18th September 2011
1:29:22
So after a year of injury and then a summer on a stuttering comeback trail I lined up once again on Newcastle's Central Motorway for my 13th Great North Run. Setting a target had been difficult. A PB was obviously way out of the question but I wanted something to motivate me. I toyed with the idea of aiming for sub 1:30 but didn't want to push too hard and end up lame and struggling up the John Reid Road. I settled for 7 minute mile pace and around 1:32. Common sense had prevailed over optimistic ambition. I must be getting old.
After the usual GNR traditions and razzmatazz - mass aerobics warm up, red arrow flyover and celebrity starter - I settled straight into my running and hit the first mile marker in exactly the pace I wanted. Christ, I really must be getting old and sensible with it. Slightly faster for miles 2 & 3 before slowing down up the hill to record a 7:04 for mile 4. I must've nodded off during the next mile, I mean its still uphill but there was no excuse for the 7:14 split. 'Concentrate' I told myself and managed to sort myself out for the fastest section of the course. Miles 6, 7, 8 - 6:40, 6:46, 6:46.
To be honest, at this point I was happy just ticking over. I knew I was inside my target but not really paying attention to what finishing time I might achieve. There was still those damn hills to come and I didn't want to overdo it. Except of course that little voice in the back of my head who will never grow up, never be sensible, always wants to push on. To be fair, he was being reasonably quiet but just nudging me every know and again - "Don't take it easy. 1:29 is very possible today.".
The hills came and went causing me fewer problems than most previous years and I was chasing down and passing several other runners. Miles 9, 10, 11 - 6:54, 6:43, 6:45. By now not only was the voice getting louder, my legs were starting to respond and pick up the pace. I refused to do any serious calculations but I sort of knew a 1:29 was on the cards.
Hills all done with and feeling good I pushed on again. Mile 12 was my fastest so far (6:30) and when I saw the watch say 1h 22m it was finally confirmed - a sub 1:30 was there to be had. The injury pains had already started to rear the heads but to hell with them. Push on, its only a mile and it turned out to be my fastest mile of the day a 6:20. Sprinted the last 192 yards and clocked 1:29:22.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Blyth Links 10k
30th August 2011
39:52 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110757472
The disappointments and just plain lethargy of Morpeth inspired a mini revival in August. I started running further and more fequently in preparation for the Great North Run and turned in a better performance at the Blyth Links 10k.
Not quite sure of myself I opted for a slow start, fast finish approach and went through a very crowded first mile in 6:45. It was slower than my first mile at Morpeth but I felt much better in myself. Picking up the pace I clocked 6:35 for mile 2, before accelerating again to clock 6:25, 6:28 mile splits through the middle section of the race.
With just over two miles to go I felt fine and ready to put in a strong finish. Chasing down runners on the long homeward stretch I logged consecutive 6:14 splits for miles 5 and 6. A sprint finish secured the sub 40 minute time I'd hoped for weeks ago, crossing the line in 39:51. (My official time was 40:00. Where they found those additional nine seconds I don't know!)
39:52 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110757472
The disappointments and just plain lethargy of Morpeth inspired a mini revival in August. I started running further and more fequently in preparation for the Great North Run and turned in a better performance at the Blyth Links 10k.
Not quite sure of myself I opted for a slow start, fast finish approach and went through a very crowded first mile in 6:45. It was slower than my first mile at Morpeth but I felt much better in myself. Picking up the pace I clocked 6:35 for mile 2, before accelerating again to clock 6:25, 6:28 mile splits through the middle section of the race.
With just over two miles to go I felt fine and ready to put in a strong finish. Chasing down runners on the long homeward stretch I logged consecutive 6:14 splits for miles 5 and 6. A sprint finish secured the sub 40 minute time I'd hoped for weeks ago, crossing the line in 39:51. (My official time was 40:00. Where they found those additional nine seconds I don't know!)
Morpeth 10k
2nd August 2011
40:44 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103778607
I hadn't really capitalised on my promising return at Blaydon and it was almost two months before my next race. By the time the Morpeth 10k rolled around I'd lost any of the momentum I may have had. As the race approached I had perhaps the biggest case of "can't-be-arsed" I've ever experienced. A nice summer evening and a pleasant undulating rural course but my get up and go had gone long before starting pistol fired.
My target of a sub-40 min 10k seemed somewhat modest (PB is 38:01) but it never looked likely to happen here. The target was pretty much out of the window after a lacklustre 6:43 first mile. Mile 2 was quicker, but not by much - 6:35 - before I found some inspiration and a nice downhill section to clock a noticeably faster 6:19 for mile 3.
It was a two lap course, so mile 4 was effectively mile 1 all over again and undoubtedly the most difficult section of the course. The slow mile 1 split was compared to an even slower 6:54 for the 4th mile followed by an equally unimpressive 6:39 for the penultimate mile.
As with any serious case of "can't be arsed" it tends to disappear when it's all too late. With any hopes of a sub-40 already out of the window mile 6 proved to be the quickest of the race at 6:15 before heading into the finishing straight to clock a languid 40:44 finish time.
Disappointing.
40:44 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103778607
I hadn't really capitalised on my promising return at Blaydon and it was almost two months before my next race. By the time the Morpeth 10k rolled around I'd lost any of the momentum I may have had. As the race approached I had perhaps the biggest case of "can't-be-arsed" I've ever experienced. A nice summer evening and a pleasant undulating rural course but my get up and go had gone long before starting pistol fired.
My target of a sub-40 min 10k seemed somewhat modest (PB is 38:01) but it never looked likely to happen here. The target was pretty much out of the window after a lacklustre 6:43 first mile. Mile 2 was quicker, but not by much - 6:35 - before I found some inspiration and a nice downhill section to clock a noticeably faster 6:19 for mile 3.
It was a two lap course, so mile 4 was effectively mile 1 all over again and undoubtedly the most difficult section of the course. The slow mile 1 split was compared to an even slower 6:54 for the 4th mile followed by an equally unimpressive 6:39 for the penultimate mile.
As with any serious case of "can't be arsed" it tends to disappear when it's all too late. With any hopes of a sub-40 already out of the window mile 6 proved to be the quickest of the race at 6:15 before heading into the finishing straight to clock a languid 40:44 finish time.
Disappointing.
Blaydon Race
9th June 2011
38:02 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91341340
And so after a year physios and chiropractors, massage and stretching, resting and just plain laziness, it was time to return to the racing arena. Still not cured but having accepted the dodgy back and hamstrings were here to stay I decided to make a comeback. Where else could I return but at a staple of the north-east racing schedule, the Blaydon Race, where no matter how bad you perform there's always a bottle of beer in the goody bag to look forward to.
A full-blooded effort would've been suicidal so I set off at a comfortable 6:30 per mile pace and tried not to run into any bollards during the always manic start away up Collingwood Street and alang the bottom of Westgate Road. Soon after the Garmin beeped and reported a 5:54 mile. I looked at it quizzically and assumed some sort of error. I didn't feel like I was running that sort of pace and if I was this running lark was a lot easier than I remembered. (Garmin error for mile 1 later confirmed)
Continuing on with the same perceived effort now along the famous Scotswood Road mile 2 was a more expected 6:33. I increased the pace ever so slightly. Mile 3 flashed up as a 6:24 and as I headed over the River Tyne was feeling confident. Mile 4 included an out and back section along the river path and clocked at 6:27.
Time for a health check. Feeling comfortable? Yes. Any injuries? Only slight hamstring pain. Ready to push on for the last 2 miles? Why not. So I increased the effort and turned in a 6:19 for mile 5. The hamstring pain increased but not out of the ordinary. The last section includes a steady incline up the carriageway into Blaydon. Still in reasonable fettle I surged up it and was passing people with ease. The Garmin reported mile 6 (of a 5.9 mile race!) to be a 6:12 and I crossed the line in 38:02.
Not a bad comeback race. Within two minutes of my best set in 2009 and not suffering too badly afterwards. Hope for the future?
38:02 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91341340
And so after a year physios and chiropractors, massage and stretching, resting and just plain laziness, it was time to return to the racing arena. Still not cured but having accepted the dodgy back and hamstrings were here to stay I decided to make a comeback. Where else could I return but at a staple of the north-east racing schedule, the Blaydon Race, where no matter how bad you perform there's always a bottle of beer in the goody bag to look forward to.
A full-blooded effort would've been suicidal so I set off at a comfortable 6:30 per mile pace and tried not to run into any bollards during the always manic start away up Collingwood Street and alang the bottom of Westgate Road. Soon after the Garmin beeped and reported a 5:54 mile. I looked at it quizzically and assumed some sort of error. I didn't feel like I was running that sort of pace and if I was this running lark was a lot easier than I remembered. (Garmin error for mile 1 later confirmed)
Continuing on with the same perceived effort now along the famous Scotswood Road mile 2 was a more expected 6:33. I increased the pace ever so slightly. Mile 3 flashed up as a 6:24 and as I headed over the River Tyne was feeling confident. Mile 4 included an out and back section along the river path and clocked at 6:27.
Time for a health check. Feeling comfortable? Yes. Any injuries? Only slight hamstring pain. Ready to push on for the last 2 miles? Why not. So I increased the effort and turned in a 6:19 for mile 5. The hamstring pain increased but not out of the ordinary. The last section includes a steady incline up the carriageway into Blaydon. Still in reasonable fettle I surged up it and was passing people with ease. The Garmin reported mile 6 (of a 5.9 mile race!) to be a 6:12 and I crossed the line in 38:02.
Not a bad comeback race. Within two minutes of my best set in 2009 and not suffering too badly afterwards. Hope for the future?
Edinburgh Marathon
23rd May 2010
3:22:46 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34538102
Living in Britain as I do, the weather can be something of a problem. Wind, rain, hail, sleet, fog, mist but not so much blistering sunshine. Unless of course I happen to be running a marathon. Edinburgh 2010 made it three of my last four marathons to be run in sweltering heat.
I travelled up the day before the race with two lads from the club. We strolled up Edinburgh's Royal Mile bathed in sunshine and looked enviously at tourists supping beer outside the pubs and cafes. Worst of all more glorious weather was forecast for the following day. Or was it? I awoke the next day to the beautiful slight of cloud and drizzle. Had breakfast, cloud and drizzle. Walked to the start, cloud and drizzle. Waited in the start pen, cloud. Started the race, ran for a half a mile and wouldn't you just know it? The cloud has gone and there's the sun blazing down on us!
Never mind, my marathon best of 3:15:18 was set in warm sunshine so let's not worry about it. However, I did have another worry in the back of my mind. Namely the persistent lower back and hamstring pain that had dogged me during my training. It invariably flared up during the latter stages of all my long training runs and it was more in hope than expectation I believed it would stand up to the test of the full marathon distance.
Nevertheless, the early stages of the race were comfortable and at a decent pace. The first 5 miles covered in 36:22 and the next 5 in 36:48. 10 miles down in just over 1h 13m and on course for a 3h 12m finish. The heat was relentless but I was dealing with it and hit the halfway mark in 1:36:11. The next few miles were probably the most enjoyable of the race. My hamstring was beginning to ache a little but I'd been running at a comfortable pace and was passing a lot of other runners who were beginning to wilt. Around mile 15 I latched on to a runner markedly younger than me and we paced each other for a few miles comfortably churning out mile splits in the 7:20s.
Just as I was beginning to think I could ride this pace all the way to the finish and a new PB my injuries come to the fore. Mile 19 is a 7:35 and I lose my pacemaker in the next mile with a 7:53 followed by an 8:05 split. The wheels hadn't so much come off but one of the engines had seized up. That engine being my troublesome left hamstring.
With 5 miles left I had to take decisive action to make sure I finished the race. Not wanting to stop and stretch, I chose to introduce walking breaks to ease the load on my injured leg. At first these were after each mile marker but then became every half mile. For the last 5 miles my splits get perilously close to 9 minutes and mile 25 is cruel enough to go over (9:09). The sun is relentless and my dodgy hamstring gets tighter and tighter but I make it to the finish at Musselburgh Racecourse. The sprint down the final furlong is not so much of a champion thoroughbred but more of a lame old nag.
My finishing time is 3:22:46. Not what I'd hoped for but respectable given the circumstances. Quite clearly I have injury problems that need to be addressed ..... but not before heading to the finish area and partaking in an activity more suitable for the weather conditions. Another couple of marathons need to be finished before I head back home. Pints of Marathon Ale that is. Never has a drink been more refreshing.
3:22:46 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34538102
Living in Britain as I do, the weather can be something of a problem. Wind, rain, hail, sleet, fog, mist but not so much blistering sunshine. Unless of course I happen to be running a marathon. Edinburgh 2010 made it three of my last four marathons to be run in sweltering heat.
I travelled up the day before the race with two lads from the club. We strolled up Edinburgh's Royal Mile bathed in sunshine and looked enviously at tourists supping beer outside the pubs and cafes. Worst of all more glorious weather was forecast for the following day. Or was it? I awoke the next day to the beautiful slight of cloud and drizzle. Had breakfast, cloud and drizzle. Walked to the start, cloud and drizzle. Waited in the start pen, cloud. Started the race, ran for a half a mile and wouldn't you just know it? The cloud has gone and there's the sun blazing down on us!
Never mind, my marathon best of 3:15:18 was set in warm sunshine so let's not worry about it. However, I did have another worry in the back of my mind. Namely the persistent lower back and hamstring pain that had dogged me during my training. It invariably flared up during the latter stages of all my long training runs and it was more in hope than expectation I believed it would stand up to the test of the full marathon distance.
Nevertheless, the early stages of the race were comfortable and at a decent pace. The first 5 miles covered in 36:22 and the next 5 in 36:48. 10 miles down in just over 1h 13m and on course for a 3h 12m finish. The heat was relentless but I was dealing with it and hit the halfway mark in 1:36:11. The next few miles were probably the most enjoyable of the race. My hamstring was beginning to ache a little but I'd been running at a comfortable pace and was passing a lot of other runners who were beginning to wilt. Around mile 15 I latched on to a runner markedly younger than me and we paced each other for a few miles comfortably churning out mile splits in the 7:20s.
Just as I was beginning to think I could ride this pace all the way to the finish and a new PB my injuries come to the fore. Mile 19 is a 7:35 and I lose my pacemaker in the next mile with a 7:53 followed by an 8:05 split. The wheels hadn't so much come off but one of the engines had seized up. That engine being my troublesome left hamstring.
With 5 miles left I had to take decisive action to make sure I finished the race. Not wanting to stop and stretch, I chose to introduce walking breaks to ease the load on my injured leg. At first these were after each mile marker but then became every half mile. For the last 5 miles my splits get perilously close to 9 minutes and mile 25 is cruel enough to go over (9:09). The sun is relentless and my dodgy hamstring gets tighter and tighter but I make it to the finish at Musselburgh Racecourse. The sprint down the final furlong is not so much of a champion thoroughbred but more of a lame old nag.
My finishing time is 3:22:46. Not what I'd hoped for but respectable given the circumstances. Quite clearly I have injury problems that need to be addressed ..... but not before heading to the finish area and partaking in an activity more suitable for the weather conditions. Another couple of marathons need to be finished before I head back home. Pints of Marathon Ale that is. Never has a drink been more refreshing.
North Tyneside 10k 2010
39:25
Apparently I ran the NT 10k in April 2010 as part of my build up to the Edinburgh Marathon. I don't remember too much about it to be honest. The time is respectable but nowt special.
Must do this race again in 2012.
Apparently I ran the NT 10k in April 2010 as part of my build up to the Edinburgh Marathon. I don't remember too much about it to be honest. The time is respectable but nowt special.
Must do this race again in 2012.
Great Cumbrian Run 2009
25th October 2009
1:29:18 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17735832
After missing out on a half-marathon PB at the GNR I thought "why not have another go?" and this seemed like the most convenient opportunity to do so. Unfortunatley a record breaking run was never on the cards. Physically I didn't seem to have it in me and the wet, blustery conditions and undulating course didn't help either.
I spent the hour before the race trying to shelter from the elements inside the start location of Carlisle Castle. Hardly ideal preparation but once the race began I was quickly into my stride and hit the first mile roughly on target in 6:31. I'm trying to stick to my planned pace but it's not proving easy. The next three mile splits are 6:42, 6:29, 6:49 and I'm already beginning to forget about any aspirations of a new half-marathon PB. By now the course has turned off into some pleasant countryside but with rather too many hills for comfort.
I revise my targets for the day. Sub 1:30 is a must and while we're at it lets keep every mile split under 7 minutes....which I manage to do so until mile 9 when a big fat 7:02 stares me in the face. Motivation is hard to find at this point. The weather outlook remains bleak and the course takes a turn for the worse as we head out of the countryside and back into Carlisle.
At somewhere beyond 11 miles a stocky bloke in a purple and blue vest runs past me and then halfway up a hill he stops and walks. Its the same runner who'd overtaken me at mile 1 before stopping by the side of the road. I also remember running behind him at the Great North Run at the 3 mile marker before passing him ... because he'd stopped and started to walk. Anyway, back to Carlisle and surprisingly five minutes later Mr Stop-Start passes me again and he's going away for me. I've got to admire his determination but his race strategy perhaps needs a bit of a rethink.
By this point I'm in something of a comfort zone. Sub 1:30 is my only remaining target and it's well within reach. I pick the pace up a bit for the final mile but it proves to be only a 7:05. The crowd of spectators grows and I try to look comfortable as I complete the a final lap around the track. A solid run but something of a let down.
1:29:18 - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17735832
After missing out on a half-marathon PB at the GNR I thought "why not have another go?" and this seemed like the most convenient opportunity to do so. Unfortunatley a record breaking run was never on the cards. Physically I didn't seem to have it in me and the wet, blustery conditions and undulating course didn't help either.
I spent the hour before the race trying to shelter from the elements inside the start location of Carlisle Castle. Hardly ideal preparation but once the race began I was quickly into my stride and hit the first mile roughly on target in 6:31. I'm trying to stick to my planned pace but it's not proving easy. The next three mile splits are 6:42, 6:29, 6:49 and I'm already beginning to forget about any aspirations of a new half-marathon PB. By now the course has turned off into some pleasant countryside but with rather too many hills for comfort.
I revise my targets for the day. Sub 1:30 is a must and while we're at it lets keep every mile split under 7 minutes....which I manage to do so until mile 9 when a big fat 7:02 stares me in the face. Motivation is hard to find at this point. The weather outlook remains bleak and the course takes a turn for the worse as we head out of the countryside and back into Carlisle.
At somewhere beyond 11 miles a stocky bloke in a purple and blue vest runs past me and then halfway up a hill he stops and walks. Its the same runner who'd overtaken me at mile 1 before stopping by the side of the road. I also remember running behind him at the Great North Run at the 3 mile marker before passing him ... because he'd stopped and started to walk. Anyway, back to Carlisle and surprisingly five minutes later Mr Stop-Start passes me again and he's going away for me. I've got to admire his determination but his race strategy perhaps needs a bit of a rethink.
By this point I'm in something of a comfort zone. Sub 1:30 is my only remaining target and it's well within reach. I pick the pace up a bit for the final mile but it proves to be only a 7:05. The crowd of spectators grows and I try to look comfortable as I complete the a final lap around the track. A solid run but something of a let down.
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