By all accounts the weekend's race in Steembergen, Netherlands was a hard one. At one point there was a facebook post by the Aussie team which read:
"at the moment we're having four seasons worth of weather ... every 15 minutes."
No doubt about it that is the stuff that makes things very difficult in a 24 hour race and, I guess on average, performances will have been reduced by about 5 % and the winner's distance was probably not as far as expected in a World 24 hr Championship race. Previous winning distances (men) are shown below and full results can be found on the DUV website.
2013 ... 269 km
2012 ... 277 km
2010 ... 273 km
2009 ... 257 km
2008 ... 273 km
2007 ... 263 km
2006 ... 272 km
2005 ... 268 km
2004 ... 269 km
2003 ... 270 km
2001 ... 275 km
Some of the UK performances seem to have been quite amazing in those circumstances ...
Steve Holyoak ... over 246 km and a new pb
Robbie Britton ... over 239 km and a new pb
Sharon Law ... over 226 km and a new pb
Karen Hathaway ... over 210 km and a new pb
Sharon set new Scottish records for 200 km and 24 hours (on the road). Amazing.
Debbie Martin-Consani, Emily Gelder, Pat Robbins, John Pares, Matt Moroz and Lizzy Hawker had less successful races and, unfortunately, I wasn't there so I can't really comment as to the reasons for that. Perhaps an injury or two.
Congratulations also to Torill Fonn who beat her personal best by almost 5 %.
Overall, as I'm a recovering injured ultra runner, I found it quite difficult mentally to keep up to date with all that was happening in Steenbergen ... I guess I'm just missing the racing a bit. I'm glad I persevered though as it has given me some much needed motivation for racing next year and training in the second half of this year (with perhaps a race thrown in ...).
Full results here.
Showing posts with label Pat Robbins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pat Robbins. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Friday, 22 March 2013
Keir and the World Championships
Woke up this morning to find lots of snow all around - I guess it must have been 10cm or so, everywhere. I know that isn't particularly deep but for this part of the world, near the end of March, it's lots.
Apparently there are only two places in the whole country with so much snow at the moment - Yorkshire and Northern Ireland and the consequences are that Leeds Bradford Airport and Belfast City Airport were both closed. They are open now ... but only just and with many flights cancelled or delayed.
Keir is coming home from university today for the Easter holiday. He is at Ulster University and is flying from Belfast City to Leeds Bradford. There are three flights today ... he's on the third but the first two have been cancelled. I think it's fair to say we're a bit worried at the moment.
Apart from that, news has recently appeared from British Athletics [new name for UK Athletics ... not sure why] about the team for the World 24 hr Championships in Steenbergen in May. On the men's team is John Pares, Pat Robbins, Matt Moroz, Robbie Britton and Steve Holyoak. If John is fit he should do very well - he's is capable of a top 5 placing at his best. Pat and Steve are both capable of over 240 km and I don't know too much about Robbie and Matt except that perhaps they prefer the trails. I really do hope everyone has an outstanding race though.
The women are represented by Lizzy Hawker, Emily Gelder, Debbie Martin-Consani, Sharon Law and Karen Hathaway. Lizzy broke the world 24 hr road record in her last race of this type (Llandudno - Sep 2010), Emily finished third in the last world championships and Debbie is the Scottish record holder. An excellent team and, again, I wish them all every success.
My recovery seems to be going well at the moment too. On Wednesday I had to forego my strength training and cycling though as I had to do some emergency DIY repairs in the bathroom. Without going into great detail I had to replace the light fitting, pull cord and part of the ceiling. Managed 20 minutes through the snow this morning with the same tomorrow and all in all everything seems OK.
Apparently there are only two places in the whole country with so much snow at the moment - Yorkshire and Northern Ireland and the consequences are that Leeds Bradford Airport and Belfast City Airport were both closed. They are open now ... but only just and with many flights cancelled or delayed.
Keir is coming home from university today for the Easter holiday. He is at Ulster University and is flying from Belfast City to Leeds Bradford. There are three flights today ... he's on the third but the first two have been cancelled. I think it's fair to say we're a bit worried at the moment.
Apart from that, news has recently appeared from British Athletics [new name for UK Athletics ... not sure why] about the team for the World 24 hr Championships in Steenbergen in May. On the men's team is John Pares, Pat Robbins, Matt Moroz, Robbie Britton and Steve Holyoak. If John is fit he should do very well - he's is capable of a top 5 placing at his best. Pat and Steve are both capable of over 240 km and I don't know too much about Robbie and Matt except that perhaps they prefer the trails. I really do hope everyone has an outstanding race though.
The women are represented by Lizzy Hawker, Emily Gelder, Debbie Martin-Consani, Sharon Law and Karen Hathaway. Lizzy broke the world 24 hr road record in her last race of this type (Llandudno - Sep 2010), Emily finished third in the last world championships and Debbie is the Scottish record holder. An excellent team and, again, I wish them all every success.
My recovery seems to be going well at the moment too. On Wednesday I had to forego my strength training and cycling though as I had to do some emergency DIY repairs in the bathroom. Without going into great detail I had to replace the light fitting, pull cord and part of the ceiling. Managed 20 minutes through the snow this morning with the same tomorrow and all in all everything seems OK.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
well, I made it (back home)
Just a brief race report for now ... more later, I'm sure.
The first ten hours went very well indeed and at that point I was still on my 245km schedule. The eleventh hour was a struggle and my left shoulder began playing up so I went in for a massage which worked wonders.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
this week
It's been quite a busy few days since my last post ...
Tuesday 29 May - Keir's 18th birthday. He had already told us that he didn't want to spend too long celebrating as he wanted to not be distracted from his exams (which have already started). We still managed to ensure he had a memorable day though.
Wednesday 30 May - long run. Over thirty miles in the morning and strength work in the evening. My last long run before the ULTRArace 100.
Thursday 31 May - 5.5 mile race (8.9 km) race in Yeadon which forms part of the Harrogate League series. I ran 38:11 on the muddy (and slippery) trails and finished in 45th position (out of 262). Quite surprised by this for two reasons: (1) only one day after a very long run and only 6 seconds behind my best on that course, (2) I, along with about half a dozen other runners, lost about 30 seconds after taking a wrong turn in Esholt just before the long climb through the woods.
My club, Otley AC, seems to be doing very well indeed so 'well done everyone'.
Friday 1 June - 7.6 mile tempo run (12.2 km) in the afternoon. The target was 6:51 per mile (4:15 per km) and I thought I might struggle with that less than 24 hrs after quite a hard race. However, without pushing too hard, I managed 6:43 per mile (4:10 per km). The idea was to run quite fast but also to 'run to feel' - always being in control of any residual niggles from the race or long run. Pleased with that. More strength and core work in the evening.
Day off today but thing about those running the Grand Union Canal Race, especially Debs, Jerry, Pat R, Mike B and Richard Q.
Back to training tomorrow but I'm now in tapering mode for three weeks. I just hope the recent summer weather holds out and we don't have 12 hours of rain on 22/23 June.
Tuesday 29 May - Keir's 18th birthday. He had already told us that he didn't want to spend too long celebrating as he wanted to not be distracted from his exams (which have already started). We still managed to ensure he had a memorable day though.
Wednesday 30 May - long run. Over thirty miles in the morning and strength work in the evening. My last long run before the ULTRArace 100.
Thursday 31 May - 5.5 mile race (8.9 km) race in Yeadon which forms part of the Harrogate League series. I ran 38:11 on the muddy (and slippery) trails and finished in 45th position (out of 262). Quite surprised by this for two reasons: (1) only one day after a very long run and only 6 seconds behind my best on that course, (2) I, along with about half a dozen other runners, lost about 30 seconds after taking a wrong turn in Esholt just before the long climb through the woods.
My club, Otley AC, seems to be doing very well indeed so 'well done everyone'.
Friday 1 June - 7.6 mile tempo run (12.2 km) in the afternoon. The target was 6:51 per mile (4:15 per km) and I thought I might struggle with that less than 24 hrs after quite a hard race. However, without pushing too hard, I managed 6:43 per mile (4:10 per km). The idea was to run quite fast but also to 'run to feel' - always being in control of any residual niggles from the race or long run. Pleased with that. More strength and core work in the evening.
Day off today but thing about those running the Grand Union Canal Race, especially Debs, Jerry, Pat R, Mike B and Richard Q.
Back to training tomorrow but I'm now in tapering mode for three weeks. I just hope the recent summer weather holds out and we don't have 12 hours of rain on 22/23 June.
Monday, 30 April 2012
World Championships qualification
UK Athletics have finally published their qualification criteria for this year's World 24 hr Championships. It's near the bottom of this page on their website.
Basically athletes should achieve the required standard between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012 and those all important standards are:
Men - A standard ... 238 km (147.9 miles)
Men - team standard ... 230 km (142.9 miles)
Women - A standard ... 214 km (133.0 miles)
Women - team standard ... 204 km (126.8 miles)
Right, that's one less thing for me to worry about. I ran further than 238 km when winning the race in Perth back in September 2010.
So, apart from relief, what are my initial thoughts ?
1 - the men's standards have risen quite a lot since last time. They were 236 km and 225 km (146.6 and 139.8 miles).
2 - I don't have the figures to hand but I think the women's standards have fallen by a single kilometre.
3 - Runners without the necessary standard have only 34 days to make the grade. I'm guessing that there will be about 8 or 9 European races in May in which to do that ... but how many have an IAU label ? [two I think]. And how many still have places available ?
4 - By way of contrast, the UK qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon was announced back in summer 2011 with the final date to achieve the standard being 22 April 2012. That's about 8 or 9 months and probably quite a few marathons to choose from in which to do the business.
5 - Oh well ... I guess that until we have 24 hr races in the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games they'll always be seen as not quite as important even though we train just as hard (if not harder) ... grumble, grumble, grumble.
6 - Four men and two women have the A standard. In date order they are: Lizzy Hawker, John Pares, myself, Emily Gelder, Richard Quennell and Jim Rogers. Also, Jen Salter, Pat Robbins, Sharon Law, Marie Doke, Debbie Martin-Consani and Angie Sadler have the team standard.
There are seven women in that list and as there'll be a maximum of six men and six women going to Katowiche at least one of them will be staying at home unfortunately.
So, there it is. A bit late I think but at least I have the necessary standard and now it's down to the selectors who meet at the beginning of June and announce the team on Tuesday the 19th.
As a final point it would appear that in order to get the A standard for the 2013 World Championships I would have to break my pb sometime this year. I know I can do that.
Basically athletes should achieve the required standard between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012 and those all important standards are:
Men - A standard ... 238 km (147.9 miles)
Men - team standard ... 230 km (142.9 miles)
Women - A standard ... 214 km (133.0 miles)
Women - team standard ... 204 km (126.8 miles)
Right, that's one less thing for me to worry about. I ran further than 238 km when winning the race in Perth back in September 2010.
So, apart from relief, what are my initial thoughts ?
1 - the men's standards have risen quite a lot since last time. They were 236 km and 225 km (146.6 and 139.8 miles).
2 - I don't have the figures to hand but I think the women's standards have fallen by a single kilometre.
3 - Runners without the necessary standard have only 34 days to make the grade. I'm guessing that there will be about 8 or 9 European races in May in which to do that ... but how many have an IAU label ? [two I think]. And how many still have places available ?
4 - By way of contrast, the UK qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon was announced back in summer 2011 with the final date to achieve the standard being 22 April 2012. That's about 8 or 9 months and probably quite a few marathons to choose from in which to do the business.
5 - Oh well ... I guess that until we have 24 hr races in the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games they'll always be seen as not quite as important even though we train just as hard (if not harder) ... grumble, grumble, grumble.
6 - Four men and two women have the A standard. In date order they are: Lizzy Hawker, John Pares, myself, Emily Gelder, Richard Quennell and Jim Rogers. Also, Jen Salter, Pat Robbins, Sharon Law, Marie Doke, Debbie Martin-Consani and Angie Sadler have the team standard.
There are seven women in that list and as there'll be a maximum of six men and six women going to Katowiche at least one of them will be staying at home unfortunately.
So, there it is. A bit late I think but at least I have the necessary standard and now it's down to the selectors who meet at the beginning of June and announce the team on Tuesday the 19th.
As a final point it would appear that in order to get the A standard for the 2013 World Championships I would have to break my pb sometime this year. I know I can do that.
Monday, 13 February 2012
only because I was asked ...
Recently I was asked about the UK team for this year's World 24 hr Championships. I must admit that I hadn't given any thought as to who might be included in that team other than I hope I am ...
So, here are my thoughts:
UK Athletics usually have selection criteria along the lines of -
men ... A standard 236 km ... team standard ... 225 km
women ... A standard 215 km ... team standard ... 205 km
and, in theory, what happens is that anybody who has the A standard is automatically selected but if there aren't enough to complete a team then those with the team standard are also considered - but only if there are enough to make a full team.
For example if one man has 240 km and two more men have 227 km each then only one man will be selected.
Of course there is a time frame in which runners are expected to reach the standards and this is usually in the 18 months before selection date. For this year's World Championships I would expect that to be something like:
1 Jan 2011 to 30 June 2012
Between those dates the qualifying performances so far are:
John Pares ... 244 km
Pat Robbins ... 231 km
Steve Holyoak ... 226 km
Liz Hawker ... 247 km
Emily Gelder ... 220 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 208 km
Jen Salter ... 206 km
Marie Doke ... 206 km
Because there wasn't a World or European Championships last year it is possible that the qualifying period will be extended back to include the Perth race (Sep 2010) or even the last World Championships (May 2010), in which case the following should be added to the list:
Richard Quennell ... 246 km (May 2010)
Jim Rogers ... 244 km (May 2010)
Chris Carver ... 238 km (Sep 2010)
Paul Hart ... 228 km (Sep 2010)
Angie Sadler ... 205 km (Sep 2010)
As there has been no announcement yet about selection there is a possibility of a few more qualifying performances in the first half of this year.
And of course the selectors usually reserve the right to use other long ultras to help with their choices. Overall then I would suggest that only John Pares and Liz Hawker have earned their place in Poland and as for other runners ... your guess is as good as mine at the moment.
I do know that the team management were hopeful of getting selection sorted by the end of last year but obviously the people at UK Athletics didn't like that idea - probably down to funding.
I also believe that we have some very good ultra runners in this country but very few road and/or track 24 hour races. Only one at the last count. In recent years we have lost races in Hull and Doncaster for example. I know that Pam Storey is looking to stage some races but if we had a few more then the performances would only improve.
So ... who wants to organise a road or track 24 hr race in Britain ??? Count me in if you do.
So, here are my thoughts:
UK Athletics usually have selection criteria along the lines of -
men ... A standard 236 km ... team standard ... 225 km
women ... A standard 215 km ... team standard ... 205 km
and, in theory, what happens is that anybody who has the A standard is automatically selected but if there aren't enough to complete a team then those with the team standard are also considered - but only if there are enough to make a full team.
For example if one man has 240 km and two more men have 227 km each then only one man will be selected.
Of course there is a time frame in which runners are expected to reach the standards and this is usually in the 18 months before selection date. For this year's World Championships I would expect that to be something like:
1 Jan 2011 to 30 June 2012
Between those dates the qualifying performances so far are:
John Pares ... 244 km
Pat Robbins ... 231 km
Steve Holyoak ... 226 km
Liz Hawker ... 247 km
Emily Gelder ... 220 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 208 km
Jen Salter ... 206 km
Marie Doke ... 206 km
Because there wasn't a World or European Championships last year it is possible that the qualifying period will be extended back to include the Perth race (Sep 2010) or even the last World Championships (May 2010), in which case the following should be added to the list:
Richard Quennell ... 246 km (May 2010)
Jim Rogers ... 244 km (May 2010)
Chris Carver ... 238 km (Sep 2010)
Paul Hart ... 228 km (Sep 2010)
Angie Sadler ... 205 km (Sep 2010)
As there has been no announcement yet about selection there is a possibility of a few more qualifying performances in the first half of this year.
And of course the selectors usually reserve the right to use other long ultras to help with their choices. Overall then I would suggest that only John Pares and Liz Hawker have earned their place in Poland and as for other runners ... your guess is as good as mine at the moment.
I do know that the team management were hopeful of getting selection sorted by the end of last year but obviously the people at UK Athletics didn't like that idea - probably down to funding.
I also believe that we have some very good ultra runners in this country but very few road and/or track 24 hour races. Only one at the last count. In recent years we have lost races in Hull and Doncaster for example. I know that Pam Storey is looking to stage some races but if we had a few more then the performances would only improve.
So ... who wants to organise a road or track 24 hr race in Britain ??? Count me in if you do.
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.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
plans firming up for this year ... slightly
The latest news regarding the World 24 hr Championships this year is that hopefully they'll take place in Taiwan towards the end of the year. That suits me fine. Back to a normal training schedule in less than two weeks then one or two ultras leading up to the Commonwealth Championships ... and then the World Champs.
I hope UK Athletics decide to send a team - we've got some good runners at the moment.
But what about the European Championships ?
I guess the date suits Pat Robbins too as he can now defend his GUCR title without it clashing with a major championships. Next year's championships also seem to not clash with the GUCR ... so that's a possibility for me.
The reason I didn't enter this year is that entries have to be submitted before 1st November and at that time the World 24 hr Championships were scheduled for early June. The Grand Union Canal Race is late May.
I have one or two races in mind for this summer but I'm trying not to think too much about them until I'm sure of my recovery from knee injury.
I hope UK Athletics decide to send a team - we've got some good runners at the moment.
But what about the European Championships ?
I guess the date suits Pat Robbins too as he can now defend his GUCR title without it clashing with a major championships. Next year's championships also seem to not clash with the GUCR ... so that's a possibility for me.
The reason I didn't enter this year is that entries have to be submitted before 1st November and at that time the World 24 hr Championships were scheduled for early June. The Grand Union Canal Race is late May.
I have one or two races in mind for this summer but I'm trying not to think too much about them until I'm sure of my recovery from knee injury.
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.
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.
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