Nice easy run around the Mill Lane circuit so uphill going into Hyde then some downs then another big up! Actually felt comfortable, got into a way of running slowly that didn’t feel like trotting or half walking, which felt good, noticed I sped up unconsciously at times and was forefoot striking again, so slowed it down, and am pleased I can now resist the temptation to go fast as running at this pace seems to be doing my basic aerobic fitness a lot of good, rather than possible junk miles at a slightly quicker pace.
Nice 8 miler at recovery pace, with a few hills which I took easy, in all averaged 6:03/k pace so was spot on at keeping it nice and steady and I managed not to speed up as idea was just to recover from the race on Sunday and get a bit of nice slow time on feet in, felt like a nice aerobic workout not too heavy. Didn’t feel too many after effects from the race and am starting to find running quite comfortable now I’ve got back into it after the little break. Certainly the most comfortable I’ve felt for a while. A few more of these, some intervals, fartlek and a longer run every week and I should start to see more results.
Have not done a one mile trial for a bit so hope to fit one in soon!
Ok, I finally found out why it’s called the Moonraker 10k – apparently locals in that area call themselves moonrakers, and it goes back to a tradition when poachers, about to be apprehended, would throw their spoils into a pond and then pretend to be raking the moon’s reflection, for the cheese…
Hmm, anyway, this was a rematch with what was my third ever race last year, but to date my slowest 10k time unless you counted my first 10k. Last year I found the course really tough, with a big hill and heat, but after this race my times started to improve dramatically. So this time round, I was really looking at it as preparation for my next 2 flatter 10k’s, and was just hoping to get a course PB, and see what racing with the Garmin switched to ignore mode was like.
What a change from last year in so many respects! I had a different cabbie from my usual one, and the motorway was all shut down and diverted. Instead of sunshine and the hottest day of the year, it was threatening rain, and this duly started to come down before the race. I did a bit of a more sedate warmup than usual, trotting around for 15 minutes but resisting the temptation to start bombing around like a mad thing.
The time came, and we were off. I set off at what I hoped was a manageable pace, and kind of let the flow of people around me dictate my speed for the first k. I resisted a look at the Garmin, which I had set to silent so I could ignore the lap alerts. I felt OK as we came up to the hill at 2k, and was determined to take this easy come what may, rather than attacking it with gung ho bravado and paying for it later. A few people came bombing past me, full of confidence, but they started dying like flies as the hill took its toll and I started to overhaul them. I kept my pace steady enough but once I got to the top of the hill I was filled with adrenaline and went flying down the other side, determined to make up, and I enjoyed the downhills before it became a bit flatter. I had no idea what time I was headed for, but just got into a pace I felt I could keep up, and ramped it up a bit when I felt I could, focusing on runners ahead and taking them one by one. By the last 3k it got really cat and mouse, I overtook a group, but for a while I could hear them on my heels and I was starting to hurt. Someone overtook me but I just tried to stay with them. I just had to keep going somehow! A few from an earlier group overtook me in the last 200, and I had a sprint finish in which I pulled away from another chap. It was all good fun. Those little mini races helped me keep going! I crossed the line feeling tired yet really good. I looked at the Garmin, flipped it to show my time, and I had done 50:21 – not just a course PB but a lifetime PB, and with that bugger of a hill as well!
Looking at the splits, the hill added a couple of minutes on to my time, really slowing me for a couple of k’s, but the good news was I had handled the hills well and left myself enough in the tank to run a negative split – did the first 5k in 26, the second in 24:21 – which equates to my 2nd or 3rd fastest 5k best. The reason I could do that, was I didn’t know I was doing it. Normally I would look at my 5k on the Garmin, feel I was behind, and maybe give up on some level, or feel there was no way I could run fast enough to make up the time. Without the Garmin to refer to, I didn’t know, and I just seemed to run faster in the second half quite naturally, without all the mental guessing games. From now on this is how I am going to race, if this performance is anything to go by, it really helped!
Considering what happened last year, this race was a springboard to real improvements – if the same happens again, in the 3 remained 10k’s of the year I hope not to just to beat the 50 minute barrier, but to smash it once and for all
Loosely a Fartlek session, started off with couple of K’s easy, then did a flat out k in 4:33 after which needed a walk break, then jogged along for a k, then did another faster one on a whim, at 4:54, then jogged some more as it started to pour down with rain and the thunder and lightning started up which was cool, I showered as I ran under overflowing drainpipes, and decided to speed up for a last burst, which was slower at 5:10 but I was getting tired.
I can see how intervals/fartlek could really help at training the body to run at high intensity for short periods, then put these all together in a race, so I will be doing more of this after the Moonraker 10k on Sunday.
Did a couple of K usual warm up then set off for an experimental 5k time trial, without time showing on Garmin. Felt good at first, going fast, then the invisible force field appeared, I struggled to keep it going and was dead by the end.
When I flipped the read over to show time elapsed, it showed 25:40. First K was 4:39 then I just seemed to slow and was over 5 mins/k thereafter, which I haven’t been that slow over 5k in ages.
Maybe running without the Garmin doesn’t suit me… Maybe my legs have yet to get back to normal speed after my break?
Had a busy day cleaning out carpets and reducing Mum’s house to a completely empty shell, so had lungs full of dust and crap, but went out in the evening to catch up on my running. Intended to run 10k at 10 minute miles pace, so not pacey, and tried a new route, heading up towards Guide Bridge, along South Street and the house where my Mum grew up and my gran lived for over 60 years and where I spent many a weekend, and summer holiday playing. Negotiated random streets then headed back around towards Corporation Road then just made up the last few k’s with random streets.
Felt a bit puffed out half way, but found it difficult to keep going at 10 minute mile pace for the first 5k, and kept having to deliberately slow down. Felt heart was going a bit too fast at times but soon recovered once I had jogged to a stop.
Looking back, I ran my recovery run the other day far too fast, so no wonder it hurt especially after a mini break. Did not have the best few days leading up to my second run back. Have had a 24 hour stomach bug thing and not much sleep for a couple of days, and felt like I pulled my hamstring in bed as well, so decided on a 3 mile easy run, easy being 10 minute miles, and managed to stick to the plan and enjoyed running in the rain. Felt I could have gone on, but don’t need to rush back, thankfully legs were fine for running with no twinges. Just need to build it up slowly and peak at optimal fitness for the Moonraker 10k
My first run back since the City of Manchester 10k, as I have been busy and had a few days break in Wales. Decided to run to the clock rather than a distance, and not have my pace or distance displayed on Garmin. Seemed to work ok, but I forgot to turn off lap alerts so as soon as I knew I’d done the second k in 4:59 without really trying, I felt I was going fast and it suddenly became VERY hard work, then again it could have been that I had just gone off too fast and haven’t run for 8 days, but at least I made it through the door, was tempted to just have a lazy night in! I had also had a beer or two while away so maybe it rusted my legs as I don’t normally touch alcohol!
Quite a frustrating race in some ways – to begin with I spent the entire night lying awake, as I seem to have done for the last month – got snatches of sleep but not the kind of restful sleep you need between back to back 10k races – have hardly slept since the Offerton 10k and been nodding off at my desk and feeling irritable – not good and no idea what’s wrong, but I do have phases of insomnia.
Anyway, I managed to get up and had peanut butter on toast for breakfast, walked the dog, then got the buses to east Manchester, where I used to work, so it’s one of those where I’m very familiar with the area. First thing was to use the loo. I got to the venue at 8.45 and by the time I had hung around in the queue for the single cubicle and done what I needed to do, it was 9.10 – time not too well spent! Anyway I needed to warm up, and started jogging round the indoor track when I spotted Neil and Dawn (remember them from the Bolton 10k!). So we had a brief chat and I carried on with my warm up, before making my way out on to the track. It was very bustling and busy, I couldn’t work out which way we were starting so did a lap of the track and then found out we would be doing 700m on the track. So off went the starter and I could see the elites snaking out, but by the time I got going I was quite boxed in somewhere near the back so I got a bit frustrated, but at least it stopped me going off at a suicidal pace. Anyway, the first k clicked over in 5:04 so it wasn’t that slow, but certainly not the 4:13 opening burst of Wednesday!
In lieue of a fast start, I decided I would maintain that pace and attempt to run a negative split, and I ran a few sub 5 minute k’s and kept around the 5 minute mark as I started to feel the heat. I felt OK and just kept it going, and went through 5k in just under 25 minutes – so far so good, if I could only keep it going! Just like last year, the kilometre markers on the course did my bleeding head in – my Garmin would tell me I had done one k, and about 100m later I would reach the KM marker, but I tried my best to ignore it and not run faster to overcompensate, as I would hate to miss a sub 50 by 10 seconds and find out I had run 10.2k… Anyway, that wasn’t to be. After 5k I tried to speed up and that worked for a little while, but somewhere around 6-7k it felt like a force field went up in front of me, I think really it was the hills and heat of the last race still in my legs and a bit of tiredness too, I just couldn’t keep the pace up and went down to 5:15/k which added a minute on to my time, really. Got a bit frustrated as I sprinted into the stadium, the Garmin saying I had already finished (done 10k) with the finish line a blur in the far distance, had to run half the track more or less, last year the finish was in a different place so that played tricks with my mind a bit. If I just went off Garmin I did 10k in 50:42 but the official chip time was 51:12 – exactly the same as my chip time for the Bolton 10k! At least I am consistent!
Neil cheered me in, anyway – and after I had recovered a bit I went off to cheer in Hayley from runners forum, and another bloke recognised me too, then I found Dawn and Neil and we had a good chat before watching the presentations. Thought it would kick off when a lady cop got annoyed when they announced her in the wrong position, thought she was going to shove the megaphone down the announcers throat, but it seemed to end well in the end. Ron Hill and Louise Gilchrist won in the veterans 70 categories and I saw Ron posing for photos, Louise looked as glamorous as ever
All in all a great day out, even if I didn’t get that sub 50 – but given the race earlier in the week, the warm weather, the lack of sleep, etc, it was a fine effort and I enjoyed the whole atmosphere Check out the official video:
The first of my 10k races this week, and coming on a very hot day. I knew I would not, in all probability, get a PB with heat and hills combined – but I did not expect the race to more or less kill me!
I got my taxi to Woodbank park, where Stockport Harriers are based, and located the track and got my number, and located the toilets, all so far so good! It was hot, but I had hydrated well and carried on sipping water, then started to do warmup laps of the track, going pretty slowly, then throwing in some bursts of speed, did some stretches, and although I felt pretty hot, I could feel my body getting into running mode.
So we lined up, and off we went, starting with 2 laps of the track before heading out into the park. I was well warmed up and running at what I felt to be a comfortable yet pacey pace, so was astonished to see the first k tick over in 4:13 – faster than the first k of my one mile flat out PB 2 weeks ago… But I didn’t feel I was pushing hard, and felt I could maintain it, so just kept going, and the second k ticked over in 4:29. Cool – I was heading for a sub 50, but by how much?! I knew the hill was coming and that it would slow me, but I thought I could afford to slow on the hills then pick up the pace again.
WRONG! The hill was a total and complete bugger, combined with the heat. Reached what I thought was the top of the hill, then there was a turn, and another uphill stretch, followed by another. By the time the ground was level again, I felt drained and my legs had gone shaky. I carried on, but my pace slowed dramatically and never got going again – and as the race was 3 laps, I knew that bugger of a hill was coming for another 2 goes at me, and didn’t even attempt to go any faster. I actually stopped at the water station to drink every time after that, and more or less walked the hills the 2nd and third time. The 2nd time, a lady runner was struggling with me, and walked a bit too, I said something to her about the sign saying 6 miles instead of 6k and that it bloody felt like 6 miles… I stayed with her for a bit and then she just pulled away, I had nothing left to stay with her, so don’t know if she sped up or I slowed down. 3rd time up the hill was murder then it was the slog back to the athletics track, a few people overtook me at this point, I really had neither the motivation, energy or inclination to get into a duel and just meekly trotted over the line in 54:45, my slowest 10k of the year, and I think my 3rd slowest to date Funny that I PB’d on a tough hilly course on a very hot day last year, in 51:40, maybe this hill was a really bad one, it’s certainly described as a testing course!
As I grabbed water at the end of the finishing funnel a nice lady handed me a bit of paper – she must have taken pity on my sweat-soaked, staggering, tortured form, and gave me a “spot prize” which turned out to be some tea tree oil shower gel. It would come in handy later!
I hung around for a bit then went off to the rendezvous with my taxi and had a nice chat with the driver.
Well done Stockport Harriers – a well organised race and the friendliest marshals! The encouragement was ace, I am almost tempted to join the club for more torture on the training runs up that hill
Funny that I PB’d on a tough hilly course on a very hot day last year, in 51:40, maybe this hill was a really bad one, it’s certainly described as a testing course!