Date: Thursday 29th May 6:30pm
Distance: (3.86+) 5.00km (+2.80)
Time: (23:46+) 25:02 (+15:18)
Pace: (6:09+) 5:00min/km (+5:28)
Description: What’s going on?! I can do this in 22:25. Yet I’m here at 25:00?! Slooooow L
Maybe it was the 4k warm up, or the fact that I ditched my running group, but after Dresden, I’m feeling pretty slow. 3k warm down back to SRC HQ!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511995416
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511995425
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511995432
Date: Tuesday 27th May 9:00pm
Distance: 5.0km
Time: 24:52
Pace: 4:58min/km
Description: Intervals! Need more intervals in my life. So here I am again, making the most of my time in Germany. First interval feels blinding, but I can only hold on around 40seconds. I get slower each time. Not the best, and shorter than I’d hoped. But better than nothing!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/511995454
Date: Sunday 25th May 16:45pm
Distance: 22.0km
Time: 2:07:32
Pace: 5:48min/km
Description: Not an official race. But it was warm, and wanted to limber up for the Cheddar Half and Scafell Marathon! About a minute over my stormin’ tie at the Cheddar Half last year, but this time without any gels! And 400m of ascent! Took a bottle of PowerAde. Managed a steady jog up the hills. Some amazing views and nice technical bits to focus running down. And a good pace at the end. Felt great, despite the heat. Runs like these, in this scenery, hills, cliffs, the sea, make the soul contented. Love running. Pretty damn pleased about this. Everything apart from the cows. Ain’t no way I’m running through THAT field! Back the way I came!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/507819852
Date: Sunday 11th May 09:30pm
Distance: 10.0km
Time: 44:40
Pace: 4:28mn/km
Description: The big day! Massive pressure!
30seconds too slow 😦 Pretty gutted. It wasn’t the underline that I wanted.
Work this week has been really busy. Was in the office until Saturday evening. Managed to cook some sweet potato in the office in the afternoons during the week, but didn’t really feel that I’d carbed up much. Really nervous, so not much sleep. Up early, three crumpets and jam.
Weather on Saturday was very windy and rainy. By morning the wind has eased off, but it still looked pretty manky. But by race start it wasn’t too bad.
The run itself didn’t feel fantastic. I’m trying to run my fast races this year without energy gels. My start wasn’t particularly fast, but this felt tougher than my run last weekend. I should be enjoying the atmosphere around me, but instead I’m just thinking about how tired I’m starting to feel, and I’m not even off the Portway yet. I get onto the back straight, and Oh My God I wish I’d run this route earlier this week. I knew this road was long and had a hill but jees! On and on and on. Still pretty much on pace, but I’m shatterd and so fed up. I’m running up this eternal road thinking all I want to do is give up, ease up and tell myself I’ve done enough. Give up.
But I haven’t, so I can’t Oh Jesus and then theres the hill. Where’ my final stage mojo? It finally makes a bit of an appearance once I turn past the corner off the neverending road. Over the cobbles. Come on, you might still be okay for time, just keep it going. Don’t let up. Round the centre. Let’s just try and keep up with this guy. Oh great, another sprint finisher. The b@st@rd! Come on. Last corner. Finish line in sight, and clock is reading about a minute more than I want to see. Damn. I cross the line and stop the GPS. 44:42. Shitty f**ksticks. 30 seconds for Christs sake and I could of had it! Yet again, so close, but too slow.
I’m in a pretty dumpish mood for at least a couple of days after that. But I met up with some mates afterwards, who were pleased with their times, so that was nice. As well as the running club. But I went home in the afternoon and was a vegetable for the rest of the day.
But in the hours and days that followed, I forced myself to at least acknowledge the positives. Part of the reason why I think I missed out was keeping to my GPS pace. That was saying 4:24! Well on target. And by the end it was 4:22min/km (7min/mile). But I also ended up running 10.2km, hence the longer time. So next time, be 5sec faster than GPS pace to be sure!
Also, that’s two runs now at sub45. I can safely say that I’m back up to fitness after three months off at the end of last year. I’ve got a better running style. I DID IT WITHOUT ANY ENERGY GELS! And no water, maybe I should have grabbed some halfway. I’m closing the gap to my target times. Am I faster than I was at the end of last summer? Not sure. The Towpath 5k and Bristol Half were pretty bloody fast paces. But this is a great place to be coming in to the start of summer.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/500771992
Race number 1904:
http://www.runbristol.com/Results/Default.aspx
Next Round: Towpath Series: Race #1 (10k)
Date: Sunday 18th May 11:15am
Distance: 10.0km
Time: 54:25
Pace: 4:29min/km
Description: I’m standing on the top of the cliff, looking down into the Cheddar Gorge, taking it in and thinking it’s great to be back. The first of the Cheddar Gorge Challenge races, a 10k. It’s tougher than I remembered. The 10k course carried on much further up Velvet Bottom (no smirking) than the half last year. It seemed to go on and on. Knackered myself out going out, and coming back was tough. The Hell Steps were horrific. Would have been happier with a sub 50, but a sub 60, and a sub 55 isn’t too bad all things considered. I just didn’t feel as though I “owned” this as much as last year.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/505305388
http://www.relishrunningraces.com/resources/Cheddar%20Gorge%2010km%20May%202014%20Results.pdf
Date: Friday 16th May 19:30pm
Distance: 10.0km
Time: 43:26
Pace: 4:24min/km
Description: Round 2. And what a lovely evening. Running club group photo beforehand. I’ve left the office and come straight here, and I’ll need to go back after. But I boss this! Even without much carbing up, hydration and no gels. I was arguably faster last weekend if you trust the GPS (9.85km for this course). It’s over a minute closer to my Towpath target.
So the race? Pretty bloody good. I love the Towpath series, and this is why. I seem to be able to take it steady at the start, you don’t have much choice as things are pretty congested. It’s a nice route along the river bank under the trees and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. But you get to the halfway point and you’ve been just a touch slower than target pace, which should be good for a negative split. You’ve been inching up the pace from about 3.5/4k, but you turn and now it’s time to go up another gear.
You now have people running in both directions, so if you’re gonna overtake, it’s got to be opportunistic and quick to avoid a pile up. Right…space, sprint, in front, ease off, close gap to next person, pace, pace, sprint, overtake, in front…and so on…and so on. NO ONE is overtaking me, and I’m knocking these people down one by one. Maybe that’s because I started behind my target pace, but this feels bloody great. I won’t lie, I still have to ignore the voice that is shouting “give up, ease off” in my head. All I want to do is stop, curl up in to a little ball on the side of the road and hug a cup of tea. But if I can just catch up the the next person in front…
I’m so tired, GPS is showing slower pace than last weekend, but if I keep up with this person in front. And after a short while I’ve had enough and ease out in front. The worst bits are the long gaps, psychologically it’s so much easier to be pacing just behind someone and then power past. But I’m on the bridge now and if I can negotiate this up and down bit without falling flat on my face I’ll be there soon. Bystanders and runners are encouraging me on. I get to the edge of the park, and all I want to do is run the shortest route to the finish, but around the edge of the park we weave. It’s this point I dread the most. I’m exhausted, but the fear of being overtaken by a sprint finisher and a fellow running club runner keeps me pushing until I’m over the line. I can hear the shouts of “come on Southville” from here. How far behind me is he? Come on, push. PUSH mother**ker PUSH!!!
I’m through! I’m logged. My GPS says…says 43! Holy mother! 43!…43:26! Ha HAA!! I’m up against a tree trying not to throw up. GASPING for air. I feel like an asthmatic about to have a heart attack. But 43:26! Oh YEAH! 43:26! Two weeks ago I hadn’t broken sub47. Now I’m nearly 4 minutes faster! 4 minutes CLOSER!
But I think the best bit about the whole evening, after getting a couple of cups of water and my breath back, is walking back to the large mob of green garbbed Southville runners screaming “come on Southville”. The adrenaline is still pumping, and you’re screaming ” go on, get him, GET HIM” at the girl sprint finishing past another runner.
“COME ON SOUTHVILLE!!!”
I bloody love this!
After a brief gathering in the pub afterwards, it’s back to the office to finish the job. Like a boss!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/500772000
http://www.greatwesternrunners.org.uk/index.php/results/2014/483-towpath-results-2014-race-1
Looking forward to a less pressured Cheddar Gorge 10k on Sunday…
Good to know that it’s not just me then that finds it bloody hard!
Date: Sunday 4th May 12:30pm
Distance: 10.0km
Time: 44:46
Pace: 4:29mn/km
Description: Well!…COME ON!!! 😀 😀
There was me, running 5k at 4:25min/km thinking “How on Earth am I meant to keep this up for a full 10k?!” Well, with a weeks rest, a 5.5km warm-up right before, no gels, no water, I somehow pull 44:46 out of the bag. FANTASTIC!! Overjoyed with my first sub 45, my second PB of the year (third if you include the marathon). Faster? Sort of. My Bristol half pace was 4:27min/km and Towpath 5k was 4:15min/km. So I still don’t think I’m faster than I was at the end of last summer, but I’m faster than I was a year ago!
Anyways, warm up was at 5min/km pace, then upped to 4:30 for the next 5k. Didn’t know how I was gonna maintain that for another 5k, you’re so tired. You desperately want to stop and give up, but that’s accepting DEFEAT, and the desire to beat that time, or get as close to it as possible, keeps you going. You notice your concentration lapses, so you have to keep refocusing on running technique to stop it getting sloppy. The new running style really seemed to work, it’s like bouncing on air, and no jip from the calves this time. Exhausted, you keep trying to increase your pace a bit, you see your average pace coming down, you go for longer, the pace keeps getting better and you realise that you have nothing to loose by pushing hard until the end. I’m below 4:30 with only a few hundred meters to go. I know it’s gonna be sub45!
Now I just need to kill the remaining 47seconds next weekend and I’ll be happy! The buzz of the day, a gentle week and carb loading should hopefully make it possible despite the dodgy weather forecast!
Date: Saturday 26th April 2014 8pm
Distance: 11.96km
Time: 58:01
Pace: 5:18mn/km
Description: Hamburg Baby! Fantastic to be back in Germany. This time in Hamburg. Not the fastest run, but I wasn’t getting overtaken by anyone either. They must all be ramping down for the Hamburg Marathon the weekend after! Very jealous. Maybe next jahr?!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/491877685
Date: Thursday 24th April 2014 7:30pm
Distance: 5.00km
Time: 25:51
Pace: 5:10mn/km
Description: Dresden Baby! Fantastic to be back in Germany. Making the most of my first evening back in the beautiful surroundings of Dresden, with a run along the river Elbe before abendessen.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/491877669
Running up that Hill 