Cliveden Cross Country 10k 2020

12.01.2020 = Cliveden 10k


After a long steady period of run training, I was feeling ready for Cliveden this year.

Then on Thursday I pulled my left calf, and also got a severely painful cramp in it, which left me walking with a limp.

So decided not to go. I even had a late night on Saturday with a few glasses of wine.

But I woke on race day at about 6am, and really didn't like the thought of not going, after having waited two years since the last one.

There would be a good crowd from my Triathlon club, Evo
It would be a fun day out.
I'd entered the race
I'd paid for the race
I wanted my finisher t-shirt!

Sitting in the car park at 8:15am, with heavy rain pouring down (which was not forecast) I slightly regretted driving over :)

But it was fairly warm at 9 degrees, and the rain stopped in enough time for me to go and sign in and make my way to the start. One cheese bagel and a small coffee for breakfast, a gel and a sip of water 30 minutes before the race, for the record.

Wearing my new Inov-8 trail shoes - not really so new now of course, but still feeling new to me.

My plan was to do a steady pace, not too fast, just running for as long as I could before the pain got too bad. I was heel striking so as not to stretch the calf much, and I was prepared to stop after lap one.

The soft muddy surfaces were best for me, and also the climbs. Flats and downhills put the most pressure on my leg.

At the infamous Cliveden steps for the first time, I was surprised my pace wasn't bad, and my leg was holding out. I even noticed I was gaining on Stuart from Evo ahead. I watched my HR, and power walked almost it all. This is not a bad strategy as you keep some strength.

I just kept running, and the leg kept hurting, but it was OK. Maybe the paracetamol I took with breakfast was masking the pain a bit. I played cat and mouse with Richard from Evo, and eventually caught up with Stuart and overtook him. Richard took a tumble on a corner and I also overtook him.

At mile five, my late night caught up with me and I was tired. Richard passed me again going up the penultimate climb, where I could only walk. My HR jumped to 172 on the steps, and I didn't even try to catch Richard there. I took one wrong step (forefoot strike on a step) and nearly lost my calf. Remembered to heel strike for the rest of the way. But I did exactly the same time going up as lap one.

No sprint finish, just glad to get there in one piece. It's a shame I couldn't give it a proper go this year, again. I did my best and avoided both the DNS and DNF and had time to actually look around a bit during the run, which was nice. The sun even came out while we were running.

Results look like this:
121 584 Robert Shiels 10k 00:51:55 Male 102 50-59 21
Placed 121st out of 593, I think 3rd in my club. 21st in the 50-59 category. 102nd male. 51:55 is 3.5 minutes slower than last time.


[2018 results]
[103 601 Robert Shiels 10k 00:48:27 Male 91 50-59 17]
[Placed 103rd out of 601. 17th in the 50-59 category. 91st male.]

Notes: I didn't want to wear my dark prescription sunglasses, so wore one contact lens. (none in the other eye so that I can read my Garmin). These lenses are not good now, and I spent a lot of time blinking to get it to stay in place. I need a proper running/cycling solution for seeing where I am going.
I wore leggings, and two layers on top, short sleeves. It was hard to decide, I could have worn less. My hands were cold for the first mile or so though. My running cap was probably not necessary either, but I like it.

Links

Burnam Joggers Results

Strava Cliveden

Google Photos
Flickr Chris Drew

Note 24.01.2020 - I took things easy for a few days after this, then went for a short, slow run. My calf seemed OK.  I did  some cycling on the turbo, then another run, faster this time, yesterday. My calf is back to normal. I was convinced this had been the same injury that has usually left me in pain for 3-5 weeks. Did my Cliveden effort actually mend the calf? Was I so nervous about the race that my mind invented the pain so that I could ease off and not stress. Weird if either of those is true.

Parkrun #14 - Maidenhead

Parkrun #14 - Maidenhead

New Year's Day 2020 and a special Parkrun - the 250th one at Braywick in Maidenhead.

I'm living a it further away now so it's not my closest (that's Bracknell), but it started at the later time of 10.30 am which was good after a late night yesterday.

I met a load of Evo members, Stuart & Rob, Barbara, Alan, Rich and others which was a surprise. It was good not to be on my own for a change.

I started well and got a good position without any real congestion - some of those behind me said that the 600+ people, some with buggies and dogs, made it hard to get any speed up and there were even places where they had to walk.

I was hoping for a time of 22 minutes, and so slowed a little after my 6:45 min/mile initial pace down to a fairly steady 7:15. My mental arithmetic was wrong though, more later.

I saw Izzy just ahead of me and David Dyer who is one of the course directors. I felt quite comfortable and was confident that I would be fine to keep at this pace until the finish - I've done a lot of running recently and am getting better at pacing.

Izzy pulled away, but David slowed a little on the back straight and I overtook him. A short time later though he went past me again! I overtook once more on the back straight - again, and then approached the small hill at the end of the second and final lap. speeded up and overtook a few people. A new left turn at he top of the hill approached a circular run round to the finish chute. With 100m to go I overtook a runner who did not want to be overtaken - I really had to sprint my hardest.
But even with that sprint and my pace improved to 7:06 I was still outside my 22 minutes goal, at 22:14.

I came 45th overall, out of 625 finishers.
Strava link
Parkrun link

In hindsight, I should have set myself a 7 minute mile pace, and I probably could have done it for the sub 22 minute, but I didn't want to suffer so much, and I'm happy I had a good run. I was 2nd Evo - Izzy was over a minute ahead.

Parkrun #13 - Bracknell

Parkrun #13 - Bracknell

A longer gap than I wanted since the last Parkrun, which was April in Northern Ireland. That's over six months! It has been a pretty busy time though, what with the house move.

I've been doing a lot of off road running in Ascot recently, and noticed that this Parkrun, being my nearest now, has a varied terrain, more later on that. There was some rugby match on TV this morning which everyone was talking about. There were also a lot of race cancellations due to high wind and rain. It was obvious then that I'd pick today :)

After a short drive I easily found the start. It wasn't much fun getting out of the warm car, but I had my thin waterproof, and hat, so I was OK. I did a quick jog around a bit of the course - up a muddy path and into some trees. It was warm enough for shorts, but I knew my legs were going to get dirty.

I joined the newcomers briefing, and discovered this was an two lap clockwise route, replacing an anti-clockwise 2.5 lap one. A good day to come.

Despite the slight drizzle, I decide to run without my jacket to avoid any overheating.

We started running slightly uphill, the same way I'd practiced in fact, and having not seeded myself properly I had a bit of overtaking to do on the narrow path. Into the trees and I'd just about found my place. It was fun, if slow, weaving through the dense wood, with deep pine-cone matting underfoot. Back out and into the wind and rain again we approached the start pavilion, and went past it down to some football pitches through the soggy grass.

Completing the approximate figure 8 we got to lap two. I had slowed a little by now but by the end of this ascent and back in the trees I picked the pace up a little and overtook a couple of people, even though I got hit in the head by what must have been a falling pine cone. I gained one more place just near the pavilion before going on for the final section.  I kept this position until the finish.

I just kept going, looking over my shoulder a little occasionally to make sure I wouldn't be caught. I gained on the man in front, but had no fight in me to chase for one more place. The varied terrain of muddy path, waterlogged grass, and bed of pine cones saps your leg strength.

I expected to be about 20th, so was pretty surprised not only by the distance (my watch said 1/10 of a mile to go) but also by being handed token number 11. I'm told the course is the correct length, but GPS watches get confused in the trees - I'm prepared to believe this.

After the run, view of the start/finish pavilion, and part of course

I came 11th out of 201, with a time of 22:21. Admittedly, lots of faster runners probably stayed at home and watched TV. Still, it's my best time this year!

Strava: Link
Parkrun: Link

HalfX Triathlon 2019

HalfX

I didn't want to write this report.

Perhaps I have repressed earlier memories, but as far as I remember I have never failed to finish a race, until now.

Excuses are plentiful, mostly around tiredness and lack of training from moving house and poor weather.

Race day is a Sunday, so we arrived near Ambleside late on Friday night after the long drive. I relaxed on Saturday, and Anna had a swim nearby. It was sunny and warm. I registered, had a nice dinner, and got to bed on time for the early start. Big thanks to Lars here for arranging accommodation, it was great.

At the transition at 7am, it started pouring with rain. I put my wetsuit on and stood there miserably with everyone else. The forecast had been right - more downpours were expected.

I waded into the lake (Windermere) for the deep water start. It wasn't as cold as last year. I have done a lot of lake training so I had no real expectations of trouble. But a couple of minutes after the start I suddenly found I couldn't breathe. I stopped and tried again. And again. And again. Nothing was working, I couldn't even breast stroke. The other swimmers were quickly pulling away as I'd seeded myself at the back as usual. There was only one thing to do. Give up. With a heavy heart I turned around.

One of the canoe marshals saw me and came over. I told him my intention. He was calm and helpful, said to hold onto the canoe for a short time and relax. I did this and worked out what I'd done wrong. Despite 15 years of triathlons, I'd made the rookie mistake of going off too fast - my lungs literally didn't have enough oxygen. Once my heart had stopped racing, I decided to have another try, I'd come a long way and trained very hard. This time I kept my stroke rate slow and measured, remembering my training. This time, it worked.

I think I was in last position, but only by a little. I aimed for the swimmer in front, and churned out the meters. By the turnaround point I'd caught my target. I pulled away and I didn't see him again - I'm not sure he finished. Now I was alone, and the swimmers in front were distant splashes in the dim rain. I found it very difficult to stay on course, and sighted often. This slowed my pace even more than usual. I knew my stamina would get me to the finish, but it took a long, long time.

When I eventually exited the water, I'd been in for around 1 hour, about 11 minutes longer than last year.

I took my single contact lens out, got changed into clothes that were already wet from the rain, and headed out on the bike, in more rain. I was fine for short time, but once the climbing started, my eyes started to sting. It was difficult going up the steep hill with one hand on the bars, the other rubbing my eyes. My sunglasses were steamed up, and also far too dark for these conditions. They are prescription, so I need them to actually see where I am going, but I had to take them off and cycle without for a while. This wasn't very safe.

Eventually I reached the top, where some friends were waiting to cheer. Rachel got water and poured it into my red eyes to see if it would clean whatever was causing the irritation. I started the descent. This was a little better, but I still could not see well. Near the bottom I went into some dense trees and it was as if it was midnight for me in my dark glasses With car headlights approaching me, and big puddles in front, this wasn't good.

After one hour the route had taken me back to transition, and I thought about cycling for another 4-5 hours like this. And then a half marathon. I was tired and my eyes were still stinging. I pulled in. I stood around for a few minutes, washed my face again, then told the desk I was out.

I went back to the hotel and had a shower, a lie down on the sofa, and some pasta for lunch.

Feeling better, I got myself dressed and Anna took me back to Ambleside. The heavy rain had stopped, but the transition area had flooded and all my food, and rucksack had been submerged. Putting the rucksack on and having the cold water drip down my back wasn't nice; it dripped for the next 3 hours. Kevin had made the same decision as me and pulled out of the bike, but came back for the run. We waited a little while for some friends to get back from the bike leg, and went out for the half marathon. I knew it wouldn't count, except for myself.

It was great seeing everyone around the course. Disappointingly, the weather was too poor at the very top of the hill, so rather than running there and back for one lap, we were doing half the distance, but two laps. Annoyingly, this meant the steepest climb and descent twice too. Not getting to the very top made it less of an experience.

I was more run fit than last year, and had not cycled the full course, so I felt pretty good all the way around. The climb was still very hard, but I had enough to eat, and drink this year. I have a new running rucksack from Decathlon, and water bladders, both worked well. My second lap was slower than the first, the rain had started again, it was starting to get dark and the rocks were slippery. But I got to the finish with no incident and my Inov-8 running shoes were great.

Me and Kevin at the finish.

I'm very disappointed not to have finished. It's now 2020, and I still have not been on my bike again which says a lot. I have entered again, as this year it is in July, but I'm only about 50% sure I'll go.

Result
163 DNF ROBERT SHIELS EVI TRI CLUB MALE V50 01:00:17 07:43

TriathlonX
Swim Time - 1:00:17 - I didn't time it to save battery on my Garmin watch.
T1 Time7:43
Strava - Bike Section - Time not important, but 53:14 with The Struggle as the climb.
Strava - Run Section - Time 2:52:30

Prudential Ride London 2019

Prudential Ride London 2019

View of the Olympic Park and route at 4.20am

I've done less cycling training this year than any other year and I thought about not doing this event. However, I had paid, twice (due to having to postpone last year), and it's not easy getting a ballot place. I then thought maybe I'd just turn up and have a nice ride, maybe join some friends and enjoy the freedom of the open roads.

But as usual, I did do the ride, and rather than taking it easy, I pushed harder than ever.

Me at the start

I had an early night and woke up next morning just after 3.30 am. I stayed at Olivia's flat only a 10 minute ride from the start so I had plenty of time. I drank some water, and ate half a cheese sandwich, couldn't face the rest. The remainder of my breakfast was a small banana The 5:52 start was prompt, and the weather was perfect at 15 degrees with little wind.

I can't go full speed from cold, and all the groups that formed were really sprinting. It took me a while to find some riders I could join, but once I got going I had a good run through early morning London. Saw a rider who was a similar speed to me (No 1001) and only lost him completely around the Newlands Corner climb.

It took just over an hour to get to Kingston, and my average speed had risen to 39km/h. I have a record on this course of just over five hours, which I found difficult at the time. I didn't realistically think it was possible to beat this today, until I got here. The section after Hampton Court is where I always struggle as the excitement of London is over, and the adrenaline depletes. But I was still feeling strong, and didn't get dropped by the group I was with, so I started thinking I could beat five hours here, and decided to go for it.

All went to plan and I had fun to Newlands Corner. I knew stopping would probably kill my chances of 5 hours, so even though the first real hill of the day was hard, I kept going over the top.

However, I'd lost the large group I'd been in, and my legs were tiring. My average speed started to drop. I couldn't get onto another group, and spent time on my own. Leith Hill was hard, and even Box Hill was a struggle. I've not done these climbs on very tired legs before.

After Box Hill there is only 30 miles to go. I had some niggling pain in my knees, and my right ankle for some reason. My back was stiff but that wasn't affecting my riding pace. I found a nice fast group eventually to take me into Kingston, then lost it on the Coombe Lane climb. Jumping onto the back of passing groups was taking a bigger effort than I was able to make.

My average speed was dropping to around 34-5 km/h, and I'd just about run out of liquids. I started the ride with 500 ml of water with an electrolyte tablet in it, and another 500ml bottle with 4 gels in topped up with water. On a cold day this would have been fine, but it was getting warmer by Wimbledon, maybe 21 degrees. Also my only food so far, a large Kendal Mint Cake, had just finished. I had more food, but didn't want to waste time and effort taking it out and opening it. I need to make my food easier to eat if I do this again.

I was getting tired and sore but was sure I'd make my target time. Found another group on the Embankment, who were not going really fast, but at least they could help me get home. Emptied my reserve tank with a final sprint down The Mall and was really pleased with my 4:38:05 time. Maybe with some proper training I can beat 4:30!

Because of my third wave start (B-Blue), and not stopping at all, I was one of the early finishers and so there was plenty of space to take my time at the end. No photographers this year however, but some tourists took my photo for me.

Me at the finish on The Mall

Results : Strava Official Prudential Results

Parkrun #12 - Portrush

14/04/2019

Semi annual Portrush Parkrun time.

Dropped Lyra with my Mum and drove down with Anna.

It was bright and breezy - very breezy, with gusts of 40mph - and around 5 degrees. Quite cold so I wore my light waterproof. over a t-shirt and shorts.

Bridge

The tide was out so there was a good hard surface of sand; I went for a quick warm-up down the beach. There is a small river of water going down to the sea, and a little bridge is placed for people to use to keep their feet dry. I decided I'd use it.

The start was directly into the wind - I went straight for the bridge, which was a mistake. It took me up the beach a little away from most of the runners who decided to risk wet feet. I didn't have the any and would have been better hiding behind some people to save energy.

It was really hard and I was slow. My HR was about 160 bpm as I slogged my way up the beach towards the White Rocks, but my minutes per mile were way down. It took me 12:51 to get to the turnaround.

Some runners

Finally the wind was on my back. I took some advantage of this, but my legs were tired so not as much as if I'd been fresh. Still, it was interesting, and in places I felt like I was running down a steep hill. My HR stayed at about 160 bpm, then with 1/2 a kilometer to go I pushed for home and got it up to 170. My return time was about 2 minutes faster than going out.

I came 35th  out of 232 runners.with a time of 23:46 (one of my poorest results). Last year I was 29th with 21:51 (278 runners) so maybe it was just the wind that I can't handle as I lost all my time there.


Links Strava
Parkrun

Evans RideIT London 2019

Evans RideIT London 2019

Seems like a long time since my last challenge, the Triathlon X in September 2018. This is fairly tame in comparison, but I was secretly hoping for poor weather (like snow maybe, which we had only a week or two previously) so I did no proper preparation for this 73 mile bike ride.

Olivia bought it for me for my birthday, and she and Luke joined me at the start which was a fairly short drive away at Osterley Park.

Me, Olivia and Luke at the start - Osterley Park

The weather was 6 degrees, but was forecast to go up to 13 degrees - so we dressed quite warmly, and as expected, overheated a little later in the day. My brand new Castelli Perfetto jacket (also a birthday present) did a great job in its maiden outing.

The route headed out of London west, then north into the Chilterns, then looped around some hills and came back through Eton and Datchet. It was supposed to be flattish, but had a couple of fairly nasty steep hills.

We kept it steady and stayed together. I got to see some familiar roads and a few interesting new ones too - I may try to build some of them into my usual long rides.

Near Slough

We had a stop after 20 miles, and I stuffed my face with cake. I hardly drank any water, maybe 700 ml the whole day. The road surfaces were damp mostly everywhere, so descents and corners had to be taken very slowly. After another 30 miles or so we stopped at Evans on the A4 for more cake and a very welcome comfort break at Costa next door.

After a quick stop in Eton to say 'hi' to Anna and Lyra who came out to support*, we headed back east to Osterley Park and the finish, in just over 6 hours.

Me back at the finish

I wasn't too tired really, but was aching a little in my arms (triceps), and right knee and ankle - nothing serious.

Strava
Evans Website Results

Photo Neil Taylor Kasia
* I was running the Glympse app on my phone, so Anna could track our position - it worked well enough for her to meet us.

Triathlon X - Half X

Triathlon X - 30.09.2018

View near the top of the run

So I did the toughest half ironman race in the world Triathlon X! And I did quite well, placing about half way in my age group, and overall.

Here's a 'brief' race report, the long report is way too boring.

This race is really hard on paper. It's a normal distance Half Ironman, but the 1.9km swim in Lake Windermere has water of around 13 degrees C, which is cold. The 90km bike route has six hill climbs at over 20%, and the steepest pass in England at 33%. Finally the run is a half marathon up a 1000 foot mountain, over rough terrain. It sounds horrible, and I was a bit scared.

Me, Pelle, Mette, and Lars training

I went to Wasdale a few days before the race to acclimatise with friends and fellow racers.
Waswater is the deepest lake in England, and it was beautiful, refreshing, but cold. I was shaking when I got out, even though the sun was shining. When I got to Ambleside I bought a warm hat to wear under my swim cap - I already have neoprene boots for my feet. My bike preparation was all done in the weeks beforehand by finding the hardest hills in my area, and cycling up and down them until I got bored. As to running, well, any run over 2 miles since August has caused a painful calf injury - so I've only managed 5k runs recently. My last run over 10k was several years ago. 21k up a steep mountain  - unknown territory.

Swim start, new warm cap

The weather in the Lake District is variable at best.
The morning came and it looked OK - overcast, but not windy, and not raining. I'd been very apprehensive about choppy water - thankfully it was like the proverbial millpond. I focused on the day ahead. I got into the lake for the deep-water start, and we were off. I thought I was being sensible, staying at the back, not rushing. But something happened after about 5 minutes. Suddenly I couldn't get my breath and I couldn't front crawl. I felt a bit dizzy. I breaststroked. Severe doubts about whether I could go on - I almost asked a nearby marshal in a kayak to take me home. It's not the first time I've felt like this - it's happened in triathlons and in cold water training. But I thought about how much effort it had taken to get there, and how disappointed I'd be if I gave up. After a minute or two I tried swimming front crawl again, it was manageable. I passed the first buoy, at least I was making some progress. There were still swimmers near me (some kicking me, and swimming sideways past me). I kept going. I never felt so bad again, though the worry was always there - was it too cold for me? Will I get dizzy again? Eventually I found myself alone, seeing swimmers in the distance ahead. Was I in last place? So many questions, your mind has nothing else to do when swimming long distances. I got to the finish after about 50 minutes with relief - and checked my watch, not as bad a time as I'd expected.

In transition, I noticed that it had been raining during the swim. I dried myself as much as possible, and got dressed. I saw some friends - they were taking their time changing into cycling gear too and it was good to know I wasn't that far behind them.

I was cold and a bit wobbly for the first few minutes on the bike. Luckily (!), almost immediately it was time for the first big 20% climb of the day - aptly named "The Struggle" - surely this would warm me up. As is normal for me, being a slow swimmer, I was behind the good swimmers who are slower cyclists. I started to overtake people on the ride. I'm a good climber, and most other people hate it. I was surprised to see some friends already, and passed about four of them here. The great thing about a mass start triathlon is that anyone you overtake and stay ahead of is one place gained on the leader board. They are not in a different wave, you don't need to do mental calculations, you are actually ahead. Of course, the same applies if you get overtaken again :)

Coming back down to Ambleside after the climb I started to get a bit cold in the wind, but my Gabba cycling top, and arm warmers did the job - I never felt too cold all the ride.

Enjoying the climb up Wryenose

The climbs are very, very hard, so my plan was to take it steady on any flat portions. It wasn't till the next steep bit that I passed another friend, and the next one, Wrynose East,  where I finally caught Lars, the person responsible for me being there (thanks Lars!). He overtook me again later as he is faster on the flat, and we swapped places till I finally lost him on the return climb up Hard Knott pass west. I caught another friend from my triathlon club there as well.

It started to rain a bit and the wind picked up too. The descents were treacherous - I know some people fell on the slippery surfaces, and one required an ambulance. It didn't help that there were so many cars on the single track roads, or that one had spilled oil on the steepest section. But we had supporters on the hills, cheering and playing music - that was very nice to see.

I got down safely, and was feeling good - I sprinted the last few kilometers into transition. The hardest 90km I've ever done was in the bag.

I again took my time in transition. The biggest unknown for me was this half marathon. Because we climb up into the mountains, we have to be prepared for dangerous weather which can suddenly appear. I had my mandatory rucksack packed with raincoat, leggings, water, food, map, compass and whistle, and emergency foil blanket. Running with this on my back would be a new first for me.

I ran a little way out of town, and when we crossed the main road into quieter lanes, took out my cheese and ham bagel for a well deserved snack. I walked a bit, ran a bit. The sun was out, then it started to rain - I put on my raincoat, then took it off again. I reached the mountain section and Nikki from my club was there with biscuits. She told me I was 2nd in the club to go past her - wow!

Raining on the run

It was a very steep climb - I had no chance to run, and no energy. As we got higher the views over Windermere, and in every direction, got better and better. Eventually the terrain became less technical, and some running was possible. Here I caught up with Pelle, another friend, but not in my triathlon club. There were many false summits where I thought I'd got there, only to see a long track going up again in the distance. The wind really picked up, the rain turned to sleet, and the temperature dropped to about 3 degrees. I didn't care - just pulled my raincoat hood tighter. It was fun to see Pelle. We didn't really run together, but we raced each other and made it to the top at the same time. Too good an opportunity to miss, the sun came out, and we got an amazing photo.

Descending

Going back down I slipped on wet rock and hurt my leg a little, and a finger (which went black over the next few days, and still hurts nearly two weeks later). I was more cautious after that, and Pelle with his walking poles, and his experience (he'd done this race many times before) gradually pulled away from me. I was feeling OK to run on any flat and downhill bits, but the very steep section was slippery so I was slow and careful.

At the final road section towards the finish I could only run for short periods before needing to stop and walk.I was definitely dehydrated by now but my water was at the bottom of my rucksack. I met a few others here, overtook one, and got overtaken. Finally found enough energy to run into town.

Finished!

Anna and Lyra and the rest of the supporters were there cheering.

And I got the biggest medal ever!

Some numbers:

63rd out of 132 competitors
Bib 157
Swim 49:21 T1 8:59 Bike 4:23:48 T2 7:44 Run 3:28:31 Final Time 8:58:24

Full Results here, for now.
Strava Swim Bike Run

Photos from the amazing Coast to Coast