Running (2 Viewers)

[Great_Expectations]

Good luck for Sunday. Is that a road half? I've heard the marathon is fast and flat but don't know about the half

Thanks! It’s a road half but I’ve no idea on elevation or route details yet. It was voted one of the best in the UK, so I thought I’d give it a go!

The marathon is in October and if Sunday is a nice course I might be tempted to sign up!

 

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[Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon]

Ive managed run 0.35 miles since the Cov Half, fucked my ankle up and it's needed to be complete rest for nearly 3 weeks now.

Is anyone planning to do the Sphinx 5 mile event at the Memorial Park in June? Im hoping to be alright for that.

 

[Travs]

Thanks I'll no doubt keep doing them but for the rest of this year just gonna enjoy the shorter stuff. Next up 4x4km team relay event

Love relays.

Its great beating other clubs, but pitting your wits against your clubmates even better!

Particularly like the cross country for the very same reason, when we get 20-30 lads all in the same race.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Love relays.

Its great beating other clubs, but pitting your wits against your clubmates even better!

Particularly like the cross country for the very same reason, when we get 20-30 lads all in the same race.

Really looking forward to it. We have 5 teams entered, with our team expected to go the best. I'm in a mixed team of male 32, female 32, female 23, and me at 49 bumping the average age up . We're hoping to go under 57 minutes.... me and the two girls are fairly similar pace over short stuff and hope to do our legs under 15 mins but the lad running the first leg can do 5k under 15.30 so thinking he may be around 12 minutes!

 

[Great_Expectations]

Ive managed run 0.35 miles since the Cov Half, fucked my ankle up and it's needed to be complete rest for nearly 3 weeks now.

Is anyone planning to do the Sphinx 5 mile event at the Memorial Park in June? Im hoping to be alright for that.

I haven’t done it before, but if I can get childcare sorted I might give it a go!

Assuming non-affiliated random runners like me can take part and it isn’t part of any official club league run stuff?!

 

[Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon]

I haven’t done it before, but if I can get childcare sorted I might give it a go!

Assuming non-affiliated random runners like me can take part and it isn’t part of any official club league run stuff?!

I'm not affiliated with any club so yeah you can sign up, it just attracts a slightly higher fee. I'm assuming spaces are still available so give it a go if you can make it work!

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Ive managed run 0.35 miles since the Cov Half, fucked my ankle up and it's needed to be complete rest for nearly 3 weeks now.

Is anyone planning to do the Sphinx 5 mile event at the Memorial Park in June? Im hoping to be alright for that.

It's a good one. I did it once years ago when we still were in Cov. Two laps of the perimeter from memory

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

It's a good one. I did it once years ago when we still were in Cov. Two laps of the perimeter from memory

Found it...

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Thanks! It’s a road half but I’ve no idea on elevation or route details yet. It was voted one of the best in the UK, so I thought I’d give it a go!

The marathon is in October and if Sunday is a nice course I might be tempted to sign up!

How was the Chester Half?

 

[Great_Expectations]

How was the Chester Half?

It was enjoyable! Potential PB course I reckon as well. Albeit I struggled a bit, not sure if it’s overuse, the 5:30 start to make it in time or the heat in general!

Felt a twinge in my hamstring around mile 11/12 too so had to half limp the last section. Finished in 1:37.

Definitely going to sign up for next year and I’m seriously debating the marathon in October!

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

That is an early start. I usually get a Prem inn the night before if I travel more than a couple of hours, bet Chester ain't cheap tho! Decent finish time that especially with having to slow down

 

[Great_Expectations]

That is an early start. I usually get a Prem inn the night before if I travel more than a couple of hours, bet Chester ain't cheap tho! Decent finish time that especially with having to slow down

Didn’t want to leave the kids for two nights so I opted for staying over the Sunday night so we could have a few drinks around Chester post race!

 

[wingy]

I have ran a few organised halves over the last few Sundays; Birmingham, Spires and Shires and I have Chester on Sunday.

Spires and Shires was by far the hilliest organised run I’ve done. But somehow I was really close to the prize places, if I hadn’t have been held up by cows blocking the bridal path (!) I think I would have placed.

I’m looking forward to Chester on Sunday, especially as we’re staying over that night (kid free!) so going to celebrate with a few pints around Chester post race!

No way to refer to the opposite sex and the route to the altar!!

 

[SkyBlueSoul]

Had a quiet and sober Friday night so thought I'd do my first Parkrun this morning. First time running in a large group of any kind, a lot more chaos than I'm used to! Got out of bed half hour before and didn't have time for food so I'm happy with a ~23 min time, although Strava logged it as 5.35km.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Team relay event in Exeter last night, 4 x 4km. We had 5 teams out and I was the anchor leg in our best placed team, finishing 16th in 57.10 team time. There were some ridiculously fast youngsters representing Exeter Uni... their best team finished 10 mins ahead of us...each runner going under 12 mins for the 4k

 

[Travs]

Won the "short race" at the Welsh 1000 Metre Peaks yesterday.

Starting on the A5 at Ogwen, up over Glyder Fawr, down to Pen Y Pass and the bottom of Snowdon.... up the Pyg Track to SNowdon, via a short detour to the top of Carnedd Ugain.

2hrs04.... got caught half way up the Pyg Track and thought the writing was on the wall, but when it got steep again i was a bit stronger and was able to pull out almost a minute lead, which gave me a cushion for the final steep climb onto Snowdon, and i won by 30 seconds in the end.

Got a fantastic framed oil painting of Snowdon by a local artist, at the prize-giving, which is a fantastic improvement on the usual gift vouchers, bottle of whisky, etc.

 

[DawlishSkyBlue]

Won the "short race" at the Welsh 1000 Metre Peaks yesterday.

Starting on the A5 at Ogwen, up over Glyder Fawr, down to Pen Y Pass and the bottom of Snowdon.... up the Pyg Track to SNowdon, via a short detour to the top of Carnedd Ugain.

2hrs04.... got caught half way up the Pyg Track and thought the writing was on the wall, but when it got steep again i was a bit stronger and was able to pull out almost a minute lead, which gave me a cushion for the final steep climb onto Snowdon, and i won by 30 seconds in the end.

Got a fantastic framed oil painting of Snowdon by a local artist, at the prize-giving, which is a fantastic improvement on the usual gift vouchers, bottle of whisky, etc.

Nice work I won a trail race the other year and got a bottle of scrumpy as the prize...not my kind of drink but I think they bottle feed cider from birth down here

 

[Sick Boy]

Managed my first run back on the road today. Got to take it easy so did a leisurely 3km in 15 mins.

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Did a 10k for the first time on 3 months just over an hour , pretty happy with that considering

 

[Skybluefaz]

My first time doing the 2 castles today. Was warned about the hills but they weren't that bad. Took a minute off my 10k pb at 1:02

Definitely think I can get under the hour next run, had plenty left in the tank at the end.

An enjoyable run.

 

[Great_Expectations]

I found out this week I’ve got a place at the Berlin Marathon in September, which I’m massively pleased about. Although perhaps not the running part quite as much!

I ran a random 10k I found in a village called Rothley the week before last and achieved a PB in pretty awful conditions, then beat that PB at Two Castles - no idea how!

Hoping to do a 15/16 mile run tomorrow for Fathers Day before a well earned beer!

Still got about 650 miles left to run before the end of September for my charity challenge!

 

[Travs]

Next race for me is the Snowdon Uphill a week on friday.

No messing about, starts in Llanberis and straight up the path by the railway to finish on the summit.

No chance of winning, there's too many international level athletes who use this as practice for the full "up and down" Snowdon race a few weeks later, which attracts international teams from across Europe.

But i'll be hoping to improve my pb (53:49), and would love to break 50mins... sub-50 in my view is the mark of a very good uphill runne.... i've seen some absolutely class runners fail to break 50, so i'm possibly aiming too high.... but if conditions are favourable, i'm in good form and got a number of close rivals also doing the race, so its a big chance.

 

[Great_Expectations]

I’ve been looking at a few Snowden related races;

SNOWDONIA RACE FESTIVAL: Trail Half, 10K & Kids 1 mile 2024 | Fri 28 Jun | Findarace

28-29 June 2024, join us as we venture back to Adventure Parc Snowdonia in Wales. Situated in the heart of beautiful North Wales, where magnificent man-made w

findarace.com

XTERRA Trail Run World Championship

Join us for XTERRA Trail Run World Championship on Jul 11th, 2025 in Wales, United Kingdom. This event, part of the XTERRA Trail Run World Series, features a variety of races including trail run races. Experience the thrill of off-road sport challenges in the stunning scenery of Wales.

www.xterraplanet.com

Obviously not the same audience as yours, as they are open for the more recreational runner (like me) as opposed to the club/“proper” runners ones you tend to do.

Only reason I haven’t yet committed is the logistics of getting there in the morning (non-starter really as it’s ~3 hours) and from my cursory scans I’ve not idea where to stay if I went down beforehand etc. So any tips would be great!

I’m also going constantly back and forth re entering my first trail marathon in July;

Rasselbock Marathon 2025 » Rasselbock Running

Welcome to the Rasselbock Marathon and Half Marathon 2025 Sunday 13th July 2025 – Sherwood Pines Forest, Nottinghamshire Join us in the Summer of 2025 as we return to the stunning Sherwood Pines for the Rasselbock Marathon and Half Marathon. It’s sure to be an incredible day in the forest as we...

rasselbock.co.uk

It would be my fourth marathon but I’d expect it to be a lot more mentally challenging as no crowds, support etc.

 

[Travs]

Only reason I haven’t yet committed is the logistics of getting there in the morning (non-starter really as it’s ~3 hours) and from my cursory scans I’ve not idea where to stay if I went down beforehand etc. So any tips would be great!

I have done a Snowdonia race travelling down on the morning.... although it was New Years Day so the roads were totally empty and i got there well under three hours. Although its not ideal.

Any race i was taking seriously i always stay the night before, and usually for the night after too.

Most races of that ilk are based around Llanberis (that Xterra one is a typical example). Right in the heart of Snowdonia, at the foot of Snowdon, a lovely place. There is plenty of typical accommodation in Llanberis (Hotels, traditional b&b's), although usually booked up well in advance as its basically "the hub" for everyone who goes up and down Snowdon.

I tend to use booking.com or airbnb, got a place in Llanberis for my last race. But you would be absolutely fine staying in Betws-Y-Coed (plenty of accommodation and pubs/food, 30mins drive from Llanberis), or Capel Curig (limited accomm, food, drinks, midway between Llanberis & Betwys).

Bedgelert another similar place and only 30mins drive.

If i can't get a place in Llanberis, i usually stay on the north coast, typically in Llandudno, sometimes Conwy.... they are only 45mins away, and have all facilities. Llandudno on a nice day is (in my opinion) as good as it gets for a UK coastal resort town.... with the Great Orme and the road around it, it is gorgeous.

There's other options.... Carnearfon, Bangor, even the nearest part of Anglesey.... but i personally prefer Llanberis or Llandudno.

 

[Great_Expectations]

I have done a Snowdonia race travelling down on the morning.... although it was New Years Day so the roads were totally empty and i got there well under three hours. Although its not ideal.

Any race i was taking seriously i always stay the night before, and usually for the night after too.

Most races of that ilk are based around Llanberis (that Xterra one is a typical example). Right in the heart of Snowdonia, at the foot of Snowdon, a lovely place. There is plenty of typical accommodation in Llanberis (Hotels, traditional b&b's), although usually booked up well in advance as its basically "the hub" for everyone who goes up and down Snowdon.

I tend to use booking.com or airbnb, got a place in Llanberis for my last race. But you would be absolutely fine staying in Betws-Y-Coed (plenty of accommodation and pubs/food, 30mins drive from Llanberis), or Capel Curig (limited accomm, food, drinks, midway between Llanberis & Betwys).

Bedgelert another similar place and only 30mins drive.

If i can't get a place in Llanberis, i usually stay on the north coast, typically in Llandudno, sometimes Conwy.... they are only 45mins away, and have all facilities. Llandudno on a nice day is (in my opinion) as good as it gets for a UK coastal resort town.... with the Great Orme and the road around it, it is gorgeous.

There's other options.... Carnearfon, Bangor, even the nearest part of Anglesey.... but i personally prefer Llanberis or Llandudno.

Thank you - that’s really really helpful!

 

[Skybluefaz]

Anyone done a Spartan? Thinking about doing the 5k sprint.

Just wondering how tough they actually are?

 

[Travs]

I did the Snowdon Uphill race on friday evening.

From the centre of Llanberis up to the summit, along the main "railway" path.

Was in the top six for the first mile or so, but as the race settled down, found myself just outside the top 10. Fortunately i was very strong on the steep mid-section and pulled myself back up to 8th, where i remained until the finish, just holding off a chasing guy by 3 seconds (and he was a sponsored, professional athlete no less, so quite a scalp for me!)

52:23, a pb by almost 90secs. Also took home the v40 winners prize.

Next race is a similar one in three weeks, but uphill to finish on the summit of Helvellyn in the Lake District..... actually, i've got a 3000mtr track race in a fortnight (shit, i better start doing some speedwork!)

 

[Great_Expectations]

Finished my running week this morning which a quick ish 3miles to take me to 40 for the week.

In a weird place with running where post run my legs are fine, I’m not really out of breath nor do I feel tired, but some of my recent runs have felt hard work.

My best guess is the nutrition side of it, some days I’m running on an empty stomach or after a late night (kids who don’t sleep) or, for example, this morning I’d had a couple of pints last night and a takeaway!

 

[Travs]

If you've upped your mileage (or intensity), then its natural to feel a bit fatigued.

40 miles is a good total, if that is an increase and you do that consistently you'll make really good progress.

 

[Travs]

Anyone do the Northbrook 10km today?

I was spectating on Wall Hill Road.

Adrian from Northbrook was in 2nd at the time (about 2km in) but he tends to start fast..... was pleased to see he held on for 3rd this year.

 

[Travs]

Went down to Banbury today to race for Godiva in the Midlands Tack League

Did the 3000mtrs and ran a pb of 10:17 (previous pb was 10:31)

km splits
3:20
3:30
3:27

Considering i haven't raced on track for two years i was very pleased. I should be doing a track 5km in the next league fixture in 4 or 5 weeks, and hopefully after today's promising time, i can look to finally break 18mins.

First though i've got an uphill fell race next friday evening, finishing on the summit of Helvellyn.... hoping to get amongst the leaders on this one.

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

Been doing 5 miles three times a week for the last couple of weeks , going to increase it a bit over the next couple of weeks and have signed up for a 10k at the memorial park in November. And I’m thinking of doing the half marathon in April

 

[Sky_Blue_Daz]

did 5.5 and got caught in the rain felt pretty good so will try 6 on Wednesday

 

[Travs]

Did an uphill race in the Lake District on friday evening, finishing on the summit of Helvellyn.

Was incredibly warm on friday (as i'm sure everyone knows), and i felt pretty ropey warming up. Not sure how much was the heat, and how much was just the usual pre-match nerves!

This race was in a time-trial format, with people starting every 10 seconds..... i'd singled out a pro/sponsored athlete who runs for one of the big mountain/trail brands, i think Montane, as probable favourite.... and thought if i could beat him then i'd be right up there amongst the leaders....

Fortunately he started 10 seconds in front of me.... so i booted it out of the start field and up the half-mile of road, and had a significant lead on him before we even hit the climb.... he never came back past me. However i was passed by 3 guys..... a young Cumbrian lad who is making waves on the European Skyrunning scene, a fella from Luxembourg, and another Cumbrian guy.

Had to settle for 4th, but i was first v40.

On the jog back down i suffered bad cramp in my calf, which was a bit of a shock as the race only took me 49 minutes.... so i guess the heat did have an effect!

That was my last race prior to the World Masters in Spain in September.... actually i might do a track 5km in the Midlands League mid August, as it is a home fixture for Godiva.

 

[Skybluefaz]

Did an uphill race in the Lake District on friday evening, finishing on the summit of Helvellyn.

Was incredibly warm on friday (as i'm sure everyone knows), and i felt pretty ropey warming up. Not sure how much was the heat, and how much was just the usual pre-match nerves!

This race was in a time-trial format, with people starting every 10 seconds..... i'd singled out a pro/sponsored athlete who runs for one of the big mountain/trail brands, i think Montane, as probable favourite.... and thought if i could beat him then i'd be right up there amongst the leaders....

Fortunately he started 10 seconds in front of me.... so i booted it out of the start field and up the half-mile of road, and had a significant lead on him before we even hit the climb.... he never came back past me. However i was passed by 3 guys..... a young Cumbrian lad who is making waves on the European Skyrunning scene, a fella from Luxembourg, and another Cumbrian guy.

Had to settle for 4th, but i was first v40.

On the jog back down i suffered bad cramp in my calf, which was a bit of a shock as the race only took me 49 minutes.... so i guess the heat did have an effect!

That was my last race prior to the World Masters in Spain in September.... actually i might do a track 5km in the Midlands League mid August, as it is a home fixture for Godiva.

Impressive stuff.