Forest Flyer

I have had to move things around a bit this week as we're having our bathroom done and one of the workmen didn't leave until 8:30pm on Wednesday and I was really tired on Thursday after work.  I'm still hoping to get 5 session in this week though, but I wanted 10-11 days between my long run and the next Half Marathon, which won't happen if I do get a long run in on Sunday.

Anyway, I managed to get a number for a local race called the Forest Flyer tonight (Friday) which is a 5-mile race that is part of the Teignbridge Trotters Club Championship.  I'm not doing the Championship, but as my wife wasn't getting back from a trip away until late on Friday I decided to get a run out.  I don't overly like the off road stuff but this was more of a trail race with no large obstacles so the terrain wasn't bad.  There was a very large hill at the end (it lasted 1 mile) which was a killer, but I enjoyed the event.  I won't be sure of my my time until the results are published as I forgot to stop my watch, but it was 38:50ish I think which I'm quite pleased with.

The profile of the event is below.

Torbay 10K, and a bit of a look back over the last 12 months

I got to the Torbay 10K start line in good shape so was raring to go at the 6pm start.  I've done this course a few times before and know there can be a bit of a bottleneck so I stood in the first quarter of the field hoping that would mean I'd have a clear run out, which worked out to be the case.  I also don't feel I held any quicker runners up, so I stood in about the right spot for me I think.  The conditions were good - it was dry, but not too hot and there was a bit of a breeze.  This "bit of a breeze" was a headwind for maybe 1 mile of the course, but it wasn't too bad.

I know the course very well and I had promised myself that I would go out steadily and leave something for a strongish finish and the first mile was done in 7:10, which was actually a bit quicker than I had anticipated but I felt okay.  The second mile includes a reasonable hill but then miles 3, 4 and 5 are basically flat and I had planned to use this part of the course to settle into a rhythm and see how I felt, knowing that the 6th mile includes an  uphill section, before a fast downhill section to the finish.  I was gasping at the end and the last 200m were very hard, but I kept a reasonable pace so I think that means I paced the race well, which I'm pleased about.

Looking back, I think that it all came together and I managed a chip time of 45:31 so I'm pleased.  This isn't a PB (my PB is on an easier course than this), but it is a strong course record as I've knocked over 4 minutes off of the time from last year, which at that point was my PB.  It was after this race last year that I decided to join a running club, and I'm really glad I did.  I'm sure Mo wouldn't do this, but we did have a couple of beers and some pizza to celebrate!

My wife also did great and managed a PB as well, so she was really pleased.

The last 12 months
It was immediately after 2012's Torbay 10K that I decided to join the Teignbridge Trotters and I'm so glad I did.  It feels like the right time to review the last 12 months as I know my running has come on so much, plus I've met loads of people through the Club which is very friendly and welcoming.  My PBs in 10K, Halfs and the marathon have tumbled in the last 12 months, and I've lost about 1.5 stone in weight and about 5% in body fat (according to my scales, which I'm not sure how accurate they are on the body fat %), which has helped as well!

Turning a bit towards my inner geek, Garmin Connect has some reports that can let you analyse lots of things and below are a few highlights .
- In the last year I've done 1564 miles, which is way more than I've ever done and is an average of 30 miles per week, every week.
- This shows I have been very consistent, which I think has been part of the the key and I'm hoping to keep that going, depending on injuries.
- According to my Garmin, I've burned nearly 250,000 calories!  Again, I'm not sure how accurate this is but it's probably in about the right area.  That is a lot of pizza that be consumed to make up for that shortfall....!
- For the majority of the last 12 months, I've done either 4 or 5 runs per week with 4 weeks where I planned only 3 sessions per week before an event.  There are just two exceptions to this.  The first week in January I picked up an injury so only did one session that week and for a holiday in April I only got two sessions in.  I think that is pretty consistent and has definitely helped with my running.

I have no real targets in mind, apart from to keep up the running with the club and to see if I can continue chipping away at those times.  I know I've been really lucky with injures this past 12 months and hopefully that will remain the case.  This time twelve months ago, if anyone asked I wouldn't really have called myself as "a runner".  This year, if anyone asked I do count my self as a runner and I have really got the bug!

One thing I think I need to do is start to become more structured in my training, which I will try and look at before a Spring marathon attempt where I'd like to go sub-4 hours. I think that is my main goal and I think is achievable on the right day.

It was the Men's World Championship Marathon in Moscow yesterday and I watched the whole race.  I was on the look out for Yuki Kawauchi, as he is very popular on Marathon Talk.  He is a 2:08 runner and has a full time job in Japan and he races a lot!  He did get a bit of coverage on the BBC as well.  He didn't do amazingly well (he finished 18th), but it was good to see him.

I mentioned back in June for the Torbay Half that I had arranged to meet an old school friend after the race.  I went out with him and his brother again last night, and it was good to catch up and we were talking about running, triathlons etc.  He was talking about that he has removed most (if not all) sugar from his diet and has seen him times tumble this year.  It's food for thought for me (no pun intended) as I still think I need to lose a few pounds from a running perspective.

I mentioned in a previous post that I had read Chrissie Wellington's (A Life Without Limits) book about Ironman, which was a very good read.  Chrissie raced a lot at the renowned Kona Ironman event, and there are rumours going around the Internet that Gordon Ramsay is doing the event this year.  There are no real reputable sources that I can find (except the Daily Mail, which has delighted in publishing pictures of Ramsay getting changed for a training session, which I'm not going to link to here) but there is a thread on Runner's World about it.  It will be interesting to see if Ramsay does the event, although it seems he hasn't made the qualification time so may have got a place as he is a celebrity.

My wife and I went out for another run this morning around our popular stomping ground of Torquay/Paignton.  We had seen adverts around for a Sky Ride event in Paignton, and it was good to see that it was very well attended.  Basically, a few roads are closed from 10:30am-4pm, and it is an opportunity for people to get out on their bikes in a safe environment.  The event was really well attended which is good to see.  I'm not sure if it's a regular thing, but details of my local event are here.

In Tartiflette we trust!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we were in Annecy recently.  One of the key, local dishes there is tartiflette which is basically a cheese, ham and potato dish (made with the local reblochon cheese).  We bought a couple of authentic tartiflette dishes and found that do Tesco do the correct cheese so in order to reminisce a bit about our holiday we made the dish tonight.  Not sure what this has to do with running, but it was very nice!

Below is our very nice meal....

On a couple of occasions whilst in Annecy, I saw a sticker on a car or bike as per the below, which made be smile.

Holiday!!

My wife and I have just come back from a great 10-days holiday where we did lots of 'non-running' related stuff and really had a great time away (lots of eating, drinking, relaxing, etc etc).  I did manage to get a few runs in too, so I'm pleased that I manage to keep things ticking over.  My plan purposefully didn't show any sessions whilst away, so I'm happy to have got 5 sessions in totalling around 30 miles.

We travelled down to Annecy on the train from Paris and stayed at the same hotel as the last time we were in Annecy, so settled straight in with the first of many tartiflettes and glasses of wine.

For those that may not know, Annecy is in the Alps and is on a lake that shares the same name. The lake is fantastic and very clean (it is the cleanest lake in Europe).  There is stunning and inspiring scenery and I got three runs in (two 7-milers and one 5-miler), including one with my wife which was great! The photos don't really do it justice, but here are a couple, with the first with me proudly wearing my Trotters shirt!

On another day, we took a walk up into the mountains which was great. There were a handful of runners up there too, but it's not something I'd contemplate as the paths are very steep and narrow!  There were some great views on the way up though, and my Garmin shows that we peaked at over 2200ft which wasn't too bad.

Whilst in Annecy, I took the opportunity to read Chrissie Wellington's 'A life without limits'. Chrissie is a British Ironman competitor and turned professional fairly late (late 20s). It's a great read and charts her progress to various world titles and records in that gruelling sport.

We caught the train back from Annecy to London and headed to York for a few days, again by train. York is a great city with lots of things to do, and the food and beer at very good! I got two runs in along the River Ouze (a 6 and 5-miler) which I enjoyed.  So although I haven't been doing massive mileage I am pleased to have kept things ticking over, and I always enjoy running in new places to keep things fresh.

On the way back from York I started reading the  Brownlees' 'Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story'.  I haven't finished it yet, but it's good so far.

I'm still on holiday from work for the rest of this week, and have a few plans but the full training won't resume until next week.  I need to kick start things for Dartmoor Vale in October.  Logistically it's going to be a bit tough for a week or so as we're getting our bathroom done and we don't have a second loo/shower, so that may prove interesting!