Well, this week has been fine for me. Using different shoes for strength training has worked wonders and I'm back on track again.
Running on Thursday morning wasn't easy though. Gale force winds and heavy rain meant that the 50 minutes felt like 150 minutes. Character building, as I often tell myself. Friday wasn't much better either. If the runs on Sunday and Monday go well (as I expect they will) then I can begin training on three consecutive days. Starting at a low level again and building up slowly so that the final three days will be running steadily for 50, 60 and 60 minutes.
But this week has been dominated by a couple of short races. One in Boston, USA and the other in London, UK.
The Boston marathon will be remembered, not for being a great race, but for being the scene of a devastation rarely seen at sporting events. Thankfully the perpetrators were identified and caught (or killed) but my thoughts go out to all those affected by the mindless violence of two brothers.
And so to tomorrow's race in London. For the past few years, when watching the London Marathon, my attention has not so much been on the elite runners looking to win the race but on those rare souls who have taken part in every London Marathon. The 'ever present club'. In particular I will be watching out for Chris Finill who has run every London Marathon in less than 3 hours, a remarkable achievement. Long may it continue Chris.
To finish today's post I thought I'd ask how many members there may be for the club of with the following rules:
- been a runner continuously since before 1981
- watched every single London Marathon live on TV
- doesn't particularly want to take part in the London Marathon
Count me in ...
Showing posts with label Chris Finill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Finill. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Sunday, 6 November 2011
an incredible 77 days
Congratulations to Chris Finill and Steve Pope who, at about sunset yesterday, dived into the Atlantic Ocean in New York. Today they are taking part in the New York Marathon but I don't expect they'll be actually racing.
Chris has taken part in every London Marathon and completed them all in less than 3 hours. He has also represented his country many times in ultra distance events around the world. Steve is a decent runner too, having won various ultra distance races in the last few years (Barry 40, Thames Trot, Tipton 12 hrs).
Anyway the reason they won't be actually racing today is due to the fact that they've only just arrived in New York ... having run there from San Francisco, emerging from the Pacific Ocean on 17 August this year.
Their original plan was to arrive at the Atlantic Ocean on Friday 4 November but I'm sure we can forgive them for being one day late after running over 3100 miles. Especially if they run today's marathon in under 3 hours!!!
Their incredible journey was also their way of raising much needed funds for the Help For Heroes charity - have you donated yet ? If not you can still do so at http://www.bmycharity.com/runacrossamerica
A big well done to them both. And also to Julia and Ben without whom the journey would have been almost impossible.
The official Run Across America website - http://www.runacrossamerica.co.uk/index.php
Chris & Steve's blog about their journey - http://verylongrun.blogspot.com/
Details about the few people who have run every London Marathon can be found at http://www.everpresent.org.uk/index.htm
Help For Heroes - http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/index.php?secondtime=1
Chris has taken part in every London Marathon and completed them all in less than 3 hours. He has also represented his country many times in ultra distance events around the world. Steve is a decent runner too, having won various ultra distance races in the last few years (Barry 40, Thames Trot, Tipton 12 hrs).
Anyway the reason they won't be actually racing today is due to the fact that they've only just arrived in New York ... having run there from San Francisco, emerging from the Pacific Ocean on 17 August this year.
Their original plan was to arrive at the Atlantic Ocean on Friday 4 November but I'm sure we can forgive them for being one day late after running over 3100 miles. Especially if they run today's marathon in under 3 hours!!!
Their incredible journey was also their way of raising much needed funds for the Help For Heroes charity - have you donated yet ? If not you can still do so at http://www.bmycharity.com/runacrossamerica
A big well done to them both. And also to Julia and Ben without whom the journey would have been almost impossible.
The official Run Across America website - http://www.runacrossamerica.co.uk/index.php
Chris & Steve's blog about their journey - http://verylongrun.blogspot.com/
Details about the few people who have run every London Marathon can be found at http://www.everpresent.org.uk/index.htm
Help For Heroes - http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/index.php?secondtime=1
Friday, 3 June 2011
what have I been doing ?
Not had much time for blogging recently. Training mainly but also Keir's birthday a few days ago. He's 17 now and halfway through some AS exams.
Anyway ... training. A brief resume of what I've been doing since the last post.
24 and 25 May
A long run on each day ... 25.6 and 28.2 miles but also some strength work and stretching. Five hours training on the 24th and 5h 30 minutes on the 25th.
26 May
Harrogate League race in the evening but cycling and weights in the morning. The race was brilliant as far as I was concerned. I knew it was quite a hilly 6 miles (well two big hills actually) and my plan was to use this as a a quick training run - 6:30 to 6:45 per mile. I set off steadily and passed loads of people on both hills. Approaching the finish a few other running tried outpacing me not realising I had always been holding back. I bet they were surprised by the speed of my sprint finish. My time of 40 minutes equates to 6:36 per mile ... perfect.
27 May
Hill reps using a 750m stretch of Farnley Lane in Otley - only the steep bit (as Phil Robinson put it). I began, in February, with six of these with the aim of gradually increasing to twelve. I ran ten on this day with no problems at all except for the strong winds. Also did lots of strength work which took the total training time to over 3h 50 minutes.
28 May
Took part in the Park Run in Bradford. The 5k race around Lister Park took me 20:59 [my worst time ever for 5k]. I did run the 8.5 miles to the start before the race though ... and the 8.5 miles home again. Not too bothered by the very slow time because it came at the end of a very heavy training week. Did the usual strength work this evening which took the total training time for the day to almost 5h 20 minutes.
29 May
Keir's birthday so I had a rest day. We spent an enjoyable day in York with friends and the only training I did was about half an hour's stretching before bed.
This weekend's Grand Union Canal Race saw Pat Robbins win again in yet another course record. The 145 mile race from Birmingham to London follows the Grand Union Canal as closely as possible and the record is now 25h 37 minutes. Mike Blamires also took part and he must have been pleased with his time of 40 hours considering his limited training in recent months.
Chris Finill was also running in London - testing the course of the 2012 Olympic marathon with a few other runners including Ian Fisher of Otley AC. I hear that towards the end the other runners decided to hold back slightly and let Chris finish slightly ahead ... out of respect for his feat of finishing EVERY London marathon (1981 to present).
30 May
No running ... only three and a half hours of cycling, stretching and strength work.
31 May
Long run - fartlek - 27 miles. Felt very good and ran well in the windy conditions. My route from Otley included Menston, Guiseley, Shipley, Leeds Liverpool Canal, Kirkstall, Headingley and Bramhope. Cycling and other stuff pushed the training time up to 5h 15 minutes.
In the evening I attended the final Otley AC committee meeting before next week's Otley 10 mile road race and everything seems in hand and well planned as usual. Should be another good race. I'm not running (helping as usual) but Keir is - his first 10 miler.
1 June
The final long run before the UltraRace 100 miles at the end of the month - 29.7 miles using the canal again but a different route not including Kirkstall, Headingley or Bramhope. Felt good running in the unseasonably warm conditions. Strength and flexibility work made this a long training day - over 6h 45 minutes.
2 June
Just a nice run in the sunshine up the valley to Askwith and back. No problem but with all the other training the total time rose to almost three and a half hours. Weather still warm.
Unfortunately I couldn't run in the Harrogate League race because of the local scouts committee meeting. Being chairman I should attend if at all possible.
3 June
Early this morning I did more hill reps but this time on the shorter and much steeper Newall Carr Bank. Then I spent some time shopping for things needed for the upcoming race: food mainly but also a new wristwatch/stopwatch as mine finally packed in a few weeks ago.
Just finished today's other exercises which takes total to about 3h 30 minutes.
Well, that brings us up to date. It's been a very busy week with all the training, Keir's exams and two committee meetings. Hopefully next week will be a bit less hectic - especially as it's the first week of tapering.
Anyway ... training. A brief resume of what I've been doing since the last post.
24 and 25 May
A long run on each day ... 25.6 and 28.2 miles but also some strength work and stretching. Five hours training on the 24th and 5h 30 minutes on the 25th.
26 May
Harrogate League race in the evening but cycling and weights in the morning. The race was brilliant as far as I was concerned. I knew it was quite a hilly 6 miles (well two big hills actually) and my plan was to use this as a a quick training run - 6:30 to 6:45 per mile. I set off steadily and passed loads of people on both hills. Approaching the finish a few other running tried outpacing me not realising I had always been holding back. I bet they were surprised by the speed of my sprint finish. My time of 40 minutes equates to 6:36 per mile ... perfect.
27 May
Hill reps using a 750m stretch of Farnley Lane in Otley - only the steep bit (as Phil Robinson put it). I began, in February, with six of these with the aim of gradually increasing to twelve. I ran ten on this day with no problems at all except for the strong winds. Also did lots of strength work which took the total training time to over 3h 50 minutes.
28 May
Took part in the Park Run in Bradford. The 5k race around Lister Park took me 20:59 [my worst time ever for 5k]. I did run the 8.5 miles to the start before the race though ... and the 8.5 miles home again. Not too bothered by the very slow time because it came at the end of a very heavy training week. Did the usual strength work this evening which took the total training time for the day to almost 5h 20 minutes.
29 May
Keir's birthday so I had a rest day. We spent an enjoyable day in York with friends and the only training I did was about half an hour's stretching before bed.
This weekend's Grand Union Canal Race saw Pat Robbins win again in yet another course record. The 145 mile race from Birmingham to London follows the Grand Union Canal as closely as possible and the record is now 25h 37 minutes. Mike Blamires also took part and he must have been pleased with his time of 40 hours considering his limited training in recent months.
Chris Finill was also running in London - testing the course of the 2012 Olympic marathon with a few other runners including Ian Fisher of Otley AC. I hear that towards the end the other runners decided to hold back slightly and let Chris finish slightly ahead ... out of respect for his feat of finishing EVERY London marathon (1981 to present).
30 May
No running ... only three and a half hours of cycling, stretching and strength work.
31 May
Long run - fartlek - 27 miles. Felt very good and ran well in the windy conditions. My route from Otley included Menston, Guiseley, Shipley, Leeds Liverpool Canal, Kirkstall, Headingley and Bramhope. Cycling and other stuff pushed the training time up to 5h 15 minutes.
In the evening I attended the final Otley AC committee meeting before next week's Otley 10 mile road race and everything seems in hand and well planned as usual. Should be another good race. I'm not running (helping as usual) but Keir is - his first 10 miler.
1 June
The final long run before the UltraRace 100 miles at the end of the month - 29.7 miles using the canal again but a different route not including Kirkstall, Headingley or Bramhope. Felt good running in the unseasonably warm conditions. Strength and flexibility work made this a long training day - over 6h 45 minutes.
2 June
Just a nice run in the sunshine up the valley to Askwith and back. No problem but with all the other training the total time rose to almost three and a half hours. Weather still warm.
Unfortunately I couldn't run in the Harrogate League race because of the local scouts committee meeting. Being chairman I should attend if at all possible.
3 June
Early this morning I did more hill reps but this time on the shorter and much steeper Newall Carr Bank. Then I spent some time shopping for things needed for the upcoming race: food mainly but also a new wristwatch/stopwatch as mine finally packed in a few weeks ago.
Just finished today's other exercises which takes total to about 3h 30 minutes.
Well, that brings us up to date. It's been a very busy week with all the training, Keir's exams and two committee meetings. Hopefully next week will be a bit less hectic - especially as it's the first week of tapering.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Selection Criteria
Here it is ... the selection criteria has been announced for England in the following ultra races next year:
- Commonwealth Championships - 24 hr race and c.50k trail race
- Anglo Celtic Plate 100k
Personally I'm only interested in the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race and I read that selection will be in two waves:
(1a) for those men who have run over 230k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(1b) for those women who have run over 205k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(2a) for those men who have run over 225k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
(2b) for those women who have run over 200k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
I would imagine that only performances in race with an IAU label will be taken into consideration therefore I believe the following men from England have met the criteria:
Richard Quennell ... 246.121k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 234.813k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
Jim Rogers ... 244.108k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 228.214k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
me ... 238.286k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010) and
... 231.506k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 222.760k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Pat Robbins ... 231.086k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
and also ... 215.818k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following men would also be in with a chance of selection as they have run over 215k:
Keith Straw ... 221.882k ... Cleveland (USA) (4 Oct 2009)
Chris Finill ... 219.032k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Neil Bryant ... 218.425k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
The women who have met the criteria so far are:
Sharon Gayter ... 226.489k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Vicky Skelton ... 212.683k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 198.098k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Angela Sadler ... 205.984k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Marie Doke ... 203.985k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 201.631k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following woman should also be in with a chance of selection as they have managed a performance of over 185k:
Sandra Brown ... 187.119k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Of course there is still quite a few months in which other runners can register a qualifying performance ... but I'm confident of my selection.
As only five men and five women can be selected it appears that for the women it's quite straightforward but not so for the men at all. And then there's 'current fitness' to take into account when the selectors meet next April and June.
I would suggest we have a couple of good teams though.
- Commonwealth Championships - 24 hr race and c.50k trail race
- Anglo Celtic Plate 100k
Personally I'm only interested in the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race and I read that selection will be in two waves:
(1a) for those men who have run over 230k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(1b) for those women who have run over 205k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(2a) for those men who have run over 225k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
(2b) for those women who have run over 200k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
I would imagine that only performances in race with an IAU label will be taken into consideration therefore I believe the following men from England have met the criteria:
Richard Quennell ... 246.121k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 234.813k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
Jim Rogers ... 244.108k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 228.214k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
me ... 238.286k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010) and
... 231.506k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 222.760k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Pat Robbins ... 231.086k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
and also ... 215.818k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following men would also be in with a chance of selection as they have run over 215k:
Keith Straw ... 221.882k ... Cleveland (USA) (4 Oct 2009)
Chris Finill ... 219.032k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Neil Bryant ... 218.425k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
The women who have met the criteria so far are:
Sharon Gayter ... 226.489k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Vicky Skelton ... 212.683k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 198.098k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Angela Sadler ... 205.984k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Marie Doke ... 203.985k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 201.631k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following woman should also be in with a chance of selection as they have managed a performance of over 185k:
Sandra Brown ... 187.119k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Of course there is still quite a few months in which other runners can register a qualifying performance ... but I'm confident of my selection.
As only five men and five women can be selected it appears that for the women it's quite straightforward but not so for the men at all. And then there's 'current fitness' to take into account when the selectors meet next April and June.
I would suggest we have a couple of good teams though.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
team news
Found, on the England Athletics website, all the news relating to the England team for the Six Nations 24 hr race in Perth. I mentioned earlier that my selection had been confirmed and now I can also say that Richard Quennell, Chris Finill, Pat Robbins, Marie Doke, Vicky Skelton, Sandra Brown and Angie Sadler have also been selected.
Congratulations to them all.
Richard ran exceptionally well at this year's World & European Championships. Chris was also in Brive and also took part in last year's Commonwealth Championships, as did Pat, Marie, Vicky (second woman in Keswick) and Sandra.
Pat holds the course record for the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race, Marie was also at this year's World & Europeans. Vicky was at last year's World & European Championships in Italy whilst Angie ran well in the Commonwealth Championships 100km race only about nine weeks after winning outright the Hull 24 hr race.
Norman Wilson, when he phoned, explained that the selectors have decided to send a fourth man and a fourth woman for 'development' purposes - these will be non-scoring members of the team. The aim of this policy is to help those who are just below international selection get the necessary experience. I hope it works out that way and we get a really good performance in Perth and a few more runners run the distance needed for next year's championships.
I plan to do well too of course.
Which reminds me ... it's also been decided that there will be another Commonwealth Championships for mountain and ultra running and it will be staged in either 2011 or 2013. This depends on what bids are received for staging them. Good news indeed.
Congratulations to them all.
Richard ran exceptionally well at this year's World & European Championships. Chris was also in Brive and also took part in last year's Commonwealth Championships, as did Pat, Marie, Vicky (second woman in Keswick) and Sandra.
Pat holds the course record for the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race, Marie was also at this year's World & Europeans. Vicky was at last year's World & European Championships in Italy whilst Angie ran well in the Commonwealth Championships 100km race only about nine weeks after winning outright the Hull 24 hr race.
Norman Wilson, when he phoned, explained that the selectors have decided to send a fourth man and a fourth woman for 'development' purposes - these will be non-scoring members of the team. The aim of this policy is to help those who are just below international selection get the necessary experience. I hope it works out that way and we get a really good performance in Perth and a few more runners run the distance needed for next year's championships.
I plan to do well too of course.
Which reminds me ... it's also been decided that there will be another Commonwealth Championships for mountain and ultra running and it will be staged in either 2011 or 2013. This depends on what bids are received for staging them. Good news indeed.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
rain, coffee and the London Marathon
This afternoon there was a rather large thunderstorm accompanied by a very heavy downpour. Needless to say I was running at the time and arrived home rather wet. And so were all my clothes. Lots of them.
In places the rain was so heavy that puddles stretched all the way across the road ... three or four inches deep. Not an enjoyable fartlek session - character building though. Made all the worse as I don't have any decent coffee to come home to. For the next three weeks it's all decaffeinated, I finished some excellent coffee from the Sanani area of Yemen just a few days ago though. Maybe get some more after the World Championships.
Earlier in the day it was London Marathon time. Chris Finill (of the UK 24 hour team) ran again. He's one of a small group of people to have completed every London Marathon. He ran 2h 52 this time. Personally I think it's a bit too close to the race in Brive but I know that every runner prepares differently and no two training schedules are alike.
From my fellow members of Otley AC Scott Harrington probably had the best run, he was comfortably under three hours. Neil O'Brien was probably the unluckiest - missing the four hour target by a measly eleven seconds.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
random thoughts from Keswick
I'm just starting to get a report together about the race but in the meantime here are a few random thoughts, in no particular order:
The camaraderie was absolutely fantastic, not just amongst English 24 hr runners, but amongst runners in all races from all participating countries.
Thanks to Wendy Lynas for making sure I didn't collapse/faint/pass out at the end of the race.
The staff at the youth hostel were amazing, particularly those in the restaurant who kept us fed and watered ... and laughed at the size of my appetite the evening before the race.
Learnt a lot from Chris Finill, at about 16 hours it became obvious that he was struggling and was having a bad time. He still continued though and kept plugging away right to the end for the sake of the team.
An amazing new pb from Sharon Gayter - 226k
And from John Pares - 244k
A Commonwealth Record for Martin Fryer - 255k
The temperature dropped to about 7 degrees C overnight and the sight of Arun Kumar Bhardwaj (from India) in multiple layers of hats, gloves, tops, etc was a sight to behold. At this time of year the night time temperature in India is about 24 degrees C.
Andy Eccles was a magnificent cheerleader.
Alan Young must have some stunning and amazing photos from all four days of competition and from the medal presentations too.
It was a pleasure to meet people whose careers I've followed in magazines for years, eg Bashir Hussain, Carolyn Hunter-Rowe.
Meeting an old friend in Keswick on Sunday afternoon. I hadn't seen Sharon since 1986 and to see her again was great.
Lots of local people stayed awake all night to watch and cheer the runners.
The smell from the portaloos at the end of the race ...
The weather was fantastic during the race and good for the other races too. Hardly any rain for four days in the Lake District - miraculous.
The Canadian mountain runner who, on Monday morning at 8.30am, realised he needed to be at Heathrow airport for a 12.05pm flight home. He had no transport arranged and no money either.
The speed of the 100km runners - sprinters !!!
The thought of Pat Robbins and Andy Eccles carrying Don Ritchie back to his hotel from the pub at 1.00am on Monday morning [this is true - it actually happened].
My fifth position in my first championship race - with a pb too (231k). Also my team silver medal.
Wow ... all those memories. Enough to last a lifetime - or until next time.
The camaraderie was absolutely fantastic, not just amongst English 24 hr runners, but amongst runners in all races from all participating countries.
Thanks to Wendy Lynas for making sure I didn't collapse/faint/pass out at the end of the race.
The staff at the youth hostel were amazing, particularly those in the restaurant who kept us fed and watered ... and laughed at the size of my appetite the evening before the race.
Learnt a lot from Chris Finill, at about 16 hours it became obvious that he was struggling and was having a bad time. He still continued though and kept plugging away right to the end for the sake of the team.
An amazing new pb from Sharon Gayter - 226k
And from John Pares - 244k
A Commonwealth Record for Martin Fryer - 255k
The temperature dropped to about 7 degrees C overnight and the sight of Arun Kumar Bhardwaj (from India) in multiple layers of hats, gloves, tops, etc was a sight to behold. At this time of year the night time temperature in India is about 24 degrees C.
Andy Eccles was a magnificent cheerleader.
Alan Young must have some stunning and amazing photos from all four days of competition and from the medal presentations too.
It was a pleasure to meet people whose careers I've followed in magazines for years, eg Bashir Hussain, Carolyn Hunter-Rowe.
Meeting an old friend in Keswick on Sunday afternoon. I hadn't seen Sharon since 1986 and to see her again was great.
Lots of local people stayed awake all night to watch and cheer the runners.
The smell from the portaloos at the end of the race ...
The weather was fantastic during the race and good for the other races too. Hardly any rain for four days in the Lake District - miraculous.
The Canadian mountain runner who, on Monday morning at 8.30am, realised he needed to be at Heathrow airport for a 12.05pm flight home. He had no transport arranged and no money either.
The speed of the 100km runners - sprinters !!!
The thought of Pat Robbins and Andy Eccles carrying Don Ritchie back to his hotel from the pub at 1.00am on Monday morning [this is true - it actually happened].
My fifth position in my first championship race - with a pb too (231k). Also my team silver medal.
Wow ... all those memories. Enough to last a lifetime - or until next time.
Thursday, 10 September 2009
team news
Recently there's been a couple of last minute additions to the England team for the 24hr race in next week's Commonwealth Championships. The five men are: Ken Fancett, Chris Finill, Pat Robbins, Jim Rogers and myself. The five women are: Sandra Brown, Marie Doke, Sharon Gayter, Vicky Skelton and Ramona Thevenet-Smith.
There are 22 runners in the men's race and 22 in the women's race from the following countries:
Australia (six men and six women)
Canada (three men and four women)
England (five men and five women)
India (one man)
Isle Of Man (one man and one woman)
Kenya (one man)
New Zealand (one man and three women)
Scotland (three men and three women)
Wales (one man)
A few surprises here: Kenya - hope their guy isn't as good as the top 10k and marathon runners; only four countries have sent men's teams - increasing the likelihood of England being among the medals; no runners from South Africa (none in the 100k race either).
I would guess that the individual favourites would be Martin Fryer and Jonathan Blake (both from Australia) and Sharon Gayter (although Vicky Skelton isn't far behind). Martin ran a fantastic 48hr race in Surgeres earlier this year to place second on the all time list with 433.686 km - his feet were a real mess afterwards though. Sharon had a great run at Badwater [hope she's recovered].
Still relaxing lots - no loud music, no late nights, no stress ... and no caffeine.
There are 22 runners in the men's race and 22 in the women's race from the following countries:
Australia (six men and six women)
Canada (three men and four women)
England (five men and five women)
India (one man)
Isle Of Man (one man and one woman)
Kenya (one man)
New Zealand (one man and three women)
Scotland (three men and three women)
Wales (one man)
A few surprises here: Kenya - hope their guy isn't as good as the top 10k and marathon runners; only four countries have sent men's teams - increasing the likelihood of England being among the medals; no runners from South Africa (none in the 100k race either).
I would guess that the individual favourites would be Martin Fryer and Jonathan Blake (both from Australia) and Sharon Gayter (although Vicky Skelton isn't far behind). Martin ran a fantastic 48hr race in Surgeres earlier this year to place second on the all time list with 433.686 km - his feet were a real mess afterwards though. Sharon had a great run at Badwater [hope she's recovered].
Still relaxing lots - no loud music, no late nights, no stress ... and no caffeine.
Monday, 18 May 2009
Ultra Squad Weekend
I was at the England Athletics Ultra Distance Squad Weekend in Gloucester on Saturday and Sunday. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the five hour journey involving two buses and two trains. It could have been worse though.
Everything was fine until we reached Birmingham a bit late. The train was supposed to arrive at 1107 but arrived at 1128. My next train was supposed to leave Birmingham at 1130 so I was beginning to panic a bit until I found that it was due to leave from the same platform I had just arrived at ... but it was going to be 10 minutes late. We all got on and a few minutes later heard the following message over the public address system: "this train will now leave at 1200 because there's no driver available."
Arrived in Gloucester half an hour late and not too happy.
Got to the hotel at two o'clock, on the early side but it would give me time to meet everyone before proceedings began at three. Never been invited to one of these before - never considered myself 'elite' before and that's still an unfamiliar tag. Chris Finill, Vicky Skelton, Ramona Thevenet-Smith, Andy Smith, Jez Bragg, Dominic Croft, Matthew Lynas, Brian Cole and the other runners I spoke to were great at making me feel very welcome and I'm very grateful to them for that (particularly Chris and Ramona - you were both fantastic).
I always find these type of get togethers rather awkward, mainly because I'm a shy and introverted person by nature - mainly because of my medical history. Apart from cancer as an adult I had recurring major throat problems as a child and I spent three or four weeks in hospital every 18 months or so having throat surgery and not being able to talk for a couple of months afterwards.
Had less than four hours sleep before going for a run on Sunday morning with Jez Bragg, Chris Finill, Matthew Lynas and Dominic Croft. I found that quite a surreal experience ... running down the road with a group of international runners, chatting away and covering well over nine miles in 70 minutes or less before breakfast.
Then came a long relaxed breakfast before the rain started. That wasn't good as I had to walk back into Gloucester to the train station [no buses there on a Sunday]. Journey home was uneventful except that we left Sheffield seven minutes late and arrived in Leeds two minutes early !!! The scheduled journey of 48 minutes actually took 37 minutes - very strange.
Overall a good weekend. I picked up a few tips from Chris Finill, Andy Smith and Hilary Walker and learned about the forthcoming Commonwealth Championships. It still rankles a bit that I haven't been officially selected yet even though I exceeded the tough qualification criteria easily in my last 24 hr race ... all this waiting makes planning and training a bit difficult.
Oh yes, less than four hours sleep. Well, the bloke I was sharing a room with snores, loudly. Very loudly at times. So loudly that, a couple of hours after getting into bed I decided to try using my MP3 earphones as makeshift earplugs. Not much better but I eventually drifted off to sleep ... sort of.
Everything was fine until we reached Birmingham a bit late. The train was supposed to arrive at 1107 but arrived at 1128. My next train was supposed to leave Birmingham at 1130 so I was beginning to panic a bit until I found that it was due to leave from the same platform I had just arrived at ... but it was going to be 10 minutes late. We all got on and a few minutes later heard the following message over the public address system: "this train will now leave at 1200 because there's no driver available."
Arrived in Gloucester half an hour late and not too happy.
Got to the hotel at two o'clock, on the early side but it would give me time to meet everyone before proceedings began at three. Never been invited to one of these before - never considered myself 'elite' before and that's still an unfamiliar tag. Chris Finill, Vicky Skelton, Ramona Thevenet-Smith, Andy Smith, Jez Bragg, Dominic Croft, Matthew Lynas, Brian Cole and the other runners I spoke to were great at making me feel very welcome and I'm very grateful to them for that (particularly Chris and Ramona - you were both fantastic).
I always find these type of get togethers rather awkward, mainly because I'm a shy and introverted person by nature - mainly because of my medical history. Apart from cancer as an adult I had recurring major throat problems as a child and I spent three or four weeks in hospital every 18 months or so having throat surgery and not being able to talk for a couple of months afterwards.
Had less than four hours sleep before going for a run on Sunday morning with Jez Bragg, Chris Finill, Matthew Lynas and Dominic Croft. I found that quite a surreal experience ... running down the road with a group of international runners, chatting away and covering well over nine miles in 70 minutes or less before breakfast.
Then came a long relaxed breakfast before the rain started. That wasn't good as I had to walk back into Gloucester to the train station [no buses there on a Sunday]. Journey home was uneventful except that we left Sheffield seven minutes late and arrived in Leeds two minutes early !!! The scheduled journey of 48 minutes actually took 37 minutes - very strange.
Overall a good weekend. I picked up a few tips from Chris Finill, Andy Smith and Hilary Walker and learned about the forthcoming Commonwealth Championships. It still rankles a bit that I haven't been officially selected yet even though I exceeded the tough qualification criteria easily in my last 24 hr race ... all this waiting makes planning and training a bit difficult.
Oh yes, less than four hours sleep. Well, the bloke I was sharing a room with snores, loudly. Very loudly at times. So loudly that, a couple of hours after getting into bed I decided to try using my MP3 earphones as makeshift earplugs. Not much better but I eventually drifted off to sleep ... sort of.
Friday, 8 May 2009
chasing the distances
All the best to Les Hill, Jim Rogers and John Pares who are running the Basel 24 hr race this weekend no doubt in a bid to get a qualifying distance for the Commonwealth Championships.
As Les is Scottish and John is Welsh their performances won't effect my chances of being selected for England. Jim is English and although he had a bad run at Tooting Bec last October he is definitely capable of passing 225k to join Chris Finill, Ken Fancett and myself with the English qualifying standard.
I hope Les has a better time than his previous 24 hr race (Hull 2008) when he collapsed during the 22nd hour whilst in a good position - I don't think he ran again in that race.
Ramona Thevenet-Smith is also running ... hope she does well too.
Thanks to Nadeem Khan for posting the piece on the IAU website. I feel honoured to have my story on the site of the world governing body (I did find a small mistake when I read it but I think it's just a typo).
I certainly don't feel as if my life has been extra ordinary ... I'm just a lucky guy doing something he loves which he happens to be quite good at.
As Les is Scottish and John is Welsh their performances won't effect my chances of being selected for England. Jim is English and although he had a bad run at Tooting Bec last October he is definitely capable of passing 225k to join Chris Finill, Ken Fancett and myself with the English qualifying standard.
I hope Les has a better time than his previous 24 hr race (Hull 2008) when he collapsed during the 22nd hour whilst in a good position - I don't think he ran again in that race.
Ramona Thevenet-Smith is also running ... hope she does well too.
Thanks to Nadeem Khan for posting the piece on the IAU website. I feel honoured to have my story on the site of the world governing body (I did find a small mistake when I read it but I think it's just a typo).
I certainly don't feel as if my life has been extra ordinary ... I'm just a lucky guy doing something he loves which he happens to be quite good at.
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Good run in bad weather
Very cold here at the moment with lots of ice about (and a bit of snow too). Ran over 11 miles this morning at about 8 minutes per mile ... very pleasing in the conditions. It's not easy running with cars skidding past.
As usual I had, on my hands, two pairs of thermal gloves and an old pair of socks. They were still cold for the first 3 or 4 miles though.
Remember my post last week about recovery ? Well Scott Jurek has an excellent post on his blog about that very subject.
Still undecided about the Hull 24 hr race this year. I've won it for the last two years and it would be good to defend my title BUT I think it's a bit close to the Commonwealth Championships and as the latter is this year's priority I need to make sure I'm properly recovered.
I've just read a good article in last weeks Athletics Weekly magazine about Chris Finhill. There seems to have been quite a bit of ultra running coverage recently in that mag ... about time too.
As usual I had, on my hands, two pairs of thermal gloves and an old pair of socks. They were still cold for the first 3 or 4 miles though.
Remember my post last week about recovery ? Well Scott Jurek has an excellent post on his blog about that very subject.
Still undecided about the Hull 24 hr race this year. I've won it for the last two years and it would be good to defend my title BUT I think it's a bit close to the Commonwealth Championships and as the latter is this year's priority I need to make sure I'm properly recovered.
I've just read a good article in last weeks Athletics Weekly magazine about Chris Finhill. There seems to have been quite a bit of ultra running coverage recently in that mag ... about time too.
Monday, 20 October 2008
Results
Back home and happy ... but aching all over.
Ran 228.011 km (141 miles 1196 yards) in London finishing in third place. Well pleased with that as it is over the 225 km qualifying distance set by England Athletics for the Commonwealth Championships next year.
Full details can be found on the race website.
However ... the one thing that let me down was the too frequent visits to the gents. I feel I lost at least 3k by simply not being on the track. At this early stage I tend to feel this problem was caused by my sodium potassium ratio being wrong. The overall ratio in my food and drink was just under 7:1 but my guess is that it should be higher.
Anybody out there have any thoughts on this matter ?
One thing I was very pleased with is that whilst running the second half of the race (especially in the second half of each hour long segment) I was moving much quicker that the two guys in front of me. I passed them far more often than they passed me. I think they were walking quicker or for less time than me and didn't pee as much.
Two people ended up in hospital - including the winner (Chris Finill) - I hope they're both OK.
Thanks to everyone involved with the race: organisers, helpers, lap counters, runners, crew members, etc. It really was a good one.
Oh yes ... I didn't collapse !!! Kept moving for 10 to 20 minutes after the race then sat on the floor with my feet on a chair for a while. Didn't shower or take off my compression tights either. All this seemed to work brilliantly until I got on the tube at about 2.30pm - keeled over after about 10 minutes. Got a taxi to King's Cross instead.
Mustn't go underground after an ultra race in future :)
Thanks also to my crew, Fay and Keir and also to Julian for keeping the Otley AC website updated with my progress.
I'll update the other pages on this site in the next few days.
Ran 228.011 km (141 miles 1196 yards) in London finishing in third place. Well pleased with that as it is over the 225 km qualifying distance set by England Athletics for the Commonwealth Championships next year.
Full details can be found on the race website.
However ... the one thing that let me down was the too frequent visits to the gents. I feel I lost at least 3k by simply not being on the track. At this early stage I tend to feel this problem was caused by my sodium potassium ratio being wrong. The overall ratio in my food and drink was just under 7:1 but my guess is that it should be higher.
Anybody out there have any thoughts on this matter ?
One thing I was very pleased with is that whilst running the second half of the race (especially in the second half of each hour long segment) I was moving much quicker that the two guys in front of me. I passed them far more often than they passed me. I think they were walking quicker or for less time than me and didn't pee as much.
Two people ended up in hospital - including the winner (Chris Finill) - I hope they're both OK.
Thanks to everyone involved with the race: organisers, helpers, lap counters, runners, crew members, etc. It really was a good one.
Oh yes ... I didn't collapse !!! Kept moving for 10 to 20 minutes after the race then sat on the floor with my feet on a chair for a while. Didn't shower or take off my compression tights either. All this seemed to work brilliantly until I got on the tube at about 2.30pm - keeled over after about 10 minutes. Got a taxi to King's Cross instead.
Mustn't go underground after an ultra race in future :)
Thanks also to my crew, Fay and Keir and also to Julian for keeping the Otley AC website updated with my progress.
I'll update the other pages on this site in the next few days.
Friday, 19 September 2008
London entries
Twenty three miles yesterday. The first 20 were at 7:50 per mile and then the last three were at 7:17 per mile ... and it was easy. The whole lot took well under three hours.
Tempo run this afternoon - seven miles in 47 minutes. Not too difficult but the headwind in the last mile and a half didn't help.
In the post this morning came the start list, and other stuff, for the Tooting Bec 24 hr race in London. At first glance a couple of things are noticeable:
1) there are at least three other Englishmen in the field who are capable of running 225k, ie the qualifying distance for next year's Commonwealth Championships. The three are Ken Fancett, Jim Rogers and Chris Finill. I've just re read the selection criteria and it does specify that up to six men will be included.
2) William Sichel isn't listed even though his website is still showing that he's taking part. Obviously there's a mistake somewhere.
3) Sharon Gayter is on the list although she writes on her website that she only starting running again in mid August following a stress fracture.
Tempo run this afternoon - seven miles in 47 minutes. Not too difficult but the headwind in the last mile and a half didn't help.
In the post this morning came the start list, and other stuff, for the Tooting Bec 24 hr race in London. At first glance a couple of things are noticeable:
1) there are at least three other Englishmen in the field who are capable of running 225k, ie the qualifying distance for next year's Commonwealth Championships. The three are Ken Fancett, Jim Rogers and Chris Finill. I've just re read the selection criteria and it does specify that up to six men will be included.
2) William Sichel isn't listed even though his website is still showing that he's taking part. Obviously there's a mistake somewhere.
3) Sharon Gayter is on the list although she writes on her website that she only starting running again in mid August following a stress fracture.
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