Just a brief report this time...
This was a small race in Gloucestershire, organised by the local methodist church to raise funds. There were only 60 or 70 runners, so the fact that I finished 7th wasn't as impressive as it sounds!
I lined up close to the start line and kept the leaders in sight for a short while, although when my watch chirped 6:03 for the first mile I did ease off a little. That's about 5km pace for me! A bridge over the M5 marked the end of any busy roads and the start of winding, picturesque country lanes. Great scenery and barely a breath of wind. I was enjoying myself by now.
Mile 2 took 6:20, which I felt was too slow. So from then I tried to maintain a slightly quicker pace. I was just off a pack of runners chasing the lead for the entire race. Nobody overtook me, nor did I overtake anyone. My remaining 3 splits were pretty even and I managed a time of 31:05, knocking a huge 55 seconds off my previous PB, set in May. All in all I was thrilled. A thoroughly enjoyable race!
See my Garmin data here and the official results here.
Distance: 5.00 miles
Avg pace: 6m 13s / mile
Avg HR: No HRM
Conditions: Cold and clear
Monday, 19 December 2011
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Keeping it short and sweet
I wanted to post separately about this. See, while it's true I have been slacking off in some departments, I've been pulling my socks up in others, especially speed work. I've been consistently joining Cardiff Triathletes for their Monday evening run, which typically entails fast intervals or hill sprints, and hammering out the odd lung-bursting tempo run.
And it seems to be paying off: on 3 December I knocked 12 seconds off my 5km PB, posting a time of 18:47 at Cardiff Parkrun. And at last night's regular Monday evening session I had sprung on me a 2-mile time trial, but surprised myself with a time of 11:22. That's the first time I've ever been timed over that distance (other than as part of a duathlon), so whatever time I ran was always going to be a PB. But it felt good to be the first runner home and to average a blistering pace of 5:41/mile.
So now I just need to keep up that speed work as well as the long runs, cycling and swimming. Easy! Next major test, though, is a small 5-mile race on Saturday, and I have my current PB of 32:00 in my sights. Let's end this calendar year on a high!
And it seems to be paying off: on 3 December I knocked 12 seconds off my 5km PB, posting a time of 18:47 at Cardiff Parkrun. And at last night's regular Monday evening session I had sprung on me a 2-mile time trial, but surprised myself with a time of 11:22. That's the first time I've ever been timed over that distance (other than as part of a duathlon), so whatever time I ran was always going to be a PB. But it felt good to be the first runner home and to average a blistering pace of 5:41/mile.
So now I just need to keep up that speed work as well as the long runs, cycling and swimming. Easy! Next major test, though, is a small 5-mile race on Saturday, and I have my current PB of 32:00 in my sights. Let's end this calendar year on a high!
Note to self: get back on it!
Over the past few weeks my long runs have been a bit sporadic: I've surpassed 10 miles only three times in 16 days. My cycling has also fallen by the wayside: nothing for the past week-and-a-half and only a handful of spin classes before that. Even swimming is down to one weekly session. I could lay the blame on a whole bunch of things -- not least my work schedule -- but excuses are for losers. I think what I need is some kind of forfeit system for every time I have that 'let's give tonight a miss' feeling. No biscuits for 24 hours, perhaps?
Monday, 21 November 2011
DB Max 'Chilly' Duathlon, Castle Combe
This was my first ever duathlon. Running I can do, but as I waited eagerly on the starting line I had an attack of bike-related nerves and jitters: would I be penalised for unwittingly drafting, would I cycle one too many laps, what gear had I left the bike in again? Argh! However, ultimately my concerns were ill founded and the race panned out as smoothly as I could have hoped for.
From the off I was immediately whipped up in the mass hysteria, zipping off at 6:00/mile pace and failing to heed my friend's pragmatic words of 'bugger this'. The race format was 2-mile run, 10-mile bike, 2-mile run and my strategy was to hit the first leg of the run at about 5km pace (mainly to make up for the last leg, which I knew would be considerably slower!). I made good ground and overtook quite a few folk.
Transition 1 went pretty well. Shoes changed, helmet on and away. On the bike I looked to average about 20mph, which I thought would stand me in pretty good stead. But not long after I hit the circuit, the more accomplished cyclists were already passing me. I figured I had ended the first leg pretty high up the field, so didn't take it to heart. This was, after all, my first ever competitive bike ride!
The best bit about the bike ride was passing the spectators five times, which gave me a continual boost. In fact, I really enjoyed the cycling -- full stop. I played cat-and-mouse with some of the riders around me and really got into the swing of it, before giving it a bit of welly for the final half a mile and filtering into the dismount area for transition 2.
Having done a few brick runs in training, I had some idea of what lay ahead of me. So while T2 again went pretty smoothly, I didn't run so much as hobble off for the final two miles. It was like wading through treacle, or trudging the wrong way up an escalator. I felt like I was running 10-minute miles but was actually cruising somewhere around 7:00/mile. I was expecting my calves to loosen up but that never really happened. My breath was short and sharp, too. Thank Christ it was only two miles, I thought!
I found a spurt for the final few hundred yards, pulling away from a couple of fellow runners and overtaking another. By the time I reached the finish line I was wearing my trademark grimace, but I was more than pleased with my overall effort. So, did I make it under the hour mark?
Results
Run 1: 12:09
T1: 01:10
Bike: 28:13
T2: 01:16
Run 2: 13:38
Total: 56:29 (putting me 80th of 251 finishers)
See official results here.
Just to get even more stat-tastic, here are my bike splits:
5:29; 5:33; 5:32; 5:37; 5:37
From the off I was immediately whipped up in the mass hysteria, zipping off at 6:00/mile pace and failing to heed my friend's pragmatic words of 'bugger this'. The race format was 2-mile run, 10-mile bike, 2-mile run and my strategy was to hit the first leg of the run at about 5km pace (mainly to make up for the last leg, which I knew would be considerably slower!). I made good ground and overtook quite a few folk.
In the fray: can you spot me? ;-)
Transition 1 went pretty well. Shoes changed, helmet on and away. On the bike I looked to average about 20mph, which I thought would stand me in pretty good stead. But not long after I hit the circuit, the more accomplished cyclists were already passing me. I figured I had ended the first leg pretty high up the field, so didn't take it to heart. This was, after all, my first ever competitive bike ride!
The best bit about the bike ride was passing the spectators five times, which gave me a continual boost. In fact, I really enjoyed the cycling -- full stop. I played cat-and-mouse with some of the riders around me and really got into the swing of it, before giving it a bit of welly for the final half a mile and filtering into the dismount area for transition 2.
Prising off my cycling shoes for something a little more comfortable
Having done a few brick runs in training, I had some idea of what lay ahead of me. So while T2 again went pretty smoothly, I didn't run so much as hobble off for the final two miles. It was like wading through treacle, or trudging the wrong way up an escalator. I felt like I was running 10-minute miles but was actually cruising somewhere around 7:00/mile. I was expecting my calves to loosen up but that never really happened. My breath was short and sharp, too. Thank Christ it was only two miles, I thought!
I found a spurt for the final few hundred yards, pulling away from a couple of fellow runners and overtaking another. By the time I reached the finish line I was wearing my trademark grimace, but I was more than pleased with my overall effort. So, did I make it under the hour mark?
That trademark grimace I was talking about
Results
Run 1: 12:09
T1: 01:10
Bike: 28:13
T2: 01:16
Run 2: 13:38
Total: 56:29 (putting me 80th of 251 finishers)
See official results here.
Just to get even more stat-tastic, here are my bike splits:
5:29; 5:33; 5:32; 5:37; 5:37
Would definitely do this again!
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Cardiff Half Marathon - Race Report
Since the Berlin Marathon I had been taking it relatively easy. That meant I hadn't trained specifically for this race, but I knew I had enough miles in my legs to put in a decent performance. I had only ever run one half marathon before in The Hague (see race report here), where I set my PB of 1:30:43. Naturally, this time I wanted to get under that 1:30 barrier.
It was a perfect day for it: sunny but not too hot (15°C), with a nice, light breeze. It had been a bit fresh when I left the house at 7 a.m. but I was glad I hadn't worn my running tights.
At the start I nestled in at the back of the sub-1:30 wave. Right from the gun people were darting around me from either side, but I couldn't have cared much less: I wanted to run this race for myself. The plan was to cruise at around 7:00/mile and then pick up the pace over the last few miles, so when the first couple of miles passed by in 6:50 and 6:45 respectively, I wondered if I should ease off the gas a bit. But I felt comfortable so I kept on, taking care not to get carried away.
Annie had come out to cheer me on at the 3-mile marker, despite feeling really under the weather with a stinking cold (so her support was doubly appreciated!). Public support was sporadic but nonetheless energetic. There was a nice buzz about the whole race, and it was good to be a part of.
My split times remained remarkably consistent -- 6:50, 6:52, 6:47 -- and I clocked 10km in 42:30 or so. A year ago that would have scared the bejesus out of me, but I knew I had enough left in the tank at that point.
From there we headed onto the dual carriageway. There had been a lot of talk about this new section of the course: generally speaking, people were worried it might be a little drab and also demoralising to see more accomplished runners looping back on the other side. But I really appreciated the view as we passed over the marina and tried to take some inspiration from the elites and faster club runners who were zipping along in the opposite direction.
I was enjoying myself. Don't get me wrong: I wasn't taking it easy. In fact, I remember wondering whether I could sustain the pace I had managed so far. My slowest split was 7:00 following a little undulation during mile 7. But otherwise, my legs just kept on going. I was never going to make my target by a huge margin, but at no point did it feel beyond the realms of possibility.
As we headed over the barrage, I did begin to tire. But by then I was so close that I couldn't let it slip. The crowds were starting to build, and along with it the public support. With 200 yards to go, I picked up the pace, twisted around one bend and then another and powered inexorably towards the finish line. The gun time showed 1:30:00 as I crossed the threshold and my official chip time was 1:29:33, putting me in 374th place out of over 10,000 runners. Can't complain!
So another race and another PB. Long may it continue!
Distance: 13.14 miles
Avg pace: 6m 49s / mile
Avg HR: No HR monitor
Conditions: sunny, 15°C
It was a perfect day for it: sunny but not too hot (15°C), with a nice, light breeze. It had been a bit fresh when I left the house at 7 a.m. but I was glad I hadn't worn my running tights.
At the start I nestled in at the back of the sub-1:30 wave. Right from the gun people were darting around me from either side, but I couldn't have cared much less: I wanted to run this race for myself. The plan was to cruise at around 7:00/mile and then pick up the pace over the last few miles, so when the first couple of miles passed by in 6:50 and 6:45 respectively, I wondered if I should ease off the gas a bit. But I felt comfortable so I kept on, taking care not to get carried away.
Annie had come out to cheer me on at the 3-mile marker, despite feeling really under the weather with a stinking cold (so her support was doubly appreciated!). Public support was sporadic but nonetheless energetic. There was a nice buzz about the whole race, and it was good to be a part of.
My split times remained remarkably consistent -- 6:50, 6:52, 6:47 -- and I clocked 10km in 42:30 or so. A year ago that would have scared the bejesus out of me, but I knew I had enough left in the tank at that point.
From there we headed onto the dual carriageway. There had been a lot of talk about this new section of the course: generally speaking, people were worried it might be a little drab and also demoralising to see more accomplished runners looping back on the other side. But I really appreciated the view as we passed over the marina and tried to take some inspiration from the elites and faster club runners who were zipping along in the opposite direction.
I was enjoying myself. Don't get me wrong: I wasn't taking it easy. In fact, I remember wondering whether I could sustain the pace I had managed so far. My slowest split was 7:00 following a little undulation during mile 7. But otherwise, my legs just kept on going. I was never going to make my target by a huge margin, but at no point did it feel beyond the realms of possibility.
As we headed over the barrage, I did begin to tire. But by then I was so close that I couldn't let it slip. The crowds were starting to build, and along with it the public support. With 200 yards to go, I picked up the pace, twisted around one bend and then another and powered inexorably towards the finish line. The gun time showed 1:30:00 as I crossed the threshold and my official chip time was 1:29:33, putting me in 374th place out of over 10,000 runners. Can't complain!
So another race and another PB. Long may it continue!
Distance: 13.14 miles
Avg pace: 6m 49s / mile
Avg HR: No HR monitor
Conditions: sunny, 15°C
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
From brick runs to swimming like a brick...
Tonight I wandered over to Fairwater Leisure Centre to join Cardiff Triathletes for a swim session. Well, I say a swim session. I mostly just floundered around in the inside lane, annoying all the actual swimmers.
I don't remember ever being taught front crawl properly as a kid, so naturally I'm pretty crap at it. I don't know how to swim even semi-efficiently and, crucially, I can't fit my breathing into my poor excuse for a stroke.
So it's right back to basics. I spent much of the session not swimming at all, but simply exhaling underwater, turning my head to the right or left and inhaling. It turns out my breathing was way too shallow. You have to exhale with much more force than I had realised. So that was lesson number one. Then I did a few lengths holding a float with one arm and crawling with the other, then swapping sides. That was about it. And even that was a challenge.
I'm just not a swimmer. But I'm determined to get better. I'll be having at least one, and possibly two, lessons a week from now on. Forget inhibitions. I'm inevitably going to look 'special' for quite a while yet!
I have a year to get this sorted. Then I have to swim a mile in the London Docks, not forgetting the ensuing 40km bike ride and 10km run. What have I got myself into?!
I don't remember ever being taught front crawl properly as a kid, so naturally I'm pretty crap at it. I don't know how to swim even semi-efficiently and, crucially, I can't fit my breathing into my poor excuse for a stroke.
So it's right back to basics. I spent much of the session not swimming at all, but simply exhaling underwater, turning my head to the right or left and inhaling. It turns out my breathing was way too shallow. You have to exhale with much more force than I had realised. So that was lesson number one. Then I did a few lengths holding a float with one arm and crawling with the other, then swapping sides. That was about it. And even that was a challenge.
I'm just not a swimmer. But I'm determined to get better. I'll be having at least one, and possibly two, lessons a week from now on. Forget inhibitions. I'm inevitably going to look 'special' for quite a while yet!
I have a year to get this sorted. Then I have to swim a mile in the London Docks, not forgetting the ensuing 40km bike ride and 10km run. What have I got myself into?!
Monday, 10 October 2011
Bricking it!
Today I did my first ever brick run. For those not in the know: brick sessions consist of two disciplines, often cycling and running and usually in that order (thus simulating the final transition of a triathlon). The idea is to train your body to efficiently switch blood supply from one set of muscle groups to another. Doing this often enough should help to prevent any upsets during your first triathlon or, in my case, duathlon.
If you've ever tried brick runs, you'll know that your legs don't really feel like your own for the first couple of hundred yards. This can make it difficult to pace yourself. In fact, I've never felt so little control over my running as I did today: I looked down at my Garmin and realised I was unwittingly cruising at 5k pace. Cramp quickly crept into both calves and I found myself emphatically heel-striking in a bid to stretch them out. Apparently, this isn't uncommon for newbies like yours truly.
I remember how blasé I was about signing up for the 'Chilly' Duathlon at Castle Combe, which entails a 2-mile run followed by a 10-mile bike ride followed by another 2-mile run. 'Two miles? Child's play!', I thought to myself. But my first brick session has changed all that. Duathlon and triathlon both command respect as disciplines. I'm just glad I realised that now rather than on the big day.
I have just over 5 weeks to train for the duathlon, and I plan to fit in at least one brick session per week. I'll probably try to mimic race day at least once in training, too.
Tomorrow evening I'm going to try and track down Cardiff Triathlon club at Fairwater Leisure Centre. If there's anything I need help with, it's swimming. Gulp!
Distance: 1.00 miles
Avg pace: 6m 23s / mile
Avg HR: No HR monitor
Conditions: windy, 15°C
If you've ever tried brick runs, you'll know that your legs don't really feel like your own for the first couple of hundred yards. This can make it difficult to pace yourself. In fact, I've never felt so little control over my running as I did today: I looked down at my Garmin and realised I was unwittingly cruising at 5k pace. Cramp quickly crept into both calves and I found myself emphatically heel-striking in a bid to stretch them out. Apparently, this isn't uncommon for newbies like yours truly.
I remember how blasé I was about signing up for the 'Chilly' Duathlon at Castle Combe, which entails a 2-mile run followed by a 10-mile bike ride followed by another 2-mile run. 'Two miles? Child's play!', I thought to myself. But my first brick session has changed all that. Duathlon and triathlon both command respect as disciplines. I'm just glad I realised that now rather than on the big day.
I have just over 5 weeks to train for the duathlon, and I plan to fit in at least one brick session per week. I'll probably try to mimic race day at least once in training, too.
Tomorrow evening I'm going to try and track down Cardiff Triathlon club at Fairwater Leisure Centre. If there's anything I need help with, it's swimming. Gulp!
Distance: 1.00 miles
Avg pace: 6m 23s / mile
Avg HR: No HR monitor
Conditions: windy, 15°C
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