Tuesday - 31/12/13

This is the final entry in this blog, I will create a new one for 2014.

I travelled to Mountain Ash with Stuart and Tyrone. Saw Carywn and Emrys there plus Chris Carpanini, Bilal and many more familiar faces. I ran a tired race with Sunday's 5 mile race having left my legs feeling very heavy. I trailed behind Andy Davies for nearly all of the race, was overtaken by a couple of lady runners and was also lapped. The race leader crossed the finish line while I had about 5 metres of my second lap to complete.

Sunday - 29/12/13

I did the Coventry Godiva New Year 5 mile race at Warwick University. I'm feeling a bit bloated from seasonal food excesses. It was a chilly morning with frost underfoot but the organisers - showing good foresight - had gritted the course. My (manual) splits were as follows:

07:12 - 07:12
14:24 - 07:12
22:09 - 07:45
29:09 - 06:59
36:29 - 07:19

Although this would seem to be slow it is my fastest time for this race!

Friday - 27/12/13

I did the Royal Oak - Victoria Avenue loop. I ran easily to the bottom of Victoria Avenue and then did "fast" reps to the top of Christchurch Road by Beechwood Park. I was doing 40 seconds fast with 1 minute recovery.

Wednesday - 25/12/13

I did the Newport Christmas Day Park Run at a canter - I ran most of the way with Nick Davies and we had a good old chat.

Tuesday - 24/12/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus hill strides up through Beechwood Park

pm
I did the Royal Oak - Victoria Avenue loop in approx 50 minutes.

Monday - 23/12/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus hills drills. It was very wet!

pm
I did the Royal Oak Victoria Avenue loop - it was still very wet and it was quite breezy too!

Sunday - 22/12/13

The Torrington Christmas Caper.
A good job we arrived early (for car parking). From the Rugby Club it was a short walk to the start. There was a steep decent on road to the first trail. It was a fairly flat mixture of road and trail after that. The serious forest climbing was omitted because of the bad weather. On the way back there was a change from retracing our footsteps as we were diverted into a field where we went steeping downhill, across a squelchy ditch and then had a serious climb across fields to the finish.

A Christmas Pudding and Clotted Cream to all finishers.
    

Saturday - 21/12/13

Newport Park Run easy.

Wednesday - 18/12/13

pm
I did the Royal Oak - Victoria avenue loop before slimming world. A very breezy afternoon but I finished before the rain storms arrived.

Tuesday - 18/12/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus technique hill strides

pm
cold evening at Newport Stadium. Session: 2000, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, 200 (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) recovery
with Emrys, Dave S and Carwyn.

Splits
warm up : 22 minutes
8:34; 5:02; 6:49; 4:00; 5:10; 3:00; 3:21; 1:58; 1:34; 1:00; 41
18:29 cool down

Monday - 16/12/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus some hill strides. I actually went a long way in the 20 minutes. Must be fresh after not racing last weekend.

pm
I did an easy 49 minutes. The Royal Oak, Victoria Avenue loop.

Sunday - 15/12/13

I did a variation on the Eveswell Park Road loop in 46 and a bit minutes. It was fairly late on a Sunday evening after the rain had stopped. Still blowing a bit of a breeze however.

Saturday - 14/12/13

An easy run at the Newport Park Run. Still feeling rough - I  struggled round in just over half an hour. Feeling a bit under the weather is an understatement so decision not to compete in the Welsh Masters X-C Champs was confirmed as being a correct one.

Thursday - 12/12/13

I went to the track but was feeling quite weak. I've got a bug. I just jogged a few laps and then went home

Wednesday - 11/12/13

I did race 3 in the Street 5K Race series. It was a very good evening for running, not quite as chilly and breezy as for race 2. There was a slight slippiness on the road surface however.

my recorded splits were: 8:20; 12:44 and 21:24 - I missed the other two split times. I can estimate from Garmin though. Garmin measures this race at approx 5250 metres by the way!.

Monday - 09/12/13

I did the Eveswell Park Road loop. Feeling a bit stiff and aching from yesterdays cross country. Had to walk a fair bit of the steep uphill.

Sunday - 08/12/13

I did the Gwent League Cross Country at Bath University.

It was a great day for running - lovely conditions both weather wise and underfoot. I tracked Howard for most of the race but he finished in front of me. As we were climbing to the top of the second hill on lap 3 Mike Davies overtook me and he ran hard downhill on lap 4. I was able to stay with him and then ran with him on the flattish bit at the bottom and passed him on the long uphill. I worked hard to maintain my lead over Mike on the next down and up hill. I lost 1 place to a youngster (probably) but ran pretty well. Howard was in front of me (not too far) and I could see Paul Foy up in front too.
 

Thursday - 05/12/13

With Stuarts group
my splits
24:33 warm up - 2 * Oregon Circuits (9:44; 4:41; 9:38) - 3 * 125 (25; 1:48; 26; 2:21; 25; 4:46) - 4 * 75 13; 1:30; 14; 1:50; 13 - then cool down.

Thursday - 05/09/13

Wednesday - 04/12/13

afternoon
Easy 46 minutes a new course - slight extension to the Tennyson Steps loop. It's the Eveswell Park Road loop! 6.49K.

Tuesday - 03/12/12

am
Easy 20 minutes plus hill stride drills.

pm
On the track at Newport Stadium on a slightly chilly evening. Wore two technical layers for the first mile rep but it was warm enough to shed a short sleeved layer for the rest of the reps.

session
warm up and drills
4 * 1 mile - 4 mins recovery plus 4 * 100 FRS
cool down

Did these with Lisa and Dave Somersall. John Watkins joined in on number 3 and did the strides.

splits
26:15 warm up
4 * 1 mile: 6:57; 4:15; 6:54; 4:52; 6:57; 4:30; 6:54; 5:28
4 * 100m FRS: 20; 2:11; 19; 2:06; 20; 2:00; 20
14:13 cool down

Monday - 02/12/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus hill strides

pm
I did the Tennyson Steps loop in 47 minutes with tired legs. Tough on the hill.

Sunday - 01/12/13

pm
I did the Gwent Leisure Centre Cross Country League at Rogerstone running as a guest. It was cold it was hilly. Howard Attwood was in front of me, there was a Pontypool runner and a Fairwater Runner between us plus another runner in blue. Chris Davies was behind me. Howard was very strong on the last lap.

Saturday - 30/11/13

am
I did the Newport Park Run starting easily and gradually increasing the pace. It was a cold morning and I wore hat & gloves and weatherproof top.

Thursday -28/11/13

pm
Stuart's speedwork session

150, 250, 350, 250, 150 (equal distance jog rec)

splits
31:32 warm up
28, 1:28; 52; 2:09; 1:15; 3:22; 54; 2:28; 28
13:47 warm down

Wednesday - 27/11/13

am I did an easy 27 minutes around Hillmorton / Bromwich Road area. I stopped at the Hillmorton Co-op cash point to get some money for Mum. out for 29 minutes 27 minutes moving time

Tuesday - 26/11/13

am 
I did an easy 25 minutes - laps of Caldecott Park while my Mum was in the opticians 

pm 
I did a speedwork session on the road in Hillmorton. 

4 * 1200 (400 metres jog/walk) + 4 * 80 FRS 

Splits 
7:54; 6:25; 3:32; 6:36; 4:01; 6:25; 3:37; 6:43
4:52; 28; 22; 55; 22; 53; 21; 54; 27; 
8:24 cool down

Monday - 25/11/13

am I did a recovery run in Hillmorton. I miscalculated the route and time and I was out for 32 minutes! pm I did a 45 minutes easy run from Deane Road. Up the alleyway and along Hillmorton High Street, along Ashlawn Road, Percival Road, the footpath to Pytchley Road, Cromwell Road, Hillmorton Road, Fenwick Drive. Tagged on to a group of four ladies running along Hillmorton Road. There were a lot of runners out and about tonight.

Sunday - 24/11/13

I did the Coombe 8 mile multi-terrain at Coombe Abbey Park. It was a cold day but fairly bright. Good weather for this race really. This year as the river level was reasonable there was a river crossing. I started at a steady pace and gradually increased that pace as the race progressed. It is actually a very good mix of open field, woodland and bomb craters. my splits 08:28 - 08:28 16:25 - 07:57 23:52 - 07:27 31:37 - 07:45 40:57 - 09:19 49:22 - 08:24 57:37 - 08:15 64:55 - 07:18

Saturday - 23/11/13

am I did the Newport Park Run course with Maisie - we did not complete the whole 5K we did 3.75k - that was enough for Maisie and me too I guess since I'm doing a tough MT run at Coombe Park tomorrow.

Thursday - 21/11/13

A chilly night at Newport Stadium - trained with Stuart's group. My partners were Lisa, Holly and Bronwyn. 7 * 200 (3m, 2m, 1m, 3m, 2m, 1m) recoveries my splits 39 minutes warm up 39; 3:16; 38; 2:18; 40; 1:10; 38; 3:21; 38; 2:28; 38; 1:29; 37 29 minutes cool down

Wednesday - 20/11/13

am I did an easy 20 minutes. An out and back up Christchurch Road to the traffic calming measure pm I did the Tennyson Steps loop before Slimming World

Tuesday - 19/11/13

am Easy 24 minutes - The Christchurch summit out and back. pm scheduled - 3 * 3 * 400 (1m, 3m) + 3 * 100 FRS my splits warm up: 24:33 1:33; 1:00; 1:32; 1:01; 1:30; 5:04 1:30; 0:59; 1:31; 1:16; 1:31; 5:15 1:34; 1:00; 1:34; 1:04; 1:32; 3:01 19; 2:01; 19; 2:03; 20; cool down 8:44; 7.13km with Lisa, Emrys and Tyrone on a chilly but dry and clear night at Newport Stadium.

Monday - 18/11/13

am I did an easy 24 minutes recovery run. It felt OK! pm Easy 45 minutes - The Tennyson steps loop. The hill was tough butI am in the process of building up my mileage at quite a challenging rate.

Sunday - 17/11/13

I did the Drogo 10 (9.7 actually) Travelodge with Garage & shop sells hot food - pasties, steak slice for example. There is a little chef with free wifi. Pub down the road also has free wifi. Good beer. All 4 miles from the castle. The pub had 4 real ales on tap - there were children in the bar ( well most of them were in the pool room actually). The little chef "Jumbo cod & chips" was not really Jumbo! Limited parking in the castle car park. - have to park on the side of the access road. It is a short walk to the grassy area in front of the castle where the registration tent is located. It was quite mild in 2013. I was right to wear just my running vest. The start is quite crowded and leads fairly quickly on to a steep descent on a narrow path with limited overtaking. Just short of two miles there is a stile at which there is queuing. Shortly after that there is a narrow footbridge over the river and a wall to climb over. There is more queuing here. Continuing on you reach the first climb which I think is the toughest. Why? Because at the second big climb there is a gradual lead in so you can run a fair bit of it. The third steep climb is Hunters path which comes almost immediately after the Fingles Bridge crossing. Before and during the race my left hip was aching a bit (yesterday it did too). The visitor centre is nice but there will be a queue in the cafe after the race. My splits According to the mile marker I did the first mile in 5:42 - that is obviously wrong. The next mile was clocked at 12:02 - there were two queues just before the second mile marker, at the stile and the wall. 1 05:42 - 05:42 2 17:45 - 12:02 3 27:11 - 09:26 4 51:45 - 24:34 7 65:28 - 13:42 8 73:28 - 08:00 9 98:00 - 24:31 9.7 1:47:22 - 09:18 My race history 2009 - 1:32:58. 214/517 2012 - 1:51:32. 394/486 2013 - 1:47:22 388/507 (2:35:26)

Saturday - 16/11/13

I did the Open race in the B&I cross country international programme at Cardiff. Before and during the race my left hip was aching a bit

Wednesday - 13/11/13

I did the second race in the Street 5K race series. My time was slower than the first race but I did have a hard session last night.

Tuesday - 12/11/13

am Well I went out a little late for my morning run. I did an easy 20 minutes plus some technique hill strides. pm A chilly evening at Newport Stadium. I did 3 * 2000 (3 min recovery) + 4 * 80. Lisa cut her 2nd and 3rd reps to 1600. 13:59 warm up 8:43; 3:09; 8:52; 3:04; 8:53; 3:25 16; 2:34; 16; 2:30; 16; 2:50; 18 3:26 cool down lap

Monday - 11/11/13

I did the Tennyson Steps loop in 46 minutes.

Sunday - 10/11/13

Gwent League (2) at Bridgend. It was a pleasant day weather wise though quite muddy underfoot and I nearly came a cropper on several occasions. I ran fairly well but lacked endurance and strength so struggled on the hill on each lap. I was 314th. Mike Davies overtook me as did Alan Perkins.

Saturday - 09/11/13

I did the Newport Park Run as a training run. It was a bit cold and it was raining a bit too. The course is now coated in winter season gooey mud. I ran this in my Inov8 X-Talon fell running shoes at a comfortable training pace.

Thursday - 07/11/13

I did 2 * 4 * 175 on a dry night at Newport Stadium, I was able to run these in a long sleeved "T" shirt after warming up in weatherproof hat and gloves. The doc did this session with us he is not in good shape at the moment.

34:50 warm up
33; 3:29; 33; 3:44; 33: 3:48; 31; 6:36
32; 3:42; 32; 3:43; 32; 3:32; 31;
12:00 cool down

Wednesday - 06/11/13

I did a 20 minute recovery run then strides up through the park. I stopped to chat to the lady with the rescue dog that does not like yellow jackets due to her mistreatment as a puppy.

Tuesday - 05/11/13

I did 14 laps (500 easy, 300 fast) at Newport Stadium on a fairly chilly night.Four did the session, me, Emrys, Tyrone and Lisa.

my splits
32:13 warm up
4:07; 4:22; 4:27*; 4:28; 4:36; 4:52#; 4:33@

sample breakdown for 3 reps
* 4:27=[3:21;65]
# 4:52=[3:45;67]
@ 4:33= [3:27; 66]

11:02 cool down

Monday - 04/11/13

I did an easy 22 minutes on the Cartside footpath in Langside Glasgow. I was very stiff and sore after yesterday's 10K

Sunday - 03/11/13

I did the Strathaven run with the wind 10K.

Saturday - 19/10/13

WMA 5000 metres, SOGIPA Porto Alegre

Wednesday - 16/10/13

WMA Cross Country Porto Alegre

Saturday - 12/10/13

Maisie and I did the Newport Park Run

Thursday - 10/10/13

I did an easy to steady 25 minutes via the Greyhound and Royal Oak loop finishing along Farmwood Close then I did a cool down walk up the steep bit of Glamore Park Avenue.

Wednesday - 09/10/13

I did the Street 5K series Race 1 of 6. It was tough race, I don't do road 5Ks very often. My splits were:

04:02 - 04:02
08:04 - 04:02
12:12 - 04:08 (est)
16:20 - 04:08
20:27 - 04:07

Stayed at the Rosewood House B&B in Burrowbridge with Kay and ate at the King Alfred.

Tuesday - 08/10/13

I did an easy 20 minute run plus a couple of hill strides and the 5 * approx 70 - 80 metre slightly down hill fast action strides on Beechfield Avenue.

Sunday - 06/10/13

I did the Burnham on Sea half marathon at an easy 8:30 ish pace. It was a warm morning so it was a bit tough. There were three water stations so I had two cups at the middle water station.  It was a very warm day so at the moment I felt a little bit sick and tired after the race. Too much sun and the course of typhoid vaccination capsule that I’m on won’t have helped. I forgot to take my Garmin so I didn’t record my progress but I did record my mile split times on my Timex Ironman watch. It was a flat course, I started at the back and jogged it - doing about 8 and a half minute mile pace all the way. A good thing about running at that pace is that you usually find some eye candy to relieve the monotony! In this case there was one particularly attractive young lady who I tucked in behind for a several miles. We did exchange places once or twice until I left her behind close to the 9 mile mark. 

I should point out that while running at 8:30 pace I’m not just looking at young ladies bottoms’. Different people have very different running styles and I find it interesting and useful to analyse the running style of the participants as they progress along the route.

For instance. A young lady in the Burnham on Sea Half Marathon had a very solid upper body and shoulders - so obviously works out in the gym a fair amount. Meanwhile there was a guy who had a strange action where he hardly bent one of his knees. He bent his left leg sufficiently to swing it through on the stride but that is a very unusual and inefficient  way of running. I thought to myself “I can’t let a stiff legged man beat me”!

Two others that come to mind from previous races are a girl whose left foot swung outwards during her stride rather than swinging pendulum like in the direction of travel and a guy with a nodding head which Churchill the insurance dog would be proud of. I could help people like that! Mind you Paula Radcliffe’s style was not the best and she did OK for a while without my advice!

The car park was next to the race headquarters at the Sports Ground and the refreshments included a bacon bap and chips for £3 which I did not resist! Possibly the only negative point was that it wasn't exactly traffic free with several miles being run along fairly busy roads. There were 200 runners.

Monday - 07/10/13

I did a 20 minutes easy recovery run, a couple of hill strides and an HKS

Saturday - 05/10/13

I did the Welsh Road Mile Championship. I went off too quickly and struggled home in 6:07 (TBC). I was the only 60+ so I was presented with a gold medal by Steve Jones. The splits according to Garmin are listed below. As ever I didn't stop my Garmin at the end so the last split is incorrect.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	6:26.4	1.59	4:03
1	1:25.9	0.40	3:34
2	1:37.2	0.40	4:01
3	1:38.2	0.40	4:04
4	1:45.2	0.38	4:36

Thursday - 03/10/13

I did 2 * (160, 80) on my own at the stadium in preparation for the Welsh Mile Championship.

splits
31:50 warm up
28; 1:52; 13; 5:00
29; 2:30; 13; 8:14 cool down

Wednesday - 02/10/13

I did an easy 24 minutes. The Christchurch Road summit out and back! First time for a long time!

Tuesday - 01/10/13

On a warm evening on the track at Newport Harriers I did 5 * 200 (200 jog rec) plus 4 * 50 HKS.

splits
28:09 warm up
37; 1:43; 40; 1:37; 38; 1:50; 38; 1:50; 39; 9:13
1:41; 13; 1:22; 10; 16:21

5.17K

Monday - 30/09/13

I did an easy 23 minutes in Hillmorton.

Sunday - 29/09/13

I did the Cirencester Park 10K. I was very tired after Emmie's birthday party yesterday and not much sleep last night. Maisie waking me up. It being very warm in my bedroom too. I had to get up early to take Maisie for a walk. This was a fairly tough course, classed as road but with some uneven metaled surfaces to run on and a finish on grass albeit quite a firm and well manicured playing field. It was breezy too - that was noticeable on the playing field.

Splits

1	04	10.79
2	08	33.56
3	12	46.86
4	16	45.03
5	21	25.04
6	26	00.93
7	30	12.66
8	34	09.06
9	38	30.35
10	43	21.65

Saturday - 28/09/13

I did the Newport Park run wrapped up warm in my yellow hi viz weatherproof and red ski hat. I wore long leggings for the first time this winter (!?).

Thursday - 26/09/13

I did a speedwork session at Newport Stdium - 3 * 3 * 150 (30s, 5m)

my splits
26 mins warm up
37; 30; 40; 30; 40; 5:09
36; 36; 39; 30; 40; 5:00
39; 32; 39; 31; 40; 27:23 cool down

Tuesday - 24/09/13

The final day... I was chatting to the guy on the hotel reception desk - I'd heard he was a runner. I took his advice and ran East down E20th Street to the East River and ran up that side of Manhattan. I cut in at around 41st and had a loo stop at Bryant Park. I completed my cross town run along W42nd Street and then headed South alongside the West river. There was a nice river side park there. In that park they were filming an episode of Law and Order - Special Victims Unit. I cut back into Manhattan at around W10th Street. The street layout in the west village is not as straightforward as the grid pattern in midtown, it takes a little while to get orientated. I had been running for an hour so I decided to have a beer and lunch in the White Swan. There were pictures of Dylan Thomas on the walls so I took some photos. The food was probably OK but I thought I might as well move on and go to the Corner Bistro and have a Bistro burger. I then ran back across town to Union Square and called in the Heartland Brewery pub and had a glass of IPA. I drew some cash... Remember to put the card in and then pull it out straight away! I jogged and walked around Gramercy and then went back to the hotel to collect my bags. On the way to the L metro at 3rd Avenue I noticed that Swindon v Chelsea was on the TV so I watched some of that and had a chat to Ben the barman.

I then got the L to 8th Ave and a slow train on the A, C, E and changed for the express somewhere around Canal Street. It takes a good 90 minutes to get to Howard Beach and transfer to the JFK air train. On this journey I was more relaxed about being the only white face on the train. I am more aware of what a multi-racial society there is in New York. I took a short stroll from the air train to T2 where I dropped my bag off and got a printed boarding pass even though I didn't ask for one. We went through security at T2 and then had a transfer bus ride to T4. There was a shake shack at T4 so I had a smoke shack burger with fries and a vanilla milk shake. We started boarding on time at 8:20 for a scheduled 9:15 departure. We boarded the plane and then there was a one hour delay because Air Force One was in the vicinity and had priority over everything. So we took off an hour late and arrived at Heathrow T4 about 30 minutes late. I would say that it took me about 30 minutes to clear passport control. I must remember that at the automatic passport reading machine you put the shiny page forward and upwards with passport open at the photo page.

My bus wasn't until 11:50 so I had an hour to kill. That was easy enough, I went into the loos to swap American cash and notes over with British cash and notes and then had a Costa Coffee  Got the bus which left T4 then went to Heathrow Central before hitting the M4 back to Newport. It's a three hour coach ride to Newport in total.

When I got home I was quite tired and so went straight to bed a slept for a couple of hours. The following morning I went to Penylan home for dogs and collected Maisie - she had to have some vet treatment while I was away but she was fairly perky when she saw me.

Monday - 23/09/13

I decide to visit Battery Park and then I took an impromptu run over Brooklyn Bridge and on to the Atlantic Chippie. This was a fortuitous decision. I met Chris Sell and his barman Tom. I had a nice couple of Greenport Harbor Summer ale's and cod, chips and mushy peas for lunch. Following Tom's advice I ran down Atlantic Drive to the riverside park. I had a pumpkin ale while waiting for the river boat. The sad thing was that when the river boat turned up there was such a melee that there was no chance of getting the boat. Rather then wait 20 minutes for the next scrum I jogged from Brooklyn Bridge Park round to the subway station at High Street and got the A, C, E metro train to 8th Avenue. I wandered round to the Corner Bisto and had a cheese burger, fries and a beer. Not sure why I didn't have their signature bistro burger, i'll have to do that another day. back at the hotel room after a flurry of e-mail exchanges I wandered up to Ralph's to have a final vanilla choc chip cream ice. I also got a quart of diet tropicana lemonade and a disgusting cheese calzone for supper.

Sunday - 22/09/13

It was the 5th Avenue Mile today. There was over 5000 runners in total, the race was split into 15 separate heats. The last three races were the professional men and women's races and a children's race. There had been a big storm in the night which had cooled things down to a nice temperature perfect conditions, well, maybe just a bit breezy, especially at the start but I can't remember being affected by the breeze at all. I slept well and well past my alarm too - it was  set for 6:30, very generous with the race start time of 11:00am and the start being just 4 miles from my hotel. I sort of got up at about 8 ish and headed out at about 9am. I got the subway express train on the 4, 5, 6 line to 86th Street and Lexington Ave. Getting orientated above ground was a bit strange, I should have remembered how many turns I'd made before arriving on the surface.  I figured that if I started walking down 87th with 86th on my left that I was going in the right direction (West to Central Park). At the park I strolled around for a while sorting out where things were. The start, the number collection point, the bag drop, the loos etc. There was a water station at the start which I thought was an excellent idea. Security was such that you had to put your belongings in a see through plastic bag. That I did, and sat for a while in the morning sunshine on the museum steps. I then had to warm up carrying my bag - you just couldn't leave things lying around! There was a pick up truck for bag storage for our heat. We dropped the bags off before we entered the starting pen. All bags were checked by sniffer dogs!

Our heat comprised all the men and women aged 60 - 69 runners, about 170 in total. I started on the second rank and the start was fairly smooth and unhampered. The first quarter mile was downhill and I went through the quarter in about 1:22  - 1:23. They had clocks at each quarter mile. The second half was an uphill slope, I got to the half in around 2:57. The third quarter was downhill, it felt like I flew down there. Progress along the final 440 yards was helped by the cheering crowds. I was also thinking of my newly born grandson - who was born today in the early hours of the morning - that provided motivation though maybe a slight loss of focus. I cant remember my time through three quarters. The runner in front of me was few seconds away and there was no-one close behind. Anyway, I finished in 5:52 and in 13th position. 13th in my age group was a bit disappointing - I had hoped to be in the top ten but it would seem that many of the top ten were 10 seconds faster than last years top ten, perhaps an indication of how masters athletics standards are improving. The time of 5:52 was pleasing for me though. My best time for a mile, I've only done one before and it was on the track, was 6:03. The race was won in 5:02 by Nolan Shaheed. Like David O, I've met Nolan at the world masters T&F champs - he is not going to Brazil this time though. Interestingly - for me - I was also beaten by a 60 year old woman (she ran it in 5:35), that doesn't happen too often.

Also .. Today I'm a Granddad for the second time.Oliver Howard David Proffitt was born in the early hours of the morning. A bit premature - I was supposed to be in Brazil when he was due to arrive. 6 lb and a few oz. so a decent weight.

After today's race I went to the Blind Pig to watch some NFL football. I met a bunch of really nice American youngsters, about Zoë's age and i shared their table and their Angst ("it's not easy acting in this city whatever they might tell you"). As a Psychology student I would share it wouldn't I?  It goes to show though that if you drink in a $7 a pint bar you meet $7 a pint people - you go to $3 a pint bar you meet $3 a pint people who are either resigned to life or just smashed - the Guinness in the Bulls Head at $3  a pint was rather nice even if the people were not feeling up to conversation or chit chat.

I popped round to the local supermarket in the evening and got a quart of low calorie Tropicana lemonade and a packet of crisps to take back to my room. 

Saturday - 21/09/13

John Morgan was running in Van Cortlandt park. The scene of my 2006 run in the Pete McArdle cross country classic.I took a subway ride to the park and then walked and jogged around the course. I didn't switch Garmin on at the start so I manually adjusted the distance to 6.02K. On the way back to the hotel I called in at Schnipper's on 23rd Street for a burger fries and vanilla milk shake. 

In the evening I walked down 3rd Avenue to Houston. New York's East Side was buzzing on this Saturday evening. I headed west on Houston figuring that I would eventually get to the 4, 5, 6 line. - which I did, so I got the subway North to Union Square. Always thirsty and in need of a dessert, I called in at Smush, an ice-cream cookie shop on Union Square. I had a signature sandwich  the chocolate covered struben which consisted of cookies, strawberries, Nutella spread, sliced chocolate, and vanilla ice cream. I visited a supermarket on 3rd Avenue just South of e17th street and bought some Tropicana lemonade and crisps. By mistake I picked up a carton that was not sugar free and took home 1000 calories rather than 100.

Friday - 20/09/13

after being quite ill with sore throat and head cold the symptoms relented enough for me to take a run up 5th Avenue from finish to start of the mile course and then run back via Central Park.

Monday - 16/09/13

Bunged up nose and sore throat. I did an easy 20 minutes and a couple of strides up through the park and along Beechfield Avenue. I was out for 27 minutes.

Sunday - 15/09/13

BMAF 5000 metres

14:20 on Sunday afternoon - A better run than yesterday Conditions quite blustery, very cold and some sharp rain showers. Learning from yesterday I went off more slowly. I sat behind Alan Newman for a while then went past him and sat behind Mick Kelly, an M55 from Milton Keynes.   If I had gone past him I would have been more exposed to the elements including a strong wind on the bottom bend and home straight. Des Michael was fading badly at the end – he had gone off very quickly with Mike Mann.

I was also suffering from a sore throat and a snuffle that I probably got from Zoe and Emmie. All things considered this was a good run.Brian Worthington was spectating - I haven't seen him since Kenilworth 2010. It was good to see him again.

My splits were:

04:01.29               04:01.29

08:02.xx               04:01.64

12:05.xx               04:02.74

16:08.xx               04:02.86

20:01.xx               03:53.74

Saturday - 14/09/13

BMAF 1500 metres

09:40 on Saturday morning - A bit of a miserable damp blustery morning. I may have gone off a bit quick when taking the conditions into account. Very disappointing

My splits were:

1:23.76                  1:23.76

2:54.26                  1:30.50

4:26.26  (e)          1:32.00 (e)

5:33.26                  1:07.00  

Wednesday - 11/09/13

pm
I did an easy 20 minute run then bounding up through the park then some strides.

To the park took 17:30 - I bounded up through the middle. I strode along the top of the Park and up Christchurch Road - stretching my legs

Tuesday - 10/09/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus hill bounding drills plus a few Fast Relaxed Strides.

Monday - 09/09/13

20 minute recovery run with Lisa, Bethan and Cheyenne

Sunday - 08/09/13

I did the Bridgwater Half Marathon - it was a new course which cut out the main road at start and finish. Stuart was there with Lisa, Cjris and Erin. Darren Abbots was there - he collapsed after the race - I hope he is OK. Stu Sykes was marshalling. The Lliswerry contingent was Howard, Yvonne and Lisa Bateman the Eastleigh contingent was Jeremy and ?.

I ran this one a bit harder than anticipated but that may well have been due to the fact that I didn't do a park run yesterday. I passed Howard at about 7 or 8 miles and left him for dust! The second half of my race was nearly two minutes quicker than the first half.

Saturday - 07/09/13

am
On a mild morning at Tredegar House I did a lap of the Park Run course with Maisie at an easy pace. We covered 3k.

Thursday - 05/09/13

5 * 100m (ish) in Hillmorton Rec - plus warm up and warm down all done with Maisie!

Thursday - 05/09/13

5 * 100m (ish) in Hillmorton Rec - plus warm up and warm down all done with Maisie!

Thursday - 05/09/13

5 * 100m (ish) in Hillmorton Rec - plus warm up and warm down all done with Maisie!

Thursday - 05/09/13

5 * 100m (ish) in Hillmorton Rec - plus warm up and warm down all done with Maisie!

Wednesday - 04/09/13

pm
I did an easy 20 minutes then strides up through the park

Tuesday - 03/03/13

5 * 2 minutes with a minimum of 5 minutes recovery on the track on a warm and slightly humid evening with Tori, Antonia, Lisa, Henry and Bethan. Lisa ran strongly for 2-3 reps. I did all 5 at 1500 pace or slightly better. Depends what my 1500 pace is these days!

Monday - 02/09/13

I did an easy 30 minutes from the stadium with Lisa and Bethan. We went on to the SDR, rifgt at the Nash roundabout then down Traston - all the way down the straight and left at the end. Headed South and on to the cycle path. turned at 17 mins 30 secs. Returned to the stadium via Caswell Way. Quite stiff to start but legs loosened after a while.

Sunday - 01/09/13

I did the Kenilworth Half Marathon at a cruise apart from the mile between 11 & 12 (including the hill) I pushed that penultimate mile. My Ironman said 6:50 for the mile!

I met Laura Emms from Great Bentley and a guy called Stuart from Kenilworth. I also saw Dave Fawner - we passed each other a few times.

Saturday 31/08/13

I did the Coventry Park Run with a proper warm up.

I felt a bit tired and had some lactic in my legs from Thursday, it was a bit breezy but otherwise OK.

I did it in 20:53.

Thursday - 29/08/13

I did a pyramid session on my own at Cwmbran Stadium prior to going to Tiffins to celebrate Zoe's birthday. I met Rachel and her dad at the track!

session: 150, 250, 350, 350, 250, 150
recoveries (1.5m, 2.5m, 3.5m, 3.5m, 2.5m, 1.5m)

It was a bit breezy on the track.

splits
26 mins warm up
28; 1:30; 50; 2:30; 1:13; 3:30; 1:12; 3:30; 48; 2:30; 27
cool down

Wednesday 28/08/12

afternoon

It was a warm afternoon - I did an easy 20 minutes - The Victoria Avenue loop with strides up the centre of the Park. Across the very top and then jogged and walked back along Beechcroft Road

Tuesday - 27/08/13

pm
At Cwmbran Stadium - I did 6 * 150 with Stuarts Group - the recoveries were 5m, 4m, 3m, 2m, and 1m

splits
27:21 w/u
28; 5:15
25; 4:11
27; 3:13
25; 2:07
1:12
26;
17:05 cool down

Monday - 26/08/13

I did the Tennyson Steps loop. Legs a little stiff after yesterday's half marathon and the Park Run. I was strong on the hill though.

Sunday - 25/08/13

am
I did the Pewsey Vale half marathon. - after a fairly hard Park Run yesterday!

I set off easily - noted my heart rate was up for the first mile. Ran steadily until some geezer overtook me then I picked up the pace. I knew there was a Lliswerry runner (female) in front of me so I had to catch her! I actually caught her just before the 10 mile mile at which point she had just started walking! Anyway the increased effort had scuppered me a bit so I just jogged the last 5K - my legs were quite fatigued!

I also met Robert Blake - he's doing a 50K in Borneo soon!

http://www.sabahadventurechallenge.com/ultra/

He finished the PVRC Half in 2:06 or thereabouts.

Saturday - 24/08/13

am
I did the Newport Park Run at a tempo pace (approx 22 minutes). A slow start and picked it up a bit. A breezy morning. It had been raining overnight hence a bit cooler.

splits
04:48,75 - 04:48.75
09:04.78 - 04:16.03
13:37.77 - 04:32.99
17:47.77 - 04:10.00
22:01.52 - 04:13.75

there were a few people around that I wanted to overtake or stay in front of. e.g. The tall thin Lliswerry Runner (Nigel Foulkes-Nock)

Slimming World had a set up there giving water away.

NB. I met Christopher Leslie's wife!

A bit of an aching shoulder at the end of it all!

Friday - 23/08/13

pm
I did an easy 20 minutes (Victoria Avenue loop) then some hill strides. I went up the middle of the park thus including the steep section in front of the workshops.

Thursday - 22/08/13

pm
Dry evening at Newport Stadium

did a speed session with Stuarts squad - 6 * 80 + 2 * 175

39 mins warm up
13.33; 2:39
13.17; 2:36
13.64; 2:21
13.94; 3:17
13.31; 3:26
13.50; 7:04
30.52; 6:12
30:00
13:49 cool down

Wednesday - 21/08/13

I did the 3000 metres at the WML (4) meeting in Brecon. I deliberately went off fast - too fast really, I could not hold the pace.

Splits
03:45.91 - 03:45.91
07:36.46 - 03:50.55
11:34.04 - 03:57.58

still .. it's an age group best and a club record!

Thursday - 16/08/13

I did a speedwork session with Stuart's squad. Weather was dry and mild/warm.

1 * 225, 2 * 150, 3 * 75

31:02 warm up
40; 7:10; 25; 5:05; 26; 5:35; 13; 3:43; 13; 5:59; 13; 22:47 cooldown

Sunday - 18/08/13

am
I did the BMAf 10K Road championships in Pollok Park Glasgow. I stayed at Gerry & Lesley's. I met Kevin Jones and Michelle Rivett. I also saw Alan Rich and Pauline Rich. David Oxland ran well. My Garmin splits and Ironman splits differed - this was probably due to misplaced signage on the route. I have a splits spreadsheet in which I made some manual adjustments. It turns out that my ist 5K was a few seconds quicker than my 2nd 5k.

pm
I did an easy 30 minutes with strides in Langside, Glasgow

Wednesday - 14/08/13

pm
I did 20 minutes easy followed by some strides up through the park. feeling a bit better today and stretched it out once or twice coming up Chepstow road

Tuesday - 14/08/13

On a breezy evening at Newport stadium - it was also cooler than of late, we did 5 * 300 (150 FR, 150 F) - we being me, Antonia and Bethan.

My splits were:
29:12 warm up
35; 29; 03:02;
35; 29; 05:00;
34; 28; 03:04;
33; 27; 04:02;
33; 27; 10:12 cool down

Monday - 13/08/13

I did an easy 30 minutes on the road from the stadium with Antonia and Bethan. Then a 5 minute cool down

Saturday - 10/08/13

I did the Barnstaple Park Run slowly, this was after a meal with wine at Kay's the night before.

Thursday - 08/08/13

pm
I did Stuart's session 2 * 3 * 110 Fast Relaxed.

23:14 warm up

19, 2:24; 19, 5:23; 17; 7:35; 17; 7:01; 17; 8:02; 17

cool down

Wednesday - 07/08/13

13:30 - Aurimas Massage - Pelvis / Quads release

to do - Work on outside hamstring

Tuesday - 06/08/13

am
I did an easy 20 minute run with hill bounds. I wore my heart rate monitor

Monday - 05/08/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes plus hill strides and felt OK.

pm
I did the Tennyson Steps loop and felt fatigued. Soon be time to taper down for BMAF 10K Glasgow.

Sunday - 04/08/13

I did the Brecon 10 mile road race for the first time since 2004. I set off at a comfortable pace and picked it up as I tired - thus my pace was fairly even throughout even though I felt like I was blasting it at times. I had it in my mind that Dave Goodall was in front of me and that I had to pull back to him. The first mile was generally downhill and the last was the same hill in the opposite direction. I spotted Dave in front of me and over a distance of about 3 miles gradually got back to him. I kicked past and beat him by over a minute. There were 4 over 60s in front of me however! They were: Michael Warrick (23 - 64:52) - Mick Tabor (24 - 65:21) - Howard Kent (57 - 70:19) and Simon Partridge (61 - 70:45)

Brecon 10 mile results

	Race Name			2013 Brecon 10
					2013	Splits
			Split Mins	Split Secs	Split (secs)	Lap Time (total secs)	Lap Time (mins)	Lap Time (secs)
0	-	1	7	05	425	425	7	05
1	-	2	14	17	857	432	7	12
2	-	3	21	31	1291	434	7	14
3	-	4	28	33	1713	422	7	02
4	-	5	35	18	2118	405	6	45
5	-	6	42	22	2542	424	7	04
6	-	7	49	47	2987	445	7	25
7	-	8	56	51	3411	424	7	04
8	-	9	63	57	3837	426	7	06
9	-	10	71	26	4286	449	7	29
			Ist 5K		2118		35	18
			2nd 5K		2168		36	08
			Total		4286		71	26

Saturday - 03/08/13

am
I did the Newport Park Run as hard as I could. I felt I had a bit of fatigue in my legs after Thursday's 7 * 200 but  ran reasonably well.

			Split Mins	Split Secs	Split (secs)	Lap Time (total secs)	Lap Time (mins)	Lap Time (secs)
0	-	1	4	19	259	259	4	19
1	-	2	8	15	495	236	3	56
2	-	3	12	29	749	254	4	14
3	-	4	16	28	988	239	3	59
4	-	5	20	40	1240	252	4	12
			Total		1240		20	40

Friday - 02/08/13

am
I did an easy 44 minutes. The Tennyson steps loop - on a very warm morning, a touch humid too.

Thursday - 01/08/13

I did some easy running - my car was off the road so it was a good way to get to Slimming World (15 mins), back from Slimming World (24 mins) and to Scotts Motors to pick up the car (15 mins).

At the stadium on a warm sunny evening I did 7 * 200 (3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1) with Stuart's Team Lewis.

37, 3:19; 36, 2:12; 35, 1:09; 37, 3:31; 35, 2:41; 35, 1:33; 37

Pav's last session with the group, she's moving to Birmingham

Wednesday - 31/07/13

I did the 1500 metres at Cheltenham in the Open meeting.

I was last but this was my first 1500 metres as a 60 year old. My time was 1:27.7 which I was a little disappointed with - shows how my expectations have been raised this year.

Splits
1:24.81 - 1:24.81
2:53.13 - 1:28.32
4:21.24 - 1:28.11
5:28.93 - 1:07.69

(My time was actually 5:27.7 - so I guess I was late on the watch either at the start or the end)

Tuesday - 30/07/13

pm
A warmish and humid evening with a bit of a breeze. I did 20 minutes easy on grass then 6 * 80 metres FRS on grass at the top of the park .

Monday - 29/07/13

am
20 minutes recovery run plus some technique strides up the park hills

pm
i set off to do the Tennyson Steps loop. I did most of it but met Amy as I entered the top end of the park so I walked back from there with Amy and Red.

Sunday - 28/07/13

I ran in the BMAF 10000 metres championships at the Horspath track in Oxford. The weekend didn't start particularly well since my engine management system warning light came on as I was tootling along the M4. I stopped at Membury services and had a coffee while things cooled down but it didn't help. The car has developed a bad misfire. I will need to book that in to be fixed when I get back. I stayed at the Westwood  (Country) Hotel near Hinksey Hill and apart from a bit of a farce at the evening meal time it was very nice. My room had a little patio which opened out on to a lawn. It was nice weather when I got there so I was able to sit on the patio and have some coffee and fruit. As for the evening meal (the restaurant opened at 6:30pm by the way). I had a decent starter of fishcake with salad leaves and my main was OK too - chicken ballotine with boulangere potatoes and a few sticks of carrot and mange tout. Paul, Zoe and Emmie arrived just before my main course arrived and  they decided they would join me and have a dessert. Soon after confusion reigned - After my main course no one came to take our dessert order so I called a over a waiter and he said we had to wait five minutes because there was a wedding (?) I think he though we had ordered and were waiting to be served but we hadn't even ordered. Eventually Paul and Zoe gave up since Emmie was getting restless and they left. I finally managed to order a cheesecake but a few minutes later the waiter came back to apologise - they had just sold the last cheesecake! I left it at that and went back to my room and had some more fruit and some jaffa cakes! At least the lady in reception was nice, she brought a jug of milk to my room.

In the morning - I had to leave the hotel before the 9:00 am start for breakfast. So I had two mug shots in my room, one pasta and one noodle. After leaving the hotel, even with a sat nav, I managed to get lost on the way to the track but found it eventually. There was a large playing field where warm up was possible. If the grass had been wet then trail shoes/x-c shoes might have been in order but it was fine. The temperature was just right but it was a bit breezy. My previous best was 44.54 or thereabouts which I have run on two occasions. The last time was when I travelled to Coatbridge in Lanarkshire. I had a cold and an ear infection but still chose to run. Not a great day! This time there was a bit of interest before the start of the race as Dave Cox - the third best M60 runner was a no show. This meant a bronze medal might be up for grabs. Dave C did in fact turn up though - with a few minutes to spare. Therefore - I had no chance of a medal and so I decided to run my own race and planned to do 100 second laps (that's 4:10 per kilometre) hoping that I could pick up the pace later in the race if I felt OK. It actually went brilliantly to plan. Francis Day was 150 metres in front of me at one stage but I was able to catch him and beat him by a fair distance. The trigger for the pace increase was being lapped just before I reached 6K by Christopher Mason, I was faltering a little at that point. I knew my 5K time was not far off his so I tucked in behind him and let him do the work for the next 5K. Thus I ended up with negative splits - that is the second half of the race was faster than the first half. It's a good way to do it!

Split times: 4:09, 4:11, 4:11, 4:14, 4:14, 4:19, 4:01, 4:05, 4:08, 4:01 (20:59 plus 20:34 = 41:33)

4	09	249	249	4	09
8	20	500	251	4	11
12	31	751	251	4	11
16	45	1005	254	4	14
20	59	1259	254	4	14
25	18	1518	259	4	19
29	19	1759	241	4	01
33	24	2004	245	4	05
37	32	2252	248	4	08
41	33	2493	241	4	01
Out		1259		20	59
Back		1234		20	34
Total		2493		41	33.03

Friday - 26/07/13

I did an easy 20 minutes on grass (laps of the top at Beechwood Park). I then did 5 * 80 fast relaxed strides from the back of the mini football pitch down and across to the signpost on the edge of the wood. I then did a walk jog cool down on the way home and was out for 43 minutes and 40 seconds (4.72k)

Thursday - 25/07/13

I did a 20 minute run with hill strides. I tested out my music musical motivation sequence.

Wednesday - 24/07/13

I did the 800 metres at Newport - the first event of WML (3). It was a dry but slightly breezy evening.

I ran behind John (The Doc) Watkins and was unable to compete with him. I went through the bell in about 1:21 and finished with approximately 2:44.

Tuesday - 23/07/13

I did an easy 20 minutes plus hill strides

Monday - 22/07/13

Lunchtime-ish. I did 20 minutes easy followed by some strides up Beechwood Park paths. Slight strain in left calf has held up OK

Sunday - 21/07/13

I did the Mic Morris 10K - Blaenavon. After the heatwave it was a fairly cool 17 C in Blaenavon. I had very little sleep last night. I was late back from Tamworth - got to bed about midnight. I was awake at 4am. I got up early and took Maisie for a walk. I had to be at Pontypool Leisure Centre by 7:30 to get the bus to Blaenavon. I ran it easily tough I did put in a couple of surges including a 4:02 kilometre between 8 and 9.

I am feeling some tightness in my left calf so in the afternoon was alternating ice and warm wheaty bag treatment.

Saturday - 20/07/13

I travelled to Rugby on Friday evening with Maisie. I drove over to Tamworth to compete in the Midland Athletic League rearranged match at Tamworth. The 5000 metres on a warm and sticky afternoon. I felt very tired on the war up. I realised the a PB was on the cards so I had spent some time mulling over split time calculations. I figured 23 - 47 etc. would be good. I went through 200 in 43 though and lost a grip on the calculations. Probably mixing up 23 with 43. Consequently I did the first 1000 metres very quickly - 3:43 and suffered for that. My Timex splits were ... 3:43, 3:55; 3:56; 4:02; 3:57

Thursday - 18/07/13

pm
On a hot and muggy night at Newport Stadium I did a session with Stuart's group.

3 * (80 + 125)

my splits
28:29 warm up
13; 1:58; 20; 6:26
13; 3:12; 20; 8:45
13; 4:30; 20

cool down laps with the Doc

Wednesday - 17/07/13

am
I did an easy 20 minutes then hill strides. Buzzing after last night's open meeting. then I went to see Aurimas to get my shoulders put back into place.

Tuesday - 16/07/13

I did the Stoke Gifford Open (4). First the 800 metres. I went through the bell in 1:20 and finished with 2:42.3. I did the 3000 metres. I went through 1000 metres in 3:44 I finished with 11:16.7. So it must have been a fairly even pace. I forgot to take my time at the 2000 mark but I think the guy may have called out 7:32.

Monday - 15/07/13

pm
On a warm evening I did the Victoria avenue / Beechwood Park loop. A very easy 20 minutes run (fatigued from yesterday) plus some strides up through the park.

 

Sunday - 14/07/13

am
A hot and sunny morning at Wellington, Somerset.

I did the 10 mile road race this time. I smothered myself in factor 8 as Phew it was a scorcher! It was a tough run too - very hilly!

Saturday - 13/07/13

am
On a hot morning  I did the Newport Park run at an easy / steady pace. Met and had a chat with Colin Dixon from Islwyn. Accelerated with 300 then 150 to go and eased off before the line where somebody sneaked past me. I'll have to mark his card!

Friday - 12/07/13

pm
On a very warm afternoon / evening I did an easy 20 minutes (Home / Victoria Avenue to Beechwood Park) and then some strides up through the park.

Thursday - 11/07/13

On a warm sunny evening. I did 20 minutes easy - The Victoria Ave, beechwood Park Loop. Then 5 * 100 hill strides with 1 minutes recovery + 3.5 minutes before 4 * 500 over the crest of Christchurch Road Hill with 4 mins walk recovery. Then, after the last 4 minutes recovery, a 5 minutes cool down.
I was out for just over 1 hour and 8.02K

Wednesday - 10/07/13

It was a very warm evening at Cheltenham to start with. We had to hang around for almost an hour due to the timetable running late (there were loads of hurdlers and 200 metre runners which caused a delay) and it had cooled by the time we race plus there was a bit of a breeze. Anyway I did 5:26.5 for 1500m, not close to the season's best (5:21.8) but still a solid performance. The race was mixed age groups and I was running with a load of kids. Also I'm learning. The second lap was slow - I need to recognise when that is happening and push on.  Also, I've increased my training mileage and effort to prepare for the BMAF 10000 metres in 2 weeks time so I've lost a bit of the speed edge required for 1500. After a hard 10 miler this coming Sunday morning I'll back off and taper down ready for the big race. 

Monday - 08/07/13

pm
Ona warm afternoon I did an easy 20 minutes followed by some hill strides up through the park. I then did some short sprints on grass on the park top field. 80 metres from the post to the back of the football area.

Sunday - 07/07/13

I did the Evesham 10K on a very hot and sunny day.

I still had Friday's race in my legs.

Saturday - 06/07/13

am
On a very warm morning at Tredegar House I jogged 3K of the Park Run course with Maisie.

Friday - 05/07/13

I did the Cardiff Summer Series (3) - 3 mile race

My kilometre splits according to Garmin were as follows:

1	3:51.3	1.00	3:51
2	3:58.0	1.00	3:58
3	3:57.2	1.00	3:57
4	3:55.9	1.00	3:56
5	3:59.7	0.93	4:16

19:42.2

4.93

4:00