North Lincolnshire Half Marathon

I've been feeling very slow, tired, and sore all week following week 27 of Ironman training so really wasn't expecting much from yesterdays trip to ' Sunny Scunny' for a 13 miler !

Well, in a true shocker, I knocked out a 1.48 out of nowhere on an admittedly fast course, but still running just outside my PB from 2011 by 10 seconds has put a real smile on my face.

I was accompanied by my brother Dave  (from the trademarked 'Team Newham' ) - and we got to Glanford  Park very early in readiness for the early 9 am start. Once I had sorted my number we headed out for a mile walk to the start line with the rest of the 833 competitors and at 9.00 on the dot there was a massive bang and the race was underway.

The course is flat, seems to be slightly downhill a lot of the way and follows a rough rectangular shape - oh, and did I mention flat ! So flat in fact that the early climb over the motorway seemed like an epic climb ! I ran the first mile in 8.15 or so and thought I was going too fast, but as each mile ticked by and the pace got as fast as 8.05 at one point, I managed to pass the 10km mark in just shy of 50 minutes. The middle part of the race was a case of trying to keep the pace going, and once we hit 10 miles and my legs started to stiffen it was a case of trying to keep the average pace at an even keel without it dropping off a cliff !

One final climb over the motorway, and I was running into the football ground, lapping the pitch and finishing under a bright orange arch in the centre circle.

1.48.28 in the end then and a scraped top half finish - a good confidence booster ahead of Lanza.

Next up for me then is Ironman Lanzarote in less than 3 weeks time now and next up for Team Newham is the Birmingham Super Sprint Tri in mid - July !

Busy 'int it !

LRRA 2-up TTT 15.5m

Onwards and upwards then, and today I took part in my 2nd LRRA event in the form of my first two man time trial held out of Horncastle in Lincolnshire.

My partner in crime for the day would be the best climber in the club and with me being possibly the worst, I knew I might be in for a hard day in the saddle ! We were off early too - numbers 3 & 4 which would make us the second team out on the road.

After a brief timing scare where I road off up the road on a warm up and only just made it back to the start on time we were set off !  We literally tear arsed it for the first part into the wind, switching on the inside like a well oiled machine ! Damn, I thought - I wish we'd ridden TT bikes - the course was TT friendly in my eyes.

About 6 miles in and the road turned left and we had a glorious back wind so we were able to hammer along at a decent pace and bring up the average speed to above 23 mph. After around 4 miles, we turned left where we though we'd still get back wind but didn't ! In fact, this was the hilliest part and although they could have been negotiated with a TT bike, the truth is my climbing began to hurt and I was holding back my ride partner.

Over the line in 39.57 and good enough ride for 15/23 teams on the day. A switch to TT bikes like everyone else would have seen us propelled up the leader board - but we'll keep that secret weapon til next year :-)

Lincoln Wheelers Spring 5m TT series

The Wheelers host a series of 5, 10, and then 5 mile TT series throughout the year, and on 2nd April & 9th April I took part in the first two of the series.

The HQ is the pub in Aubourn and cut off for registration is 6.10pm which I managed to cut very fine on the first event, arriving near the knuckle and being given number 23. The wind on that first evening was a strong 19-20 mph northerly wind, which meant that I got a decent backwind for the first mile, a choppy side wind which did me no favours down the middle stretch and then a wicked headwind which was a speed killer for the last 2.5 miles on the finishing run !

A hard work 13.53 on the night, and 8th overall.

Race night 2 was a similar story - the wind had shifted to a north easterly which again was detrimental and I again once I had managed to get on the home straight, the wind battered me. Result was a little bit quicker at 13.38, position in the field was down one at No.9.

Overall, looks like I've finished the series in 9th place and racked up a few points in the old rider of the season table.

Next Wheelers event will be the 10 series, and I might even have a crack at some circuit racing now that my TLI licence has arrived !

Paul Kirk Memorial Cyclosportive

Today was a windy and hilly 100 miler laid on by the Lincsquad Club based out of Brigg in North Lincolnshire. It was my first century ride of the year and with Ironman Lanzarote rearing up in just five weeks time, perfect timing with a 24mph South Westerly wind replicating expected race day conditions.

We set out from the Ancholme Leisure Centre at 8.40, and I found myself in a group made up of riders from the Harworth Cycling Club. The first 30 miles of the course heads south and into the wind and for this I was grateful to be in a group. The speed averaged 16mph and because the route was mostly hedge or tree lined I didn't feel that we got the full force of the wind although it was still a bugger to ride through !

From around 30 miles I found myself riding alone as the route headed east toward Market Rasen and the first feed station of the day - and what a feed station it was..... a petrol station forecourt ! (Never seen the like and probably won't again !) A quick refill of the water bottle and two slices of brill cake later, I was on my way again and heading towards the hilliest parts of the course.

For the next 10 miles the route was up and down and I wondered on occasion how the f==k I was going to get up some of the climbs I saw before me. I did manage comfortably in the end and at mile 60 the clibing was mostly done. A wind assisted trip North for miles 60 - 86 meant my tired legs got a rest, however the last 14 miles were a real killer into a gusty headwind again and I could only watch as the speed disappeared to a mighty 8.5mph in places !

Legs of jelly and seriiously struggling when I finally made it back to base having ridden 100.20 miles in 6hrs 25 mins ride time. Happy with that for a first 100 miler of the year !

Lincoln 10k race report

Ah... the Lincoln 10k, my local race , my favourite 10k and where the journey began 4 years ago. Today I was joined by my brother Dave and together we aimed to get around in under 1hr 30 mins ! It would be Daves first race of any kind I think since our swim instructor in the mid 80's decided to let us race over 10m in City school's pool !

As always for the 10k the weather was great and we even had that strange orange orb in the sky that we see so little of !

We made good time getting down to the start area and had time for some stretching and a little bit of a jog up to the start pens on Riseholme Road - we went to the 60+ box and had a good view of the 5000 or so runners that seemed to stretching out for a miles in front of us. At 11.03 were were off........ on a 400m walk and eventually we crossed the start line for the actual start of the race !

The plan to get round in target time was to run/walk at 14 minute miles pace and adopt the Bolton Ironman cone counting strategy that served me so well last year with trees and lamp posts replacing cones.
For the first third of a mile we managed to amble along quite well and overtook a few people who had already started to walk until we got around the first roundabout and started the walk part of our strategy. We then started to pick out which trees we would start running again from and then from the distance which landmarks would mark the start of the walking stretch. First mile ticked off in 11 mins and Dave still looking fresh, so we repeated for the 2nd and third miles which took us to the water station at the halfway point in 38/39 minutes !

The second half of the race saw us tiring and taking longer walking breaks but we kept on pushing on and tried to keep some target runners in our sights to keep moving forward. It was bliss passing the 9km marker and I offered Dave the opportunity to do a third lap to which he politely declined !

A quick rounding of the Cathedral and a run across the cobbles of Castle square meant a sprint finish through the Castle Gates and across the line in 1.21.05 - 4314th and 4315th on the day with Dave beating me alphabetically to claim the family bragging rights !

A quality days running and a super debut from our kid :-)

Sleaford Wheelers Charity 10

 I competed in this Charity 10 mile time trial yesterday. Well, when I say competed, I mean that I was there and I rode my bicycle around the course for 10 miles - in no way could I say that I was competitive.

I think its time to delve deep into the tombola of excuses !

- I didn't feel fully OK
- The brake was rubbing
- There was a side wind and I got battered
- My wheels were too deep for that course
- There was some inclines which I don't like
- I didn't have any mojo !

Pick any combination of these excuses and then apply them to my very poor time of 27.22 which gave me 55th place out of 85 on the day. I should and have been a couple of minutes quicker than that to be fair and must get my house in order ready for Tuesdays Lincoln Wheelers 5.

I should have competed in the East Leake Sprint tri today, but have binned that due to not fancying getting out of the pool in zero degrees and instead went on a club run where I feel much better - roll on Tuesday now cos I've a point to prove !

Lincolnshire RRA 25m TT

This won't be a massively long read I'm afraid....

Today I took part in my first 25 mile time trial which was being run by the Lincolnshire Road Riding Association (LRRA) - and there was a massive Lincoln Wheelers involvement - either riding, or giving up their time marshalling.

The course was the C25/3 which is rolling in places and sporting. I chose to stay with the same set up as last time out, keeping the disc covers on the back reasoning that there would be plenty of straight flat sections where the covers would be a real benefit.

I was hoping to keep an average of 23mph which would mean a finish of 1.05 and for the first couple of miles of the course with fresh legs I managed this comfortably, however I soon turned onto the B1133 and into a fresh headwind and watched the average speed dwindle to a low point of 22.5mph, as I turned left at the Bestwick turn. From this point it was a real battle against the wind and the elements (it had started to rain too) , which meant a had a continuous eye on the clock, using alternating my gears to keep my legs moving, whilst trying to edge up the average speed to 23mph as planned.

I nearly got there too, as it registered 22.9mph in the end, which took me across the finish line in 1.05.27 and 33rd place out of 77 finishers on the day.