Reading Quarter++ Marathon Report....

So I had entered Reading Half Marathon which took place yesterday.... and decided a couple of weeks ago that actually I had not been doing anywhere near enough training to warrant my entry, wouldn't be close to achieving a PB and actually would probably risk an injury if I tried. I did what can only be described as the worst 7miles easy of my life a couple of weeks ago just to make sure and decided that it would be foolish to even attempt the half.

With that in mind I did a comfortable easy - tempo 5 miles on Saturday down by the river before watching a rather "bitty" game of hockey.... You can imagine my surprise then to find myself getting up Sunday morning and digging out my race number....

Underprepared??? Absolutely.

BUT with the request from a friend (little Westie from the hockey club) to have some company and someone to pace off (or she'd be endanger of going off way to fast), I decided another little tempo effort would be in order and that I would have the discipline to invoke PLAN A - ie to stop around the 5mile mark and jog back to the finish for a total of 8 mile-ish long run. Popey on the other hand had the CRAZY idea that she would pace little Westie the whole way round (this from the person who was less prepared then me, although a much finer athlete then I, and who none the less had done a 3mile tempo on Friday and had played a game of hockey in the heat of Saturday).... and so it was... a lovely little morning for a "jog" ;)

This is us at the start... little Westie looking pretty in pink (and white) leading the charge at the start with me in the cap in the foreground and Popey just the other side smiling at the camera. We were smiling here as it was the start.... I think mine lasted about another 10 paces ;)

It was clear from the start that little Westie was indeed capable of getting totally caught up in the excitement of it all as we had to reign her back in several times in the first few miles from an 8min 20s mile pace back to 9min mile pace ... even on the steep climb out of Whitley!

I have to say during my little stint at times I did think the LUDICROUS thought of carrying on to the end.... although this wouldn't have been a PB kind of day and my heart was already in my mouth by Mile 4 ... despite this I was enjoying the feeling of a mass running event... it's been nearly 2 years since I did one of those at London Marathon in 2009.... we hit the 5mile marker bang on cue at 45mins...  However, a little twinge on my hamstring warned and reminded me that this year is not about doing a "little" (ha ha that's like A LOT at the moment)..  13.1mile run this weekend and that actually that probably wasn't too sensible a thing to do...

..So with a little reluctance I decided that PLAN A was indeed a good one... so I handed Westie one of my gels (she had none!) and told her if she could stomach it throw it down around mile 8-9 and I peeled off to the side of the runners with the noise of the band playing a deep beat under the Reading Ring Road and came to a brief halt... time enough to turn my t-shirt inside out (I didn't want people to think I was cheating so wanted to not show my number)... and took a little solo jog down the canal (which was filled with a surreal peacefulness given how hectic and crowded the run route was).... I re-emerged onto the run route at about mile 11 (as I need to get back to the start/ finish area) and found myself jogging near runners who would be hitting about a 1hr 20ish half marathon. AWESOME. They so blew me away ... and there was me barely 7.5miles into my little Sunday jog... ha ha ha...

I made my way to the stadium (although clearly not into the stadium for the finish!)... and managed to get into the runners exit so I could hand my timing chip back and pick up a foil blanket (as I was a bit cold by then).... I did get offered a medal but clearly and rightly refused it!!! I did see some of the usual gang of Reading Half runners, with Steve posting a 1hr 22 time, Dan (with no training.. how very dare he...) post a time of 1hr 36 ... missed Keith post his 1hr 53. ... With some sneaky help I even managed to get a press pass for the finish area in the stadium only to completely miss both Popey finishing in 1hr57'58 and Westie doing what was the aim.. a sub 2-hour and a PB with it of 1hr59'09 .. which was BRILLIANT!

So a good day was actually had by all..... Followed the run with good company and a lovely pile of Fish and Chips (in my case) in Henley and celebrated in the evening with a fishfinger and chip butty accompanied with a glass of champagne (if only I had such discipline in my diet it would make this running thing a whole lot better/ easier!)

Anyway - give my decision to not run Reading I had already entered a few other races... .so here is the current swim/ bike/ run race calendar (thus far) for 2011, will probably be sneaking in the odd bike TT and maybe a shorter distance tri at some point (just to remind me what transition is!);

02 May: Shinfield 10k (Run)
15 May: L'Etape Caledonia (82mile Cycle Sportive)
12 Jun: Magnificat (82mile Cycle Sportive)
10 Jul: New Forest 10 (10miles Run)
17 Jul: High Wycome Half (13.1miles Run)
21 Aug: ETU Long Course - Finland (Expecting 4k/ 120k/ 30k)
05 Nov: ITU Long Course - US of A (Expecting 4k/ 120k/ 30k)

Such an exciting year ahead.

Fearless

... Or should that be fear less?

I did it today. I stopped. I've got out of the rat race (well at least momentarily!!!). Tomorrow is the start of something new, I know not what exactly. But that is the point.

So rather then wittier on about what I don't actually know yet (other then for my immediate future I plan on having some fun, education, take joy from my surroundings and be thankful for each day) ... I thought I'd just post the lyrics to the song which aptly was playing on the radio whilst on the way home from my local minimart (coop)....

Pink Floyd - Fearless

You say the hill's too steep to climb
Just climb it
You say you'd like to see me try
Climbing
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
The hill in my own way
Just wait a while for the right day
And as I rise above the tree lines and the clouds
I look down
Hear the sound of the things you said today

Fearlessly, the idiot faced the crowd
Smiling
Merciless, the magistrate turns 'round
Frowning
And who's the fool who wears the crown?
And go down in your own way
And every day is the right day
And as you rise above the fear-lines in his brow
You look down
Hear the sound of the faces in the crowd


You never walk alone, you never walk alone
walk on, walk on with hope in your heart
and you never walk alone, you never walk alone



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Forest of Dean Park Run

As I starred out of the window of the hotel last night and the rain lashing down and the flag flapping the breeze I thought to myself that off road shoes would probably be a good option for the Park Run in the Forest of Dean in the morning. Shame then that I had left them at home!

If you've not heard of the concept of Park Run before it's pretty straight forward. Register once (this gets you your bar code) and you can turn up for a 5k timed run at 9am at a park near you. They are free, you don't need to register for the one you're going to do, the results are posted on line within hours, they are friendly, they are welcoming and likely to be held at a park near you. .... in the case of the Forest of Dean run it's a woodland, which at this time of year is a little... err... muddy.

Anyway..... got up early enough to have breakfast and got in Betty (the motor) and zoomed up the road to the run via the National Dive centre to drop the Pope off. Such sweet memories of the Dive centre, that being the place for the epic Little Woody race last year.

I got to the car park up at Five Acres (venue for little woody race hq - so more memories) and found other newbie FoD runners. I looked at their footware - I had already decided that Asics racing flats were not a suitable choice and so opted for a pair of *new* Asics Gel Cumulus that were lurking in the back seat.

They looked nice, shiney and new.....

hummmm EVERYONE was wearing off roaders.....

Got to the race start and the organiser turned up pushing his mountain bike and proceeded to state that it was muddy out there today - in fact so much so he had got off his bike!! HA HA HA!

Now I wasn't expecting much from this "race" ... just best effort... I've not done a great deal of running (I am ignoring the fact I have a half marathon in ...err.. oh dear about 3 weeks...)... and then when someone said to a slim, runner looking lady "what time do you usually do..." to which she replied "21mins..."... he replied she'd more likely be 23mins on this course. ... so that was good actually as I'd have wanted to go sub 26mins and maybe poke towards sub 25... but I had already decided that was unlikely given the likely muddy situation and so now I was figuring something around 27mins would be ok - this was good as had the effect of taking the pressure off (not that there actually was much pressure!)

Anyway - the small gathering gathered, the organiser gave us a quick talk about following the signs (it's a looping, in, out and around the dusty windows type of course)... and we were off.

There was the usual stamped up the first 50m (and only 50m of solid ground) before we bank/ slide right and were into the rhythm of a 5ker.... somewhere in the first k I rounded a right/ left bend, lost my footing completely and done a bambi-esk skid, slip, slide with arms and legs flying. How I managed to stay on two legs and not brake or strain anything is beyond me (I was commended for my "holding it" after the race)... This was definitely not a day to worry about run technique (pose or not)... but a day to try and control my lateral movement whilst trying to attain forward momentum. It was a hoot.

After what felt like an age I dared look at my watch... HOLY MOTHER OF ***... I had only been going 10mins... and clearly I had gone off way to fast (I will download my Garmin later next week)... to say I was blowing out of ever orifice would be about correct. Oh how I have forgotten about how tremendous 5k's can be!!

There were 2 laps for the run - although lap 2 was a totally different configuration to lap 1 - completely disorientating at one point people were coming back in my direction (that would be the fast ones!).. there was a guy running with his dog - clearly a regular (both the dog and man)... made me laugh when the guy came past me only for the dog to protest and stop for a quick doggy doo moment.... they came past me again only for the dog to have another moment yards later!! ha ha ha... they past me for the final time on the home straight (damn that dog - he looked like he had had lots of fun!!)

I was pleased to finish and stop my watch on something just under 27mins... the fast girl from the start looked like she had been back an age... and had virtually no mud on her legs.. I could not say the same for either my legs or my trainers..... I said thanks to the organiser and then all that was left was for me to squish my way to my car, get back to the shower and scrub my legs clean!!

I have NO idea how I got that much MUD above my knees on my inner thighs....!!