what's going on here ...

This morning I took part in another 5k parkrun.  Hyde Park, Leeds again ... mainly because, if I'm not running to and/or from, it's the easiest one for me to get to.  The others in the locality are at Bradford Lister Park, Leeds Roundhay Park and Harrogate.

I was looking forward to this race as, unlike last week, I was racing without the effects of the previous day's hard training still in my legs.  As last week I was aiming for 18:20 for the 5k (3:40 per km).  After a few miles warm up jog I was ready to go and, although the first 400m or so are uphill, the first kilometre overall is downhill and so it is easy to get carried away and run too quickly.  My 1k split was 3:30 and I was a bit worried that it was too fast.

The second kilometre is slightly uphill and my time at this point was 7:13 (3:43 for that kilometre).  Pleased with that split as it showed I wasn't slowing too much after a quick start.  The third kilometre took me 3:40 (10:53 at 3k) and I was happily still 7 seconds ahead of schedule.  The third and fourth kilometres have a couple of very small hills to climb but overall are slightly downhill.

The fourth kilometre took me 3:44 but at this point I was more interested in my overall time which was 14:37 - 3 seconds ahead of schedule.  I knew now that I would have a very good chance of achieving my target as I had enough in reserve to run a marginally quicker final kilometre (even if it was slightly uphill).

That final kilometre took 3:37 which meant that my final time was 18:14

THAT'S 18 MINUTES AND 14 SECONDS ...

My second fastest ever 5k.  My pb is 17:53 on a hilly course in Bradford way back in 1998.
So that makes it an age category pb beating the 18:17 I ran just before the Perth 24 hr race in 2010.
The age graded time of 16:08 is also a pb.

At my age you're not supposed to be only 21 seconds adrift of your 5k pb ... especially when it was set 15 years ago.

You'll have to wait until next weekend for the conclusion to this story ... I feel sure it'll be a happy ending though.

quick update

Having sought advice on my painful foot (see previous post) ... and following that advice ... I can now report that ibuprofen, rest, ice and the use of 'ball of foot cushions' from Scholl are beginning to reduce the inflammation and pain.  Unfortunately the cushions aren't available on the Scholl website but I bought mine at Boots.

Very good they are too.  I'm now confident again about this year's major races.

The results are now available from last Sunday's Fountain's 10k.  They show that my actual time was 41:53 which represents an age graded time of 37:29.  Both of those times are my best since the Horsforth 10k on 27 September 2008.  This means that last weekend's race was my M45 personal best.

Further details of all my races are available on this page.

All the best to William Sichel and Heather Foundling Hawker for the 6 day race in which they are currently competing.  Full details are available on William's website.  Including live coverage of the whole event via webcam ... wonderful.

split times from Perth

Over the weekend I had a really in depth look at my lap times from the Perth Ultra Fest.  Below is a list of my 10k splits:

10k ... 48:17
20k ... 1h 42:58 ..... (54:41)
30k ... 2h 36:23 ..... (53:25)
40k ... 3h 31:30 ..... (55:07)
50k ... 4h 25:35 ..... (54:05)
60k ... 5h 19:54 ..... (54:19)
70k ... 6h 11:56 ..... (52:02)
80k ... 7h 09:21 ..... (57:25)
90k ... 8h 03:05 ..... (53:44)
100k ... 9h 00:10 ..... (57:05)
110k ... 10h 00:58 ..... (60:48)
120k ... 10h 59:07 ..... (58:09)
130k ... 11h 58:58 ..... (59:51)
140k ... 13h 03:18 ..... (64:20)
150k ... 14h 07:30 ..... (64:12)
160k ... 15h 12:29 ..... (64:59)
170k ... 16h 22:20 ..... (69:51)
180k ... 17h 23:38 ..... (61:18)
190k ... 18h 40:29 ..... (76:51)
200k ... 19h 48:28 ..... (67:59)
210k ... 20h 48:44 ..... (60:16)
220k ... 21h 51:23 ..... (62:39)
230k ... 23h 04:07 ..... (72:44)

From 70k to 230k these times are all personal bests except for the 200k.  Which is rather weird really.  In Perth I beat all my split times from the Commonwealth Championships [Keswick 2009] except for the 200k where I ran 19h 47:42 twelve months ago.  Overall I ran 7k further in Perth than I did in Keswick.

Looking at the times above it's obvious that I did slow down dramatically between 180k and 190k but then I managed to pick it up again which I'm very pleased about.

Which probably means that I managed to keep it going in Perth and didn't reduce to an almost constant walk like I did in Keswick last year.

My 10 mile splits from Perth were:

10 miles ... 1h 21:57
20 miles ... 2h 47:15 ..... (1h 26:18)
30 miles ... 4h 13:22 ..... (1h 26:07)
40 miles ... 5h 41:42 ..... (1h 28:20)
50 miles ... 7h 12:49 ..... (1h 31:07)
60 miles ... 8h 42:37 ..... (1h 29:48)
70 miles ... 10h 19:39 ..... (1h 37:02)
80 miles ... 11h 52:27 ..... (1h 32:48)
90 miles ... 13h 35:35 ..... (1h 43:08)
100 miles ... 15h 21:13 ..... (1h 45:38)
110 miles ... 17h 02:57 ..... (1h 41:44)
120 miles ... 18h 59:30 ..... (1h 56:33)
130 miles ... 20h 44:23 ..... (1h 44:53)
140 miles ... 22h 31:24 ..... (1h 47:01)

All the above times from 40 miles onwards represent personal bests.

Looking at the above times shows that between 17 and 19 hours I slowed quite a bit (the 10k splits above also show this) but I managed to pick up the pace again.

This period of slower running happened just before dawn and reading my report again confirms that I did realise I was slowing down and I took steps to rectify things ... starting using the MP3 player, which obviously worked.

Looking at how far I actually ran in each hour:

1st hour ..... approx 12.4 km
2nd hour ..... 11.2 km
3rd hour ..... 11.2 km
4th hour ..... 11.1 km
5th hour ..... 11.2 km
6th hour ..... 11.0 km
7th hour ..... 10.7 km
8th hour ..... 10.7 km
9th hour ..... 10.6 km
10th hour ..... 9.9 km
11th hour ..... 10.3 km
12th hour ..... 10.0 km
13th hour ..... 9.2 km
14th hour ..... 9.3 km
15th hour ..... 9.2 km
16th hour ..... 9.4 km
17th hour ..... 9.2 km
18th hour ..... 7.5 km
19th hour ..... 9.2 km
20th hour ..... 8.8 km
21st hour ..... 10.0 km
22nd hour ..... 9.5 km
23rd hour ..... 7.9 km
24th hour ..... 8.9 km

This confirms that the 18th hour was indeed a bad one but I did manage to pull myself together and put in a very good 21st hour.  Surprisingly these figures show that I also had a bad 10th hour, which does show up slightly with the splits from 100k to 110k at the top of this post.

All in all I'm pleased with most of this data but it appears that I still have to work hard at keeping things together in the last four hours or so and not fluctuating so much.

Lots to work on then.

If anyone out there has any more observations from all this data please leave a comment or drop me an email.

Here at last ...

Apologies for the Perth race report being a day or so later than planned.  It was all written and ready to post yesterday afternoon but then the computer crashed ... and I could get the thing working again until this morning.

Anyway, read all about it over on this page.  I hope you enjoy it.

Over the next few days (or maybe a week) I plan to look very carefully at which races are available for next year.  There's the World Championships in June and it looks likely they'll be another Commonwealth Championships next September.  I'd like to do three long ultras in 2011 so I've got to find one which fits in with those championships taking into account recovery times between races.

Also need to update my personal bests - the overall distance has been included but I haven't managed to put on the times for distances such as 50 miles, 200k, etc.  Will do that soonish.

Perth - in brief

Well ... some good news.  After a disappointing performance at the World Championships back in May I redeemed myself somewhat in Scotland.

My pre-race target was two-fold really:

1 - to finish with an overall distance of somewhere between 236.0k and 239.4k (146.7 to 148.7 miles)
2 - to not fade badly during the final few hours but to keep pushing right to the end

This initial report is largely based on memory and without looking at the actual figures (that will come in the 'proper report' later) it would appear that almost every lap was at the pace I needed for 239k or more.  Obviously pee breaks and other unplanned stops make the average speed slower but I think I hit every single one of my hourly targets.

The last few hours were painful indeed and I REALLY DID NEED to change my shoes at 22 hours.  Crew members Eleanor Robinson and Andy Smith explained that I'd lose a kilometre if I changed my shoes ... I tried to explain to them that I'd probably lose two or three if I didn't because I'd be reduced to walking shortly.  The soles of my feet were very painful and I felt I needed the extra cushioning provided by fresh shoes and socks.

In the final hour Eleanor was absolutely fantastic (for most of the race really ...) and the way she motivated me worked superbly well.  I'm pleased to say that I remained strong right to the end and my last two or three laps were probably quicker than planned.

Final result ... I won with a distance of 238.286 km (148.064 miles).  A new pb.  England won the team prize too, so a good performance all round.

Full report later.

things are going well

Just a couple of days ago I managed to find a replacement LIVESTRONG wristband in Leeds and since then I've taken part in a club handicap and a local 5k race - both of which produced very good times.

On Thursday I took part in a 3000m handicap at Carnegie track in Headingley, Leeds.  Didn't run there this time and I had no plans to run home either.  Expected a decent time therefore and as I'm not doing much training at the moment - tapering - I was rewarded with 10:57.

That's my fastest 3000m time in ten years.  Happy with that.

My next event (and final race before Perth) was the Park Run in Leeds.  Based on Thursday's performance my target was an ambitious 19:00.  I was a bit apprehensive for a few reasons:

- my M45 personal best was 19:15
- 19:00 equates to an age graded 17:05 and my age graded personal best was 17:28
- although the weather was warm and sunny, it was also a bit windy in places.

Anyway, I arrived in plenty of time and walked around the course and noted where the undulations were and where the wind would be at it's strongest.  After my usual warm up I was ready to go ... and the first kilometre passed in 3:30.  I knew that was 18 seconds ahead of schedule but I also knew that it was downhill.

I felt good though and kept the effort as equal as I could into the wind and up the slight hill to 2k which I passed in 7:16.  Still feeling good I was now beginning to pass those who had set off too quickly and this gave me an extra impetus as I ran into the wind for much of the third kilometre (11:10).  The fourth kilometre was mostly flat and I reached that point in 14:57 ... then pushed on up the hill into the wind for a finishing time of 18:17.

My kilometre splits were:  3:30, 3:46, 3:54, 3:47 and 3:20

I now have a new M45 pb and a new age graded pb.  See my 'personal bests' page for full details.

Very happy, only a week to go before the Perth 24 hr race and everything seems to be coming together brilliantly.  The only thing out of my control seems to be the weather and that too looks good according to this forecast.

happy ... and a bit disappointed

Just a short update - I've basically spent today catching up with news and family stuff.  I'll post more stuff tomorrow.

The World Championships in Brive was a fantastic event.  Thirty two countries and well over 200 runners.

I passed 100k with a pb but at 99.8 miles it began to slowly fall apart.  Passed 100 miles in 15h 22 (a pb by 18 mins) but cramp, nausea, etc made things very difficult for the last 7 - 8 hours.

Still managed over 222k and a team bronze medal in the concurrent European Championships.

page update

Just finished updating the page which details all my personal bests.  I know it's been a while but there have been some race results that have proved illusive to say the least.

The Commonwealth Championship times have also been added where relevant.

Click here to see the updated page.

short race

Yesterday I travelled across the Peninnes to take part in a 5k race.  The organiser, Andy O'Sullivan, donated £50 to Orchid when he heard about my Run To London and he has since been wanting to meet me at one of the many races he organises.

In the Rochdale and Littleborough area he has organised hundreds of races over the past 26 or 27 years. They mainly range from 5k to 10k but are often around local reservoirs or in other scenic places.  They may not attract hundreds of runners - they are usually pretty basic (the race HQ is often a pub) - but the friendliness is always there.

Andy and I couldn't chat for long because, as race organiser, he was rather busy as you would expect.  Before the race though ... at the start line in fact ... there was a rather nice surprise.  He presented me with a boxed presentation salver. J ust like the picture but engraved with the words PRESENTED TO CHRIS CARVER FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ATHLETICS.

Not sure what I've done to deserve that but I handed it back immediately [to look after until after the race].

The race in question was the Ken Taylor Cowm Reservoir Road & Trail Race. As the name suggests, Ken Taylor of Rossendale Harriers was also being honoured 'for his outstanding contribution and for being such an inspiration'.  He is also having chemotherapy at the moment as he has cancer.  Cowm Reservoir is about three miles north of Rochdale on the Bacup Road.

Anyway ... the race.  Began with half a mile uphill then two laps of the reservoir then half a mile downhill. Simple really.  The strong wind didn't help at all though and the narrow paths made overtaking difficult in places.  Reached halfway in 10:10 feeling strong, out of breath and expecting to slow slightly.  At the finish I couldn't believe the time - 19 minutes 15 seconds.  That means I completed the second half in 9:05 (5:50 per mile).  No idea about my position.

This time represents an Age Graded personal best of 17 minutes 28 seconds.  Something I'm very pleased about as it came only two days after my previous race and not too long after the Run To London.  Speedwork seems to be working OK then.

Updated the Personal Bests page too.

Updates

There's a new six day race in Britain starting tomorrow. It's to be held at Croft Circuit in Darlington and has been organised by Sharon Gayter who's also taking part and chasing a record or two.

With the weather we've been having in the UK recently I don't envy the runners. I wish I was there though.

This page has been updated with the latest newspaper article about my Run to London.

Also updated my Personal Bests page to make it easier to read and understand ... hopefully there'll be as many changes in 2009 as there were last year.

Personal Bests

There's a rather large article about me in today's Yorkshire Evening Post.  Read it here (with the photo) or here (without the photo).

Also, just found this on Greg Crowther's blog.  I hope he doesn't mind me reproducing it here if I put a link to his blog afterwards.  I'd like to ask his permission but I can't find any contact details on his blog.  One thing though ... being American he talks about Personal Records rather than Personal Bests, good stuff though.

The five stages of PRs

1. You set PRs because, by definition, your first race at each distance is a personal record.

2. You frequently set PRs by large amounts because you're still growing and maturing, and/or because you started training relatively recently, and/or because you're in the middle of a successful weight-loss program, and/or because you're now training much more sensibly than ever before.

3. You set PRs less frequently and by smaller amounts, and you find these modest improvements disappointing because you've become accustomed to stage #2.

4. As PRs continue to become more elusive, you learn to savor each new one.

5. You are now too old, too injured, and/or too unfit to set PRs.  To compensate, you either invent new categories of achievement (such as "seasonal bests" and "age-group PRs"), try events that you've never done before (and thus return to stage #1), or stop racing altogether.

I guess I'm in stage 1 (for the second time) ... what about you ?

Originally posted on Greg Crowther's blog, 11 November 2008

Good News & Bad News

Monday - 19+ miles in 2h 45
Tuesday - 19+ miles in 2h 22
Wednesday - (am) 45 mins on bike ... (pm) 5k race in 19:07 then run 5 miles home
Thursday - right ankle feels sprained

Right, lets get the bad news out of the way first. Woke up this morning and struggled to get myself downstairs, my ankle felt sprained and swollen. Plenty of ice and ibuprofen later it's obvious that my ankle is slowly getting better. I had always planned to do no running today - so that's not bad then !!. Tomorrow ... decide later.

Good news. Yesterday's race provided me with an 'age graded pb' of 17:30 beating the 17:32 (17:53 actual time) I ran in Bradford in Nov 1998. It can be seen at the top of this post that I'm not exactly doing much 5k training [in fact, I hope, I'm training for the opposite end of the running spectrum].

I've noticed recently that Sharon Gayter (fantastic ultra runner, beat me in London last October) has been regularly running the Hyde Park 5k time trials in Leeds, recording 21 to 22 mins. So I'm quite pleased with my 19:07 then.

All the best to her and William Sichel in the Surgeres 48 hr race in France this weekend.

Recovery

Just added my ultra PBs. Not very tidy over there on the left but you get the idea. Hope to revise some of those later this year.

Bought another 300g of colostrum from Neovite ... it seems to be working as I've had no achilles pain for at least a week now (or maybe it's the strengthening exercises ... or the cycling ... or the stretching ... or the massage ... or the 'no running policy' ...)

Whatever, I'm getting better at last.