2012 Pier to Pier Race Report - 21st Jan 2012

Today’s race was all about the wind! The wind in these parts can be a right pain. It has been known to switch direction during a 2hr run ending up with either a VERY hard run or an overly easy saunter!

Today’s weather had started with an almost Spring time theme – sunshine and showers. I rarely use the term “flying” when referring to my running but today would be one of those days. The wind was a nice 30mph from the north-west and it could not have been more helpful!

In preparation for the race I had chosen my normal running kit PLUS my super quick Puma track spikes. They had seen me good on my first 5km last year and I felt they might help me along this time. On the other hand I had struggled to cut the @#$% out of my diet in the last few weeks and was toeing the line at 4lb over weight L

As the race time approached I was running a little late J I just managed to drop my friend off and get to the start in time for the announcer to relay the safety stuff and we were off!!

Mile 1 The wind was a real help here – I started off to the side of the pack, hence the slightly long reading, but as I looked at my watch I saw a sub 7 min pace was pretty easily established. In fact the danger for me was going to fast to soon. Mile 1 was completed in 6 min 55 sec with an average HR of 144 and a max of 165 (I needed to keep a lid on this) – Very happy my average cadence was a strong 92.

Mile 2 is in some ways the toughest mile in the course. The assent of The Little Orme (220ft) is immediately followed by a sharp decent and the decent can, if you’re not careful, take more out of you than the rise! This mile was going to be slower but at 7min 26sec it was a bit slower than I had hoped.  Average HR came it at 160 maxing out at 177 (The highest number I have seen in 6 months!) Cadence was still strong at 91.

Mile 3 was a new section of the race which just happens to run around Penrhyn Bay East!! Some of my friends will recognize this name as it appears very frequently on my training updates. It was great that this section had been added and quite a few of the people I normally see while I’m out training waved and shouted support. This must have been a factor as I completed mile 3 in 7 min 3 sec. Fortunately I had managed to drop my HR back down to a more sustainable 159 average and a 164 max. Cadence was still OK at 90.

Mile 4 started with a slight shock. As the 5km marker was crossed I had just broken my 5km PB of 21.31 with a 21.29! This was a little concerning J Never mind I was still feeling OK, a bit tired and my right quad was complaining, and I’d just pasted Dave Gardener (From the Abergele 5)!  I was feeling pretty strong so he told me to keep going and he’s try to stick with me. He did run and amazing race, finishing in 45.34 for 1^st in his age group AND winning the North Wales 10km over 70 title! Mile 4 was completed in 7.11 with a 159 average HR and 166 max. Cadence had dipped to 89 but was still OK.

Mile 5 was pretty tough. It included the only part of the race where the wind was actually in your face! Fortunately it was wind AND rain. The rain helped to cool me down but this mile was very hard going. It was at this time that I chatted to a guy to encourage him. I suggested we could run together as we appeared to be running at the same speed. He ended up beating me by 10 sec, but at least he turned and shook my hand afterwards J Mile 5 ended with a rather high 163 average HR and a 169 max. Cadence was still solid at 89.

Mile 6 was even tougher J The energy had gone from my legs and the only thing keeping me going was the feeling that I should take this opportunity NOW. There was still a chance that I could go sub 45, a long time dream, and the time to give it EVERYTHING was now. I remember thinking, ”who, among my friends would stop now?” We all know the answer – NOBODY! So I pushed on and finished the 6^th mile in 7 min 11 sec with an average HR of 167 and a max of 172. Cadence was just hanging in there at 88.

With the finish line beckoning, I saw some of my other running friends shouting and waving. I could not let them down – so I didn’t!  I crossed the line in 44.36. My HR was fixed at 173 and my pace was back up where I had started the race, 6.52, but I had done it! I didn’t really think I could.

What with the extra baggage and a far from perfect training cycle I had done what I set out to do – all I can say is THANK YOU to everyone who helped and encouraged me – you really did make the difference!

My next race is likely to be the Chester Half Marathon in May but who knows? J

Abergele 5 - Sunday 6th November 2011

Training for this race had been a bit haphazard. I did my marathon just 4 weeks before and I had been doing a lot of cross training in preparation for the “off season”. I had planned for this race to be the final one of the year, we’ll see :) My warm-up was limited by the fact that the crowds were quite large and it was hard to hear the announcer. I did jog for 2min from my car though.

As the start time approached the marshals pushed us back down the road. I had tried to get up nearer the front than last year but the volume of people, just fewer than 300, this year meant it was very very busy on the road. My time for this run includes the .25 of a mile I had to run to get to the start line. So I have cut this out of the race report. This would mean a deduction of 1 min 35 sec from my race time, but as there were no chips my race results stands. I am happy to say though that next year, if I can get a bit nearer to the start I should ba able to crack 35min J

As the bell rang, the race started and the road cleared surprisingly quickly. The first mile is basically a slow assent of 120ft. With the advice of Mark U. (he knows who he is), the only functions I was looking at on my watch, during the race, was my cadence and the total time. As the mile went on the road cleared and I passed quite a few slightly less-fast runners! Looking back now I see my HR was right up at  150 average and my cadence was nice and high at an average of 91. Mile 1 completed in 6.57

Mile 2 continues the climb up the hill with another 150ft of assent. The road was pretty clear now and the trees on the side of the road were giving good cover from a surprisingly hot sun. It was at this time that I took the opportunity to chat to an oldish chap who was slowing badly near the top of the hill. I assumed he was at least 70 but as it transpired I was wrong! The final section of this mile sees the race turn in a downhill direction, which I knew from last year, so I was hoping to get my pace back on track. Average HR 153 (164max) and av cadence 90. Mile 2 completed in 6.56

Mile 3 is just wonderful! It starts with a 150ft decent and ends with a VERY nasty climb into mile 4. I had left a bit in my legs to ensure I took advantage of the decent and my cadence was solidly above 90 for most of the mile. I should mention that I make it a point to thank ALL the marshalls at every race I do. This race was effectively an out and back so everyone got a double dose J It was nice to see that some of them recognized me from the out loop and shouted encouragement as I passed. The final section of this mile leads to the bottom of a very nasty hill. I was pretty tired already, but I was still on target. AvHR 155, av cadence 90. Mile 3 completed in 6.52.

Mile 4 is not nice. Not nice at all. In the way that mile 3 was nice, mile 4 is nasty! It is basically a  165ft assent for .7mile followed by a 100ft decent. The front section of this saw 2 contrasting elements. Firstly, as I passed the 3.1 mile mark I noticed that I had broken my 5km PB by 5 seconds.  Secondly, the hill starts quite easily and then ends very steeply. As I ran upward I was passed by 2 very fit looking women. I was pushing as hard as I could and felt like I was going backwards! As the corner turned for the final part of the assent I heard a familiar voice from behind me. Dave Gardner is one of the happiest runners I know. He had a new hip just over 1 year ago and has spent the last year shouting, from across the street,  about how he’s “Still running it in!” Always happy to encourage slower, mostly younger,  runners, he always has a smile on his face, even though he doesn’t have any of his own teeth left J Dave’s comment clearly suggested that he was hoping to catch what he, and I, thought was the leading over 70 year old. I slowed a little, as much to catch my breath as anything else, and he pulled alongside. AvHR 158, avCAD 86. Mile 4 completed in 7.40.

As mile 5 started it was nice to have Dave running with me and he gave the clear impression that he was keen to go a little quicker. So as we ran the 150ft decent I kept him up to date with both our pace and the layout of the remaining part of the course. I had completely cocked my run up last year by “pushing the nitro button” about 100m too early! The final decent runs down a very shallow angle then turns sharp left through a gap in the fence, to finish another 70m on a slight uphill! He seemed pretty quiet during the 3^rd quarter of the mile so I assumed he was getting ready to do a final push. I felt I was not able to push much harder so I told him to go off and catch the other guy if he could. He said, “ I can’t leave you now after all your help!”. I said “Bollocks to that! Piss-off!!” He took this in the way it was meant and we ran the final 50m side by side finishing together! At the time I believed that he had come 2^nd in his age group, as I had remembered an old looking guy who had overtaken me around mile 3. As it transpired, after the results were put up on the web, he WON his age group by 2 min 27 sec! Dave and I completed the final mile in 6 min 46sec. My avHR was 160 avcad 90.

My final overall time was 36.49 and I came 109^th out of a field of 290 starters and 261 finishers. On a percentage of the field I improved from 57^th percentile to 41^st percentile.

In conclusion, I would say I had a really enjoyable run. I achieved what I hoped to achieve and lots more. I ran a new 2 min PB for the course and more importantly had a great time helping someone I have tremendous respect for achieve his goal. Next year I will try to get further up the hill and I’ll do some more hill work to help get through mile 4. 

Chester Marathon 2011 October 9th

Training for this, my second marathon, had gone pretty well. I’d put all the long runs in and managed to keep in nice low HR zones at a good pace. So I was hoping to crack the 4hr barrier for the first time in a raced marathon. I had run this marathon last year, which was my first marathon, and managed to do a 4hrs 14min time on what was a hot and dead still day. That course had not had any significant hills, really none at all, and since the course had been changed there were a several small, 20-30m, climbs thrown in for fun J

What can you control when you run a race? You can train appropriately. You can plan for reasonable eventualities. You can prepare mentally. What you can’t do is prepare for the crazy moments or control the weather conditions. The good thing about the crazy things is that they’re rare! The good thing about the weather conditions is that everyone else has to put up with them. I had trained as well as I could. I had planned a pacing strategy based on my training and racing and I was ready for most weather conditions. The 

crazy stuff, well who knew!

The weather forecast for the race had been consistent over the previous few days. Rain, heavy rain and strong (20mph) winds. As I left the house it looked likely that the rain might start at any time, Chester is 40mins away from my home. In the end there was NO rain at any point of the race. The wind was definitely there but it was constant and not gusting, when I tend to find saps my energy much more. As I got to the race and put my bag in I loaded up my drinks bottles, 6 x 8oz 4/1 carb protein sports drink, and made my way to the start. I had come to the race with 2 friends one of which was much faster than me, the other quite a bit slower. As we approached the start we separated into our timed zones and awaited the bell.

At 9.05, after a short delay the race started.

The first mile saw us run around the race course and up a small hill into the town of Chester.

Due to the numbers of participants this mile was a bit slower than ideal but 8.31 it was well within target. My simple plan was to pass 7 mile marker at 1hr, the 14 at 2hr, the 21 at 3hrs then see what I had left. My HR was nice and easy at 121 and cadence 83, a bit slow but the hill and congestion meant I was spot on.

Mile 2 completed in 8.17, just to pull the time back from the first mile, looking to average 8.23 for the race. HR was fine at 140, nicely aerobic and cadence was still 83, and the crowds of runners were starting to thin.

Mile 3 everything going very nicely with 8.21 at a 141 heart rate and cadence steady. Took my first drink and felt really strong.

Miles 4 through 13 were run directly into the 20mph wind which saw my HR rise slowly up to just around 150. Cadence for these miles was a solid 83 and everything felt OK. My plan was to take 5 caf tabs at this point and my 2^nd dose of Sportlegs. Having taken these, and with the added benefit of the 20mph wind behind me, everything was looking and feeling fine.

Miles 14-16 saw my HR rise to average over 150 for the first time, coming in at 154. Cadence was still fine at 83. It was near the end of mile 16 that the unexpected happened. For some reason there were several cyclists on the road and many of them were coming towards us. Starting to feel a bit tired I had my head down on one occasion and was very narrowly missed by a girl on a bike. As I re-started after having to stop to avoid her, my legs felt, for the first time ever, like they were working on remote control J It was at this point that I ran through a turn! Head down I continued to run for another few mins before looking up and noticing that there was nobody there! I then turned and made my way back to the course, noticing that the race marshal was chatting to a young girl rather than marshaling! Back on the course I tried to push on but I found my HR would run up to 160 in very short time. As I started putting walk breaks in I noticed that my HR was very slow to drop. I took the opportunity to drink as much as felt comfortable and got back going.

Miles 17-20 average out at 9.20 pace. HR was solidly around the 155 area and I started using most of the water at the stops as a way of cooling myself down. I had hoped the rain would come to do this for me but in its absence I decide there was nothing else to do than to take my top off! This had the desired effect of reducing my HR but did require me to stop for 90 sec while I did it.  This meant that mile 21 was 11.05 but with a much more acceptable 147 HR.

Mile 22 was much improved at 9.23 but did see my HR get back to 151 average.

Miles 23 – 27! All averaged 10.05 as I tried to keep my HR sub 150. The encouragement of the crowds and helpers was especially great at this time and I started playing the “F%$k your legs” segment I had pulled out of the Marathon Talk podcast in order to keep it all in perspective!

As I crossed the line my HR peaked back at 160 and I completed the course in an official chip time of 4.03.16.

Well, well. The result was not what I had hoped for. The weather conditions had been an issue BUT I had done more than ever before to reduce these to manageable levels. In fact if it had rained I have no doubt I would have finished faster. The big thing I did not plan for was stupidity. No one elses – mine! My friend recorded a total race distance of 26.3 miles for the run. I had run an extra .79 miles due to….. to….. me. Ah, well. There are some things you CAN control in a race then again…….. J

PS I’d like to give a massive thanks to all the DM gals and guys who have encouraged me over the months. They were all in the back of my mind as I was running. I’m sorry I didn’t do what I’d hoped but unfortunately there are limits to what you can plan for. I'd also like to thank Coach Geoff, from PRS Fit who provided my training plan. Ta Geoff!

Commonwealth Mountain & Ultra Distance Championships 5km

Before I talk about my 5km race I have to mention the AMAZING races that have happened in my home town in the last 2 days. Just to put this in context, this event is a world class running event, which took place in Llandudno – a town of no more than 20k people. The feeling I get when I think about this is somewhat a kin to Barak Obama turning up at my door for a cup of tea and a slice of cake! Some of the GREATS of Ultra-running have been running around the town I do my long runs through :o

Now I’ve got that off my chest, I’ll get onto the really good bit, but just before I do I’d like to take a second to mention that Lizzi Hawker has just completed a World Record distance for 24hr race for women with 15mins to go in the race. A moment of silence please……………………………….. For more on this please see - http://cmudc2011.org/

Now, my small part in the days racing started 25 mins after my youngest daughter completed her Fun Run mile. Always a sucker for a sad story, she decided the glory had gone and helped the little kids at the end of the pack to keep them going until the end. As we cheered her in, my friend’s daughter was declared the winner and interviewed by local radio! 

5 mins after the Fun Run was the Elites Mile Race. The organizers had managed to pull in some of the best Milers in UK. The hope was that within the pack there would be a good chance of breaking the 4 min barrier! As the runners went off this became increasingly unlikely as the course required hairpin turns after every 400m. The final winning finishing time was 4.21 – but I can’t find the name of the guy who won it L

My race was the Open 5km which was run on the Llandudno Promenade at 7pm on Friday 23^rd.

Weather conditions were as near to perfect as is possible in Llandudno. The timing of the race meant that there would be no direct sun on the course. The promenade itself is a flat strip of tarmac 30m wide which runs for 1.2 miles along the north shore coast of Llandudno.  The only downside to this race was that the route involved 4 360degree hairpin turns around a cone placed at each end of the course.

As 7pm approached I decided to get as much of a warmup in as I could. Not having run a 5km race before, I had taken advice from my DM friends, the gist of which was that I should take any easy run and finish with some strides. I managed to cram this into the 3.30 mins just before the off!

I normally try to judge my position at the start of races based on how fit the people around me appear to be. This race was not chip timed so I was less concerned about my starting position as I would be timing the race on my watch myself.  As the gun went it took no more than 15 sec to get to the line and I was off!

Mile 1 in 7.05 – The congestion at the front of the race seemed to dissipate quite quickly with the really speedy people running off and leaving space for me to get into my stride. My cadence was good at 91 but my stride was messed up a bit as I hit the first hairpin turn. I appeared to accelerate out of the turn quicker than most of the other people running at my pace, which was handy when trying to overtake. The only sense of pace I had while running was from my watch. I was seeing 7 min pace pretty consistently and so I was pretty happy to keep that going. Av HR was a very easy 149 (87%).

Mile 2 in 6.59 – As mile 2 started the race had completely opened out. There was lots of space between me and the people behind me and I had a few people in my sights. As the mile went by we crossed the finish line for the first time and my friends shouted encouragement – I was having fun J My cadence was solid at 89 average and my HR was stable around 158 (93%) At this point I spotted a small pack of runners who had been running in front of me from the start of the race. They would be my target.

Mile 3 in 6.53 + 36sec (.1m) – Mile 3 included 2 hairpin turns of the course. I had targeted a small group of runners near the end of the previous mile and I slowly drew them in. The slight breeze which had come up in the last few minutes had a nice calming effect and I really felt I had reserves of energy that I have not felt before. During the final parts of this mile I appeared to be running past large numbers of runners while I was feeling pretty easy – even calling out to my friend to encourage him as he came towards the finish! The main problem I had during this section was the lack of light. It was so dark by this time that it was almost impossible to see the finish. Fortunately, the people at the line were making so much noise it helped me orientate myself. As I approached the finish area I passed the final few people I had targeted in the last section of the race. I stopped my watch just after crossing the line. I was, for 30 sec completely incapable of speech! My Av HR had come in at 162 (95%) for the final mile and the cadence was a sprightly 89!

* Update the results have just come out and I was 54th out of 138. Happy with that!

My biggest lesson from this event is that I have not found my “right” 5km pace yet. Even the final mile was not that tough. When I do my next 5km I’ll be a bit more ambitious as to my pace – I think sub 20min is definitely a possibility!

Next race is my A race for this year - the Chester Marathon on 9^th October  - and I just can’t wait J

Llanrwst Sprint Triathlon 2011 – September 4th 2011

The weather up to Sunday had been quiet but rainy. I had moved into running a few years back after a series of crashes due problems with rainy roads. So it was with delight that I woke on Sunday morning to see clear skies and, almost unheard of, very little wind.  My training had been focused on my Autumn marathon, my second, so the time I had spent swimming and biking were pretty limited. I had swum a total of 2 hours in the previous 3 months in preparation for the race L but had biked for just under 250 miles. Notably my biking miles had almost all been pretty easy efforts with nothing even remotely in the LT/Tempo zone – this would bite me in the bum!

My swim start time was 10.15 and I had anticipated completing the 400m in around 10min. Happily this is exactly what I did, the results show exactly 10 min as my swim time. Transition 1 took a little longer than I might have hoped at 2 min 44 sec. I had made the mistake of not drying myself off before trying to put my compression top on! After wrestling with myself for 90 sec I just managed to pull it down, HR strap on, socks on, shoes on, helmet on, bike off rack, glasses on and OFF!! I ran my bike to the end of transition and jumped on. Then I remembered to set my Garmin to record the bike J The delay with this was not so bad as the first half mile of the route was designated a “non racing” area, due to traffic /safety concerns. My first mile on the bike reflected this coming in just under 19 mph. The next few miles of the race were on lovely flat roads with no wind. My speed reflected this as I averaged just under 22mph for miles 2-5 with avHR of 153 and av Cad of 95. The world was fab!!!! Mile 6 saw a few small hills which dropped my speed down to 20mph for miles 6 and 7. Now came something I wasn’t really expecting, bad prep I’m afraid. The following mile saw my speed drop to just over 12mph! The hill the confronted me was no more than a 500ft climb but when I tried to push as I approached the hill I just didn’t have any strength there. In addition there were 2 other riders who, on the narrow country roads, had decided to weave their way all over the road. The on-coming cars didn’t help much either! After getting to the top of the hill then came the fun J The next mile was at an average speed of 28.2 mph. Unfortunately this didn’t make up for the hill but at least it was a start! The next few miles saw a return to 20-21mph average speeds with cadence never dropping below 90 and avHR was stable around 152. Coming up to the second transition there was a traffic queue and cars coming towards me on the other side. Slowing down considerably for the final half a mile, my average pace came down to just over 20mph, good for 38^th out of 160 on the day and 6^th in my age group. As I entered T2 I dismounted and proceeded to go down the wrong row of racks for my bike!! After finding where I should have been it was bike racked, glasses off, helmet off, bike shoes off, running shoes on and then run the wrong way!! Get shouted at to “Go over there!” then out of T2 and onto the road. I was a bit surprised when the announcer mentioned, over the annoy, that he knew me from my other running events in the area – who knew J. T2 took 1 min 51 sec – good for the second slowest on the day!! Now for the run. One of the few specific things I had done to practice for this race was a brick session. I had not had any problems running off the bike in training and that seemed to be the case as I ran down the road noticing my sub 7 min pace! This settled down to around 7.30 pace until I hit the first hill. The climb was just over 300ft at a grade of around 13% - I decided a short walk was in order. I actually passed a bike rider who was going up the hill, while I was walking!  Trying to keep my HR below 160,beyond which I tend to explode, the top of the climb saw a quick turn and back up a little further. Mile one was completed in just over 9min. The path saw a small undulating section then up a further 200ft to the turn point. I like to encourage people as they race, most of them like it too J, but I also find it has the added benefit of helping me forget the pain I’m in. As the decent started the people I had passed on the bike leg, who I’d already encouraged as I passed, were in for another dose of happiness! Most of them shouted nice things back as well! Mile 2 was completed in 8.07 and then the decent of the main hill came. I had hopped I would have some zip left in my legs for this, and my cadence did average 88 for the final mile but I was starting to feel a bit tired. As I pushed towards the line I felt as though I could have done better. No crazy, sub 6 min sprint to the end – as I normally do – just an easy-ish  7 min pace up to the end. My final time for the run was a disappointing 24.52 good for 45^th on the day and 7^th in my age group. My Final time of 1.27.57 was OK but not great! I have lots of lessons to learn from this race, which will not be my last J. Firstly, if I want to swim better then I need to practice! Then, T1 – don’t get dressed in T1 – get bike!! The bike leg was OK but I should check the route and do some proper Tempo work if I want to get that pace up to the 22mph region, which shouldn’t be out of the question. T2 – it might be an idea to think about a land mark to aim for and also try to spot the exit when setting up before the race.  Finally, a bit of hill work would probably have knocked at least a minute off my run time. I think next year, oh yes there will be a next year J, will see me aiming for sub 80min!! 

Brithday Run July 15th 2011 – Llandudno Prom

Only a few months ago I was a member in a monthly run challenge on Buckeyeoutdoors. It included several runners who have many years of experience, and I as a novice was very much a listener rather than a talker. I’m not sure who mentioned it first but the subject of a “Birthday Run” was raised.

A Birthday Run is a run where the individual runs the same number of miles/km as their age, on or about their birthday! For this reason I decided to run 45km (28miles) on or near 15^th July.

I am in the middle of a marathon training schedule so I didn’t want to cause myself any injury or unduely hinder my training by doing the run. So, for this reason I decided to do the run on the easiest terrain I have available locally. The Llandudno Promenade is where I do most of my interval training as it is flat and only suffers with a strong seaward camber. As it is very open it often suffers with the strong easterly winds we have in this area. My main concern was to avoid injury but if I could run a PB on the way then all the better!

During the previous days I had been checking the weather forecast. The forecast had gone from full sun – 20-25C to 15-20C with showers. In the event the day was more the former than the later.

After dropping my kids off at school I parked the car just by the prom and loaded up my sports drink. I had planned to take just 2 bottles at a time – which should have done me for 3 laps (7.6 miles). I had already prepared a single bottle loaded with 300mg of caffeine which I planned to take on the next section after the 2hr mark. Then off I went! My plan, to keep my HR below 130 for the first 2hrs then move it up to 130-140 for the next 2 hours, was going pretty well to plan. I needed to average just over 9 min miles in order to break the 4hr marathon distance.  My first 13 miles were completed in exactly 2hrs. This was a little outside the target but I had kept my average heart rate down to 127 for the whole 13 miles. I was happy to try to push the pace a little now as I knew I just had 2hrs to go and I was on course for a good new PB. As I pushed on my speed increased from 9.15 pace to 8.45 pace. My HR jumped from 127bpm to 137bpm. It was around this time that I spotted my friend, a local runner who is much quicker than me, but whom I had come within 50 seconds of catching in a race earlier this year – see Nick Beer 10km 2011. As he approached he slowed and turned to run with me. We ran on and chatted for about 5 miles, which saw my pace solidly under 9 min pace and my HR rising towards 147bpm. As he left me to complete the run I had been running for 3hrs and I had completed 20.7 miles. I had just 5.5 miles to go and 60mins to complete the sub 4hr marathon.  My Garmin shows how the harder I pushed I only managed to maintain my 9 min pace. My HR was rising and I was very tired. On top of this the weather had been very sunny and I had forgotten to drink all my drinks as planned. I had taken the caffeine drink but still I was getting very tired. As the 25^th mile was completed I had 10mins to go to get in under 4hrs. By this time I was looking at my Garmin constantly and my HR was of no concern to me. I had planned to walk the final 1.8 miles, if I had to, in order to complete the 28 miles. So I tried to push as hard as I could. Unfortunately, as hard as I could was not hard enough. What I experienced was a sort of loss of control of my legs! My cadence had dropped to 77 and I just couldn’t get them to go any faster. I now believe this may have been due to a lack of electrolytes. The sports drink I take does have electrolytes in it but I think I might need some more! Next time I will definitely take salt tabs during the run. My HR at no point went above 153, it’s just that my legs wouldn’t move when I wanted them to. In the end I completed the marathon distance in 4hrs and 51 seconds. A 14 min PB for me and some more lessons learnt. I did get very hot but I countered this with a hat, some factor 50 sunblock and some strategically positioned ice packs! It would be very useful if I could find some of these in smaller sizes. One inside my hat would have been VERY useful. After I completed the first 26.2 miles I took a half mile recovery walk and then completed the 28 miles in a total time of 4hrs 25 min. Well my first over marathon distance run and how did it go? Well, I’m back out running now – just 2 days after the run – with no apparent ill effects. I’m very happy to have improved my marathon time and I’m really looking forward to my marathon in early October 2011. 

Mostyn Mile and Llandudno 10 miler 2011 - Sunday 22nd May 2011

I went into this race with the hope that I could regain the form of my training sessions during April. During some of my sessions I had broken 8 miles in less than 60 mins but as I look back the weather conditions for these runs were almost perfect. The weather on Sunday was by no means the same.The primary issue for me was the wind. Living on the North Wales coast is a wonderful experience. One of the few downsides is the wind! As I approached the start area on Sunday the 25mph westerly wind, gusting to 35mph, was fully in evidence.  The few showers that were forecast managed to avoid the actual running of the race. In fact the primary condition was clear and sunny for about 90 mins. I had previously used 6 proplus caffeine tablets, with 4 sports legs tablets, to help with my stamina. Recently I read some research on caffeine usage for endurance activities which suggested I might do better with 8 tablets.

So as I left the house at 9.45am for the Mostyn Mile Fun Run with my wife, Lesley and daughter, Emily, I was as ready as I could be. The fun run started at 10.36am after being moved from the previous course.  As the hooter went my daughter Emily ran off with the other older children. My wife and I started off nice and easily. My wife hasn’t run for many years and suffers with her heart and asthma. I was tremendously proud of her as we made our way round the course. She spent most of the route saying hello to the onlookers – I do believe she knows EVERYONE in Llandudno! As we approached the end we were presented with our medals by the Mayor. A fitting end to a lovely run. The wind, which had physically stopped us during the mile was just a sample of what was to come later.

Making our way back to the car, I got dressed for the 10 mile run. Parking in an area much closer to the start line I left my wife to go shopping as I approached the Starting area. There then followed a delay of 26 mins due to damage done to the signage of the race by the weather!

As 12.26pm approached the starting line. The announcer did his thing and we were off!

There was some congestion during the first half mile which probably was as much a help as a hindrance. This mile was run almost straight into the wind and so the crowd would have protected me from quite a bit of buffeting. As mile 1 ended the course turned exactly into the wind. The second mile saw my pace stabilize around 7.40 and my heart rate slowly climb above 160 – this was a hard mile! Mile 3 saw a 180 degree turn and now with a tail wind my heart rate dropped slightly, and even with a 30 sec walk break and a sip of sports drink, I completed the mile in 7.37. Mile 4 was pretty strong with the my average HR climbing to 159. It was during mile 5 that the course turned again into the wind. My average HR climbed again to 161. I was starting to feel the pressure and so I took a 50 second walk break to drop my HR. This helped get my HR back down to 152 but the average was still 161. Mile 6 was also back into the wind as we made our way back past the prom and into the town. I kept trying to keep the pace up but I was starting to suffer with the heat. I had poured 4 cups of water over my head at the water stations but I was still feeling very hot. I managed to get back to the pace but I was paying for it in terms of my heart rate which was stuck between 159 and 164 for the whole mile. Mile 7 was going to be straight into the wind. It felt like pushing through a series of curtains, constantly pushing me backwards. The attrition rate on this mile was pretty heavy. Many people who had past me in previous miles were pulling over to walk and stopping with cramps. I thought it couldn’t get much worse – I was wrong. Mile 7 in 8.26 with a 60 sec walk break which brought my HR down to 148 from 164 – I still averaged 160!! Mile 8 was VERY VERY hard. Easily the toughest in the race, next year I’ll keep something for this mile. Not only were we running into the wind in the completely open West Shore coastline, but the sand was blasting into our faces just to help with our exfoliation!! Another 161 heart rate average, this time with a 167 maximum, and the slowest mile of the race at 8.31. Mile 9 had to be easier. After the 60 sec walk break at the end of mile 8 my HR was down to 151. Again it swiftly returned to the 160-164 range even at a pace of 8.07. Is should say this mile has the added interest of a pretty long hill in the middle of it. As I spotted the final mile marker I knew I could look forward to the wind behind my back on the finishing straight.  The final mile saw me pretty much on my own with only a few runners in the distance. I felt as though I had a small push left in me before the end so I thought a sub 80 min time might be possible. I took the opportunity of the decent to get my heart rate down a little with a 40 second walk break. This got me down to 155 from 164. It felt hard to break down below 8 min pace but once I was on the prom I managed to get down to 7.35. This was partly due to a natural drop at the start of the prom. It was now my job to keep the pace up and hold on for a final push at the end. I was keeping the pace in to the 7.30 region when I saw my daughter Emily of in the distance. She started running by the side of the course and so I had someone to chase!  I managed to keep my pace below 7.30 for the rest of the run, achieving 5.35 for a few seconds as I crossed the line! My heart rate was climbing constantly during this mile and I finally peaked at 174 with an average of 166. My final finishing time was 1.20.30. I had missed my time by 30 seconds but I am happy I could knock another few minutes off in better conditions.