Not the fastest 5k I've ever done. I finished in 6th place in 18:54, 20 seconds slower than I ran on the same course a couple of weeks ago. Conditions weren't great: cold (zero degrees), wet & very muddy in places, a bit of ice on some of the corners & a few snow flurries. Also I was still feeling a bit tired from the hilly run yesterday afternoon.
I did a longish warm up & a similar length warm down, so in total I ran 13.2 k, with the race in the middle. In reality, it was probably more like a tempo run than a race. So overall not too dissatisfied with the morning's effort.
I think that Parkruns are a great concept. There has been some criticism of them from some club runners, but personally I think that it's great to encourage people to run a 5k time trial. Technically they're not called races, although I'm not really sure what the difference is. The good thing about Parkruns is that you get runners of all ages & abilities, from elite international athletes to people who have never run before. This morning there were 2 young girls aged about 10 running with their mum & they seemed to be having a great time, getting lots of encouragement from everyone there. It's also free to take part.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
ski & run
This morning I went to Xscape at Castleford to do a couple of hours of indoor downhill skiing. It's not really cross training, but it was good fun.
This afternoon's run was a hilly 13.5k around Ilkley. After a few days of feeling quite sluggish, I was running fine, although not pushing it too much up the hills. It was quite wet after 24 hours of continuous rain, but it doesn't make too much difference running on the roads, apart from the odd puddle.
I'm undecided for tomorrow whether to do the Parkrun 5k in Leeds, the Ilkley Harriers 'Hard run' interval training, or something else. Running a hilly 13.5k this afternoon wasn't the best preparation for a 5k race early tomorrow morning, but I can treat it as a fast training run if I decide to go there.
This afternoon's run was a hilly 13.5k around Ilkley. After a few days of feeling quite sluggish, I was running fine, although not pushing it too much up the hills. It was quite wet after 24 hours of continuous rain, but it doesn't make too much difference running on the roads, apart from the odd puddle.
I'm undecided for tomorrow whether to do the Parkrun 5k in Leeds, the Ilkley Harriers 'Hard run' interval training, or something else. Running a hilly 13.5k this afternoon wasn't the best preparation for a 5k race early tomorrow morning, but I can treat it as a fast training run if I decide to go there.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Back to slow running
The legs were feeling a bit stiff after yesterday's track session, so today's run was a steady jog around the 2 bridges route. Conditions were fine, no snow, no ice, no rain, a little bit of mud. I don't think that I could have run much faster than I did today, but it was good to go out and run. The problem now with wearing a Garmin for every run is that there is a danger to over analyse every split time of every run. Sometimes I think that it would be better if I left my watch at home.
My next planned race is the Peco cross country on 7 March, but that is quite a low key event & more of a fast training run. After that is the Northern 12 stage relay in Manchester, assuming that I get into the Ilkley Harriers team (as captain I'm responsible for selecting the team, but I need to be sure that we have the fastest 12 available, so I might not make it). I'm then intending to run the Wakefield 10k on 28 March. I've run the Wakefield race once before & I don't think that the course is as fast as Dewsbury, so it might be a struggle to beat my recent 10k best.
My next planned race is the Peco cross country on 7 March, but that is quite a low key event & more of a fast training run. After that is the Northern 12 stage relay in Manchester, assuming that I get into the Ilkley Harriers team (as captain I'm responsible for selecting the team, but I need to be sure that we have the fastest 12 available, so I might not make it). I'm then intending to run the Wakefield 10k on 28 March. I've run the Wakefield race once before & I don't think that the course is as fast as Dewsbury, so it might be a struggle to beat my recent 10k best.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
A bit quicker on the track
Having not done any fast running at all for nearly 2 weeks, I wasn't sure about how things would be on the track this evening. I gave running a miss yesterday to try to get over the fatigue that I seemed to have on Monday. It was very cold on the track, about 1 degree, with piles of snow at the side & it was quite foggy.
We did a tough session of 5X800, 2X400 & 5X800 the recoveries were quite short, 45 seconds between the 800s, 40 between the 400s & a longer 2 minutes between the 400s & 800s. For the first set of 800s, I ran between 2:52 & 2:54, then speeded up to 81 seconds for each of the 400s, then slowed to between 2:54 & 2:57 for the second set of 800s. I was running with Paul O, I think that we kept each other going very well, although Paul was much faster than me on the 400s.
Overall it was a hard session & I felt to be running quite well apart from having a bit of a stitch midway through the second set of 800s. I was pleased to be able to run at a much faster pace than I have been running recently. It is strange to run about 2 minutes per kilometre faster than recent runs, without any adverse effects.
I did my warm up run with Ian F, formerly of Otley AC. It's good to see him back running again after a break of several weeks. Even though he was obviously a bit rusty, he was still lapping the track much faster than the rest of us.
We did a tough session of 5X800, 2X400 & 5X800 the recoveries were quite short, 45 seconds between the 800s, 40 between the 400s & a longer 2 minutes between the 400s & 800s. For the first set of 800s, I ran between 2:52 & 2:54, then speeded up to 81 seconds for each of the 400s, then slowed to between 2:54 & 2:57 for the second set of 800s. I was running with Paul O, I think that we kept each other going very well, although Paul was much faster than me on the 400s.
Overall it was a hard session & I felt to be running quite well apart from having a bit of a stitch midway through the second set of 800s. I was pleased to be able to run at a much faster pace than I have been running recently. It is strange to run about 2 minutes per kilometre faster than recent runs, without any adverse effects.
I did my warm up run with Ian F, formerly of Otley AC. It's good to see him back running again after a break of several weeks. Even though he was obviously a bit rusty, he was still lapping the track much faster than the rest of us.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Top of UK rankings!
I'm sure that I'll never achieve this again, so it's worth a bit of a celebration. The Power of Ten UK rankings are now showing me as 1st in the M55 UK 10k rankings for 2010 for my run at Dewsbury. The guy who was previously listed 1st has been taken off the list because he was actually a M50. It's very early in the year & I'm sure that there will be lots of people who overtake me during the year, but even if it's only for a few days, it's good to be top of the UK rankings.
Today I felt anything but fast when I went out for my run. I was full of good intentions to run a bit quicker after 10 days or so of only slow running, but it wasn't to be. Not sure what the problem is, maybe a bit tired, maybe need a bit of a break, maybe need to do a track session to get some speed back, who knows? I ran 14k out & back on the Nesfield Road again, similar to yesterday, but without the loops around the park at the beginning & end.
Today I felt anything but fast when I went out for my run. I was full of good intentions to run a bit quicker after 10 days or so of only slow running, but it wasn't to be. Not sure what the problem is, maybe a bit tired, maybe need a bit of a break, maybe need to do a track session to get some speed back, who knows? I ran 14k out & back on the Nesfield Road again, similar to yesterday, but without the loops around the park at the beginning & end.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Sunday morning run
There were a few options today: the fell race on Ilkley Moor, a run along by the canal, staying in bed or a steady run along the Nesfield Road. I would like to have done the fell race, but I don't seem to have much natural ability at fell running (slow going uphill & even slower going down), plus it was snowing which would make the course even more difficult than it already is. I wasn't sure about getting the car out to go to the canal, given that the snow was coming down quite heavily. Staying in bed all morning was never a realistic option. So I opted to head off around the park & out on the Nesfield Road.
After a very long drive yesterday (made worse by long delays on Eurotunnel) & a busy few days in Belgium & France, it soon became apparent that I wasn't going to be running quickly this morning. I struggled out to Bolton Bridge, then turned around came back again. There was some snow on the road & the snow continued to fall throughout my run, but it was quite wet snow & not very slippery.
In total I managed to run almost 20k at a very slow pace. At least I went out & ran. This was the first weekend since early January that I didn't race....probably just as well. My legs need recharging a bit.
After a very long drive yesterday (made worse by long delays on Eurotunnel) & a busy few days in Belgium & France, it soon became apparent that I wasn't going to be running quickly this morning. I struggled out to Bolton Bridge, then turned around came back again. There was some snow on the road & the snow continued to fall throughout my run, but it was quite wet snow & not very slippery.
In total I managed to run almost 20k at a very slow pace. At least I went out & ran. This was the first weekend since early January that I didn't race....probably just as well. My legs need recharging a bit.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Part 3, but no ice
Out in the forest at Waterloo again. The overnight thaw had continued and daytime temperatures were well above freezing, so virtually all of the snow & ice had gone, being replaced by gravel & mud. I ran a similar route to yesterday, just a bit quicker as it was easier to stay upright.
It is quite pleasant running through the woods, generally the paths are well surfaced & there weren't too many people around. After a busy week, however, I was a bit tired to go too far or too quickly.
This afternoon the cultural part of the trip was a visit to the battlefields, including a climb up the 226 steps to the monument, La Butte de Lion (above).
Tomorrow is the journey back home, so almost certainly no running.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Running on ice in the forest near Waterloo - part 2
An overnight thaw meant that there was much less snow in the woods today, but the patches of ice that remained were even more slippery than yesterday. Today's run was shorter than yesterday, about 11.5k, but again at a very slow pace apart from a 1k effort on a stretch of ice free tarmac.
Despite all of the travelling, running in 3 different countries & the 5k race on Saturday, I've managed to clock more than 100k for the last 7 days which is a good improvement from the cold effected previous week's effort. Having said that most of my running has been at a very slow pace.
I've just found out that the Power of Ten site is now classifying Parkrun 5ks as Multi Terrain events rather than road races, so they've taken them off the UK rankings lists. This seems to apply to all courses, not just Leeds. It seems a bit of an odd decsion, as the Leeds course is 95% tarmac & the remaining 5% of muddy grass hardly gives an improvement in speed. This mean that I now don't have a top 5 time for the 5k distance for my age group that I otherwise would have had.
Despite all of the travelling, running in 3 different countries & the 5k race on Saturday, I've managed to clock more than 100k for the last 7 days which is a good improvement from the cold effected previous week's effort. Having said that most of my running has been at a very slow pace.
I've just found out that the Power of Ten site is now classifying Parkrun 5ks as Multi Terrain events rather than road races, so they've taken them off the UK rankings lists. This seems to apply to all courses, not just Leeds. It seems a bit of an odd decsion, as the Leeds course is 95% tarmac & the remaining 5% of muddy grass hardly gives an improvement in speed. This mean that I now don't have a top 5 time for the 5k distance for my age group that I otherwise would have had.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Running on ice in the forest near Waterloo
The Duke of Wellington & Napoleon Bonaparte didn't have these problems when they were around here. It was quite challenging to run through the woods with ice on top of snow with rain falling on that. I managed to run just over 17k of what Paul O would describe as 'junk miles', i.e. very slow, but the best that I could do without falling over.
Overall it was an enjoyable run, even if it was very slow it was good to be out running off road in an area where I haven't run before. Apart from the underfoot conditions, the main challenge was not to get lost on the many paths going off in all directions.
Whilst it would have been good to be able to do some speedwork today, I did a lot of this kind of running for the 4 or 5 weeks before the Brass Monkey half marathon & it didn't seem to slow me down too much then.
Overall it was an enjoyable run, even if it was very slow it was good to be out running off road in an area where I haven't run before. Apart from the underfoot conditions, the main challenge was not to get lost on the many paths going off in all directions.
Whilst it would have been good to be able to do some speedwork today, I did a lot of this kind of running for the 4 or 5 weeks before the Brass Monkey half marathon & it didn't seem to slow me down too much then.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Bonjour de Lille
Aujourd'hui je suis couru autour des banlieues de Lille...................sorry......today I ran in the suburbs of Lille. Didn't have too much time after driving from Ilkley & before going out for something to eat, but managed to get in a quickish 10k. Conditions were busy traffic, ice, snow, lots of perdestrians & scenery like the Dewsbury 10k, but otherwise a perfect run. Averaged about 4:30 per km which wasn't bad all things considered.
Had a good meal & a few beers at a brewery in Lille.
Tomorrow we're off to Belgium & hopefully running in the forest at Waterloo.
A bientot
Had a good meal & a few beers at a brewery in Lille.
Tomorrow we're off to Belgium & hopefully running in the forest at Waterloo.
A bientot
Monday, 15 February 2010
Power of Ten UK rankings
(P.S. Parkrun 5ks have now been reclassified as MultiTerrain events, so no longer qualify as road races - updated 18/2/10)
Just been checking on the Power of Ten UK rankings site as I now have qualifying times at 5k, 10k & half marathon. It seems unbelievable that I'm ranked 2nd at 5k & 10k and 6th at HM for M55. I would never have expected to get such a high ranking at UK level, there are at least 4 other M55 Ilkley Harriers who can run faster than me over some distances/surfaces. In fact the guy who is shown as 1st for 10k seems to be only 52 years old, so he shouldn't be in the M55 category, which if that gets corrected would give me a top ranking. This won't last as it's still very early in the year & there will be many faster runners who will venture out when the weather gets a bit warmer.....it's not ideal for running fast 5k races at the moment.
Today's run was a gentle jog around the Strid Wood. It was quite pleasant conditions, a bit wet under foot & some light rain. The paths were a bit busy with people out walking taking advantage of the half term holidays.
Tomorrow we're driving to Lille for an overnight stop before going on to Brussels on Wednesday, so probably no running. In Brussels it seems that they have a lot of snow, so not sure what it will be like there for running, hopefully I'll be able to get out in the woods.
Just been checking on the Power of Ten UK rankings site as I now have qualifying times at 5k, 10k & half marathon. It seems unbelievable that I'm ranked 2nd at 5k & 10k and 6th at HM for M55. I would never have expected to get such a high ranking at UK level, there are at least 4 other M55 Ilkley Harriers who can run faster than me over some distances/surfaces. In fact the guy who is shown as 1st for 10k seems to be only 52 years old, so he shouldn't be in the M55 category, which if that gets corrected would give me a top ranking. This won't last as it's still very early in the year & there will be many faster runners who will venture out when the weather gets a bit warmer.....it's not ideal for running fast 5k races at the moment.
Today's run was a gentle jog around the Strid Wood. It was quite pleasant conditions, a bit wet under foot & some light rain. The paths were a bit busy with people out walking taking advantage of the half term holidays.
Tomorrow we're driving to Lille for an overnight stop before going on to Brussels on Wednesday, so probably no running. In Brussels it seems that they have a lot of snow, so not sure what it will be like there for running, hopefully I'll be able to get out in the woods.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Long slow run
I hadn't done a run longer than half marathon distance for 6 weeks, so I decided to head of today to the Cavendish Pavilion. Following yesterday's race, last week's cold, a late night & quite a few glasses of wine, I wasn't on the best of form this morning. Conditions were very good; cold, but sunny & dry.
I headed off along the Nesfield Road out to the A59, then into the Bolton Abbey Estate to join the paths to the Cavendish Pavilion. I returned on the opposite side of the river as far as the Priory. Having started off at a steady pace, I got progressively slower on the way back. However, the speed wasn't really important today, it was more about just going out and running for more than a couple of hours. To complete the run I did a lap around the park, making about 23.5k in total. It's not much of a long run by marathon training standards, but certainly far enough for me today.
For the next couple of weeks I want to get back to running more distance each week, as I've dipped quite a bit so far in February. We're heading off to Belgium by car on Tuesday, so it may be difficult to fit in the runs that I'd like to do. Also there is quite a lot of snow in Brussels at the moment, so it may make running difficult.
I headed off along the Nesfield Road out to the A59, then into the Bolton Abbey Estate to join the paths to the Cavendish Pavilion. I returned on the opposite side of the river as far as the Priory. Having started off at a steady pace, I got progressively slower on the way back. However, the speed wasn't really important today, it was more about just going out and running for more than a couple of hours. To complete the run I did a lap around the park, making about 23.5k in total. It's not much of a long run by marathon training standards, but certainly far enough for me today.
For the next couple of weeks I want to get back to running more distance each week, as I've dipped quite a bit so far in February. We're heading off to Belgium by car on Tuesday, so it may be difficult to fit in the runs that I'd like to do. Also there is quite a lot of snow in Brussels at the moment, so it may make running difficult.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Parkrun 5k
Not sure that it was the wisest choice of run today. Having done 4 races in the previous 4 weeks, then had a cold and 3 days off running, a 5k race was probably not what the doctor ordered. However I went along to the weekly Parkrun event at Hyde Park in Leeds for my first run there this year.
I decided to do a good warm up as I have difficulty getting going for 9am starts. I ran the whole 5k course to make sure that my legs were ready for racing (or at least as ready as they were going to be). The course is not the fastest in the world mostly on tarmac paths through the park, but with a couple of very muddy sections, plenty of twists & turns and ups & downs. It felt quite cold, with the temperature about 1 degree, but fortunately no wind or rain.
Once the race got underway I was feeling OK, but didn't feel as though I could push it too much. My km splits were all over the place, given the nature of the course it's impossible to run at an even pace. My fastest km was 3:33 & my slowest 3:57. I finished in 18:34 in 9th place, time from my Garmin as I don't have the official results yet.
Mixed feelings about the run. It was my fastest time on this course & I beat the M55 course record, however I was disappointed not to get under 18:30 for the Ilkley Harriers club record. I would probably have been better off not racing today & doing a decent training session instead. On the positive side I feel that I could run much faster than I did today on a quicker course & with better preparation.
( Postscript: Just checked on the Power of Ten site & my time today should be the 2nd fastest M55 5k time in the UK this year, so I guess that I shouldn't be too down about it. Last year I didn't even manage to get a M50 5k UK ranking time, so it shows that my expectations have changed this year)
I decided to do a good warm up as I have difficulty getting going for 9am starts. I ran the whole 5k course to make sure that my legs were ready for racing (or at least as ready as they were going to be). The course is not the fastest in the world mostly on tarmac paths through the park, but with a couple of very muddy sections, plenty of twists & turns and ups & downs. It felt quite cold, with the temperature about 1 degree, but fortunately no wind or rain.
Once the race got underway I was feeling OK, but didn't feel as though I could push it too much. My km splits were all over the place, given the nature of the course it's impossible to run at an even pace. My fastest km was 3:33 & my slowest 3:57. I finished in 18:34 in 9th place, time from my Garmin as I don't have the official results yet.
Mixed feelings about the run. It was my fastest time on this course & I beat the M55 course record, however I was disappointed not to get under 18:30 for the Ilkley Harriers club record. I would probably have been better off not racing today & doing a decent training session instead. On the positive side I feel that I could run much faster than I did today on a quicker course & with better preparation.
( Postscript: Just checked on the Power of Ten site & my time today should be the 2nd fastest M55 5k time in the UK this year, so I guess that I shouldn't be too down about it. Last year I didn't even manage to get a M50 5k UK ranking time, so it shows that my expectations have changed this year)
Friday, 12 February 2010
Three days off
I decided to try to get the cold completely out of my system, so I didn't run at all Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. I did go for a 4 hour walk in the Dales yesterday, so I wasn't totally idle, there was quite a bit of snow above about 500m. This photo is looking across the valley towards Buckden Pike from the ridge above Littondale. It's the first time that I've missed 3 days of running for about 6 months.
Today I decided to venture out in my running shoes again. I ran my regular two bridges route to Addingham & back. I didn't feel too bad, but can still feel the effects of the cold in my head.
Depending how I feel tomorrow, I may decide to get up early & either do the Ilkley Harriers 'hard run' interval session or the Parkrun 5k at Hyde Park in Leeds. Not sure that a race is really a good idea, but I could do it as a fast training run, given that I missed the track session on Wednesday.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Easy recovery run
"You're not going out running today are you, you look dreadful". It's good to have words of encouragement from A before setting off on a run. Actually I was feeling much better this morning, although that probably wasn't evident. I ran a very slow tour of the two bridges route, with 11.5k being more than sufficient for today.
I'm now in the unusual situation of not having entered any more races. I'm intending to do the Peco cross country on 7 March. I might do one of the Saturday morning Hyde Park time trials before then, I'll leave it until probably the day before to decide on that. There is the Northern 12 stage road relay on 21 March, I'm the captain & organiser for the Ilkley Harriers team, but if we have 12 younger, fitter, faster runners than me, I'd happily go along as non-running captain. 28 March is the Wakefield 10k which I haven't entered yet, but will probably run.
Looking forward to April, I don't have any major racing targets, but I'll probably do a couple of races in preparation for what looks like a busy month in May. I'm looking forward to the John Carr 5k series (3 consecutive Wenesdays in May) on a very fast course. There is also the start of the Harrogate League race series, which I'll also run.
I'm now in the unusual situation of not having entered any more races. I'm intending to do the Peco cross country on 7 March. I might do one of the Saturday morning Hyde Park time trials before then, I'll leave it until probably the day before to decide on that. There is the Northern 12 stage road relay on 21 March, I'm the captain & organiser for the Ilkley Harriers team, but if we have 12 younger, fitter, faster runners than me, I'd happily go along as non-running captain. 28 March is the Wakefield 10k which I haven't entered yet, but will probably run.
Looking forward to April, I don't have any major racing targets, but I'll probably do a couple of races in preparation for what looks like a busy month in May. I'm looking forward to the John Carr 5k series (3 consecutive Wenesdays in May) on a very fast course. There is also the start of the Harrogate League race series, which I'll also run.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Dewsbury 10k
I nearly didn't run today. My cold got much worse yesterday evening & overnight, so this morning's race seemed to be a far from sensible activity. I'd arranged to travel with Alison B & Justin P, so felt a bit obliged to show up, although I did think about going home when I was waiting feeling very shivery in the car park at Menston.
Arriving in Dewsbury, the warm up didn't help a lot, I was still cold & lethargic. However, once the race got underway I suddenly felt much better. I ran the 1st km in 3:33 & the second not much slower, which was ridiculously fast, even if I'd been 100%. At that stage I was running with Justin, who was starting at a more sensible (for him) pace. I decided that I'd better ease off a bit, as I was sure that the effects of my cold would slow me down at some point.
I got to halfway in about 18:45 and with the 2nd half being slightly downhill, I was starting to think that I might get to the end without any major disasters. I was then running just behind a guy from Leeds AC who I thought might also be a M55, but try as I might I couldn't close the 10m or so gap to him, although it did ensure that I kept running at a reasonable speed. I got to the finish with a chip time of 37:04 & a gun time of 37:09, so I ran the 2nd 5k in about 18:20.
I subsequently found out that the runner in front of me was a youngster (1st M50), so I did manage to get the 1st M55 prize. It seems strange now to have won two prizes in two weeks (after the Brass Monkey), and an honour to receive the prize from Derek Ibbotson (Olympic 5,000m medalist & 4 minute miler).
All things considered it was a really good morning, even better considering that I nearly didn't run at all. Travelling back with Justin we stopped off at Sportsshoes Unlimited, I resisted the temptation to buy more shoes, but did get some new running socks (although I doubt they'll make me run any faster). I'm off to bed with more Lemsip now.
Arriving in Dewsbury, the warm up didn't help a lot, I was still cold & lethargic. However, once the race got underway I suddenly felt much better. I ran the 1st km in 3:33 & the second not much slower, which was ridiculously fast, even if I'd been 100%. At that stage I was running with Justin, who was starting at a more sensible (for him) pace. I decided that I'd better ease off a bit, as I was sure that the effects of my cold would slow me down at some point.
I got to halfway in about 18:45 and with the 2nd half being slightly downhill, I was starting to think that I might get to the end without any major disasters. I was then running just behind a guy from Leeds AC who I thought might also be a M55, but try as I might I couldn't close the 10m or so gap to him, although it did ensure that I kept running at a reasonable speed. I got to the finish with a chip time of 37:04 & a gun time of 37:09, so I ran the 2nd 5k in about 18:20.
I subsequently found out that the runner in front of me was a youngster (1st M50), so I did manage to get the 1st M55 prize. It seems strange now to have won two prizes in two weeks (after the Brass Monkey), and an honour to receive the prize from Derek Ibbotson (Olympic 5,000m medalist & 4 minute miler).
All things considered it was a really good morning, even better considering that I nearly didn't run at all. Travelling back with Justin we stopped off at Sportsshoes Unlimited, I resisted the temptation to buy more shoes, but did get some new running socks (although I doubt they'll make me run any faster). I'm off to bed with more Lemsip now.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Not a good time to get a cold
Feeling under the weather on Thursday, then a bit of a snuffle yesterday morning, turned into a proper cold. Not what's needed with the race tomorrow. The last time I had a bad cold was two years ago, the week before the Dewsbury 10k then, some coincidence.
Was not sure about just resting today, but quickly got bored with that, so after a spot of DIY, I decided to go out for a bit of a run....kill or cure, or at least to convince myself that it's not too bad. Apart from sneezing & a very runny nose, the run wasn't too bad. I only ran about 10k, around 15 minutes slower than I should do in a race, but the main thing was just to get out & have a bit of a run. Having got back I actually feel a bit better now, let's hope that the cold is past it's worse.
On a positive note the weather forecast is good for tomorrow, not too cold, only light winds & should be dry. We have 16 runners from Ilkley entered for the race, including fell runner Dave W making his 10k debut, it will be interesting to see how he goes. Also Nick P is making a rare appearance on the roads, he's in the same age category as me & were normally fairly close on the track & cross country, so will be interesting to see how that goes.
Was not sure about just resting today, but quickly got bored with that, so after a spot of DIY, I decided to go out for a bit of a run....kill or cure, or at least to convince myself that it's not too bad. Apart from sneezing & a very runny nose, the run wasn't too bad. I only ran about 10k, around 15 minutes slower than I should do in a race, but the main thing was just to get out & have a bit of a run. Having got back I actually feel a bit better now, let's hope that the cold is past it's worse.
On a positive note the weather forecast is good for tomorrow, not too cold, only light winds & should be dry. We have 16 runners from Ilkley entered for the race, including fell runner Dave W making his 10k debut, it will be interesting to see how he goes. Also Nick P is making a rare appearance on the roads, he's in the same age category as me & were normally fairly close on the track & cross country, so will be interesting to see how that goes.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Walk & run
Yesterday I was feeling a bit under the weather, starting with a bit of a cold, so I reverted to Plan A & had a day off from running to avoid getting too run down before Sunday's race. Today is A's birthday, so we decided to go for a 3 hour dog walk on the moor this morning, in the fog. It was actually a very pleasant walk.
Returning home from the walk I decided to go out for a run, still feeling a bit snuffly, but otherwise ready for some more energetic exercise. I ran my regular two bridges route. Surprisingly I actually felt fine once I got under way & was consciously slowing myself down, as I didn't want to run too hard before the race. Having said that I was still running within 1 minute per km of my race pace (including muddy fields, gates, hills etc.) which is quicker than I'd normally go on a steady run. Maybe I should take the dog for a 3 hour walk every time before I go running.
Tomorrow will be a very easy run. I have generally had an easier week this week, barely over 70km & with no fast running since last Sunday's cross country.
Returning home from the walk I decided to go out for a run, still feeling a bit snuffly, but otherwise ready for some more energetic exercise. I ran my regular two bridges route. Surprisingly I actually felt fine once I got under way & was consciously slowing myself down, as I didn't want to run too hard before the race. Having said that I was still running within 1 minute per km of my race pace (including muddy fields, gates, hills etc.) which is quicker than I'd normally go on a steady run. Maybe I should take the dog for a 3 hour walk every time before I go running.
Tomorrow will be a very easy run. I have generally had an easier week this week, barely over 70km & with no fast running since last Sunday's cross country.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
The white stuff's back again.
It was a frustrating day today. I could have run during the day when it was cold but generally quite pleasant conditions, but I was holding off because of the planned track session in the evening. The doubt was that snow was forecast from about 4pm. Sure enough the snow started right on cue. It didn't seem to be snowing too heavily, so I got prepared for going to the track, but just as I was ready to set off I got a text message from Paul O to let me know that the session was cancelled.
I was already changed for running, so I decided to put on my fell shoes and venture out into the snow. The conditions weren't actually too bad, there was about an inch of snow on the pavements, but it wasn't slippery at all, unless I just had very good grip in my Inov8s. I headed over the bridge to Rupert Road with the intention of doing some efforts around the 1 mile circuit.
The underfoot conditions weren't too bad, but visibility was difficult as the snow was making my glasses steam up & the street lighting isn't very good. I gave up on the efforts as I couldn't see anything on my watch & also lacking a bit of enthusiasm. I managed to do 4 laps before heading off around the park. There the visibility was even worse in the absence of any lighting, so I'd no idea really what I was running on (except that it was white). I decided to do another couple of laps around Rupert Road before heading home, just under 13k in total.
It was disappointing not to be able to do a proper effort session, although hopefully it shouldn't have any real impact on Sunday's race. Tomorrow I was intending to have a day off from running, but having had two disrupted runs in the last 2 days, I may venture out after all.
I was already changed for running, so I decided to put on my fell shoes and venture out into the snow. The conditions weren't actually too bad, there was about an inch of snow on the pavements, but it wasn't slippery at all, unless I just had very good grip in my Inov8s. I headed over the bridge to Rupert Road with the intention of doing some efforts around the 1 mile circuit.
The underfoot conditions weren't too bad, but visibility was difficult as the snow was making my glasses steam up & the street lighting isn't very good. I gave up on the efforts as I couldn't see anything on my watch & also lacking a bit of enthusiasm. I managed to do 4 laps before heading off around the park. There the visibility was even worse in the absence of any lighting, so I'd no idea really what I was running on (except that it was white). I decided to do another couple of laps around Rupert Road before heading home, just under 13k in total.
It was disappointing not to be able to do a proper effort session, although hopefully it shouldn't have any real impact on Sunday's race. Tomorrow I was intending to have a day off from running, but having had two disrupted runs in the last 2 days, I may venture out after all.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Not much fun on the ice
This evening I ran one of the Ilkley Harriers club runs. It had been raining for much of the day, then as darkness fell, the rain stopped & the temperature fell below freezing, leaving a film of ice on the roads & paths. The group that I ran with wasn't one of the fastest, but in the conditions, I wouldn't have wanted to be going any quicker.
We did an 'anti-clockwise' tour of Ilkley, just over 10k. It was particularly challenging to stay upright on the downhill sections & I seemed to be struggling to get any grip from my well worn road shoes. I was pleased to get home without taking a tumble.
On the positive side, I wanted to do an easy run today, as part of having an easier week before Sunday's 10k & I achieved that. Tomorrow is the weekly track session at Carnegie. However, the weather forecast is for snow tomorrow evening, so it must be doubtful that the session will go ahead.
We did an 'anti-clockwise' tour of Ilkley, just over 10k. It was particularly challenging to stay upright on the downhill sections & I seemed to be struggling to get any grip from my well worn road shoes. I was pleased to get home without taking a tumble.
On the positive side, I wanted to do an easy run today, as part of having an easier week before Sunday's 10k & I achieved that. Tomorrow is the weekly track session at Carnegie. However, the weather forecast is for snow tomorrow evening, so it must be doubtful that the session will go ahead.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Variation on a theme
Today was a recovery day, although I don't think that yesterday's cross country took too much out of me. I decided to run my regular two bridges run, but the opposite way to my usual route & going along the Dalesway path, rather alongside the main road.
Conditions were again very good: dry, sunny & cold with little wind. The off road sections were mainly frozen, but there wasn't much ice about. I ran along at a slow pace, but felt that I could have gone much quicker had I felt so inclined.
I'm planning to take it easy this week before Sunday's Dewsbury 10k, only Wednesday's track session should have any fast running, although I might go along to the Ilkley Harriers club night tomorrow & hopefully join a not too fast group.
Not sure what to expect time wise on Sunday, Dewsbury is a fast out & back course along a main road, slightly uphill going out & downhill on the way back. Last year I ran exactly the same time at Dewsbury as I had run at Ribble Valley, so it would be nice to think that I could do something similar this year, as I was very pleased with my time then. I'm not so keen on the 9am start time, which is very early for a Sunday morning & last year it was bitterly cold.
Conditions were again very good: dry, sunny & cold with little wind. The off road sections were mainly frozen, but there wasn't much ice about. I ran along at a slow pace, but felt that I could have gone much quicker had I felt so inclined.
I'm planning to take it easy this week before Sunday's Dewsbury 10k, only Wednesday's track session should have any fast running, although I might go along to the Ilkley Harriers club night tomorrow & hopefully join a not too fast group.
Not sure what to expect time wise on Sunday, Dewsbury is a fast out & back course along a main road, slightly uphill going out & downhill on the way back. Last year I ran exactly the same time at Dewsbury as I had run at Ribble Valley, so it would be nice to think that I could do something similar this year, as I was very pleased with my time then. I'm not so keen on the 9am start time, which is very early for a Sunday morning & last year it was bitterly cold.
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