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The Walkington 10K “Back on Track!”
16th July 2013
Time: 40:29
Position: 26th out of 554
I remember the days when Fridays used to be a relaxing evening after a long week at work, usually involving junk food or a few drinks.
Not this time! Instead, I donned my vest and headed into the countryside for a very warm and muggy 10k. Not that I’m complaining! I’m a fair-skinned lad from the north so I have to admit I do occasionally long for the snow we had back in January but this is part and parcel of running.
Temperatures topped 31 degrees according to my pinpoint accurate car thermometer, despite the early evening 7:30 start. This was the first time i’d raced in an evening but I expected to be in much better shape than usual given my allergy to early mornings. At least I’d eaten something decent!
Marshals directed us onto the local playing field which doubled up as the car park and race finish. I ‘warmed up’ (Not that I wasn’t already warm!) with my usual gentle jog around the field before heading along a path and onto a narrow lane for the race start.
I got chatting to a bloke who had done the Eccup 10 five days earlier and we compared notes on the heat and hills from Sunday. Having done Walkington before he assured me that the hills weren’t as bad here. I had to admit I’d checked out an online profile of the course and it looked like a 200ft ascent towards Little Weighton before looping back down to Walkington, with various undulations in between. My GPS map of the race below confirms this!
I caught up with a couple of lads I know from work, Nick Harne and Tom Evans at the start line as we waited for the race to get going. We joked about heat being a killer but we were ready to crack on.
As the gun went Nick set off quickly and I followed close behind as we took to the grass verge to get some space.
I couldn’t help but try to get some banter going with Nick a bit by shouting ahead I was right behind him. In reality though he slowly pulled away as I began to focus on getting into a rhythm. I took it easy as I didn’t want to suffer the same fate as the Owston Ferry 10k by setting out too quickly. Walkington wasn’t a flat course like Owston Ferry so this seemed sensible.
The first mile was a steady downhill before the mile 1 marker signalled the start of the uphill section of the route which lasted a further mile. I didn’t go all out and maintained a steady pace. It turned out the climb wasn’t as bad as I thought and we were quickly at the top before turning left to head down towards Little Weighton.
I began to pick up the pace again knowing that the worst of the hill was over. Mile 3 came and went with 20 minutes on the clock. I wasn’t looking at PB pace but I was coping well with the heat.
Just after mile 3 I caught up with Nick who unfortunately was struggling with a stitch. I wasn’t trying to engage in any banter this time as he dealt with the annoyance of the stitch. I just asked how he was before carrying on ahead.
My mile splits reflect the incline section of mile 2:
Mile 1 – 6:22
Miles 2 – 7:15
Mile 3 – 6:25
Next up was Little Weighton and I enjoyed the encouragement from the locals in what is a beautiful village, particularly as it basked in the sun and most of it was downhill. It was the second time I’d passed through Little Weighton during a race as the Ferriby 10 race passes through in the opposite direction.
Maintaining long strides was key to getting the best efficiency in terms of pace along down hill sections. A sharp left turn again followed with a water station where I adopted a new approach to drinking from cups by pretty much chucking the contents over myself! There was nothing dignified about it! A short steep section followed as we left the village. It was at the this point I began to pick off runners as we began to struggle with the heat. I’d definitely benefited from not going off too quickly in the first 3 miles!
Mentally, I felt the second half of the race would be downhill. In reality, whilst it was downhill for the most part, a couple of short inclines kept it challenging but I was slowly cranking up the gears. The downhill section for the first mile of the race would now be the uphill as we headed back into Walkington. This time I attacked. For the first time I felt I was in with a shot of a PB time. Miles 4 to 6 passed in just over 19 minutes. I knew a sub 40 time wouldn’t be possible but I was determined to beat my Owston Ferry 10k time.
Mile 4 – 6:21
Mile 5 – 6:38
Mile 6 – 6:07
I kicked on down the lane where we started before running along the narrow path between the lane and the playing fields. I caught a runner ahead but struggled to overtake as it was narrow and some pedestrians happened to be alongside the runner. An inopportune moment as three sets of people converged on the same space at the same time. Runners will know the feeling. It nearly threw me off as I had to slow for a few seconds as the runner ahead overtook the pedestrians before getting to the playing field. I could now see the finish as we looped the field. I was pushing as much as I could with the carrot of a PB dangling ahead of me.
A quick sprint finish saw me cross the finishing line in 40:29 knocking 19 seconds off my PB! Get in!
It was only 19 seconds but I was massively satisfied. I felt completely different to what I felt after Owston Ferry. Back then I felt rusty and under the weather. It was a real slog. This time, on a much tougher course and hotter day I’d felt stronger mentally and physically.
It still wasn’t the sub 40 minute target I hope to eventually achieve but for today’s race I wasn’t even expecting to get close to 40 minutes. I would have been happy with anything around 42/43 minutes.
This was definitely a big step forward though. After the disappointment I felt after the Owston Ferry 10k and Humber Bridge Half Marathon for different reasons, i’d put in better runs at Eccup and Walkington with new personal best times. I feel like I’m back on track and seeing improvements.
Nick and Tom weren’t far behind and the general consensus was that it was one of the toughest races so far.
I really liked the idea of the race being held on a Friday night and the organisation was what you would expect from a race that has been going for a while. What really impressed me was that race entry was only £13 and it was chip timed! Most races in that price range can’t afford chip timing. Whilst finishers didn’t get a medal, the reward was a simple but good quality t-shirt which I’m likely to wear for the rest of the year when I’m out and about on the roads.
It’s been a bit of a busy period with racing but now I have a bit of a break before ‘Hell on the Humber’ on the 17th August. I’ve left my options open to run a couple of shorter races in between but it’s likely I’ll be getting my head down for the next few weeks to focus and prepare myself as best I can for 12 hours of grueling running and trying to avoid ruining my body in the process!
The Eccup 10 “The Hottest Day of the Year!”
Sunday 7th July 2013
Time: 69:16
Position: 85th out of 751
It was the hottest day of the year as I dragged my support crew over to Leeds for the Eccup 10, a 10 mile race organised by the Abbey Runners Club. I felt fairly confident off the back of a hot Parkrun the day before where I matched my 5k PB, just missing out by 3 seconds, but again the early morning didn’t sit well with me before the race and I only managed to eat one Jaffa cake beforehand. I reckon race nerves had returned probably because of a couple of disappointing races over the last few weeks.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect as I’d never really heard of Eccup apart from someone mentioning it was where Emmerdale is filmed. We arrived pretty early and was directed by marshals into a field to park the car. A short walk into the village took us to the village hall where numbers were being distributed. It was all very ‘old school’ as people crammed into the hall. Volunteers manned the various stations for race numbers, last minute entries, fun runners and even a makeshift baggage store protected by chairs. Luckily we’d arrived early and I picked up my number quickly before the queue began to extend out the door and along the main street.
I went for a quick warm up down the street which formed the first half mile of the course and to my shock it was quite a slope down, especially knowing that at the end this would be the hill I would come back up for the finish!
The start line was located on the main street marked by a blue line and runners took a while to line up, probably due to the length of time it took to pick up race numbers. As we all crammed into the narrow street the race starter announced that this was the biggest field they’d ever had. The street was crammed full of the colours of various running clubs. This was definitely a club event and I suspect there were very few unattached runners like me.
Next, the race starter warned that the Highways Agency had laid out cables along the road about 100 metres down to measure traffic. This could be fun I thought. Given how tightly packed we were and the slope we were about to head down if one of us trips then a Tour de France pile up would be the reward for the unlucky victims!
After being crammed in for ten minutes the race eventually began. There was no chip timing so had to rely on getting started very quickly. The route descended down the slope before heading back up hill before leaving the village. I’ll spare you the mile by mile monotony but the course was very rural, much like the Ferriby 10, but the undulation was incredible, made tougher by the searing heat. Where there were trees, a racing line formed as runners ducked for shade when possible. Every down hill section was followed by a tough incline, mostly with a longer incline and sharp descent. After a steep descent towards the Eccup reservoir we hit the first water station and were lucky enough to enjoy some beautiful scenery in the shade of the trees before ascending again! The first 5 miles were quick but tough as I struggled to get into the rhythm of the changing profile.
Mile splits:
Mile 1 – 6:34
Mile 2 – 6:58
Mile 3 – 6:32
Mile 4 – 6:58
Mile 5 – 7:11
Just after five miles we hit the second water station. I still struggle to drink out of cups of water but seem to make time up on those around me. This time i decided to take a sip and throw the rest of the cup on my legs. The course seemed to weave and wind back on itself and it was easy to lose your bearings. With every hill the same runners seemed to overtake and then be overtaken depending on the incline or descent. Others began to struggle with the heat and were walking by the side of the lane. With 3 miles left i began to struggle mentally with the undulation and the 180 degree swinging of the corners. It didn’t help that someone overtook me on a cycle and they were struggling too! I couldn’t tell with every turn if I was about to have to climb or descend. It became a lottery. Go too fast on a down hill and you’d struggle up the hill. Take it too steady and you’d lose time. I kept telling myself what goes up must come down! At about 8.5 miles we hit a particularly steep hill and it wasn’t the final straight either. Combine my inability to drink water out cups with the heat and I began to wobble. It was the closest I’ve come this year to walking. Stop now and I’d miss my target time! No… I won’t stop! Just get to the top of the hill I told myself.
I made it to be rewarded with a water station and yet another shorter hill but I was overtaken by a couple of people. Had they set off too early? Then came the final stretch. One mile to go. The first half of this was down hill. Nice long strides would help me bank some time before the last attack up the hill. I began to reel in the people who had just overtaken me. One poor bloke was really struggling so I offered some encouragement. He responded in kind. At this point I felt some energy return as I re-entered the village. There were people to cheer us on which gave me a boost. In fact, there was no-one ahead of me so I felt they were cheering for me. Without anyone to chase down I turned off the street onto the gravel road next to the cricket field and spotted my support team cheering me on. I crossed the line in 69 minutes 16 seconds to be swamped by volunteers passing me entry forms to various other races. I told someone at that point I hated running! My target had been a sub 70 minute time. I also knocked off over 9 minutes of my personal best from the Ferriby 10. I put the disappointment of the last few races behind me.
My final splits were:
Mile 6 – 7:05
Mile 7 – 7:10
Mile 8 – 6:58
Mile 9 – 7:05
Mile 10 – 6:43
I was hugely satisfied if not completely drained from the heat! I spent the next ten minutes drinking every cup of water offered at the finish line before collecting what i thought was a pretty decent t-shirt.
The course was beautiful if not challenging. I read somewhere that it was undulating! Undulation would be the kindest way to describe the profile. I can appreciate that picking up race numbers was tricky for a lot of people as the queue extended the whole way down the street, which ended up delaying the start of the race but this didn’t affect the runners who arrived in good time aside from the delayed start.
Entry was £13 offering good value for money if you’re not too fussed with the trappings of a chip timed race and medal. I thought the t-shirt design was much better than a lot of the other races I’ve entered this year. Volunteers marshaled the route well and directed runners effectively around the course and I had no problems getting water except for my own inability to drink out of cups whilst running! Given that the route is incredibly rural the race was very low-key in terms of crowd support but there were some good pockets around the route.
The Eccup 10 is a very good, no-nonsense proper race and that was reflected in the high proportion of club runners making up the 751 entrants.
June: 1,000 Miles!!! Oooooh I’m halfway there!
Total Mileage: 1,013.14
Target Mileage: 1,010.63
Monthly Mileage: 167.02
What a month! It’s official I’ve passed 1,000 miles and the halfway point of the challenge. I’m now closer to Moscow than I am to home! I’ve now reached Poznan in Poland.
26.2 Miles
Last month I spoke about finishing my marathon training programme with either a marathon distance or Shrewsbury Marathon. In the end I decided to run a very low key marathon distance to bring forward the next phase of running towards Amsterdam. Running a marathon after work is a very different challenge to running in an event for a number of reasons. The main implication was how I might plan my hydration and nutrition without any support stations. I planned to split the run into four sections:
Section 1 – Start from work and head around the KC stadium and West Park before heading to the start line of the Hull 10k.
Sections 2 and 3 – Two laps of the Hull 10k route.
Section 4 – Leave town and head home to finish.
This was the strategy I employed for all my long runs after work previously. Mentally I’ve found this easier to tackle then running to one single point and heading back home as it’s easier to visualise. The real tricky bit and what I have struggled with most is hydration as I’ve not wanted to carry fluid with me on my run. This time though I thought I had to just to guard against ‘hitting the wall’ so I carried a bottle of Powerade. I’ve also practiced with energy gels and took 4 sachets out with me to have every 40-45 minutes.
After leaving work section 1 was fairly straightforward as I viewed this as long warm up. I was aiming for 8:00/mi pace and managed to stick to this fairly rigidly. Part way through section 2 I found a spot to hide my bottle and I was going to pick it up after finishing section 3. The focus was on getting through the sections. I wouldn’t check my mileage until section 4 when I needed to plan a long enough route home to hit 26.2 miles.
Section 4 was where it became tough but I’d been in this position before on my long run. This time I had the advantage of having a sports drink although it was a struggle to drink at this point. I made it home but still had 2 miles to go so carried on into Willerby. I felt the ‘wall’ creep on me but was determined to finish well. I eventually finished 26.3 miles in 3:31:15 adding 0.1 of a mile just to be sure! My previous best was 4:26:28 in London in 2009. The most satisfying element was that I ran the whole distance.
The Aftermath
At this point I was about 50 miles up on the 5.5 miles average equating to about 9 days ahead of schedule although I would lose this as I gave myself a few days recovery time. It was a bit of a shock to be honest as I walked like John Wayne for a couple of days but I felt good considering and not going out was strange. Four days later I went back out to loosen the legs with a couple of runs but then I came down with a bit of flu; something I gather that isn’t uncommon after putting your body through a big distance. The following weekend I had the Owston Ferry 10k so had to get out on the Saturday to break off some of the rust. Sunday was 10k day and I managed a time of 40:48 still suffering from the back end of the flu and some rustyness.
Following the race I began to plan the second part of the year up until the Amsterdam Marathon in October. I looked at the race calendar and matched it to a training plan and saw that my last run before Amsterdam would be the 29th September. Checking through the race calendar I noticed that the Loch Ness Marathon fell on the same day. I started to wonder whether I should enter. Experience from the previous 6 months suggested that it was likely that my plan might slip by a couple of weeks so I set the plan up to finish on the 29th September rather than 20th October just in case. If the plan did slip then I was covered for Dam. On the other side I have much more confidence in my fitness to finish a marathon with all that training banked but I would leave it until the last possible moment to enter the Loch Ness Marathon when entry closed at the end of June.
Scheduling out the 15 week programme it was clear that the weekly mileage will increase from the previous six months. My recovery runs have increased from 30-45 minutes to 45-60 minutes and I’m straight into longer distances for my long runs but this shouldn’t be a problem with the fitness base I’ve built up. As a result I’ve projected that by October I should be about 150 miles ahead of the 5.5 miles average. This equates to about a month which is ideal when I don’t want to be running over Christmas!
After the short rest I began my second marathon training plan and I have to admit it didn’t start particularly well. Initially I felt very rusty and my legs were heavy. This in turn didn’t leave me with the overwhelming feeling of wanting to go out. I’ve persevered though and managed to stay on track and gradually I’ve got back into the swing of it. I had the 1,000 mile mark to aim for!
The day before the Humber Half Marathon I reached 998 miles. It was quite nice to know that exactly halfway through the year I was going to pass the halfway point of the challenge and that it would be marked by running an event. The race itself didn’t exactly go to plan but I managed to finish in 1:40:11 in pretty warm and muggy conditions.
The graph below summarises my progress month by month. The funniest bit is the lack of running I did in the latter half of 2012!
What next?
So what have I got to look forward to in the lead up to Amsterdam? Well it’s getting serious now with 2 marathons and an Ultra event. Earlier in June I entered Hell on the Humber; a 12 hour night race. I added a few more races to the calendar including the Eccup 10M and Walkington 10k in July. I was lucky enough to be accepted for the Great North Run in September. After the Humber Half Marathon I finally bit the bullet and entered the Loch Ness Marathon meaning I’ll be running 2 marathons in 3 weeks!
I’ve learnt a lot from the first six months and there are number of things I want to build upon such as my nutrition. Being completely honest it is definitely my weakest element. I gorge on donuts when I feel like it and I don’t eat with any consistency. I could go all day without eating and then tuck into a big roast dinner at night followed by some form of sweet delicacy after. The next day I could just snack on chocolate. This is my biggest area for improvement.
I can’t sign off without a mention to the people who have sponsored me. Raising money in this climate is pretty tough and whilst it hasn’t been the primary reason for doing this challenge it means a lot when I see someone has sponsored me. I enjoy running and in a lot of respects running the races is much easier as you have people on the sidelines cheering you on. The real challenge comes from the times when I’ve felt tired after work and there’s no-one around to give you a kick up the backside. When I see that total increase it gives me a boost to keep going. So far I’ve raised just over £200 so I’m 10% of the way there but I know there are others who have told me they’re going to sponsor me which is great. Secretly I’d love to raise a pound for every mile I run.
There’s a lot to build on from the first half of the year but I’m as determined as I’ve ever been to meet the challenge.
The Humber Half Marathon…”RIP Micoach, my trusty friend!”
Sunday 30th June 2013.
Time: 1:40:11
Position: 218th out of 1599
Today would see me pass the 1,000 mile at exactly the half way point of the challenge. A real big milestone I’d been looking forward to since January. What a way it would be bookmark this by finishing the Humber Half Marathon.
The Humber Half like Sheffield has always been on my ‘to do’ list since I moved to Hull 5 years ago but the date often clashed with my football club AGM. It’s one of the most scenic half marathons in the UK with it crossing the Humber Bridge, a fantastic landmark connecting East Yorkshire to Northern Lincolnshire. In past marathon training I used to really enjoy crossing the Humber Bridge but this would be my first time in almost a year since I completed the Hell on the Humber Ultra race. I’ve avoided it since after doing 10 laps of the bridge back in August!
The route is pretty challenging with several steep inclines and descents which meant a PB would be difficult. I was still keen on getting back on track though and looking for a strong run after the slight disappointment of the Owston Ferry 10k.
Conditions were pretty warm and muggy as I warmed up by doing loops of the car park. For once I arrived in good time so I could line up in a decent position in the starting pack. I didn’t have my supporter here for the race so there are no action shots! Like a number of times this year I bumped into someone. This time it was an old junior football mate of mine Dave Millns who’d come over from Sheffield. It was good to see him but it’s always a bit strange bumping into people you haven’t seen for years in these situations as you’re both gearing up to run. We both wished each other luck and off he went in the distance.
I was guilty in my last race of kicking off too fast so I had to be patient at the start especially as the initial half mile was downhill to Hessle and then uphill towards the Humber Bridge. The support though was fantastic. It was a warm, muggy morning but I didn’t expect to see so many people line the course. As we got onto the bridge a stiff breeze hit us; a welcome relief from the heat but a pain as we ran into an awkward side/head wind. It didn’t matter though as you’re treated to a fantastic view of Hull from the bridge as you run along the carriageway, which is in a much better condition than the pedestrian footpath I’d become familiar with last year.
It’s not until you reach the middle of the bridge about 3 miles in that the route begins to descend. The descent is fairly steep and it would be easy to fly down this section. In fact it’s difficult not to. The downside is you can see what’s ahead; a steep incline up the slip road towards Barton. For me this was the hardest section of the race. I tried to keep a decent pace up the slope but it seemed so long. Thankfully we were greeted at the top by a water station. I almost choked on the cup of water I was given. I still haven’t mastered the art of drinking from a cup whilst running!
My splits up to this point were:
Mile 1 – 6:50/mi
Mile 2 – 6:53/mi
Mile 3 – 7:05/mi
Mile 4 – 6:40/mi
Mile 5 – 7:24/mi
Following the water station there was another descent into Barton and the crowd support mirrored the north side of the bridge. Then, at the 5 mile point, came the pivotal moment of the day. I noticed that my earphone lead was dangling round my legs. Oh s**t! This could only mean that my Micoach recording device had slipped off my running belt. I carried on running as I found the other end of the lead hoping it was still attached. Oh s**t it wasn’t! I spent a good 20 or 30 seconds running down the hill deciding what to do. Should I go back and look for it or should I hope someone has picked it up and handed it in? Having a good start delayed my decision even more which meant when I eventually stopped to retrace my steps I had more ground to cover.
I retraced my steps back up the slope. One runner shouted the inevitable “You’re going the wrong way”. A young girl asked her mum if I was ok to which I made my excuses rather embarrassed. I asked around as I looked for it on the road. I spoke to 3 different marshals but no luck. I even spoke to a copper who then asked me to write down my number as she directed traffic. It must have looked very odd for the traffic as I stuffed her notepad back into a stab vest whilst she directed cars! Definitely the most surreal moment of the year.
Eventually I gave up and carried on running whilst berating myself. I was so annoyed partly because I’d lost it and partly because I’d stopped to look for it. In a twisted kind of way I’d felt like I’d lost a friend! It had been my coach for the last 6 months. It had done the mileage with me and now it was lost to the road wilderness.
In the process of looking for it I’d lost five minutes on my time. I didn’t know how much at the time though. Fortunately, I’d just bought a new GPS watch but I stopped it when I stopped. I don’t know why! Luckily it meant I’d protected myself against such an event in terms of recording distance.
I struggled to regain some focus and get back into a rhythm but carried on through Barton. I felt like stopping because I’d lost so much time but told myself to carry on. Plus I was on the other side of the bridge so I might as well carry on. It was all a bit of a blur to be honest through Barton. I’d lost sight of the Humber Bridge as a landmark and my foot was off the gas knowing that I’d wrecked a potential time I would have been happy with.
Splits:
Mile 6 – 7:05/mi
Mile 7 – 7:17/mi
Mile 9 – 7:28/mi
The route took a turn back towards and then underneath the Humber Bridge. I knew what was coming up next; the infamous ‘Cardiac Hill’ 9 miles in. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has run this race has said how tough this section is. It’s basically a decent gradient up the hill which then takes you back round on to the Bridge. I didn’t really attack the hill which reflects the splits but I’d imagine at full pelt it would have been just as difficult as the slip road into Barton. What struck me was how quiet this section was away from the drinks stations. It was a country lane with no crowds to push you on. It was just you and the hill and it was a worthy opponent.
Your reward for reaching the top was a picturesque view of the Humber as you again descended down the slip road and back on to the bridge. This really typifies the up/down nature of the course as following the descent you steadily climb back onto the bridge. I decided at the middle point of the bridge to pick up the pace again and finish strongly. Coming off the bridge I stepped up another gear to 5k pace overtaking as many people as I could. I was determined to enjoy the last part of the race. It wasn’t until the last corner that I saw that I’d missed a sub 1:40:00 time by 18 seconds, later confirmed as 11 seconds by chip. My watch told me without the faffing in Barton I would have finished in 1:35:16 which I would’ve been pleased with before the race.
Final Splits
Mile 10 – 7:55/mi
Mile 11 – 6:53/mi
Mile 12 – 7:56/mi
Mile 13 – 7:02/mi
Finish: 1:35:16
Taking into consideration the heat and the tough nature of the course it was probably a stronger performance than the PB I achieved at the North Lincolnshire Half in April, which gives me hope of beating my PB going into the latter part of the year.
You could tell the race itself has been established for a good number of years because of the slick organisation and marshaling. Marshals lined the whole route and water stations were placed in the best possible places. The event is a little more expensive than a local event but you get a decent t-shirt, a medal and it’s chip timed. The goody bag probably wasn’t as extensive as other races I’ve entered but at least you got a bottle of water and an abundance of bananas and water at the finish line.
The Owston Ferry 10K: “Fast Route. Disappointment with a PB!”
Sunday 16th June 2013
Time: 40:48
Position: 45th out of 293
Mum came to cheer me on!
After a bit of time off following 26.2 miles round Hull I was back over the bridge to Owston Ferry, a small village along the River Trent in the Isle of Axholme.
After the mess of the Hull 9k I entered the Owston Ferry 10k with the aim of getting a decent PB ideally something under 40 minutes. It would be fair to say that I didn’t quite reach the start line at 100% having only been out for two runs in two weeks and suffering from the back-end of some flu which had kept me off work at the end of the week. Despite that I was still hopeful of a strong run on a flat course .
The 10:30 start was great as I didn’t have to get up too early! (I’m definitely not a morning person). The race began in the village park before leaving the village following several country lanes before returning in a loop back to Owston Ferry and finishing back in the park. The course was as flat as you’re going to get, offering a great chance for a PB.
Final stretch!
The organisation was what you would expect for a small race as you picked your number up from the village hall right next to start. No problems there.
The race wasn’t chip timed so I got myself into a decent position on the start line and as the gun went off I set out pretty quickly as we looped the park and left the village. I felt in decent nick for the first 1km with a split time of 3:40 then bang! It turned out I’d set off too quick as I began to struggle to maintain my pace. The first half of the race would be into a head wind and conditions were muggy and overcast. It was even worse when the sun broke through. I passed the 5km marker at bang on 20 minutes but knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain my pace.
I was struggling physically but I wasn’t particularly out of breath. I just felt weak. I wasn’t at the races! Then I got nailed! An elderly gentleman easily overtook me just after 5km. Mentally I was fried.
At around 6km the route looped back along the river bank and back towards Owston Ferry with a slight tail wind, although I couldn’t feel it! I began to maintain my pace at around 4:15 min/km. I couldn’t wait to finish the race. I overtook the elderly gentleman who very kindly encouraged me to keep going as we entered the village for the last 2km.
My long suffering supporter!
As we ran along the main road we got a decent reception by the small crowd which had gathered. I began to pick up the pace a little before I was overtaken by someone. Usually my competitive side would kick in but it just wasn’t one of those days. Then I noticed he began to cut corners as we entered the final stretch despite the marshals telling him to stick to the road. They weren’t small corners either. I nearly started to race again just out of principle. I’ll never understand cutting corners as you only cheat yourself. At this point I was too tired to care. In every race so far this year I’d finished really strong and I’d prided myself on finishing better than those around me. Today was different. I’d settled on finishing within 41 minutes and upon entering the park I knew I would comfortably beat that. Seeing Gemma and my Mum at the finish gave me a bit of a boost as I crossed the line.
I came home in 45th with a time of 40:48, which officially smashed my previous personal best by nearly 8 minutes but I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. It was the first race I’d finished and not felt good. It was a very strange feeling because if I’d have been offered that time before the race I would have probably taken it.
After the race I sought out the gentleman who had overtaken me earlier and congratulated him. I was massively impressed with his effort. It turned out he was 70! Not only that he is ranked the fastest 70 year old in the UK. Unbelievable! I can only dream of being that fit at 70!
When I got home I had time to reflect. Logistically I still haven’t got to grips with getting my pre race nutrition sorted. I still struggle to eat anything before I set off. This time though I’d left my drink at home so had no fluid either. Big mistake! I need to sort this out pretty sharpish otherwise I’m going to become a cropper in my marathons.
There were no issues out on the route which often means that the marshals were effective. You might not notice them but they always do a cracking job. A water station out on the 5km mark was enough to sustain runners although water was in cups rather than in bottles but I think cups is par for the course for the smaller less expensive events. The Owston Ferry 10k was a decently organised local event for anyone looking to get a new PB.
May: Hanover to Berlin “Building up to 26.2 miles”
Total Mileage: 846.02
Target Mileage: 808.22
Monthly Mileage: 177.61
5 months down and I’m deep into hinterlands of Germany arriving in Berlin! Only one country crossed this month but 177 miles in the bank as I come towards the end of a marathon programme I started back in January. I’m almost 850 miles from home now. It’s a long way back!
This month has gone very much like previous months. More miles in the bank and I’m getting ever closer to the halfway point. May has been all about preparation for a marathon. I mentioned last month that the Shrewsbury Marathon was a prospect at the back-end of June but that comes with its own implications. I’m pretty much at the end of the marathon programme which leaves me 3 weeks to fill. This isn’t ideal because the tapering period plays a crucial part of preparation. During the tapering period you should begin to reduce the weekly mileage to allow your body to recover fully and adjust so that on race day you are in peak condition.
Having done a bit of reading you shouldn’t really leave more than 3 weeks between you’re last long run and race day. Some say it should only be 2 weeks. My last programmed long run was for 3:10 on the 21st May leaving almost 5 weeks before Shrewsbury. I’ve made a few amendments to the plan to maintain the weekly distances for a week or two but keeping the variety so I don’t hit a plateau. I’ll then fit one last long run in at the beginning of June. I have two options here. I could run for 3:20 and then enter the Shrewsbury Marathon as I’ll have 3 weeks to taper and be ready. Alternatively I could actually run a marathon distance. It’ll have been 2 weeks since my last long run although I won’t have the full benefit of a proper tapering period.
I’ve thought long and hard about this approach. It gives me some real flexibility. Both options have a lot of positives and negatives. I’ve read a lot of negative things about completing a marathon in training rather than saving it for the race. Many say you should save it for a race otherwise you risk feeling underwhelmed. Conversely, if thought about the right way it can give you the confidence going into race day knowing that you can push through ‘the wall’, the most feared part of a marathon. Forget times and PBs, my biggest regret of London in 2009 was not running the full distance. I was simply under-prepared.
Whilst running an actual marathon event would be more preferable to running one in training before Summer I’ve got to consider preparation and plans for the Amsterdam Marathon in October. Running a marathon distance at the beginning of June would give me 20 weeks to rest and prepare again but only 17 weeks if I entered Shrewsbury. Within that period I’ll be running Hell on the Humber, a 12 hour night race, hoping to smash the 40 miles I managed last year and I wouldn’t mind a few more attempts at getting PBs in 10k and half marathons. There’s a lot to consider but this approach gives me the flexibility. I may not even have made a decision until 3 hours into the last long run! Watch this space.
Let’s get back to what’s happened this month. After finishing the North Lincs Half Marathon at the end of April I had a similar slump after Silverstone although not as bad. Thankfully with a bit more running behind me it’s become more routine to get out although I have to admit that I’m struggling to find new safe routes to keep things interesting. Over the May Day Bank Holiday I had my first major blip where both mentally and physically I wasn’t at the races. 30 minutes into a 2:20 run I was in trouble. I had nothing. Whilst it was unusually muggy it still shouldn’t have stopped me. I had to stop. After 20 minutes of walking I trotted home confused and disappointed. I put it down to a number of things and resolved to head out again the following day. I thought the best way to get over a bad run is to just go out and do a good one. No such problems this time and I just chalked it up as ‘one of those days’. Still it was an uncomfortable 24 hours prior as I wrestled with the possible reasons.
The following weekend i ran the Sheffield Half Marathon in a time of 1:37:18. Whilst not a PB the time showed how far I’d come as I took it at likely marathon pace but beat my Silverstone time from March. The following weekend was the Hull 10k which I did with some friends from work as part of Team Esteem. 37:58 sounds like a good time but it doesn’t account for the fact the course ended up being only 9k because of a bridge getting stuck and that I walked for the first 5 minutes. It would have certainly been a PB as my last and only 10k in 2010 was finished in 48:47. What I really appreciated though was running with people I knew. 99% of this challenge has been completed on my own so from time to time it’s nice to share the roads with my friends. I’m always interested to hear about other people’s journeys and help in any way I can with advice or even if anyone wanted to join me for a run. I find it really rewarding but don’t do enough.
3 days after the Hull 9k was my longest run to date with 23.79 miles completed in 3:10 before flying out to Berlin for a bit of sightseeing. I have to admit I was more excited than usual to be heading away particularly as the city I was heading to was where I would be had I left Hull back in January and carried on from my last destination after every run. I knew a lot of walking and the odd drink or two would be involved but was determined to go for a run through the Tiergarten and towards the Brandenburg Gate. I negotiated the traffic from my hotel along the Kurfurstendamm, the Oxford Street of Berlin, and then passed the zoo towards the Siegessaule, Berlin’s Victory Column, through the Tiergarten. It was fortuitous that the main road between the Siegessaule and the Brandenburg Gate was closed so I had the whole of the historic Strasse des 17. Juni to myself, flanked by the Tiergarten on either side.
Organisers were obviously setting up for an event with the road closure and I couldn’t get all the way up to the Gate. After turning back i came across a poster. I could tell from it that there was a 5.5k race organised that evening with a party afterwards. After a bit of Googling back at the hotel I found out it was a corporate event. I was tempted to put out an SOS tweet back to Esteem to see if it would be possible to get a last-minute race entry! Ha Ha.
I dragged Gemma along that evening to see the race, itching to run myself. The route went through the Tiergarten finishing just before the Brandenburg Gate. This was the first time we could access the area close to the Gate as corporate tents lined the street. The event had a ‘feel good’ atmosphere and a great mix between the running and party atmosphere. The event was chip timed but was incredibly relaxed. What both surprised and impressed me the most was that entrants could complete the race on skates and there were no rules on drinking beer and skating at the same time! I thought the concept and the event itself was a great idea as it brought lots of people out to enjoy the racing, beers and hospitality. Friday night is an unusual start time but it worked and everyone seemed to be having lots of fun with their mates after work. Maybe an idea for us in Team Esteem to get off the ground in Hull! 😉
Next month should be quite eventful. One thing is certain. I’ll be taking on 26.2 miles. Whether that’s a low-key training run in Hull on my own or with a couple of thousand others for the first ever Shrewsbury Marathon is still to be decided. I’ll also be aiming to hit the landmark of 1,000 miles; something i never thought I’d be saying 6 months ago. Time has flown by really. Within that I’ve also entered the Owston Ferry 10k and Humber Bridge Half Marathon so June’s blog should have lots to report back on.
If you’ve stayed with my blog since i started back in January I want to say a big thank you. I’m aware what has been an experience for me is not necessarily interesting for every reader and you probably read my blog in support. For me this is an honest account of my experience and I try to make it interesting as possible but I’m aware sometimes it can sound like, ‘This month I ran…’. A lot of the time the experience is just that. ‘I went out, i ran…’. If I wrote down everything i think about then it would be very very boring as I’m always thinking about strategy in the short and long-term of planning, training and races. There’s a whole section on nutrition i haven’t even touched on yet but is always in my mind, which is just important as the actual running.
It’s a long and mostly monotonous challenge but that’s why i like to think it stands out above doing a single event. I’m trying to apply myself over a long period to reach a goal. There in lies the sense of achievement.
The Hull 10k… The 10k that never was…
Sunday 19th May 2013
Chaos, confusion and banter. Three words I would choose to describe this year’s Jane Tomlinson’s Hull 10K!
This was my first 10k race of the year and the first time I would be running as part of an organised team with friends and colleagues from work. Because of my challenge and the miles I’d banked I’d inadvertently set myself up as a target for some members of our team as the ‘person to beat’. The banter in the office has been pretty funny at times with the obvious ‘downplaying of chances’ but there was still that competitive edge amongst some of my team mates.
The Team
In the office there’s a range of abilities. We had runners who have become annual residents of the Hull 10k. Running partners Steph Anderson and Ross Ferguson. Steph began running for the first time about 2 years ago with her first race being the first leg of the Hull Marathon. Ross was another who had taken running up only fairly recently but had made significant improvements and was seeking a sub 50 minute time.
Then we had the seasoned competitors of Gavin Barley, his son Dave, and Sam Whitaker with father and son running the Beverley 10k the previous week in around 46 minutes, a time they consistency achieve. Sam, a multiple iron man competitor, had just completed a 13 mile ‘Tough Mudder’ event a couple of weeks before but injured himself. Despite not being at his best he is still capable of a sub 50 minute 10k.
The team also contained the competitive triathlete John MacDonald who ‘in his prime at 26’ was capable of a sub 44 minute time, and dark horse Ross Bellingham who had been the chief protagonist of the office banter. Ross was targeting a very impressive sub 40 minute time and had consistently been running sub 20 minute 5ks on the treadmill.
Our team also comprised Peter Latham Warde and Ashley Hopper who were running the event for the first time. Unfortunately, the day before the race Peter was ruled out through injury so up stepped Sherrelle Omar, clearly oblivious to what she was about to do with absolutely zero training. She was the first to admit she’s probably never run more than 200 metres. It was all very funny but I have to admit I was massively impressed with her attitude. No messing. Just banter! She was in!
I’d only ever competed in one 10k race previously which was the first Hull 10k back in 2010. I’d finished in 48:47, a PB that remains to this day, off the back of no training and remember how difficult I found it in the heat that day. It’s quite funny to look back at that time and see the progress I’ve made in the last 5 months as I’ve been hitting sub 45 minute 10k splits consistently over the half marathons this year. Despite this though my official PB remains at 48:47 and this was my first opportunity to bring down that time.
In my head though that 10k PB was achieved by a different person. I was at a different level of fitness now and it was only a question of time before I significantly reduced that PB officially. With that in mind my attentions turned to how I might run the race a bit differently to break up the monotony of all the previous races and for a bit more banter in the office. I talked with JMac about some ideas. Fancy dress was the obvious one. Then I had the idea of running it 3 legged. John, having done the Beverley 10k the previous week seemed up for it as my partner in crime but Ross B, the main protagonist of the competitive banter was disappointed.
The Race
On the morning of the race I got a text from John to say he couldn’t make it which put paid to my ‘three legged’ race plans. Thankfully though the text woke me up otherwise I’d have slept in and missed the race. I quickly dashed to meet up with the team for a team photo in our brand new running t shirts provided by the Smile Foundation, the charity we were representing.
A few of us headed off in various directions for toilet breaks and warm ups. I went off for a 10 minute warm up round Queens Gardens. My mindset had shifted completely from thinking I was running a 3 legged fun run to trying to get a fast 10k time.
At the start of the year I had target times in my mind which I wanted to achieve for each race distance by the end of the year, some of which I’ve unexpectedly hit already, but this was my first 10k and despite getting a sub 44 minute 10k split during the first half of the North Lincolnshire Marathon I’d yet to record an official time. In my own mind I would have been satisfied with anything under 42 minutes.
We all headed into the pens relative to our times. Sam had selflessly decided to run with Sherrelle. Gavin and his son were further ahead but I headed into the sub 40 minute pen to find Ross B. It was quite tightly packed and I couldn’t find him. Time started dragging as it was announced that one of the bridges that the course ran over was stuck and so couldn’t be moved into position. The organisers were trying to rectify it but eventually it was announced that the route would be shortened as a result. There was a mixture of cheers and groans although I have to admit I was perplexed by the cheers. It was like the Grand National in 1993; the race that never was.
I decided at this point that any time would be meaningless and I’d offer some support to the rest of my team and join Sam and Sherrelle further back. Eventually the race started and Sam, Sherrelle and I were being left for dust by those running. Sherrelle was never going to run the whole race but it was great that she’d signed up and her self deprecation was hilarious, especially as her race number had Peter’s name on it. We’d run for 30 seconds and then walk for a bit. This went on for five minutes before Sam encouraged me to run ahead. I was recording this run as part of my challenge and it would hurt my overall pace. I reasoned that I would have fun with this and hit it hard whilst looking for Steph. After making about 500m progress in just under 5 minutes I set off hard. With no pressure of time I could push it and see how fast I could go. Like the Silverstone Half Marathon when I started at the back there was a lot of overtaking and it was tricky but I was running much much faster than those around me compared to Silverstone. I still looked out for Steph but couldn’t find her as we headed into Victoria Dock which covers the first 5k. In fact, I couldn’t find anyone with the Esteem logo on the back of their running shirt. Had I missed Steph?
As we double backed along Victoria Dock I saw Sam and Sherrelle going in the opposite direction. I shouted to ask how far Gavin was ahead. Sam responded saying he was about two minutes ahead. I wasn’t sure whether I’d passed Steph and Ross F now but carried on at a fast pace. I felt good although I was still being slowed up at the narrow parts of the course. After 5k I hit the marina and spotted Gemma, my long suffering lone supporter. I also spotted an Esteem t-shirt. It was Gavin’s son Dave. The course then took us into the city centre. I’ve ran this route many times in training and it always feels deceptively like you’re almost home even though there is about 2/3k left. I picked up the pace a little more. The finish line is back where we started along Alfred Gelder Street outside the Guildhall. I could see the timing screen at the line and I’d just missed the sub 40 minute gun time but I semi sprinted to the finish feeling slightly confused with the race start and the fact I only saw one of my team mates. I had no idea what my chip time was either because I’d accidently set my watch off before crossing the start line. It turned out Gavin was only 25 seconds behind me so I must have been oblivious to the runners around me.
I met up with Gemma and within minutes I got through my official chip time of 37:58. I knew that was fairly quick but I didn’t know how to feel about it because the course had been short and I’d practically walked for the first 5 minutes with Sherrelle and Sam. I’d know more when I checked my Micoach device at home.
I stood on the finish line with Gemma and Steph’s parents and cheered home the finishers and my team mates. Ross F was the first person I saw coming in at 43:53, followed by Ashley in 52:41. I then jogged up further to see how Steph was getting on but came across Ross B in the crowd who had finished massively quick in 35:45. Steph then came by and was doing brilliantly finishing in 57:52. Sam and Sherrelle followed not long after with a chip time of 1:11:15 meaning they must have jogged for quite a bit which was impressive.
There was understandably a bit of a disappointment in the team as the course was shortened to 9k. It’s difficult to take for anyone looking to beat their previous best time to compare. For some of us it was a familiar story as it was the second race in Hull which has ‘come up short’ in terms of distance.
It looked like Ross B would have certainly smashed a sub 40 minute time. I’m certain others would have been celebrating new personal bests. Personally, I enjoyed the race once I got going. It felt quick! My Micoach told me afterwards that I’d been running for 33:33 from the time I’d left Sam and Sherrelle until the finish line and it had been a couple of minutes before I passed the 1km marker so it looked like I was short by around 1.5km. Had I maintained my pace it looks likely I would have come in at around 39:30 despite all the precarious overtaking I did. This was both encouraging and disappointing as it gives me the belief but is still a case of ‘what could have been…’. I suspect most of my team mates felt the same about their race. As a result my PB remains at 48:47.
Putting personal achievement aside there had been some good banter in the office prior to the race, great effort shown by everyone during the race and money has been raised for charity. It was a shame that the race had to be shortened and there was a lot of anger on my Twitter feed after the race from others and to a certain extent I shared their frustration. The Hull 10k is not a cheap event with it costing up to £28 for entry and people put a lot of effort into preparing for the race. Clearly, this wasn’t a deliberate mistake by the organisers and historically the race has been well organised with no issues. Having worked in events myself some things are difficult to foresee. Indeed, given the nature of the issue the organisers did well to get the event re-routed in such a short space of time and no doubt the organisers will look at contingency plans in the future to mitigate any similar problems with the course next year.
The Sheffield Half Marathon “Memories of Uni in a Run”
Sunday 12th May 2013
Time: 1:37:19
Position: 800th out of 5,400
Two weeks after hitting a new half marathon PB in Scunthorpe I was back in half marathon action with another early journey, this time to Sheffield. This was to be the last time the half marathon would start from the Don Valley Stadium, home of Jessica Ennis, after the Local Authority announced earlier in the year it was to close. The Don Valley Stadium holds quite a lot of memories for me personally as the majority of my exams for my undergraduate degree took place beneath the main stand. I always remember quite fondly if not a little bit strangely doing my exams with my BABS4 classmates and the relief afterwards as we hastily headed back to the city centre on the tram to get on the beers!
Anyone that knows me knows I love Sheffield. Weirdly though, in my 4 years living in my ‘adopted’ city I’d never entered the half marathon.
This time I was here for a completely different reason and for the first time I felt the pressure was off to get a decent time. The most important lesson from the race would be to race at marathon pace comfortably. To finish within 1 hour 45 minutes would be the goal. Again, I made the mistake of arriving at the stadium too late which meant I started towards the back of the pack. Just as soon as I crossed the start line the pack in front of me came to a complete standstill. It took nearly five minutes after crossing the start line on the track to get out the stadium and start running. Three months ago the red mist would have probably descended as I lost time from the start but I just kept my head down and let it pass.
Once we were out of the stadium it was surprisingly still quite bunched along the carriageways which passed through the industrial district of Attercliffe. I found myself doing a lot of overtaking which I wasn’t too keen on as I wanted to maintain an efficient marathon pace but because I’d lodged myself within the 2 hour runners I had to negotiate the bunches as best I could without getting too carried away. This happened for about 4 miles before reaching the city centre; passing my old work place and Ponds Forge Swimming Complex up the steepish hill. The crowds were quite dense along this road before we turned on to Pond Street with the bus interchange to my left and Sheffield Hallam University to my right. It would be a cliché to say that the race was like a trip down memory lane but it definitely felt like it. As I ran under the concourse which joins one block of the university to another I couldn’t help but remember the many days spent in the Eric Mensforth building which was immediately to my left and then passed the student union where I enjoyed many drunken nights.
The sights of the old Gatecrasher club, the kebab shop across the road and the area near the football ground where I once lived came and went as we headed on to Ecclesall Road. I found myself just enjoying the race as I passed all the places I used to go with all my mates. It was like being at home again. Then, I saw a familiar face jog by in the opposite direction. It was an old classmate from my BABS4 class, Lyndon! He was making great progress and it was only afterwards that knew for sure it was him.
Ecclesall Road is the big student area in Sheffield and the support down here was fantastic as lots of families and students roared us on. This was my favourite part of the race. At the 180 degree turnaround at Hunters Bar, (Again somewhere else I once lived) I reached the half way point and I was keeping a decent pace despite the 5 minute delay. I was actually still on course for a sub 1:45 finish. Despite Sheffield’s reputation for being hilly the course hadn’t been as undulating as I expected although the first half is generally uphill. I felt strong and knew I could maintain the pace for the downhill half of the route. We headed back into the city centre from Ecclesall Road taking in the Devonshire Green, Division Street and passing City Hall with more memories of nights out with the lads! The crowd support beefed up a bit more along Pinstone Street as we passed along Peace Gardens and then the Crucible Theatre before heading down the hill and out of the city centre back towards the Don Valley Stadium. It was at this point about ten miles in that I realised I was on for a sub 1:40 time. Still feeling very comfortable i picked up the pace a little more.
Miles 10-12 were pretty quiet as we retraced our steps through the industrial estate before seeing the Don Valley Stadium. The final mile of the route was quite strange as we entered the stadium at the top of the smaller stands before heading back out again and then coming back in onto the track for the final 100 metres. As I arrived into the stadium for the first time I really picked up the pace and finished strongly in a time of 1:37:19, beating my first half marathon at Silverstone.
Taking into consideration the ‘false start’ and how good I felt I was really satisfied. It’s hard to say whether I could maintain that pace for a marathon but a sub 90 minute half marathon has got to be a real possibility given the right conditions and good course. Next up though is the Hull 10k next week!
The North Lincolnshire Half Marathon “My Home Half Marathon”
Sunday 28th April 2013
Time: 1:31:52
Position: 139th out of 863
Off the back of a 5k PB the day before i woke up early to head back over the Humber Bridge for the North Lincolnshire Half Marathon. This was only my second half marathon race following Silverstone back in March. Whilst i was pleased with my time at Silverstone i was determined to break the 1 hour 40 mark as i felt i was held up quite a bit throughout the race.
The night before the race i felt a little more anxious than usual as this essentially was my ‘home’ race. I was bound to see lots of people i know and i tend to feel more comfortable with anonymity at events. I struggled to relax completely and this carried over into the morning. I’m not the sort of person who jumps out of bed and getting up at 7am on a Sunday morning is not my idea of fun.
I eventually dragged myself out of bed for the short journey to Glanford Park, home of Scunthorpe United and race HQ to pick up my race number and chip. I was amazed that i didn’t see anyone i knew. It seemed most runners weren’t local. I left Gemma and her mum to jog to the start which was located about a mile away on Scotter Road. I arrived about five minutes before the start but needed to ditch my jacket so jogged back to hand it to Gemma. At Silverstone i deliberately started at the back of the pack but this time it was purely accidental.
The route followed Scotter Road, before turning right on to country lanes heading towards East Butterwick and along the River Trent back towards the finish at Glanford Park.
Despite starting plum last i didn’t suffer the same fate with bunching as i did with Silverstone probably because there was less than 1,000 runners compared to the 6,000 at Silverstone and i managed to make my way through the back of the pack fairly easily. I also got another shout from the crowd of “Are you giving everyone a head start?” It never gets old that one!
Back of the pack again!The route had mile and 5k markers throughout which also made it easier to pace. The first few miles were essentially a straight line along Scotter Road. Supporters were littered along the route and were giving encouragement but the volunteers were the really enthusiastic ones which really gave a feel good factor to the event.
After turning off Scotter Road and onto the country lanes, the crowds were pretty spaced out. So far it had been straight and flat apart from the motorway bridge and i crossed the 10k marker in 43:40. I was pretty pleased with my progress but i was conscious that i might burn out too quick so paced myself with how i was feeling maintaining 7 minute miles. Before the race i’d set myself the goal of getting under 1 hour 40 minutes and i looked on course to achieve that.
Miles 7,8 and 9 went by uneventfully. I felt like i was still making good progress as i was overtaking people before hitting East Butterwick which sits on the banks of the River Trent. I have to admit it felt slightly weird passing through East Butterwick and on into Burringham. I was now following a route perpendicular to the route on the other side of the river bank i often ran as a teenager from West Butterwick to Althorpe. The recognisable feature was the M180 motorway bridge which i used to run under except i was on the other side of the river. What also struck me was how nice the villages were as you passed through. Having grown up in the area it was surprising that this occurred to me. It was nice to think that non local runners were probably thinking the same.
Last stretch…I reached Burringham with 3 miles to go and i was still maintaining 7 minute miles. I quickly worked out that a sub 1:35 time was within reach and began to pick up the pace as i passed through Gunness and onto the final stretch along the A18. I was now on a familiar route which i’d run so many times and i could see the stadium in the distance. I was now cooking on gas but knew i was about to hit the only other hill on the course; a footbridge crossing the M181 motorway. To cross this i had to come off the road and onto a dirt track and to attack the short but steep hill. This was the most difficult part of the course but it wasn’t over when i reached the top. A short steep descent led to a tight 180 degree corner. This was where i recognised someone for the first time; a marshal who i used to go to school with. We were directed along to the last bit of road and past a barbeque with only 400 metres to go. I bet all the runners loved that after nearly 13 miles of running!
The route led us into Glanford Park and onto the pitch before doing a horseshoe final 100m before crossing the line. I’d finished with a chip time of 1:31:52, a gun position of 139th out of 833 and a new PB. I looked to see my mum, Gemma and her mum, Pauline, in the stands whilst i got my breath back. The last time i looked to the stands celebrating to see my mum whilst on that pitch was after Crowle Colts U12’s had won the cup back in 1996!
I walked around for a bit, picking up my medal and taking a few pictures before joining my support crew and heading home for a well deserved Sunday roast!
My support team!I’d smashed my Silverstone time by almost 9 minutes and i think that was largely down to the flat nature of the course and the excellent organisation of the event. Everything was organised to help the runners get the most out of the race. It was flat, there were distance markers, drinks stations in the right place and the volunteers and marshals were excellent with their organisation and encouragement. It surprises me to say this but whilst my hometown gets a lot of negative publicity this event is something to be proud of. Being honest, i was slightly anxious about this event and with it being only the second year of existence you’d forgive the organisers if things didn’t go smoothly but everything was spot on and i’ve no doubt that helped me get a new PB.
On reflection after the race i feel in good shape to target a sub 1:30 time later in the year. I didn’t expect to be seeing the improvements in times that i’m seeing in such a short space of time but i’m reaping the rewards. The next race on the calendar is the Sheffield Half Marathon in 2 weeks; my second ‘home’ event.
April: Eindhoven to Hanover “200 Miles!”
Total Mileage: 668.41
Target Mileage: 681.08
Monthly Mileage: 205.26
Eins! Zwei! Drei! Leaving Eindhoven i’ve navigated the last few miles of the Netherlands, across the border, and into the Fatherland. 3 Personal best times in 5ks and a half marathon, 3 runs over 20 miles and my biggest monthly mileage so far has seen me almost reach the German city of Hanover.
Training
WARNING: Skip this bit if you don’t like hearing about running programmes and the day to day element of running.
This last month has seen me hit the ‘business end’ of the marathon programme I’ve been following. I’m still behind on my target mileage by about 12 miles but in the grand scheme of things this is nothing. I’ve got 8 months to catch this up. The biggest positive is that I posted my biggest monthly distance of over 200 miles; 50 miles more than any other month so far.
I’ve been running solidly for over 4 months now and as a result of the overall increased mileage I finished the month ahead of the 5.5 miles a day average. Towards the end of March I was almost 50 miles down on this average which shows how many miles I’ve put in over the last month.
Week 1 in April started off pretty steady and short with nothing over an hour, mainly so I was ready for the weekly long run which was now hitting over 2 and a half hours. Weekend commitments and doing the Parkrun on a Saturday meant I shifted my long run day to a Monday, the first of which was a decent 2:40 run from work to Beverley and then home. It’s hard to explain but anything under 2 hours is fairly comfortable but beyond that it becomes much more difficult very quickly. This long run was the first time I’d reached the 20 mile mark. The next couple of weeks were going to add 10 minutes each time to my long run.
The second week of running was pretty big, starting with that first long run, a mid-week steady 1 hour 50 and my first track session of 800m intervals for 1 hour 35. Every other day between these sessions was the usual 45 minute recovery runs. That was my first 60 mile week and I definitely felt it. The interval session on the track gave me the first indication as to whether I was still on track for hitting my marathon target time of 3 hours 45 at the end of the programme. If I could complete each 800m interval within 3 minutes 45 then I was on track. Despite feeling the week’s exertions I managed it.
Week 3 was a bit more like week 1 with low mileage throughout except for long run Monday which was 2 hours 50, just under 21 miles. The route was much tougher than Beverley the previous week as I headed west from the city centre towards Willerby, Kirk Ella, Swanland, North Ferriby, Hessle and home. It was also pretty blustery; a runners worst nightmare. There was no way of planning a route which didn’t hit the head wind if I wanted to finish at home. However, I was rewarded with a much more scenic route overlooking the River Humber as I descended into North Ferriby from Swanland. The hills would toughen me up as well!
A bit of rejigging of the programme was required for week 4 to coincide with the North Lincs Half Marathon on the 28th. Monday was a big 3 hour 21.5 miles taking in two laps of the Jane Tomlinson Hull 10K route before heading home. The long runs are never easy but I found by slowing the pace just a little meant i could go just that little bit longer. It sounds pretty obvious really but it’s a fine balance because if you go too slow you can still struggle regardless of distance. You find yourself waiting to hit the wall after 2 and a half hours but I’m pleased to say that point seems to get later and later; a sign that the training is working.
Parkrun
Parkrun has featured prominantly in my running programme over the last few weeks. I mentioned last month how i finished my first Parkrun in 21:49. Since then I’ve completed three more Parkrun events all of which have been under 20 minutes. My first Parkrun of the month was at East Park clocking 19:38 and a new PB finishing 13th overall.
Two weeks later I ran the newly formed Peter Pan Parkrun. I finished in 19:48 coming 9th, just short of a PB but I was pretty pleased considering as I’d overslept and ended up having to jog over to the park beforehand with barely time to reach the start line before the race began.
A week later and the day before the North Lincs Half Marathon I set the alarm this time so I could head over to East Park again. This was my best run so far with a time of 19:14 finishing 7th overall, and a second PB in 3 weeks. Had I overcooked it for the North Lincs Half Marathon the following day? Time would tell.
Parkrun has been great for breaking up the monotony of running alone and has allowed me to get used to running in races. It also counts towards the 10%! So far I’ve finished 7 races covering almost 50 miles which means I’m slightly behind the 10% rule but there are still plenty of races to go.
Doing Parkrun has allowed me to measure how clocking up the miles has improved my fitness and performance. I’m 99% certain that I’d have never been able to clock a sub 20 minute 5k without suffering a heart attack before doing this challenge. It’s now given me the belief I can clock a decent 10k and improvement on my half marathon times.
North Lincolnshire Half Marathon
Fresh off the back of a new 5k PB at Parkrun, next up was the North Lincolnshire Half Marathon; a quick trip back over the Humber Bridge for my ‘home’ race. I won’t go into much detail as I’ll draft a race report except to say it was a very well organised event and i was pretty chuffed about knocking nearly 9 minutes off my personal best to finish in 1:31:52.
Run Britain
Back in January I came across an email telling me about the Run Britain website and how you can input your race results to get a national ladder ranking. Out of curiosity I signed up. It stores your race results from up to three years before and gives you a race handicap based on your results. There are also prizes given monthly to the top 10 national improvers, the caveat being that you had to have completed at least 2 races before the month to enter.
My last timed race before the year was the Hull 10k back in 2010 when i posted a time of 48:47. Uploading my results for the Ferriby 10 and Silverstone Half Marathon gave me a national ranking in the top 100,000… so I was doing well then! Ha ha. This was mainly because your handicap is based on your last 5 races. Coming into April it was fair to say my handicap was quite high. Knowing I had a half marathon at the end of the month and confidence to improve my 5k times the incentive was there to improve my handicap and win something.
Following 3 sub 20 minute 5ks and a new half marathon PB I finished the month 2nd on the national improvement leaderboard jumping up the national rankings within the top 21,000. My prize… a pair of Sennheiser earphones. Had I finished top I’d have won an Adidas Micoach but realistically I was never going to get close to the guy who finished 1st. Still, I’d set myself a target to finish in the top 10 and it was mission accomplished. You can check out my improvement here.
Heading into May!
April has definitely been the most successful month so far. Clocking over 200 miles and improving my PBs in 5k and half marathon distances is pretty satisfying and beyond what I expected to achieve. May will have a lot to live up to. This is where the tapering period kicks in on my programme, where the mileage decreases in preparation for running 26.2 miles and I’m still to decide on what marathon I want to do.
I’ll have my long last run of 3 hours 10 minutes before tapering for 3 weeks. This presents a bit of a problem as i have the Sheffield Half Marathon on the 12th May and the Hull 10k the following weekend so I’ll probably have to extend the programme before attempting a marathon distance. I can’t complain too much though, I’m heading into the fifth month having covered over a third of the challenge’s distance and I’m on track. It’s by far the most running I’ve done in my life and despite the little niggles I’m still going well. There’s still a long way to go and anything could go wrong but so far so good!
Paul Legard 