hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn January 2019 | Page 8

Running to the
top of the hill
A theme of my recent articles seems
to be running up as many hills as
possible. Whether it’s a bizarre
form of self-torture masked as an
attempt to keep fit or a type of twisted
pleasure, it seems to be how I’m
spending most of my weekends.
Luckily, for myself and the other running
obsessed, the Chiltern Hills lives up to
its name and there’s many a hilly race to
keep us entertained. A recent one was the
Marlow Half Marathon and 7 mile race.
With a half marathon requiring a bit too
much training for a last minute entry, I
decided to take on the 7 miler. Not being
particularly familiar with Marlow, I was
looking forward to catching a glimpse of
its scenery and discovering more about
the local area. Unfortunately, this proved
somewhat optimistic as I spent most of
the race gasping for breath, with my sole
focus being on putting one foot in front
of the other. However, looking back at the
race pictures it seems that I missed out on
some striking autumnal views.
Another run I undertook recently was
the Herbert’s Hole Challenge, hosted by
Chiltern Harriers. Thankfully the weather
was kind this year and the course was
less muddy than usual, but it was still a
challenge nonetheless. With around 500
feet of climbs, the just over 10 km course
gives runners the chance to experience
some of Buckinghamshire’s beautiful
countryside.
Starting and finishing in Lowndes Park,
Chesham, the route is certainly undulating
and takes runners through the outskirts of
the town into the countryside. Once again,
by Katie Royals
I found myself rather short of breath with
burning calves and I struggled to take in
any of the scenery but, particularly on such
a sunny day, the views from the top of the
hills made the pain slightly more bearable.
If my self-inflicted suffering has somehow
encouraged you to try a similar event, then
you’re in luck as there are plenty of local
hilly races coming up.
The Hardwick X-Stream event (for those
that enjoy a bit of mud) is in February.
Hosted by Bearbrook Harriers, the off-road
6 mile race takes place just outside
Aylesbury and
follows a route made up of varied terrain,
including grassland, ploughed fields, farm
track and even the occasional stream.
The Berkhamsted Half Marathon and 5
mile fun run in neighbouring Hertfordshire
is in March. Unfortunately, last year’s event
had to be cancelled due to a late snowfall,
so the 2019 race is eagerly anticipated.
During the winter months finding the
motivation to brave the elements and get
outside to train is much harder. These
events could provide an incentive to keep
going.
https://www.bearbrookrunningclub.co.uk/page/view/hardwick-x-stream
http://rotaryberkhamsted.wixsite.com/marathon
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