Mountainous Ambitions

December

2012-01-08T22:03:00.002Z

In a single word, frustrating. That's my summary of December. Caught between the pincers of work and wind it was a struggle to fit in the quality and volume of training that I had set out to shoe horn into the month.

It started well enough with a run up Skiddaw that was revised while being violently pelted with hail on the summit. The Coach was displeased, never having been one to run where sheep fear to tread. For his sake, and for fear of becoming lost on my first ever run over leg 1, I ran back to the car. Not to be deterred I parked up near the Threlkeld quarry and ran up to Great Dodd on my todd. My route choice up Clough Head from the A66 was poor. A mistake that will not be repeated. With good local knowledge the line must be obvious, but on my own in virgin territory on the first biting day of winter I fluffed it. Lesson learned. Go to the west of the quarry, not the east. The clue is in the name - go straight up the clough. At least I managed to extract something useful from the debacle.

Other notable runs included a 18:29 5k in the Hyde Park Parkrun time trial. Considering the strength of the wind that morning I came away contented, only 7 seconds off my best on that course. On Boxing Day I raced the Chevin Chase, won by Jonathan Brownlee, whose remarkable form must be causing his brother some consternation. I managed 46:30 coming 38th out of 800 or so, which sounds creditable, although my heart really wasn't in the event. Of all the races in the calendar this really should be the one that I pull all the stops out for. It's on my doorstep and is a brilliant route. Between Christmas Day excess, insufficient sleep, low iron levels and poor motivation I was disappointed with my effort. But to put this in some context, there were quite a few others complaining afterwards, and Racheal Bamford (seen behind me in the photograph) suffered badly in winning the women's race then ran a 16:44 5K on NYE and set a new age/gender club record!

The statistic don't lie though. Ascent 18,101 feet. Mileage 187. As was a regular refrain among my school teachers 'Simon could do better'. Well I already am - but more of that next month.

In the meantime there's the small matter of a date, time and direction to resolve. You heard it here first folks - I set off at 00.00 on Saturday 23rd June 2012 running clockwise.

The plan is to run with two supporters for each leg, a 'recorder' and a 'sherpa'. All offers of support will be very gratefully received.

My choice of charity has been heavily influenced by the fact that Mrs A volunteers for the organisation in question. It may be a cliche, but it is also a truism that the BGR is as much a mental as physical challenge. For some of us our lives are so comfortably devoid of real suffering that we decadently impose it on ourselves to feel challenged and derive a sense of self-worth and accomplishment. Hence it feels apposite that I should invite people to show their support for a charity that helps those who involuntarily suffer incomprehensible anguish from which they can see no hope of escape. That is why I have settled on The Samaritans.

Onwards and upwards!

November

2011-12-01T20:43:00.002Z

Undoubtedly the highlights of this month were a long run over the Langdales plus a 10K PB at the Abbey Dash, the latter of which confounded my expectations. Surely to achieve 36:21 I should have been doing some serious speed work, not intermittently going out for a tempo run in between long weekends on the fells?

Face facts Simon - you're on the best form of your life, and improving. The time has come to capitalise on the gains that you're making and dig deep during winter training because there's still abundant capacity for improvement for sure.

The run over the Langdales and later walk over Rossett Pike and Bowfell with Mrs A was a memorably splendid day out. On Pike O'Stickle I bumped into Derby Tup out accompanying a friend who is looking to attempt her round next year. He completed his round last year and also supported a successful attempt by a K&C club mate in May. While the three of us were gossiping on the summit we became suddenly aware of a rainbow in the form of a halo penetrating the mist that shrouded our shadows. DT got his camera phone out to record the phenomena, (which he was also able to name) - I'd love to see the image. All of us fell lovers have witnessed rare and splendid moments such as these when on our jaunts and what is often so wonderful about them is their unexpected occurrence, like a secretive gift. This day was to yield another.

ATOP BOWFELL

After my training run I met with Mrs A at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel car park, changed into something less offensively fragrant and set off walking up Mickleden, heading for Angle Tarn. For almost the entire day Bow Fell had been enveloped in the clag, so imagine our delight when seeing the sun penetrate and lift the cloud on our precise arrival at the summit, as if arranged by a divine choreographer.

On the topic of training, it was a worthy exercise to have come down to the valley floor, changed, then set off up the fifth highest peak in the Lakes.

CYCLING PORN

The new kit item of the month was a road bicycle acquired on Ebay from a clown who bought it new and then used it three times. It was quite entertaining to see the dynamic in the household that I collected it from - "I told him when he bought it that he'd never use it, but would he listen?". It was purchased new on 8th July 2011 and has now found a new home where it is lovingly appreciated, (after 40% depreciation), and has been fitted with mudguards ready for winter. The only downside I've found to it thus far is that the brakes are not what I would like them to be on steep descents and the ride is alarmingly spirited in a cross-wind. Other that than I'm enjoying the refreshing added dimension that it brings to my training, plus it's a fab way to get out and see something of the Dales when working from home.

Another notable purchase was a pair of Montane 'Mountain Fury' tights. I'll find out this weekend whether they live up to their brilliant marketing.

November's relevant statistics are 239 miles covered and 18,108ft of ascent climbed. My aim for December is to get three quality Lakeland runs under my belt, perfect my navigation of the Skiddaw to Blencathra route (in both directions) and climb in excess of 30,000 feet. I'm effervescing with excitement about getting out in the fells this holiday season. Maybe I'll catch an inversion from a snow capped mountain?

December is also going to involve some meticulous planning. By 1st January I need a solid schedule to take me to June 2012 - and finishing at the Moot Hall. "So when, and in what direction?" I hear you enquire. The answers to these and other thorny but vital questions (such as whether I'm willing to do it for charity) will be provided next time I write...

In the meantime I would just like to note how touched I have been by the very generous and kind offers of support that I have received from both club mates and strangers alike. Not only does it validate my faith in human nature, but I'm genuinely thrilled by the prospect of sharing the experience with decent folk who share my passion for running in higher places. In my mind I have a romanticised image of meeting all my support crew at the Newlands Church and running in a pack along the meandering roads back to Keswisk, as if on a club run. That'll be clockwise then.

Onwards and upwards!

October

2011-11-22T18:40:00.005Z

Apologies first of all for reverting to monthly entries. Ever the optimist, I started out with the very best of intentions but weekly blog entries really are a dull and onerous undertaking.

Grisedale Tarn from Seat Sandal

The month got underway in earnest with an epic day out covering the whole of the Helvellyn range, starting at Dunmail Raise and returning to Ambleside down the eastern flank of the Fairfield Horseshoe. The 25 miles and 7,817 feet of ascent almost says it all really. Mrs A and I are in the business of Wainwright bagging and so started out together up Seat Sandal, hence the slow first hour. After that we parted company and I headed north, turning round at the trig point of Clough Head.

The Coach

Much to the mirth of the hoards of ramblers The Coach was laden down with saddlebags full of food and drink, but as has since been pointed out to me, it's better that I get used to training carrying this weight, which will make me truly appreciate the absence of it when the pacers take on the load. That morning we were passed by someone out training for a solo winter round. Mentalist. I mention it because he was carrying an intermediate sized pack that left me pondering - what other than waterproofs, liquid, food, map, compass, head torch etc do I need to carry? Also, what on earth shall I carry it all in? I've had a look at this Salomon XA10 today and was wondering if any of you have any particular advice or thoughts?

One lesson learned on this expedition was that when it comes to nutrition I need to be thinking in terms of baby food, not smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels - the less said about that the better. Soft easily digestibly stuffs like non-citrus fruit, porridge, soup, rice pudding and king of all post long-run recovery breakfasts - Weetabix with hot milk. This is going to require some testing, but speaking with and listening to others I would say that I'm thinking along the correct lines.

Helvellyn in the afternoon

On 23rd October I gave the Wistow 10 a blast as nothing more than a test event. In truth I had no idea how fit I was as I haven't been racing with any enthusiasm. The results are here. We won the team prize and I managed 16th place in 1:02.26. Had it not been for the rough winds I feel that I could have stretched to between a minute and ninety seconds faster, i.e. pb territory. The only explanation I can think of for my present unexpected good form is the cross-training that I'm slipping into the mix by commuting on bike and my Wednesday evening tempo sessions with a tight pack from Otley AC.

At the end of the month I tried another training run from Dunmail Raise, this time bagging Steel Fell with Mrs A in a mild gale and thick fog that made my outing an ordeal. Within fifteen minutes of our parting company, and well before the summit of Calf Crag, I was wondering aimlessly in fog and biting my fingers to try resurrecting some sensation and thereby enable me to turn the bevel of my compass. I exaggerate not. Being candid, I didn't find the summit of either Calf Crag or Sergeant Man although it transpired that I was within shouting distance of both, which was of no use given that I was utterly isolated - something that is simultaneously pleasant and eerie.

This was a vital learning experience. What I concluded from it was that I am not going to attempt a round on a truly foul weather day. No real fell runner minds a bit of the wet stuff or even the old pea soup, but there are degrees of visibility and precipitation and in my own mind I now know what constitutes adverse conditions that I'm unwilling to tackle. Being utterly realistic, I'm not anxious about navigation although I have to admit that if the conditions are atrocious then it could slow me down and potentially cause me to exceed the twenty four hour cut off.

In terms of kit I discovered that the Inov-8 Mistlite 130 pants are the business. Windproof, as good as waterproof and light. I score them 9/10, the only design improvement I would suggest is to make them more fitted as they balloon in a gale. The limitations of my kit choices were the compass and gloves. The needle on the compass was vague in its orientation and the bevel was stiff. That has been replaced by something far superior and that I can no longer flaunt as an excuse for navigational errors when the visibility drops to below ten metres. Gloves have to be wind and water proof, no question. Hence the next day I spent thirty pounds on a pair of Sealskinz. Finally, I need a jacket for winter training. The Montane Minimus jacket is out front in my selection for the moment.

This month I climbed 25,669 feet over 226 miles.

The Coach and I on Clough Head

Onwards and upwards!

Weeks 8-10 The Ian Hodgson Relay 2011

2011-10-03T00:01:00.003+01:00

Ian Hodgson Relay 2011

I made a little video on my pocket camera

Fell off the face of the planet for the past three weeks, almost entirely due to work.

This weekend I managed to escape to the Lakes to run the Ian Hodgson Relay over leg 4 with Otley's resident fell goat. His relentless climbing put me to shame, but a hamstring problem meant that he was unable to enjoy the descents perhaps quite as much as I did. A tough course, but at 92 minutes it was manageable.

Well done Otley. 49th overall. The results are here. Personally I was pleased that we managed to put out a team and would encourage all of my club mates to think about giving this event a stab. It's like a Dunkirk running jamboree cum festival Sunday atmosphere kinda thingy. Quite emotional. Very unique.

Aside from a good rest, weeks 8 and 9 were virtual write offs training wise, but I managed to knock out 7219 feet of climb over 9:12 hours in the week just gone.

Itching to return and get some serious winter training under my belt.

Onwards and upwards.

PS in a moment of madness this week I entered the Paris Marathon - next 15th April. Bit of unfinished business to resolve.

Week 7: Meddling in the medal business

2011-09-16T20:44:00.008+01:00

Bronze in the Yorkshire Six Stage Relays

Silver in the Yorkshire Veterans Relays

Week 6: Grisedale Horseshoe AM 10M 5,000ft - finished.

2011-09-05T23:03:00.007+01:00

Finishing some unfinished business

Why any of us thought that a jaunt over the Helvellyn range in rain that was torrentially pouring off the mountain side was a good plan defies explanation. For my part I believed that I wanted to be challenged. By Birkhouse Moor my mind had allowed itself to consider a u-turn. To my body's displeasure seconds later all weak thoughts had vanished in the dank mist and the half-wit in me started to take pleasure in the hostility of the climate.

Helvellyn was bereft of the usual Goretex huddles as a tight pack of around 8 of us clung together tacitly navigating off each other, thinking to ourselves "I hope that bugger in front of me knows where he's going". Our spontaneous attempt at collective intelligence saw us right, and by the second check point all directional technicalities evaporated, quite unlike the cloud. As suddenly as it had formed the pack split, leaving me to climb St Sunday as lonely as a lamb in an abattoir, for the whole ascent.

Feeling purged and still battling in the race I came off St Sunday following a good line on a scree bed. Whilst hardly fresh at the bottom, I had little reason to anticipate my legs putting on their best Bambi impression.

This time last year I recorded a very disappointing DNF, having had to retire from the race at the foot of St Sunday Crag (CP4), the descent of which had finished my legs off. Happily I can report that this year I made it at least 400m further before my the pins packing in, by which time my will to live was being drowned by the fast flowing Grisedale Beck. A serious home truth dawned on me as I dragged myself up the final haul, sitting down several times and praying for the mountain to fall before me, how can I complete a BGR if I'm in this condition after 8 miles?

The doubt monkey has entered the room and there's only one way to expel this unwelcome beast - beat the living daylights out of it with some relentlessly hard training.

To the brace of people who passed me after the beck crossing - thank you for your sympathy. What I really wanted was a sedan chair and afternoon tea with finger sandwiches. To the darling ladies in the Glenridding Community Centre, your cake defied superlatives. To the marshals who sat in foul conditions waiting patiently for a fleeting chance to glance the number fixed to my chest, you are wonderful people and the reason why I never walk past a Mountain Rescue collection tin without making a modest deposit.

The week's statistics say little, other than that I climbed 5,894ft in 5 hours 46 minutes. September is shaping up to be a busy month at work and home, but after the Ian Hodgson relay I'll be out enjoying the spectacle of autumn on the high fells. I hope to bring you some good photos.

P.S Does anyone know where I can find the Grisedale Horseshoes results?

Onwards and upwards!

Week 5: The Broad Stand Issue.

2011-09-05T09:05:00.004+01:00

Mickleden with Broad Stand behind

This was a step back week that culminated in walking Scafell Pike with my five-year-old daughter. As any father would be, I was ridiculously proud. And as any prospective BGR candidate would be, I was intensely curious about Broad Stand and whether I should directly descend it or take the Foxes Tarn route.

After a fractious internal dialogue that could be measured in nanoseconds I concluded that a) for an inexperienced climber a rigging is required; b) I don't know anyone who would be prepared to install and remove ropes for me; c) it would be unfair to submit a pacer to that kind of ordeal; d) I'd hate to attempt it in foul/wet weather and finally e) I'm a blouse. Foxes Tarn it is then. Better do more climbing.

On our way up to the Lakes I dropped by the Malham Show for my first BOFRA race. It cost a pound to enter, but I can't find the results anywhere on t'interweb. Probably not a bad thing as my heart wasn't really in this one.

Total climb this week: 5,345ft

Total hours training: 10.25 (most of which spent walking with Tulip)!

Onwards and upwards!

Week 4: Burnsall Fell Race 2011 AS 1.5m 900ft

2011-08-21T22:34:00.013+01:00

Eating the Pain

It might only be a sprint race with 900ft climb, but what's the point of fell running if you can't indulge in the season's highs?

Burnsall is pure adrenalin racing. The incline is a lung bursting legs burning lesson in commitment. After 60 seconds I just wanted to turn back and ensure my first place at the bar of the Red Lion. By the flag at the summit my only thought was "yee hee hee, here we bloody well go sunshine!" The childlike joy of racing down a steep hill trying not to tumble arse over tit is indescribable.

It was won by local runner Ted Mason who by all accounts took a fantastic line on the descent and completely threw the competition with a finishing time of 14:18. I was thrilled with 17:54 in 18th place, an improvement of 80 seconds on last year's time. The results are here.

This week I climbed a modest 4,349 feet in an unspectacular 6 hours 33 minutes. Hill and mile reps are the order of the week with a bit of cross country fartlek thrown into the mix.

I'm starting to think more about an holistic approach to training, but more of that later...

Onwards and upwards!

Week 3: Leg 1 reconnoitre

2011-08-21T19:36:00.011+01:00

Robinson - Fell No 1

Keswick YHA was my base for a bit of lakeland joy last week. The three guys I bunked down with must have cursed me when my alarm went off at 4am for a pre-dawn reconnoitre of leg one. I've pretty much settled on starting my round at midnight on 24th June 2012 going anticlockwise. For this reason I have to familiarise myself with running the first leg in the dark. There was one small flaw in this plan - I had never run the route in daylight, so navigating before dawn in the rain with the cloud down and solo save for Viz was a minor challenge.

The only error was in failing to notice the footpath on the right at the end of the wall after High Snab, which apparently looks like this:

Instead I plumbed for following the boggy track up to the reservoir then around the buttress of Blea Crags and a haul up to the ridge. I'll have to return and try the alternative to make a time comparison. The remainder of the route was fairly plain sailing. It was necessary to take a bearing from the summit cairn on Robinson as the clag was down and over-confidence in such situations can often cause things to unravel into unmitigated misery.

Hindsgarth and Dale Head were pedestrian, even in poor visibility, and rather than head on down to the Honister Pass I aimed for High Spy, Maiden Moor and Catbells to round off a very gratifying horseshoe of 12 miles in which I hadn't seen or heard another human soul.

Photographed Maiden Moor at dawn

On Saturday night I ran the road section out to Newlands Church and back to Keswick. This segment should take around 40 minutes and will be simple to navigate; I'll have to leave my fell shoes in the church yard the evening before then change before heading off road.

So to round things off, this week I climbed 6,182ft and trained for 8hours 39 minutes. It was a bit of a step back week, but I came away feeling as though something had been achieved. My comfort zone has been expanded, the new fell shoes are proving to have been a good purchase, as are the Salomon compression socks. Mock me if you must, but all I'm saying on the subject is that they work.

Onwards and upwards!

Week 2: Borrowdale AL 17M 6,500 ft

2011-08-07T21:04:00.008+01:00

Cheerfully finishing Borrowdale 2011

What a great week. Our family holiday in Eskdale allowed me to run Scafell, Slight Side and Illgill Head. Then onto Borrowdale for Saturday's event.

There's a reason why this fine race is such a popular classic and it's the route, that and the fact that the fell running fraternity is comprised largely of masochists. I finished (4:38) and am very pleased simply to have got round the full route considering that I was only offered a place a week ago (thanks Ben). Many thanks to the organisers and the marshals who volunteered their time to make this such a great day out. Congratulations to my club mates. MJ and RS deserve a special mention for outstanding races. The results are here.

Total climbed: 13,190ft. Total training time: 10hrs 45mins.

Onwards and upwards!

Week 1: Coniston Country Fair AM 6m 2,400ft

2011-07-31T11:44:00.012+01:00

LIQUID POST-RACE RELIEF

What better way to start my Bob Graham training than with a fell race on my 39th birthday? My performance was lack lustre, and if there was a prize for taking the worst line on the descent then I would have had a strong claim to it. It was a divine day and an education in how much training I have to put in over then next year.

To put my present level of fitness in some context, it took me three days to recover sufficiently to train. Surprisingly I put in a strong leg in the Golden Acre Relay this week, but am saddened that I seem to be sacrificing speed to achieve my dream. Who wouldn't prefer to run quickly?

Never mind about silly road times, this is where the hard hill work begins. From now on my targets are measured in feet climbed and time spent in training. Diet, cross training, stretching and of course rest are all going to be vital to ensuring that come 24th July next year I'm in 'peak tip top' condition.

This week I've climbed 6,274 ft and spent 7hrs 34mins in training.

Heading off to the lakes again now, and looking forward to the Borrowdale race next Saturday thanks to a club mate very generously offering me his place.

Onwards and upwards!

3 Peaks 2011

2011-05-12T00:56:00.000+01:00

I'd just like to say a very sincere thank you to the organisers of this remarkable event. Along with Nevis, Snowdon and the Lakeland Classics this is a precious gem of a race and a keystone of the fell running calendar. You'll find the official race report here.

I set off with a great sense of trepidation being woefully under prepared after the Rome Marathon and so am thrilled simply to have finished. Being able to tick this one off the list was mentally important.

The results are here. Congratulations to all 677 who completed the course. I managed a satisfactory in the circumstances 267th in 4 hours 15. Next year I'm racing it - full on.

Blubberhouses Moor

2011-04-03T19:25:00.001+01:00

Let this be a salutary lesson to you all: today I tried running 25 miles in a LDWA event over Blubberhouses Moor and DIED ON MY ARSE. When you've done a marathon best to rest up afterwards, unless walking home during a race is your kind of thing. Unplanned hike aside, it was a grand day out.

Thank you kindly to the wonderful organisers from the Nidderdale branch of the LDWA. I've never seen a community hall covered in taped up plastic sheeting, but it's a testament to the level of preparation that they put into this. Credit to them; I hope to return.

Rome Marathon 2011

2011-03-30T09:03:00.003+01:00

Is there any greater setting to do gladiatorial battle over 26 miles and 385 yards than the place to where all roads lead? If there is then it must be doubtful that its beginning and end could hold a candle to Rome’s Colloseum. This was the location for my third realistic attempt at a sub-3 hour marathon. I exclude Nottingham (3:23) as that was a training run for New York (3:07 personal best), and in Paris (3:28 personal worst) it was off the cards after spraining my ankle two weeks before the event and dosing up on heroic quantities of potent analgesics just to make the starting line.

It was back in early December that I discretely entered the Rome marathon online. The website was utilitarian – and inferior to Otley AC’s – but I eventually figured out the clunky registration procedure and paid my 40 Euros. Note that the price escalates according to how soon before race day you enter. The only inconvenience was that, in common with a number of other continental races, I had to provide a medical certificate to validate my entry. Fortunately my GP didn’t charge his usual fee for these things, probably recognising that there’s possibly soon to be more value in having a healthy patient than a congenital hypochondriac on his books. Using a scanner and email the process was quick and painless.

With five marathons completed and two DNS’s to my credit I began winter training with a wealth of experience to draw on, almost all of which was negative. This time, however, I was committed to learning from my mistakes, most of which were borne of a hazardous cocktail of excessive enthusiasm and ignorance. The one overarching objective was to arrive at race day feeling fresh and uninjured, and if there’s one thing that I deserve a self-congratulatory pat on the back for then this has to be it. Training was plain sailing probably because I chose not to get too uptight about a rigorous regime. The only rules were to ration my weekly mileage, refrain from running simply for its own sake and religiously do at least an 18 miler every weekend. If I didn’t feel like running then I reminded myself that ‘rest is best’ and that it doesn’t hurt your body to take the odd day off.

Carl Walsh offered me some sage discouragement days before my first marathon (London 2007 – 3:18 - 25 degrees Celsius!), which was not to do ‘the tourist thing’ the day before the race. “Preserve your legs fella, you’ll need them.” So how was I supposed to reconcile resting up with the opinion that it would be culturally reprehensible not to marvel at the wonders of antiquity and the Renaissance? The Eternal City will stand for as long as the Colloseum, or so legend suggests, but my opportunities to return will be limited. Simple I thought, let’s go for a whole damn decadent week and make it a sporting culture vulture foodies holiday! It was an easy sell to The Long Suffering, and a much appreciated Christmas gift.

The Jet2 service from Leeds Bradford is an efficient two hours and thirty minutes flight. Just remember to check in online. If you heed this advice then it’s good value when compared with say the train to London. Whatever you do, don’t stand at the arrivals desk casually commenting how the additional £17.50 is an illegal penalty, demanding to know what additional service you will receive for payment of the so called ‘charge’ and glibly remarking that if you were a terrorist you would definitely want to give the check in procedures a wide berth. It will not amuse anybody – so The Long Suffering later insisted.

Finding the marathon expo centre the following morning was a tricky operation, what with being in a foreign land and the small matter of the conspicuous absence of a map or directions on the website. Don’t expect anything through the post, this is a strictly online operation. The conference centre contained all of the usual hackneyed consumerist guff promising to make you run like Mercury, but happily I left the building no poorer than when I had entered. No amount of gimmickry can compensate being poorly prepared, and you should never try anything on race day that you have not already road tested in training.

When it comes to marathon race day I am of the unshakable belief that to achieve success there’s a small element of luck involved. If your stars are misaligned then no amount of effort will deliver the result you aspire towards. Any doubters should just look at the marathon careers of Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe. Now for some reason best known to the organisers I was allocated a number in the 13,000 range. This effectively put me in the rear starting pen of a field of 16,000, despite estimating my finishing time at 3:00 hours. Then there was the sun. Constitutionally I don’t do hot weather - all of my best times have been set from late autumn to early spring. On the morning before the race I jogged from my hotel to the Colloseum for a mental rehearsal. It was 8:00am, the sun was up in a cloudless sky and at 12-minute mile pace my brow needed mopping.

It was as a result of a master class in charm and persistence that on race day I managed to bypass my earmarked starting area and get in with the fast crew. Not too far forward, but close enough to the 3-hour yellow-balloon-pacers to have them in my sights from the off. Why the start was delayed by around 7 minutes is really anybody’s guess, but lax time keeping on the part of race organisers does not inspire confidence in competitors. When finally sent packing I was relieved to be nicely contained for the first couple of miles without being unduly held back. The roads were closed for the entire route, although there were still plenty of hazards that required vigilance, and I spent much of the first half pointing to risky curbs and road surfaces, parked cars and large refuse containers for the benefit of those following.

As we settled into our rhythm I was able to relax and take in the sights and scenery for the first half, the highlight of which had to be running towards St Peter’s Basilica and around the square. The immediate impression is overwhelming, especially when running around a corner and unexpectedly stumbling on the full majesty and splendour of it all. The Olympic Park was also a pleasant distraction from what was otherwise a monotonous section running along the embankment of the Tiber.

The 3-hour yellow-balloon-pacers were a tight cohort that initially attracted a ridiculously ambitious and sizeable pack, although for many of whom it was a triumph of hope and confidence over training and experience. By the 10-mile mark we had bedded down to a close-knit pack of serious contenders who were mutually supporting each other and exercising appropriate restraint. All credit to the pacers, my splits were metronomic. Until the 35K mark they ranged from 4:18 to 4:13 per kilometre. Why doesn’t London have this kind of support? The only argument against that I can think of is that it can cause a bottleneck, but these things tend to even themselves out over the final miles of the race.

Our aid stations were welcome oases and offered a range of water, Gatorade, fruit and biscuits. After throwing a banana skin on the centre of the carriageway I was left racked with guilt for at least a whole second as I pondered the poor person whose day was likely to be fouled up. Course risk assessment anybody? This slight gaff aside, at every 5K were reliably stocked tables and in-between these were sponge stations that proved a godsend.

The weather had been tremendously kind that morning, that’s to say that it had been exquisitely English. After the first hour the clouds parted like the red sea before Moses and out came the spring sun. Here is where my stars were immaculately arranged – the buildings and tree lined avenues provided a great canopy of shade, and when we started to contour the Tiber there was a delicious headwind that was like a cooling fan, yet insufficient to provide any discernable resistance. It was all falling into place. Suddenly I dared to dream. “This is going well Simon”, I mentally reassured myself, “keep it relaxed, stay focused and be disciplined – you can do this”. With each stride I grew in confidence, repeating the mantra “enjoy the pain, and when it hurts, make it hurt more”. Things were inevitably going to get tougher, but I was too hungry for success to care.

Before the race I had adjusted the main screen of my Garmin to give three readouts: time, distance and average pace. A sub-3-hour marathon equates to an average pace of 6:53 per mile. By the 20-mile mark it was reading 6:40, and I was clinging to the pacers with ease. In fact I was beginning to feel quite excited by how comfortable it was feeling. Sure my left hip flexor had tightened at around 17 miles, but I had been willing to run through it and witness the competition start the long walk of shame. My energy levels were beyond what I could have wished for, and my legs were taking the strain as though I was on a casual Sunday morning training run. This was good stuff, so as we crossed back over the Tiber and embarked on the return ‘glory leg’ I decided to put my training to the test and drop the pack. Forget sub 3-hours, suddenly a sub 2:55 looked not only achievable, but entirely realistic.

What spectator support as was sporadically peppered along the course consisted in the main of enthusiastic tourists, and so as we turned back through the sight-seeking honey pots of Piazza Navona, Via Corso, Piazza Popolo, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain we were cheered like a conquering army.

Come mile 24 I knew that I had it in the bag and was on course for a 2:57. Then the cramps threatened. Nothing seized up, but the first spasmodic twinges were coming on. What was I going to do? Back off and aim for 2:59.59 or push on and see how far under the 3-hour mark I could possibly duck? It was a tense decision, but ultimately I had to consider that the race distance is nothing less than 26.2 miles. Many of us have seen people collapse within a spacer-hopper’s bounce of the finish, but there are no prizes for reaching the 26-mile mark first. So it was that I eased off the pace and dropped down to 7:30 for a couple of miles. This had the effect of averaging my pace up to 6:43 - still comfortably on target.

At around the 26-mile mark I parted company with the rear 3-hour pacer, who had by now caught me, and drifted on at my own pace. Then came the horrifying shock. At around about the Piazza Venezia I had thought that there must be around a mile to go. A mile later I saw the inflatable distance marker that in my pigeon Italian was clearly discernable as ‘1 km to go’. What? How could this possibly be? I have 2:57 on my watch and now I have to cover the final kilometre in under 3 minutes! This might be possible on fresh legs, but not now, not here. After a fine effort it was all slipping away by the tightest of margins. Unbelievably the egg timer of life had been switched to hard-boiled. This is how I came to finish in a PB time of 3:00:48.

The race was won by Chumba Kiptolo of Kenya in 2:08:45. I was ranked 310^th out of around 16,000 starters.

If you believe my Garmin then I ran 26.8 miles. A cursory search of Garmin Connect reveals that I was not alone in recording a long course. Ultimately though I defer to the pacers. They knew what they were doing and had I just delegated the task to them for the entire distance then – who knows. Following the usual mental post mortem I reached two simple and trite conclusions. Don’t deceive yourself into believing that you can achieve your goal if you finish behind your pacer, and the race is never finished until you’ve crossed the line.

Overall I give the event a worthy 7 out of 10. It was vastly superior to say Amsterdam, but incomparable to London or New York. Berlin next?

WYXC Race 1 Nunroyd Park - The Perfect Race?

2010-10-13T12:18:00.011+01:00

PAIN IS AN ATTITUDE

The cross-county season is upon us at last, and much to my surprise I'm really quite enthralled by it all. It was in the West Yorkshire Championships in Skipton some 3 or more years ago that I first tasted the frustration of trying to pelt round a quagmire with trail shoes on my feet while being beaten into submission by 'real' athletes. Those mental scars have now healed satisfactorily for me to consider a whole season, and so honour my new year commitment.

Ordinarily I turn up to a cross-county race, become caught up in the maelstrom at the start, and then spend however many laps being punished for my feeble weakness. Not this time. The vanquished became the torturer as I executed a plan that had me crossing the line uttering the words "I ran the perfect race". That plan was beautifully simple: let all them other bu**ers leg it off, then reel then in like a sadistic angler in a trout farm. I was not overtaken once.

It helped enormously that the course was 4 laps of my local park. For the past few weeks I've been taking my coach there for his afternoon exercise session, where he has had me doing 30 reps of 30 seconds at 3K pace with a 30 second jog recovery. This is ideal for us both. Firstly, because I never have to stop for him as he if off the lead and loves the intermittent pace, and secondly, because I have that chance to pick up his mess and bin it in between reps.

The results are here. The race was won by Ali Mauizbin of Leeds City in 31:54, whereas as I lagged behind in 63rd with a time of 37:45. To put this in some context, the course was 6 miles long (or as near as damn it), the winner was a sub-30 minute 10K runner and I was less than 6 minutes behind him. So I'd say that I'm on PB form.

Onwards and upwards!

Rombald's Romp

2010-09-20T12:34:00.005+01:00

'Sharp right captain!'

Originally the plan was to get up to Cumbria for the Three Shires, but work scuppered that idea and so I settled for a low key local event instead.

This was only the second year for the Rombald's Romp, and I was a initially disappointed by the low turn out, but on reflection think that it added to the event's charm. The route was announced only on the morning of our arrival at the White Wells car park on Ilkley Moor. It was 7 miles of allsorts, fell, road, trail and cross-country all blended into one fun no frills race that was worth the £6 entry. I would have swapped the bottle of beer at the finish for a cup of tea, but beer is far easier to dispense and makes your legs ache less.

The good news is that, not for the first time this month, I snook a top 10 finish. The results are here. Well done to Abbey Runners on putting together a characterful race. I hope that it becomes a regular fixture.

The Grisedale Horseshoe 2010 AM 10m 5000ft

2010-09-19T13:41:00.006+01:00

St Sunday Crag

2000' of descent in under a mile

To my mind the Grisedale Horseshoe is one of the most stunning races I've ever entered, even if it involved a tortuous climb up the face of Catstye Cam and a murderous descent off the back of St Sunday Crag. It was a simultaneous exultation of pleasure and pain. Just the kind of tough stuff that I'm now focusing my attentions on.

Congratulations to all who entered and completed the race. The results can be seen here.

I would also like in particular to recognise the sacrifice and kindness of the race marshals and organisers, both for keeping us safe and laying on a great spread in Glenridding Village Hall on our return. All for a fiver!

Now, I'd just like to say one thing: 10 miles my ar*e! The 'revised' Grisedale Horseshoe is 12 miles by my reckoning.

My gripe about the distance is but a thinly veiled excuse for why I DNF. The truth is that in my silly little head 5,000' of ascent was within my capabilities. What I completely failed to consider was the 5,000' of descent, and that's where it all went a bit off piste. All was fine until the run back down to the valley floor from St Sunday's summit, which turned my legs to putty. When I landed at the check point at the bottom of the 'drop' my pins were trembling like a newborn foal. Not wishing to be defeated, I picked myself up and had a crack at making the final checkpoint, but alas, after 100 metres I turned around, had a laugh with the marshals, and bowed out in disgrace.

The lesson learned is not to try this kind of event unless and until you've had a good reconnoitre of the course. Also, hill repeats are of no benefit if they only train you to climb. In future I'll start my sessions at the top of the hill and pause between reps. Leg strength is my weakness, and so where I'm going to do some hard work. From now on I'm not going to shy away from the hard events; XC, fells and tough trails are all on the menu, only that way will I ever develop as an 'all rounder'. Besides which, I love getting filthy!

While up in the lakes we stayed in the Helvellyn YHA, along it seemed with a large number of competitors doing the eponymous Triathlon. So on the Sunday morning we walked down to Ullswater to watch the swimming leg, then took off up Arnison Crag, Birks Fell, St Sunday Crag, Dollywagon Pike, Nethermost Pike, Helvellyn and back via Swirral Edge. In other words, a reverse Grisedale Horseshoe. I was able to take my camera on this more sedentary jaunt, during which I reflected on why I adore both running and photography, which is that they both provide me with rare quality meditative time in which to live in the moment. I hope you like the photograph of St Sunday that I took above. The brooding portrait feel to it has an almost Constable quality, perhaps created more than anything by the afternoon shadows.

Quite unsurprisingly, Monday morning felt like a post-marathon day and I had to take 3 days off.

Burnsall Classic

2010-08-31T21:07:00.004+01:00

Centenary Burnsall Classic Fell Race

This is one of those 'do before you die' events, and I was pretty thrilled to have coincidentally chosen the centenary year to participate. The legendary reputation is well deserved. We had a cracking day out what with our baguette, cheese, biscuits, grapes, wine, a blanket on the river bank and the newspapers.

When it comes to tactics there is only one way to run this course in my novice view; flat out to the point of vomiting at the summit flag, then try to stay upright as you plummet back down the fell at breakneck speeds.

I came 36th in 19:04, some significant time and distance behind race winner Rob Hope, who finished in 13:59. The results are here.

This race is utterly exhilarating and possibly the biggest kick I've ever had in under 20 minutes!

The t-shirt is also head and shoulders the favourite among a preposterous collection. Ironically I've decided to give these 'free t-shirt' events a wide birth because they're invariably overpriced and under whelming. Compare your average £10 10K with a £5 fell event where the marshals sit on a mountainside freezing their buttocks off for your kind benefit and then you cross the finish line, not to be given a carrier bag brimming with litter, but a welcoming cup of tea and a slab of something sweet and delicious.

I must congratulate the Burnsall organisers for doing what many don't and actually keeping the race entry at £5 and thereby genuinely offering the t-shirt for FREE without ever having publicised the memento.

Managed a 10.27 3K on the track last week, plus my first top ten place yesterday in a (erh hum, cough splutter) £10 10K with free medal in a carrier bag that contained random paper and a Mars Bar. It was a club 'runner of the year' event... that nobody else attended. By my calculations had the course been an exact 10K on a flat road then my time might have been around the 37 minute mark, so I'm regaining form.

I'm starting to feel excitement/trepidation about the Grisdale Horseshoe this Saturday. 10 miles - 5000' climb. Billy Goat tells me you need a parachute for the decent, which takes a less than conventional route down St Sunday's Crag. Then there's the sting in the tale climb back up to 'the hole in the wall'. Bring on the pain.

Onwards!

Did I mention that Viz allowed himself to be beaten by vermin (a guinea pig) in the pet competition at Burnsall? Utter travesty.

Round and round we go.

2010-08-01T20:47:00.008+01:00

Round Hill after taking a tumble

It seems some considerable time ago now that I sat on my kitchen floor after a Harrogate League race (from which I withdrew) and despondently announced to my wife that I thought my racing days were over. Mercifully they are not.

All year I've been afflicted by rubbish form. Worse still, there've been moments in some races when I've needed to stop and regain my breath. Take the 10 mile mark of the Blackpool Half as an embarrassing example. Fortunately I had the wit not to try the full marathon that day.

When running up hills I've been puzzled by my weakness and left scratching my head wondering if I should get down to the gym and work on some leg strength. Similarly, after around 2 miles on flat road races I've been reduced to a wheezing weakling. There have been palpitations, agonising chest pains and dizziness. So finally I hauled my reluctant backside down to the quack shop and declined the polite offer of another visit to cardiology until having had some blood tests and x-rays. Well wouldn't you know it, I have iron deficiency anaemia. Suddenly it all makes perfect sense, and to paraphrase Lord Prezza, I'm a happy bunny. All I needed was a course of ferrous sulphate tablets.

Now I'm not fit, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I am enthusiastic, which is more than I've been able to say for a some considerable time. So today I ventured out to Timble with Mother Earth to have a crack at the Round Hill Fell race hosted by my club. At £3 it is an absolute bargain for such a charming and well managed event. It was won by some bloke called Zeus in 54:12 and I came home in 34th in 66:08 and with a very broad (internal) smile. My only goal was to run non-stop and, aside from the small matter of a fall that ultimately cost me a place that I'd spent 5 miles battling to retain, I managed exactly what I set out to achieve.

What now? Next weekend I'll be camping up in the Lakes and getting up early on Saturday morning to tackle Skiddaw with Ginger Majik. Then later in the day we'll take a hike up Dale Head to spectate the Borrowdale race. Next year...

Last year I promised myself that I would do the Burnsall Fell Race and immerse myself more in the spirit of the Feast. How lucky I am to be back enjoying myself again and just counting my blessings that I don't yet have to leave this glorious life behind.

Stop the drop!

2010-04-03T23:34:00.005+01:00

I really can't be stuffed with the marathon any longer. Perhaps it's a passing phase but for the moment I've altogether had enough of road racing. Please don't misunderstand me, it's nothing to do with my undistinguished performances of late, or a dampened enthusiasm for keeping the company of my road comrades. No, it's simply the filth. After 1st May I'm off on to the fells and leaving the smeg behind.

The two lap Salford 10K could best be described as an all out litter orgy. Forget the excellent facilities, fast course, marvelous organisation and an almost good value for money event. The big story here was not the incredible performance of Haworth's male elites. No, the true tale is that what I witnessed yesterday morning was squalor on a shameless scale. It was as though the people of Salford decided to hold their own parallel contest in which the object of the exercise was to see whether they could bury the athletes mid-race. By the end of the first lap I was in it up to my ankles and crossed the line with their putrid detritus somewhere around my knees. Poverty is not an excuse to behave like vermin, just as wealth is no excuse to abrogate personal responsibility for the environment.

Now I imagine that some of you are thinking to yourselves 'he's finally cracked up', and you wouldn't be altogether wrong. You see for the past week I've sacked training almost altogether and instead have been leaving home tooled up with sacks and litter pickers to clear up my patch here in Guiseley. I live next door to the Aireborough Leisure Centre and cannot help but express my disgust and exasperation at what people drop on the ground or toss in to hedgerows without the first consideration for their built environment.

A barrister performing community service, ha! Well if I can do it then so can we all. If you want to make a difference in your small part of the world then I recommend following these links:

Litterheroes

Litteraction

Please excuse the somewhat brassed off tone of this post, but as you may now be able to tell, I've frankly had enough and am becoming quite ashamed of and embarrassed by my fellow countrymen. What possesses a person to do such a vile thing? Without wishing to sound flippant, I have sat in prison cells with utter scoundrels and had better insights in to their behavior than I think I will ever gain into the mindset of the casual litterer.

On a positive note, I've filled four bags so far this week and will be out with the dog at 6am Easter Sunday to make sure that the take away boxes from last night have vanished before the church goers hear the bells of St Oswald's calling them to worship.

My wife asked my this week how I felt about my efforts and I instantly and honestly replied "somewhere between heroic and moronic". The reality is that I'm better able to cope with witnessing towpaths and country lanes dappled with plastic eyesores knowing that I've done my bit to keep my locality (Springfield Park and The Green) clean. If this post inspires just one of you to follow suit then I will be thrilled to the point of having my faith in human nature restored.

You see the way I look at it is like this: if you think that a problem is someone else's, what entitlement do you have to complain? If you are not prepared to make it your problem then button it, and if you are then take action.

Onwards.

Haiku

2010-03-26T15:53:00.003Z

Rapid flight on toes

Shift quicker than sand in storm

To fight against time

Game on...

2010-03-18T07:53:00.006Z

Mr Tricky and Me at around Mile 7

Let me commence by saying well done to the Otley crew who travelled to Spen - I think that all of you performed excellently.

Strategy can count for a great deal when it comes to long distance road racing and so for the Trimpell 20 I hatched a plan. Knowing that there have been some conspicuous gaps in my training, what with the weather, wedding and honeymoon, I opted to take the entire race at marathon pace. The result was an unspectacular 69th in 2:15 and 30 something seconds (results here) however it hinted at the answer to the question that I have been asking of myself for the past month - will Blackpool 2010 by the first occasion that I run a sub-3 hour marathon? The answer is yet to be given, but let's just say that I'm game on for the attempt.

What Trimpell reminded me of was a couple of things. First, run your own race. I enjoyed the company of Tricky for the first 12 miles, but I was having to ask him to hang back a fraction, and eventually I wisely decided to stick with my plan and let him go. His pace was only 10 seconds a mile faster than mine, although that's a potential yawning chasm in a marathon. Fortunately his injury held together and he came in just 2 minutes ahead of me having put in a strong steady effort. I think the heart rate line on the graph below shows the difference in exertion when we parted company. Effectively I was 'out of the pink' sub-lactate zone.

The second reminder was that the race doesn't start until mile 16. Everything else until that point is merely preparatory. At mile 16 the effort begins, the leg turnover becomes less fluid, the breathing more affected, the stride harder and the whole experience takes on a shroud of pain. So the only question that I really need now ask myself is whether I'm willing to suffer for the prize? Damn right - stuff your light weight pain, I'll suffer torture and cross that line in 2:59 or will die trying - just watch me.

As ususal, thank you to the race organisers who put on a very respectable event and one that I would have no hesitation in recommending.

Advertising genius.

2010-03-02T14:02:00.001Z

Wish you were here?

2010-02-08T17:41:00.004Z

In Mauritius - on honeymoon. Sound good? I thought so too, that's why I booked it - you know, sneak a bit of good weather training in under the radar while away - except that's not how it's working out. You see there's one incy wincy little problem - the humidity. Oh boy do I wish we were in St Lucia.

As you might expect, I've now done my research and discovered that the feeling of breathlessness I've been experiencing is hypoxia - a condition associated with training at altitude. When running at 7:15 per mile (i.e. longrun pace) my heart is doing 170bpm (i.e. 5K rate) and rising, wheras it's normally 150bpm on the flat at that pace.

The furthest I've managed is 10K and returned in a pathetic condition! I even tried tanking a 5K as an effort session and had to stop at the turn around point to get my breath back. Yesterday I was attempting a strides session on the beach at sunset when I had to stop on 4. Yes F-O-U-R.

Come back snow, all is forgiven.

Looks like Blackpool is just going to be pleasant training run then. I think I'll give it a pop at 80-90% marathon pace just for some enduance training, but being honest with myself, it's not going to be a good run after being thwarted by the extremes of cold and hot weather i.e. ice and humidity.

Edinburgh it is then. Onwards.

PS Don't feel too sorry for me - I'm staying here.

I wanna run!

2010-01-06T22:26:00.013Z

The Big Freeze

'Unbelievable' said HHJ Appleton as he considered the liability of the Court Service for the inevitable outcome of this hair brained precaution. 'Whoever placed it there would have done better to stick it on their head, preferably while shoveling and salting the path' I wryly retorted.

Anyone else brassed off by how this is hampering training? The gym is just soul destroying, and full of your January mob - you know the ones I mean. Their expressions are invariably a perplexed hybrid of terror and admiration when they witness somebody using a treadmill as an instrument of torture, as opposed to a device on which to rest a celebrity gossip magazine. Oh, and heaven forbid that one should do something as vulgar as say sweat, or inadvertently break wind while pushing the pace.

Pleased to have got that off my chest - feel much better now. Onwards.

2009 - a year in numbers...

2009-12-31T23:59:00.009Z

2009

314,595 Feet climbed

242,121 Calories burned

2,190 Miles run

285 Hours running

21 Races (including handicaps)

6 Pairs of running shoes

3 PB's

1 Prohibitive injury

Incalculable pleasure and friendship

Reviewing this blog I cannot help but feel that my worst failing as an athlete is impatience, and that my greatest strength is an unyielding confidence in my ability to run faster. So how do I improve?

Well, psychologically the answer definitely lies in NLP, visualisation and meditation.

Physically I want to concentrate on strength, flexibility, aerobic conditioning and injury prevention. Of course that's all far easier said than done, but I'm not prepared to take anymore backward steps.

So what for 2010? The plan is 3 marathons in the spring accompanying a raft of road PB's, then enjoy a summer on the fells with the occasional short road event. Come autumn I want to be back on the marathon trail for another couple (Bradford and Chicago?), then a complete cross-country season. Aside from the Harrogate League and Hyde Park Time Trial, I've also decided to see whether I can spend the entire calendar doing races that I've never done before.

Progress. That's my new year's resolution. What's yours?

Wishing you all a happy and accomplished 2010.

Onwards!

Simon.

Ribble Valley 10K - Northern 10K Championships

2009-12-28T13:26:00.007Z

Thank you to Blackburn Harriers for hosting a great event.

The Ribble Valley 10K results are here. I managed 130th out of 906 in 37:29. Yet another PB of which I'm slightly embarrassed. Me and this distance have some quite serious unfinished business. Watch this space in 2010.

Did anyone else notice that I happened to stuff the European Women's Cross Country Champion out of sight by over three minutes? Thought not. Hayley Yelling ran under her married name and came 248th. I saw her finish and had to do a double take, but that pugilistic running style was an absolute dead give away, even from behind. Presumably she was competing incognito with a pal, or maybe she significantly under performed like moi?

My final mile, when I finally found my rhythm and mustered a hard driving finish, was something of which to be rightfully proud. Lord only knows what happened over the proceeding five point two, but my body felt as though it was in shock and weighed around 15 stones. All that I can think of is that the icy conditions and over indulgence of the holiday season dampened my preparations. Speaking of heavy men, you see the guy to my right in the photo above? Pound for pound the fastest runner I've ever seen. Built like an outdoor privy, aged over 40 and ran under 37:40. Imagine trying to escape from him on a dark night in an alley way - nightmare!

On the downhill section after the switch back (6K) I developed 'that stitch' - you know, the one that has plagued me all year. Through good pace control I managed to run within my limits and mercifully finished the race. Unlike one or two pitiful sights that greeted me running back towards the start before reaching the half way mark. Then there was the poor chap who introduced his trainers to his Boxing Day supper within 50 meters of the line. Hero.

Anyway, enough. It's nearly the end of the running calendar, and so comes the time when I reflect on all that has passed and all that will come to be, but I'll save that blog post for NYE.

And finally, big up respect (or whatever the kids on the street say to one another nowadays) to Dave Thompson for the most amazing outfit of the Chevin Chase 2009. Incredible. Thank you for reminding me of the occasional importance of not taking our efforts too seriously.

Dave Thompson - 'The Christmas Tree Legend'

PS Hello to the Clown (Paul Gaile) from Pudsey Pacers who I met while out on my LSR this morning. Great costume!

Thirsk 10 - Northern 10 Mile Championships

2009-12-08T21:03:00.009Z

Ouch! 2 miles to go in the Thirsk 10

NEW PB 61 minutes 40 seconds

Well done to all at Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers for hosting what turned out to be a memorably great race with some staggeringly good performances, and all in spite of the waterlogged course that in some parts was flooded across the full width of the road.

Unassailable chip timing, two bottles of water (Burnsall 10 organisers please take note) on the route, a warm pavilion where bread and soup / tea and cake etc was being sold at very reasonable prices after the event, rapidly published results and free race photographs. What else could a runner ask for? Showers. A punctual start. A cheaper event.

Does anyone else have a wardrobe brimming with scarcely worn race T-shirts? Mine are stored in a couple of those vacuum bags that you find on shopping channels and in sunday newspaper supplements. Frankly, I'd rather have the option of passing over the race souvenir if it meant that the event was less expensive. Gripe over.

There were too many superb performances for me to pick any one individual, so I'll confine my comments to our ladies team. Well done - just look at what you can achieve when you all turn up! The Harrogate League is yours for the taking next year.

The women were ably anchored by Her Majesty, who came past me at around the 4 mile mark and I simply let go thinking "yeah I'll see you in 3 miles girl". I'm unashamed to say that I was dropped almost as heavily as Tiger Woods is about to be by his wife and sponsors. I think the difference was around 50 seconds to a minute, which tells a tale in itself.

The first 5 miles of the race passed uneventfully. I was perfectly happy letting other people around me do their own thing while I stayed focused on remaining comfortable, efficient and rhythmic. The splits suggest that I was pushing the pace a fraction at 5:52 5:54 5:56 6:03 and 6:02, but in truth I was comfortably cruising. Then a wheel fell off as I turned the corner at the Busby Stoop.

The next 5 miles were 6:19 6:20 6:16 6:20 and 6:20. Yet despite this I'm really rather proud of how I kept my resolve burning. The problem was all too clear, having failed to taper properly by pushing a 9 mile training run 2 days earlier, my legs were spent. There was a lot of tightness in the right leg radiating from the gleut down. What's more it hurt. By this time I had become a mark and was being overtaken frequently enough to be embarrassing. Nevertheless I gritted my teeth and entered 'the zone'. Once in this mindset the pain became irrelevant. My only purpose was to finish the event as fast as I humanly could and absorb whatever suffering the task required.

Last year I ran this in 63:16, so should be delighted by the 96 second improvement. The results are here. Admire the many brilliant team and personal performances at your leisure.

Anyway, I spent the journey home rubbing my left calf, which was a precursor to an injury that flared up on Friday gone while out with the hound stalking deer on the Chevin. I'm managing it well by training conservatively, but it's really fouling up my Ribble 10K preparations. Let's see...

Preston 10

2009-11-15T17:30:00.012Z

The Preston 10M 2009

Last night I was cavorting at a medieval banquet in Coventry, where I awoke at 6.30, i.e. half past daft o'clock. After a 2 hour drive up the delightfully clear M6 to Preston, there was just sufficient time for the customary pre-race rituals before lining up with seconds to go before the gun, or whistle(?!) in this case.

Well done Preston Harriers on putting together a decent and safe event. It got a tick in every box except the one marked 'accurate time keeping'. How do I know that? Well, I pressed my start button well after the whistle blew, and pressed it as I crossed the 'imaginary' line. So one of three possibilities occur. Either a) my GPS is not a precision device linked into a myriad of computers monitoring the exact movements of the earth to generate an atomic measurement of time, or b) the 'imaginary' line was not where I quite imagined it to be, or finally c) somebody timekeeping had geriatric reflexes. Obviously I'm being facetious, but why is it that time recorders never have the same result as me?

All this carping on is because I beat my PB by a paltry 7 seconds, instead of the 9 as I have it, so call me a pedant. The results are here - 36th out of 365 in 1:02:16. I'm dissatisfied with the result but pleased with the performance. By the halfway point of this two lap course I was yearned for the heated seats of my car, but while being cheered on I managed to trick my mind in to believing that it would be all plain sailing from then on. Ha! Amy Green from Keighley charged past me like a bison and I was left pondering whether my race was over up until mile 7. The 3 preceding miles had been mentally tough, then I realised that I had barely been overtaken, and that everyone that had come past was within my reach. That was it - simple as - I just managed to convince myself that I had turned the tables on them by 'allowing' them to overtake and now I was going to reel every little one of them in - and I did. Being blunt, I couldn't have raced faster on the day and so got the result that I deserved, but am pleased to have salvaged some self-respect by mounting a strong come back right to the line.

Is the deficiency in my training that I don't do sufficient race paced miles? In other words, for a 10 miler should I be out training on the flat doing 5 miles in 30 minutes? Maybe a two mile warm up and the same to cool down? From now on I'm going to be doing more race specific speed work.

So what's new? The ECG results are in and they say I'm - normal. How insulting. Much to my good fortune the Cardiologist happened to be a runner. He explained how another running cardio chum of his does 10K's in 32 mins and has been doing some research on responses to interval training. Anyway, the outcome of this was that his subjects fell in to two groups - responders and non-responders. Now that I've become a Wednesday night regular at Carnegie let's see which category I come under. As for the pains, he believes it's some sort of spasm brought on by exertion, but wants me to take a treadmill test just to be on the safe side. Great - 30 minutes indoors hill training!

What else? Ah, there's the small matter of my spring marathon. Hmmmm, well as Paris had filled up by the time I managed to pull my credit card from its web encrusted stitched shut wallet, I plumed for Blackpool instead. Same date (April 11th) - both places have a tall iron tower that you run past, who'll even notice the difference?

Three races left this year. Thirsk 10 and Ribble 10K (both pre-entered) and maybe the Langdale 10K....

Bridlington Half Marathon

2009-11-11T15:49:00.002Z

A GOOD CLUB TURNOUT

CREATE YOUR OWN CAPTION

Thank you to Bridlinton Road Runners and their local Rotary Club for putting on a well organised and enjoyable event. The news of the day had to be Andrew Pearson winning in 1:05:48 on an undulating course with a headwind on the final mile. The second runner was almost 5 minutes behind, making this a victory by a country mile. I can't wait to see whether he puts in an appearance at the Thirsk 10 (Northern 10 Mile Championships).

My own performance was acceptable given my level of preparation, what with having been quite busy with back to back trials. The results are here and as can be seen, I was 35th out of 684 in 1:24:02. Even if I had been 'race sharp' I don't think that I could have gone more than 2 minutes faster on this course, and so am pleased that I held it together for the duration and didn't fall apart when the temptation came at between 5 to 7 miles. I've no idea what happened, but suddenly some self-doubt crept in to my mind as my legs began to tire of the hills and a pack of 5 (including Helen Cross) overtook. All that I could think was "oh blow I'm about to become a target". Somehow or other I turned it around and persevered to have quite a rewarding final 3 miles patiently picking off those who didn't have the legs for the distance. I'd say that I overtook as many as came past me, although admittedly not all the same people. If I learnt nothing else I can at least now say that I've discovered how to keep my neurosis in check during a race.

There were two other occurrences of note. First, a certain 69 year-old gentleman completed his 100th half that day, and I had the honour of having lunch with him afterwards. Well done Peter, you're an inspiration! Second, we won the team prize! It was handed over less than magnanimously with the announcer carping on about how 2 other teams could have won it if they'd pre-entered. Fortunately for me, Fr Julian and The Best that they didn't, and we each pocketed £30.

You might have noticed that I'm less of a blogger of late. The reality is that I began to lose the pleasure of diarising events when my form plummeted after coming back from injury at the start of the summer. I'm now feeling far more positive. Looking forward to winter training for a spring marathon (Paris?), followed by a summer on the fells, then the XC next autumn. Next year I commence my BGR preparations and endeavour to become 'fell hard' with some lengthy exploits in the mountains. Perhaps even venture in to mountain marathons... Let's see.

Wednesday evenings are now occupied with track sessions at Carnegie run by our Ilkley bretheren. Not only am I grateful for the effort put in to organising this, but I'm noticing incremental improvements. Let's see what happens at the Preston 10 this Sunday.

PS Well done to David McGonigal on completing is first half-marathon last weekend. Are you addicted yet?

Wetherby 10K

2009-10-20T17:47:00.005+01:00

WETHERBY 10K - 37.41

On 14th September I popped over to Wetherby for a cracking little Yorkshire run. Thank you very much to Robert Gray and his gang at Wetherby Runners for hosting a race that lives up to its billing. This is a rapid course, but which tends to attract a relatively mortal standard of competitor.

Mercury came 2nd, hot on the heels of Dunn Running. White Knight was also blistering. Dare I say it, so was I, right up until the point when I had to stop and walk. With 1KM to go there came a stabbing pain - a bit like the others that I've been suffering for around a year now - except this was enough to halt me in my tracks. Somewhat miffed, I soldiered on to cross the line in a respectable enough time, all things considered. My aim was to run a sub 37m race, and I would doubtless have been very close but for the casual stroll at the end.

The upshot of all this is that I've been referred to a Cardiologist to see whether we can get to the bottom of the problem. Crossing the line clutching your chest and being surrounded by St John's ambulance crew (not for the first time) is probably a sign worth heeding. Tomorrow morning I have an ECG scheduled for 24 hours, with a track session planed for the evening. Imagine the perplexed expression on the face of the person who examines that print out!

Anyway, I loved my first 10k. What a fun distance. All out 'spill yer guts on the pavement slogging through the pain barrier' kind of fun. Oh, and I almost forgot - we won the 2nd team prize and as our third counter (29th) I was £10 up! That covered the fish and chips that we pilled in to the Wetherby Whaler for after the event.

The following Sunday I went for a trot round Lake Ullswater with the wet nosed four legged hairy rabbit chaser. It was right up there with running up Ingleborough in deep virgin snow last Easter Sunday as one of the most beautiful runs I've ever done. You may get an impression of this from clicking on the satellite image below. The lad and I saw a red deer stag taking his family of three out for a stroll over Place Fell, which together with the breathtaking view that greeted us as we came round the fell to face the Helvellyn range, were the highlights of the morning. Pure soul running.

The Ilkley Incline

2009-09-04T21:53:00.002+01:00

New lungs and legs please!

Ilkley Harriers and AC deserve enormous gratitude for laying on the Ilkley Incline on Wednesday evening, despite the awful autumnal conditions and merciless midges.

For those of you unfamiliar with the format of the race, it's a one mile course up a steep hill. Simple, except not quite. I had done a 10 x 400 around the park on the evening before, and was also part way through a trial, so perhaps should have side stepped this event. At least that's what I was thinking at around the half way mark as my body was begging my mind to stop driving it in defiance of gravity, and I was cursing my sense of spontaneity for ever having decided to enter.

My idea of a conservative start was a touch more like Usain Bolt's notion of propulsion. Far far too fast to comprehend. In my defence, I had absolutely no idea that the first half mile was vomit inducing. Rather than taking the lead of my more experienced club mates, I pelted off and set myself up as their targets, and had been completely reeled in by the half way mark. Next year....

The results are here. Congratulations to Graham Peace, who was half a minute up on Zeus' time from last year! I was 2 minutes behind in 9:15. Judging from how my gleuts felt the next evening I would say that it's time to get back in hill training for the autumn winter. My lungs were raw and wretched afterwards, as anyone who heard me coughing up on the jog back down could bear witness.

Perhaps some gym work might now be called for, but I'm struggling to find the time to run as it is just at the moment. Happily I'm very well professionally occupied and have been for some time, so any complaints would be misplaced.

Perfect session

2009-08-28T20:31:00.005+01:00

Tonight's mile rep session was absolutely perfect. Just look at the heart rate line (red). Each rep was around the lactate threshold level, but essentially not too stressful. What was going on with the sky rocketing heart rate during my warm up though?

It felt like a really comfortable cruising pace, and one that I would expect to be able to sustain for the Wetherby 10K. Bearing in mind that this will be my first proper competitive 10K, what do you think my time will be? A guaranteed PB!

Lap one: 5:47 (touch too fast) - Interval 0.15 miles: 1:23

Lap two: 5:54 - Interval 0.15 miles: 1:28

Lap three: 5:54 - Interval 0.15 miles 1:28

Lap four: 5:54 - Warm down.

Bang on. What should my next mile rep session goal be - add 1 more rep at the same pace, or perform the same number of reps increased by 5 seconds?

Erratum

2009-08-26T22:06:00.002+01:00

Fr Julian has just prised each and every one of my fingers from the wrong end of the stick.

Apparently even had the organisers of the Burnsall 10 included Running Bear in the team results we would have still triumphed.

OAC had 2+4+8=14, Bingley had 3+5+7=15. Oops.

Time to dismount the soap box.

The Burnsall Feast

2009-08-24T16:57:00.011+01:00

Racing over the bridge at the start of the Burnsall 10

Ambivalence best describes my view of Saturday's Burnsall 10. Disappointment that I was daft enough to enter. Relief that I didn't allow myself to get drawn in to racing. Satisfaction with a result that was faster than I expected and pleasure at having had an idyllic summer afternoon in the joyful company of close family and friends. Let's not dwell on the roguish dog.

Last week saw me finally begin to enjoy my running again with a dusk outing on Ilkley Moor. It was Wednesday evening and all there is to say is that I reconnected with the essence of running without any other distractions contaminating my mind. So delightful was the experience that in my exuberance I ran down from the 12 Apostles whooping out aloud with my arms stretched out horizontally at my sides and danced over the rocks like a schoolboy. Without keeping an eye on the miles - I accidentally racked up 14 and came home shattered.

Consider that Wednesday was supposed to be an easy session recovering from the mile reps that I'd done the day before and you can see why I shouldn't have been racing. Factor in to that the fact that on the Saturday morning I woke having been deprived of sleep and eaten by midges with the appetite of pterodactyls. Camping is a liberating and cleansing experience, when you're not stuck in your tent and covered in mud. Unfortunately the porch area of our tent had been inundated by a heavy overnight downpour, and the youngsters woke up with the cockerel. I've also since learned that midges are attracted to Co2 and lactic acid in sweat. Marvelous.

If by this point you think my race preparations were going none too well, imagine how I felt at 2.29 pm (1 minute before the start) when I realised that all I'd had to drink was a mug of tea and a cafeteria of coffee - all day. My food intake had consisted of a packet of kid's cereal and a muffin. Then there was the blazing sunshine, which I had been standing around in for hours. Running in the sun in never comfortable for anyone, but some runners undoubtedly perform better on hot days as Fr Julian openly admitted.

Being honest with yourself, in what weather do you more often set your PB's? For me it's when the temperature is low enough to suppress my sweat, say around 5 degrees Celsius. Any hotter and I sweat like a bear in a turkish bath. As if that wasn't bad enough, I also lose a lot of salt. So much so that after the Humber Half Marathon in June I was covered in a fine powdery layer of the stuff.

Why bother then? Well because it's Burnsall of course. What other reason is required?

The race demands little analysis as the data below provides the unassailable evidence of how I performed. For the first 3 miles I kept The Tease in the zero of my sights, then arrived in Hebden to discover that there was no water table, and immediately thereafter witnessed my will to live jump under the wheels of a passing bus. The plan was then to preserve myself by running at an optimum comfortable pace and treat the event as a pleasant training run. Even so, I still put the occasional spurt in whenever anyone came past me, just for the pure mischief of making them work for their position. That said, The Courtier came past me with great gusto and has patently been working hard in training.

The race data

By the time I reached the (solitary) water table (6.8 miles!) I had resolved to stop and properly rehydrate. During this period of spectatorship 4 others glided past, and I happily let them go. After the Humber Half I said that I'd never run distance races in hot weather again. It seems that I had that lesson in the back of my mind when I eased off the throttle, and mercifully finished quite fresh and in 1:06 something or other! Quite unbelievable when I look back at how much I slackened off, although if the complete truth be known I heard The Beast et al trying to catch me coming back down in to the village and so slammed on the gas for a quick finish to fend off the challenge. It's going down in my diary as a threshold run.

After the Humber I was nauseous and had to take the following day off running having been chauffeured home. After Burnsall I spent the remainder of the day frolicking with the kids. Lesson half learned, although I still shouldn't have entered in such conditions and when woefully underprepared.

Zeus came 2nd. Apparently he'd heard on the grapevine that the winner would be subjected to a compulsory gender test in the bogs of the Red Lion. Well done most notably Fr Julian and The Courtier who both ran their socks off.

Next year I'll be racing the Classic Fell race instead. Honest. Really.

The team on the green

Normally I might take the trouble to thank the race organisers, but on this occasion I'm more inclined to advise that they go stand in a corner and have a strong word with themselves about their chauvinism. Get with the plan guys - this is 2009. 'First three team members home' can include women you know, or "ladies" as you patronisingly prefer to call them. Congratulations to Bingley, the rightful winners of the team prize. Commiserations also to the Keighley women's team who, despite coming first, were not offered a prize on the grounds of their gender. So, women don't count at all then, how enlightened!

If this scandal is repeated next year then I'm grassing them up to the armed wing of the WI. Word.

Oh, and another thing. More water stations please.

Roll on Wetherby.

PB at the Sale 10

2009-08-16T20:21:00.012+01:00

It has been a fortnight since I raced the Sale 10, then drove to Paris as my legs muscles slowly contracted. The intervening holiday and busy week on my return prevented me filing my race report, so let me commence by saying that the results are here, and I came 63rd in new a PB of 1:02:23.

Just look at the times for the first three and weep:

1  Ezekiel Chebon Birchfield/Kenya   47:35

2  Mark Miles     Belgrave Harriers  47:40

3  David Webb     Leeds City AC      47:47

This was beyond doubt the most high class field of any race I've ever entered outside cross-country championships and international marathons. The organisers have me down as sixth female finisher. Let's just say that the first woman beat me by a country mile, and a little bit more for good measure. From what I saw of her afterwards I can say that she had the body fat composition of a rescued greyhound. Maybe it's time that I tried to lay off the cake again?

The PB is a bitter sweet pill because I've in fact run 3 faster times at the (accurate) 10 mile point in half marathons, but such is the nature of running. There are probably many runners who can say that they set their best 5k time during a 10K, all that means is that they set off too quickly!

HPTT

2009-07-28T23:08:00.003+01:00

Saturday saw me do an HPTT in 18:41. The time was unspectacular, but I was pleased with the result in that my legs felt heavy after a few consistently hard weeks of training.

That same evening I celebrated my birthday in the Box Tree as part of a party of 8 who didn't leave until around 1am. Superlatives defy me in describing the 'experience'. Yum, double yum and yum again. As one friend said when the desert was produced "this is the culinary equivalent of crack cocaine". I wouldn't disagree.

This led to me waking up on Sunday morning and saying to myself "No Simon, don't run today". No, I didn't have a hangover. It's just that I felt tired and thought that I had earned a rest. That plus the fact that I'm trying to ensure that I'm in a well rested state next Sunday.

Let's see what a week on being unstressed achieves in Sale.

Washburn washout

2009-07-17T22:21:00.006+01:00

Thank you to all those who organised the Otley AC Washburn Valley relay tonight.

Congratulations and thank you also to all those who attended and made this event a great night despite the terrible weather.

I'd like to say that I had a great run, yet the truth is that I spilled my guts charging round and still only managed to run at the same pace as I did around Fewston on 21st April. Admittedly the course was far windier and overgrown tonight, and my heart rate was more stable than 3 months ago - so technically I have made an improvement. What I want to know is how am I supposed to run faster?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

I've just done the maths and the results are - that it took 75 fewer heart beats to propel me round the 4 mile course tonight that it did on 21st April. Now how many miles of training did that take do you think? A: Over 600. Shall I just pack up now?

The Eccup 10

2009-07-12T19:09:00.005+01:00

Thank you to Abbey Runners for hosting such a well organised and enjoyable event. The 9.30am start was really appreciated, even if the sun wasn't too fierce this year. Unfortunately we had to contend with some unfavourable winds, which might be why my time is a fraction down on last year's. Anyway, the results are here. 28th in 1.04.29.

I had a comfortable start and just bedded down for the first 5 miles, then hit what I thought was the split button on my Garmin only to realise 2 miles later that I'd in fact depressed the stop button. Goon. So, I had to run according to how I felt, which was just fine until the last three miles when I felt plain rotten. There were some good runners around me at the 5 mile mark when I made my move, and I was quite miffed to have been so successfully held off for the second half of the race. If I seem disappointed it's simply because I feel as though I could have been a minute faster, but alas. Still, the times were slow overall and so I haven't lost heart that I'm capable of pushing myself past the 60 minute mark on a flat course. A good volume of cruise intervals may be necessary though.

Congratulations to Her Majesty who paced herself brilliantly to win the women's race, despite an exceptionally brave and tough performance from the second placed woman who had led out from the front for most of the way.

Just as I was crossing the line I was greeted by a friendly face from Wetherby Runners who is the doppelganger of John Hannah (Four Weddings / Sliding Doors). The thing is I've seen him about a few times lately and so I'm beginning to be quite anxious that I should know who he is - so if you're reading this my friend, hello and do we know each other? If I see you at Ripon please let me buy you a pint after the race.

Next race - Washburn Relay, oh, and on Tuesday I'm going to do the Ripon HDSRL handicap as a tempo run as it's such a pretty course and pleasant evening out.

HDSRL Race 5 - Otley

2009-07-05T20:09:00.004+01:00

Congratulations Otley AC on winning the (main 10) Harrogate League, together with the individual men's, elite men's and individual women's prizes.

Commiserations to the women's team who missed out on glory by a very slim margin of 40 points.

Unfortunately the women have strength, but not quite the depth of the men's squad. To put it in context, I was our 10th counter and came 21st overall. The results are here.

Just before the start I was instructed to hold back until the hill, so I just cruised round the course until the climb to Farnley. Coming down the other side was a completely different story as I realised that I had Slick in my sights and so mounted a charge for the finish. He got away by 10 seconds, but I'm pleased with the result. It was a good confidence boost before Eccup next Sunday. A PB?

Tricky and I got talking after the race and I couldn't believe that only 6 months ago I was merely seconds behind him on a longer and more demanding course, yet was 90 seconds adrift on this approximate 10K. The difference in our training is probably the volume of gym work and interval sessions, of which I'm doing too little. Now that the Harrogate League has drawn to a close I'm now on a mission to run 10 miles in under 60 minutes, and so I'll be after some tips given that he seems to have mastered this distance already.

Today I went up to Masham to watch the Burn Valley Half Marathon. This has to be one of the most beautiful and demanding road race courses around. Zeus' course record of 71:11.11 is incredible when you consider just how many climbs there are on the route. Anyway, I took advantage of the water stops and had a pleasurable long steady run. If I'm not mistaken this was the first half for Dan Dare, so well done my friend. Most people would choose something nice and easy to start with, but I admire your approach.

HDSRL Race 4 - Richmond

2009-06-20T23:47:00.008+01:00

Thank you to Richmond and Zetland Harriers for putting on such a splendid race. Memorable course - it had a bit of something for everyone, and some great scenery. The results are here.

Considering how whacked out I've been lately I'm quite pleased with that outcome. On fresher legs I would have been in between Slick and Her Excellency, who won the women's race (yet again) and thereby secured the women's series title. Good effort!

On Thursday afternoon I received a call to say that I was not required for work on Friday, and so decided to make the most of an opportunity and packed the camping gear in 'the hearse' and two hours later pitched at Reeth. As soon as the tent was up I doubled back to Richmond for the race. By 10.30pm I was tucked up in my sleeping bag with Viz resting on my legs at the bottom of the tent. Never again am I sharing a sleeping space with that horrid beast. There are only a limited number of times that I can be woken in the night by a wet nose pressing against my own before my patience begins to fray.

Slideshow

Come Friday morning I was in need of some solace, and so took the lad out for a jolly 8 mile walk up Arkengarthdale. Somewhere where, incidentally, I had never before visited. Hence I made a photo journalistic record of our journey. I hope that you enjoy the above slideshow every bit as much as I did in creating it.

Feeling tired, but at peace.

The Otley 10 and Humber Half

2009-06-20T23:01:00.006+01:00

There's an old jewish proverb goes 'How do you make God laugh? Just tell him your plans'. Well he certainly had a fine chuckle at my expense last week.

Withdrew from the Otley 10 at 6 miles with a stitch. Not a fractured leg or collapsed lung, no a pathetic mincing stitch. What was really galling was that I was having a satisfactory run, having gone out conservatively and held back on Leathley Bank. The down hill after 'That Hill' is so steep that every stride exacerbated the pain until it became a sharp stab under the ribs that took 15 minutes to wear off. Put it this way, I'd have found it easier to continue running on a sprained ankle. So Her Excellency won. Congratulations - you wear the crown girl. The results are here.

Then onwards to the Humber Bridge Half, believing that I'd be fresh enough as I had failed to finish 4 days earlier. Wrong.

The heat was too intense, I lost a lot of salty fluid and gave up competing at around mile 9. Then guess what? A stitch - in the final mile while going at a steady pace. Unbelievable. My time of 1:28 would have been sub 1:25 on this course had both I and the weather been fresh. The results are here.

Lessons to take away - don't turn up to 10K+ races held in the hottest part of the day. It's not only a waste of time, but as Monday's compulsory rest day illustrated, it's knackering. Oh, and race less.

Am I alone in being a summer race addict? All you need to do is write the word START in chalk on a road during the months of May to September and I'll cheerfully stand there all day until I hear the starters orders.

HDSRL Race 3 - Harrogate

2009-06-05T22:41:00.005+01:00

Thank you to Harrogate Harriers and congratulations on hosting such a well organised race. The results are here.

The weather was favourably cold and damp, in fact almost perfect racing conditions.

Unfortunately the 130+ miles that I've done in training since the last event had left my legs quite dead before the race. Only the day before I had climbed the 3 flights of stairs leading up to my office and felt as though my leg strength had been sapped away. Diagnosis = overtraining. Having said as much, the Otley 10 is my target race and so this was being treated simply as hard session.

Again, Heel Snapper had a great run as also did Whiteknight, who's definitely aspiring to be our third ranked runner.

My race went acceptably, but as the graph shows on the above image, my HR was 238 at one stage! It went absolutely radio rental for the first three miles, then suddenly settled down to a more tolerable rhythm. I'm therefore pleased that I started out at a more reasonable pace as that kind of heart response could have ruined my race - again...

The course was demanding yet pleasantly so. The hills were more of a challenge than a serious obstacle. The roads were sufficiently quiet for the traffic to be scarcely noticeable. Whilst by no means comparable to a PB 10K course, it felt like a decent race.

Only Slick managed to overtake me by reclaiming the place that I snatched from him at around 5 miles. Quite confusingly I belted off thinking that we were within 800 meters of the finish, so after that half mile I was alarmed to realise that there was another damned mile left to go! Had I timed it correctly then I'm confident that it would have been a close call between us and perhaps also Heel Snapper, who whilst 18 seconds ahead at the finish, was only 5 seconds in front when I planned my slightly premature 'spurt'. Roll on the Otley 10.

Today my legs feel unusually lifeless, in fact so dead that I could only manage a 5 mile easy recovery run in the afternoon.

Tomorrow I have a stag do to attend and I'm really not sure how to broach the subject of wanting to stay sober for the sake of my training regime. Maybe I should use the tried and tested technique of simply pacing myself properly...

Anyway, thanks for the lovely cake Harrogate, I'll be back for more next year.

Keeping pace.

2009-06-02T09:30:00.004+01:00

This morning's 4 x mile rep session around Yeadon Tarn was quite a struggle in the heat, although mercifully the whipped up wind that usually accompanies this circuit was calm.

The times were 5:51 - 5:54 - 5:55 and 6:02 with 0.15 mile jog intervals of around 90 seconds.

I'm a touch disappointed by the time of the final rep because, as the heart rate chart reveals, I gave it some hard stick. Cumulatively my times were a mere 17 seconds faster than on the last occasion, but the pace was more consistently even. What the hell, I'm improving to near some sort of form and that's all that matters for the moment.

The stats

Run to London.

2009-05-24T11:19:00.004+01:00

Dizzie setting off on his morning run to Trafalgar Square

Dizzie decided to knock the track on the head and run to London for a change of scenery. From Otley. 218 miles. I did 15.5 in my 'long run' this morning and pray that there's a large cloud hovering over his head sheltering him from the sun right now.

Say hello to Horatio from me old thing!

You can sponsor this crazy fool (sorry, remarkable endurance athlete), by following this link.

Just call me Jesus...

2009-05-21T20:51:00.004+01:00

because as this image clearly establishes, I walk on water!

4 x mile reps tonight - 5.42 / 5.59 / 6.03 / 6.15

I last did this particular session on 30th April and took 6.04 / 6.11 / 6.11 / 6.16.

So there's no need for despondency - I'm regaining fitness, slowly.

Next time they will all be sub-6 minute miles.

I had the same chest pain again tonight and am confident that it's heart related. Basically it doesn't take pleasure from being thrust past 175bpm for too long. So, next time I race I'm going to try a little experiment and simply go as fast as my heart will allow (171bpm) i.e. my lactate threshold.

HDSRL Race 2 - Wetherby

2009-05-21T15:12:00.009+01:00

Thank you to Wetherby Runners for hosting an excellent event last night, and a satisfying post-race spread. What a great facility they have at their disposal. I'd love to see something like that, perhaps with a synthetic track, on the site of the old cattle market in Otley. Anyway, less of the pipe dreaming...

The course was on part of the West Yorkshire Cycle Route, which Darling and I covered at the beginning of the month. Basically it was an out and back to Spofforth along a disused railway line. Flat, fast and narrow with plenty of surface water on the sections that were not elevated.

On a club level we had a fantastic event and have established a commanding lead in both the male and female categories. The women's team has developed in to a good pack with a firm sense of purpose, and I'm very hopeful that their collective efforts payoff. As for the chaps, Zeus, Fr Julian and The Black Horse deserve a special mention for their dedication to the cause. Why? Because they ran the Windermere Marathon 3 days before. Mentalists.

On a personal level I can say that I suffered a terrible injury - to my pride. The start began perfectly with me taking a good line to the far left and ensuring that I was able to settle in to my own rhythm and wait for Slick to catch up, the plan being to run with him and see whether I could hold on for the duration. Quite surprisingly Madam Heal Snapper appeared on his heals, and I should add stuck in there for the whole race, finishing only 4 seconds behind and first woman! By around the 1.5 mile point I felt as though it was all coming together, and that my only task was to grit my teeth and race hard, but that's not how it panned out.

At 5pm I arrived home on dog duty and quickly wolfed down two thin slices of peanut butter on toast, rinsed off with a cuppa. By my reckoning this should not have presented a problem at 7.45pm, so why the stabbing stitch? By the time I crossed the line they were two minutes ahead, and I had been overtaken by around 30 people. Ouch. My chest felt constricted and I had a feeling not unlike heart burn. Quite oddly, I felt myself become substantially heavier just before the turn around point.

So naturally I asked those more knowledgeable than I for their opinions. Slick suggested that I had an oxygen deficit, which is an ever so polite way of saying "you're just not fit son". Ben Grant asked if I had had time off with injury or whatever, and I was impressed by his incisiveness. Does he read this trifling piffle? What he simply said was that often when returning from injury motivation can be a problem as we're reluctant to push ourselves because of a fear that the problem might recur. In truth, that was the case for around six weeks after I started up again. In fact I've only been back in 'training' for two weeks.

The reality is, by my analysis of the data in the image above, Nick was right on the money. I'm just not fit enough to sustain the pace. This is borne out by the plot of my heart rate, which should have rested on the lower border (and not at the top) the darkest shade. Effectively I was running at 10K pace, but my heart was working as though it was a 5K. That would explain the pain and feeling of heaviness.

Hence I went out to punish myself with 2 x 4 reps on Old Hollins Hill before breakfast, and am out again for a mile reps session this evening. There's hard work to be done, although I don't know how I can make the necessary gain in the remaining 20 days to the Otley 10.

Just call me Lloyd.

2009-05-10T21:46:00.004+01:00

May I first thank The Black Horse (I do hope that he doesn't mind the appellation) who on Friday evening volunteered his number for the Leeds Half, and I thought why not?

Well, let me tell you why I should have said no. There's the slight issue of not having recovered from last weekend's BIG BIKE RIDE over the PENNINES. Then there's the small matter of having done the HPTT yesterday morning in a scandalous 19 minutes and something or other seconds because my legs were leaden on the CLIMBS. Oh, and the minor fact that the Leeds Half is a HILLY course. Have you spotted the connection yet? Yes that's correct. I'm training like an idiot, yet again, and to such an extent that I'm burning up on gradients. When will I learn to let my body recover from hard exertions?

Anyway, 86.53 was the time, which is actually quite satisfying. The race plan had been to take this as an up tempo training run in around 90 minutes. The water stops, fellow runners, traffic free course etc made it a more attractive proposition than doing the same distance along the canal towpath. I even wore my iPod! How do people race without being able to hear their breathing?

There results are here.

White Knight, who was out on the course with his Damsel, called out in jest 'you could at least look like you're making an effort' as I came by. Which just about summarised my attitude to the event - stay comfortable.

Very well done to the Coxwain and Stout on their impressive finishes. Did we qualify for a team prize?

Nick Richardson was 50th in a solid 81 minutes, so that's my work cut out for the summer.

Finally, Heel Snapper would like to point out that as she's on better from than me (at present) I should amend her appellation to something more apposite. As I told her over a tea and flapjack biscuit this evening, I wholeheartedly agree. However I've since decided to add one stipulation, that is only if she succeeds in beating me at the Otley 10.

Now that I've thrown down of the gauntlet, what you you like me to address you as should you defeat me in road running combat madam? Her Excellency perhaps?

HDSRL Race 1 - Thirsk

2009-05-08T10:15:00.003+01:00

Thank you to Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers for their organisation of last night's race. Congratulations also to my club mates at Otley AC who collectively put in a blinding performance, especially the ladies, who, if they attend consistently, could match the men in walking away with the team prize. Fingers crossed for 'Laura's Lasses'.

Zeus and Lady Heel Snapper won their respective races, the latter being our 10th counter in 33rd place. The Black Horse put in a sterling performance in keeping with his consistent high form this year. Good luck in the Windermere Marathon - team first?

As for me, well perhaps the lackadaisical manner is which I've been keeping up to the blog is a metaphor for how I feel about my running just at the moment. My motivation has been at rock bottom because of my late winter/early spring injury. Running can sometimes feel like a game of snakes and ladders. Back in January I was on a sharp improvement trajectory, so much so that by my guesstimates I would have run a sub-36 minute 10K by now. Unfortunately my roll of the dice in mid-February put me on a snake somewhere close to the bottom of the board. Difficult though it is to admit, I'm also feeling more than a healthy amount of resentment for the belief that everyone around me is having a better run with the dice. It's not that I could ever begrudge anybody the success that they've earned, it's just that I'm deeply frustrated by my loss of form.

Last night I ran well, if not a little conservatively, right up until my shoelace came undone and I was forced to stop and tie it up at around 1.75 mile point. Right then everything fell apart. I lost my 'mark' (Heel Snapper), was overtaken by everyone I had worked to get past and was mentally defeated. As if to compound the exasperation, I then picked up a stitch whenever I pushed the pace to try and catch up. Ultimately I packed in at the 3 miles region and just half-heartedly shuffled back to the finish with my tail between my legs.

After cycling 140 miles at the weekend my backside feels as though I've just walked out of the headmaster's office. But after last night's metaphorical kick up the posterior I now feel reinvigorated. It's time to get back in to some very strenuous training.

Fair weather blogger - moi?

2009-04-26T21:02:00.004+01:00

Astride Harrison Stickle - Easter Saturday

How dare Runningbear accuse me of such a shameful betrayal of my audience as to be a fair weather blogger. Please. Tut tut.

Now where was I? Ah yes, running.

Funny thing rivalry. My arch adversary, who if I was a less sporting fellow I'd gladly trip whenever he overtakes me, ran a creditable 3:03.20 in the FLM today and I'm absolutely gutted. I really had my fingers crossed that he'd run it in under 3 hours. Welcome to the marathon heartbreak hotel Tricky. Hopefully we'll both check out soon. I'll next be presenting myself at the reception desk for the 2010 FLM, and not a moment sooner. How about you?

What a weekend of endurance running, what with the FLM and Sheffield Half today, and the 3 Peaks yesterday. Billy Goat had an impressive day out to come 9th in the peaks race, and there were some solid performances from my club mates in the marathon. Zeus came 3rd in Sheffield and Fr Julian was on fire. Well done to you all! I'm genuinely envious not to have been amongst your number.

What's been up I hear you ask? Nothing now, absolutely nothing. No moaning or winging about how hard it has been to get my act together mentally. No fears of further or recurring injury. No over indulgence of cake. No, all's now fine for three principal reasons.

One, I managed to get up to 40 miles this week without woe.

Two, my HPTT time was 18:39 (according to my Garmin), which means that I'm regaining speed.

Three, today was my first shirtless run of the year! Big deal? Well yes it was. I'm not the type of exhibitionist who does this sort of thing by roadsides, but when out in the open country on a glorious spring day then yes, I strip. Heel Snapper took me for 12 miles through the Devonshire Estate at Bolton Abbey and we had a great time. To feel the sensuous breeze on my skin, have the fragrance of wild garlic waft softly up my nostrils and witness the lush carpets of bluebells blossom was a pleasure beyond words.

Now all I have to do is complete my summer training and race schedule. Race 1 - HDSRL - 5 flat miles, 7th May, Thirsk.

Next weekend Darling and I are cycling the 150 mile West Yorkshire Cycle Route as a bank holiday get away, and I can't wait.

Paris Marathon weekend - write up coming soon...

2009-04-10T21:02:00.004+01:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FELLOW PARIS MARATHON BLOGGERS!

Saturday 4th April run from Mum's home in Chatou to the expo.

8.30am looking up to the start.

Last minute water top ups.

Cheat!

The finish seen from the top of the Arc de Triumphe.

Camille insists that Paris was to be her first and last marathon. Yeah right.

Trimpell 20 number available

2009-03-08T19:57:00.002Z

I'm not up to completing the Trimpell 20 next Sunday 15th March. Still not running. Feel like a slob.

Would anyone like my number?

Down Time

2009-02-24T11:24:00.003Z

Being unable to run is quite a release. Obviously I'm like a greyhound in a trap, but I'm also enjoying the rest and looking forward to getting some hard training done in the spring.

Mentally I'm sustaining myself by imagining such seasonal joys as listening to the woodpeckers and cuckoos, watching the daffodils and hedgerows flourish and most of all witnessing the sunrise over the Chevin on my early morning dog run.

In the meantime I've been enjoying those things that get neglected during marathon training, like all other hobbies and pursuits! Yesterday I walked Viz on the Chevin and took my Canon 450D SLR camera along to get my creative juices flowing again. The above slideshow is the result.

As for Paris - well I''ll be fine to treat it as a training exercise, but I'm going to have to race a marathon three weeks afterwards if I'm going to do my efforts justice.

The osteopath thinks that I've grazed my meniscus due to a misalignment of the kneecap caused by general tightness in the leg muscles. Her deep tissue work was agonising, but certainly effective. Lesson learned - stretch and massage more often.

Thank you all very kindly for your support - I've been in the gym (resistance and Concept II) and dog walking, but otherwise just taking it easy and trying not to fret. Back soon.

Self-deception

2009-02-15T17:34:00.002Z

For the past 2 weeks I've been doing an astonishing impression of somebody who isn't injured. The human capacity for self-deception is always best illustrated when we are faced with obstacles that impede the path to our desires. Like the morbidly obese person in a cake shop saying to themselves 'one won't hurt', I've been out pounding the streets saying to myself 'don't worry it will settle down'. Well actually it will - but not if I continue to run on it...

My self diagnosis is a torn meniscus in my left knee that came about when preforming a recce of the Rombald's route. Effectively a combination of rough terrain and the proceeding months of high milage on flat even roads meant that the joint was put under unusual stress during that particular 20 miler.

OK - here's the plan. Tomorrow I see my osteopath. I use two - Andy for problems from the pelvis up and Hannah for the pelvis down. She's a real swine of a sadist but loves working with athletes as we take the pain and tend to be enthusiastic about our recovery. In reality there's probably little that she can do other than to make a few corrections, bearing in mind I've been shifting my weight over to my right foot to compensate. If she straightens me out then I'll avoid compounding the problem on my return.

So, ice elevation and rest for 7 days. Glucosamine sulphate is also useful in the repair and maintenance of connective tissue and I'm using it religiously.

This week I managed 44 miles but skipped my long run when in the first mile I woke up and smelt the coffee of injury. Who knows, this may be a concealed blessing or an opportunity waiting to be seized. It's time to work out in the gym and see whether I'm able to swim without aggravating the problem. If my chances of performing well in Paris take a knock back then I'll use it as a training run and have another stab at the distance before the end of May. There are plenty of races in that window, and who knows - maybe I could beg a place in London? In fact, what do they do about the places of people who withdraw?

Thanks for your support guys - it has been much appreciated.

8 weeks - the countdown begins...

2009-02-08T20:58:00.002Z

52.5 miles this week with Friday off and Saturday spent on the treadmill (2 hours). The snow/ice is frustrating my efforts but it can't last forever, even if it feels like it might.

I should be entering the build phase on my training now - ie more resistance training and speed / pace sessions.

Should the Rombald's run?

2009-02-06T09:16:00.004Z

Ilkley Moor from Otley Chevin

COUNSEL'S OPINION

Should the Rombald's run?

Having just returned from walking the dog over the first mile of tomorrow's course I decided to give the organisers a call to see whether it's still going ahead.

The contact on the LDWA website is Mark Wilson (01274) 610132

rombaldstride@btinternet.com.

His response to the question of whether it will start was, I thought, surprisingly cavalier. Now please don't misunderstand me, I'm not a health and safety killjoy. Nevertheless, I am a barrister who practices in the field of personal injury law, and to my mind if anybody becomes seriously unstuck tomorrow I think that the responsibility may not entirely be that of the participants.

When I asked Mark if the position was being kept under review he was keen to point out that if the weather was hostile then an alternative route is planned. So at least that adequately reduces the risk of anyone becoming lost and dying of exposure on an arctic moorland - as yesterday happened to a walker in Cumbria. There does, however, remain a risk to those who are unfamiliar with the route as there are some sections where the path will be hard to locate.

There is a further peril that has to be taken account of and that's the risk of serious injury from falling. Last year this event was run in snow and I was quite happy to participate but I was not alone in taking a tumble. In fact I went over 3 times, and on the descent from Whetstone Gate to Ilkley Bottom I cracked my arm so badly that I had concerns about a possible fracture and gave serious thought to withdrawing. You see the very first footpath that you walk on to reach the start is covered in an inch of polished ice and is, frankly, bloody treacherous. I also doubt that any of the other paved sections of the route are in a significantly better state.

For any seasoned LDWA walker these hazards are matters that they take in their stride, indeed some might say that the adverse conditions make the event all the more worthwhile. I would not descent from that view, but my concern is for the runners. You see we're a different breed. We are competitive and driven. What practically this means is that the athletes at the front who take the whole business quite seriously are the people who most foreseeably are going to get injured.

My concern is not that anybody will be left languishing in ice if they fall over on the moors. After all, a great proportion of these people are members of the fell running fraternity and would simply never think to run past a fallen athlete. My worry is not even that there may be incidents that require medical attention. My true concern is that there will be injuries a plenty, and predominantly amongst the front runners. If like Edward Scissor Feet you live for this event then good luck to you - have a great run and enjoy yourselves. I hope that you win it Ed!

For those of us who use this as a platform for our winter training regime we have to ask ourselves the question

Is this worth risking injury for?

My advice is that if you're planning a spring marathon give tomorrow a wide berth and live to run another day. That's certainly my plan.

GARY - I couldn't disagree with you. That was my school background and I loath the health and safety culture that restricts such good frolicking fun amongst kids. Tonight I walked over the Chevin at sunset and thought the whole course looked spectacular, and very very tempting. That said, you and I both know that if it's not a target race then it's simply not worth risking the type of injury that can ruin you season. Last year I sprained my ankle (as in a crutches job) 10 days before the Paris Marathon - which is why I'm being a blouse tomorrow and doing 30K on a treadmill - wishing that I was out on the moors!

As for the organisers - there is a principle in law that prohibits a person from recovering damages for his injuries if he volunteers himself to the risk. My advice would therefore be to restrict the field to those who have done the event before. Problem solved - who could then complain that they didn't know what they were letting themselves in for?

It's all a bit of a blur

2009-02-02T19:20:00.007Z

At sunset we took off for 8 miles in a blizzard. It was the kind of poetic encounter that epitomises winter training - stealing yourself away from comfort to confront your mind in a hostile climate. Everything was a mass of grey. The sky, the horizon, the ground and the air were the same tone, varied only but subtle degrees. Amongst the bleakness my mind latched on to this song from somewhere within my subconscious. How apposite.

Winter training used to be like the purgatory that came before the unbridled bliss of late spring. Now I'm finally appreciating it for its own sake. The pain is temporary, but the memories of each mile accumulate to weave a tapestry of something rich beautiful and profound.

Doubtless this would have been lost on those few curious souls who witnessed the divine insanity of man and beast isolated on a desolate arctic moorland, running in pursuit of an absent horizon.

Cooking on napalm!

2009-02-01T22:15:00.004Z

The Rombald's Stride is not a run for softies. In fact, chain smoking sofa surfers of a decrepit constitution need not apply. That's why I thought I'd go do it in a snow storm - with my damn heroic dog. Darling also took great care of me on our return - and how pleasant it was to have my feet treated as I soaked in a steaming bath. Clearly I'm marrying well!

The map shows our route - which incorporated 2906 ft of climb.

59 miles covered this week and a total of 257 miles for January with 3 days of rest.

Unfortunately I didn't feel well enough to do pace training on Thursday or a time trial on Saturday - but there's ample opportunity yet. So to compensate I went out for a figure of eight around Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs with Lady Heel Snapper, who as it turns out had encountered the same difficulty. What a relief it has been to get out and see 30 miles of stunning scenery this weekend, all rounded off with a splendid supper at my cousin's home.

With 9 weeks to the Paris Marathon I'm on fire and my confidence is riding high. Provided that I remain injury free a sub-three hour finish in Paris is inevitable.

An indomitable spirit is vital for endurance work, and that's what I'm cultivating right now, so roll on Rombald's Stride 2009 - I'm hungry for the pain of the race next Saturday!

Week 9: 68 miles

2009-01-26T21:58:00.003Z

Tired and pleased. Uninjured, but close to my threshold. Progress is coming slowly but surely. In two weeks I end the base phase and start the build sequence of my training, culminating with the Trimple 20 on 15th March - exactly 3 weeks before the Paris Marathon. Perfect!

Zeus - you should have been in the top 5 for the Northern Cross-Country. If I had your talent...

A brassed off monkey

2009-01-18T18:16:00.008Z

The Brass Monkey Half Marathon 2009

A PB run of 1:20:50, although unfortunately my chip didn't work and I failed to press the stop watch until I had regained my breath. So when the marshall came over and asked me for my time I just gave him the one I saw on the clock as I crossed the line and added a couple of seconds for the starting interval. As it turns out this was fairly accurate in that I remained in the correct place relative to the other finishers. I managed 52nd out of 1256 other crazy fools.

The results are HERE. Thanks to Knavesmire for a well organised and safely marshalled race. Pity about the chip time - but at least mine was one of very few problems and was easily rectified without any injustice to the other competitors.

My preparations had been quite disrupted by a conspiracy of sagas, none of which were serious enough to stop me getting to the starting line but all provoked the anxiety that I wouldn't make it. On Thursday I woke up with a twinge in my left calf and instinctively knew not to run that day. In the evening I spent 20 minutes on the Powerplate and managed to massage the problem away. For the next two days I ran no more than 6 miles in total, and thus guaranteed that I was properly rested for the race. In fact, my mileage for the week was 42.

Darling was caring for her Cheeky Monkey on Saturday night and he woke up on the morning of the race with a dickie tummy. Compound that with the fact that she has fainted only minutes before waking him up, and you can see why I should have left them at home. Instead we set off to York and stopped to watch Cheeky Monkey projectile vom over the rear seats. All I could think about at the time was getting hold of my timing chip - how ironic.

The race went well enough. There was a rough head wind at miles 4-6 that drained me a little, but the real problem was that I was running too fast. My heart rate was in the lactate threshold zone, and therefore it became inevitable that I would blow up around the 10 mile mark unless I backed off the pace. As the graph shows, I rested my heart to the sub-lactate threshold zone (light pink) after the fifth mile. At this point around 5 people came past, in particular Richard 'Tricky' Balshaw of Dragons who went on to have a terrific race coming 35th in 1:19:21. Tricky is now my mark for 2009, having also pippped me to the post in the Chevin Chase. All credit to him though, taking 4 minutes of your PB is obviously proof of having done some hard work.

So having allowed my self to be passed I concentrated on discovering my optimum pace and soon found that circa 6:10 miles was about correct. What I learnt about racing halves is that even pacing is not possible. For my next race I'll attempt to emulate the great performances of the people who passed me in the late stages - stay below my lactate threshold for the first 8 miles, then thrash it for the last 5. With 3 miles to go Andrew Grant of Harrogate came haring past and then went on to come 41st in 1:19:48. He ran my race - but hey ho - I learned a lesson that I'll take on with me to the Liversedge Half on 15th February. For my last mile all I had left in reserve was guts, which I spilled in holding on to my position.

They say you get the time you deserve, and I'm satisfied that whilst I could have been a minute faster, on the day I ran to the best of my ability. As Bourne Again (who had a cracking run) said to me after the race "look at it this way, at least you've left yourself with room to improve". A fine point well made. It will doubtless be a depressing day when I have to admit that I've run a time that I'll never surpass. Until then - PUSH ON.

Given that Heel Snapper was 5th female and only just over 2 minutes behind me in setting a new ladies club record, I better push a bit harder otherwise she could be quite literally on my heels... GO GIRL!

Michael Clarke RIP 1920 - 2009.

2009-01-11T19:14:00.008Z

My Grandfather died in his sleep at 6am today. He was the last of my grandparents to leave this life, but he would have been 89 at the end of this month so there was no surprise involved.

Amongst his greatest feats of endurance was surviving as a Japanese POW and 69 years of marriage to my Nan, many of which were doubtless spent wishing that he was back in Burma. I'd rather run a marathon barefoot on hot coals (then turn round and do it again) than contemplate his suffering.

My last memory of him was when I visited last Sunday after my long run. Our opening gambit was "you know that smoking will kill you one day". "Aye but not before time son" he later replied. I always believed that he was like Keith Richards - indestructible. Alas. Bye old boy, and thanks for all the sarcasm.

Today was my first day off since 20th December and felt well deserved after covering over 175 miles in the past 3 weeks. Rest is something that many books on the subject of marathon training tend to crow on about. Admittedly for many of us getting off the sofa can be the initial obstacle, but for the marathon obsessed, (and on this you'll just have to take my word for it), resting can feel like the delirium tremens.

Thankfully I read a link from Minken's blog last night that stated

'optimal stress + optimal recovery = optimal progress.'

When I arrived home to walk the dog I just thought how tired my pins felt and how a good pint and Sunday newspaper in my local would be better than loading 4 miles onto legs that still have almost 3 months of training remaining - and you know what? That was a lovely pint of beer and I didn't miss a thing other than the potential for injury. If I'm going to make optimal progress then I'll have to listen to my body and obey it, otherwise the effort will be wasted.

So Granddad, we both took a very well earned break today,

Love Simon x

A pleasing long steady run.

2009-01-10T19:28:00.005Z

Thanks must go to my folks who generously gave up their Saturday morning to be entertained by their grand daughter while I got the miles under my belt.

Boy am I feeling confident about the Paris Marathon if this is how my training is going so early on in the campaign. The green band is my aerobic zone and I felt really comfortable trotting along at a 7:00-7:15 m/m pace keeping the average heart rate at 145 bpm. My average pace is affected by the warm up and cool down phases.

As the graph demonstrates, this run incorporated few stops other than the obligatory 'dog pauses' at the start and two road halts in the last 15 minutes. At the turnaround point we stopped for water and jelly babies and it has to be said that Viz has been a brilliant sherpa since he resigned himself to the role. He has finally become a greater help than hindrance on these runs.

The ligaments at the top of my right foot are a little sore and so I've iced and elevated it. Let's see what tomorrow holds. Overtraining is an obvious concern, but as luck would have it next week is a 'step back week' where I drop my milage for a half marathon (The Brass Monkey) on Sunday. A PB beckons?

So, how have everybody else's weekend long runs gone?

Minken - I was most probably just tired. What's more, none of us are robots and we must make allowances for variations. As I set off today I found myself almost walking down a steep hill with a heart rate exceeding 170bpm, then I checked my breath and realised that it was quite rapid. This reminded my of something Heel Snappper used to say when we set off on our long runs. She would often report that it took her 15 minutes to catch her breath and I would agree. Warm ups are plainly vital.

Pace 9.2mph

2009-01-08T20:52:00.006Z

Tonight I ran far too hard, and without a proper warm up. The conditions were freezing and so I just pushed it from the moment I stepped off the drive. Darling was waiting for me with an open oven door when I arrived home. Unfortunately I needed her to aid my recovery with warm clothes and drinks as my blood pressure went ballistic - my face was freezing whilst the top of my head was blowing off steam like a cooling tower. Odd. Still feel a bit light headed after a meal and bath.

Minken - as you can see my heart simply goes off the scale when I don't warm up properly, but notice the deleterious effect that this had on my output. The heart rate was predominantly in the upper part of the Tempo zone yet I felt as though I couldn't push my perceived rate of exertion any further. This is plainly ridiculous on two accounts. First, I wasn't running anyway near my lactate threshold, and secondly, my average pace was 20 seconds per mile below my half marathon pace. In other words, I should have been able to push myself harder. Perhaps I simply 'ran out of heart rate' as you suggest. I'm new to heart rate monitor training but hope to get a proper handle of it soon.

If you click on the image you should be able to read the pace. Do you live somewhere relatively flat? I struggle to run any kind of distance that doesn't involve a steep gradient somewhere, which presents a challenge when HRM training. Then that's West Yorkshire for you!

Squid - It sounds as though you're using the best software available for a PC. If you look at the links to the right you'll find one called Chris' Blog. He uses the same software as yourself and I'm impressed by his results.

Bain Cinq - thank you for your kind words. I hope that you're training is going according to plan.

Laura - Well done on figuring out the most important lesson that I learnt during my first marathon - don't race it! Just have the goal of going from the start to finish line non-stop at whatever pace you choose and then you'll have succeeded. Once you've done your first and you know what you're capable of then you have something to aim for, if you're daft enough to do it again! As for nutritional advice - I use a product by Allsports called Amino Load and find that it really aides recovery from racing and long runs. Other than that I would always recommend buying food that it whole, raw, unrefined, unprocessed and as fresh as possible, that way you're obtaining from it the maximum possible nutritional value. So wholemeal bread and (fresh) pasta, brown rice etc. Try http://www.allsports-online.co.uk/allsports.cgi

Aerobic conditioning run

2009-01-04T13:47:00.006Z

The green band on this graph is my 'Aerobic Zone' or 'Zone 2', which is 143 - 153 bpm. As you can see I spent over 2 hours running at this rate of exertion. The advantage of training in this way is that it apparently persuades certain fast twitching muscles to act like slow twitching (endurance) muscles. In other words, it builds endurance.

My marathon race pace is a the lower end of Zone 4 - hence the 8 mile 'Pace' training run on Thursday. In combination these runs are designed to help me hold my marathon pace for the full 26 miles 385 yards.

63.12 miles this week. Feeling fine. Next week I'll return to the resistance training and core conditioning.

Minken - my rate of exertion during these 'blips' is the same as the remainder of the run. What's more, this sudden elevation occurs with every run, hence it's unlikely to be a problem with an ill fitting monitor. My studies in heart rate monitor training suggest that the problem rests with me failing to warm up properly and I'm going along with that theory. That's why today I ran in my aerobic zone (with an alarm on) and slowed down when I overshot the max heart rate of 153 bpm. By using my alarm to warm up you can see how I gained a handle of the problem. It seems that I should also be warming down, which is why I dropped off the pace for my final mile. Do you train with a monitor? Would you suggest any tips?

Jen - I maintain that the only way to improve is to remain consistent in your training. That's my aim in this campaign, and I honestly believe that if I can keep up my present level of training without interruption then taking 10 minutes off my PB is quite realistic.

Sub-lactate threshold run

2009-01-02T20:32:00.003Z

Last night I popped out for some proper training without the hound. What a blessed relief to do some real running. As the graph demonstrates, there were no 'dog stops'. Leaving the house without nappy sacks stuffed down my shorts is a novelty, and one that I could get quite accustomed to repeating.

My sub-lactate threshold is the pace that I should be able to hold for between 1-3 hours and is the heart rate in the lighter shade of pink. The darker pink colour is my lactate theshold - a pace that I can hold for around 1 hour, hence I ran in that zone for the Chevin Chase. The purpose of last night's training was to improve my pace endurance so that ultimately I'll find it easier to run at that speed for the full 26m 385 yards in Paris. 8.6 miles isn't a bad start for January.

Does anyone know why my heart rate goes off the scale at the start of these exertions? Lack of a proper warm up perhaps?

Happy new year! May all your running dreams come true.

Christmas week

2008-12-28T15:22:00.003Z

Today's long steady run

For Christmas week I've done rather well to shoehorn in 55 miles. Today's LSR was a bit of a push as I'm weakened by Friday's event. I'll be doing my best to work on my intensity next week.

Santa delivered a handy text on heart rate training which I'm in the process of studying. Fortuitously the Chevin Chase would seem to have provided an ideal opportunity to determine my lactate threshold (LT) which I say is at 170 bpm. This apparently determines my heart rate zones, and should effect how I train. To be continued...

The Chevin Chase 2008 - Click here for results

2008-12-27T11:15:00.010Z

A picture can say 10,000 strides

Airecentre Pacers is an anomalous club. They are far more a social cum fitness outfit than a congregation of serious athletes, and yet they really do know how to host a cracking good race. The 2008 Chevin Chase was no exception. So, once again, may I say thank you and congratulations on yet another successful event.

The course is something that I've written about extensively on these pages, and as anyone who has participated knows, this is Satan's Own Run. That said, I also think that it is quite possibly the most perfect trail race ever conceived. The quality t-shirt designed by Will Morris is also a handsome reward.

My run went well. Before the start I told Dr Who that I wanted to finish it in 45 minutes, and that my stars were correctly aligned. I felt fit, supple, strong and well fueled. As if to crown the event, we were also blessed with divine weather. The standard of competition was impressive, with the race being won by our nation's best triathlete, Alistair Brownlee. My result was 45:02 in 28th position.

Without wishing to give a stride by stride account, what made this event entertaining was the amount of jockeying for position that took place. Huntsman had a game of fox and hounds with me, but I got the advantage as we came out of Danewood, although he had had to stop for a shoe lace. He has been consistently strong since a good Round Hill fell race in July, and so I was naturally pleased to hold an advantage over him.

Catch me if you can Santa!

As we climbed to Surprise View I started to hear supporters cheer "come on Santa" and suddenly my mind was flooded with images of Richard Attenborough charging past me with a "yo ho ho" and mince pie crumbs in his port stained beard. Funny how we can find inspiration in the strangest places. Needless to say, the first man in costume remained firmly behind me for the rest of the race as I motored on down to the finish. On the final straight I was part of a pack of 5 jostling runners and regret to say that they all finished seconds ahead. Yet frankly I feel no shame at being pipped at the post because I gave it everything, and so there was no doubt in my mind that the better athletes on the day prevailed.

What was enlightening was the phenomena of 'maxing out' as I have termed it. Quite literally my heart and lungs were at absolute 100% capacity for a few moments in the race when I had to back off a little. They were the occasions when I was caught up. Once relaxed I made further surges only to be met by counter attacks. You see I think the joy of this event is that it's like a horse race. Whereas with a road race you try to maintain an even high pace, trails are far more about running to your relative strengths, thereby making the contest more dramatic and enthralling.

Zeus wisely failed to attend. He was deceiving himself if he thought that he could do a 10K race 2 days later. I went out for an easy 6 this morning and my legs are definitely tender.

Anyway, Viz and I saw a bevy of 3 young deer today. Marvelous!