert, and although we couldn’t actually hear what he was saying, he got up and said his piece without incidence :grinning:;
• 3 April - Sponsored fun run;
• 5 April - Easter Bonnet Parade, if they do this again, maybe we won’t let George design the bonnet as it was a little unstable :wink:;
• April and May - George took part in 2 after school clubs on a Tuesday and a Thursday afternoon for 5 weeks, he did Bouncy Balls Club and Story Club;
• June and July - This time he did Gardening Club after school for 5 weeks;
• 23 June - His first sports day, there were 3 races and he seemed to enjoy every minute of it, without caring what position he was in. It was great fun to watch;
• 28 June - George’s first school trip to Cefn Mably Farm.

Also, on World Book Day, George decided he wanted to be Batman. After initially disagreeing with him because Batman wasn’t a character from a book, he produced one of his Batman reading books and we couldn’t refute his logic!

He told me that his main friends this year were Finley, Tomos, Isla, Lowri, Libby, Jack, Sydney and Ollie (at the start of the year mainly).

Outside of school, George has also started going to lessons at the Velodrome to try to help him learn to ride his bike. A lot of his friends can already ride their bikes and he wanted to learn but struggled to get the confidence. Now that we are going to the classes, he is picking it up really quickly :grinning:. He has also taken up Tae Kwon Do after one of his friends started going with her Dad. So George and I have started going to the same class and he is really enjoying it. I’m not sure whether that is just because his friend enjoys it, but, for now, I don’t mind because it’s great fun :grinning:.

It really has been a bit crazy how quickly he has progressed with everything since starting school, but I guess that’s what kids are like. They’re sponges, and they seem to absorb everything. I’ve really enjoyed watching him learn and I’m looking forward to seeing him grow again in the coming year as a Shark :grinning:.

Image by Jade Wakley via Facebook

The Pontypool Leisure League race is usually one of my favourites, simply because it’s just over a mile from my house :smiley:. It’s virtually the same route as the Pontypool Home Run, although given it doesn’t need to be 10k, you don’t need to run up the hill to finish. As usual, this year I jogged to the start and met up with the guys from club outside the leisure centre. After last years debacle with the start on fountain road, it was good to hear they had decided to revert to a start in the Park.

So, we wandered aimlessly up the hill hoping to see a sign depicting the location of the start, but instead we just stopped wandering and turned around (oh the benefits of a local league race with no official distance). It felt like it was actually getting warmer whilst we waited for the start, but I’m guessing that was my imagination! It’s easy to get carried away at the start of these races, but this one especially so given it’s downhill. At the bottom of the hill I looked down at my watch to see I was running at 5:50/mile pace. Way too quick for me so I slowed, just a little to try to make sure I was able to keep going. Once out of the park we were throttled along the pavement, but for once I was in the right place in the pack as we were pushing hard up the hill, but not going too fast. This was looking like it could be another good race for me.

The second mile also felt good, although a few packs of Parc Bryn Bach runners had passed me and Kevin (from CRC) passed me on the hill down to the dual carriageway. Unfortunately this was where things started to go South. As we were coming up to the roundabout to turn up to the Star Inn at Mamhilad, I felt the energy drain from my legs and I lost more speed than I should have done before we even got to the hill. Once we got there, the hill was pure torture! After the hill though, there is no chance for recovery. The route drops straight onto the canal where it’s flat out for the next 2-2½ miles. It’s not unusual for me to struggle to get back up to pace on this section, but this time it was even more difficult. It was painful trying to push back and keep within sight of Kevin, but I perservered. Finally it paid off just before leaving the canal and I felt good again, but after the canal is the long drag up Usk Road. Again I slowed along this section, but it’s not far to the finish so once we hit the hill to the Park Gates, I opened up again and pushed hard for the finish gaining a place before crossing the line :smiley:.

This was definitely not the most enjoyable race I have ever run, and I really struggled in the middle, but despite all that, I finished in a very respectable place and I actually did much better than I thought I was going to at mile 3 :wink:. In hindsight, it was a good race and I ran well, but that is not how I felt on the day. The heat coupled with the difficulties in the middle added up to a tough race, but it was another great turnout for Caerleon and another well organised event in the Gwent Leisure Centre League :smiley:.

Looking forward to the last event on 1st August now, although I’ll take that one easy given that’s the week of Gloucester City Marathon

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Race Pictures