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Fetch Everyone December Mile

Sat December 1 2007
Listed by fetcheveryone
Entrants (97)
Club		 PB SB Pred Time WAVA
fetcheveryone Yay - a PB! I shan't write a fancy report, 'cos I can't win the competition :-)
FERC, Fit 2000 AC Bedfordview 		6:02 6:28 6:28 59.82
Ted Fetch Eastern 1 Mile Challenge - 'subtext' The Story of The... Let's get it straight from the outset it was Bloody Cold. How cold you ask? Well, when I climbed into the showers at the end the warm water in the bottom of the shower hurt my big toe which was numb, still. :( That is how cold. So why did I do it? Because, it was there? Nope, that is the is the excuse for Mount Everest . Because I can? Nope, I can do a 1/2 marathon so the distance is not the challenge. Because I like to meet new and strange people off of the Internet? Nope, that is my alter ego, Dave the 40 year old Scouse Dock Worker. When I say nope, I of course exclude Fetchies because you are a different type of strange. I did it because some *berk*, somewhere decided that it would be a good idea to host a number of events around the country and get people to run a distance that they had run past on many an occasion but, never probably stopped at since High School. It is hard isn't it people? Not so easy now is it? How do you pace a mile challenge? If you are Fenland Runner then with 27 days worth of race specific training. Sir, I take my hat off to you for your commitment. *doffs* I did as I am sure many others did also just went for it with the main aim of not being the first to loose their breakfast in front of everyone. I thought I would go for even splits for the first 3 laps and then go for it on the final lap. More or less achieved to perfection except a *yoof* (Nightjar Jr) was well in front of me. Proper beaten I was. I suppose that come the summer when we repeat the event, I now have a PB to beat and earn lots of lovely fetch points for everyone. According to the Macmillan calculator I should be capable of 6m34s. Let's see come the summer!! I wish that running was a more social event for me. Most of my runs are solitary affairs and yes, I really should join the local running club. I would probably learn more about myself and running that way. *My apologies to the berk, whoever you are.
Ramsey Cycling Club 		5:46 6:50 6:50 58.37
MikeJ The plan was to inbed the mile in my local 5m loop, thus leaving me 3 miles to recover before the Mrs's saw me looking too rough. So I did a mile to warm up out of the village and then picked up the pace a little (realising of course I'd gone the wrong way around the loop so the mile would include 2 hills ho hum). Not too fast just sub 9 probably - going fine till 0.95 miles and hedge to hedge SHEEP! I'm wearing my Chrissy pressie a hi-vis Ron Hill long sleaved T and it is a brilliant sheep scarer - so I have to back up to the next juction - end up helping the guys get their sheep off the road and up a hill before returning to finish my mile. Not my fastest mile ever BUT definitely one in the spirit of Christmas.
UKnetrunner 		17:00 17:00 17:00 24.87
avz WHY am I doing this? Typical Edinburgh Ne'er Day - absolutely piddling with rain. Cool t-shirt though. Now that they've handed the shirts over, maybe we can just slope off .... No? Ok then. See Mad Mambo Warmup Wummin is here again - she can shove her Woo Hoos up her wotsits though. Ooh looky - there's the Lord Provost is his official City of Embra car. Are you serious??? he's running? AND wearing his official chain of office? hell of a medal he's got, and we havent even started yet :=) Oh, something's happening .... They're leading us off down Castlehill - are we not running down here this year then? Good thing too, these cobbles are hell of a slippy. Ah, so we're starting from the Hub. Cool. Let me near the front though - I do so like to be trampled by the stampeding herd behind .... Wassat? Damn, that was the One O'Clock Gun. Quick! Leg it! Crap. That's the herd stampeding already. My legs are too short for this malarkey. Are we nearly there yet? Hate these cobbles .... Woah - that guy just took a really nasty tumble. Hope you're ok, mate. Sorry I couldn't stop to see. Past junction with George IV Bridge, High Court on the left, St Giles High Kirk on the right. City Chambers next. Think there's quite a lot of spectators, certainly a bit of cheering etc. Too busy watching own feet on slippy cobbles though. The herd's STILL passing by .... I'm knackered. Are we nearly there yet??? No? Are you sure??? The Tron. Junction with North Bridge. Must be about halfway. No more cobbles - yay. Jeez but my lungs are giving me gyp now. Got - to - keep - going ..... Past John Knox's House - cheer up you miserable old beggar. Slowing down now - can't help it - it's all the rain my race t-shirt is soaking up. Past a tour bus - jeez there's people on the open top deck. And I thought I was mad .... Here's the Wee Pretendy Parly (copyright: B Connolly Esq) Must be nearly there - oh, you are joking! I'm at the bottom of the hill, and you want me to run more!! No fair. Got - to - keep - going .... Come on legs, I know you're short, but keep moving .... Lungs, you can collapse in a wee minute. Has anybody seen the finish line?? I can't see a thing for the rain ..... There it is! Oh mamma mia, let me at that finish line! You beauty! It's a what? A PB you say? For the mile, you say? Seriously? It's a Garmin, so it must be right ....
Unaffiliated 		9:51 9:51 12:00 9:51 43.92
ducksdisease
Fraserburgh RC 		7:01 7:01 7:01 64.27
Smile2 ran with the Bedford Harrier Fetchies - they were really encouraging - thank you guys
Bedford Harriers AC, Milton Keynes AC 		7:23 7:23 7:23 58.59
Joopsy Best in training was 7:21 but that was mostly downhill so I think that I will struggle to beat that on the track.
VEGAN RUNNERS UK, Witham Runners 		5:59 7:08 7:30 7:08 55.23
M62 Santa
Unaffiliated 		5:44
PJL A day late for the competition I know, but couldn't miss the chance to register a time for this distance. Ran this solo on a cold sunny lunchtime on a flat-ish park in Sheffield (Endcliffe). Was going to take the best of 2 x mile reps, but couldn't face doing another - feeling a bit tired after previous day's tempo run.
Unaffiliated 		5:16 5:49 5:49 66.88
Runs4beer
Unaffiliated 		5:52 5:52 5:52 65.91
AntClark
Bournemouth AC, Twemlow Track Club 		5:02 6:36 6:36 58.59
sebby Will be doing this sometime Christmas week. Have no idea what speed I'm going be, will be interesting & painful I'm sure! Update: Pleased that I got under 8 mins, just wish I could run that fast for longer. Felt a bit sick at the end, so must have been trying quite hard ;-)
Dudley Kingswinford RC 		7:48 7:48 7:48 54.06
Rosielad Well went out early in the dark so nobody who knew me would see me panting. Never have i hurt like that even when I have done half mile in 3.11 before it did not feel like this. My chest just wanted to cave in. Ankles throbbing now, just what I want before 10k in morning. Had problems at the start as my cat was hanging around my feet and there was a great dog of some kind on the street corner where I had to pass. Nerves set in and was thinking about aborting run till later. Lucky for me a car came by and dog chased after car p the road so with no hesitation I set off. Lot slower than I wanted but thought had better be carefull as did not want to walk 2nd half. 400m in I knew this was going to just get slower and hurt more than I ever expected. Shall I slow and make it a 3 mile training run, no one would know. Cannot do that, have to be home to strip bedroom walls.Carried on. Half way and things were feeling better, wind behind me and felt faster. But OH. The black dog is up ahead. What do I do, turn round or carry on. Decide to press on for home, this taking my mind off the hurt inside as I was now thinking about how to fight a big black dog off which as not been seen round here before this morning. Is it the Fetch mile spy?? Cross over and dog follows. I am now worried. Dog stops and just watches me go by. Strange, must have sympathy for me as i am panting like a dog anyway. Well carry on to finish and Garmin bleeps, 1 mile. Great its over. 6.59. Was hoping for quicker but happy to be home without bite marks.
Unaffiliated 		6:59 6:59 7:30 6:59 57.12
milemonster Did this around Palmer Park in Reading. I wish that I had a couple of days rest before but I did it as part of my training. I've found that once you're hooked on running it is hard to have a couple of days rest unless it is for an important race. Keep plodding along runners. :)
Wrexham AAC 		4:59 5:15 5:15 73.65
Tpod It all started with the feeling that something had changed. A small splinter of oddity lodged in the back of my mind. Something on Fetch had changed, but sod it… time to log my latest half-arsed training run. But what’s this?! A bovine intrusion… has Fetch gone mad? What the….oh no! “Hi Tpod. Just a bit of fun - we have similar predictions for the London 1 Mile Challenge. By way of a further incentive, fancy a straight forward race (within the overall race itself)? Winner gets, er, a pat on the back! GordonG” My plans for turning up late, doing a couple of aggressive-looking stretches, plodding a few laps in 10mm pace, then disappearing home had been rumbled months before the event. I would actually have to take this seriously. Manly pride was now at stake! So I allowed my training to drop off in December following my 2 ‘serious’ autumn races at Cardiff and Brighton, ate and drank more than I should have and generally pretended this event would not happen. Besides, I was sure I could hang on to Gordon’s coat tails for 1600m and outsprint him over the final 9 metres. Grim result notwithstanding, I have a pretty decent sprint finish… So. Onto last Saturday. I bombed out of my French lesson and onto the tube as quickly as my little legs could carry me. I didn’t want to be late for my first sober Fetch event and certainly didn’t want to run a mile in sub-zero temperatures without doing my highly amusing warm-up first. As I bumbled onto the tube at Stockwell, I began looking for lycra-clad sporty types on my carriage. Almost immediately I spied a likely Fetchie….someone looking suspiciously like Oceanspirit clutching a sports bag. However, I know that asking someone if they Fetch on the tube carries a 90% chance of arrest, and in the vicinity of Stockwell, worse, so I tried to make do with shifty eye contact and admiring the beautiful insides of the Victorian tunnels. Arriving at Tooting Bec, I finally enquired about Fetching on the escalator, and was relieved not to be pushed down it by the person who did in fact, turn out to be Oceanspirit. As we wandered through deepest Tooting towards the track, I spotted the unlikely fantasy pairing of a hobbit and Aslan ahead of us. Further investigations revealed that this unlikely pairing was in fact Mikuro, resplendent in a brand new Fetch beanie and Hoaxster, who was charitably carrying the brownies and flapjacks. We babbled about Tootsie Rolls until the track appeared before us, surrounded by watchtowers, razor wire, electric fences and armed guards, because this is Tooting innit. The orange oval had me somewhat scared, but it was far too late to back out now….it was over a mile’s journey back home, so running a mile was actually the least difficult option. Negotiating the turnstile was a tough task for a man with big moobies and a bag to carry. Clearly Tooting Bec running track has an afleet only policy…if you can negotiate the turnstile, you are allowed to humiliate yourself in front of folks you’ve met off the internet. If not, gettoutahere! From here until the beginning of the race, it was all a blur of adrenaline and nerves, so sorry if I miss out any seminal moments from other people’s afternoons. I accused Max of waddling and got a glare in return. I got a big hug from DIYDiva. Lots of people I’ve not met before asked about my eyelid. I heard Gobi before I saw him. I explained why I run in swimming trunks. I recoiled in horror from Snaps’ ‘don’t scratch, just sniff’ shirt. And from Hoaxster’s ‘Emperor’s new shorts’ shorts. I randomly babbled at people I’ve never met. Sorry, I’m like that sometimes. No-one looked too offended. Then the sky darkened and an ominous bolt of lightening crackled across the sky. I turned to be confronted by a hideous apparition. A smiling man saying, “Hi Tpod, I’m Gordon.” Arrrggghhh! My nemesis! Trembling, waiting for the sun to return, I murmured, “Oh, good” weakly, then turned tail and fled for the sanctuary of the pre-race photo. The sky brightened again and I smiled for the camera. Inside, I had formulated a cunning race plan. I’d like to call it ‘Tpod’s Plan X’. It goes something like this: 1) Start like the clappers and put 50m between you and everyone else. 2) Maintain an even and far too optimistic speed for as long as possible without causing serious injury 3) Cling on for dear life over the finish line. The first race was seriously impressive. The pace of the runners was frightening, and the eyeballs-out effort was inspiring. What particularly struck me was the length of JEJ’s stride as he stormed into his final lap, and the look of utter exhaustion on Blister’s face as he crossed the line and collapsed against the railings. I was wondering about re-considering my plan already. The second race was memorable for watching Anj and Diva skip around the distance in 4 laps of complete harmony and synchronisation. By this stage, I was trying a new plan. Maybe I could out-psych Gordon by performing hilariously aggressive heel flicks and warm-up jogs along the home straight. I don’t think he was looking, but it gave me the psychological edge I needed. After a quick diversional chat about psychological racing with Contro and Snaps, I took my place on the line, grinning maniacally at anyone who tried to engage me in rational conversation. It’s my usual pre-race routine and descends like clockwork whenever I realise I’m seconds away from making myself hurt. RFJ shouted, “Ready, set…….”, and Chariots of Fire mentally rushed through my head, followed, bizarrely, by Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas.” The shout of “GO” carved through all this melodic b*llocks and I darted out into the front of the field, secretly delighted at Gordon’s shout of “Come back here!” It was to be the high point of the race. I quickly found and settled into my perfect stride. A nice high cadence with a short stride distance would see me around the distance fastest, and Gordon’s footfalls behind me receded into the distance. I was concerned at my laboured breathing, especially in the cold, but if you can’t permanently re-configure your respiratory system on a flying 1 mile, when can you? I stormed around the first lap comfortably, with a respectable lead. As I flowed past the start finish, some kind soul took pity on my Thomas the Tank Engine impression and shouted out, “Looking smooth”. It was a great mental boost that saw me around the next lap. I loved arcing around the bends in the track. I’ve never done that before and it made me feel like I was running faster than I was. I could almost hear Brendan Foster in my head. Come to think of it, I could hear Gobi in my head, because he was guiding Robo-Bobbi around the track. And sadly, I could still hear Gordon’s footsteps behind me, quietly taunting my attempts to leave him for dead with a quick getaway. I would have to rely on my sprint finish. The third lap was much like the preceding two. Though I don’t measure my splits I imagine they were pretty constant. Kind person was still telling me I looked smooth every time I crossed the line. My lungs still felt like they were wrapped around my adam’s apple. Gordon was still chasing me. Someone rang the bell. I thought about raising my pace slightly, but where my mind was willing, my body was unable. I was aware that Gordon was right on my heels now, and resorted to dirty tactics – mind games. My chirpy, “You still there Gordon?
Unaffiliated 		6:51 6:58 7:30 6:58 55.50
PaulaMc Sunday Dec 23. Out for a 4 mile easy run, trying to figure out how/when to do my mile. What I really wanted to do was get the family to come with me, all do a mile together (my warm up) and then they could time me and cheer as I did my Fetch mile. I realised this wasn't going to happen anytime soon, and all my other running buds are away or switched off for Christmas. At the same time I had my god-daughter on my mind as she's back in hospital again, and just decided there and then, at mile 3 of my run, that this was going to be my Fetch Mile. I would run it like the last mile of FLM (which I want to do in Sophie's honour), imagining the crowds cheering and the finish line in sight. So, in the cold and the fog of Nunhead on a Sunday morning, I picked up my pace and charged, much to the astonishment of a group of old ladies waiting at the bus-stop. I was slowed down by no-one to race, and side-roads to negotiate (didn't want to get killed!), but the time wasn't too bad and I enjoyed the mile so much that it didn't really matter. I ran fast, and free, and with my mind full of good thoughts. (And sorry to the man in front of whom I stopped dead and yippee'd with wild abandon ... there will be much talk at the Darby and Joan today about the mad woman in the bright yellow jacket who was dashing around the streets of Nunhead.)
Unaffiliated 		7:11 7:41 8:00 7:50 55.22
Ally2 Well ran in East Midlands race with sub 5. Scanning down can't see any quicker Whoopee. Thanks Barky for organisation and cakes afterwards.
Notts AC, Hermitage Harriers RC 		4:18 4:55 5:10 4:55 78.64
tuga
Newmarket Joggers 		7:54 9:06 9:06 47.53
TecT My first timed mile since I was about 11 years old.... Ran this as a time trial at the end of the track session at Bury last night - was not really expecting to go too quick after the intervals, and really just wanted to run about 7:30, but as usual, I got a bit carried away and just seemed to go faster each lap.... have to say I was chuffed to bits with 7:05! Hoping to go sub 7 mins on Saturday at the Fetch Mile Eastern Challenge.... :)
Unaffiliated 		6:46 6:46 7:30 7:05 55.62
smoke free http://www.fetcheveryone.com/viewracedetails.php?id=18292 probably quicker to look for races on christmas day.... this is where i'm actually ruuning this and i'm not alone...... soooo look there again.......
Unaffiliated 		5:56 6:08 6:20 6:08 65.51
mxhornet I've not raced over a mile for years and now I'll be doing three in an hour. Update two not three.
Bure Valley Harriers 		4:33 5:52 5:59 5:52 72.08
GordonG THE BALLAD OF TOOTING BEC The Fetchies were assembled At the running track, Tooting For the greatest one mile challenge South London had ever seen. Some 40 Fetchies had met up Made friendships, old and new There was comradeship and banter And lots of encouragement, too. It was a crisp and cold December day As we prepared to do our run It didn’t matter who’d be best The point was to have fun. Our abilities may differ (Some were fast and some were not) But there was no lack of effort Cos we’re a dedicated lot. Four laps of sweat and effort Four laps of ‘eyeballs out’ Four laps of dedication Of that there was no doubt. As one by one we crossed the line Our joy was not surpassed The cheers rang out to welcome home Each Fetchie, first to last. Cos even though JEJ, he was first We’re all winners, in a way Fetchies had come together: That was the spirit of the day. We slapped each other on the back And had to all conclude It was a most successful day As we went off for some food. Somewhere in Ethiopia Athletes are training at a-pace In Europe and America They work hard to win a race. In Australia and Kenya They’re going all out for a win When they meet up in the final Next summer, in Beijing. Well they might win the Olympics But d’you know what: I don’t care For none of THEM can ever say “Tooting Bec? Yes I was there!”.
Dartford Road Runners 		6:23 6:58 6:58 58.65
Swimming Is Easier
Manchester Tri 		8:15
Woffy Did this last night but at the end of a 7 mile run so can go faster. Am trying to get my mojo back, have not run regularly since Brussels in october but went out last night in the freezing cold, 1 mile from home decided I would do this as a 'starter' to then beat later. Gave myself a slightly uphill section on the way home. Started out and pushed on, the body telling me it really didn't want to do it but it was doing it anyway. Body itself felt fine but the mind was playing games. Anyway the body won the battle and was happy enough with dead on 7 minutes for the mile (thanks Mr Garmin). Target set, should be able to get to 6:30 at least. Happy running :)
Unaffiliated 		5:54 7:00 6:30 7:00 58.86
Dvorak Ran at Scottish Mile Challenge, Stirling University, 2nd Dec 07. 7:39. Even at my best I expected outside eight minutes, with a retweaked calf I thought more like nine. Pacing strategy lasted about five seconds, as I hared off behind the other runners. First lap in 1:44, and hung on for roughly 2 min laps for the rest. I may have another crack at it, but without the Fetchie encouragement, I don't expect to do better. Update 29.12: Well, after a little more track time, I decided to have another try. 7:31. :-) :-)
Unaffiliated 		6:49 7:31 8:59 7:31 54.82
sugs
Trawden AC, Barnoldswick and Colne Running Group, Lancashire, Barlick Fell Runners 		7:08 7:08 7:00 7:08 60.97
Rapscallion
Unaffiliated 		6:55 7:09 7:09 56.20
Borders It's 13 December 4 days after completing the Turkey Trot. Holmsy (my colleague, training partner and good mate) and I head out for our (un)usual recovery fartlek session. This normally consists of striding up hills, some timed efforts and some
Hinckley Running Club 		5:24 5:24 5:24 75.66
JustT Not bad considering i'm getting yet another dam cold...god i hate this weather
Rossendale Harriers & AC, Rossebdale Triathlon Club 		10:05 10:05 11:48 10:05 42.90
Forest Lump Now i know im quite mad, being that its Christmas Day and all BUT we are not having people over till gone 3pm, were not eating till about 5pm and im not sure how much running im going to be able to do after Boxing day as were away for 5 days. So i thought id grab the opportunity to run my Fetch Mile when the streets were deserted and it was AMAZING. My god i wish it was like that everyday! (although if the streets were deserted every afternoon i think id be wondering what the hell had happened and when the asteroid was going to hit!) Now call be a nasty old bird, but you know i do quite enjoy running past people who are cadging a fag outside the pub, pint in one and, ciggie in the other, it makes me feel quite virtuous ! I also notice i seem to step up my game when im running past people generally. I think its slightly more than vanity, i don't want to be one of those people i used to drive past who were staggering and grimacing, mid-jog. I want to make it look rather easy and fun, a kind of 'come join me' jaunt to a healthier heart - call it a campaign if you wish ;) There is nothing better than singing for you supper, so consider me well and truely sung and im now going to chow down some meat and pud, knowing i worked off many of the cals already. Happy Xmas everyone! Be Merry and bright xx
Unaffiliated 		11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 38.33
chemistry
Unaffiliated 		7:49 7:53 8:10 7:53 53.97
StuartM Long time since I did a mile, going for 7 mins.
Unaffiliated 		6:56 6:56 7:00 6:56 61.53
Hywel88 Would try and write something moving/touching to win the shoes but am too knackered after the mile. Oh well. :)
Unaffiliated 		6:45 6:45 7:30 6:45 57.28
crazyduck
Unaffiliated 		6:37 6:37 6:45 6:37 62.27
jamesstewart13 Done!
Victoria Park - City of Glasgow AC 		6:05 6:05 6:05 63.59
Zoom Thursday 20th Dec 07 I decided to do the 1 mile challenge tonight after a really good speed session at Harriers on Tuesday. I’d been out for lunch with work, had a lovely homemade beef curry and half rice and half chips, followed by lumpy bumpy pudding, which was very yummy. After allowing 4 hours for my lunch to go down I went up and got changed. It has felt even colder today, decided to wrap up even more, putting on- 1 pair of ordinary socks and running socks. 1 pair of running tights and trousers. 1 New York Road Runners race technical t-shirt, 1 aldi long sleeved running top, a Leicester half marathon t-shirt and a lightweight nike jacket. 1 adidas cool-max hat and thermal gloves. (And obviously trainers, sports bra and knickers!!!) With it being so cold I did 20 mins warm up, running in a loop around the well-lit streets of Caldicot. I knew of a loop that was fairly flat, starting on the main road and finishing by The Tippling Philosopher Pub. I was at where I wanted to start. The layers had done their job and the only part of me that felt cold was my face, must remember to ask Santa for a balaclava!! I knew I could do under the 8 min miling, but was hoping for between 7.45 and 7.50, so set my virtual partner to 7.45. I put my ipod racing folder on and to the sounds of ACDC’s Highway to Hell I was off. Straight away I was going to fast, slowed down a bit, but was then behind. As I turned the corner by the Doctor’s Surgery the lead that I had just built up again had slipped and I was now behind. Highway to Hell had finished and The Spencer Davis Group’s Keeping on Running filled my ears. I knew that the road ahead was a slight incline down and told myself this would help me, I pushed on. ‘You can’t do it’ ‘of course you can do it’ repeated itself in my head. I had got to the corner by the Florists and looking at my gps saw I only had a quarter of a mile to go, but somehow I was behind again. Knowing that I had just a short distance, and a couple of minutes running to go I pushed up a gear and went for it. Keeping on Running had finished but I now didn’t care and didn’t notice what song was playing. I looked down at the next lamp lost and saw I was ahead again, then that I had only 200ft to go, again I pushed harder and suddenly the gps was beeping to say the mile was done. I stopped the watch and it was on 7.41, but when I got up the virtual partner it said 7.39. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Chepstow Harriers 		7:26 7:39 7:45 7:39 56.02
runs4wine
Lichfield RC 		7:50 7:50 7:50 53.83
Pace From the producers of
Unaffiliated 		5:33 5:33 5:44 5:33 69.67
PentlandPounder First mile, and firt flat out run. faded near end, but time is OK.l
Unaffiliated 		6:49 6:55 7:00 6:55 59.57
VicksterH I started with a nice warm up to get my body used to the idea that this might be different to the normal run. Half a mile at a steady pace. Then upped the speed on the treadie to test myself. I was pleasantly surprised. Manged to do half a mile at 10kph, then slowed down for a minute or so to recover and then back to 10kph to finish off. As I am so competive with myself I may try again on Friday or Saturday to see if I can do any better! Also managed to complete the rest of my 4 mile run at not too slow a pace! Good start to the new year.
Unaffiliated 		9:04 10:11 11:00 10:11 41.41
fleety
Fareham Crusaders 		5:45 5:45 6:00 5:45 67.25
manicstreetpounder
Unaffiliated 		5:22 5:49 5:50 5:49 68.12
Wildbill
Portobello RC, Scotia Race Walking Club, Bill's Jog & Walk 		5:41 5:41 5:41 5:50 72.49
Kevk
Unaffiliated 		7:23 7:23 7:23 59.89
Mushers I ran as fast as I could, not flat out but steady and it was hard work. I think it may have been slightly less than a mile but I'm still really pleased.
Langport Runners 		7:56 7:56 10:00 7:56 54.02
rosieg This was a deeply painful race both physically and mentally. Woke up this morning at 0709 from a nightmare about my house rabbit getting out of the house and getting lost. Would normally have turned over and gone back to sleep but couldn't because I was being traumatised about my bunny. Then somehow I was getting up and cleaning my teeth, just in case... And putting my running tights on... just in case. I haven't run since november, but somehow this morning something just dragged me out of bed and made me run. Anyway, out of the house 0725. Dark. Quiet. Cold. Bloody hell it was cold. Started running far too fast just to try and warm up. Hang on - somethings wrong! Where normally I'd have been cruising along breathing normally I was panting and gasping and worringly wheezing. Wheezing! Figured I was going too fast so slowed down to falling forwards stagger kind of pace. But still I panted and gasped. Eventually I completed what was probably the slowest mile ever. And the most painful. Fact: six weeks off running (and of serious lack of activity) is not good for my fitness Fact: I have put on 1lb Fact: I am now over 35% body fat!!!!! 35% thats more than a third of me. My god I need to get some exercise. Dream: too run a 10min mile...
Unaffiliated 		14:04 14:04 10:59 14:04 29.98
Turkish_Albert
Unaffiliated 		7:51 7:51 8:00 7:51 49.26
wyvis Done 5th January 2008. Tried to find somewhere flat while travelling to a birthday party in the north west Highlands. Running along the side of Glasgarnoch reservoir seemed a good idea.Wind in my face in both directions, swirling mist partly obscuring snow pecked mountains , rain and a feeling of freedom and joy sum up the appeal of this beautiful part of the country.
Unaffiliated 		9:12 9:12 9:12 51.01
leyburnrunner
Unaffiliated 		6:02 6:02 6:02 69.48
No.8 ™
Unaffiliated 		5:07 5:07 5:18 73.96
Princess Purple Bubbles well-what can I say...I didnt just do one mile but 3.1miles.....a cold winter morning in slightly sunny Belper...ok not too sunny but decent running conditions. Daddy ppb on standby with camera and kit...fellow fetchies milling around awaiting that starting claxon at noon (or there abouts)...the location Chesterfield Rd, surrounded by 85 other runners..and we are off....a steep incline up and out then down a long stretch for at least a mile and a bit...kept it steady..wished I had used my inhaler...watched the field stretch out in front knowing in a short while the front runners would be passing on the other side of the road on this out and back course. half a mile or so in managed to avoid falling down a handy hole dug by Severn Trent Water...gutted as wasn't wolf whistled or heckled by the men in hi-viz jackets...on a little further...safely negoiated the rubbish dumpster lorry that decided to do a three point turn in the road (no Im not kidding...the faster runners avoided this totally22!) in my head Im convincing myself that I dont want to be last again....pushed hard as I heard the gentle slap of the feet of the runner behind me....down the steep and nasty turn at the triangle...fully aware that a marshall seemed to be missing...then the long drawn out, yet in places steep hill I faced to get to the finish....GUTTED mentally as the guy behind me overtook....downed a handful of jelly sweets, resisted the urge to want to vomit.....glanced at garmin 24mins something at about 2 something miles.....to get a 28mins pb was out...but hey push it out...gritted the teeth, focused on the peak of my baseball cap....watched the gap grow...ok focus on the stride...keep him in sights....BUGGER lost him....then came the nice brow of the hill...the quicker finishers were jogging about cooling down and from them came the encouragement...ok I was last but hadn't got anything to lose....deep breath and go for it....good strong finish...imagined the Gobi well screaming motivational abuse....saw the crowd at the finish...clocked my Daddy doing his David Bailey bit....picked up my feet, put my head down and went for it! RESULT! RESULT! RESULT! OK still last but a new 5km pb of 31:01....roughly 10min20.3 miling.....6mins22sec off the course time I did last year.....a little bit of self belief that deep down I am actually a good runner!
Unaffiliated 		10:20 10:20 11:10 10:20 40.81
Marty Cold and hard. May also be classed as cheating as about 100m was ice assisted! (i couldnt resist going down a frozen road)
Clevedon AC 		5:18 5:22 5:22 72.05
Vi Ninety Day Challenge An overweight the santa the day after boxing day rolled my way through Bradgate Park dreaming of Turkey,Xmas Pud and wine.......
Burton AC 		7:54 9:43 9:43 40.34
Ellem Well that's my mile done - I probably could have picked a better day - it was -4 degrees but a lovely day. Fitted it in around one of my favourite 4 mile routes. Legs felt a bit jelly-like after the mile. I'm sure I can knock some time off next time.
East Lothian Triathlon Club 		7:44 7:44 7:44 60.69
Stuart L
Unaffiliated
Roobarb How chuffed am I????????? I have been battling against anaemia for the last couple of months and not done much running at all so to do this time when I was aiming for around 11mins is absolutely fantabulous! I did just over 1.5m to the start point, very slowly indeed, stopped, took a slug of water, did some stretches, took another slug of water, took a deep breath and off I went. I went out much too fast and suffered after about .25m (twit!) but soon managed to settle down a bit and just kept going to the end. I was quite dizzy at the end which is probably due partly to me not quite fully recovered plus I had three large glasses of wine last night and didn't go to bed til 3 (twit again!). Now I can't take the grin off my face!
Lonely Goat Running Club 		8:18 9:29 11:00 9:29 48.45
MarkC It was THE PRECIOUS that made me do it.
Unaffiliated 		6:01 6:01 6:10 6:01 65.48
Lalli Completed this as middle section of a 3 mile tempo run and was very pleased with my time as I'm such a plodder. Ironically I ran a 757, but wasn't exactly flying and would have preferred a 747 (bad plane pun!). It was cold, breezy and I didn't cheat and run a downhill, it was an undulating mile! Mini time trials rock!
Eastbourne Rovers AC 		7:42 7:57 9:00 7:57 55.41
AddledAdder At the very least, I'll take the muddy downhill mile from the Boxing Day Chevin Chase, if I can't get to the track and do some 1 mile reps...
Unaffiliated 		6:00 6:00
angelis
Unaffiliated
Phil_N
FELL PONIES 		7:26 7:26 7:26 52.10
vix84
Unaffiliated
Agent Orange For a Xmas theme I decided to cover all of Santa's reindeer in one mile. Began with high knee action (that made me a Prancer) then did a bit of riverdance (Dancer), then put on a sprint (Dasher). For Rudolf I went for a Nureyev impression, doing a pas-de-deux - highly appropriate as I'm a father of two. So that was the first four down, but then the going got difficult. I had to defer the last bit of the mile until I went to Oxford, where I ran past an electrical store (Comet) then went as fast as I could in front of a kebab shop (Blitzen past Doner). That only left Cupid - for which I claim a love of running. So eight reindeer, one mile, er two days. Not my best time, but good fun planning it.
Unaffiliated 		7:20 7:20 7:20 55.71
ruthb
Unaffiliated
Reservoir Dog
Unaffiliated
santababy i thought long and hard before deciding to post this as my fetch mile, it's probably going to be the slowest on record, it's certainly my slowest, i think it's even slower than when i started running all those errm 2.5years ago ;) anyway, seeing as it was my first run for a month i reckon it deserved a mention. I was actually *allowed* to run yesterday but had sore leg so decided to wait. Now conditions could clearly have been better, i've had the day from hell at work, short staffed and in from 6.30 am til 5 pm and run off my feet, first thoughts when i got home? get into my running gear, so that's what i did, garmin was fired up and raring to go, i togged up, hi-vis, shorts, , fetch top , gloves and hat, minus 2 outside and icy, yeah as i said, prefect conditions for a comeback run, now i say the word run very loosley as i has strict instructions to do 2 mins run, 1 min walk, i did argue with physio that that to me wasn't running but i got stared out so shut up. i digress.... so off i went, ohh, this is good :) i like it, my lungs got bit nippy but in a nice way, damn, those 2 mins passed quick, grudgingly i stopped for my walk, staring so much at garmin that i nearly fell flat on face, yaaay, min passed, i was off again, and so it went, 2 mins passing really quickly, 1 min dragging on for ever til i heard a beep, wow, a mile, i've just ran a mile, huge grin spread acrss my face and i ignored the bloody garmin and ran all way home, all 0.3 miles of it.....dont tell my physio will you?
Harmeny AC 		7:09 11:27 15:00 11:27 37.43
SimonF Will do this round a relatively flat loop near work on 17th Dec The wonders of internet pedometers mean I no longer need to get to the track to do a measured mile - I can just run out on a rectagular course near work in my lunch hour. Jogged to the starting line of my mile loop - just past the Post Office, and set off at a sprint on the first leg. Kept up a good pace despite the constant up and downs of the drop pavements, then slowed as I reached the first corner. This is a blind corner formed by a dodgy pub right by a pedestrian crossing on a busy road. Once round the corrner and sure no smokers were loitering on the course, I built up my speed as this is a downhill section, until avoiding a bus queue, then sped up, until avoiding a couple of junk food laden customer leaving a fish and chip shop, then sped up until avoiding an oblivious driver pulling out of a turning, and then reached the next blind corner. I wonder if Roger Bannister had to put up with this? I passed what I thought was half way and checked my watch - 3:15. Way off the pace I was hoping for, so push myself up the hill. I'm in a quiet residential section now and can sprint up the the last corner by an off licence. Watch the floor of discarded White Lightning bottles and can see the finishing line ahead. Get up to full speed and try to banish thoughts of yesterday's lager and mince pies, finally collapsing back where I started with a aching chest. Check where my watch has stopped - 06:00.94. If only I'd taken the racing line... That was fun though. Make a note to try it again when I'm back in training. Sub 6 should be easy, as long as the street life stays out of my way.
Cumberland Fell Runners, Horsforth Fellandale Club 		6:00 6:00 5:59 6:00 68.09
Reef
Unaffiliated
Jock Itch Gobi opened up a 3 second lead from the off and I stayed with that gap till about 3rd lap when he increased the pace. Pleased with 5:21. Nice evening with a nice crowd.
Datchet Dashers 		5:00 5:21 5:21 74.07
Puffing Bertie
Unaffiliated 		7:25 7:25
KatieB Blog it, and they will come. A real credit to FE and to Bedford Harriers. I mention I want to do a december mile in my blog but have no get and go and straight away I get offers of running company and a timekeeper. Blimmin, flippin beautiful. Thank you. Fab twinkly icey track, lots of shoutiness down the last 100m, and big smiles of knackeredness all round. :-)
Bedford Harriers AC 		6:39 6:39 6:39 64.19
phal
The Green Runners 		5:37 6:09
Pinks A solo fetcheveryone mile for me, due to family things. So I got up and was milling around the house and G said why don't you go for a run or something. *ping* lightbulb moment, I know I will do my FE mile. I started with a mile warm up walk, I say warm up, it was bl00dy freezing out side and I was lucky not to slip on the ground as it was still icy in patches. I had donned several layers of clothes and my fetch beanie. When it came to the actual running of the 'race' all I was concerned with was not going A over T and making a fool of myself, although I was running on a single track road, and so not many people would have seen me, but you just know that the minute you fall over someone comes along in a car who knows you, just like when I fell off my bike. Anyway, I started slowly and just aimed on running the whole distance, having only managed to complete a full mile once in the last few months. Halfway I felt like giving up, I was pushing myself and along at halfway came an uphill bit, gah, hate hills,(not really that hilly, but uphill none the less) eased off a bit and got my breath back at the top, pushed on a bit and got to 3/4mile, too late now to stop running, I wasn't going to think, ah you nearly made the mile. I certainly wasn't going to call it a race mile if I had walked part of it, so eased a little bit then pushed for the last .15mile. Very aware of the clock and so so wanted to get in under 12minutes. Luckily I managed it, by one second. I don't care that it was only 1 second, I did it, I ran a mile as hard as I could at the time. Maybe on a flatter run, non slippy run I would have gone quicker, but I will leave trying that for a month or two.
Unaffiliated 		11:59 11:59 12:30 11:59 35.19
DIY Diva
Ranelagh Harriers, Vets AC 		6:45 6:54 7:23 59.27
Stepford Wife Yes, I can run a mile faster than 11.38, possibly 9.38 but would it have been as much fun as tonight? Today has been bright and crisp all day and I've wanted to run all day. I've wanted to run off road, through mud and grot, feeling my legs coping with uneven ground, hoping my core training is doing something useful to my middle and I won't be stiff tomorrow. So it's six o'clock, I'm earlier home than usual, it's beginning to freeze, I wear more than usual, I still want to run off road so I grab my head torch. As I run off up the road towards Hob Moor my phone rings - t'wife is on her way home. I'm still chatting to her as I cross onto the moor and discover it's foggy, my torch is reflecting back at me and I can't see. I squeak excitedly and she laughs at me. The ridge and furrow is always hard work, harder in the dark, harder still in the fog - I lose my rhythm completely. T'wife gets to the car and rings off. It's just me and a train I can't see - the freight that comes through York station just after six which I usually see on my way home not out on a run. As I hit the tarmac it gets easier for a while so I can concentrate on getting my rhythm back for a while. Up to the crossing and down into the wood. Torch back on. No longer foggy but I can't make out the details of the path - is it firm or is it mud? Who cares anyway? This path I know well, have run many times over the past year but this is only the second time in the dark and I can't recall that it wiggled and squiggled so much before. At the top of the wood now, only metres away from rush hour traffic, down the banking. Ooh, it's frozen here! I've only dropped a few metres but it's noticably chillier by the race course. Again I can't tell what the surface is like so I keep my strides short and choppy. By the time I've finished the mile loop round the wood I've enjoyed it so much I go round again. This time the fog is back, it's even colder than when I passed this way 11 minutes ago and for once my thighs are actually cold - I can't see to run fast enough to warm them. I decide that it's time to turn homewards so I plod back across the moor and back to suburbia having got as close to the fells as I can in York. This is not fast but it was hard, I've had to concentrate but that's fine and I'm happy. I've run four miles, which shall I count? Either of the middle two. I get home just before t'wife does and she admires the condensation on my buff and the hairs on my face. She even takes a picture of me. http://www.fetcheveryone.com/showgalleryphoto.php?filename=4261_1.jpg
Fell Runners Association 		11:38 11:38 11:38 36.47
icklechick I remember when running a mile was a huge achievement. By that I mean a mile non-stop, no walking in the middle. It meant I could run for 15 minutes non-stop. Wow. Amazing that now, a mile takes 10 minutes or less and is part of a longer run. Longer isn't 3 miles but 13 ... and going for 26. So many reasons behind running - but never, since that first achievement of managing a mile non-stop have I ran just one mile to prove that I can and to see how quick I can go. So - Fetch here I am, with lots of others rising to your challenge and running a mile. The mile - well - thanks to Ruth there was a lovely group of us at Reading's Palmer Park track. Nice and chilly we go and warm up - a gentle jog round the track a couple of times then in for a coffee while we wait for Gobi and Rach to arrive. Back out again and another lap warmup then some more joking and on to the start line. The real reason we were waiting for Gobi and Rach was to confirm where the start was! Lined up - everyone with their hands on their watch, Rach being official timekeeper and go. Gobi and Jock Itch vanish into the distance closely followed by KR2. I'm following Blue(Pete) and Heavyweight with Ruth just behind me. First lap ok, second not too bad - I'm now doggedly following Heavyweight - determined not to let that red fetch shirt get away from me. Third lap - my thumbs and forefingers are numb and painful - at least it takes away the attention from my rather sore chest. Speed up - being lapped by Gobi, I want to get that third lap done before he catches me (and I do!). Bugger - forgot about athsma - chest hurting now and into the final lap. Keep going - breathe breathe breathe, control it round the last bend - lengthen stride and (wheeze) it's over. 6:55. OMG. Wow. Predicted 8 mins, hoping for 7:30. What is sub 7! Delighted. Right ... nonsense over - back to the marathon training plan :)
Unaffiliated 		6:15 6:55 8:10 6:55 60.96
Black Cat The Fetch NE mile challenge on 5th December. Ran on a very windy Newcastle Quayside and we ran a bit more than a mile. The useless buggers that we are went the wrong way!
Stocksfield Striders 		6:28 7:29 8:00 7:29 55.06
Torbay Fetch Everyone liberation mile!.... I ran my fetch mile with the biggest smile in my heart as today symbolised for me that my soul has now been completely freed. Started running a year ago after getting a ballot place in FLM 2007. I Used to go out at night wearing dark clothes in quiet lanes so know one could see or hear me, it was an escape from the secret hell hole that I lived in for 20 odd years. I used my runs for sobbing my heart out unrelentlessly and perparing myself to cope with continuous mind games and physical abuse. I had a very insular and controlled life with very few friends. Sunday was the only day of the week when I was on my own and I entered my first race in Jan 2007, in which I met my first fetchie, who greated me with a big smile before the race and even came up the big hill at the end to cheer me on. Thankyou Dochart for that you started the beginning of my escape tunnel. For someone with very little confidence I began to improve at a good rate and enjoyed my running it gave me a strength within me that I didn't think I had. Then I had a horrific hip injury which still niggles me today that stopped me running the marathon. My now x husband gloated in the fact that I had failed miserabley. Because of all the new friends I had made through running and the caring support they gave me I was able to blurt it all out one day to my mum and dad how horrid my life was. It was instant safety I never had to spend another night in that house again. I now live in a happy house with no hurt and would like to thank you all,my lovely fetchie friends that have been a real life line to me. Bring on 2008!
Torbay Athletic Club and Torbay Tri Club 		7:07 7:07 7:07 61.89
Wingy
Unaffiliated 		7:05 7:05 7:05 55.34
Buzzards Sis I ran my Fetch Mile on Christmas Eve. Paul was out singing a concert and an uncomfortable but very excited little boy had finally fallen asleep. It had been a very stressful day that begun with talk of an emergency procedure to pull out Williams infected hickman line and continued with constant updates of some difficult decision making. The line should come out because it is infected but he would not have sufficient access for the level of potassium he needs, he could not be fed and would be weak for surgery in the New Year, he may get dehydrated his the temporary access fails.... The final decision was made by lack of theatre space to do the procedure and the final decision delayed until 27th. Still, the constant changes in mind was stressful and an uncomfortable reminder of the cost benefit weighing up that is central to William's care at the moment. I felt like a rubber band at full stretch and about as
Striders of Croydon AC 		6:28 6:28 6:28 66.01
Barky Well this was the race of the year ....yeah...........and a mix of stress - race stress, and stress of organising the meeting. I should not have worried about the organisation of it, all who came played their part in making the event so enjoyable. We had cake, chocs, and mince pies. From what I have seen, we seemed to have the fastest (so far) miler in Ally 2, and of course we had the presence of Fetch himself. Hope you enjoyed the run Fetch? I am sitting here on a little higgh with my performace and the fact that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. yes I ran well, and better than I expected. The final thought from all was......roll on the summer, and we will do it all again.....:-)
Hermitage Harriers RC 		5:57 6:20 6:20 63.97
Dipper My shortest ever race, on the shortest day of the year. The venue: Millhouses Park, Sheffield. The distance: One single mile. Target time: Somewhere between 6 minutes and 6 minutes 30 seconds. Weather: Cold with head wind for the third quarter of the race and back wind for the final quarter. Traffic: Surprisingly few cars, occasional pedestrians. Biggest danger, running into a child on a bike; must be careful. Okay, gloves on, trainers laced, heart rate monitor on, ten minute-old streamlined haircut (not that I was taking this all too seriously). One warm up lap performed, visualising the race all the way, quick stretch, hit the start button and I'm off. Ten seconds in it occurs to me that I have no idea what the correct pace is for a myself over a mile. This feels fast, too fast, I'm not going to be able to sustain it, I'm breathing hard already, and the air is icy on my throat. I reach my quarter way marker and check the time, 1:27. That will mean sub 6, fantastic! I'm really not going to be able to keep going at this pace though. I slow down a fraction, but only a fraction. With my mind now set on a sub-six minute mile, the possibility of disappointment won’t let me slow down too much. The hedge I'm running along the side of ends, and the cover that it was providing is replaced by a blast of wintery head wind. My pace slows again slightly but I fight it. They say that the third quarter is meant to be the toughest, the no-mans-land section of the mile. My focus drifts...chicken Madras for tea...oh a pair of pied wagtails...people play tennis at this time of year? It slowly dawns on me that it's getting easier; I'm into the final quarter. The head wind is replaced by a back wind and I know it will be over soon. I'm breathing very heavily and am too focused on getting to the finish to check my watch. Four times in the last hundred meters I have to fight the urge to stop. It will be over soon, not far to go now. I cross the virtual finish line and hit the stop button on my watch. My sleeve covers half of the watch face and I just make out 44 seconds. 6:44? Surely I didn't slow down that much? Didn't the last bit of back wind help? I lean on a fence panting for what seems like an age. Eventually I recover enough to check my watch properly...5:44! One quick Tim Henman style air-punch later and I'm trotting back home with an unusually large grin on my face. Thanks Fetch, your virtual race just made my week.
Unaffiliated 		5:44 5:44 6:30 5:44 67.54
Gasheader Visited Newcastle on new years day for the 11 O'Clock Resoulution 10k mud bath on the Town Moor , Great fun and my first race in spikes. finished 56/100 not bad as missed the start and had to chase the field after giving them a minute start. Had a silly brainwave as finishing race , swapped to road shoes and went down to the quayside for the timed mile coarse. Started the timed mile at 12:00 still buzzing from my earlier race , much better conditions than the North east Mile a few weeks earlier and sure I could beat my PB time of 6:57 on that night(especially as we had in fact run wrong way and added a hundred yards to that try). wet underfoot with a slight breeze in my face got off to a good steady pace crossed the bridge and approched the half way point with good vibes the breeze at my back and a long straight along the quay to pump my arms and go for glory even got some shouts of support from a mum, dad and young kids as passed them , Glanced across the water and could see the LCD timer in the distance nothing could stop me now only the blinking eye bridge beetween me and a 2008 PB. As soon as I got to bridge all was not well lots of people crossing both ways and within 10 yards no gap had to stop to a walk and squeeze through a gap as pedestrians converged from either direction at same time . Back sprinting accross with 100 yards to go new group stepping on to bridge in front of me again forced to slow and call out excuse me! a gap appeared Ive dropped my shoulder swerved and made it through final dash to line , stopped watch and gasped for air . The time on Polar is 6:57 at least im not slower than last time. Hey its a leap year so I still have 365 days to break this time.
Swaledale Road Runners 		6:57 6:57 6:33 6:57 60.84
Siouxsie
Dumfries RC 		6:45 7:09 7:30 7:09 58.97
Girlie
Lonely Goat RC 		8:10 9:12 9:12 47.02
Lycra Hurricane I didn't have the ideal preparation for this rn, and I hd to run it alone on the track because all but Cossie had started. A good line in the san though
Bedford Harriers AC, Rushden Runners 		7:26 7:32 7:32 59.79
Nightjar
Bedford Harriers AC, LDWA 		6:17 6:17
Silvershadow
Bedford Harriers AC 		8:44 9:19 10:00 9:19 47.99
Hoaxster Chatting nervously with Mikuro on the train led to an early call on the flapjack and thence Tooting Bec. Nomnomnom. I admit to having been far more apprehensive about this than any previous race for a number of very serious and well founded reasons. They mainly have to do with looking like a prize twit in front of a flock of Fetchies, many of whom I knew to be really very much better at running than me. Her mastery of preparation found us walking down the high street consulting a map with no street names on it in search of an athletics track. More pressingly though, we needed to find a toilet as Hoaxling #2 announced he was busting after spending an hour on a train just a few feet from an appropriate convenience, but only during our complicated Clapham Junction switchback did he announce this new requirement. Bless his little heart. In fairness, I had planned to go all the way into central London and entrust the underground network with out fate so Mik’s encyclopaedic knowledge and diligent research into the mainline rail network of Saaaaaaaarf London saved me about an hour of my life. Which was marvellous. Our chances of finding the place improved tremendously as Tpod and Oceanspirit accosted us from the rear and delighted us with tales of American confectionery. As Tpod claimed he actually knew where the track was, Mik was able to calm her beady stare into the middle distance and repeated claims that it would be just around the next corner. Upon finding the track a sudden fear gripped me. It may have been the burnt orange hue of the track that only proper athletes run on, it may have been the tall iron railings encircling this temple to energy-sapping pain but I think it was the realisation that having arrived, I would look like prize plum to back out now. Watchwords from this point on: ‘look like you know what you’re doing’. So shuffling through the turnstile with an ‘80s throwback holdall slung over my shoulder in the manner of a corpulent giraffe worked very well. The chap in the kiosk did splendidly not to laugh at the ginger hippy claiming to be something of a sportsman with every intention of running around his athletics facility in a competitive manner. And so they arrived. Glorious Fetchie loveliness in dribs, drabs and in the case of Gobi a deafening cacophony of Welsh/Scots diatribe with that evil glint in his eye. Meeting and greeting chums last seen in various far-flung corners of the Fetchiverse was wonderful. We go away from these things to our lives and jobs and lurk in our internet personae but actually seeing each of them again is a special buzz. Anj from the Horsham 10k, Jen from Beachy Head, Rach from RNR, Lady Sol from the Stinger and here we all were to do a mile time-trial in London. Meeting people for the first time is also a real kick. Having spent over a year nattering away to the Bouncer, Blister, JEJ, Max and Snaps etc. etc. on t’internet, that excitement of meeting them for the first time was, well, Christmassy. My warm-up was something of a haphazard affair. Two slow laps then the most cursory of stretches, then a pause to watch race 1 (the fasterest people). After a brief shorts delay caused by Blister taking his warm-up very seriously, counterbalancing JEJ’s lackadaisical attitude to shoe fastening (spikes ffs ;-) ) they were off! What a privilege that was to see. The cream of Fetchdom doing their thing effortlessly, eating the laps up without even breathing heavily. The form, the style… I was absolutely transfixed. Contro and Abdou jostling for position, RachE serenity personified. Balham Bouncer in a silly hat. That rocked so much but then the serious business of the day began with my race about to start. Panic. So I’d cooled down immensely since my two shambolic laps and I needed to get some heat into the tyres or something. Two blasts down the home straight and they all started lining up. Oh no oh no oh no this is the thing of the thing and I have to do the thing now. Eep. Tearing frantically at my tracksuit bottoms which were specially designed not to slip effortlessly over running shoes I revealed my secret weapon. Two of the whitest legs in Christendom, coupled with my slinky Fetch LB(with a red stripe)D. If speed training and natural talent weren’t available then the next best thing was to at least look the part. Sadly, this is where I thing I let things slip. Not those. I shuffled to the back and resigned myself to being dreadful at this game, whereas I should have had a whiff of smelling salts and a lusty slap in the face to remind me of the fact that I can, in fact, run. Now every race I’ve started has taught me to start at the back, take the first mile or so really easy and then get up to speed. A stupid tactic for a mile race, in retrospect. The first lap was therefore a silly lap and the one in which I should have tried a great deal harder. This miling business really is full on and I’d do well to remember it next time (for there will be a next time) and when the man says go, bloody well go! Lap two was a vast improvement, settling into a good rhythm with only minimal showboating past the clubhouse with its gorgeous crowd of Fetchorama. Serious face was donned and I looked at the two white lines of the inside lane as rails upon which I should glide (/hobble/stagger/lollop). It felt hard but sustainable and smooth. The photies disprove that last point but honestly, that’s as good as it gets. Lap three I remember as the onset of pain in the first degree. The heart and lungs really aren’t used to that level of abuse and were being quite insistent that we walk through a water station of something. Sadly, I was out on my own during this phase of the race (The fast boys, having raced previously were now pacing in this race and were very very easily half a track in front of me. Grrrr) and I wonder now whether having had someone of similar pace to me on my shoulder may have spurred me on a bit more. The best I could do was just to hang on and prepare for what I hoped would be a bit of a glory sprint. The bell! Oh to hear a bell when running around the track was just sublime. A few carefully chosen words of encouragement from contro doing the counter thing. I reckon I may have been able to manage 4 on my own! Then I was in a seriously positive attitude thingamajig. The back straight was all about preparation and looking for the turn. The man said tear it a new one and hey, I used to sprint like quite a sprinty thing. Coming off the bend I was asking those alabaster pins for absolutely everything. Kick now! Ok, now! Seriously, now! It would seem that the years haven’t been kind to my dynamic explosion of pace. To have gone sub 6:30 was absolutely brilliant. To have got 6:23 was a dream come true (all the best people have that as their mile PB doncha know?) and I wasn’t too beaten up afterwards. Too beaten up to have thought about race doing three mind, so I took my place to watch and shout and cheer just looking down at my time on the Garmin every three or four seconds. GordonG vs Tpod was the battle of the day, really close all the way and those guys gave it the full bananas. It was fabulous to see so many Fetchies in such close proximity and to have the opportunity to shout gently constructive criticism at them throughout. The waves and the tired shouts, the pained expressions and the incredible commitment on show were an absolute delight to behold. The presentation ceremony was a light-hearted affair, during which the announcement that we weren’t going to do a fancy Scottish relay thing but instead repair to somewhere warm that served alcohol was greeted with unanimous approval. Off to Pizza Express we variously drove and walked. You know you’re a Fetchie when you’re given directions to a restaurant that include the phrases: “It’s dead straight” and “all downhill”! The rest is a lovely meal in a lovely place with lovely people. Suffice to say that Balham, and in particular the track we used were a superb location for such an escapade. My thanks to BB for getting it together and running it so smoothly and of course to Mikuro and her boundless enthusiasm. Without which the offspring wouldn’t have had such a grand day out, my tummy wouldn’t be blessed with her extra special comestibles and all of us would have been fumbling about with crappy phone cameras attempting to do anything like as wonderful a job of capturing the event for posterity as she did. Sub six next time? Yes please.
Unaffiliated 		6:23 6:23 6:23 60.94
jinxsi Did this as the middle mile of a 5m run.
Unaffiliated 		6:36 6:36 6:36 64.64
Fizz :-) Having just rejoined Fetch as part of my New Year’s resolution to keep proper training records, I saw the December Mile Challenge and thought “Oh no, I’ve missed it”, but luckily we managed a run just before the deadline. So, on Friday the fourth, WatfordWobble, the Garmin and I were running around Draycote Water (familiar to those doing the Ultra in February) in a cold wind, with nasty driving rain, wondering what on earth we were doing. As always, WW pulled me along with the invisible piece of elastic that joins us together (except when he snaps it and leaves me behind in races), and I was pretty pleased with the time, especially as it’s still quite early in our training schedule. At the end of the 4.73m lap, (that’s what the Garmin said!) we ran out along the Toft Straight and partway back, and that was the measured mile – not bad for the end of a six-mile run.
FERC 		6:57 9:13 10:00 9:13 46.32
Ramfan Not ran this hard for a long time, quite fast for 200 yards then settled down to a more gentle pace. Last few hundred yards hurt as I pushed to keep up a decent pace.
Unaffiliated 		7:16 7:16 7:40 7:16 59.23
Doctor K I will be doing this pretty slowly just coming back from injury but the distance is ideal! Under normal circs I'd predict about 7:30 but given the situation 10.30 will do if anyone wants some cheap points! I'll have to run this privately using Garmin time - a pathetic 9:46 recorded -I am still taking it easy after injury -I should be able to make 7.15 for a mile ! Ridiculous but it is the taking part isn't it?
Bolton United Harriers & AC 		7:25 9:46 10:30 9:46 44.46
Runs With Coyotes So here I am, 5,000 miles distant but now linked inseparably to the great Fetch community by the simple act of running a mile with all the heart I could muster... and then sharing it online afterwards. :-) So, a quick recap first: for me, running began with the mile. I'll never forget the night I watched Coe break the mile world record for the first time. As a nine-year old it was the most thrilling thing I'd ever seen, and from that point on I was a Runner myself, a potential four-minute miler, a hopeless dreamer... As it turned out, my abilities didn't match my dreams... in fact my reality was over two minutes slower than my dreams. But that's just the way it goes. Eventually I drifted away from torturing myself over single miles and became someone who ran lots of miles just for the honest joy of it. And all was well and good for twenty years until a year and a half ago when I read, and then re read, a brilliant novel about a fictional miler which got me reconsidering the mile once again. At thirty-six I suddenly wanted to see what I could do while I was still young enough to do it. (An early mid life crisis?!) What I wanted to know was: could I run a moderately fast mile after all? Could I go sub-five? Could I do something that I previously believed I couldn't? The quest began with a desperate 5:35 in September '06, and by August '07 I had it down to a hard won 5:06. With work and belief I was getting close. The impossible sub-five dream now looked possible. So anyway, that's the history... The odds of running sub-five for the Fetch mile weren't good. The depleted oxygen at altitude wouldn't help, nor would the route, an out-and-back mile along a twisty-turny bike path which offered twelve metres of ascent, twelve of descent, and a horrible speed-loosing about-turn at the midway point. No excuses though. You have to play with the hand you're dealt... Well stretched and warmed up I went off fast and strong, feeling for a short while the glorious and almost effortless rhythm of motion and power and speed. But it only lasted for the first quarter. I'd gone out waaaaaaaaaay too fast. As usual. I hit the first split in 68 seconds, and from there on I knew it was going to hurt... And... by God... it did! And... by God... despite fighting it I slowed significantly... And... isn't it funny how during moments like this time itself slows significantly too? But hell, I still love the mile. It IS the perfect distance. I love the way it seems so short, but when you give it your all it feels SO DAMN FAR. I love the way it calls for speed, stamina, and heart in equal measure. I love the way it gives an opportunity to push the body further than it's willing to be pushed. And I love the way when I'm enduring the torture of running it at my absolute limit I'm not thinking about ANYTHING else. I'm lost in The Moment. I feel... fully realised. Gloriously alive. Painfully alive in fact! Foolishly alive even!!! I love that you can't hide from yourself when racing a mile, you can't pretend to be something you're not. The final result... the final time... it is absolute. You can see how you compare with yourself as you once were and as you hope one day to be. And you can see how you compare with ALL the other runners who have EVER run a mile. It's there in black and white. You can't argue with it. Today's black and white record for me was 5:18, slower than hoped for, but still a number and a memory that will always represent total commitment. I can look at today's mile and know I couldn't have run it harder. And that's what counts. For me, running, and especially races, often come down to this: I may be mediocre when compared with other runners, but when compared with the person I'd be if I didn't run I'm not mediocre at all. And this summer I will... I BLODDY WILL... go sub-five!
Unaffiliated 		4:58 5:06 5:05 5:18 74.33
TooLilac I entered the York BHF Santa Jog on 16.12.07 with my DH & two little girls. All adult participants dressed up as Father Christmas and there were lots of children running/toddling alongside in various christmassy outfits. My girls were 'jingle-bell christmas trees'. I think there were about 200 Santas + kids taking part. We all set off as a family,but then my 3 year old decided her legs were tired so her daddy had to give her a piggy-back ride all the way round. My big girl (age 5) and I walk/jogged all the way round - I think she did a fab job! Both girls were really excited about having race numbers pinned on - normally they get dragged along to wait in the cold while I struggle round a race! They really enjoyed the atmosphere and felt very important, AND got to dress up.. They were a bit disappointed not to get a 'princess necklace' (i.e. medal), but completors did get a little BHF badge, plus your very own santa suit of course. Although the beard was scratchy and I prefer my purple running clothes, it was quite nice running dressed as Santa - afterall, I didn't have to hold my gut in !!!
Unaffiliated 		8:14 22:00 30:00 22:00 19.17
jolguk Well, I thought we'd never manage to get it organised, but we finally did it. Driving to Sport City on my own was probably the most intimidating bit for me, but I was typically half an hour early, despite the 9am start. It was really nice to see all the other Fetchies, and I was very impressed by people coming from as far away as Clitheroe and Whitehaven just to run a mile. Anyway, the race itself. It felt quite special to be running in a stadium, and as there were about 10 of us in the end it did feel like a 'proper' race, so I got properly and unnecessarily nervous. The start was blisteringly fast. I sprinted off after the leader, knowing I'd gone too fast, and I certainly had. The 1:28 I ran could have got me under 6 minutes if I'd had even the vaguest chance of keeping that pace up. Lap2 and Steve, Rich and someone else whose name I don't think I know had overtaken me, and I clearly wouldn't be catching them. 3:08 now. Lap 3 and I thought I'd settle back a bit, but then thought, bollocks, I need to try harder than that, and was doing my retching thing around the 300m mark. Time, who knows? Final lap, I felt like crap, I really didn't want to be sick on the track (that'd be the second time this week), so I saved any real effort for the final strait, when it was obviously way too late. 6:35, which I'm pretty disappointed with, but still really pleased we did the mile, and with a good turnout, too.
Dragons RC 		5:58 6:35 6:35 64.05
xt350 🇳🇿
Unaffiliated 		6:43 6:43 6:43 58.65







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