Running (2 Viewers)

Sick Boy · Sep 18, 2024

Travs said:
Indeed.

We had to take a ski-lift down from the summit to a ski-resort on the other side of the mountain....

Despite running a lot in steep and high places (i've ran across the top of Crib Goch for example), i'm not particularly comfortable with man-made heights as i get older.... so i wasn't looking forward to the chair-lift anyway..... but coupled with being absolutely freezing, knackered, and the strong wind blowing me about, it was a bit of an ordeal...!!

I'm now planning towards the European Masters Champs which are next May/June in Sicily..... so hopefully no such low temperatures there..... (although i understand the uphill race finishes at 2800mtrs, so the altitude issues will be ramped up)

Presumably that’ll be in the Etna National Park? I’ve been quite high up there and it’s fantastic.

Travs · Sep 18, 2024

Sick Boy said:
Presumably that’ll be in the Etna National Park? I’ve been quite high up there and it’s fantastic.

Yes its on Etna.

The Champs are based in Nicolosi, which is about 10 miles outside of Catania on the way up to Etna, but my race (the Uphill) will be on the north side of the mountain.

Also planning to get to Puglia and Sardinia next year too (although more for pleasure than for running on this occasion!)

Sick Boy · Sep 18, 2024

Travs said:
Yes its on Etna.

The Champs are based in Nicolosi, which is about 10 miles outside of Catania on the way up to Etna, but my race (the Uphill) will be on the north side of the mountain.

Also planning to get to Puglia and Sardinia next year too (although more for pleasure than for running on this occasion!)

Nice! Usually if it’s around 25c at sea level it’s about 5c higher up.

Travs · Sep 20, 2024

Just got the details for the race in Sicily.

Basically starting at the cable car/funicular station, then going up 4.5 km towards the very summit.

Average gradient 22%, max gradient 39%, and finishing at over 2900mtrs (gulp)

Will struggle to train specifically for this, in terms of both similar races, and the altitude..... so training will change slightly.

For my race just done in the Pyrenees there were at least a couple of UK races with similar profile which i could do beforehand.

Travs · Sep 21, 2024

Midland 6-Stage Road Relays today in Sutton Park.

5.9km, quite hilly.

I'm running opening leg for our B team, needing an excellent run to propel myself into contention for the first team for the National in a fortnight. (on the assumption that our first team will qualify, and our B team won't)

Looks like all the local clubs have at least one team in there..... top 25 qualify for the National (along with top 25 Northern and Southern)

Great_Expectations · Sep 28, 2024

Berlin Marathon for me tomorrow!

I’ve had the most consistent running period of my life the last few months, including near consecutive 50 mile weeks for the last two months. So in some ways I feel I should be in a better place than previous marathons, but equally I have to say my legs are feeling the effects. Also accepting part of that is ‘maranoia’!

Great_Expectations · Oct 6, 2024

Sick Boy said:
There’s a marathon and a half around Lake Garda in April, considering the half.

FILA LAKE GARDA 42

2 courses, a breathtaking landscape and a varied program. 42 km from Limone to Malcesine or 21 km from Arco to Malcesine.

lakegarda42.com

Just looking for my next race and I remembered you recommended this one!

I’ve had a quick look and there’s still spaces. Anywhere you’d recommend flying into/staying?

Sick Boy · Oct 6, 2024

Great_Expectations said:
Just looking for my next race and I remembered you recommended this one!

I’ve had a quick look and there’s still spaces. Anywhere you’d recommend flying into/staying?

If you’re based in Cov, the easiest would probably be to fly into Verona from Birmingham.

As to where to stay, it’d depend on how long you were planning to stay for…if it’s just for the race, I’d go with Riva del Garda. I’ve not been able to run properly for around 10 months now but am looking to give it another go, so may well do the half myself.

Feel free to PM me if you want more advice.

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 6, 2024

Great_Expectations said:
Just looking for my next race and I remembered you recommended this one!

I’ve had a quick look and there’s still spaces. Anywhere you’d recommend flying into/staying?

That would be pretty spectacular

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 6, 2024

Great_Expectations said:
Berlin Marathon for me tomorrow!

I’ve had the most consistent running period of my life the last few months, including near consecutive 50 mile weeks for the last two months. So in some ways I feel I should be in a better place than previous marathons, but equally I have to say my legs are feeling the effects. Also accepting part of that is ‘maranoia’!

How was Berlin?

Sky_Blue_Daz · Oct 6, 2024

My 3 nephews are doing the Chester marathon today , one has just finished in 3 hours 4 mins great time

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 6, 2024

Sky_Blue_Daz said:
My 3 nephews are doing the Chester marathon today , one has just finished in 3 hours 4 mins great time

That's a good time

Travs · Oct 6, 2024

I've recently booked flights to Sicily for my next race abroad.... European Masters Mountain Champs in May, on the side of Mt Etna.

Yesterday i was fortunate (or was it unfortunate) enough to have t race for Godiva in the National 6-Stage Road Relay Champs at Sutton Coldfield.

Fortunate, because it is a rare honour indeed to be able to run at this race.... best 25 clubs from each of the North/Midlands/South, and theoretically the best 6 runners from each club.

Unfortunate, because in all reality i was only picked due to an injury/availability crisis at our club, and i was going to be way out of my depth.

I ran 22mins exactly for 5.9 very hilly kilometres... which is not a bad time.... i went through 5km in the high 18's..... yet in the entire race there were only 5 runners slower than me....... on the plus side i didn't drop any places, and was able to hand over to our final leg runner to pick up a couple of places to keep things looking respectable.

We finished 63rd team, which considering the selection issues was not too bad, although well down on where we should be.

Great_Expectations · Oct 6, 2024

DawlishSkyBlue said:
How was Berlin?

Finished in 3:45, which considering the amount of mileage I’ve done for charity the last few months (~900) and the fact I don’t prep as I should ie I’m not a “proper” runner I’m pretty pleased with.

The route was fairly flat as advertised, albeit the crowds and atmosphere weren’t as good as London!

I’d do it again though!

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 6, 2024

Great_Expectations said:
Finished in 3:45, which considering the amount of mileage I’ve done for charity the last few months (~900) and the fact I don’t prep as I should ie I’m not a “proper” runner I’m pretty pleased with.

The route was fairly flat as advertised, albeit the crowds and atmosphere weren’t as good as London!

I’d do it again though!

That's good going. Would like to do a marathon abroad at some time

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 6, 2024

Burnham on Sea half marathon next weekend for me. Will be the first half I've done since Feb last year

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 14, 2024

Did the Burnham on Sea half yesterday. A nice flat open road run on country lanes round Breen and Burnham. Ran steady pace about 6.45 per mile for 11 miles then kicked on and did last two miles 6.30 and 6.26. Reeled a few runners in but should have kicked earlier as still felt fairly strong at the end. Finished 41st place 1.28.16

Sky_Blue_Daz · Oct 14, 2024

DawlishSkyBlue said:
Did the Burnham on Sea half yesterday. A nice flat open road run on country lanes round Breen and Burnham. Ran steady pace about 6.45 per mile for 11 miles then kicked on and did last two miles 6.30 and 6.26. Reeled a few runners in but should have kicked earlier as still felt fairly strong at the end. Finished 41st place 1.28.16

well done mate

Travs · Oct 14, 2024

Nice one.....

If you felt good, then a reasonable (but tough) target might be 1:24 which is just about 20 minute/5km pace throughout.

Travs · Oct 14, 2024

I was racing yesterday just over the Mid-Wales border in the first race of the Shropshire Winter Fell Champs.

Due to a lot of fixture congestion this time of year, i really have to prioritise races, and can't afford to rest up too much before every race. So i'd trained properly last week, and had also done 12 miles on saturday.

However it went well and i came home 9th (and 1st v40)..... have never previously made the top 20 in this race.

Midlands Cross Country Relays next weekend, just next to the Wolves training ground.... then Masters (over 35's) Cross Country Relays at Long Eaton the following weekend.

DawlishSkyBlue · Oct 14, 2024

Travs said:
Nice one.....

If you felt good, then a reasonable (but tough) target might be 1:24 which is just about 20 minute/5km pace throughout.

Thanks, but whilst im sure i can improve i think 1.24 would be a bridge too far for me!

Travs · Oct 16, 2024

Club night with my Godiva training group last night....

One of favourite sessions..... 2 x 2.1 mile reps around the roads outside of the Memorial Park.

Starting outside the Park& Ride Car Park, a quick start down Kenilworth Rd, and down into Coat Of Arms Bridge Road.... all downhill so far.

Under the rail bridge and then an uphill climb back up to Leamington Rd. Up Leamington Road to the traffic lights and back onto Kenilworth Road for the long half mile back to the start.

Rest period between reps is a jog round the Park&Ride carpark.

I was doing these reps close to 12:15 last winter.... but not expecting to get anywhere near that after racing on Sunday.

12:44
12:33

Pleased with that. 10.5 miles for the session, and 4 easy miles in the morning.

Midlands Cross Country Relay Champs (6km) on saturday in Wolverhampton.... hopefully a good turnout from the Cov clubs.

Travs · Oct 20, 2024

Unseasonable warm weather at Aldersley Wolverhampton yesterday for the Midlands Cross Country Relay Champs.

Some last minute jiggery-pokery with the teams, and i found myself running 3rd leg (of 4 legs) for our 1st team.

On the opening leg our guy had a stormer and came back in 5th place..... the rest of us aren't quite at his level (with me being the weakest runner on the team)...... i set off on my leg in 8th, and although i made up one place (Wolves & Bilston), i dropped two places late on (Tipton Harriers and Halesowen AC)

6 very twisty and turny kilometres, plenty of short hills and mud, in 23:35

1st Bristol & West
2nd City Of Stoke
3rd Bromsgrove & Redditch

9th Cov Godiva
17th Nuneaton Harriers
20th Cov Godiva B
24th Northbrook AC

There was other representation from local clubs in both the ladies race, and the Masters (over 40's) teams.... however space (and the fact i was only following the fortunes of my own race) means i've only mentioned the Senior Men.

Next weekend we hotfoot up to Long Eaton for the National Masters (over 35's) Relays

Travs · Oct 20, 2024

Which got me thinking about some geographical things....

England is split for Regional purposes into North/Midlands/South.

With Bristol & West being the top team in the Midlands at the moment (and indeed one of the top teams in the country)...... but they're not really the Midlands are they?

But it doesn't end there.... and there are more than a couple of strange ones.... and location for athletics purposes is more to do with affiliation than actual location sometimes.

To the north..... Nottingham, Stoke, Newark and even Mansfield are Midlands clubs..... yet Derby are in the North.

To the south its even more extreme in places..... Bristol, Team Bath, and Swindon are all Midlands clubs.... whilst Norwich (further north than Cov) are in the South.

With the County Championships its even stranger...... Warwickshire for athletics purposes is the "old" Warwickshire, so effectively covering large swathes of the Birmingham conurbation.... meaning Cov Godiva regularly do battle with some major Birmingham clubs like BRAT and Birchfield Harriers for county honours each year, but neither of those three clubs are currently in Warwickshire!

Travs · Oct 22, 2024

Club night with Godiva and we were on a 30 minute continuous effort, up and down the hill on Westwood Business Park.

Went through 5km in 19:20, and just about held this pace through to 30 minutes (with a distinct wobble with about three minutes to go)

11 miles for the session, and 4 uphill miles AM. A solid day.

Travs · Oct 26, 2024

Whilst the City match was on today, i was heading up the M1 to Long Eaton for the National Masters Cross Country Relays.

5 legs of 3km each.... pretty flat, but plenty of twists and turns, and surfaces ranging from stone to slippery mud.

I ran the 2nd leg for Godiva, taking over in 5th place.... went past two, but three from behind came past me, to hand over to our 3rd leg in 6th.

10:50

We finished 7th club which was a good showing..... albeit there was a really poor turnout generally this year... and we ourselves were a little depleted (i was our 2nd quickest runner today).

Hats off to Nuneaton Harriers who finished a superb 5th.... their 2nd leg guy came past me in the final half mile and crossed the line 4 seconds in front of me.... they beat us by well over a minute by the end.

Great_Expectations · Sunday at 4:43 PM

Post Berlin and my overall charity challenge, my motivation and weekly mileage has dropped!

Going to pull a plan together for 2025 with a list of races I want to do. Any recommendations for any races, anywhere, any time?

Casting a wide net and I can then filter it down!

Travs · Sunday at 6:07 PM

Podium Mizuno Mile, New Years Eve, Battersea Park.

That'll be a change from a marathon!

Can't really suggest for other people..... but i think its important to have a goal somewhere down the line to keep focus.

For me the overriding goal is the European Mountain Masters Champs in late May in Sicily.

Then i'll be looking toward 2026..... which may well be a road marathon.... but cold also potentially be a longer mountain race such as Sierre-Zinal, or possibly just the 2026 World Masters Mountain Champs.

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