Training Log Archive: FRBlackSheep

Event: Park Race 12: Streatham Common
 

Time is ish as lost splits and results still not up on website.

The club tried a new idea of having the top 6 mena nd women go off in a seeded start pattern, alternating between the men and the women giving a 2 min start gap between those int he same gender race.

This added a nice head-to-head aspect tot he race, just a shame that the two runners off in front of me Mark Ford and Richard Barrett didn't partake one through absence and one cause he didn't want to, which meant that after I had overtaken Jayne and Sue carter I had no-one to lead me into the controls (I was 4th seed) and those chasign me down had each other to support.

Overall though the pressure kept me sharp and pushing it throughout. I did try and not run flat out so i could concentrate on anv (legs were also tired from the weekend) but not sure I managed it.

Was a bit wobbly through the early controls and although I passed Jayne at control 2 she caught back up 30 or so seconds when I fumbled into 5, but got back away from her here, next mistake was at 10-11 where I intially went north then decided south was better and turned round. In reality there was a difference but the 30 seconds or so I lost changing my mind was more than the 5 seconds or so in difference between the routes, similar to my errors at Roehampton, once a route has been selected, need to commit and reduce hesitation time.

Fairly clean from then on in and negligble time loss for the remaining controls - although overall think I should have been able to shave a minute.

Final positions for this race were Ed, paulc, Jonathon Albon and HWW then me so 5th today meant I took 5th overall with just paulc moving above me and he was only 1 point off Ed in the end.

Happy with this overall result as came 5th last year too, but this years field was much stronger and could easily have been outside of the top 10 if things had gone badly.

http://parkrace.org/

Long - Splits

From work to Lido

15 X lengths was feeliing the cold today

Was going great guns then all went tits up derailler got stuck in wheel -time to head to repair shop

Toms real relay leg was delayed by 15min while he got interviewed by 'The One' show.

First 3 miles were at about 10min mile pace as we had Emma with us for the first bit (the route went via their flat) then we picked up the pace

Petes leg of the real relay from tooting bec lido to tolworth.

Pete had gone for more of a guided tour approach to selecting his route and took great joy in furnishing me the details along the way.

The main one was that we went past the athletics track (now fulham football clubs training ground) where the world record for the mile was set prior to the last time we had the games.

The start was slightly delayed while the previous leg runners did a length of the lido. Unfortunately although the pace was slower my groin started playing up about 3 miles in and it was a struggle to the end, bit again a great experience that I really enjoyed.

Unfortunately by the time I got back to the lido to reclaim my bike it was already 9 so the plan to also knock out a parkrun. And the frolic were cancelled and so home for a nap before more adventures on Hempstead heath in the sun.

We had an all star team out for this leg, Pete, me, Ed, Yehuda and Christine R for the last 3 miles

Event: The "real" Olympic torch relay
 

To work

Home from work - lush evening

Easy ride from home to Toms in time for getting to the start of his leg of the real relay.

Nav was ok, cool going over Tower Bridge with the Olympic rings up there - had a little wobble going through Lewisham, but figured it out ok.

Event: Park Race 11: Morden Hall Park
 

Not a great race it turns out as seem to have been beaten by everyone - including getting 'chicked' by Mhairi again! Usually not that bothered as its cause I've made a monumental screw up, but tonight wasn't that bad -s o just got beaten soundly.... Lost approx 30secs at the start as the direction you needed to run inw as behind you and took me a while to get it together, and then missed a bridge option ont he butterfly loop which was worth approx 45 secs and exited poorly from 18.

So although felt ok - many people excecuted the race much better than I did.

Roll on the weekends challenges

Update after results published - 10th so not too bad, 17 seconds down on m, reckon the best I could have managed at the speed I was going at would be 3.10 faster and so 25.36 - top 3..... just too many errors

Long - Splits

Rest day - must get hydrated