Last autumn Nike started their "I will Run a Year" campaign with a 10K race in Hyde Park. They have followed this up with 5K races every two months, and I've only missed one due to a sprained ankle.
Today was the final race and it was up in north London, in Finsbury Park. I elected to go at 11am instead of running in the first wave which is what I usually do. This was lucky as the aerliest train from Ascot was 8.22am, and once I'd got to Waterloo and cycled up to the venue it was spot on 10am. I just missed seeing the first lot start.
It was a swelteringly hot day, but I quite like running in the heat. This was my first race since the Windsor Triathlon, and though my left calf has recovered now, I haven't trained enough to be confident enough of it to go all out. I decided to try for 4 minute 15 second kilometers. This is a pace I'm fairly comfortable with and should return a 21:15 time. If I'm feeling good and manage to keep up that pace, then there would be a chance in the final half kilometer sprint to beat 21 minutes.
The course was a loop which started about 600M from the finish, and from there continued on for two full laps. This 600M section therefore had to be run three times, and it was uphill. I made good time though for the first km, wasn't far off the mark for the second one, and it was only on the second ascent that I think I slowed a little.
Paula Radcliff was running - not at her serious pace though, she ran in the first wave too, and she's just announced that she is pregnant. I got a good position near the front for the start, and she must have joined a bit behind me, because she overtook me at about the 3.5k mark. We were actually running at not too dissimilar a pace, and we finished about 100M apart, with only three other runners between us. I did manage a pretty strong last 500M.
I felt good throughout the race, so I obviously wasn't trying hard enough, and sure enough, my time of 21:52 bears this out. It's still not a bad time, but quite far from my best time in March which was 21:05.
I walked down to the Nike stand an exchanged a few words with Paula. I got my T-shirt signed, and got a signed postcard for the girls too. She was very pleasant and generous with her time.
I had a good day out, and got some good cycling in as well as I had to race back to Waterloo (about 6 miles) because of an semi-emergency at home
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Swim
Back to LA Fitness' 15M pool.
I've decided that endurance swimming is something I don't need to do quite as much as I did before. I know now that I can swim 1500M (even if half of it is breaststroke).
But I need to be able to swim faster.
So I swam 3 lots of 20 lengths today, putting a lot more effort in so that I was really tired by the end of each session. I know this isn't perfect training, but it's a start.
[total 900M)
I've decided that endurance swimming is something I don't need to do quite as much as I did before. I know now that I can swim 1500M (even if half of it is breaststroke).
But I need to be able to swim faster.
So I swam 3 lots of 20 lengths today, putting a lot more effort in so that I was really tired by the end of each session. I know this isn't perfect training, but it's a start.
[total 900M)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Row/Run
Went to LA Fitness for a treadmill session.
I finally found my HR monitor which has been missing for a while, and used that. (it was in the pocket of my winter cycling jacket)
After a 5 minute rowing warmup (58kcal), started running and gradually speeded up from 10km/h to 13km/h.
Stupidly lost my HR history so can't put it here.
Ran for 21 minutes, and playing with Excel, make it approximately 4km in total.
It's really hard to go fast on the treadmill. My HR only went up to 154bpm at 13km/h which felt very fast, whereas on the road I find it difficult to stay below 160bpm so I must be running faster there. Maybe the treadmill is just reporting the speed/distance incorrectly. I should do a trial running the same distance each at the same HR and seeing if the times are the same.
I finally found my HR monitor which has been missing for a while, and used that. (it was in the pocket of my winter cycling jacket)
After a 5 minute rowing warmup (58kcal), started running and gradually speeded up from 10km/h to 13km/h.
Stupidly lost my HR history so can't put it here.
Ran for 21 minutes, and playing with Excel, make it approximately 4km in total.
It's really hard to go fast on the treadmill. My HR only went up to 154bpm at 13km/h which felt very fast, whereas on the road I find it difficult to stay below 160bpm so I must be running faster there. Maybe the treadmill is just reporting the speed/distance incorrectly. I should do a trial running the same distance each at the same HR and seeing if the times are the same.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Bike
My bike was in Datchet, so drove over and managed to get on the road at just after 9am.
Went to Windsor, and did the majority of the Windsor Triathlon course, veering off at the end over to Old Windsor and back to Datchet. I would have had a longer ride, but it was raining a bit, and there was some wind resistance, and after yesterday's run I thought this would be enough. Rain cleared near the end, and it was never really cold, so I got home quite dry.
???Approx stats???
Time 1:40
Diatance 48k
Average speed: 30.5 km/h
Went to Windsor, and did the majority of the Windsor Triathlon course, veering off at the end over to Old Windsor and back to Datchet. I would have had a longer ride, but it was raining a bit, and there was some wind resistance, and after yesterday's run I thought this would be enough. Rain cleared near the end, and it was never really cold, so I got home quite dry.
???Approx stats???
Time 1:40
Diatance 48k
Average speed: 30.5 km/h
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Run
Decided to risk a longer run for the first time since hurting my leg running in Richmond Park.
Went on the clockwise reservoir route, which is about 5 miles. There is a slight extra bit now where Thames Water have built a new road around a big hole, so I cannot compare my time exactly with previous runs.
It was a really hot day, and I rain at lunchtime. I felt really quite good, especially in the last 10 minutes where I wanted to go faster, but held back.
Time - 41 minutes
Went on the clockwise reservoir route, which is about 5 miles. There is a slight extra bit now where Thames Water have built a new road around a big hole, so I cannot compare my time exactly with previous runs.
It was a really hot day, and I rain at lunchtime. I felt really quite good, especially in the last 10 minutes where I wanted to go faster, but held back.
Time - 41 minutes
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Run/Swim
Went to LA Fitness planning to swim really, but it was busy, so I had a run first.
I ran at a sedate 10km/h for about 20 minutes, legs felt fine.
Decided to check the pool, and there were only two people in there, so went in and knocked out 20 lengths (300M).
So, with my usual cycling commute to work, I almost did a sprint triathlon today :-)
I ran at a sedate 10km/h for about 20 minutes, legs felt fine.
Decided to check the pool, and there were only two people in there, so went in and knocked out 20 lengths (300M).
So, with my usual cycling commute to work, I almost did a sprint triathlon today :-)
Planning
My plan all along, since starting triathlon training, has been to do an Ironman event.
Last year was the sprint, and this year I did the olympic distance. Originally I thought a Half-Ironman would be the next logical step. But the training required would be very similar to the full Ironman training, and as I'm not getting any younger, I think now that it makes sense to go straight for the full distance event.
This logic may be flawed - I don't care!
So I thought that maybe a half marathon would be a good mid-term goal to get me on my way. And I discovered one in Windsor, in September. Perfect. Except that it's closed to 'normal' entrants now. I have to pay £125 for the pleasure of a Charity Golden Bond. This is crap. I can understand closing entries when capacity has been reached, but reserving places like this is just rubbish. This is as bad as the charity muggers you see on the high street, manipulating people into signing direct debits to charities they probably don't even care that much about.
The charities involved here are not ones I would ever give money to. Yes, I can't even nominate a charity I do care about, I have to give money to the homeless (CRASH) or to The Prince Philip Trust Fund which last year paid for a church kitchen to be refurbished for gods sake!. It's not cheap either - £125.
It annoys me a lot that this seems to be the case for a lot of running events. The London Marathon is practically impossible to get into unless you wear a chicken suit and say it's for 'charidee mate'. These events have big name sponsors, and every runner pays too, so why do they think they have to play the charity card? Does Madonna refuse to sell you a ticket to her concerts unless you give an extra £100 to charity? Does Manchester United have a compulsory charity tax at their grounds? No, that would be ridiculous. By all means use some of the profits from a race as donations to charity - everyone will contribute equally and still have a fair chance of competing. If the entry fee is too large the event will attract too few runners and not continue in following years, so that should keep things economically priced.
Just open the registration on a certain date, and when you've sold out your capacity, then close it. This is how triathlon works, and I really hope as it becomes more popular they don't go down the charity route too.
So I'm now looking at Humanrace and considering the Kingston Festival instead. It's not 13 miles, its either 8 or 16, and I'm leaning towards the longer distance today.
Last year was the sprint, and this year I did the olympic distance. Originally I thought a Half-Ironman would be the next logical step. But the training required would be very similar to the full Ironman training, and as I'm not getting any younger, I think now that it makes sense to go straight for the full distance event.
This logic may be flawed - I don't care!
So I thought that maybe a half marathon would be a good mid-term goal to get me on my way. And I discovered one in Windsor, in September. Perfect. Except that it's closed to 'normal' entrants now. I have to pay £125 for the pleasure of a Charity Golden Bond. This is crap. I can understand closing entries when capacity has been reached, but reserving places like this is just rubbish. This is as bad as the charity muggers you see on the high street, manipulating people into signing direct debits to charities they probably don't even care that much about.
The charities involved here are not ones I would ever give money to. Yes, I can't even nominate a charity I do care about, I have to give money to the homeless (CRASH) or to The Prince Philip Trust Fund which last year paid for a church kitchen to be refurbished for gods sake!. It's not cheap either - £125.
It annoys me a lot that this seems to be the case for a lot of running events. The London Marathon is practically impossible to get into unless you wear a chicken suit and say it's for 'charidee mate'. These events have big name sponsors, and every runner pays too, so why do they think they have to play the charity card? Does Madonna refuse to sell you a ticket to her concerts unless you give an extra £100 to charity? Does Manchester United have a compulsory charity tax at their grounds? No, that would be ridiculous. By all means use some of the profits from a race as donations to charity - everyone will contribute equally and still have a fair chance of competing. If the entry fee is too large the event will attract too few runners and not continue in following years, so that should keep things economically priced.
Just open the registration on a certain date, and when you've sold out your capacity, then close it. This is how triathlon works, and I really hope as it becomes more popular they don't go down the charity route too.
So I'm now looking at Humanrace and considering the Kingston Festival instead. It's not 13 miles, its either 8 or 16, and I'm leaning towards the longer distance today.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Row/Run
I really wanted (needed) to swim today, but the pool at LA Fitness was packed, probably due to the very warm and humid weather we're having.
So I warmed up with 10 minutes (110kcal) of rowing, and decided to see if my left calf could stand a bit of gentle jogging.
It did!
I ran at a very sedentary 7 km/h (I think it's set to km on those machines) for 20 minutes and my legs were fine. Great news. I'll try a little faster/longer next time.
So I warmed up with 10 minutes (110kcal) of rowing, and decided to see if my left calf could stand a bit of gentle jogging.
It did!
I ran at a very sedentary 7 km/h (I think it's set to km on those machines) for 20 minutes and my legs were fine. Great news. I'll try a little faster/longer next time.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Bike
Set off very early this morning as I knew it would be a really, really hot day.
Left Ascot at 7:50am and headed out to Bracknell and around from there to Twyford/Henley (Regatta today)/Marlow/Bourne End/Maidenhead/Eton and home to Datchet.
Interestingly, met Martyn in a group of (presumably) SBR riders as I was approaching Eton Wick. It was after 10am, a bit of an odd time for them to be setting off.
I was still a bit tired from last night I think, and struggled to maintain my target 30km/h pace. At the lights in Eton it dipped below to 29.3, but I managed to push it back up before reaching home.
Riding in this way is quite good I find for short distances (~40k), but on longer rides modifying your pace upwards to try and raise the average gets harder and harder and more frustrating.
Wore my new jersey (bought yesterday in SBR, actually wore last night too). It's a Giordana in Black/Orange/Grey. I wrote a review of it on the new SBR website, but it hasn't appeared (Note - it has now), so I'll put it down below in this post too. It cost £40 - 10% - and as it's £34.99 on the website, I could have saved a quid!)
Average speed - 30km/h
Time - about 02:30
Distance - about 75km.
[note, watch out for Powerbars, one took a bit off my tooth off this morning)
---
Review: Giordana Tecnical Blend Jersey in Black/Orange/Grey: £40
I wanted something a bit brighter that would make me more visible to motorists, so the orange stripes on this jersey appealed to me.
A benefit I hadn't considered was the zip - unlike my other jerseys, it goes all the way down and opens at the front like a jacket. This means that when you take it off you don't have to pull it over your head spilling your keys/wallet/mobile phone/spare tube all over the floor! There are the usual three open rear pockets, but inside one is a small extra pocket which has a velcro fastening. I can't really think of a use for this - if it was waterproof it would be great to put a phone inside.
It's comfortable, wicks away moisture, and also feels like it's performing some wind protection in the front.
So overall, a great jersey.
Left Ascot at 7:50am and headed out to Bracknell and around from there to Twyford/Henley (Regatta today)/Marlow/Bourne End/Maidenhead/Eton and home to Datchet.
Interestingly, met Martyn in a group of (presumably) SBR riders as I was approaching Eton Wick. It was after 10am, a bit of an odd time for them to be setting off.
I was still a bit tired from last night I think, and struggled to maintain my target 30km/h pace. At the lights in Eton it dipped below to 29.3, but I managed to push it back up before reaching home.
Riding in this way is quite good I find for short distances (~40k), but on longer rides modifying your pace upwards to try and raise the average gets harder and harder and more frustrating.
Wore my new jersey (bought yesterday in SBR, actually wore last night too). It's a Giordana in Black/Orange/Grey. I wrote a review of it on the new SBR website, but it hasn't appeared (Note - it has now), so I'll put it down below in this post too. It cost £40 - 10% - and as it's £34.99 on the website, I could have saved a quid!)
Average speed - 30km/h
Time - about 02:30
Distance - about 75km.
[note, watch out for Powerbars, one took a bit off my tooth off this morning)
---
Review: Giordana Tecnical Blend Jersey in Black/Orange/Grey: £40
I wanted something a bit brighter that would make me more visible to motorists, so the orange stripes on this jersey appealed to me.
A benefit I hadn't considered was the zip - unlike my other jerseys, it goes all the way down and opens at the front like a jacket. This means that when you take it off you don't have to pull it over your head spilling your keys/wallet/mobile phone/spare tube all over the floor! There are the usual three open rear pockets, but inside one is a small extra pocket which has a velcro fastening. I can't really think of a use for this - if it was waterproof it would be great to put a phone inside.
It's comfortable, wicks away moisture, and also feels like it's performing some wind protection in the front.
So overall, a great jersey.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Bike
Did what has become my usual Saturday evening ride over from Datchet to Ascot. Went round through Wraysbury, Staines, then Egham, and up the A30. Turned right before reaching Sunningdale this time up round the edge of Windsor Great Park and into Ascot.
Approx 52 minutes, at 29 km/h
Approx 52 minutes, at 29 km/h
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