Hate Hate Relationship

L’s got a bit of a hate hate relationship with half marathons but she does seem to approve of ten milers. She says she’d like to make a career out of them but this could be a short career as there aren’t that many of them. Having said that we have only just done the Great South Run and now we have the Flying Fox 10.

This takes place at Standon in Staffordshire. The race starts from the local school with parking just down the road at the Standon Mill. For once it’s a bright and dry morning for a race.

The race has been held since 2003 but they have changed the course this year probably just for us, to make it two laps. The two laps bring you back to the start line each time but each lap is different so it's not too repetitive. Although it's all country lanes and as I don't know the area, we could have been anywhere. 

Both laps are equally hilly hence my finish time of 1:22. Four minutes slower than at the Great South but then nobody inspired me with any Amazon vouchers this time. There is however a bottle of Flying Fox Ale for all finishers.

(Sunday 3^rd November)

Once More Unto The Breach

A 5am alarm call this morning as we all head over to the Blithfield Reservoir near Abbotts Bromley, Staffordshire. I’m competing in Blithfield Triathlon, Sprint version. L and the boys are along to support.

So a 750m swim, a 20km bike and a 5k run. While the last two parts are like falling off a log, the first part is a bit like falling into a reservoir. Which should at least involve swallowing less detritus that at Holme Pierrepont as in theory we’re swimming in tomorrow’s drinking water.

My swim is memorable, for the wrong reasons, again I can’t get my stroke going and I'm very thankful I’m not doing the Olympic distance as this would mean doing a second lap of the swim circuit. Note to self - when I do enter an Olympic distance race, make sure it’s not a two lap, the temptation to abort would just be too great.

Thereafter I don’t rush transition, four minutes I believe it was, as I’m practising more for the longer distances than this one. Obviously I still need to work on the swim bit... I try all the kit I would use on a half ironman bike, probably putting on more layers that are perhaps necessary and also gloves which I wouldn't usually bother with in a sprint tri. As an experiment, wearing my calve supports under my wetsuit worked well. They are still in place and being wet doesn’t half their effectiveness.

I head out on to the bike course, which has been altered due to flooding and now includes quite a steep but short climb, which I love. It's a scenic route that also takes us back across the reservoir on a causeway.  As ever it takes 5 miles to get into the bike, which is almost half way but it goes well.

My transition to the run is much shorter; I even found some running shoes with elastic laces in the back of the cupboard which helps.

The run takes us along the edge of the reservoir and again upon the causeway before turning around as we head for home. It’s a flat run and would have been fast had it not been on a gritty, rocky track that makes me worry for my ankles.

Afterwards we sit on the grass by the finish, where L feeds me coffee and sausage sandwiches.

After heading home for a while, I head into Derby for the 4pm kick off against Blackburn. Derby’s first match of the season and one of the Football League’s 125^th anniversary fixtures.

Derby, as ever, seem to throw away a winning position by trying to sit on their 1-0 lead for the last 35 minutes. It finishes 1-1.

L comes over to Derby and I meet her in the Royal Standard. Sadly no food is available here on a Sunday. It’s a shame that hardly anywhere does food on a Sunday now as it’s my favourite night to eat out. 

After moving to the Flowerpot and getting some very decent beer we decide to head back to Nottingham to dine at the Savera Tandoori. Which is really very nice, if only the meal hadn’t been so massive. Indian meals are always so hard to judge.

(Sunday 4^th August)

I Didn’t Really Want A Hilly Race

The clocks go forwards overnight, which means an hour less in bed. An hour less rest for today’s run, which was a swine to organise. The obvious run today was the one a few hundred yards away on Wollaton Park but the Marrow Run is demanding £38 to enter, that includes £30 sponsorship for their charity. Which is all well and good but we do a run practically every week and can’t afford £40 each time. So despite the petrol costs, it is cheaper to go elsewhere.

There was a race near Stratford, but actually turned out to be way beyond Stratford, about 70 miles away and it was hilly. I didn’t really want a hilly race as training for the Derby 10k, which is very flat.

There was the Newham London Run and we do have the habit of going to the same city twice in a week but on this occasion I think we’ll stay local. Well local-ish, Peterborough was a possibly but it’s full and the one at Tickhill is off road... Which leaves Abbots Bromley, also hilly but only 40 miles away. Cheers Marrow people.

Abbots Bromley turns out to be a good choice; it’s a nice location in the Staffordshire countryside. The race is a small event but a well organised one from the Richard Clarke First School.

After a nice spell the weather has turned quite cold again and I opt for gloves. I also curse the first km, which is mainly downhill on potholed, well cratered actually, country lanes. This forces me in to quite a slow start, which works well, and I actually move upwards through the field rather than my usual backwards.

There after the underfoot conditions are better, all on road but very undulating. I’m happy with my pace but the hills make it unlikely to be a fast time. When Kms 8 to 9 climb quite steadily I look forward to a downhill section that never comes and I’d already seen the finish... the last 200m consists of a tough climb back up the road to the school.

For the last, oooh 7km, I've trying to reel in a lass in a Birmingham Half Marathon t-shirt, without success. I would have though another girl, who runs most of the distance breathing down my neck would help me catch her, as this might even give her the win, but she doesn’t seem to have the legs to do so and nor as it turns out, on my own, do I. Still I can’t argue with 10th place and a time just the wrong side of 43 minutes.

So a good event, although at £15 a bit steep considering there’s no t-shirt, we got a water bottle instead. We’re obviously paying for the chip timing, which is nice to have but for a race of this size not really necessary.

Car parking for the event is provided by several locals pubs, so it only seems fair to thank them for their generosity by popping in for one.

Back home later, I catch up with the last day of the World Track Championships or what few bits are shown between the recapping of the whole week. If the coverage has been disappointing, so have the performances. No matter what positive spin the riders and management try and put on it, things are not looking good. The policy of just focusing on the Olympic disciplines too looks flawed. It may be where their funding comes from but sitting back and watch Australia mop up all the medals cannot be good for morale. Then if we don’t get the Olympic medals either...

(Sunday 27th March)