Race Report - Bolsover Castle 10k - 54.36

After last weeks excursion to Stratford, it was back to a good old fashioned 10k distance for me today.

This race was originally scheduled to take place in Mid-December, but due to the country having a snow panic, it was postponed until today. The previous years race had been extended to an 11k event, so that Bolsover Castle could be integrated into the route and used as the finish. This, however, was too much change for some runners, so a shortened 10k was devised with a finish outside of the Castle walls.

We arrived at Bolsover this morning earlier than expected which gave me more than ample time to do some of the 'professional looking' warming up that we all do (in some shape or form!) - in the grounds of the Castle. The organisers, North Derbyshire Running Club , always put on a decent event and often think outside of the box. With the start being moved a kilometre down the road, the marshalls took it in turns to lead groups down to the start. First to go was the sub 40 runners, then the sub 50's, then my lot - the sub 60's !

Well, with our marshall at the front holding up a sub 60 placard, it appeared that we looked to be on some runners march or something !! -

'' What Do We Want ??''

- '' Medals for all finishers !!''

'' When Do We Want It ???''

- ''NOW !!''

It did make me and a few others giggle though ! Anyway, back to the race, and at 10.30 we were underway !

Now the race tactic I have developed over recent races is to take the first couple of km's nice and easy and see how things feel during the middle part. Today though, I found that it was hard not to run faster and as a consequence after 2km, it felt harder than usual although the time was pretty good. At this point we were out of Bolsover and into the countryside which was a bit grimmer than I remembered. Also, different to how I recalled things, there were more undulations than I remembered - still what goes up must come down and it was up to me to pace them properly.

At 5km I ran through at 27.50, which meant that I would need to pick things up a little if I was going to get anywhere near my PB of 55.06. Two things kept me going here - a tussle I was having with a Lincoln Wellington runner, and how long I could keep on someones shoulder without them turning around a smacking me !

The first tussle I eventually won as I think there was one up too many on the course, and the second eventually dropped behind - mind you, I have got to say, I was very comfortable there and might be a tactic I employ again! There was a longer climb at 6km or so that I thankfully did not have to walk up like last time , and from then on was reasonable flat to the finish.

At about 8km we turned back towards Bolsover and straight into a head wind. I also calculated that a PB was not really going to happen given the course and the conditions. I reached 9km in 50.17 and just ran as fast as I could trying to get below 56mins. I spent the last kilometre running with a really nice bloke and we pushed each other faster and faster - as I turned the last corner I just sprant for the line and was astounded to see that I had run 54.36 - a 4.20something last kilometre( it could be though that the last kilometre was measured shorter - this seems to be the case on a lot of runs I've noticed to give the effect of a 'fast' course when in reality the preceding kilometres are measured 20m longer to complete the illusion.) So there we are, an unlikely PB pulled out of the hat !

With my base training period in full swing for Ironman, my attention is turned next to a Duathlon in March, and then other than Triathlons, the next running event will be the Lincoln 10k in early April - a flat course where I'll attempt to improve again.

Race Report - Not The Roman IX - 12km - 1.07.57

First race of 2011 today and it was slightly longer than my regular ones coming in at 12km, or 7.46 miles in old money.

The plan today was to treat this run out as just another training run, aim to run around 10min/mile pacing and use the time as part of my weekly Don Fink Ironman training plan, which I am finally working to.

I found out about this race through UKnetrunner , which is an online running club which I joined in December and entered it was one of the club's handicap events. The race was also being held in Stratford Upon Avon which is a great place to visit too.

The race HQ was at the NFU mutual offices on Tiddington Lane and we soon found ourselves at registration to pick up our race numbers and timing chips. I thought that this process would be long winded, but to the credit to the guys at Stratford AC, they had everything sorted and it was a quick in and out job. This meant that there was bags of time left before the start, so a few trots up and down to warm up, and a walk back to the car followed by strategically timed portaloo stops was the order of the morning before we made our way up a narrow lane for the start.

The course was a basic anti-clockwise loop, on country roads and country lanes, undulating with one advertised challenging climb. Dead on 11 o clock then, we were off !

Continuing with my recent strategy and remembering that I was supposed to be taking it easy in any case, I ran the first couple of kilometres in 11.30 minutes, I was also being overtaken a lot as the field started to take shape. This didn't bother me too much as all I was concentrating on was my pace and knew things would pick up later in the race. The countryside that we were going through was fantastic and this first part of the race was very pleasant. By the third kilometre though I'd made my mind up that this was going to be more than a training run and started to lift the pace a little. The course began to look familiar at around this time as it dawned on me that this run was following the same course that was used for the Warwickshire Triathlon in 2009. We then saw the 'challenging hill' to our right which looked steep and long, but remembering it from the Triathlon, I knew that it looked far worse than it actually was and this was the case thankfully.

We got to halfway in just under 35 minutes, but this was in part due to the undulating first half of the course. What followed was glorious flatness which meant that the kilometre times started to get better and better ! At 10km, I ran through at just under 57mins which was not far off my previous personal best ! I wanted to go faster over the last two kilometres, but was stiffening up and found it difficult going. I found some improvement in the last 400m, and then in the last 50m, got involved in a sprint finish over the line, which I think I edged, but not totally sure !! I came home in just under 1.08 which was far better than I thought I'd manage at the start of the day.

In all then, delighted with the run, really enjoyed the surroundings on a windy day, and came back with a new personal best (over a new distance !!).

Next week its the re-arranged Bolsover 10k, and today has renewed the enthusiasm !

An attempt at some tumble turns.....

This week has been a very good solid first training week of the New Year.

I also started to ride the three miles into work rather than sit as a passenger in the car and have so far really enjoyed weaving in and out of the traffic although I still feel like a sitting duck for other road users.

I was back on the road on the racing bike on Bank Holiday Monday, and again today with my training partner, yes the hi-viz retro two man peleton was back in action for a 24 mile jaunt this morning which again I really enjoyed. All I'm waiting for now is my Don Fink Ironman training plan to arrive from Amazon which will hopefully tell me that I'm doing enough at present.

Yesterday, I was at the pool doing some lengths when I decided to have a go at some tumble turns for the first time. In reality if I can nail tumble turns then it could save me about half a minute in a sprint swim so it is well worth putting the practice in. So....I attempted about fifteen of these, and only nailed the tumbling maybe twice at best. I tumbled too early, I tumbled too late, I tumbled and came out upside down and finally forgot to breathe and tumbled and nearly drowned !!

Oh, but I got a couple right so next week I'm gonna give them another try ! (just best take an oxygen tank just in case! )

2011 Lets set some goals...

Since my last post, two things have happened.

Firstly, I got my mojo back very quickly, and my running has been fine ever since - and secondly Xmas happened and I've managed to put a few pounds on !

Santa was very kind to me as he left me a turbo trainer, another bento box, and some Bodyglide !!

Obviously the weight pile-age was completely 'unavoidable', and now its time to do something about it, so, these will be the goals for 2011.

1. Lose weight, but lose weight by making sure that I'm fuelling myself enough for the training that I'm doing. I would love to be at least 6kg lighter by July.

2. Improve on my previous Triathlon results, so my times need to be..
East Leake 1.25, Southwell 1.16, Woodhall 1.24, Dambuster 2.59.

3. Stop training anti-socially, and attend more club rides

4. Listen to my body and when it says stop, do just that and stop !! ( unless this happens during the IM, in which case I will ignore it)

5. Complete my first Ironman in under 14 hours. To be honest, finishing is goal one, and further to that i would like the clock to read 13....something.

We are here now, 2011 is going to be fantastic in so many ways - bring it on!

When does a run become a walk ?

Todays report should have been an update following the Bolsover 10k - but this was not to be as the organisers have had to postpone the event until the New Year.

This was a shame as following last weeks run in Sheffield, I was feeling confident that maybe I could go those 7 seconds quicker to post my first sub 55 mins finishing time.

Still, it was not too bad around Lincoln this morning so I decided to go for a sneaky five mile run...... I shouldn't have bothered !!

It was more walk than it was run, and I could only manage 3 on and off miles before calling it a day, honestly, by the end of it, I couldn't even go through the pretense of running the last 100 metres up my street. I think it is a good job that the race was cancelled today because I was really off it today.

I'm going to rest for a few days and then pick it up again, I will catch up the blog over the Xmas week.

Have a good one !

Another day, another Xmas Pudding and a PB !!!!!!!!

Percy Pud 10k - 55.06

It was back to Sheffield today for another crack at winning a Xmas pudding, and for another attempt at breaking my personal best for the 6 mile distance which I set in Derby back at the start of April.

This race was supposed to take place last Sunday, however, due to the snowy deluge from the past couple of weeks, it moved to today - this made it clash with the Lincoln Santa Run which I had also entered. There was then a decision to be made, and a real no brainer really - the Santa suit remains unopened, and a trip to Sheffield beckoned.

The Percy Pud 10k is an annual event which sells out very quickly due to its reputation of being well organised as well as being a quick and relatively flat course (relative to say Heanor !!) We arrived at the start with half an hour to spare which gave me ample time to warm up (that bit before the start where everyone jogs up and down and tries to look like professionals!) whilst also giving Heidi the opportunity to check out which coffee shop she would be spending the duration of the race in !!

The course was rural and a straight out and back, and we appeared to be finishing on the brow of a hill again (d'oh!), and all I could see in the distance was countryside, it was stunning really and I knew that whatever happened, given that I had only been able to treadmill run for the past week or so, I was going to enjoy running in such a location.

We were started (or everybody just started moving as there was not a horn or anything) at just after 9.30. The first couple of kilometres were slightly up and down, and as always, I tried to keep an even pace and not go to stupid (I'm daft enough already) - and achieved this best I could. The third kilometre took us along the edge of a reservoir and was my favourite part of the race as it was flat and very scenic. My pace picked up a bit for the rest of the first half of the race and the seemed downhill as we made our way to the turnaround point at the pub.

On the way back a strange thing happened, I again passed a bloke that I had flown past 3 kilometres earlier - the cheating ******* I thought, he clearly must have decided to turn around and head home at 4km or so, and I nearly said something to him as I passed him, but then I thought what if it was his twin etc. Looking back, it was the same bloke, and I suppose the only person he cheated was himself in the end.

I kept a steady good pace back along the side of the reservior and made sure that I took advantage of any downhill sections and by the time I reached the flat bit again at 7km, I knew that I had a shout at beating my PB. Indeed, if anything I was running as strongly as I had during the run at this point and was keeping a good pace up even though I was at the point of the race where I usually start flagging badly.

8km, then 9km, the wheels still didn't fall off, and the last kilometre felt the best of all knowing that, bar a muscle pull or fall, that I was going to do it a week earlier than planned. I literally sprant the final 100m (a first!) in a fruitless effort to break 55mins, but at 55.06 I couldn't have asked for more.

To celebrate I went to Decathlon on the way back which is my most favouristest place in the world !!

The day was fantastic, Sheffield Striders really do put on a great event, and I got another Xmas pudding to boot - classic !

And you've won.......a Xmas Pudding !

Heanor 10k - 56.54

There it is to the right.... a bloody great big Xmas pudding, the replacement today for either an event t-shirt or indeed a medal - and when I'm tucking into it on Xmas day, I'll think back to a windy day in November !

Like I've pointed out in previous threads, the end of this year is all about building up that 10k base going into the New Year and to assist with this I'd entered three 10k events between 21st November and 19th December.

First up then, the Matthew Walker Heanor Xmas pudding 10k , or the Heanor 10k as I think it is best that we call it. The object today was to get round in under an hour, as I had been suffering with a stiff calf after my two previous training runs, and rightly I was a little cautious about pushing things too much. To combat the calf, I wore my 2XU calf supports, and to make sure I wasn't laughed at, I disguised this fact by wearing running tights. It was a good job that I had so many layers of clothes on in the end to be honest, because it was bloody cold today, not just cold , but really through to the bones nasty cold - and I felt for the supporters, because us runners just need a few minutes of a race to warm up, the supporters have to wait around in it for upto an hour and a half - kudos to them !!

No race timing chips today folks, it was down to me and the measurements of the old Garmin 50 ! At almost bang on the advertised start time of 10.30am, an airhorn sounded and we crossed the rather shaky spray painted start line and we were off on our adventure.....

The first couple of kilometres take you around a loop of the industrial estate, and you pass the Matthew Walker factory twice, (cheers for the pudding!), before heading out of Heanor, via a bloody great hill, and into the countryside. First two kilometres were ticked off rather conservatively at just under the hour pace, and then during the third kilometre, and after the bloody great hill had been climbed, I started to feel a little more comfortable, and tried to keep pace with a couple of blokes in front who I estimated were running at a pace that would bring me in under my PB. I tracked these two at a safe non stalky distance up the ups, and down the downs, and at 5km was there or there abouts for a good time. It then became a case of trying to knock off each kilometre as it came, and keeping pace with my pacemakers. Between 5 and 7km's, I think I ran the most fluent and fastest couple of kilometres that I ever had, and as a result at 7km I was well ahead of PB pace and thought I was on for sub 55 - but as things sometimes do, the wheels began to wobble a little bit, my two pacemakers started to edge away bit by bit, and between kilometres 8 and 9, I struggled.

At 9km, I thought - Right, just one kilometre left - ramp it up, and I did, I ran as hard as I could, I ran up what I thought was the last hill, only to see that there was another even bigger hill right before the finish- and that was that, a real killer , just three hundred metres from the line - a direct parody of the course in Sheffield, and because of this I crossed the line, completely mullered by the course, less than 20 seconds outside of my personal best time !

I don't feel gutted, sad or disappointed, because that was the best race I have ever run, in terms of how I paced it and how I felt, and I know that if I can stay healthy over the next few weeks then the PB will fall without a doubt in either Sheffield on Dec 5th, or Bolsover on December 19th.