This evening's track session was a shorter one than normal: 8X400m with 30 second recoveries, then a 2 minute recovery followed by another 8X400m with 30 seconds recoveries. I was very mindful that I'd pushed it a bit too hard last week, so decided to take it a bit easier this time.
I was running with Nick P & someone from Otley AC. We did the first set of 400s at 87/88 seconds, then the second set at 86/87 seconds. Considering that it was very cold with a very strong wind, this was a quite respectable pace, equivalent to about 3:37 per km.
I felt as though I could have run another 8X400 at the same pace & most importantly I had no adverse reaction from my troublesome achilles/calf. Overall it was quite a satisfying session.
Things look OK now for the 5 mile race on Sunday. My target is to get under 30 minutes, which should be feasible if the weather isn't too bad.
I heard today that Ilkley Harriers have been offered a place in the National road relay on 17 April. It's only the 2nd time we have qualified for this. I now have some work to do to get a team together as some of our runners from the Northern relay aren't available.
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Just an easy run
I managed to avoid the heavy showers today. I did a steady hilly run around Ilkley on both sides of the valley, about 14k in total. My intention was to take it easy to avoid aggravating the achilles injury.
Not sure about the track session tomorrow evening & the race on Sunday. I think that I'll go to the track, but not do to much of a hard session & then decide after that whether Sunday's 5 mile race is feasible.
I've now slipped down the UK 10k rankings for M55 to 5th place. It's not really surprising as there are quite a lot of 55 year olds who are faster than me, but it was good to be top of the rankings for a few weeks. So far I've still got a 100% record for M55 category wins in the road races that I've done.
Not sure about the track session tomorrow evening & the race on Sunday. I think that I'll go to the track, but not do to much of a hard session & then decide after that whether Sunday's 5 mile race is feasible.
I've now slipped down the UK 10k rankings for M55 to 5th place. It's not really surprising as there are quite a lot of 55 year olds who are faster than me, but it was good to be top of the rankings for a few weeks. So far I've still got a 100% record for M55 category wins in the road races that I've done.
Monday 29 March 2010
Route of Harrogate League race
Today I decided to risk running on my dodgy achilles/calf, the idea being that I'd stop or cut the route short if it became sore. I ran the route of the forthcoming race in the Harrogate & District Summer Race League organised by Ilkley Harriers. It's a hilly 4.8 miles starting near Ilkley Rugby Club, then going uphill along Owler Park Road to the top of Middleton, before descending Carters Lane & back along Denton Road. I added on a section through the park at the beginning & end to make it almost 12k in total.
My achilles wasn't causing me any problems during the run, although I was taking it fairly easy, running around the actual race route in about 38 minutes (looking at the results of the last time the race was run that would've still put me in the first half of the field). It was quite wet during the run with fairly continuous heavy rain & not too warm.....it's even forecasted that we could have some snow in the next few days.
Not sure about racing the Halton 5 on Sunday. If my achilles is causing me problems, it's a long way to travel. The only reason to go is to try to run a fast time, so if that's not possible, I'd be better giving it a miss.
My achilles wasn't causing me any problems during the run, although I was taking it fairly easy, running around the actual race route in about 38 minutes (looking at the results of the last time the race was run that would've still put me in the first half of the field). It was quite wet during the run with fairly continuous heavy rain & not too warm.....it's even forecasted that we could have some snow in the next few days.
Not sure about racing the Halton 5 on Sunday. If my achilles is causing me problems, it's a long way to travel. The only reason to go is to try to run a fast time, so if that's not possible, I'd be better giving it a miss.
Sunday 28 March 2010
Wakefield 10k
Today I had an off day at the Wakefield 10k. My finishing time of 39:16 was my slowest 10k for about a year. It was an early start with the clocks going forward an hour. It was bright & sunny, but the wind was certainly quite strong.
I was surprised how tough the course was, it was mainly uphill for the first half with a headwind making progress difficult. On the return downhill section, I seemed to struggle to get the benefit from the tailwind. My km splits were all over the place from a fastest 3:37 (6th) to a slowest 4:22 (5th).
My troublesome right achilles & calf didn't give me any pain during the race, but was very sore afterwards. I think that I need to take it easy for a while now to let this injury properly recover.
Overall it was disappointing to be more than 2 minutes slower than I ran at the Dewsbury 10k at the beginning of February. Talking to club mates after the race most were a few seconds slower than at Dewsbury, so I seem to have been relatively much slower.
I was surprised how tough the course was, it was mainly uphill for the first half with a headwind making progress difficult. On the return downhill section, I seemed to struggle to get the benefit from the tailwind. My km splits were all over the place from a fastest 3:37 (6th) to a slowest 4:22 (5th).
My troublesome right achilles & calf didn't give me any pain during the race, but was very sore afterwards. I think that I need to take it easy for a while now to let this injury properly recover.
Overall it was disappointing to be more than 2 minutes slower than I ran at the Dewsbury 10k at the beginning of February. Talking to club mates after the race most were a few seconds slower than at Dewsbury, so I seem to have been relatively much slower.
Friday 26 March 2010
Two bridges run again
After not running yesterday, it was not really going to be an option to have a run free day again today. I didn't get chance to go running until late afternoon, just as we started to have some heavy showers. I wasn't sure how my temperamental right calf & achilles would react after Wednesday's track session.
I headed off on my regular two bridges run for the second time this week. My pace was quicker than my slow steady run pace, but still about a minute per km slower than my 10k race pace. No real problems with the calf/achilles, just a bit of minor soreness, nothing to worry about.
Not sure about running tomorrow, the sensible option would be to rest before Sunday's race, but I may well go out for a very easy run if I really feel the urge.
I headed off on my regular two bridges run for the second time this week. My pace was quicker than my slow steady run pace, but still about a minute per km slower than my 10k race pace. No real problems with the calf/achilles, just a bit of minor soreness, nothing to worry about.
Not sure about running tomorrow, the sensible option would be to rest before Sunday's race, but I may well go out for a very easy run if I really feel the urge.
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Shortened track session
I cut short my track session this evening as the calf above my troublesome achilles became really tight & I didn't want to risk doing any serious damage to it. The planned session was 4X400m, 3X600m, 2X800m, 1X1000m, 3X400m, 2X600m, with 30seconds recovery between the 400s, 40 seconds between the 600s, 1 minute between the 800s & 2 minutes before the 1000m. The idea was to run the efforts faster than 5k race pace, especially the 1000m.
I was running with Mark I & Dave B for most of the session as well as someone from Otley AC. The first set of 400s averaged 81 seconds, the 600s 2:08 & the 800s a bit slower at 2:55. For the 1000m we then picked up the pace again to run 3:29. By the time we got to the second set of 400s, I was starting to feel the efforts in my achilles/calf and slowed to 86 seconds. I then opted out of the final 2X600m.
Not sure how serious the injury is, tomorrow I won't run as I'm driving to Norfolk & back. I might not run on Friday as well to give it more of a chance to recover. Apart from the calf problem, I was very pleased with the way I was running, particularly the sub 3:30 km - although that's probably what triggered the muscle tightness.
I was running with Mark I & Dave B for most of the session as well as someone from Otley AC. The first set of 400s averaged 81 seconds, the 600s 2:08 & the 800s a bit slower at 2:55. For the 1000m we then picked up the pace again to run 3:29. By the time we got to the second set of 400s, I was starting to feel the efforts in my achilles/calf and slowed to 86 seconds. I then opted out of the final 2X600m.
Not sure how serious the injury is, tomorrow I won't run as I'm driving to Norfolk & back. I might not run on Friday as well to give it more of a chance to recover. Apart from the calf problem, I was very pleased with the way I was running, particularly the sub 3:30 km - although that's probably what triggered the muscle tightness.
Tuesday 23 March 2010
Slowly does it
Another day, another slow run. Still feeling a bit lethargic & with tomorrow's track session & Sunday's Wakefield 10k, I opted for a short easy run today. It was the favourite two bridges run from Ilkley to Addingham and back, 11.5k.
Conditions were OK: dry, not too cold, not much wind & not many people around. My pace was comfortable, but I seemed to be quite tired in my legs. I guess that I'm getting used to running most of my training runs at a very slow pace then being able to speed up considerably for track sessions & races. It is curious that as I do most of my training runs at an ever slower pace, my race speed seems to continue to improve.
I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if I can run quicker than my recent time at the Dewsbury 10k. According to the Power of Ten UK rankings, that is still the second fastest 10k for my age group in the UK this year (and there is a question mark over the time that's faster than mine, as the runner is unidentified).
Conditions were OK: dry, not too cold, not much wind & not many people around. My pace was comfortable, but I seemed to be quite tired in my legs. I guess that I'm getting used to running most of my training runs at a very slow pace then being able to speed up considerably for track sessions & races. It is curious that as I do most of my training runs at an ever slower pace, my race speed seems to continue to improve.
I'm looking forward to the race on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if I can run quicker than my recent time at the Dewsbury 10k. According to the Power of Ten UK rankings, that is still the second fastest 10k for my age group in the UK this year (and there is a question mark over the time that's faster than mine, as the runner is unidentified).
Monday 22 March 2010
Running in the woods
After yesterday's race, I didn't want to do anything too demanding today, however, given that I'm racing again next Sunday I wanted to get in a longish run early in the week. I decided to head to the Strid Wood & run for a couple of hours at a very easy pace.
I set off from near Bolton Bridge, across the fields near the Devonshire Arms & on to Bolton Abbey. From there I went past the Cavendish Pavillion, the Strid & Barden Bridge before joining the back road to Howgill. At Howgill I turned around & came back along the Dalesway path to Barden Bridge, then along the path at the opposite side of the river to my outward journey to Bolton Priory before returning across the fields.
It is a very pleasant route following the course of the River Wharfe, a few small inclines, but on very runnable paths most of the way. The weather was OK with a bit of drizzle & a bit breezy on the way back. My pace was really very slow, especially as I got tired running into the wind.
This week will be another not too strenuous week in preparation for the Wakefield 10k on Sunday. My only hard session should be at the track on Wednesday. On Sunday my objective will be to try to beat the time that I did recently at the Dewsbury 10k (37:04). Not sure how realistic that is, it depends a lot on how I feel on the day & what the conditions are like. I think that my fitness levels won't have changed a lot.
I set off from near Bolton Bridge, across the fields near the Devonshire Arms & on to Bolton Abbey. From there I went past the Cavendish Pavillion, the Strid & Barden Bridge before joining the back road to Howgill. At Howgill I turned around & came back along the Dalesway path to Barden Bridge, then along the path at the opposite side of the river to my outward journey to Bolton Priory before returning across the fields.
It is a very pleasant route following the course of the River Wharfe, a few small inclines, but on very runnable paths most of the way. The weather was OK with a bit of drizzle & a bit breezy on the way back. My pace was really very slow, especially as I got tired running into the wind.
This week will be another not too strenuous week in preparation for the Wakefield 10k on Sunday. My only hard session should be at the track on Wednesday. On Sunday my objective will be to try to beat the time that I did recently at the Dewsbury 10k (37:04). Not sure how realistic that is, it depends a lot on how I feel on the day & what the conditions are like. I think that my fitness levels won't have changed a lot.
Sunday 21 March 2010
Northern 12 stage road relays
Today's Northern 12 stage road relay was a really good event with nearly all of the top road racing clubs in the North of England taking part.Ilkley Harriers have more only entered this race 3 times before & the average age of our runners was considerably older than the front running teams. We were slightly disappointed to finish in 29th place (out of 46 teams that finished the race), although our average pace of 5:47 minutes per mile for the whole race was just about as good as we could have hoped for. Our Ladies team did really well, finishing in 14th place out of27 teams.
As team captain, I was a bit pre-occupied with organisational issues, so I wasn't particularly stressed before the start about my own race. However, once I got going it seemed to be quite a brisk pace, fortunately I had other runners around me to race with. The course started & finished on a running track, then was on paths around a park, often quite muddy (not sure why it was called a 'road' relay, it was more like a trail race). I ran my 4.9k leg in 17:50 at an average pace of 3:38 min/km (5:51 min/mile), so I was quite happy with that, given the surface.
It was a good day out, with most of our team travelling together to Manchester by coach, then having a beer when we got back to Ilkley..... and it didn't rain. 
Saturday 20 March 2010
Running before a race
I decided to continue my habit of going for a run the day before a race. Many people consider that it's better to have a rest, but I feel better for going running. Today I did a shortened two bridges run, missing out the loop around the park, just over 9k.
It was raining today for the first time for a few weeks. I don't mind running in the rain, providing it's not too cold, today was fine. Not too many aches & pains, the achilles seemed to be less tight than yesterday. Overall I felt OK & glad that I'd been running.
Tomorrow will be a new experience at the Northern 12 stage road relay. We're travelling to the race in Manchester by coach. There should be more than 50 teams taking part in the men's race (with 12 runners on each team), plus the 6 stage women's race as well. The start & finish of each leg is on a running track & the course seems to be flat. My leg is only 4.9k, so it'll be fast & furious. Our target is to be in the first 25 teams & qualify for the National 12 stage, I really don't know how realistic that is.
I got my number yesterday for the Wakefield 10k, on the 28 March. The course has changed completely from when I previously did this race in 2008. It seems to be a much faster course, out & back on a main road closed to traffic, with a gradual incline to halfway, then downhill on the way back. It will be interesting to see how my run will compare to the Dewsbury 10k, on a similar course, at the beginning of February.
It was raining today for the first time for a few weeks. I don't mind running in the rain, providing it's not too cold, today was fine. Not too many aches & pains, the achilles seemed to be less tight than yesterday. Overall I felt OK & glad that I'd been running.
Tomorrow will be a new experience at the Northern 12 stage road relay. We're travelling to the race in Manchester by coach. There should be more than 50 teams taking part in the men's race (with 12 runners on each team), plus the 6 stage women's race as well. The start & finish of each leg is on a running track & the course seems to be flat. My leg is only 4.9k, so it'll be fast & furious. Our target is to be in the first 25 teams & qualify for the National 12 stage, I really don't know how realistic that is.
I got my number yesterday for the Wakefield 10k, on the 28 March. The course has changed completely from when I previously did this race in 2008. It seems to be a much faster course, out & back on a main road closed to traffic, with a gradual incline to halfway, then downhill on the way back. It will be interesting to see how my run will compare to the Dewsbury 10k, on a similar course, at the beginning of February.
Friday 19 March 2010
Bright & breezy on the moor
After yesterday's rest day, I decided to head up on to the moor today. Starting from the car park below White Wells, I went up past the Swastika Stone to Windgate Nick, then a loop around the road & back before retracing my steps back down, about 13k in total.
It was pleasantly warm & sunny, but there was a very strong wind against on the way out which made for very slow running for the first half of the run. Given that we've had almost no rain for about 3 weeks, the underfoot conditions were very dry, in fact it was more like mid summer conditions than mid March.
My achilles was still a bit sore, so I was taking it steady on the fast descent, not wanting to aggravate it any further. Should be fine for the relay on Sunday, as I won't do any fast running tomorrow.
It was pleasantly warm & sunny, but there was a very strong wind against on the way out which made for very slow running for the first half of the run. Given that we've had almost no rain for about 3 weeks, the underfoot conditions were very dry, in fact it was more like mid summer conditions than mid March.
My achilles was still a bit sore, so I was taking it steady on the fast descent, not wanting to aggravate it any further. Should be fine for the relay on Sunday, as I won't do any fast running tomorrow.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Mile efforts on the track
This evening's session on the track was a 6 minute time trial followed by 3X1 mile efforts with 400m jog recoveries. I ran the time trial following Simon A, according to my Garmin I managed to do 1.78km at 3:24 minutes per km. Coach Pete gave me a bit of a rebuke for running too fast in this time trial......he was concerned that I shouldn't overdo things before the road relay on Sunday. It's the first time he's ever told me to slow down!
For the mile efforts, I decided that it would make sense for me to take it a bit easy, so I ran the first two in 5:58, then the 3rd one in 5:53. It's strange to think that running at faster than 6 minute miles is taking it easy, but it really did feel as though I was running quite a bit slower than I could have done at full speed.
One negative is that my temperamental achilles was getting a bit sore towards the end of the session (maybe Pete was right to tell me to slow down). It'll probably make sense for me to ease off a bit more between now and Sunday to avoid aggravating it any further.
For the mile efforts, I decided that it would make sense for me to take it a bit easy, so I ran the first two in 5:58, then the 3rd one in 5:53. It's strange to think that running at faster than 6 minute miles is taking it easy, but it really did feel as though I was running quite a bit slower than I could have done at full speed.
One negative is that my temperamental achilles was getting a bit sore towards the end of the session (maybe Pete was right to tell me to slow down). It'll probably make sense for me to ease off a bit more between now and Sunday to avoid aggravating it any further.
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Continuing easy running
This evening I ran a Ilkley Harriers club run - the slowish variety. We just ran about 10k around Ilkley at a very comfortable pace, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. I've not done a hard run now since Friday, so hopefully that will be beneficial in terms of recovery & preparation for races over the next 2-3 weeks.
After the club run we had a talk from physio Mike B on injury prevention which was quite interesting. It is clear that there is no magic formula for avoiding injuries, but having sufficient rest between hard sessions seems to be most important. Other than that, a lot of it depends on individual physiology & finding what works well for you.
Tomorrow is the track session at Leeds Carnegie. After last week's short fast reps, I think that we'll be having a less intense session. A number of us will be doing the road relay on Sunday, so hopefully no injuries will be forthcoming.
After the club run we had a talk from physio Mike B on injury prevention which was quite interesting. It is clear that there is no magic formula for avoiding injuries, but having sufficient rest between hard sessions seems to be most important. Other than that, a lot of it depends on individual physiology & finding what works well for you.
Tomorrow is the track session at Leeds Carnegie. After last week's short fast reps, I think that we'll be having a less intense session. A number of us will be doing the road relay on Sunday, so hopefully no injuries will be forthcoming.
Monday 15 March 2010
Slow running
Today was definitely a slow run day. I ran my usual two bridges route, around the park in Ilkley, then out along the Nesfield Road, over the suspension bridge into Addingham & back through Low Mill & the A65.
My pace was at the slow end of very slow & I still felt tired & lethargic. Still better to feel like this on a windy Monday morning run than during a race. Good job that I'm having an easier week this week.
Sunday it's the Northern 12 stage relay. We have a good team running for Ilkley Harriers, providing that everyone stays fit for the next few days. I've not run this event before, but it seems to attract all of the top clubs in the North of England & some very fine runners. Our target is to be in the top 25 teams & try to qualify for the National 12 stage.
My pace was at the slow end of very slow & I still felt tired & lethargic. Still better to feel like this on a windy Monday morning run than during a race. Good job that I'm having an easier week this week.
Sunday it's the Northern 12 stage relay. We have a good team running for Ilkley Harriers, providing that everyone stays fit for the next few days. I've not run this event before, but it seems to attract all of the top clubs in the North of England & some very fine runners. Our target is to be in the top 25 teams & try to qualify for the National 12 stage.
Sunday 14 March 2010
Age category win in the Peco cross country series!
I just found out today that I won the M50 category in the Peco cross country series that finished last Sunday. In reality I was a bit fortunate to win, as there were several M50 runners who were faster than me but they didn't run the 4 qualifying races. Malcolm P won the M55 category & Ilkley Harriers were 1st in the vets team & second team overall in the series, so it was a very good result for us. I certainly never expected to win anything at cross country as I'm relatively much slower on mud than tarmac (the reason that I was in the M50 category for this series, rather than M55, is that was based on age in Nov 2009).
Yesterday I had a rest day, so today I was happy to get out running again. I was still a bit tired after last weeks efforts & also a late night out on Saturday. I headed up on to Middleton Moor, going up basically following the route of the Ilkley Trail race. I ran two laps of the moor section & then a lap around the park at the end, making 18.6k in total. The pace was very slow, but that didn't really matter today.
My plan is to have a fairly easy week this week, probably no more than 80k.
Yesterday I had a rest day, so today I was happy to get out running again. I was still a bit tired after last weeks efforts & also a late night out on Saturday. I headed up on to Middleton Moor, going up basically following the route of the Ilkley Trail race. I ran two laps of the moor section & then a lap around the park at the end, making 18.6k in total. The pace was very slow, but that didn't really matter today.
My plan is to have a fairly easy week this week, probably no more than 80k.
Friday 12 March 2010
Good chance for a chat
Today I went for a run with Paul O. We ran 19.5k out along the Nesfield Road to Bolton Bridge and back. The pace was quite a bit faster than I would have run on my own, averaging about 4:30 minutes per km, with the return a little bit quicker than we ran on the way out.
It was good to have a chat along the way, it certainly helps the distance go more quickly, whilst comparing notes on training, racing & running things in general.
After a hard week of running I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow & then an easier week next week to let the legs recover a bit before the road relays the following weekend, then 2 more races the subsequent weekends.
It was good to have a chat along the way, it certainly helps the distance go more quickly, whilst comparing notes on training, racing & running things in general.
After a hard week of running I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow & then an easier week next week to let the legs recover a bit before the road relays the following weekend, then 2 more races the subsequent weekends.
Thursday 11 March 2010
Running slowly
I'm not sure that I fully understand the rationale behind recovery runs, but today was certainly one of those. After 4 tough days, a cross country race, mile efforts & a track session with an average of more than 16k per day, it was a choice between a rest day & a very easy run. I opted to run the two bridges route, from Ilkley to Addingham & back, about 11.5k at a very easy pace. I was running about 2 minutes per km slower than during the efforts of yesterday's track session.
The run felt reasonably comfortable, but my legs were certainly tired, so I couldn't have run much quicker. Apart from any physiological effect, I think that these recovery runs are beneficial to just get out in the fresh air & enjoy running, without any pressure of times or pace.
Tomorrow is planned to be a longish run with Paul O, which will add some more variety to the week.
The run felt reasonably comfortable, but my legs were certainly tired, so I couldn't have run much quicker. Apart from any physiological effect, I think that these recovery runs are beneficial to just get out in the fresh air & enjoy running, without any pressure of times or pace.
Tomorrow is planned to be a longish run with Paul O, which will add some more variety to the week.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Short fast reps on the track
This evening's track session was different to recent weeks. We were doing mainly short reps at a faster pace than normal. The session was 4X300m, 4X600m, 1X1000m, 4X600m, 4X300m with jog recoveries of 100m after the 300m & 200m after the 600m & 1000m reps. In total it was 8.2k of efforts, which is about average for Wednesday track sessions.
I was running with Mark I & Simon A for most of the session, which helped motivation when tiring. For the 300m reps, we realised midway through the first set that we were running to the wrong line on the track (there are lots of lines close to 300m), doing an extra 10m or so. We decided to continue running to this line for the whole session for the 300m for the benefit of consistency.
Throughout the session we were very consistent on all the reps, running the 310m in 58/59 seconds, the 600m in 2:06 & the 1000m in 3:33. The average lap pace on the 600m & 1000m was 84/85 seconds, which is 2 seconds or so faster than I normally run on the track & equivalent to about 17:30 for 5k. Considering that we were doing the 300m reps quite a bit faster and did 8.2k efforts in total, I was quite pleased with that.
Including the warm up & warm down, I ran 16.3k in total, which is quite a long session.
I was running with Mark I & Simon A for most of the session, which helped motivation when tiring. For the 300m reps, we realised midway through the first set that we were running to the wrong line on the track (there are lots of lines close to 300m), doing an extra 10m or so. We decided to continue running to this line for the whole session for the 300m for the benefit of consistency.
Throughout the session we were very consistent on all the reps, running the 310m in 58/59 seconds, the 600m in 2:06 & the 1000m in 3:33. The average lap pace on the 600m & 1000m was 84/85 seconds, which is 2 seconds or so faster than I normally run on the track & equivalent to about 17:30 for 5k. Considering that we were doing the 300m reps quite a bit faster and did 8.2k efforts in total, I was quite pleased with that.
Including the warm up & warm down, I ran 16.3k in total, which is quite a long session.
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Club run with a couple of mile efforts
I decided to do one of the Ilkley Harriers club runs this evening. The fast group wasn't a sensible option with the track session tomorrow, so I opted for a steady run out to Burley roundabout & back. The group were intending to do a couple of mile efforts along Leeds Road, but I convinced myself that I didn't need do the efforts.
When we got to the start of the first effort a few people set off at a brisk pace, I chose to set off right at the back. Unfortunately some kind of reaction happened & I found myself overtaking everyone & even chasing then catching the group that had set off about 10-15 seconds before I did. So 5:41 for the first mile effort, supposedly taking it easy. For the return effort I figured that it would be a better idea to set off near the front of the group then I wouldn't be tempted to give chase. This one was a bit more steady at 5:55, but still quite quick for an effort that was still keeping something in reserve.
Including running to & from the club I ran 15.4k in total averaging about 5 minutes per km. This was OK for the day before a track session, but I would probably have been better advised to have done the efforts at a slower pace.
When we got to the start of the first effort a few people set off at a brisk pace, I chose to set off right at the back. Unfortunately some kind of reaction happened & I found myself overtaking everyone & even chasing then catching the group that had set off about 10-15 seconds before I did. So 5:41 for the first mile effort, supposedly taking it easy. For the return effort I figured that it would be a better idea to set off near the front of the group then I wouldn't be tempted to give chase. This one was a bit more steady at 5:55, but still quite quick for an effort that was still keeping something in reserve.
Including running to & from the club I ran 15.4k in total averaging about 5 minutes per km. This was OK for the day before a track session, but I would probably have been better advised to have done the efforts at a slower pace.
Monday 8 March 2010
Perfect conditions for running
My intention was to do a short easy run today, as I was still quite tired following yesterday's cross country race. I headed off around the park & on to the Nesfield Road, intending to do my regular two bridges run. However, once I got going, I decided to carry on towards Beamsley rather than turning left over the bridge to Addingham. It was another brilliant, sunny March day, with almost no wind & feeling pleasantly warm in the sun, although there was ice on many of the puddles that were in shade.
I carried on as far as Bolton Bridge before turning around & retracing my steps. On the way back I was slowing down, even though my pace going out was nothing special, so I cut the run short by missing out the loop around the park at the end. It was still more than 17k, so quite a bit further than I'd planned to run when I set off.
No racing next weekend, so it will be good to have a week's training without thinking about an upcoming race. My next race will be the Northern 12 stage road relay on 21 March in Manchester. We have a strong team for Ilkley Harriers & our target is to try to finish in the top 25 teams to qualify for the National road relay. The standard of competition for these relays is very high so it will be a good achievement if we do qualify.
I carried on as far as Bolton Bridge before turning around & retracing my steps. On the way back I was slowing down, even though my pace going out was nothing special, so I cut the run short by missing out the loop around the park at the end. It was still more than 17k, so quite a bit further than I'd planned to run when I set off.
No racing next weekend, so it will be good to have a week's training without thinking about an upcoming race. My next race will be the Northern 12 stage road relay on 21 March in Manchester. We have a strong team for Ilkley Harriers & our target is to try to finish in the top 25 teams to qualify for the National road relay. The standard of competition for these relays is very high so it will be a good achievement if we do qualify.
Sunday 7 March 2010
Peco cross country - Esholt
This was the last race in the Peco series. For 300m it was the most enjoyable cross country race that I've ever done. It started on flat tarmac, the same start as the John Carr 5k series. Unfortunately after 3oom we turned off the road & on to paths through the woods. At least it was nice whilst it lasted.
It wasn't too muddy in the woods, as it's not rained for about a week & the overnight low temperatures had left much of the course still frozen. For the first lap I was going quite well, at the end of it there were 4 of us from Ilkley all together: Malcolm P, Dave C, Mark I & myself. The second lap was much tougher, maybe I'd set off too fast on the road section, so I started to slow down and got overtaken by a few runners.
I finished in 30th place, which actually equals my best finishing position in a Peco race, but I think that there weren't as many people running today. Not sure how I'll have finished in the series (it normally takes 3/4 days for the results to be published). I was leading the M50 category at the start of today's race, but it's best 4 races to count, so if some of the faster 50 year olds were running I'll probably slip down the list as I'd already run 4 races.
That's cross country out of the way for this winter & time to concentrate on the more serious road racing.
It wasn't too muddy in the woods, as it's not rained for about a week & the overnight low temperatures had left much of the course still frozen. For the first lap I was going quite well, at the end of it there were 4 of us from Ilkley all together: Malcolm P, Dave C, Mark I & myself. The second lap was much tougher, maybe I'd set off too fast on the road section, so I started to slow down and got overtaken by a few runners.
I finished in 30th place, which actually equals my best finishing position in a Peco race, but I think that there weren't as many people running today. Not sure how I'll have finished in the series (it normally takes 3/4 days for the results to be published). I was leading the M50 category at the start of today's race, but it's best 4 races to count, so if some of the faster 50 year olds were running I'll probably slip down the list as I'd already run 4 races.
That's cross country out of the way for this winter & time to concentrate on the more serious road racing.
Friday 5 March 2010
Just a short run
(view of Swastika Stone, opposite direction to picture below).Went out dog walking with A this morning. It felt much colder than yesterday going up to the Swastika Stone as a result of the strong wind. It had been freezing overnight, so there was quite a lot of ice in the puddles.
For my run this afternoon, I decided to keep it short, having had quite a good week of running & with the cross country race to come on Sunday. It's not a serious race for me, but even so I don't want to go into it exhausted.
I did a shortened version of the two bridges run, just out over the old bridge, rather than heading off around the park first. Only 9k today, but it will suffice. Pace was nothing special, but it was good to get out & run.
Thursday 4 March 2010
Another brilliant day for running
(picture taken Friday - from Swastika Stone overlooking Ilkley - not quite as sunny as yesterday) I might have had a rest day today, after yesterday's tough track session, but the weather was again perfect for running: clear blue sky, bright sunshine, no wind about 6 degrees. I headed up to the moors again, this time the opposite side of the valley from where I ran on Tuesday.
Starting off from the car park on Wells Road, I headed out past the Swastika Stone up to Windgate Nick. It felt really warm in the sunshine, much warmer than the actual air temperature. In the distance I could see plenty of snow on Great Whernside & Buckden Pike about 25 miles away.
From Windgate Nick I was running in partial shade & there was even some snow & ice left on the moor. It seemed strange to be running on ice when it was such a warm sunny day. I ran a loop around, including a short road section, before returning back on the same path from Windgate Nick. The conditions underfoot were very good, apart from the few icy sections, as there was very little mud.
I ran almost 13k, it was another really enjoyable run. I was only running very slowly, partly because I was still tired from the track session, partly because of the terrain, but it didn't really matter today.
Starting off from the car park on Wells Road, I headed out past the Swastika Stone up to Windgate Nick. It felt really warm in the sunshine, much warmer than the actual air temperature. In the distance I could see plenty of snow on Great Whernside & Buckden Pike about 25 miles away.
From Windgate Nick I was running in partial shade & there was even some snow & ice left on the moor. It seemed strange to be running on ice when it was such a warm sunny day. I ran a loop around, including a short road section, before returning back on the same path from Windgate Nick. The conditions underfoot were very good, apart from the few icy sections, as there was very little mud.
I ran almost 13k, it was another really enjoyable run. I was only running very slowly, partly because I was still tired from the track session, partly because of the terrain, but it didn't really matter today.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Pyramid session on the track
Tonight's track session was a pyramid: 2X800, 1X1200, 1X1600, 1X1200, 2X800, with 40, 60,80 second recoveries. I was running mainly on my own, although Richard R joined in halfway through the session. I probably ran the first set of 800s & 1200 a bit too fast 2:51 for the 800s & 4:19 for the 1200, averaging about 86 seconds per lap. The 1600 was 5:55, quite a bit slower at 89 seconds per lap & similar pace for the second 1200. For the second set of 800s I managed 2:56 & 2:53.
The overall average for the session's efforts was a little bit slower than I've been doing recently, but considering that I was running mainly on my own, they were long reps & it was cold & windy, it wasn't too bad. According to my Garmin I was averaging only slightly over 3:30 per km, this is a bit faster than the calculation based on lap times (not sure if it's a lack of accuracy of the Garmin, or the effect of not always taking the shortest route around the track).
I did a good long warm up & warm down giving me a total of 15k for the full session. I ran the warm down with Ian F, so even going around having a chat was still pretty quick.
The track sessions are really beneficial for getting used to running at or slightly faster than race speed. Hopefully as the weather gets a bit warmer, we should start to run a bit more quickly as well.
The overall average for the session's efforts was a little bit slower than I've been doing recently, but considering that I was running mainly on my own, they were long reps & it was cold & windy, it wasn't too bad. According to my Garmin I was averaging only slightly over 3:30 per km, this is a bit faster than the calculation based on lap times (not sure if it's a lack of accuracy of the Garmin, or the effect of not always taking the shortest route around the track).
I did a good long warm up & warm down giving me a total of 15k for the full session. I ran the warm down with Ian F, so even going around having a chat was still pretty quick.
The track sessions are really beneficial for getting used to running at or slightly faster than race speed. Hopefully as the weather gets a bit warmer, we should start to run a bit more quickly as well.
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Spring is on its way
A perfect day for a run today: clear blue sky, no wind, feeling pleasantly warm in the sun. I decided to head for the hills. I ran a variation on the Ilkley Trail race route, adding on a loop around the park at the beginning & end as well as doing an extra lap of the Middleton Moor section.
I was running for almost 2 hours, which was more than I was intending to do following yesterday's 20k on the road. The route I went was really varied, starting with paths in the park, followed by uphill through Middleton Woods, then fields & tracks up on to the moor. In places which were in shade there was still quite a bit of ice, which was a bit strange as it was really warm in the sun. The moor wasn't too muddy & generally very runnable.
Probably the most enjoyable run of the year so far....not the quickest, but one of those days when it was a pleasure just to be out running in perfect conditions.
I was running for almost 2 hours, which was more than I was intending to do following yesterday's 20k on the road. The route I went was really varied, starting with paths in the park, followed by uphill through Middleton Woods, then fields & tracks up on to the moor. In places which were in shade there was still quite a bit of ice, which was a bit strange as it was really warm in the sun. The moor wasn't too muddy & generally very runnable.
Probably the most enjoyable run of the year so far....not the quickest, but one of those days when it was a pleasure just to be out running in perfect conditions.
Monday 1 March 2010
Monday run
Feeling quite lethargic yesterday, I decided to give running a miss. Today I didn't feel much better, but thought I should go for a run anyway. I figured that I'd just set off & see how I felt when I got going to determine where & how far I would go (I would definitely be no good at following running schedules).
As it turned out I was running OK, so I went around the park, then out on the Nesfield Road to Bolton Bridge, then back again, a distance of almost 20k. My pace was quite reasonable for an unstructured, see how it feels type of run. I was also getting faster on the way back, which generally is a sign of a good run. The weather was quite good as well for this time of year, dry, sunny, little wind & not too cold.
After 3 or 4 weeks of not very consistent training, I think that I now need to put in a bit more effort towards building up for a 'target' race. The Wakefield 10k at the end of the month would be a good one to aim for. I have the last Peco cross country & the Northern road relay between now & the 10k, but I should be able to use them as 'sharpeners'.
As it turned out I was running OK, so I went around the park, then out on the Nesfield Road to Bolton Bridge, then back again, a distance of almost 20k. My pace was quite reasonable for an unstructured, see how it feels type of run. I was also getting faster on the way back, which generally is a sign of a good run. The weather was quite good as well for this time of year, dry, sunny, little wind & not too cold.
After 3 or 4 weeks of not very consistent training, I think that I now need to put in a bit more effort towards building up for a 'target' race. The Wakefield 10k at the end of the month would be a good one to aim for. I have the last Peco cross country & the Northern road relay between now & the 10k, but I should be able to use them as 'sharpeners'.
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