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I’m currently down in Somerset doing a spot of house sitting, and keeping an eye on my Gran, whilst my parents are away on holiday. Naturally, as my previous post suggests, I’ve been keeping up the running and a local 10k – the Wells 10k Fun Run – organised by local running club Wells City Harriers seemed like an absolute must.

I have a bit of history with the Wells ‘Fun Run’. It was, believe it or not, the very first race I ever took part in. Back in 1984 (or so), when it was a 5.5 mile run around the outskirts of Wells. I think I got around in about 55 minutes, which felt quite respectable for a 11 or 12 year old. I see the Wells City Harriers have a few old results up from around then. Fingers crossed they might scan in the results for the races I took part in. Would love to know. Slightly sad too that I didn’t keep it up in any way. I suppose mostly that was due to my own lack of interest, but also that nobody seemed to suggest that recreational sport was good. It was competition level, or nothing. And I certainly wasn’t going to be representing anything.

No matter. It’s a different setup altogether now. There are 1k for youngsters, then a 3 mile and 10k distance options for adults. The 3 mile and 10k distance are essentially one and two laps respectively, of the east side of Wells. For the first time, the 10k was full to capacity too.

I watched the shorter races set off (I’d arrived very early due to Frances needing the car to ferry a few people around back in Priddy), with the 10k due to start at 11am. Somebody had quite impressively parked a car right by the start line (despite the market place being closed to cars), but the organisers were unable to trace them. The area was deserted otherwise, so some quite stunningly bad parking.

I’d not decided on tactics, but the very warm weather (and not a cloud in the sky), and rumours of a tough hill at the end of the lap, made me think pushing for a fast time, close to my 10k PB, was probably a waste of effort, even before considering I’ve done very little speed training in the last couple of months. But that didn’t stop me trying. We set off and took care to dodge the streams that perpetually run down Wells High Street (accurately described as ‘real ankle breakers’ in the safety briefing).

The course is a good one – the main section of the course is along a cycle path from Wells to Dulcote. But it was tough going. The sun just beat down, and there were plenty of stretches without any shade at all, and felt like a gradual incline. My first few splits were good, but some seconds behind what I needed to push my PB.

Welcome relief in Dulcote from some enterprising youngsters armed with a decent array of water pistols. Second time around I encouraged them to give me their best shot, and got a very welcome soaking. But then that second time, I knew what lay ahead!

That’d be the hill coming out of Dulcote back in to Wells, and it’s a real toughy. At roughly 3.5k and 8.5k the hill doesn’t seem too bad, but gradually builds up. It’s quite an ascent, and given the way I felt the 2nd time around, perhaps gives me some self-justification for not having done any hill running so far! But I was chuffed to bits to keep plodding away, and not need to stop or drop my pace any further than I already had. My effort felt consistent.

The most picturesque part of the course is the end the lap, which takes you past Bishops’ palace, with it’s beautiful moat, and a good amount of support from the earlier runners. Definitely a good point. Second time around the finish was a lot further around than I’d expected. Somebody barrelled past me in the finishing straight, something I’ve only managed to do once or twice.

The clock suggested at time of 46:13 – I’d not started my watch properly. I finished with a time of 46:20 (79th out of 360 overall). I’m quite pleased to be honest, still almost 2 minutes off my PB, but with a hill like that not once but twice on the course, and in warm and sunny conditions. I’m also acutely aware I need to get more speed work done, and train more at race pace, so that I get more used to pushing myself hard for longer periods of time.

10k’s are a distance I struggle with. There’s something just awkward about it for me. I find, like most runners, that you can just ‘hang on’ in a nice short 5k. It’s over before you know it. A half marathon it’s about a consistent pace for longer, so it’s about finding a level your body can sustain. But 10k’s fall somewhere in between, and I’m struggling. I suspect – as with so much about running – a lot of it is mental, but think if I’m to push my 10k time down, I’ve a bit more work ahead of me over the coming months.

But anyway, the 10k was a great event. Very well organised, and I’m chuffed to bits to have a mug, rather than a medal, to mark the occasion – it’ll remind me of my day every morning for a good while longer

See also * Wells Journal write-up here

I took part in the 517th Mendip Hills Hash House Harriers hash (and my second – the first was on Christmas Eve, 2007) last night, starting at the Crown at Wells, Somerset, whilst I’m down here. My 2nd hash, and an opportunity to explore my local town – made famous by a certain Edgar Wright as the setting for ‘Hot Fuzz’ (Just with the massive Wells Cathedral digitally edited out).

The hash, as ever, starts and ends at a local pub. ‘Drinkers with a running problem’, is how hashing is sometimes described.

We started right on Wells market place. A great turn-out of about 30 runners. As I’m still learning the lingo I decided to hold back a bit and let others do all the calling (as well as getting a bit self conscious screaming “on on” and “are you!?” loudly; I imagine local residents were completely baffled as we ran past). The premise with hashing is to follow a flour trail around. The setter had been around earlier in the afternoon laying down the course. To make matters interesting there are various options, so faster runners head on ahead and work out which direction to go, doubling back when somebody else finds the ‘on’ trail. Everybody therefore gets to run together, and gets precisely the sort of workout they want.

Our course took us along side the Bishops Palace (formal residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells), out to the east of Wells, into places I’d previously last visited far too many years back. Also good research for the Wells 10k I’m taking part in on Sunday, which followed part of the route. Along beautiful trails and up in to the hills. A few short options available for runners up for something a bit shorter, and plenty of detours for the faster and more enthusiastic runners (including myself in the enthusiastic category). Discovering new streams, paths and woods, it was delightful. Heading up a decent incline beside a recently ploughed field, my shoes got properly clogged with mud. Felt like I had weights on my feet. Good exercise, at least until the steep slippery descent with no useful grip!

The weather, rather surprisingly, held off. The Mendip hills has a micro-climate all of its own, so we were greeted with some beautiful views of the Somerset levels as we descended back down in to Wells, around the back of the Cathedral back to the Market Place, and – naturally – the pub for beer and, er, cake. Sharp’s Doom Bar, a particular favourite of mine (and very rarely found in Glasgow), was on tap. Marvellous stuff, and had a good chat with some of the regulars before heading off.

Oh, yes, the times… My run took in 5.94 miles of stunning countryside, taking 01:23:59 with a few pauses for regrouping, chatting, or scraping mud off feet. Not even slightly fast, but a pint of beer was my reward, and some good chat along the way. I count that as a great result. One of my best

One of the regulars is behind a great website that may be of interest to Garmin users: Run Replay allows runners to compare their races in a quite unique way. It’s currently largely being used by hash runners – You can see last nights run here, or the 2009 London Marathon. Sign up and have a go if you’ve a GPS.

Must give the Glasgow Hash a go sometime.

As mentioned earlier I’d planned to get a bit of running done during the Christmas holidays. Originally this had just been the 4 mile run at Clevedon, and hoped to get a few other runs in as time allowed. I was pleased however to hear that the Mendip Hills Hash House Harriers (MH4) were organising a run from my parents local pub. Which is, quite literally, a stones throw away from their front door.

In fact, it transpired it was co-organised/set by my friend Jake, who’s a regular runner with them. Thankfully for me, this run was taking place during daylight hours. The usual meet time is 7pm, which means torches are required at this time of year.

Hash House Harriers (or H3) is an international running idea that seems to have started with the British in 1938 Malaysia, and spread along with expatriates. Sometimes best described as ‘drinkers with a running problem‘, it’s a lot of fun. The essence is a ‘hare’ sets a course using (in our case) flour or chalk markers along a course. There are detours and dead-ends. The idea is that the runners wanting more of a run get to work out the dead-ends, with cries of ‘Are you’, ‘On Two’, and ‘On On’, ensuring that folk know how each option is progressing in finding the way forward. Loopbacks (Certain number of runners to run to the back of the group) also help keep the group together.

I’d expected it to be a lot more of a, er, clique, but was completely wrong in that regard (as I was when joining my running club). Runners of all sorts are largely, it seems, thoroughly friendly and welcoming people. Some interesting chats and conversations along the way, and able to get a great run in as well as see a few bits of the Mendip hills I’ve not seen in a long time.

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The route took us out of Priddy, down to Ebbor Gorge (a small gorge in the Mendips, a few miles to the south-east of the more well known Cheddar Gorge). We went all the way to the bottom of the Gorge. Then all the way to the top (165m each way!), where we enjoyed a wonderful view across the Somerset levels. It was then back to Priddy across more muddy fields, back to the Queen Victoria, and back to Jakes’ for mince pies and mulled wine (although by the time I got there, having detoured for a convenient shower, the mulled wine had gone). I may even have been persuaded to join in the Christmas Carols, despite the abject lack of alcohol in my blood stream that’s normally mandatory…

Road running shoes weren’t the best for the event. Some trail shoes would probably have been better. Thankfully the ground wasn’t too soggy, just a little slippery in a few places. We ran 8.97km, and were running for about 1hr 20m, but there was a lot of stopping and hanging about, for chats and regrouping. My Garmin was set to auto-pause because of that, so total time spent moving was 54:50. Giving an average moving pace of 6:06/km, which wasn’t too bad considering.

What struck me most about it was that everybody got the run they wanted out of it, and we all stuck together. Those at the front, chasing the trail, were getting a great run. Those at the back got a sociable chat with some great exercise. The format of the event also meant everybody stayed together.

So thoroughly enjoyable. And after mentioning I was doing this on my running club forum, it seems the coaches have taken the idea on board of setting one sometime in the summer. I’ll certainly be trying to take part in another one (and kinda hoping they’ll re-run the West Mendip way super challenge). There’s also a long-running Glasgow Hash which I might check out sometime if I can’t make it to my running club in time.

A little while back I’d noticed that my website was getting lots of search hits for “Tiddy Oggies”, a variety of which were developed by my grandfather back in the 1960’s alongside snails, of course. It was a pork based pasty (with a nice cheese pastry), and called the “Priddy Oggy” as a play on “Tiddy Oggy”, Priddy being the village in Somerset which my grandfather’s restaurant was located (and I grew up).

I’d been rather perplexed as to where all this traffic was coming from, but Frances popped up to my office earlier to announce she’d stumbled on the reason, and that was the ‘Somerset Tiddy Oggy’ was featuring as a candidate for “Britain’s Best Dish”, on ITV. It seems to have made the cut as the “best starter”, but lost out in the final to the main course.

The “Priddy Oggy” does seem to appear every now and then in various recipe guises – frequently and bizarrely dubbed as “Cornish”, “Celtic” or even “traditional” (I’m puzzled that 1960’s culinary concoctions can be construed as such!). So I don’t think I’m stretching things that far to suggest that this recipe is in many ways a derivative of my grandfathers own. But certainly I could be getting a bit carried away after Wednesday’s Snail segment on BBC1 West.

No matter, I can’t help but get a little excited by the thought that my grandfathers culinary legacy is being picked up all over again, and I’m very minded to see about transcribing some of the other recipes I have available. LLEBS anyone?

BBC West had a special programme tonight that tackled a subject dear to my heart: Snails. And how to eat them.

The programme I gather will appear is here at www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/

I had a brief e-mail exchange earlier this year with the chap behind the programme, as – like many other people – he’d come across my transcript of my grandfather’s recipe that was the origin of the “1960’s popularity”. You can read the comment (no. 3) that started it all.

A number of villagers – including Pat and Bob Reynold’s (who were the last to serve snails at the Miners’ Arms) and my parents – helped prepare the snails and appear in the segment. Quite how much of them is shown is still to be seen. Editors decisions being final and all that. My parents appear at 12.50; Bob and Pat feature strongly. Plenty of references to my grandfather too. Marvellous. Just wish the presenter didn’t go “oh, but not me!” after everybody else seemed to rather like them.

But it’s great to hear that the owner of the Old Spot in Wells is sounding keen to put them on his menu. We had the pleasure of eating at the restaurant ourselves a while back, and it was very nice indeed. Putting snails on the menu is certain to get me back again! Especially if he’s to use the recipe my grandfather was so successful with so many years back.

See also:

• The website post that accompanies the programme