Autumn Review

14th September 2008 - Tynedale Jelly Tea (10 mile) - 1:03:52
5th October 2008 - Great North Run - 1:25:25
Marathon prep


Tynedale Jelly Tea (10 mile) - 1:03:52
I approached this event as a preparation race for the Great North Run but it turned out to be perhaps my best performance of the year. I'd never run a 10 mile race before but my unofficial PB was set at the 10 mile point of the Redcar Half in 2007 at about 64:40. I'd heard the Tynedale course was undulating with a couple of nasty hills at 4 and 9 miles and really just hoped to maintain a steady 6:30 pace and come in under 65 minutes.

I started comfortably in the first mile and gradually moved past a couple of familiar faces whom I knew I should be ahead of. The first mile was a little uphill and I was quite surprised to see a mile split of 6:19. The next couple of miles were very pleasant rolling through the country lanes of outer Hexham and into Corbridge. I'd attached myself to a group of similar paced runners and everything felt pretty good with splits of 6.30 and 6.17.

Going into Corbridge was not so pleasant due to the non-closed roads. Then after negotiating the traffic and the windy roads we hit the aforementioned hill just before and past the 4 mile marker. It was a long drawn out climb and the next two mile splits suffered as a result - 6:48 & 6:42. Although I'd slowed a little I felt strong and the group I was running with had shrunk from around 5 to just myself and another runner.

The next few miles were quite possibly the best I'd ever experienced in any of my races. They were undulating but certainly more downhill than up and the Tynedale scenery was quite idyllic. I managed to up the pace and leave behind those I was running with, spotting a fellow North Shields Poly runner in the distance. I caught up to him, ran alongside for a mile or two and then pushed on again. Mile splits for 6, 7 and 8 were 6:14, 6:10, 6:16.

As I entered mile 9 I slowed a little. Perhaps feeling the pace, or maybe subconsciously saving energy for the steep hill I'd been warned about. When it arrived the hill was markedly steep, yet mercifully short. I drove up it and was surprised when I conquered it in such a short space of time. The mile 9 split was 6:48 but from there on in it was all downhill and I still had enough in my legs to chase down a runner or two ahead. I gave it everything down towards the finish line at Ovingham Middle school and surprised myself with a last mile of 5:48 for a better than expected finishing time of 63:52.

Delighted with my performance I could look forward in anticipation to the Great North Run. However, the highlight of my day was seeing my two kids at the finish, then watching as they raced each other across the tennis courts. Needless to say they guzzled down the free jelly in the canteen too!

Mile splits - 6.19 6.30 6.17 6.48 6.42 6.14 6.10 6.16 6.48 5.43


Great North Run - 1:25:25
Buoyed by my performance in Tynedale I approached the GNR fully focused on cracking 1:25. My race day preparation went well and I got to start zone B sufficiently early to camp down near the front of the zone. After a few strides in the sparsely populated zone, I stretched a little and then settled down for the long wait until gun time. Shortly before 10:40am we all shuffled forward and to my surprise no more than five yards in front of me I could see the elite athletes being introduced to the crowd. And so began a few minutes of celebrity spotting. Tony Blair stood up on the starters podium with Olympic gold-medalists Chris Hoy, Rebecca Addlington and Ellie Simmonds. The start gun went and I was over the line in seconds. What's more after a few hundred yards I glanced to my left and there on the other side of the carriageway was Nell McAndrew - dressed as Wonder Woman!

After that it was all a little uneventful really. I settled into my pace and managed to post pretty consistent mile splits all things considered. The first three miles were all sub 6:30s, the next two uphill were a little but not much slower and then I picked it up in the downhill stretch again between 5 and 8 miles. I'd been aware of a North Shields Poly vest somewhere ahead of me (the same vest as in Tynedale) and I caught him just before the first late hill at 9 miles. It was lucky I did because now it was beginning to hurt and I needed all the help I could get.

I went through 10 miles in 64:52. A PB was most definitely on but the sub 1:25 was looking doubtful with these two long inclines taking their toll. Mile 11 was predictably my slowest but eventually we reached the top of the hill and there in all its glory was the North Sea. Down the steep incline and past the 12 mile marker and my mile split showed a 6:38 twelfth mile. Not even bothering to work out what I needed to do in the last mile I just gave it everything.

The last mile should be glorious. Screaming crowds on both sides and a nice coastline route but boy did it hurt. The persistent 'x00' metres to go markers just add to the pain, and not forgetting Bananaman literally flying past me in his full blue and yellow regalia. I tried to tell myself just 800 metres left, just 600, just 400 but it didn't seem to inspire me. Then I hit the 200 metres to go marker and suddenly it was like I had Usain Bolt's legs. Every last drop of energy flowed out of me and I sped past runners at will stopping the clock at 1:25:25. A new PB by 48 seconds and only denied the sub 1:25 by that damn hill up John Reid Road. I don't know who John Reid was, he may have been a great man but I'll always associate him with pain and suffering - my own!

Still a very satisfying run in which I felt I'd done run the race tactically perfect. I'd given it my all but on this day, on this course I wasn't able to go under 1:25 .... but I will, next year.

Mile splits - 6.24 6.23 6.20 6.33 6.39 6.22 6.28 6.35 6.38 6.30 6.47 6.38 6.22


Marathon preparation
Two days before the Great North Run I received notification that I'd been accepted into the London Marathon for 2009. It will be my fifth attempt at the distance and once again my chief target is to (finally) go under 3:15.

I took a week off after the GNR and then tried to build my endurance, gradually increasing the weekly long run up to 20 miles before Christmas. At least that was the plan. By the first weekend in November I was up to 15.6 miles. The following Sunday it all went wrong. I completed a 16.8 miler but the last 3 miles were in real pain as my back and hip seized up. I stopped several times and even had to walk for a while. Since then its been a bit stop start on the endurance front. I've been to the doctor about my back and will hopefully see a physio in the new year. Also a bad cough and cold plagued me during December.

Things are improving and I'm managing the back problem whilst getting back into a schedule. I managed a pain free 13.2 miles on the Sunday after Christmas and hopefully things will continue to improve over the next few months. I know I can't just ignore these problems and am going to have to be a lot more conscientious about stretching and doing core stability exercises. The road to London starts now.