MDCC 10TT 09/06/2011

My first MDCC time trial of the year, out on the H10/2 course between Maidenhead and Twyford on the A4.

My time of 26.26 is 3 seconds slower than the same course last year. However, I must remind myself that I get better during the season, so this is actually not too bad.

Results
MDCC

Belfast City Marathon 2011

Having completed Reading Half Marathon, I kept on training with some friends from my triathlon club who had upcoming marathons. The training was going well, and a couple of weeks ago I saw that Belfast Marathon was still taking entries. So I decided to give it a go.

In with my other training I managed a slow 20 mile run and a fast 16 mile run in the few weeks beforehand - the 16 miler at 7:10 pace. Getting very obsessed with my pacing now I have it on my wrist with the Garmin 205 :) So I was feeling quite confident that 20 miles at pace was doable, and that if I could hang on for the final six miles and not hit the wall I had a chance of getting 3:15. 3:15 is the magic time as this is the limit for getting a "Good For Age" place in the London Marathon for next year; I've missed out on the ballot for that two years in a row.

Did a good 10 mile run about a week from the race, and a very easy 6-7 on the Wednesday and then pretty much tapered. Drank a lot of orange squash, and ate a lot of pasta. Gave up caffeine and alcohol for two weeks as well. good preparation and got to race day in good shape.

9:05 was start time, so got up at 6:30 and had some Oatso Simple porridge, a banana, and 500ml of caffeinated sports drink before 7am. Drove up to Belfast with my family and parked the car at a relation's house. This was a great idea, Frazer and Eileen gave me a cup of coffee (a mistake, it was too close to the starting time) and drove me right to the start line.

I'd been given a lot of advice about starting out easy. I knew that after about 16 miles my pace would slow no matter how hard I was trying. The only way to get my 3:15 was to go out fast and then try to hang on, so that's what I did. I watched my average speed throughout - it was 6:48 for about the first 9 miles - and I was feeling OK. I took a gel at mile 6 and a few sips from cups of water at every drink station.

Then we hit the hardest part of the race - it was starting to get hot, and we had a 5 mile climb. I watched my speed slow down, but was pretty happy it didn't go down quickly. By the top of the hill my average was still 6:54 and by the half marathon my time was approximately 1:31. Apart from a small bump at mile 25, there were only downhill and flat sections ahead, so I had my second gel and sped up and got my average down to 6:52 again.

The long coast path by the side of the motorway was probably the hardest section. I was feeling thirsty (I think I didn't get a drink for about 6 miles) and it got a bit lonely with no supporters and very few other runners in sight. I guessed this must mean I was doing quite well.

Arrived back in Belfast centre and finally got a drink - stopped and took a few seconds to down a whole cupful. Only 5 miles to go.

By this stage, I could now feel the fatigue kicking in. My average pace was dropping very slowly, maybe a second a mile. I wasn't too worried by this as the markings on my wrist said that I was well on track for my 3:15, probably even 3:10. But it was hot now and I was bored. I wanted to drink or eat more but had nothing left and didn't want to lose time at the water stations so just kept on going.

Getting more bored (it's a long time to be running) and just wanting it to be over, I got to Ormeau Park finally, and a fellow runner tried to overtake me, which gave me a bit of a boost. When I saw the finish I found a last bit of energy,  and gave it a good sprint to the line.

My mum and Gina were waiting for me there, and we went in search of bananas, and I ate and drank most of the contents of my goodie bag.

I was massively pleased with my time - 3:05:28 - almost 10 minutes faster than I needed - my London Marathon place was now secured.

I had another surprise when I got the final result - which was printed in the newspaper the next day - I actually came 67th overall - and as this was a special 20th Anniversary year for the race, I would receive a free commemorative t-shirt as a Top 100 finisher :)

Photos and finisher video are still available to view at Marathon photos here

Reading Half Marathon 2011

I have a semi-serious aim this year to do at least one race every month. Not only is this the March entry in that challenge, it's also my 'A' race of the year and I trained very hard for it.

I've been doing track sessions on Monday evenings to give me more speed, medium runs on Wednesday evenings with the club, and long runs of up to 15 miles at the weekend. I've never had this much preparation for a long run and though I was nervous, I did feel ready to tackle my 1:30 target time. I needed to take over four minutes off my Windsor HM personal best time. Reading is supposed to be a faster course, and I am fitter, so it should be doable.

There was a huge turnout from the Evolution club. I walked down to the club to meet and we set off in a car convoy. We parked in Jo's works car park which was convenient - and were in plenty of time to make toilet stops and get to the start line for 10:05am

With my new Garmin 205 GPS on my wrist, and the sun creeping out from behind the thin cloud, we were off.

I didn't really know how to work the watch, but had average speed prominently set. I only managed the first mile in 8 minutes. This was due to congestion and once I realised my time and the crowds thinned a little I pushed through harder. I was assuming something around a 6:55 minute mile would get my target. and even though I'd studied charts, forgot quite how small the increments were.

6:40 1:27:24
6:50 1:29:35
7:00 1:31:46
7:10 1:33:57
7:20 1:36:08

6:55 wasn't going to do it.

However, I kept running and checking my average pace and it kept going down. By about 15k I think it was down around 6:50 and I was happy - I was even thinking I was going to smash 1:30 and relaxed a little. I did actually speed up some, but should have tried even harder. I missed a lot of mile/km markers somehow so never really know where I was, and I couldn't press any buttons on the watch as I didn't know if I'd be able to get it back to the correct setting again. So I kept going. At the final kilometer mark I felt my first pain of the day - my inner thigh. It didn't slow me much, and then I was entering the football stadium and all there was to do was sprint to the finish.

Really hoping I would have beaten 1:30, I had a worried few minutes until I eventually pressed some buttons and got my answer 1:29:28 - I'd done it (official time 1:29:24). I was a little shocked at how close to 1:30 it was - I could easily have missed it when I'd even mistakenly thought I was in the 1:27 region. Note to self - prepare target speeds better.


1351 Robert Shiels M 45 01:31:51 627 01:29:24

F3 Duathlon 2 - 5k/20k/5k

Full results here  (update - results seem to be gone now)

I've done a lot of sprint run training recently, and have managed an unofficial but pretty accurate 19:40 time - on the 400M track at Thames Valley Athletics Center.

I hadn't planned to race today, but spoke to a few people from Evolution triathlon club and thought I would give it a go if the weather was nice.

The weather was very nice for February.

Got down to Dorney in plenty of time and paid my £40, registered and racked my bike. Spent a long time thinking about what gloves I'd wear - left long gloves and fingerless ones beside the bike just in case.

Met up with Kevin,Sally,Tomas and Caroline before the race and we did a warm up together - feeling quite relaxed even though I knew this was going to hurt.

This was my first race in my new Newton running shoes, so I was wearing my calf compression guards just to be sure. I also don't have quick release laces, so I left my Asics by the bike for a quick change for the second 5K run.

Run 1 - 19:59
The first 5K was a 2 loop out and back along a very dirty track covered in sheep's droppings. Very slippery on the turns so we had to slow down a lot. I managed to run well, deliberately slightly below my fastest pace, and came in right on my 20 minute target.

T1 - 0:44

Pretty fast, wasted a second or two by running down wrong aisle. Feeling quite warm from the run, decided not to wear gloves at all. This was the right decision.

Bike - 35:19

Six loops at Dorney is quite soul destroying. As usual there is a fast wind assisted section followed by an uphill struggle into the wind. I never did feel great, and was quite dispirited to see lots of fast cyclists frequently race past me. It was impossible to really tell my place though. In the end 34km/h average is quite good - I'm still disappointed though as I wasn't actually aerobically tired - just couldn't make my legs push harder. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was contemplating the second run.

T2 - 0:34

Quite fast - even though I got the wrong aisle - again - and had to duck under the railing with my bike.

Run 2 - 20:21

My legs hurt from the bike ride and after nearly an hour I was tired. It took me 1/4 lap to get into any kind of stride. At the first turnaround I suddenly spotted Tomas right on my shoulder. This shocked me out of my mental reverie - I hadn't seen him on the bike anywhere and thought he must be quite a bit behind me, but there he was challenging. It hurt but I upped my pace a bit. This is where I started to really want to just stop and walk. Once lap done and Tomas was still right there. Started looking for people ahead who looked like they might be over 40 and in the VET category. There was a remote possibility that I was chasing a top 3 position and I didn't want to lose it by a few seconds. So I speeded up again and by the third and final turnaround I saw Tomas and knew I'd made enough of a gap between us that he wouldn't catch me. I think I overtook about six people in that final push. I always feel OK once I've mentally decided I can sprint as far as the finish line which I did for about the final kilometer. I think I should have been able to manage another 20 minute run, but I lost it all in that first bit just after the bike. Coming out of T2 I did notice a lady runner - I have finished at around the same time as the 1st place lady before and wondered if this might be the case here. However she sprinted way ahead of me right off the bike when I was just settling in - that was my worst section of the whole race. I must do more brick sessions. I've checked and she did go on to win the ladies race in a time 15 seconds faster than me (Felicity Cole)

Result: 1:17:00
19th overall out of 110 finishers
5th VET out of 34

Quite disappointed that I didn't make the top three in my category. Fourth place was over a minute ahead so at least I know I didn't lose out narrowly on the second run. But first place was seven minutes ahead - finding it hard to imagine any way I can make up that kind of time. The race was won on the bike - he did a 40km/h average - that's what I have to do.

Found out later that Tomas had punctured on the bike and didn't manage to finish all the laps, but made it back to transition in time to start the run just behind me. Wonder if I'd have run quite so fast without him spurring me on like that :)

Brutal 10 - 2010

Not many people decide to race through mud and freezing water on a January Bank holiday, fewer still do it on their birthday. Today I decided to do both.

It was all Scott's fault anyway, and he kindly gave me a lift in his car down to the venue on the M3 in Longmoor. We also met fellow Evolution Club member Will there.

With face paint applied and a very light snow starting to fall, we were ready to go.

This was the same place as Hellrunner late last year. Fortunately there were no Bogs of Doom with deep smelly water up to our necks. There was plenty of water however and it was icy cold.

I wore my birthday present, a Livestrong t-shirt, and my calf guards as my legs were feeling pretty tight. A skullcap topped off the ensemble as it was a really cold day. It stopped snowing and wasn't windy so actually it was fine for running. The course was good and I ran well - I was pleased it was 10k and my time of around 54 minutes shows how tough it was - I can do 10K on the flat in around 42 minutes.

Crossing the river was really tricky, due to the depth and the uneven footing. I really did not want to trip and go headfirst into the water, so took it very cautiously. There was a thin rope trailing across to show the way - not sure why people were holding it as it would have given zero support. I held it too though :)

I think we had about four water crossings, and all had floating ice in them. I was pretty careful around the ice, and at the finish saw quite a few people with blood pouring down their shins from cuts they had gotten from it.

I'm pleased with my result - 43rd overall out of 211 runners, 35th male. I did hesitate a bit at the start, wondering whether to have a fun run, or race it, so lost a few places before my competitiveness kicked in and I went for it. Because I didn't get to the first river crossing near the lead, there was a bit of a queue and it was single file across.

Getting used to this sort of running, but if I do any more, I think I will replace my heavy Nike trainers with something more suited to total submersion in water. Once wet, the shoes really hurt my toes running down the steep hills.
Results currently here.

Photo Here plus search for others.

Place 43 Robert Shiels Time 54:54,6 Male Category Place 35 Bib Number 233

Pudding Catcher 2010

Race result here

Following on from the Hellrunner I was expecting this race to be a little less crazy, and at 12km a bit shorter and easier. Little did I know that it would turn out to be possibly the hardest running race I can remember doing.

We started at the top of a hill field on a very frosty Sunday morning with quite a lot of ice on the paths. Would have preferred a single loop, but discovered at the start that we would be doing two laps.

The 'Pudding' is a fast runner in fancy dress. He sets off with a two minute head start and whoever is first to catch him gets £100. I had no ambitions on this score - all I wanted was to do well amongst the other members of Evolution triathlon club - we had about nine or ten people entered.

From the start we hurtled down a steep hill which just kept on going. It wasn't easy to slow down at all, and about four minutes later I found myself in about 7th place at the bottom of a steep incline.

I've often thought I'd like to try a race this way - start fast and try and hang on to a good position. I'm more of a slow burner, gradually getting warmed up and usually doing a bit better near the end. That strategy however will seldom win any races. So by accident nearly, this was my chance to try to lead from the beginning.

I survived the first hill, I barely survived the rest of the course. There was a short run on the flat past some grazing ponies, and then we were running fast downhill again. The next hill I don't think I managed to run all the way up. After that, it only got worse.

I was ahead of everyone in the club except Christophe, who looked unassailable up ahead. But as we finished the last lap, staggering up through the long grass to the half way mark, my left calf gave way, and something happened to Christophe as well, and we crossed the line together. Some mutual support and we were off again.

Knowing what was in store and being sore and tired made the second lap so much more difficult. I was now limping and hoping my calf wouldn't completely give up on me, and walking more and more up the hills. Christophe pulled away again and I overtook another runner, and I knew I was still doing well in the placings.

Then Christophe stopped - something was too painful to continue running. I had less than 10-15 minutes to go to the end and hating every second kept on going. I kept thinking I was going to get caught by a group of runners who had been stalking me about 1 minute behind, being most scared when walking up the steep hills. They must have been walking as well as they were still a manageable distance behind as I rounded the corner and looked up the hill towards the finish line. I think I could have run if I'd had to, but thankfully I'd seen nobody ahead for ages so no point chasing, and there was enough of a gap behind me that a walk/jog strategy got me to the line without losing my place.

In the end it turned out I'd been racing those people behind me for first place in the veteran's race. And I had actually won! I came 4th overall as well making this the best race of my recent career. I think I last won a race when I was about 15 years old.

My time was 01:10:15. A normal 10K should take me about 42 minutes, so you can see how much harder this course was. The people ahead of me were a long way in front: around nine minutes to 3rd place, and another seven minutes to 1st. I don't know how they did that.

I had some hot custard at the end (I don't like Christmas pudding) which was a nice touch. Then after my presentation (I won the chance to come back and do another race on this insane course) we all went to the pub for a well deserved slap up lunch!

Hellrunner - Hell Down South 2010

trying not to fall in

Results currently here

I'd heard of this race as being a bit extreme. Not quite a Tough Guy, but well on the way there. So when some people in the Evolution triathlon club said they would do it, I was happy to sign up. It sounded a bit like Grim challenge which I did last year, but with extra water.

I've done some fairly long runs including a half marathon in Windsor recently so wasn't too worried about the 10-12 mile distance. It was a fairly tough race. But it had some flat running, and some narrow paths uphill that it was impossible to run up due to the people in front blocking the way, so there were opportunities to get your breath back.

I enjoyed the race and didn't mind the lake crossings, though of course that then meant very cold squelchy trainers.

that's me in the middle!

The "Bog of Doom" was something else though. The water had been ice covered as I walked past on the way to the start line, and I heard later than the leaders had had to break it as they went through. To say it was cold would be a savage understatement. I was quite prepared mentally, but when I'd waded in up to my shoulders it even became a bit tricky to breathe. Not to mention the slippery mud on the bottom and the uneven footing that threatened to drop me under completely at any second. It smelled completely rank as well. But I tried to keep smiling (for the cameras - you can see me right in the middle of this photo here) and made it out in once piece.

concentrating hard

After that I knew the worst was past, so even though there was a bit more water, and my feet were a bit sore from being so soggy (got some cuts on my ankle from the trainers) I was going fine until one of the officials said "only 2km to go". I was expecting about another 5km so started to push hard to the finish. The last hurdles were some sand dunes, but the sand was completely frozen so rather than being difficult to push through, they were more like hard rocks that jarred my legs.

So my result was a time of 1:31:12 giving me 25th place in my age group and 240th place overall. Not bad in a field of nearly 2000 runners. I think I could have placed a little higher if I had known the distance properly beforehand, and if I'd not had to push my way past so many people in the first 10-15 minutes. Really ought to make more of an effort to get to the front at the start. Think I've said that before :)

Robert Shiels 6219 Male Finished Vet40+ 1:28:19 240 219 25 0:02:53 1:31:12

Grim Duathlon 2010

Oddly enough, this was my first duathlon of any kind. Rather than pick some nice easy flat tarmac event, I've ended up running and biking round a very challenging course. But I think this is much more fun than a standard race.

The race takes place on an all terrain army training ground near Aldershot. I've been there before as I did the Grim Challenge last year - so I knew what to expect. I expected to get quite a bit more tired, but in the end it was about the same really.

I was very pleased to have fellow Evolution Triathlon club members Zoe, Hank and Elliot for company - I had a great time last year on my own, but it's even better with friends. We all met up in plenty of time on a sunny morning and racked our bikes in the muddy transition area. Some heavy rain during the week and overnight ensured that we would have a very messy day.

We warmed up with a bit of a run - and got to near the front of the start funnel. This was a very good move - I've been caught out too many times behind slower runners.

As usual, I was fine for the first fice minutes of the race, then struggled a little wondering why I was there. Settled into it quickly though, especially once my feet got completely soaked in the knee high water.

I finished strongly in a time of 21:32 - good for a tough 5K.

Out on the bike I was feeling good, when only 2-3K into the first 10K lap (a two lap bike course) someone overtook me and said my tire looked flat. Sure enough, I'd punctured and had to stop. I was not properly prepared for this - never really expecting it to happen on a brand new bike. I had a spare tube, but no pump. Sod's Law states that it must be the rear wheel, which it was. Decided I had to do whatever I could - my 'race' was over - but the day wasn't finished yet. I changed the tube and started running with the bike.

Hadn't gone too far when I turned a corner and found a couple of fellow competitors by the side of the track. They were very helpful, and pumped my tire up for me. Sadly there wasn't anything I could do to help them, and so I was on my way.

A few minutes later I overtook Hank, and Zoe, both with punctures - what a day. With no spare tube or pump, unfortunately I couldn't help them either. Hank did manage to get his bike fixed though and completed the race.

Loved the course, so much variety. Some scree covered hills, lots of watery gravel tracks, covered in mud and grass and even clay in places so that you just had to get off and push. Even a bit of cycling through the trees. I was way back due to the puncture but never got overtaken again and steadily made my way through the field. This was very difficult, as the person in front was always taking the easiest route, and to overtake them I had to pull out into more marshy track and really push. The second lap was better as there were a few less bikes to contend with and I knew what was coming up so could plan my overtaking spots a bit ahead.

Got back to transition for the interesting bit - how would I cope with another 5K run. My running has been good this season, so I expected to be OK, and I was. It was tiring, but I maintained my overtaking and passed quite a few more people - never being passed myself - very much like my triathlons where I come out of the swim near the back of the pack.

Was a little surprised by the crawl under the camouflage net for the second lap. This time it was covered in wet mud and I got plastered! How can you finish a Grim race NOT covered in mud :-)

Very pleased with my 22:58 time for the second 5K, and also with my final time of 02:05:51 - which placed me 106th out of nearly 350 competitors. If I hadn't punctured and lost 10-15 minutes I think I could have done very well - I definitely want to go back with stronger tires to have another go next year.

So even though this was a 5K/20K/5K duathlon, it felt similar to last years 8 mile pure running race - different muscle groups for the bike, and pacing myself, meant I was less tired this year in fact, even though it took an extra hour. Could be that I'm also fitter. Maybe my next race, the Puma Hellrunner, will show which of these options is true :)

Note: things to remember. Nutrition is much more difficult to handle - I didn't get much chance to eat of drink (my drink was a bottle in transition which I only went through twice). It was much too difficult to open gels on the bike. I need a proper plan for this for next time.

[Currently you can see the full results here]