Box Hill Original Sportive

08.10.2017

Website - but now points to a different year's event

Early start to drive down to the start to spend the day with Olivia and Luke (and Dima) riding 100 miles around Surrey.

I'm fairly bike fit, and planned to spend the day at Olivia's pace, so wasn't too worried about doing the distance.

I got there really early, and registered (not my own name unfortunately). There was a theoretical cut-off time of 5pm. Olivia got stuck in traffic entering the field/carpark. It would have been good to get off earlier, but we left at 8:35am which seemed OK.

The four of us stayed together for a while, but it was obvious Luke wanted to get away, and that Dima was dropping back. So eventually it was just me and Olivia together in the middle for most of the time

It was quite a good route - flat for 50 miles, and then the promised hills, which were long rather than steep, except for one. The weather was dry, but never warm, and there wasn't much wind. The sun popped out for 5 minutes, but quickly hid behind the clouds again.

At Box Hill, Olivia and I stopped for a few minutes to have a quick chat with my friend Andy who lives there.

The day did wear on, and by the end we were pretty pleased to go through the finish line. It was a well organized event, the food stops were good and signage worked. I'd do it again, though it was a lot flatter than I expected - more hills :)


Olivia and I finished with the same time (by 1 second)

Shiels, Olivia Epic 1261 08:12:32 Bronze
Smith, Neil Epic 1299 08:12:31 Bronze
Maynard, Luke Epic 887 07:39:47 Bronze
Silenko, Dima Epic 1269 08:45:06 Bronze


Links
Results - Rider Times
Strava: Robert Olivia  Luke
Photos were here SportivePhoto

Parkrun #9 - Maidenhead

16.09.2017

Another PB!

Got there early again and did a warmup, maybe 12 minutes. I think I probably finished it a bit soon, as there was a bit of waiting around and I cooled down again.

I met some Evo friends at the start - Stuart and Rob Novell and Phil McMichael - so had a chat with them which was good.

I have a new watch, Garmin 25, so no battery worries this week. Still getting used to it, and it only shows two fields on it's screen at a time, as opposed to the 205 which had 4. So I'm watching my pace and distance - not sure if that's best.

Stuart went off fast, and I tried to keep up but lost him quickly - he was running a lot faster than my normal target pace. But I was going as well as last Parkrun, and towards the mid-race I was catching him.

I slowly overtook on the second lap and put some space between us, just watching my average pace and keeping pushing.

I was surprised to beat my PB (even if only by 1 second) at 20:49, as it didn't feel quite as difficult as last month. Perhaps I'm a bit fitter. Phil had to pull out due to injury, but Stuart and  Rob both also got PBs.

I came 14th again, out of 274 runners.

Links
Strava
Parkrun
Flickr 1 2 3 4
Stuart on Flickr

Parkrun #8 - Maidenhead

12.08.2017

New PB!

I did a much better warmup this week, probably over 10 minutes of normal running, though this isn't recorded as I'm still having battery issues with the Garmin 205 so have to save it for the actual race.

I started out strong and noticed a really good pace after I'd settled into the long straight. I can't remember the details right now as it's been a while, but I see I dipped a bit in the middle section.

But I kept my pace good, and just kept pushing. It was really hard and I did feel a bit like I was running out of oxygen, but I kept going and beat my PB by around 40 seconds.

New time is 20:50. 14th out of 242 finishers.

Links
Strava
Parkrun

Flickr Timelapse start start2 run1 run2

Prudential RideLondon100 2017

30.07.2017 - Prudential RideLondon100 2017


I'm getting pretty used to this one now, having done all previous four events.


There really was no telling what the weather would do, but I think it stopped raining not long before my alarm clock at 4am.


I was showered and out of the house with my coffee and breakfast bagel by 4:15am. I always park in Kensington, it's free on Sundays - except when it isn't. New parking signs on my street meant a mild panic. I drove down a few more streets, and luckily found a new place quite quickly. Phew.


It's about 12 miles to the Olympic Park, I managed to get into Hyde park this year, but rather wish I'd stayed on the A4. The roads were wet, but the pile of mud I rode through left my shoes, bike and legs covered in I know not what (signs nearby said to beware horses crossing!)


I had a 7:05am start and made it to my Green-B pen by the stated 6:05, and slowly we inched forward. It wasn't too cold, but I had kept my thin waterproof and arm warmers. I had left the undershirt in the kit bag though.


My plan was to ride hard this year, and only stop at Newlands Corner if I had to. I took a five hour planner  from the Expo, and stuck it to my bike top tube for inspiration, but didn't seriously think I'd make it.


There are less fast groups around at 7am than at 6am. I cycled mostly alone for quite a while, just finding the odd wheel to follow. I got on the back of one fast group, but the two people in front of me got dropped, and I wasn't quick enough to notice in time, and the group was gone. Near Picadilly another group of about five cyclists in a blue charity jerseys seemed good, but then seemed slow, so I overtook them. They overtook me again a few minutes later, so I grabbed on and decided this was my pace. I stayed with them for about 20 miles. A few other riders had the same idea, so we formed a loose peleton of about 12.


The pace slowed and I grabbed a small group of three, someone else had the same idea and  tagged along just in front of me. We made good speed, but it was a bit fast and they lost me, and I went alone then, and never found a good group again.


I lost my chain at the bottom of the Newlands Corner climb, according to Strava I lost just over one minute, though it'll be a bit longer as I tried to grab leaves from the trees to get the oil off my hands on the way up.


I stopped at the Hub for a comfort break and to pick up supplies. I could have just stuffed my pockets but took time to eat some food there too. I'd drunk nearly 500ml of energy drink, and filled that bottle with water. In all, I would finish that, and about 200ml of my other bottle in the whole 100 miles. I also removed my waterproof jacket and put it in my back pocket.


My legs were tired - my longest ride this year is only 100k and I was approaching that. I hadn't really expected to do the ride, and was training for last week's triathlon. but I was OK, and though my pace slowed a bit here it wasn't bad. Leith Hill was crowded as usual, and I sneaked past people on the right practically in the trees. Box Hill was good, no one passed me there, except once near the top, and I overtook him again.


Coming back towards town I checked my five hour schedule, and noticed I wasn't far off the time.  I followed a pair of riders for a short time, but was alone most of the time. I pushed hard after Wimbledon Hill was behind me, hoping that maybe it would be 157km instead of 160km and I'd make it in under five hours. There were a few holdups where we were stopped to allow traffic/pedestrians to cross, but I was only slightly affected by this.


As I came past Vauxhall I knew I'd miss five hours, but in the end, it was close - I sprinted for the line to get 5:02:57.

London Triathlon 2017

London Triathlon 2017 - No 7792


I've had quite a good preparation for this. I can swim the distance, and have practiced in the London dock where the race takes place. I've done plenty of cycling, and a few 16 mile time trials. My running is OK, and I'm happy with 22 minutes at 5km Parkruns. I've managed few 5 mile runs in training too. I'm not super fast, but I was ready.


I went up the night before and stayed with Olivia in her house near the Excel. I cycled in the morning, nice and early, with her boyfriend Luke and friend Abby, for our 8.05am wave start.


We got down to the jetty in plenty of time and jumped into the water. It was a bit cold as it seeped into my wetsuit, and I only had a couple of minutes to acclimatize. I tried to get the Garmin Fenix3 watch to find a satellite, but it kept going red when I put my arm in the water. I managed to get some green signals and hoped it was Ok, and then we were off.


Slow and steady, bilateral breathing as much as possible, trying not to get kicked too much, I plodded down to the far end of the dock. I found some space, but then fast swimmers came from behind from the second half of our wave. I'm used to that, at least they don't do breaststroke. After the turnaround, the way back to the Excel seemed to go on forever. I felt slightly sick for a minute, but it passed. I knew I was way back, but was a bit disappointed with over 39 minutes.


I spent too long getting my wetsuit off, and also too long trying to put my sunglasses on with one hand. Olivia, Luke and Abby were already long gone. T1 3:39.


The bike was a lot of fun. After yesterday's thunderstorms, everything had dried up, and it turned into a nice day. Cycling through London up to Westminster on closed roads is great. I haven't done it on my TT bike before, just on my road bike during the Prudential RideLondon100 events. Sadly, both the Fenix3 and the Garmin on my bike failed to find satellites, so I can't compare my segment times on Strava. For the first time ever I think, I was cycling blind, just knowing my time since T1, and that my target was 1:06.


I saw Olivia coming towards me, only about a minute from the Westminster turnaround. Now I had a visible target. It still took a while to catch her. It's a 1.5 loop course, so I was able to make some estimates of my finish time and felt confident I'd manage my estimate, but 1:02:59 was a bit fast - I am sure now that the course is shorter than 40km.


I didn't see Luke, and his bike was in transition already. My T2 was better, at 2:44, as there is quite a bit of running.


The 10k run takes place over three fairly flat loops. There is a run up a ramp into the Excel at the end of each lap, but it's not too bad. I pushed hard, and was getting very warm by now. At the end of lap one I saw Anna and Lyra cheering me on. I can't be sure now, but I think I started the second lap after 14 minutes. I passed quite a lot of people, a few passed me. I gave my hat to Anna at the end of the second lap, and was disappointed in my time, it was about 30 minutes. I speeded up. I was trying to catch Luke but didn't actually know what he was wearing. Near the end of my third lap I overtook Olivia on her second - she was doing well - I gave as much encouragement as I could muster - not a lot.


Arriving in the finish chute, someone had the cheek to overtake me - I found another gear and left him for dust.


I'd beaten my Olympic distance triathlon record, which is 2:32 and change. Not by a lot, but enough.


After I got my medal, I had a pint of free alcohol free beer, and went to find Anna and Lyra. We waited and watched Olivia finish. Eventually we found Luke and discovered that I must have overtaken him on my last lap, as he finished just behind me. Abby was on a heavy mountain bike (I wouldn't like to have done it on that) and finished about an hour later.




My official time is 2:31:55 with splits of 39:16, 3:39, 1:02:59, 2:44, 43:19


Links
Strava - Swim - T1 - Bike - T2 - Run :  disappointingly, the triathlon watch didn't pick up any GPS


Official - Sporthive, Olivia


photos (for now) Marathon Photos

Parkrun #7 - Maidenhead

24.06.2017


Over three months since my last Parkrun. Saturday mornings are difficult.


It has been a very warm week with record temperatures, but today was a bit cooler and there was even a very slight hint of drizzle. Perfect conditions.


I met my friend Hank at the start, doing it with two of his kids. We got a selfie.


There was a new start line, further back from the path where we all funnel into a small space. This is a good idea, it gives the field a chance to spread out a bit and reduces the bottleneck effect there.


I started well, and as usual only looked at my time after about 1/2 a mile - I was on 6:45 minute mile pace, quite surprised. Some days you feel good, and some days I find it a struggle to do even 7:45 pace.


I relaxed a little, and didn't lose any speed until the start of the second lap. But then I picked up the pace again and finished strongly.


A new Maidenhead PB of 21:40, and very close to my best Parkrun at Portrush of 21:33


Quite pleased with this - maybe I am getting fitter. Have to do 10k at London Triathlon though.




Links
Strava
Parkrun
Flickr 1 2 3 4 5 6 - maybe a few more small ones in the Maidenhead Parkrun group

Parkrun #6 - Maidenhead

My aim this week was to get a faster time than last week, and to still be in control. I managed it.

I had a Nutrigrain bar for breakfast with a coffee, and then a gel 20 minutes before the race. I did a 5-10 minute warm-up run. This is probably not enough. I might go earlier next time and warm up for longer.

The ground was very wet, and I got a bit bogged down at the start and wasn't in a good position tactically. By the time I reached the straight where it opens out, I was a good 10-15 seconds behind the pace. But I'm not sure it really matters that much, as I'm running to average pace. I watched my speed, and noticed I'd settled quite comfortably into 6:58 min/mile - 10 seconds faster than last week.

I maintained my pace as well as possible - it was very hard to get past people, due to the mud and narrow paths, and this slowed me down in places. I went a bit fast around one corner and nearly slipped in the mud. I tried to get past one man near the end, who saw me, speeded up and blocked me - very annoying as he just slowed down again and I went past anyway, but it messed up my flow. But I kept to approximately 7 min/mile all the way.

After the final bend, I sprinted for home, feeling good, and finished at 6:57 min/mile pace. I was very careful not to let the person sprinting behind me get past and take my place, and I didn't sneak in front of the woman ahead even though I could have done - she was running fast on the back straight and overtook me, and deserved it.

Result 21:57 - 19th overall out of 252.

Links
Strava
Parkrun
Some photos on Flickr include me

Parkrun #5 - Maidenhead

Parkrun Maidenhead - 25.02.2017

So much for me doing more frequent Parkruns. Nearly 2 months later though, I made it.

It was a fairly Ok morning weatherwise for the time of year. Shorts and a long sleeved top were enough.

I decided again to keep a steady pace, trying to remain controlled and not struggling. My Garmin averaged about 7 minute miles initially and settled down to 7:10. I felt comfortable there, so maintained that speed for the two laps.

I overtook a few people on the second lap, and after the small incline, sprinted for home finishing with a 7:08 pace.

Disappointed that this speed only gave me 35th place, my worst ever, but glad I'm managing to stick to my plan and not chase faster times just for the sake of it. I would like to try a 7:05 pace next time I think if the conditions are right.

I came 35th out of 262 in a time of 22:32 - my slowest Parkrun to date, again.

Links:
Parkrun and news with photo here or Flickr
Strava

Parkrun #4 - Maidenhead

Parkrun Maidenhead - 01.01.2017

Christmas came and went and I didn't do a Parkrun, or even that much exercise.

New Year's day wasn't a Saturday, but they put on a special race so i made the effort to go.

I decided that I'm going to try more 5k races without putting pressure on myself for fast times, so this was the start of that.

It was another dry day, though muddy, and I've done this course before last November, so I felt fairly comfortable. I started a little faster than last time to try and get a position in front of any runners with dogs. I failed but got past in the first kilometer. After the adrenaline from the start had gone, and i felt tired, I let myself slow a little rather than pushing. On the second lap I saw a girl ahead, and a man with a buggy and I slowly gained on them. My shoe lace came undone, but I ignored it. Half a kilometer from the end  I found a chance and got past the woman, buggy, and a boy as well.

I was feeling Ok, and though there were a coupe of people I thought I might be able to catch, I maintained my position to the end without a sprint. But as I entered the finish chute, the boy had decided he did want to sprint, and shot past me and took my token. I did beat him, so the volunteers should have stopped him really, but this also happened to me in Portrush on my first Parkrun. It's annoying, but not the end of the world. I won't let it happen again.

As expected, my place wasn't as good as last time (I'm sad about that, but it was deliberate).

I came 32nd out of 188 in a time of 22:12 - my slowest Parkrun to date.

Links
Parkrun
Strava
Flickr - Photos of me here, here and a few others.
Blog7t - someone else's blog, with a photo of me.

[As an aside, my aim is to get better acquainted with my 5k racing so that I can understand how I'm feeling  more, and know when I'm having a good day and when it's worth pushing for a good time. I want to beat 20 minutes this year. I don't know if Maidenhead is the place to do that - the small hill is hard and technical as it twists around a bit, so you lose your momentum - but we'll see]