Colwick Parkrun

I attempted my first 'parkrun' today as I headed over to Nottingham to compete in a 5k race held at Colwick Country Park. This free event is part of a free series of races held around the country at over 30 locations and funded entirely from donations and staffed by volunteers on the day.

Parkrun details can be found here : http://www.parkrun.com/home

I arrived at Colwick about twenty minutes before the start time of 9am. There was no start area that I could see and there was a sign directing the runners along a path. Well, we just kept on walking and eventually found ourselves halfway around a lake before being told that the start area was where we originally came from.

Once back around lake, some kind volunteers unfurled a makeshift start area, and within 2 minutes we were counted down from five and we were away. I started again like a rocket, and attempted to run the race the same way that a ran ' No Walk' a few weeks ago. I managed to keep the good pace up for the first section of the run which is a lap of the smaller lake before the course lengthens to lap a second larger lake. My pace dropped here but I was still pushing along and felt really good. I had a chap breathing heavily on my shoulder and I thought that he was going to pass me, which he did, but then the course kicked upward a little and I regained my place at the top.

There was another loop to navigate of the smaller lake which saw my pace die a little before crossing the line with a finishing sprint. The time = 22.55 which is outside of my PB by some 14 seconds.

Frustratingly, I felt I had run faster than that, and Heidi did say that she did hear marshalls say they sent us the wrong way - maybe the course was a little long but I will never be sure.

What I do know is that I will definately keep my eye out for further park runs in the future because I really enjoyed my first one !

Colomba Chemo Classic Sportive

....or what should more accurately be described as ridiculously stupidly hard sportive !

The reason behind doing a sportive this late in the year was that, yes, it was full of hills and it would give me a starting point to gauge next years progress as both of my 'A' races would both be hilly and tricky.

This sportive is based in Richmond , North Yorkshire and is laid on by the folks at the Colomba Cycle company, it costs £15 to enter, and the ride takes place in the Yorkshire Dales. Because of the location I had to be up at stupid o clock, and leave the house at 6.20am just to be in Richmond by 8.15am. The HQ was a cricket club just off the main street in Richmond and had a handy carpark complete with public toilets - life saver !!

Once registered, I had to unpack the bike from the car and then simply pop back in to tell them that I had left, one I had done this I was on my way.

Well, the first few miles were a joy, because the sun had just risen, the roads although bumpy were relatively flat, and I managed to tag on the back of a 20 strong peleton. That strategy soon faded though as 3 miles down the road, the undulations started and I fell away from the back of it. The scenery remained stunning with beautiful landscapes, rock formations and waterfalls, but the ride was becoming increasingly difficult with multiple climbs coming in quick succession. This is the ride profile to give an idea :

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/10783176

I merrily sat back spinning up the climbs and deliberately not getting out of the saddle for the first 20 miles of the ride, but enevitably as the legs started to wobble, and some of the inclines got stupidly steep, I had to resort to standing up and really grind my way up - I sweated so much on some of the climbs it was dripping off me. There was though a massive sense of satisfaction when I reached the crest of these monster climbs ! One the way up Coverdale there was a photographer taking pictures and it was on a particularly steep slope - I managed to get on with it and keep riding, but then was overtaken by the days celebrities - Alex Dowsett & Ben Swift from Team Sky - that will be the only time that I lead some professional riders up a climb !!!

Some respite came at the feed station at c. 37 miles as we stopped at a village hall - I made the most of it - refilling my drinks bottle, and then enjoying a warm cup of vegetable soup along with some bite size sausage rolls, and then some of the nicest flapjack that I have ever tasted.

It was a good job that we stopped because once back on the road silly season opened up and we were presented with more endless climbing. Honestly I would reach one brow only to see riders snaking onwards and upwards in the distance. Some of the descents were breathtaking though - if massively dangerous and at times it took all of my braking just to get round some of the more acutely angled ones !

The best climb was saved for near the end as we made our way up the toughest of the days ascents - a climb from 528ft to 1475ft which lasted for 2.96 miles at the 46 mile point of the ride. By the time that I got to the top of this one I was truly beat but felt like a cycling god !

I massively enjoyed the descent from this one, and looked back in awe at the behemoth that I had just scaled.

I managed to complete the 61 mile couse in an official time of 5hrs 11mins , but after taking into account the stop for the feed station, the actual ride time was around 4.50 for what was a slow and brutal course. Back at HQ, we were treated to more free food and a nice warm coffee.

In all, a very sadistic way to spend a saturday morning then, but the more I reflect upon it, the more rewarding the experience was - I will have to make sure that I look to book some more sportives for next year !

Its official....

After a tense set of negotiations lasting several minutes, I am now entering Ironman UK for 2012 !!

Fantastic !

No Walk In The Park 5k

Following last weeks exploits at the Worksop Half Marathon, It was time to go back to Chesterfield and and have a third crack at North Derbyshire Running Clubs monthly 5k park run - ' No Walk In The Park '.

My last two attempts, in February 2010 (27.08), and then February this year (25.30) had both been very enjoyable outings, and as such, I was looking forward to this all week !

We arrived at Chesterfield Cricket Ground then at 8.45 having taken an hour for the trip, and was quickly registered in the Pavillion, I was given my race number of 40 which had been kept for me since February.

After a warm up, we all gathered for the start, and I found a fellow Netrunner in Dom Stevens to talk to. Within seconds we were given the off, 40 odd runners full of adrenaline hurtling around an opening lap of the cricket pitch. I was aware that I was definately further up the field than I had previously been and a check of the watch showed that my initial pace was through the roof. I held this as far as I could and although it dropped, it didn't drop too much as I worked very hard for the first couple of laps of the Park to maintain my position.

By the third lap though I was hanging on just a little, and by the last lap the early pace had taken its toll and I was truly marmalised. I did, however, have enough left to up the pace again for the last 300m even though I was eventually reeled in by Dom, who came past me like a whippet in the last 100m, that last burst bought me home in under 23 minutes.

I crossed the line in 22.41 which is a new PB for me, and not far behind a man, who when I first took part in this race last year, I thought I would never be as good as - there is now just less than a minute between us ! It will be one of my goals for next year for sure.

Next up for me then is a trip to the North Yorkshires Dales for a cycle sportive event next Saturday morning - http://www.colombachemoclassic.org.uk/