Salford Silvers Take Gold

If you’re into your omens then this weekend was looking good for my chances of picking up another British championship medal; the event was a relay and relays bring out the best in me, it was taking place in Derby where I have always run well and every club I’ve been a member of has won a national championship during my time there. But getting back to reality; I have been running well in the lead up to this race, I did some very specific training for this event during my week in Spain and I had a very solid team of Salford Harriers around me, who all seemed to be as keen as me. Looking on the less positive aspects; Leicester seem to have made the M45 category their own so were obviously going to be strong on the day, I was expecting Thames Hare and Hounds to enter and have strong teams too and, as I mentioned last week, I’d injured my lower back and it was inhibiting my ability to run during the week.

We had entered strong teams in all sections; M35, M45, M55 and M65 plus an M35 B team consisting of those who didn’t quite make it from the various other teams. We were keyed up and we meant business. There was even a mini bus bringing the majority of the team down, so team bonding was bound to be a plus on the way to the race.

But lets go back a few days: It was Monday morning when my back went into a spasm. It wasn’t that painful until I went to bed, then the inactivity meant every movement, during the night, was agony. The next morning I looked over my training diaries for the previous two occasions my back had gone into spasm and it wasn’t looking good, one showed I had to take a week off before I could start running again and the other, that I had to take two weeks. I pondered over letting the Manager know but thought I’d leave it a couple of days. The spasm hadn’t felt as bad as either previous occasion so I hedged my bets and got to work on some mobilisation work and kettlebells. By Wednesday I was running again, albeit a very slow 3 mile jog. I’d had to try as I was due to train with Lee Riley on Thursday. I made the training with Lee, we were running mile reps at just under 7 minute mile pace, a lot quicker than the previous day but a lot slower than I’d need on Saturday. Admittedly the last 2 minutes of the last rep was run under 6 minute mile pace but it didn’t give me any real indication of how I would be on Saturday, however I came through it ok, though still in a little pain. Friday was a rest day, apart from continuation of the mobilisation exercises.

Come Saturday I felt a lot better so there was no question of not being able to run so we set off, myself, Carole and my mum and dad, for Derby. I hear so many people, who’s parents died before their children made their mark, saying I wish they’d been around to see my success, so I’ve made a habit of karting my parents around various parts of the country to watch me run in National competitions, whether they wanted to go or not, in the hope that they would see me being successful. And I feel I’ve fulfilled my duty of making my parents proud of me.

Over the years I’ve done many big relay events for Belgrave, Herne Hill, Edinburgh and now Salford. 9 times out of 10 the team announced on Monday becomes a totally different team by the Saturday, this must’ve been number 10 as the team lining up on the day was exactly as announced on Monday; Deegan, Birkett, Crewe, Alsop and Lockett. So I was feeling pretty confident. Leicester were there and had a strong team, but I was disappointed that Thames Hare were a no show.

Before the race I jogged around the course with Mike Deegan, though as always in these situations the jog increases in pace throughout and we were busy chatting about the things that runners chat about so I had to go around again on my own to get a good picture of the course in my head. It was a good course, one to suit me. Mostly flat, just a couple of small rises, mostly firm going, just one bad soggy patch and a few soggy areas, it was well marked and was interesting, featuring the grass area close to the track, on two levels, and a short loop through the woods.

The first race was for ladies and really old men and this was our first chance to get in the medals. We were always in the hunt and led the O65 event briefly before having to settle for silver behind a strong Bingley squad.

Now it was time for the youngsters, a race featuring the M35, M45 and M55 teams. Our first leg runner, in the M45 team, should by rights have been in the M55 team but he’s so good we needed his talent to have any chance of winning and Mike ran an excellent leg, mixing it with the M35s and Mike Hagar. Mike brought the team home in 3^rd place, in the M45s, behind a stong starting Lincoln Wellington and Leicester, but crucially only 28 seconds behind the leaders and 26 behind Leicester. Paul Birkett was next man out and ran a time close to Mike’s, just 2 seconds down. Paul had pulled back the deficit on Lincoln Wellington to 11 seconds, however Leicester’s Gordon Lee had run the day’s fastest time, 10:16, they were now in 1^st place, 1 minute 10 seconds ahead of us.

Derek Crewe, another one who’ll soon be looking for a berth in the M55 team, was next to go. It didn’t take Derek long to take 2^nd place from Lincoln Wellington and his 11:08 pulled back 4 seconds on Leicester. It was on this leg that the Leicester runner took a slightly shorter route through the handover area, on his first lap. Whilst it was a shorter route I didn’t see the incident myself so I’m not sure if there was a gain or, in the confusion, an overall loss for Leicester, but it was a shame that such a mistake was made during a championship event.

66 seconds behind when I took over from Derek, I went off hard but my run was nearly ruined before I’d got going as a first aider walked straight across the racing line just as I reached him. I was so focussed on picking my line that I didn’t even see him until this lime green vision flashed past my peripheral vision, or rather I flashed past him. I didn’t have time to worry about what could have happened I had a Leicester vest to catch. I shot past a couple of V35 teams and just as I reached the sticky patch I heard the encouragement of the Salford supporters, this spurred me on and I shot up the hill and into the woodland. I felt I was going really fast, everything was hurting and my lungs were burning. Mike Deegan was in the woods and he told me I had gained 10 seconds, that was encouraging and it spurred me on even more, but as I left Mike I had a little reflection on what might happen if next time I saw Mike I had actually lost time. Oh well no point worrying about that now, there was a Leicester vest 56 seconds ahead of me. I finished the lap feeling tired but seeing Dave Lockett waiting in the wings for last leg gave me just the incentive I needed to keep pushing. I sped round the corner, no first aider this time, I could hear the encouragement from my family and various Salford supporters and every shout helped push me further through the pain. Next time I saw Mike he told me I had made 20 seconds on Leicester. It was not really enough and I was running out of time, I just had to hope Dave could run a blinder and Leicester ran out of steam. I wasn’t through though, coming out of the woods I put in a long sprint for home finishing gasping for air. Despite that I’d still only made up 20 seconds on Leicester.

Dave did run a blinder, running our fastest M45 leg (10:31) but Leicester didn’t run out of steam and Dave was only able to take a further 11 seconds out of them to finish in silver position, 35 seconds behind.

We’d given it our best shot, we’d shown our intention, and we’d be back for more. It was a consistent showing from the team, only 37 seconds separated the fastest man from the slowest man, but that’s what you’d expect at this level. We’d gained our first medal in this age group, in this event, finishing 4^th overall in the race. On a personal point I’ve finished the year with 1 silver and 2 bronze BMAF medals and further justified my decision to join Salford.

Our M55 team also took silver behind Staffordshire Moorlands, though if Mike Deegan had been in that race they would have won gold, which would have released Stan Curran to the M65 team where they would have won gold too. But that’s not to throw any criticism on team selection, it’s not easy to make those decisions and the teams selected were selected on making the most of our athletes on the day. So that was 3 silver medals.

The pick of the lot were the M35s who won the overall race with another consistent team performance and so were the only Salford silvers to take gold. Not a bad day, 1 gold 3 silvers, and judging by the atmosphere, morale and inter-team support, we’ll be coming back for more. Particularly as someone had the bright idea to replace the usual post race cakes with post race beer.

I will be writing up a full report on Salford’s participation in this event, which you will be able to find at www.salfordharriers.co.uk later this week.

And while we were drinking beer in Derby the other Salford Harriers were racing in the 2^nd SE Lancs league, which they won. Good day all round.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

Back In The Medals

It’s been a long medal drought for me. Ok I have a box full of medals so I shouldn’t be greedy but at the same time a medal signifies something to me, it signifies that all the work I’ve put in has resulted in this medal. It’s why I do it, it’s what I earn. Ok, so it doesn’t put food on the table but every medal won ultimately says ‘Roger Alsop gets results’ and I’m proud of them all. The last time I won a medal was on 13 October 2010, I was running for the England M45 team in the British and Irish Cross Country International, we came second and every member of the team got a silver medal, though frankly I didn’t feel like I deserved it after my poor run. In 2011 I didn’t get one championship medal, the first year this has occurred since 1989, which is the year I started to run. So after last year’s poor showing I vowed that I would be aiming for medals again this year.

My quest for medals has already been thwarted this year, I was 2^nd M45 in the Cheshire Cross Country Champs, but only the winner received a medal. I was all set to run in the BMAF Cross Country Championships but I injured my back the week before and was unable to run. My club, Herne Hill Harriers, fell one man short of sending a team to Sutton Park, for the BMAF Road Relays, when we were almost certain to medal. So this weekend I was on a mission, I was sure I would be the lone Herne Hill Harrier on show, at the BMAF 5k Champs, and I was proven right. If I was going to get a medal it was up to me alone and I was up for it. A recent run of improving form had given me the confidence that I was getting closer to my 2010 form, when I came 2^nd in this championship. Of course I’m still a little way off that form so I wasn’t sure I’d sneak a medal, but it wouldn’t stop me from trying.

For the race, in Horwich, I went up with Ray. Ray had run it last year, but I was away so couldn’t join him, and he was confident he would improve on both his position and time. I was ready for a hard race and had my eyes set on a top 3 position in the M45 group. We arrived early, as is my preference, and went for a run around the course. It was very windy on the uphill section and I knew this would have an effect on times, but I was still hoping my strength would see me to a season’s best. Back at the changing rooms and people had started to arrive, it was nice to catch up with a number of my competitors and friends. It was the first time I had spoken to a number of my Scottish friends and my local rivals the Whittingtons were also here, though only Russell was down to run. There were runners I’d known for years and others I’d only really got to know since I became a geriatric, and then there was Mike Deegan, superstar runner of the past but even at 55 keeping us young geriatrics honest.

I’m usually pretty calm before races but I’ll admit, on this occasion, I was a little nervous. My week hadn’t gone exactly to plan. I had shaken off the cold but hay fever was making life a little uncomfortable. I had done my usual front loaded week with a short hard session on Monday and then my treadmill session on Tuesday, and all was going well, but I’d forgotten I was training with Katy on Wednesday. That shouldn’t be a problem though and I’d be able to do my last speed session on Thursday. However Katy was in very good form, not only did she run great but she ran me into the ground. At the end of the session my right calf was tight, I had to abandon any ideas of a fast run on Thursday, it was easy running only then and on Friday. On Saturday I was taking the day off but my calf was still a little tender so I put my compression socks on. They gave me instant relief but the calf didn’t feel 100% right. Sunday morning it felt better but still not 100%. I wasn’t nervous about being in the race I was nervous I might pull, or worse, tear, my calf muscle.

As we started to congregate at the start line we were told there would be a delay, the cycle races were falling behind and we should expect a 10 minute wait. It was then that I was told that the walkers, it was a walk championship as well as a running one, would go off first and we would then be set off. Originally the walkers were due off 10 minutes before the runners, which should have given them plenty of time to separate, but the organisers were trying to claw back some time so decided to set us off only minutes after the walkers. I was thinking that this was a potential disaster and as the walkers set off I watched with a slight dismay as they stretched across the road.

Do you think those walkers could get a move on!

Then it was us, we were off and I shot off with the front runners. I’d known Big Stuart Doyle, of Vale Royal AC, was going to be there so my plan had been to try to hang onto him for as long as I could. Stuart is a consistent runner and I was sure it was my only chance to get clear of any M45 opposition, without putting in all the leg work myself. As we pushed up the first hill Chris Fell had already got a lead but there was a big pack of us behind which included myself and three other M45s; Charles Thomson, Simon Wright and Aaron Keene. There was a certain amount of jostling for position as we tried to pass the slower moving walkers and there were at least 3 occasions where I was forced towards a walker only to chop my stride in order to avoid them, it was an uncomfortable half lap and only adds weight to my feelings that it would have been better to set the walkers off a lot earlier or after the runners.

Around the corner at the Crown Hotel and some relief that we were onto the downhill section with the wind behind us. I tried to maintain a good pace and was still in with the other two M45s, I think it was here that we dropped Aaron. Up the hill for the second time and I was having to dig deep, Charles and Simon were starting to pull away from me, which was a little frustrating. The 3^rd time up the hill I was really feeling it, I had started faster than recent races and this combined with the hill and wind was starting to take it’s toll on my body. My legs felt like lead and I appeared to be jogging up the hill. Charles and Simon were now well clear but I was aware I was still 3^rd M45, not sure how close the 4^th place was though, I was certain I would soon lose that 3^rd place and probably 4^th, 5^th and 6^th. But I made it round the corner, still in 3^rd and I put everything I could into the downhill, thinking that if I was going to be taken it was going to have to take a real fighter to take me. We turned the last corner, with about 250m uphill to the finish. The guy in front of me was an M40, I didn’t care about beating him but I tried to aim for him to stop any M45s sneaking up behind me. Boy did it hurt and that last 250m seems to go on forever, but I did it, I came home in 10^th place overall, taking 3^rd M45 and I had set a new season’s best and fastest time since I ran 15:59 on this course, two years ago, my time 16:22. I was happy with that.

I grabbed a drink and watched other runners coming in before jogging round the course to cheer on Ray. Ray did finish higher than last year, and quicker, just missing out on a pb, 21:02. Then it was off for a little lunch and to the presentation. It was a good feeling being presented with that medal, it had been a long wait. Now, I know that there were a lot of good runners missing from the race, I don’t know why it’s a great race, and people may look at my time and say that I wouldn’t have got the medal if others had showed up. But do I care, no, it’s not my fault they chose not to turn up and I did and frankly I ran my socks off to get that medal. As my old coach, Arthur Bruce, would say the trophy only states who the winner is, it doesn’t say he won but such and such didn’t show up. Now onto the next one.     

Incidentally I spoke with Mike Deegan afterwards, he looked terrible coming into the finish and I couldn’t stop myself being honest with him, then I saw this photo of me coming into the finish, courtesy of Harvey Whittington.

Was I running fast or was that the wind flattening my hair?

It’s been a bit of a family weekend, for the second weekend running, last weekend my brother and his wife were up visiting my parents and we all, along with my sister, went out for a meal. This weekend it was Carole’s turn, her mum and friend were down from Scotland, along with some much needed Scottish treats, Lorne sausage and bread rolls (apparently we can’t make bread rolls in England, though I can’t say I’ve noticed), though this time the tablet stayed in Scotland. On Friday night England were playing Sweden in the European Championships, football. I was looking forward to watching the game but with three Scottish ladies waiting to go to the pub my choices were limited. We went to the Cock O’Budworth where the menu was quite good and service was excellent. Price was pretty decent too, plus they had Spitfire on tap, though for obvious reasons I was restricted to one pint.

Then on Sunday, after the race, I had my parents join us for a roast dinner which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately I was in celebratory mood and, making up for two nearly dry days, I had a little bit more to drink than I should have. Oh well it’s not like I drink all the time.

With the race being on Sunday I decided to go for a relaxing run on Monday so hit the woodlands. It was a beautiful morning so I extended the run a little to go a nice 9 mile route.

This morning it was treadmill day, week 4 of my training plan. I’d intended to start the first rep at 19.4km/h and work my way up but once I got to Cottons I decided I should up the ante. I was pleased with my run on Sunday but decided I needed to push more if I was going to get anywhere close to achieving my goals this year. So I started the first rep on 20km/h (3 min per K pace). It surprised me how comfortable it was and by the end of the session I’d got up to 20.6km/h (2.54 min per K pace). It’s still a little short of the 2:40 odd pace I used to run, but that was back in the 1990s, so I think I can be forgiven for my slower pace, after all I’m not running 1k reps, I’m running further. So I’m very pleased with that and with seven weeks still to go on this programme I’m getting more confident by the week. However I’m mindful that I’m running faster than I have for a long time and conscious that this is the time I’m likely to pick up niggles, which, if I’m not careful, could turn into injuries, so I’ll be trying to be sensible too. Mind you I’m training with Katy again tomorrow so I’ll have to watch out for her demon pace.

Finally a thank you to Ronhill for the package they sent last week. The kit looks good on me, even if I don’t look good in it.

Written by Roger Alsop
http://www.rogeralsop.co.uk/

Nutrition and How I Deal With It

This week I wanted to write about something other than running, though obviously there will be an element of running within the blog because, after all, I am a runner, and of course I’ll end with an update of what I’ve been up to and any other follow up tales. So I decided to write something about nutrition. It is not intentional to blind you with science, or tell you everything there is, but rather to give you a few generalised facts and then to tell you how I interpret that to help me in my fitness. Remember that everyone is different and what works for one person does not necessarily work the same for everyone, in the same way that I use the same basic training principles for all my clients but manipulate them to get the best results from each, your own nutrition should be treated likewise.

I’m not going to go into great detail about what GI certain carbohydrates have or what foods contain different vitamins, etc. I’m going to generalise, otherwise the blog would just go on and on. There is plenty of material available for anybody to do follow up research or, of course, have more in-depth nutritional advice from myself.

There is some really simple advice for people wanting to lose weight, just ensure you eat fewer calories than you burn off. For the non-active reducing carbohydrates and increasing protein intake can be beneficial as it increases the metabolic rate, but don’t even consider cutting out carbohydrates altogether, even if your diet states so, it’s just not healthy to do such a thing. If you are active I wouldn’t cut back on carbs unless you eat a mountain a day, you just need to look at what exercise you are doing, you need to exercise for more than 20 minutes at an intensity of at least 60% max (however you measure this, heart rate, perceived exertion, etc). I strongly believe in a higher intensity workout, carried out over short bursts, with recoveries, coupled, on alternative days, with the 60% workout. Strengthening your muscles also helps to increase the metabolic rate, burning off more calories. That’s not to suggest you should consider becoming a body builder, for many of my clients, particularly the females, I use light weights with endurance which, tones and strengthens the muscles whilst using aerobic exercise to help burn calories at the same time.

If you’re doing quite intense sessions, i.e. for sport, you need more carbohydrate, before, during (if the session goes beyond the hour) and after (particularly within the first hour post exercise as that’s when glycogen replenishment is most successful). Think about glycaemic index (GI), low before exercise, though for more anaerobic exercise some high GI carbs can be beneficial just before exercise. After exercise, depending on intensity, you’ll benefit from a little high GI carb, for quick absorption, but low GI carbs are still good for long term glycogen replenishment. During exercise you shouldn’t need any carbs if your exercise period is less than an hour and you may actually be ok for longer as training your body for glycogen depletion is similar to training your muscles for lifting heavier weights, as an example when I ran the London Marathon in 2003 I ran for 2 hrs 34 min, I didn’t hit the wall, in fact I finished pretty strongly, but all I took on board during the duration of the race was water. I’d been regularly training for 2 hrs 40 min taking only water, so my body was used to it. This is not what I would particularly recommend to clients, it’s just that I didn’t get on with any of the carbohydrate based drinks I’d tried, so I took the risk, the risk being reduced by the training I was doing. My recommendation is to try out these products in training to see how your body reacts to them, it may take some sessions before your body is prepared to accept them.

       

After exercise you need replenishment, which should consist of carbs and protein. Carbs, as I’ve already mentioned, are to help replenish the glycogen, the protein will help repair damage you will have done to your muscles. For those thinking of building bigger muscles, i.e. for show rather than sport, a higher protein intake will help. There is an optimum amount, based upon your activity level and weight, above which you’ll gain no further benefit, any further intake of protein above this amount will just be turned into glycogen or fat, though you’d need to be eating a lot of protein for it to be turned into fat.

Speaking of fat, don’t neglect it, fat is required for the absorption of certain vitamins, there being both water and fat soluble vitamins. Fat is also required for tissue structure and hormonal function. It’s important to remember that very low body fat can cause problems, the minimum recommended percentage of body fat is 5% in men and 10% in women.  Obviously unsaturated fats are better than saturated and trans fats, and omega 3 is very good for oxygen delivery to cells which means improved athletic performance (for those doing aerobic exercise).

Water must not be neglected, you should aim to remain hydrated at all times but it’s particularly important to ensure you are properly hydrated before your event. So excessive alcohol intake the night before a race is not recommended as it acts as a diuretic. The best way to remain hydrated is to sip fluid throughout the day, drinking a large amount of water in one go will just go straight through you whereas sipping enables good absorption. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t consume a good amount after intensive exercise but don’t go overboard or you may dilute your blood, such that the sodium level falls and you end up with hyponatraemia. That’s why sports drinks are useful after exercise, as they will contain sodium and carbs. You could of course make your own sports drink; 1 part fruit juice to 4 parts water and a pinch of salt.

That’s a brief on some aspects of nutrition, there is so much information available and I haven’t gone too specific, if I had you’d have a book rather than a blog. Now the interesting bit, how do I, as an athlete interpret all the above?

For starters, you might consider that a man who trains as often as myself is very particular about how much and when I eat. Well I can tell you that one thing I don’t do is weigh my food or measure my portion sizes. I’ve got a pretty good idea of how much my body needs to eat. At the moment I’m about 5kg heavier than my ideal racing weight, due to reduced exercise whilst injured. I know I will burn that off, with an increased calorific intake, over the next few months, as I intensify my exercise.

Because I train pretty much every day, and usually my running takes place in the morning, I tend to eat the same breakfast. A bowl of porridge, with a banana and honey, made with a drop of milk and water. It’s a big bowl mind you, I’m a daddy bear portion man. I have a small fruit juice before, not diluted with water as I put a lot of water into the porridge, and a large cup of coffee to follow. That’s it, then I wait an hour and a half to 2 hours before I exercise. This gives plenty of time for the stomach to work on it and, even in a hard session, I rarely have any issues. I usually give myself a little longer if I’m racing, if the race is in the afternoon and I’m travelling a fair way, I have two bowls of porridge.

I don’t take anything on board during training, it’s unusual for me to be training for more than an hour in one go and I cope pretty well without water, even in hot climates. After training I’ll have a cup of milk (if I’m away from home I’ll take a milk shake carton). I usually try to follow my run with some other form of exercise, either abs, with or without weights, or kettle bells, during which I’ll eat a handful of peanuts, in the rest between sets. Then off for a shower, swiftly followed by lunch. 

Lunch will usually be sandwiches on wholemeal bread, I’ll either have cheese and tomato, tuna or a spread (houmous or taramasalata). Because I’m still burning calories from my session, I’ll have six sandwiches, followed by a piece of fruit and a coffee, which will keep me going until dinner, although if I do get hungry I snack on peanuts. Occasional cups of tea in the afternoon to keep me hydrated, I will drink water outside of the home but prefer tea at home.

Actually my hydration plan is the one thing that I could do better, I actually don’t like drinking too much and will sometimes not drink much water before a race or training session, as I don’t like the feeling of it sloshing about. Whilst that isn’t something I would recommend for others, it works for me and my body has adapted to it. This further reiterates my initial point about us all being different and how we need to find what works for every individual.

My dinner is something that usually consists of a mix of vegetables, fruit and meat and pretty much depends upon what is in the house at the time. I usually have potatoes, pasta or rice, chicken, various vegetables and tinned tomatoes. I’ll drink water with the meal and have a coffee after the meal. Occasionally I’ll replace the water with wine, sometimes more occasionally than I should, but I’m only human.

So you see my gastronomic life is a little dull. Unfortunately I do enjoy pretty much every type of food and drink, and know that if I wasn’t so regimented I could eat all day and eat four courses regularly, easily. In fact the one thing I really hate is having to eat out at both lunch and dinner time, as I’ll invariably end up eating too much. The same is true about staying in hotels before a race, though in this situation I try to go with fish instead of a cooked breakfast. To add to my bread and water style existence I try to not have crisps, biscuits or beer in the house – because it’s too easy to just eat or drink it! Lord help anyone who shacks up with me.

British Masters Cross Country Championships – Perry Park, Birmingham

For those who’ve been following my blogs, you’ll know that I made a last minute decision to enter these championships. A year ago I was flying high, topping the UK M45 rankings for 5 miles and 10k, and went to Belfast full of confidence. With the course very much to my liking, I ran one of my best cross country races to take Silver, just 15 seconds behind the winner, Brian Rushworth. This year, with very little training behind me and the memory of a very muddy Alton Towers still deeply entrenched in my memory, I was also confident, confident I’d get nowhere near the medals.

And I was right. Despite the course again being to my liking my lack of fitness was telling, though I would say I actually ran a good race for my current fitness level. I came 53^rd in the race, 17^th M45, taking 29:36 for the 8k course. Clearly the fitness is improving as I finished 46 seconds ahead of Alex Rowe, whom you may recall was passed by me just before the finish at Alton Towers. Still a long way to go on the fitness front but I’m now running 24 minutes of quality, on my hard days, instead of the 18 minutes I’ve been doing previously. A few more weeks and I’ll be back up to 30.

I was a good decision to run as I came away with lots of confidence for the future. I feel like I’m on the way back and believe I can be in a position to make a difference to Herne Hill’s chances of gaining further road relay medals. It’s now just down to fitness and confidence to run at a stronger pace. It was also nice to meet up with so

many of my peers and the friends that I’ve made over the 22 years I’ve been running. In particular it was great to catch up with Phil Carstairs and Charlie Dickinson, old training partners from my Belgrave Harriers days, both of whom have suffered long lay-offs due to injury. I was also pretty amazed to hear so many people giving me vocal support around the course, proving what a friendly atmosphere comes with Masters Athletics.

After the race I went for a warm down with Mike Deegan, who works for Ronhill, the company who supply me with some of my kit. Well I should say Mike went for a warm down, I was still running at race pace to keep up. Not bad for a man about to turn 55. An interesting fact I learned about Mike, which ties in nicely with the previous section of this blog, is that he also eats porridge before a race, though I forgot to ask him the size of his bowl.

I haven’t thought about my next race yet, I’m aiming at the masters road relays in May so I may do a few more park runs and then there is the Killer Mile at Mow Cop.

Riley’s at it Again

Lee Riley was back in action this Sunday, this time carrying his 40lb pack around the Stafford 20 miles. Lee ran another fantastic race on his way to the London Marathon, finishing in a time of 2 hrs 40 min 06 sec. That’s exactly 8 min mile pace, if Lee can keep that going for a further 6 miles he can squeeze inside 3 hrs 30 min. It’s the Derby Kilomathon this weekend, Lee’s final pre-London race with his pack. After that he’ll be into his final training phase.

Herne Hill Southern Silvers

I couldn’t finish off without saying well done to my club, Herne Hill Harriers, who took part in the South of England Cross Country Relay Championships, finishing in runner up position. A great achievement, and one that should build further enthusiasm for more of the same.