Wednesday 28 May 2008

PB PB PB !!!

When we ran last year's Wroxham 5K (August 2007), I managed it in 34:32. I was hoping to beat that this year - although recent training has been patchy, and I'm still not really back up to speed after that long, enforced break.

This year's weather was cloudy and fairly cold - better than humidity, anyway - but also very windy, which made especially the bit around the 3K to 4K mark very hard work. Malcolm and Susie were there, too, which was great. Here we are at the start of the race.



Out of 266 runners (all the results are here on the Norwich Road Runners' website), Malcolm came in at #153 in 24:05, which he said was disappointing (!); Susie was #242 at 29:57 (will I ever break the 30 minute barrier?); Kim apologised for running ahead of me, but in fact she put on a faster pace at the start and then remained in my sight for most of the rest of the racce, coming in a minute and a half faster than me at #253 in 32:33.

Malcolm, bless him, came out and ran me in the last bit (he's on the left of the photo below): I was absolutely triumphant to find I'd run it in 34:02!! At position #257, at least I'm moving up the field from last year (sixth from last - this year, 10th from last...)



And finally, Kim & I collapsed at the end...

Tuesday 27 May 2008

Small companions

I was intending to run with Kim on the day before the Wroxham 5K, but her work schedule prevented; so, when I announced that I was going out for a run, my niece and nephew (7 and 9 years old respectively) decided they wanted to come, too.

I told them that I would be stopping just once for them - at the halfway mark; and we managed it. Young Jack did it in a mixture of sprinting and walking - he hasn't yet managed the idea of "steady-does-it"! - but Samantha kept happily pattering along beside me at about an 11 minute pace. Mummy was very proud of them...

(Here they are with Mummy - my sister, Jenny - not on this occasion, but earlier in the week during a visit to the Dinosaur Park. Yes, honestly.)

Friday 23 May 2008

Bits 'n' pieces

During this recent mad period (parents hopefully about to move house to join us in Norfolk, sister and her two kids visiting from Spain, loads of work) the blog has been a bit neglected. Brief summary: Sunday 18th, Kim & I managed a decent gym session; ran the usual sub-2 miles on Thursday 22nd; got my new Nike SportBand, and now I've figured it out am much enjoying using it.

Saturday 17 May 2008

Busy week

... aren't they all?

In London for decluttering work from Monday afternoon through to late Wednesday. As I was (a) staying overnight with my client on Tuesday, and (b) travelling back to Norfolk by train direct from London on Wednesday, had to have all my kit with me in rucksack; so the fact that I at least walked the 1.2 miles to the station rather than getting the bus was still better than nothing!

Got myself out on Thursday to do the Morton run, which was good and steady, and at a 10:29 pace - not bad.

Friday saw Kim & I doing our first weight session at the gym in (aargh!) a month. Am typing this the following morning, and no apparent aches and pains just yet! It felt very good - that really nice feeling when the muscles have been stretched, but not to painful point.

Next weekend, my sister will be here with her two kids. I don't think I'll challenge a 7 and a 9 year old to a race, somehow...

Sunday 11 May 2008

Nearly a PB!

Well, not that impressive, but it feels a lot to me.

In all the time I've been running, I've usually managed a best pace of around 10:30. (When I started, in March 2007, the usual pace was nearer 12 or 13, so I've progreesed well from that.) Looking back, I once did an average pace of 10:12 across a three-miler in two hits on flat pavement, back last September (about my best for being in training), but otherwise it's between 10:30 and 11:10, depending on the location and inspiration!

The last two runs with Kim - Friday and Sunday - down to Morton and back were on glorious evenings. And Sunday's somehow felt more as it used to feel, with a few of those "easy" patches where I remember what I do running for... OK, it was in two splits with a three-minute pause in between, but having managed to the halfway point in 9 minutes exactly, I was very pleased to manage the return journey in 8:55. As it's a 1.75 mile total, that gave me a pace of 10:14.

You never know, I might crack a ten-minute pace yet!

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Go, the Reepham Runners

An advert in our village magazine put me on to this friendly bunch. On a simply glorious evening, we started at the leisure centre at the back of The Old Brewery hotel, and wove our way round some very pretty paths and corners of the town. 18:15 running time, plus a couple of pauses to stretch, so I'm guessing at about 1.7 miles or so (hopefully Jackie will figure it out on FetchEveryone, as my usual crap sense of direction prevents me figuring it out!).

A great extra motivation to put in a few extra miles when I can. Their Tuesday evening meetings are best for me by far; Thursday mornings just don't do it (day off!) and Sunday mornings tend to be busy in this household. But an early evening meander through the Norfolk countryside - on paths which are a lot better to run than most round Weston Longville, and prettier than Longwater - will do very nicely whenever the diary permits.

Sunday 4 May 2008

Done it again!

Just got back from my second Race for Life; this time I was running with Elaine and her daughter (having run the Sport Relief race in March with Elaine and her son!).

We came in together at a pretty respectable 34:35, which given that (a) I did last year's R4L in about 39:00, (b) it's within a couple of seconds of my time at last August's Wroxham 5K and (c) I've managed precisely one run per week for the last month - plus a couple of gym sessions - it's not at all bad.

As this was Sunday afternoon, not Sunday morning, Selwyn was able to follow us round the course with the camera this time. I have to admit, having two "followers" - one with camera, one with water bottle - is preferable... not carrying water was a mistake, I felt totally spaced out by the end of it with dehydration. Mind you, it was a very, very warm day.


Waving from the middle of the crowd at the starting line


Ready for the off


Running steady


Done it!


Me an' my girls

By the way, it was fabulous to have Kim turning up with her mum and step-dad at the end of the race - I wasn't expecting to see her there. We'll be back out on the roads together soon! Wroxham 5K at the end of this month - let's see if I can keep up the pace for the whole distance this time, rather than flagging in the last mile...

Race for Life: one year on

It's hard to believe that it's exactly a year ago that I was running my first 5K. This afternoon I'll be going with Elaine - Kim can't make it this time - and am aiming for under 34 minutes (last year it was 39 minutes).

I haven't canvassed for sponsorship - am leaving that for the 10K in September. But I'm still really looking forward to this.

This is when I started racing for my own life, and I'm so grateful.