For Christmas 2006, my dad bought me a T-shirt from Top Man. My girlfriend actually bought it on his behalf.
Tonight, Saturday 29th June 2013, I wore it.
Result!
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Thursday, 20 June 2013
"...but you helped save a life..."
I sit here with 6 months, 18 races and 1 half of The 36 Classics Challenge 2013 behind me and I can honestly say that it has been a pleasure. It’s been a logistical challenge and also a physical challenge, but it has been rewarding on many more levels. I am currently under the 13st mark for the first time since 2006. On January 1st 2013 my PB list looked like this:
· 5k- 22:26, Mystery 5k 2012
· 5 mile- 37:30, Sefton Park 2012
· 10k- 48:47, Mersey Tunnel 2012
· 10 mile- 01:16:53, Blackpool to Fleetwood 2012
· HM- 01:48:45, Windmill Half 2012
· Marathon- 04:47:51, Edinburgh 2011
I was training and running and racing and doing a superbly average job at having a go. I was still loving the running and all that goes with it but I kind of thought that there may be something more to give. I wasn’t sure...but maybe.
It wasn’t my main goal, to set new PB’s or go faster but I was hoping it would happen naturally. My main goal was to set a challenge and complete it. So far so good! Anyway, back to my times…on June 20th 2013, my PB list looks like this:
· 5k- 21:48, Mystery 5k 2013 (Unofficial due to delay in posting results)
· 5 mile- 35:49, Walton Hall Park 2013
· 10k- 45:11, Mersey Tunnel 2013
· 10 mile- 01:16:53, Blackpool to Fleetwood 2012
· HM- 01:41:38, Shakespeare Half 2013
· Marathon- 04:47:51, Edinburgh 2011
So, let’s see how my goals are looking. Do I have PLS G2 times at the classic distances? Yes, apart from the Marathon (watch this space). Do I have some nice new PB’s? Yes please. Do you feel fit and healthy? Yes, and lighter and less chubby. Do you enjoy running? Yes, more than ever. Oh, one more thing…this series of blogs I am writing has had over 900 views in 15 countries. That might not be a lot, I really don’t have a clue, but it blows my mind when I think about it! Thank you all so much for reading.
Part two requires a warning shot. This contains language and themes of a disgusting nature. Those who are easily offended or have just eaten may not want to read on. It’s just a little story about my pleasant Sunday, up in the North-West of England, in a lovely little village named Freckleton. Freckleton Half Marathon is the oldest in the UK and is the second oldest in the world. The only longer running Half Marathon on the planet is in Luxembourg and isn’t in my race diary for 2013. It’s another rural/village run similar to the likes of Shakespeare in Stratford upon Avon and Village Bakery near Wrexham. It’s a ‘bumpy’ flat course with absolutely no hills of note but very few flat sections, you are either going up a bit, or down a bit. The main difference is the fact that it is in June and has a 2pm start. I would love to know the answer to why it is run at the hottest time of day but I don’t.
My story starts at 1pm, 50 yards short of the car park entrance on Bush Lane, just off Clitheroes Lane. If anybody can spot the joke in that then we share a similar sense of humour as it quite literally made me LOL!! It was warm, the car thermometer read a splendid 19C and the traffic was moving fairly slowly. I had prepared well enough for the day, a nice breakfast of PB&J on brown and a light lunch of Chicken and Basil pasta (and half an egg sandwich that my daughter fallen asleep into). I had also taken on board about 750ml of coconut water as I had read about it’s hydrating properties. I was feeling pretty good, I had agreed a race strategy with my chimp and I was going to try and tick over at 7:42 min/miles, taking on water at every station due to the heat. I was getting close to the car park and I was getting close to ‘the zone’!! At this point I would like to pose a question to you. It’s an age old debate, a hoary old chestnut and one that I know the answer to. The question is this- what one thing takes you back to your childhood the most? Is it a toy? Is it a sweet? Is it a song or a smell? Which one of the senses is tickled when you get that wonderful, nostalgic feeling? Shall I tell you what the answer is? There is nothing that makes you feel more like a child than the tiny moment immediately after you do a follow through. When you trust a fart enough to have one without the notion it might have a sinister message behind it, that is when you truly remember what it was like to need your parents!! And that is not all, it carries another peculiar emotion with it, just like Pandora’s Box is supposed to have done, it brings embarrassment. I am a shameless character! I am ruthless and no holds barred. I can take it as I can give it. I have been with my partner for almost 10 years and I helped make my daughter so I shouldn’t feel embarrassed in front of them. They have seen and heard me at my worst, my lowest ebb. Yet, at that split moment when I had to utter the words to Nicola “I’ve just s41t myself”, I felt a veil of shame lower itself over me.
Shortly, afterwards the shame was replaced by fear. I have to run 13 miles very soon. What do I do? One piece of advice really didn’t help, “what would Paula do?” Unfortunately, my first little surprise had invited along a couple of friends so the pre-race confidence soon disappeared and left me on the edge of pulling out. I took on some water and had a little warm up and decided to give it a go but take it easy. I didn’t want to fall foul of dehydration on such a warm day.
The race was going well enough for the first 9 miles. I had managed to average 7:39’s but shortly after the 9 mile marker my batteries went. I was feeling dry and crampy and knew that the last four miles would be a run/walk affair. Now I have a genuine gripe and if I was a militant kind of guy I would make a very strong safety point. I don’t know much about race organisation but I do believe that a Half Marathon in June should have bottled water stations and not small plastic cups. There is just not enough opportunity to take on what you need and maintain your race pace. I raised this at the end of the race to part of the event team and he challenged back saying it was the responsibility of the participant to ensure they have enough fluids. I half agreed at the time but when I went back over it I realised that I disagreed with the gentleman’s point. The race advertised four water stops, equally spaced out through the race. It didn’t mention how it would be served. OK, rant over…but it does segue nicely into the final chapter of my story. At around the 10 mile mark I noticed a fellow runner about 200 yards ahead clearly showing some signs of distress. The guy then took a pretty heavy fall on to the tarmac beneath him. I got to him as other people had started to congregate around him and help in any way they could. The poor guy was out for the count by the way, a serious case of dehydration if I ever saw one. He wasn’t alone as just a few hundred yards up the road there was another stricken athlete. I stayed with the guy until the St. John’s man came and I found out later, from a local couple who had assisted, that when the runner had come around he told the paramedic that he had taken six paracetamol earlier on for a sore leg. Now I do agree that things like that are 100% the responsibility of the participant.
So, six months, 18 races, 1 half to go in the challenge and I am raring to go for it. I have some great races lined up. One that stands out is The Great North Run in September. To be part of the UK’s largest running event is going to be such an unbelievable experience. It’s set to be about four times the size of the largest event I have been involved in to date and I can’t wait to just see what it looks like!
July holds a couple of beauties for me with the Southport Half Marathon and a 10k in hilly Rochdale. One of the biggest questions for July is ‘Will I run on my holidays?’ I’ll take my shoes and see how it goes. Peace.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
"...just wait until next time..."
It's seems like a really long time ago since I last wrote anything about The 36 Classics Challenge. Over two months have passed in fact and what a mixed bag of results!! However, there is one result that stands out for me lately and that is how much I am enjoying my running. Not just racing either, the buzz I'm getting from putting my Nikes on for training is so satisfying that it is never a chore. Which, to be fair, it has been at various points through my time running.
I was really tough on myself at points through April and May and it's not until I took time to reflect and think about what the challenge is about, why I run and what should I realistically expect that I give myself a break. Let me explain if I can. In four of the six races in April and May I have finished and felt some level of deflation. No...wait...during these races I have felt deflated and running a race whilst battling your mind is not a great strategy. The first one of these outings was the Cheshire 10k in
Crewe, a small affair but well organised and friendly. As the event was a combined start of a 2.5k, a 5k and the 10k there was a really good family vibe. For whatever reason I was given number 1 for my vest and it didn't go unnoticed by the race announcer, no pressure!! The run itself was four laps of a park which was twisty, tricky and a little bit 'undulating' towards the end of each lap, near the boating lake. It was also quite a windy day and I'll be honest, I struggled. It felt like I couldn't get going, I felt slow and sloppy. I pushed on and ran a race that I thought wouldn't please me. It was 46:23 in the end and there was a bit of disappointment as I was aiming for sub-46 mins. But, later on when I had dissected events and realised it was my second fastest time at 10k ever and I came 17th overall! 17th...me…overall!! BOOM!
In to May, and the second race that got to me troubled was The Liverpool Spring 10k in Sefton Park. I hadn't intended to do this as I had a half marathon each weekend either side and contemplated a week off racing. I'm glad I did it in the end but not at first. This is an event with a great future. Well organised, great atmosphere, challenging course. The race attracted a national field but managed to harness a really 'local' feel which was interesting and pretty cool. Anyway, it was a glorious day. In fact it wasn't far short of a scorcher, easy 300C in direct sunlight!! And, I felt it. I'm still lugging a bit of timber and when the heat kicks in it can be a real drainer. I didn't go out too quickly which was my only game plan but I still felt some lag in the middle third. I also delivered one of the worst home straight kicks in the history of Homo Erectus. I went too early, slowed considerably, tried again and got a stomach cramp, and crossed the line in 45:56, an infuriating 3 seconds outside a PB. I seriously nearly vomited on my iPad when I looked at the official results. My novice approach to race tactics was possibly to blame for missing a PB, never mind, move on!!
The Mystery 5k was the third of the four chokers. This is 5k racing at its most basic. Three laps of the big field and finish where you started. It's flat and fast, and because it is hosted by Liverpool Harriers (and is only £2) the field is always talented. There was an inordinate amount of PLS there and for some reason, which I still can't understand, I went out with faster black and white vests and clung to them for a bit. My 1k splits were 4:10, 4:30, 4:40, 4:50 and 4:15. Not the way to run a 5k race, even I know that! I finished in 22:26 and as I was aiming for a sub-22, I was disappointed once again. I had a right cob on with myself for my second fastest 5k, which was 2 seconds faster than the same event last attempt.
The last of the heartbreakers was Leeds Half Marathon on May 12th, and it was a proper 'big city' race.
Well organised, great route, well supported with a good central start and finish. The medal, tee and goody bag were impressive too. I had been struggling since the Mystery on previous Tuesday with some pain in my left knee and I had let it get in to my head. At about 3 mile I had to walk. I had to walk at two points later in the race. I was starting to think that a sub-2 hour would be out of the question, never mind a sub-1:41. I got a bit of second wind at around mile 8 and managed a bit of a push for the end by playing hunt the vest. I finished in 1:47:24, my fourth fastest time at the distance. I still haven't got off my own back yet about this one but I might if I nail Freckleton in June.
On the flip side, I did have two excellent running experiences during this period that left me feeling on top of the world. The first was a return to my favourite place…Princes Parkrun. I had a Half Marathon booked in for the following day so I decided to use it as a ‘leg warmer’ a ‘tuner’ if you like. Never really been one for training strategies and such like but I gave it a shake. I went out at a very enjoyable pace and maintained it. Kept it steady up the hills and used the downhill sections as a little bit of recovery time. I finished in 23:24. Not quick at all but the fact that I knew I was taking it in my stride and I finished in a time that I used to have to kill myself to get was a genuine lift. And, I think it worked. The next day at The Shakespeare Half Marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon, I had THE race of my life. I’m going to say it…this is the best race I have taken part in and I would do it again. In fact it starts alongside the full marathon and I would even consider doing that!! It was scenic and pleasant and although there were only three hills of note, they were good hills. It had a great start and finish and the Mayor gave me my medal. He must have known that I’d smashed my PB by a mile. In fact, when I finished the race I had to check my watch to make sure it wasn’t a short course because I felt like I had plenty left! I bagged myself a Group 2 Half Marathon time of 1:41:38 as well.
To wrap up, I would like to tell you something that is worrying me. It started a while ago but the strength of this beast is growing. I know it’s my chimp in disguise but I think he’s been in the gym because he is much stronger on this one. I can’t seem to run alone. I can put one foot in front of the other but I don’t want to. I went out for a gentle 5k at 6.40 yesterday morning and I knew it was to see how my niggling calf was but the only part I actually enjoyed was when a man in a hi-viz vest left his house for work and had to run a few hundred yards to catch his bus/lift. I smashed him all over the place to be fair and it felt great!! But, is that what I have become? Is that who I am now? It can’t end well.
 |
| My Phoebe stretching out |
The mixed bag of results, and post-race emotions, began back in April with a Parkrun on a fine morning. I took my four year old daughter along for it as she had been begging me to take her to race after marshalling it together a few times. We soaked up the atmosphere at the start line and we did our stretches and I have never felt so excited about a race. Phoebe was getting plenty of attention as she is so small and she seemed to be able to brighten the mood of everyone around her. We ran, we walked, we stopped, we played, we drank and we called it quits at halfway!! She was absolutely overjoyed at the finish line as people were clapping her and shouting her name. She beat her Dad across the line and although we didn't complete the distance, I have never been so proud. Even though she is still talking about it, and still running everywhere she goes, she hasn't asked to do another race since so I hope the race hasn't broken her.
I was really tough on myself at points through April and May and it's not until I took time to reflect and think about what the challenge is about, why I run and what should I realistically expect that I give myself a break. Let me explain if I can. In four of the six races in April and May I have finished and felt some level of deflation. No...wait...during these races I have felt deflated and running a race whilst battling your mind is not a great strategy. The first one of these outings was the Cheshire 10k in
 |
| Numero Uno |
In to May, and the second race that got to me troubled was The Liverpool Spring 10k in Sefton Park. I hadn't intended to do this as I had a half marathon each weekend either side and contemplated a week off racing. I'm glad I did it in the end but not at first. This is an event with a great future. Well organised, great atmosphere, challenging course. The race attracted a national field but managed to harness a really 'local' feel which was interesting and pretty cool. Anyway, it was a glorious day. In fact it wasn't far short of a scorcher, easy 300C in direct sunlight!! And, I felt it. I'm still lugging a bit of timber and when the heat kicks in it can be a real drainer. I didn't go out too quickly which was my only game plan but I still felt some lag in the middle third. I also delivered one of the worst home straight kicks in the history of Homo Erectus. I went too early, slowed considerably, tried again and got a stomach cramp, and crossed the line in 45:56, an infuriating 3 seconds outside a PB. I seriously nearly vomited on my iPad when I looked at the official results. My novice approach to race tactics was possibly to blame for missing a PB, never mind, move on!!
The Mystery 5k was the third of the four chokers. This is 5k racing at its most basic. Three laps of the big field and finish where you started. It's flat and fast, and because it is hosted by Liverpool Harriers (and is only £2) the field is always talented. There was an inordinate amount of PLS there and for some reason, which I still can't understand, I went out with faster black and white vests and clung to them for a bit. My 1k splits were 4:10, 4:30, 4:40, 4:50 and 4:15. Not the way to run a 5k race, even I know that! I finished in 22:26 and as I was aiming for a sub-22, I was disappointed once again. I had a right cob on with myself for my second fastest 5k, which was 2 seconds faster than the same event last attempt.
The last of the heartbreakers was Leeds Half Marathon on May 12th, and it was a proper 'big city' race.
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| 0727 'Elite Athlete' |
On the flip side, I did have two excellent running experiences during this period that left me feeling on top of the world. The first was a return to my favourite place…Princes Parkrun. I had a Half Marathon booked in for the following day so I decided to use it as a ‘leg warmer’ a ‘tuner’ if you like. Never really been one for training strategies and such like but I gave it a shake. I went out at a very enjoyable pace and maintained it. Kept it steady up the hills and used the downhill sections as a little bit of recovery time. I finished in 23:24. Not quick at all but the fact that I knew I was taking it in my stride and I finished in a time that I used to have to kill myself to get was a genuine lift. And, I think it worked. The next day at The Shakespeare Half Marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon, I had THE race of my life. I’m going to say it…this is the best race I have taken part in and I would do it again. In fact it starts alongside the full marathon and I would even consider doing that!! It was scenic and pleasant and although there were only three hills of note, they were good hills. It had a great start and finish and the Mayor gave me my medal. He must have known that I’d smashed my PB by a mile. In fact, when I finished the race I had to check my watch to make sure it wasn’t a short course because I felt like I had plenty left! I bagged myself a Group 2 Half Marathon time of 1:41:38 as well.
 |
| Not sure what I'm up to here |
To wrap up, I would like to tell you something that is worrying me. It started a while ago but the strength of this beast is growing. I know it’s my chimp in disguise but I think he’s been in the gym because he is much stronger on this one. I can’t seem to run alone. I can put one foot in front of the other but I don’t want to. I went out for a gentle 5k at 6.40 yesterday morning and I knew it was to see how my niggling calf was but the only part I actually enjoyed was when a man in a hi-viz vest left his house for work and had to run a few hundred yards to catch his bus/lift. I smashed him all over the place to be fair and it felt great!! But, is that what I have become? Is that who I am now? It can’t end well.
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