Archive for October, 2007
October 29, 2007 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Running
Strange morning on Saturday. I was running late for RPTT and found myself having to start the race long after everyone else had set off. On the first bend, alongside the road, I was dazzled by a thick blinding haze. I just had to stop, I couldn’t see a thing but I knew there were cars around me somewhere honking their horns in warning. In classic primary school literary styling I opened my eyes at this point, finding myself still in bed, blinded by the fake sunrise clock and with a growing awareness of the alarm that had been beeping for the last 30 mins.
Not a grand start to the weekend and as October seems to be a month of events with precious little training I can’t afford to miss organised runs this easily. I’ve had to resort to creating my own imaginary or virtual events just clock up a few miles over the autumn.
Sunday saw me completing the final 6 miles of the Cape Cod marathon in support of No Wetsuit Girl who was running the event on a rather heroic whim. I didn’t actually fly out to MA so I had to recreate my very own Cape Cod conditions here in Barnes. Cape Cod sounds like a wet and watery place and I wasn’t let down by the weather conditions here - how grim! I struggled my way around the Chiswick and Hammersmith Bridge loop of the Thames, contenting myself with the knowledge that NWG would be having a far tougher time than I was.
Seems I was wrong though - she had a stonking time of it, securing a pb and I’m sure a sense of invulnerability that will see her setting ever greater challenges for the future.
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October 20, 2007 at 11:51 pm · Filed under Event, Running
Finally the time trial bandwagon arrived in Richmond Park and I was there to “enjoy” the inaugural event. What a gorgeous day! Freezin, crisp, but absolutely beautiful, I’ve had to nick a couple of photos off the parkrun site to illustrate the morning and save me going all poetic. I think Paul S-H was the photographer for the day.
With only 42 runners in the field it was not too surprising that I found myself alone for most of the route. Still, when you run in a park this stunning, who needs company?
By all accounts this is a tough time trial and folk look to be recording times in the region of 40 secs + on their Bushy Park pb’s, although I imagine this gap will narrow as the route becomes more familiar. Its a hilly route but the scenery takes your mind off a lot of the pain, or at least thats what I felt after I’d finished - before I finished I’m sure I was cursing 5k time trials.
Anyway, back to the title of this post, whatdya know, I was last. Dead last. A first for me but I’m sure it will become a regular Saturday morning ocurrance for a while. It was all perfectly enjoyable as well, a whole load of the early finishers had hung around the end and gave me a good cheer over the finish line - thanks guys.
RPTT 1: 5 km, 0:35:24
As update to last weeks reccy, I can now post the “official” route map:
Richmond Park Time Trial at EveryTrail
Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Travel Community
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October 15, 2007 at 8:32 pm · Filed under Event, Running
I haven’t done a lot of running since the GNR, in fact I haven’t done any, beyond the occassional jog in the direction of a bus stop. Illness, DOMS, work and idleness have kept me away from running this autumn but yesterday was the Cabbage Patch 10 so I had to get out and see if I could remember the action.
The Cabbage Patch 10 is an event that I have been looking forward to for almost a year after hearing the race t-shirt was a sight to behold, it’s held fairly locally (Twickenham - Kingston - Richmond) and organised by the Stragglers running club.
After examining my splits for the GNR I decided to approach this 10-miler with a strict pacing strategy. I was aiming for a 2 hour finishing time, which was realistic yet stretching and therefore needed to keep at a 7:27 min/km pace. Again perfectly reasonable but I have to admit to doing my most of my long slow training runs at a slightly slower pace.
The start of the race was a little cramped, 1500 runners assembled into a small pedestrianised zone prior to being released onto the high street. I ended up caught somewhere in the middle as I assembled with OGB. Clearly the wrong spot for me, I need to be at the back, tucked nicely out of the way.
I ended up setting off well above my desired pace as I was trying not to make too much of an obstacle of myself. I dropped back down to 7:27 after the first km but maybe that early start affected my longevity. I don’t know what happened at the 6 km mark either, I think I had a few people underfoot and it seemed easier to just pass them. After that move I faded fast and although I kept pushing to increase my speed there just didn’t seem to be anything left in my legs.
I finished in 2:03 something (watch time) and 2:04:39 (officially), somewhat under target but not too surprising.
The marshalls were excellent - loads of them and all very cheery and vocal - much appreciated!
I will eventually issue a snap of the coveted race t-shirt but at the moment I’m sulking too much, and anyway its on its second trip around my washing machine, where I hope it will stretch. By the time I finished they had run out of large (and medium) sized t-shirts, which meant I had to make do with small. Now I understand that I if I’m going to make a habit of being almost the last over the line then I can’t complain if I don’t have much choice but at the same time, if I speed up a great deal it seems likely that I will have shed enough lard in the process to negate the need for choice anyway. Hey ho.
Now I’ve got a little repertoire of race distances under my belt, I’ve drawn up a chart comparing my actual race times with race predictions based on my 5 km pb, utilising the Purdy formula. The calculator for this is found on the brilliant runningfofitness website under predict race from race.
Not surprisingly it shows that I am underperforming as I increase my distance, an indication that I’m not fit enough for the higher distances. I’m interested in this as I read about it in a booklet on Hadd training, who advocates running at low heart rates as a means to increase aerobic efficiency. I’m going to give this a go in December, by then I will have switched work and will be able to run on an almost daily basis again - I can’t wait. Next year is going to be a good one for running.
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October 11, 2007 at 10:37 pm · Filed under Running
I am fully recovered now, and no longer have excuses for missing training runs but nevertheless I am still managing to miss ’em. I’ve therefore been out on the search and found another ghoulish run to do, its called the Box Hill Knacker Cracker - an extremely hilly run on New Years day. OGB has remained strangely quiet since I emailed him the joining instructions. On completion you get an embroidered cap, illustrating a set of testicles split by a lightening rod. That would go down well at the lotty I think and would have a longer fashion season than the usual post race medal.
New Year is a way off but fortunately I have a few more races in the run up to Christmas. After a bit of a long GNR recovery period I’ve booked myself up for two races this weekend. Its the inaugural Richmond Park 5km Time Trial this Saturday (see update), then on Sunday it’s the Cabbage Patch 10-miler around Twickenham. December the 1st is going to be a jolly muddy day as a few of us head down to Aldershot - army barracks zone - for the Grim 8 which appears to be an 8-mile run through a pond and Christmas day will start off with a blast round Bushy Park for the time trial.
For those that are tempted to complain that time trials only ocur in the south, I have to point out that there is now one in Leeds which is well oop North and another in Zimbabwe, which could be either North or South depending on your chosen route. All start at 9am on Saturday so I’m sorry about that.
*UPDATE* Looks like the Richmond Park Time Trial has been postponed!
I’m unable to read the newsletter on the parkrun site but the headlines suggest there is no point turning up this Saturday morning */UPDATE*
I’ve just got round to downloading the race video from the finish line of the Great North run. It was quite enlightening. While running down the finishing straight I swear I was sprinting and I wondered why the commentator wasn’t drawing attention to my zippy pace. The video reveals the truth I’m afraid.
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October 1, 2007 at 9:52 pm · Filed under Event
The Great North Run has got to be the most self-indulgent running event in the race calendar, I personally could handle this kind of ego boost on a monthly basis, I would say weekly, but as I’m still unable to walk so I think that might be pushing it.
Look how happy I am barely seconds after the finish. I work hard to be permanently grumpy but this race had infectious happiness thrown in - I was smiling at every mile, even at mile 12 when my quads seized up badly and I had to be rejuvenated by a tumbler of vodkaless vodka handed to me from the sideline.
The Great North run is a very special event, the organization is flawless and the support from the crowd is amazing. I ran the route hugging the left hand side, I therefore got very familiar with a lot of locals (I also came close to having an unwelcome shower from the guys caught short and relieving themselves on the overpass above me). Every one of those 13 miles ticked by so quickly, I must have slapped the grubby hands of at least a thousand kids and I have to admit its not an everyday occurrence for kids to high five me.
We had to set off from my parents house at 5am, so there was a 4.15 am rush to the loos, enough to put anyone in a bad mood you’d think. OGB and myself have managed to be grumpy for every race we’ve attended over the last year but we surprised ourselves by feeling upbeat for the whole shebang on Sunday. We were a bit nervy at the outset as we were right at the back and it felt a little uncomfortable to start with the sweeper van clipping at your heels. Still, it only took us 25 mins after the starters pistol to reach the start and we set off at a sprint (unmaintainable) to escape the van.
Thats the last I saw of OGB until we were re-united at the family meeting spot. You’d be forgiven for thinking he just hitched a ride to the end as he looks so fresh and spritely but his official time was 1:58:33 so I suppose he had plenty of time to freshen up.
I had a lovely run from the start, I was just raring to go and set off a bit too swiftly but I was enjoying myself. Despite sharing the motorway with 49,999 other runners, I didn’t feel too constricted. I had to do a little bit of weaving in and out but mostly I followed my line.
The red arrows stormed across our path just as we crossed the start line and then appeared above South Shields again when I reached mile 10 and kept me fairly occupied with their acrobatics til mile 12ish. That was jolly good timing as I was suffering quite a bit from the tenth mile. I still had plenty of energy but my legs (quads specifically) were tightening up like crazy. I had to hop off to the sidelines at mile 12 to try and stretch out my legs a bit so I could carry on. I ran the whole way but in the latter stages my running was no faster than other folks walk. Every now and again the crowd would call out “Go on warriorwoman!” and I’d manage another appreciative burst. Such good fun.
We recovered from the run with a plate of fish and chips served on the seafront with a bottle of dog. Such bliss.
Here are my splits from the garmin:
I suppose that shows that I need more training. I had plenty of energy at the end but my legs cannot cope with the strain. I sooooooo hope I don’t get accepted into the London Marathon this year, I only entered so that I can start building up my rejections for the 5 strikes and you’re in rule. God help me if I get accepted first time. Instead I fancy cramming a few half marathons in for the new year, I think thats a good challenge distance.
I’m back home now and am suffering quite badly, not sure how I’m going to get into work tomorrow. My quads are completely shot and I’m practically descending my flat stairs by shuffling down on my arse. In fact the only reason I’m not bouncing down on my bum is that I wouldn’t be able to drag myself back into the upright position. What a state! Mind you, I’ve made progress, this time last year I was crippled by the Nike 10k run, at least I’ve doubled the distance to knock myself out. This time next year…..who knows?
Official time: 2:56:07
T-shirt shot over here.
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Tags: Garmin, GNR, Nike, OGB, t-shirt
