Glossopdale Harriers Handicap 10K
The club puts this race every month during the winter, runners are set off in accordance with their predicted or previous course time so that everyone should, in theory, come in to the finish at the same time. I've only done this once before, back in December 2011 in a time of 43:13. Runners with slower times set off before me and I had faster runners chasing me down... I'd say I'm about mid-field. Last winter when I did this I'd set off too fast so steadied myself in the first few kilometres. I began catching runners in front of me at about the 5km mark but I was labouring at this point. I think I was still tired from the big week of fell running in the snow and I had the tail end of a cold. Then began the sounds...
I've only made audible sounds when racing once before, on the Shelf Moor fell race, coming up James's Thorn, determined to beat Andy A & Dave H. If you imagine the sounds that someone who is possessed by the devil would make, then you're not far off. So, carrying on on the GDH 10k sounding like a wounded devil dog I got to the hard bit, the big hill up Park Road, Hadfield and kept going all the way to the top... I don't do walking on road races, that's reserved for redonkulous hills on the moors and fells. From the top it's all downhill to the finish, the best bit as you can let gravity do it's work. There is a little flat stretch halfway down, which is when I got demoralised when I was finally caught by the chasing hounds (Mike, Neil and Steve). I came in at the leisure centre with a time of 42:15. That's about a minute off last winters time and only 7 seconds off my flat 10k PB.... according to some, the GDH 10k is 2 mins slower than a flat course, so next flat 10k could be sub 40 minutes. I'll have to give the handicap course another go when I'm fully rested and haven't got a cold!
South Manchester ParkRun
I'd been looking forward to giving the ParkRun at Platt Fields Park another bash. My fitness had dropped a bit since I got my PB (19:16) back in September and have only just got some of it back. On the chilly morning I met Caity, a fellow Glossopdale Harrier and friend, and warmed up with a little jog round the park. After all the usual spiel from the organisers I got myself to the front of the pack for the start. Then as the organiser shouts "Go!" I watched all the excited runners leg it off in front of me while I kept a steady pace. Even after the first minute I was picking people off and leaving them behind.
My km splits were: 3:52, 3:58, 3:53, 4:01 and 3:41, giving me a time of 19:25. Not bad as there are no ridiculous puddles in two places on the course... and when I say puddles I'm talking several metres in diameter and at least 40cm deep. If conditions were good then I reckon I'd have matched my PB.
Just got to keep up the hard work, train smart and keep losing the weight.
The club puts this race every month during the winter, runners are set off in accordance with their predicted or previous course time so that everyone should, in theory, come in to the finish at the same time. I've only done this once before, back in December 2011 in a time of 43:13. Runners with slower times set off before me and I had faster runners chasing me down... I'd say I'm about mid-field. Last winter when I did this I'd set off too fast so steadied myself in the first few kilometres. I began catching runners in front of me at about the 5km mark but I was labouring at this point. I think I was still tired from the big week of fell running in the snow and I had the tail end of a cold. Then began the sounds...
I've only made audible sounds when racing once before, on the Shelf Moor fell race, coming up James's Thorn, determined to beat Andy A & Dave H. If you imagine the sounds that someone who is possessed by the devil would make, then you're not far off. So, carrying on on the GDH 10k sounding like a wounded devil dog I got to the hard bit, the big hill up Park Road, Hadfield and kept going all the way to the top... I don't do walking on road races, that's reserved for redonkulous hills on the moors and fells. From the top it's all downhill to the finish, the best bit as you can let gravity do it's work. There is a little flat stretch halfway down, which is when I got demoralised when I was finally caught by the chasing hounds (Mike, Neil and Steve). I came in at the leisure centre with a time of 42:15. That's about a minute off last winters time and only 7 seconds off my flat 10k PB.... according to some, the GDH 10k is 2 mins slower than a flat course, so next flat 10k could be sub 40 minutes. I'll have to give the handicap course another go when I'm fully rested and haven't got a cold!
South Manchester ParkRun
I'd been looking forward to giving the ParkRun at Platt Fields Park another bash. My fitness had dropped a bit since I got my PB (19:16) back in September and have only just got some of it back. On the chilly morning I met Caity, a fellow Glossopdale Harrier and friend, and warmed up with a little jog round the park. After all the usual spiel from the organisers I got myself to the front of the pack for the start. Then as the organiser shouts "Go!" I watched all the excited runners leg it off in front of me while I kept a steady pace. Even after the first minute I was picking people off and leaving them behind.
My km splits were: 3:52, 3:58, 3:53, 4:01 and 3:41, giving me a time of 19:25. Not bad as there are no ridiculous puddles in two places on the course... and when I say puddles I'm talking several metres in diameter and at least 40cm deep. If conditions were good then I reckon I'd have matched my PB.
Just got to keep up the hard work, train smart and keep losing the weight.
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