What it's all about

Yesterday I ran the Albert Park Run, nothing unusual in that, I run it most Saturdays. Yesterday however was a little bit special for me. Nothing to do with my running though, in fact I didn't even manage to get within a minute of my own personal best. Not that I had a problem with that, it was my first run of the week and was a glorious scorching day. It was actually what happened about half an hour after I finished, more than forty five minutes after the winner had run through the line. I was talking to some friends when Rosie Lightfoot (the splendid lady who runs the I Run group on a Wednesday evening) finished her 5K (having run it alongside another lady to support & encourage her) and said that she was going round to catch up with Bill and Alec as Alec wanted to complete the 5K this week. Bill and Alec (father and son) also come to the I Run group and whilst Bill is a fine runner in his own right, he usually does the Park Run with Alec his son who isn't quite as able and needs Bill's support and encouragement. The volunteers manning the finish were happy to stay on and a small crowd at the café where also there to watch and cheer, about 15 minutes later this fabulous lady finished followed by Bill and Alec. (Photos by Karen Larkin) The cheering and applause in support of their effort was both long and loud and just reinforced the fact that I have been fortunate to discover a rather splendid community to be part of. This group of people who meet rain and shine on a Saturday morning and pound the paths of the Park show that, actually, running isn't just about fast times and winning, it's about supporting each other and encouraging each other to be the best they can. I think I shall be hanging around until the very end more often on Saturday mornings from now on.

On why you should never let people take your picture as you cross the finish line.

I rest my case...

It has been too long since I wrote on here, not that I have been slacking, I have actually been running on average twice a week with a few extras thrown in. But life has a habit of being busy and keeping you away from things. Tonight, having got back from the I Run group at Hemlington (more on which later) I decided that I should catch up.

The day after the last blog was the Albert Park Run and obviously it was a good week, as I managed (somehow) to knock a minute off my personal best. Now this obviously is an achievement, some might even say a good achievement, but then when you stop and think about it its perhaps not quite as good. That amount of time off a PB means its going to be harder to beat it. There's a reason why the likes of Yelena Isinbayava break world records a centimetre at a time and it's not just because she gets money every time she does it. Small amounts are easier to better, so me knocking a whole minute off just made it harder for the next time. Sadly I didn't learn and two weeks later I reduced the time by a further 90 seconds, I really must stop trying.

Back to the picture at the top of the blog... this was taken as I staggered across the line at the end of the Tees Barrage 10K which was my first 10K race, I had aimed for under an hour and was pleased to get a few minutes under that coming in in 266th place, there were far nicer things to look at as we went round including the very lovely Infinity Bridge (look at the reflection and you'll see why it is called that).

Sadly I never got to thank the lady whose equally lovely bum made getting up one of the uphill stretches significantly easier.

I think I commented last time that I'm getting quite addicted to this stuff, to the extent I'm seriously considering putting in for The Karrimor Great Trail 10K in June. Just got to pluck up the courage to do it.

And that brings me to tonight, for the last few months I have been spending my Wednesday evenings with the most lovely group of people running in circles around Hemlington Lake. They really are an amazing group of delightfully normal yet exceptional people who make this whole running business an absolute joy. Tonight it had been suggested that, as a few people were getting a little bored with running round the lake, Craig (a really rather good club runner and generally top bloke) would lead a run out to Newham Grange Leisure Farm and around the 5 K trail there before returning to Hemlington lake, a total distance of about 10K. About half the group were up for the full run, the other half elected to drive to the farm park and join up for the 5K when they got there. It worked wonderfully, the weather was kind, the change of scenery was delightful and the run even had muddy puddles to splash through. What more could you ask for!

Something may be wrong...I appear to be enjoying this way too much

After Saturdays shenanigans at the Park Run and then celebrating my fathers 72nd birthday with him on Sunday I sort of found myself feeling a little umphless on Monday. The deteriorating weather didn't help and an initial lack of enthusiasm probably added to an absence of umph too. But then I realised that it was still a Bank Holiday and that meant not only no work, but a four day week to boot! I wouldn't say that my umph came sprinting back down the road, but it certainly peeked round the corner.

Wednesday soon arrived and I was busy prevaricating with myself about the weather when  I got a text of my lovely friends, saying that both their daughters were back from France & Uni respectively, both were coming to the Hemlington run and did I fancy coming back to their place afterwards for a catch up and something to eat afterwards. Never let it be said that I would turn down free food and good company so despite the inclement weather (rain , lots of rain) I texted back saying thank you and yes!

Work finished and evening rolled around and sure enough it was raining as I drove over there. I should make a note at this point that it would be an ideal opportunity to mix two types of training, cycling and running, on the one evening. Sadly, they make me go to work and I just don't think there'd be quite enough time to get home, change and cycle back over there (whilst sorting out the Molly dog). Currently that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. On arrival it became apparent that I wasn't the only one who had wrestled with their desire to come over their desire to remain dry (nb a small sense of satisfaction was experienced) as there where fewer than the week before. Indeed it was bad enough that Izzy commented that in all the time she'd been running at Hemlington, they had never actually run in the rain, this would be a first. But she was wrong, as we went out and started to warm up before setting off, the rain started to let up and the sun started to come out - it was significantly cooler for sure, but a lovely evening for running.

The speed merchants weren't there so as I made my round there was only one person in front of me, sadly he was so far in front of me that there was no incentive in trying to keep with him. But it was all good, except for the third lap, to be honest the third lap was bloody horrible, my legs felt as if they were full of concrete but with the added joy of short circuiting electrical cables running through them. It passed though, it's a strange thing running with a group, for me at least, I would have felt that I'd let them down if I'd stopped before I planned to. It's tosh of course, they wouldn't have minded, it's however far you wish to run, there is no target. But for me I'd decided I was going to do five laps, so if I stopped I'd have somehow cheated myself. Fortunately someone switched off the electric current running through my calves somewhere on the fourth lap, just about the same time as the concrete became malleable again. A storming (well slightly faster stumble) last lap brought me home in a time of about 39 minutes. Now having run 5 km on Saturday in about 28 minutes I was slightly disappointed in this, I had been told that the circuit was 1.1 km so 0.5 km more in an extra 11 minutes felt a bit bad. Then delight though, one of the gents who always does the run, told us authoritatively that the circuit we run is 1.4 km, therefore 5 laps is 7 km. 7 km in 39 minutes sounds so much better.

I find myself looking forward to Saturday and the Park Run again already... I appear to be enjoying this far too much, not only that but I appear to have signed up for a mini tri at Stockton in August as preparation for the Tatton Tri in September. I guess I really am going to have to get that bike out.

ps I think I run better without music...or perhaps Scooter was just a little to ambitious last time out...

Losing my virginity (in a park, in the rain)

This week has been horrendous, nothing to do with the training - that's been easy, I haven't done any! Unfortunately life interfered fairly majorly in the worst possible way and resulted in me not even trying to train (Although I'll admit to freezing conditions and rain earlier in the week reminding me that sunshine is my preferred element). Friday night, for a variety of reasons, made me realise I needed to take control back again and move forward.

All of this lead me to send a text to my friends Izzy & Andy saying that I would see them Saturday morning for the Albert Park Park Run. For those of you who haven't come across Park Run as a concept, it is an international, volunteer run 5 km run that is timed, free and open to all ages. Its run every Saturday throughout the year and includes people new to running as well as local club athletes who use it as part of their training regime.  There are something like 8,600 Park Runs run around the UK and 9,500 worldwide. The Albert Park run attracts such luminarys as Jo Jackson, Commonwealth Champion at the 20 km walk and multiple world record holder Sharon Gaytor (look at this woman's website, she is incredible and makes any petty efforts of my own look pitiful!).

So as I say, I committed myself to doing my first Park Run, part of the reason for sending the text was that it made not turning up on Saturday morning somewhat harder. Izzy's return text informed me that her and Andy were doing it in fancy dress to help raise money for the chosen charity Zoe's Place. I decided that losing my virginity in a public park whilst wearing fancy dress was possibly outside my comfort zone so said I'd just turn up in my normal running gear. Which I did. Walking across the park to the start at 8.30 this morning I realised a) that I really was going to do this, b) there were a lot of people there and c) it was bloody freezing and I didn't have any gloves. The route itself is fairly straight forward, a clockwise loop of quarter of the park, followed by two full laps of the park. Finish by the cafe alongside the Lake.

So we ran, Izzy in a wetsuit, Andy in a mariachi costume (no maracas disappointingly), a slightly overweight Capt Jack Sparrow, a significant number of bunny ears and a few other costumes as well as 200 or so others in a variety of running gear. I have decided I like running in a group, I seem to run better, it seems less difficult and although I don't do the conversation bit whilst running, there is a camaraderie about running round a Victorian park in the rain that is pleasing. Reflecting on it whilst soaking my legs in the bath afterwards, I think I'll do it again next week. I ran 5 km in 28.18 mins and felt comfortable, I was the 153rd man over the line and the 202nd runner over all, I have no idea how close to the back I was, but to be honest I don't care.

So I am no longer a Park Run virgin, guess I'll be doing the Hemlington Lake run on Wednesday next.

Running with a group for the first time

This evening a friend took me to meet a group of people who run every Wednesday evening. They are the Hemlington I Run group and provide a friendly environment with encouragement and gentle competition to run in. They meet at Hemlington Lake which has a path running around it that is about 1.1 km long. We were free to run however many laps we chose and could stop whenever we wanted. The group ranged from some speed merchants who disappeared into the wild blue yonder, to several who simply walked the laps. On every lap though there was someone  cheering you on with words of encouragement, a really lovely environment to run in. So my training tonight was 5 laps of the lake (about 5.5 km) in approximately 35 minutes, not too shabby considering it was 20 degrees Celsius, a tad warm for comfortable running and that I still haven't sorted out the rubbish water bottle situation.

Back to work, Sunshine and a Sleeping Bike

Gods but I didn't want to get up this morning, the alarm went off at 5.30 am, which of course we all know is really still 4.30 am after the clocks went forward, and good resolutions flew out of the window. I happily hit snooze and snuggled down for five (make that fifteen) minutes more. Sadly, will power alone is insufficient to hold back the demands of a dog that needs walking and a day at work, not just a day at work either, the first day back after TWO weeks off!

It occurs to me if I could harness the will power utilised in wishing for it not to be time to get it up and translate it into training I'd be challenging the Alistair Brownlee  in September not just myself, but more of that later.

Shortly after tumbling into the shower I remembered that some idiot had booked training into my diary for 9 am, in York. Then as the water cleared the fog of sleep from my dozy brain, I realised I controlled the diary and therefore I was the idiot. I guess if the cap fits... Going back to work was made all the harder by the fact that with the start of BST, we seem to have summer, it won't last of course, British summers never do (apart from 1976 and that lasted at least 2 years according to my memory) It'll be warm this week, lull us into a false sense of security and then Bam! Snow for Easter, you just watch. Work worked despite my stupidity, made harder by the fact that the sun was shining outside all day and I was stuck inside for most of it, but hey, all bad things come to an end eventually.

I was good though, when I got home I took the dog out, got some shopping and then, with the temperature a balmy 19 degrees Celsius I went and ran. I ran the one and a half mile circuit and again managed it in 14 minutes, that means if I can keep the same pace up for 6km I will do it in 35 minutes, 5 minutes outside the guide given on the Tatton Triathlon site but I guess its a start. I find it more worrying that they reckon 20 minutes for the swim and 50 minutes for the bike. I haven't even managed to wake my bike up yet, let alone do 20 km in 50 minutes on it.

Shhh! Bike sleeping!

While I write this I'm listening to Neon Bible by Arcade Fire and have just discovered this rather wonderful site for you to play with that also plays the title track, click here for amazingness!

A detour to the South West

So early on and already the excuses start I hear you say, and indeed there is an excuse. The last few days have been taken up with a trip to Cornwall to see my daughter Fiona. I did give genuine consideration to taking my running stuff with me, but then the memory of the steepness of the hills in Falmouth made me decide that discretion was the better part of valour and indeed, cowardice was the better part of discretion. So on Thursday morning I set off to drive the 433 miles to Cornwall in glorious sunshine and sure enough on the edge of Bodmin Moor the heavens opened. Now I have been driving to and from Cornwall since the 80's and I can probably count on the fingers of one hand how many times I've driven across the Moor when it's not been raining! That said it eased off as I travelled West and by the time I reached Falmouth it was dry albeit overcast.

I stayed at the most splendid guest house I have ever come across (discovered on a previous visit). It's called the Moonlight Guest House, situated a few minutes from the harbour and run by Celia, a delightfully eccentric Spanish(?) lady who gives all the profit to children's educational charities and animal charities. I have been there twice now and I have never seen Celia wearing anything other than pyjamas, she is unfailingly helpful and friendly and an absolute delight!

My main reason for going down was to see my daughter perform in her final school production before she starts Uni, the production was called Our Town, by Thornton Wilder - a 1937 play set in a fictional New Hampshire town. Fiona had two small parts - "Artistic Lady" and "Dead Woman" - both speaking parts (yes the dead speak in this play) and the first role destined to gain the biggest laugh of the night and the only individual round of applause. As you can imagine I did the bursting with pride fatherly bit throughout, made all the better after the production by meeting a number of other parents who were fulsome in their praise of my little girl, not just regards to her acting but of her as a person too. Drinks with the cast after the play just ended the day perfectly, a midnight finish but well worth the tiredness.

Friday dawned beautifully sunny and the morning was spent wandering around Falmouth, enjoying the sunshine and admiring the boats. My daughter informs me I should buy one, get a parrot and become a pirate so she can come and spend holidays with me on the boat, not that bad an idea apart from the parrot to be fair. The afternoon was spent with Fiona, talking and catching up and then in the evening going for a very lovely meal. Sadly the end of Friday brought with it the end of my short break and Saturday morning brought the drive home... Ah well, back down to see her soon.

Oh btw, the running starts again tomorrow!

In the mean time this boat would make a very good Pirate's boat!