My daughter Katie who until a few weeks ago had never been interested in running at all decided to run the Race for Life 10k in York. It's a women only event, which isn't really a race, it's very much a charity fundraiser. I was designated to be chauffeur & supporter, but also took on the role of water carrier, as it was the hottest day of the year and there weren't many water stations.
The course was a zigzag couple of laps around the Knavesmire in York, all on grass. Between the 10k and later 5k, there were over 5000 women running. Most of the women taking part weren't regular runners & it was a great achievement for most of them to run 10k, especially in the heat. I don't know who the girl was who finished first, but she looked to be flying around the course - most however were happy just to get around.
Katie set off at a steady pace, which was very wise, and she was was able to run the whole way, finishing tired but well satisfied. She also raised a lot of money for charity, so great credit to her & all of the other participants.
Somehow I managed to run 14.5k going backwards & forwards, offering support & sourcing as many bottles of water as possible. I don't think that I would like to have been racing in the hot weather today.
Sunday 27 June 2010
Wednesday 23 June 2010
Not so sharp on the track
There were only Mark I & myself running on the track this evening. The session was 15X400m, in blocks of five: 30 seconds recovery after each of the 1st 4 reps, then a 2 minute break, before repeating the 30 seconds for the next 4 sets etc.
I was still feeling a bit jaded after all of the recent racing, whereas Mark was clearly very sharp, so it was going to be a difficult session. After a first couple of laps getting into the swing of things, we settled into a consistent 80/81 seconds per lap, gradually getting a little bit quicker. I was following Mark around the track as he was more capable of setting the pace today. In the last set of 5 reps, we managed to get under 80 seconds for some of the 400s, but by the last one I'd clearly had enough, slowing to 82 seconds.
The good news is that I completed the session at a pace which was a few seconds per lap quicker than my 5k race pace. The bad news is that it was a bit of a struggle & I probably need to take it easy for a few days before next week's track race.
I was still feeling a bit jaded after all of the recent racing, whereas Mark was clearly very sharp, so it was going to be a difficult session. After a first couple of laps getting into the swing of things, we settled into a consistent 80/81 seconds per lap, gradually getting a little bit quicker. I was following Mark around the track as he was more capable of setting the pace today. In the last set of 5 reps, we managed to get under 80 seconds for some of the 400s, but by the last one I'd clearly had enough, slowing to 82 seconds.
The good news is that I completed the session at a pace which was a few seconds per lap quicker than my 5k race pace. The bad news is that it was a bit of a struggle & I probably need to take it easy for a few days before next week's track race.
Monday 21 June 2010
A change is as good as a rest
After yesterday's 5k race around the town centre of Horwich, I decided to do something completely different today. Not the most obvious choice for a recovery run was a 21k route including Simons Seat, the Strid Wood and a section of the Dalesway on a hot sunny day.
My pace today was on the very slow side of slow, which was just about all I could manage, but it was really enjoyable just to go out & run. The route is very diverse with moorland, woods, fields, paths & short road sections. Underfoot conditions were very firm as we've had a very dry year so far.
No races for me this week. It's good to have a bit of a break from racing as I think I've become a bit stale over the last couple of weeks. Next week I've got a Harrogate League race midweek, then the British Masters 5000m on the track in Cardiff. That will be a new experience for me as I've never raced on the track before.
Sunday 20 June 2010
BMAF 5k
Today was the British Masters 5k road race in Horwich. The course is 3 1/2 laps around the town centre, with an uphill finish. The standard of runners is very high considering that it's an all vets field. There were 155 people taking part with more than 30 managing to run faster than 17 minutes.
I was a bit disappointed with my time of 18:20, for 5th place in my age group. That's nearly a minute slower than I did at Esholt. I think that the combined effects of: 1) a slower course, 2) too many recent races & 3) lack of track sessions in the last few weeks accounted for this result. Having said that I don't think that I would have been able to finish in the first 3 M55s even on top form.
We were also disappointed to miss out on a medal in the M50 team event. It was a very competitive age category & less than a minute separated us from the silver medal position, although the winners Bristol & West were well clear. At least Ilkley did manage medals in the F35 category (Sally M) & M65 category (Geoff H).
Thanks for the vocal support around the course from Sarah J, Richard B & Pat L amongst others.
I was a bit disappointed with my time of 18:20, for 5th place in my age group. That's nearly a minute slower than I did at Esholt. I think that the combined effects of: 1) a slower course, 2) too many recent races & 3) lack of track sessions in the last few weeks accounted for this result. Having said that I don't think that I would have been able to finish in the first 3 M55s even on top form.
We were also disappointed to miss out on a medal in the M50 team event. It was a very competitive age category & less than a minute separated us from the silver medal position, although the winners Bristol & West were well clear. At least Ilkley did manage medals in the F35 category (Sally M) & M65 category (Geoff H).
Thanks for the vocal support around the course from Sarah J, Richard B & Pat L amongst others.
Wednesday 16 June 2010
St. Ives trail race
(photo: Dave Woodhead)
I didn't really need a second race in three days, but having done this race for the last couple of years, I thought that I'd give it another go, but just take it easy. It's a hilly course around the St. Ives Estate near Bingley, mainly on paths through the woods, but with a short section of moorland. We had a good representation of Ilkley Harriers at the race for the annual 'mob match' with Bingley Harriers.
Tempting fate at the start, the organiser said that the course was well marked & had plenty of marshalls & no one had ever got lost. So sure enough there were quite a few runners who took a wrong turning & missed out part of the course. I became aware of this with about 3k to go when I saw a couple of Ilkley vests ahead of me when I wasn't expecting to see any; Tom A was off in the lead (not wearing a club vest anyway), Mark M-W was ahead but he's much quicker than me on that kind of course, Dave C was ahead of me, but only by a couple of seconds. So who were the mysterious Ilkley runners appearing in front? Paul S, Neil S & Alison B had all gone the wrong way, along with several other runners.
The organisers seemed to be quite relaxed about the course issue at the finish & decided that the results would stand as they were, with runners being allocated their actual finishing position & time, regardless of which route they ran! Some of those who'd inadvertently gone the wrong way even picked up prizes - good job it wasn't a very serious race - no one seemed to be too upset about it.
I managed to finish in 20th position out of 92 runners. I was also 1st M50 (there wasn't a M55 category), narrowly beating Nick P. I hadn't seen Nick all of the way around the course, but he was only 4 seconds behind me at the finish. He'd done a 23 mile fell race at the weekend, so had even more excuse than I did for running with less zip than usual. My prize for the age category win was a bottle of wine. Last year in this race I also was 1st M50 - that was the first time I'd ever won a prize in a running race. This year I was just over a minute quicker than last year.
In the 'mob match', Ilkley beat Bingley again for the 3rd consecutive year.
I certainly need a rest from hard running for a few days now before the BMAF 5k on Sunday, so tomorrow's Harrogate League race is certainly off the agenda. Hopefully we'll still have sufficient Ilkley runners in the race to do well in the team competitions.
Tempting fate at the start, the organiser said that the course was well marked & had plenty of marshalls & no one had ever got lost. So sure enough there were quite a few runners who took a wrong turning & missed out part of the course. I became aware of this with about 3k to go when I saw a couple of Ilkley vests ahead of me when I wasn't expecting to see any; Tom A was off in the lead (not wearing a club vest anyway), Mark M-W was ahead but he's much quicker than me on that kind of course, Dave C was ahead of me, but only by a couple of seconds. So who were the mysterious Ilkley runners appearing in front? Paul S, Neil S & Alison B had all gone the wrong way, along with several other runners.
The organisers seemed to be quite relaxed about the course issue at the finish & decided that the results would stand as they were, with runners being allocated their actual finishing position & time, regardless of which route they ran! Some of those who'd inadvertently gone the wrong way even picked up prizes - good job it wasn't a very serious race - no one seemed to be too upset about it.
I managed to finish in 20th position out of 92 runners. I was also 1st M50 (there wasn't a M55 category), narrowly beating Nick P. I hadn't seen Nick all of the way around the course, but he was only 4 seconds behind me at the finish. He'd done a 23 mile fell race at the weekend, so had even more excuse than I did for running with less zip than usual. My prize for the age category win was a bottle of wine. Last year in this race I also was 1st M50 - that was the first time I'd ever won a prize in a running race. This year I was just over a minute quicker than last year.
In the 'mob match', Ilkley beat Bingley again for the 3rd consecutive year.
I certainly need a rest from hard running for a few days now before the BMAF 5k on Sunday, so tomorrow's Harrogate League race is certainly off the agenda. Hopefully we'll still have sufficient Ilkley runners in the race to do well in the team competitions.
Sunday 13 June 2010
Long Eaton 5 miles
It was ideal conditions for the Long Eaton 5 today: flat course, no wind, dry, just a bit warm (about 19 degrees). The winner, Bruce Raeside from Notts AC ran 23:55 which is one of the 10 fastest 5 mile times in the UK this year (most of the other top 10 times were run at Alsager). It was unusual to run in a race where I didn't know anyone at all.... most of the runners were from local clubs in Derby, Notts & Leicester.
There was a mad dash at the start as we left the playing fields at to join narrow paths in the park. I set off at quite a brisk pace, but soon found myself having to overtake people who had started as if it was a 200m sprint race. My first mile was 5:48, which felt quite comfortable, especially once we got out of the park on to the roads. The next 2 miles were 5:53 & 5:51. However, after the three mile point I started to slow down, recording 6:13 for the 4th mile & it was starting to feel like hard work (maybe I've been doing too many 5k races). I recovered a bit to do 5:57 for the last mile, chasing after someone who I thought might be another M55 (it turned out that he was only 45). So my finish time was 29:42.
Mixed feelings about this result. On the one hand I was pleased to beat my target of 30 minutes, finishing 1st M55 & set new club records for M50 & M55 for 5 miles. On the other hand I was disappointed to slow down so much after 3 miles, I think that I should have been able to run closer to 29 minutes (I guess we're never satisfied). Considering that I'd been feeling well below par for the last few days, it's probably not a bad result all things considered.
Next Sunday is the BMAF 5k at Horwich. I'll need to be running quite a bit faster than I was today if I want to post a respectable time for that race.....certainly I won't be doing a hard track session on Wednesday this week.
There was a mad dash at the start as we left the playing fields at to join narrow paths in the park. I set off at quite a brisk pace, but soon found myself having to overtake people who had started as if it was a 200m sprint race. My first mile was 5:48, which felt quite comfortable, especially once we got out of the park on to the roads. The next 2 miles were 5:53 & 5:51. However, after the three mile point I started to slow down, recording 6:13 for the 4th mile & it was starting to feel like hard work (maybe I've been doing too many 5k races). I recovered a bit to do 5:57 for the last mile, chasing after someone who I thought might be another M55 (it turned out that he was only 45). So my finish time was 29:42.
Mixed feelings about this result. On the one hand I was pleased to beat my target of 30 minutes, finishing 1st M55 & set new club records for M50 & M55 for 5 miles. On the other hand I was disappointed to slow down so much after 3 miles, I think that I should have been able to run closer to 29 minutes (I guess we're never satisfied). Considering that I'd been feeling well below par for the last few days, it's probably not a bad result all things considered.
Next Sunday is the BMAF 5k at Horwich. I'll need to be running quite a bit faster than I was today if I want to post a respectable time for that race.....certainly I won't be doing a hard track session on Wednesday this week.
Saturday 12 June 2010
Not much zip in the legs
After Wednesday's fast track session I had a rest day on Thursday, I felt that it would be the most sensible option. Friday & today I ran my regular 'two bridges' route to Addingham & back. Yesterday I was feeling particularly sluggish, it was hard work to run at all. Today was marginally better, but not much. I think that the combined effects of a lot of racing recently then a very tough track session have taken their toll.
Tomorrow I've got an early start to drive to Long Eaton for a 5 mile race. Hopefully I'll find a bit of sharpness for the race from somewhere. My target has been to get under 30 minutes for 5 miles. It's supposed to be a very fast course & the weather looks good for tomorrow, so we'll see how much energy I've got in the tank.
Tomorrow I've got an early start to drive to Long Eaton for a 5 mile race. Hopefully I'll find a bit of sharpness for the race from somewhere. My target has been to get under 30 minutes for 5 miles. It's supposed to be a very fast course & the weather looks good for tomorrow, so we'll see how much energy I've got in the tank.
Wednesday 9 June 2010
Much faster on the track
This evening we did a session of fast short reps. The session was 5X300m with 100m jog recoveries, 8X400m with 45 second recoveries & 3X500m with 100m jog recoveries. The idea was to run the 300s & 500s at a much faster pace than normal. In total that's 6.2k of efforts which is a bit less than we normally do....to facilitate the faster running.
We had a good evenly matched group: Richard R, Mark I, David B & myself, with Dave W doing the session on his own a bit quicker than the rest of us. We averaged 57 seconds for the 300s (equivalent to 76 second laps), 81 seconds for the 400s & 100 seconds for the 500s. So the overall average for the session was 80 seconds per lap. This contrast with 84/85 seconds average per lap for the very different mile rep session a couple of weeks ago.
The view of all of us was that this was a really good session. We were running quite a bit faster than normal, but it felt comfortable throughout....mainly because of the short reps & shortish session. It will be interesting to see the benefits of this faster paced running when it comes to racing again (although I think that Sunday's 5 miler come too soon for any positive effects).
We had a good evenly matched group: Richard R, Mark I, David B & myself, with Dave W doing the session on his own a bit quicker than the rest of us. We averaged 57 seconds for the 300s (equivalent to 76 second laps), 81 seconds for the 400s & 100 seconds for the 500s. So the overall average for the session was 80 seconds per lap. This contrast with 84/85 seconds average per lap for the very different mile rep session a couple of weeks ago.
The view of all of us was that this was a really good session. We were running quite a bit faster than normal, but it felt comfortable throughout....mainly because of the short reps & shortish session. It will be interesting to see the benefits of this faster paced running when it comes to racing again (although I think that Sunday's 5 miler come too soon for any positive effects).
Old MacDonald had a farm
Yesterday evening's Ilkley Harriers club run was a tour around the fields above Denton & Middleton. I didn't go out with the fast group as I wanted to save a bit of energy for today's track session.
We had quite a few encounters with the local farm animals. First of all we got to a field with about 50 cows & a rather large bull. They were looking quite threatening & a number of our group were not happy about running through them. Eventually we managed to persuade the cows to go to the far end of the field so we could get past. We then came across a couple of riders on horses. The horses were a bit unsettled by us, but fortunately there were no mishaps & runners & riders all parted amicably. In other fields we came across: goats, sheep, geese & chickens. In addition to the farm animals, there was plenty of wildlife: rabbits, herons etc.
In total we ran just over 12k at a very easy pace, even allowing for the delays caused by the farm animals, gates & stiles, regrouping etc. This evening's track session will be very different indeed. I've just heard that we will be doing short fast reps....should be fun!
We had quite a few encounters with the local farm animals. First of all we got to a field with about 50 cows & a rather large bull. They were looking quite threatening & a number of our group were not happy about running through them. Eventually we managed to persuade the cows to go to the far end of the field so we could get past. We then came across a couple of riders on horses. The horses were a bit unsettled by us, but fortunately there were no mishaps & runners & riders all parted amicably. In other fields we came across: goats, sheep, geese & chickens. In addition to the farm animals, there was plenty of wildlife: rabbits, herons etc.
In total we ran just over 12k at a very easy pace, even allowing for the delays caused by the farm animals, gates & stiles, regrouping etc. This evening's track session will be very different indeed. I've just heard that we will be doing short fast reps....should be fun!
Sunday 6 June 2010
One hot one, one wet one
Saturday's run was very hot, out along the Dales Way path from Ilkley to Bolton Bridge. I returned along the Nesfield Road until I got to the Addingham footbridge, crossing over it to then return to Ilkley on the Dalesway. Temperature was in the mid 20s & there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine (although it was disturbing to hear that an 8 year old boy died in the River Wharfe at Bolton Bridge shortly after I'd gone past there).
Today's run was also out to Bolton Bridge & back, but this time sticking to the Nesfield Road. The temperature was at least 10 degrees less than the day before & it rained continuously.
Today's run was a bit faster pace than yesterday, which is not unexpected considering that it was all on the roads, but I was probably putting a bit more effort in as well. Both runs were around 17k & relatively flat. It made a pleasant change to not have any hills like I've had in recent races.
I've got a week without a race now before the Long Eaton 5 miles next Sunday. The plan is to do generally easy paced running with just the track session on Wednesday to hopefully put a bit of speed in the legs.
Today's run was also out to Bolton Bridge & back, but this time sticking to the Nesfield Road. The temperature was at least 10 degrees less than the day before & it rained continuously.
Today's run was a bit faster pace than yesterday, which is not unexpected considering that it was all on the roads, but I was probably putting a bit more effort in as well. Both runs were around 17k & relatively flat. It made a pleasant change to not have any hills like I've had in recent races.
I've got a week without a race now before the Long Eaton 5 miles next Sunday. The plan is to do generally easy paced running with just the track session on Wednesday to hopefully put a bit of speed in the legs.
Friday 4 June 2010
Harrogate League race 3 - Yeadon/Esholt
Opinions were divided on this course. Some people that I spoke to afterwards thought that it was a brilliant route: paths through the woods, hills, twists & turns. Others said that it was a really difficult tough course. I was more of the latter opinion. The first couple of kilometres were OK, slightly downhill on a tarmac path along an old railway line. Then we disappeared off into Esholt Woods descending until we eventually reached the road at the start of the John Carr 5k course.
From the halfway point it got really hard: initially steep uphill on a narrow rutted path through the woods, then an even steeper short descent followed by a steady climb back up to the old railway path & back to the finish, near the start.
We had a great turnout of Ilkley Harriers & were the 1st team in the main team competition, the vets competition & the supervets (over 55) competition. I was beaten in the M55 category by Nick P again (after he beat me at the Ilkley Trail race on Saturday), he was really flying up the hills. I did enough, however, to retain my lead in the series.
My next race is a week on Sunday at the Long Eaton 5. Hopefully it will be flat & have a smooth, firm surface, unlike recent races that I've been doing.
From the halfway point it got really hard: initially steep uphill on a narrow rutted path through the woods, then an even steeper short descent followed by a steady climb back up to the old railway path & back to the finish, near the start.
We had a great turnout of Ilkley Harriers & were the 1st team in the main team competition, the vets competition & the supervets (over 55) competition. I was beaten in the M55 category by Nick P again (after he beat me at the Ilkley Trail race on Saturday), he was really flying up the hills. I did enough, however, to retain my lead in the series.
My next race is a week on Sunday at the Long Eaton 5. Hopefully it will be flat & have a smooth, firm surface, unlike recent races that I've been doing.
Wednesday 2 June 2010
Trying to prioritise races
There are so many races at the moment it's difficult to know which ones to do & which ones to miss. To achieve optimum performance, I'm sure that it makes sense to race sparingly & concentrate on particular key events. The problem is that I enjoy racing regularly & am not keen on having a structured training plan building up to specific races.
In a couple of weeks it's a real dilemma: on Sunday 13th I've entered a 5 mile race at Long Eaton (I've set myself a target of beating 30 minutes for 5 miles & there are very few 5 mile races on the calendar), on Tuesday 15th is the St. Ives Trail race (I've done this race the last 2 years & it's a great race also it's a counter in the Ilkley Harriers league), on Thursday 17th it's a Harrogate League race (currently I'm leading in the series for M55 & we are trying to win 3 of the team competitions), on Sunday 20th it's the BMAF 5k at Horwich (I would like to do well in the individual race & we should have a good team in this national championship).
Clearly I can't do all of those races & even doing 3 out of the 4 is a bit much if I want to run well in the 5k. Not sure how to prioritise things. It also means that it's difficult to fit in speed training. On the positive side at least I'm not injured (although I may be if I race too often).
Today was another warm day and I opted for an easy two bridges run to Addingham and back. I would have much preferred to go to the track this evening, but again with a Harrogate League race tomorrow I can't fit everything in.
In a couple of weeks it's a real dilemma: on Sunday 13th I've entered a 5 mile race at Long Eaton (I've set myself a target of beating 30 minutes for 5 miles & there are very few 5 mile races on the calendar), on Tuesday 15th is the St. Ives Trail race (I've done this race the last 2 years & it's a great race also it's a counter in the Ilkley Harriers league), on Thursday 17th it's a Harrogate League race (currently I'm leading in the series for M55 & we are trying to win 3 of the team competitions), on Sunday 20th it's the BMAF 5k at Horwich (I would like to do well in the individual race & we should have a good team in this national championship).
Clearly I can't do all of those races & even doing 3 out of the 4 is a bit much if I want to run well in the 5k. Not sure how to prioritise things. It also means that it's difficult to fit in speed training. On the positive side at least I'm not injured (although I may be if I race too often).
Today was another warm day and I opted for an easy two bridges run to Addingham and back. I would have much preferred to go to the track this evening, but again with a Harrogate League race tomorrow I can't fit everything in.
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