Melt Down

Today was the first race in the Complete Runner West Yorkshire XC League at Nunroyd. It was a gorgeous sunny day and Runningbear was on the sidelines, not feeling quite so sorry for herself I hasten to add. It was great to see mates out racing, snaking around the grassy undulations of Nunroyd Park whilst I cheered them along complete with camera and sunnies under what turned out to be gorgeous blue skies. 

I felt particularly cheery having run 12 miles today. Woohoo! I'm so chuffed. My legs felt sorry, achy and grumbly but they were no worse by mile 12. I felt that satisfying long run tiredness that's been missing from my life for weeks. It's so good to feel the post run glow after all this time. Anyway, I'm clearly very unfit, my heart rate was sky high and god knows how I ever ran 20+ every Sunday in the spring but I've gotta start somewhere. Thankfully the post run buzz didn't dull even as my camera suffered a meltdown mid race; just a few snaps survived. I may have to consider an upgrade...shame.

Three Dirty Letters

It's been a slightly miserable weekend after what was a very tiring week. An easy 5 miles on Friday left me feeling a bit human again following a tough week of training as well as work. I was almost recovered enough for the Yorkshire Champs XC at Wakefield so M & I made the trip over to support club mates. I'd promised to turnout for the ladies team and the pace would do me no harm even on wooden legs.
After a couple of miles warm up I was feeling reasonable if not entirely fresh and quite up for the 6k lung burning chase around the muddy but sunny parkland. My right foot had other ideas. The course kicked off with a fast and furious 400m before a steepish climb to a muddy ridge with a fair stretch of camber sliding to the right. I was still adjusting to my spikes, having raced so little XC this winter and my right foot then had a sulk. The little blighter tweaked big style as I skipped then half hopped along the mudslide before the sharp left and straight descent to drop back down and rejoin the start for loop 2.

After a bit of foot pointing and scrunching of my face M got the picture that I was not good. On my way around loop 2 I picked up the pace again but then hit the same mud slope; the foot tweak was very sharp this time and caused further hopping and cursing. I lost 5 places then hopped to a halt. Not good. Runningbear DNF! I hoped I'd never have to write those dirty letters. I hung my head in shame and disappointment as I trudged back to the tent, right foot in tow.

It's a strange feeling not finishing a race. A feeling I hope I won't have to repeat. Needless to say, after waking up to more snow this morning, the wobbling plans for a long one wobbled and lost balance altogether. A brief test on flat road confirmed that said right foot might cope with even ground. I stuck to a safe treadmill run today; 18 miles shorter than planned with a steady 6 miles but better be safe than sorry, right?

Mud Soup

It was the long one today, the last long one for a few weeks in fact. M planned 18 and I'd planned 20 though both were rather tentative plans as the weather became wilder and rainy as the miles clocked by (surprise surprise). We had unexpected company with Josie H joining us for the undulating and pretty taxing loops out from home, out to Bolton Abbey and then a returning loop, dropping M off before a final detour to make up the miles via Ilkley. The slog home for the final 3 with the usual 'tormentor' head wind left my plan to push the final miles in tatters. I managed a 6.29 but then slowed to 7 minute miles as I surrendered to my tired and achy glutes. Average pace was just nicely on 7.20, perhaps a bit brisk given the trail terrain along the way but a rest for the next weeks should allow for some decent recovery before the marathon plan kicks in proper in 2010.
After a whirlwind wallow to wash away the mud we were out again to cheer club mates at the last of the XC series up at Nunroyd park. Future premiership footballer Catherine modelled the muddy scene nicely as our Bingley boys and girls slipped and slid their way around the gruelling race course. I'd like to say I was sad to miss out, but that would be a big fat fib. Not many out today in the ladies race but the men's' race was a classy field and Bingley had a stormer, finishing first team for today's event and for the full series, beating Leeds City AC by only 7 points. Bingley Rules! Well done boys.

2 Race or Not 2 Race...

Got up feeling a bit groggy this morning after a massage from Maggie the mauler last night. She's very good and found out those various bits of leg muscle that I didn't know were crying out for a bit of attention. I'm now at my peak volume for this training plan until Xmas and I'd quite fancy a weekend off competition. A tough weekend of racing and long runs last week with two tough sessions Tues and Thurs make we feel less chirpy about the slog around the XC course at Wakefield today. Last year we competed in most of the Complete Runner league races and loved it (with the exception of the mud bath at Nunroyd). Today though these legs are hiding in cosy pajamas, quivering at the thought of that gloomy, foggy dampness that awaits outside. Shall we/shan't we... could it be a nice little wake me up in time for the Thirsk 10m next weekend..?

Bedtime: Well I did it. Legs felt completely dead and lacking any zip which I suppose is to be expected. Thornes Park is a great XC course but tough when running with lots of miles in your legs. It was a great race and I felt just a tad regretful that I wasn't fresher to give the leaders a good race but happy with my run and that's another excellent speed session in the bank. The men's race was truly awesome, Jonny Brownlee & Andrew Pearson were neck and neck throughout. Amazing runners. M ran great, finishing 58th overall which is a sign of his fantastic progress since last year (he was 3 mins quicker on the same course!). Well done M! Results here.

Golden Weekend

Well, I have to confess to being a bit of a blog skiver these last few days, it's been a bit hectic this week though & I can't believe it was Wednesday since my last post. It was a wishy-washy training week, with a good session Tuesday & then half easing down but half not for the rest of the week. M and I journeyed to Birmingham on Friday for a stay in a very cosy hotel so we'd be ready fresh faced for the XC international on Saturday. M was overjoyed to have permission to eat a full English whilst I settled for a meagre boiled eggie on toast, (sausages and racing don't mix). We then set out to pick up 'Old Man' Teasey; M's pa travelled half way across the country to join team Runningbear this weekend. We arrived at Alexander Stadium in time for kit collection and team photos which I deftly avoided.

A truly wild, wet and windy day made for a hard core cross country outing. Complete with the rather frightening red England pants I shivered my way to the start line, along with my England team mates for a competitive 6k race in rather wild and wintry conditions. M and Old Man Teasey were a great support as I trundled around the course, second behind super Vet Debbie Walters (who was running in the W40 category) and just holding off the first W35 Ireland counter. I think I maintained the pace into lap #2, building a bit of a lead but reached the final lap feeling pretty spent with a hard training week in my legs. I was relieved to hold on to the lead for the W35 race and great runs from fellow team mates brought a convincing W35 England team victory and gold medals for us all. No pics sadly as I forgot to show M how to use the pocket camera or maybe he just got distracted by the fetching red pants...anyways, I really enjoyed a proper cross country race with real mud and rain and plenty of windy gusts to battle.

After a welcome refuel in a fine Italian joint and some good running chat with M and his pa last night we were both out again for a long one this morning, my longest ever in fact. It felt wondrous to run under expansive blue sunny skies for the full 20 miles, taking in 9 miles of trail and finishing with a tarmac loop into Ilkley and home again. The pace averaged 7.29 and reflected a conscious decision to run these long ones a bit slower to leave room for more fun at the track on Tuesdays. M ran 18m and seemed to cope better than ever with the distance. I'm keeping my eye on him for Thirsk 10m, some very good racing and PBs are definitely on the menu these next few weeks.

Damn That Spam

No, not the rubbery, pink and pretend meaty kind but that pesky electronic kind from a very irritating source, oksele.com. They have somehow penetrated my email, deleted all my messages sent and received for the last month and then infiltrated all my contacts sending a bogus message from me about recommended electrical products on their website. The cheek! Its VERY annoying. I keep getting puzzled emails from long lost mates wondering what's going on. If anyone has any top tips of how to sort this I'd be grateful. So far I've Googled for help threads and nothing seems to have sorted the problem. Apologies to anyone out there that might been on the receiving end... back to running.

Legs are tired and a bit sore from the mammoth efforts of last night. We ran in Ilkley for a change tonight, a moderate paced 7 miles around town. It felt a bit chilly and a bit of procrastination featured before I finally got out of the door. The pace averaged 7.13 so not so fresh but not so bad after the week I've had. Another moderate one tomorrow then easy Friday before a trip to Birmingham Friday night, a hotel stay and a fry up for M then race day Sat, a new England kit and lots of mud I expect. Ho hum.

Lonely Hearts

Today was the first day since my drilling on hills that I've felt remotely normal. The legs have been howling at me for days, especially after my attempt at the long run Sunday so thankfully I had permission to skive yesterday, what with college and all. We learnt the last bit of the massage routine last night. The back. Its a lot to remember but M will be in heaven with all the practising over the coming weeks.

Anyway, I was back to the tough stuff with a visit to the track tonight. Another quality session on my lonesome which will no doubt toughen me up for the marathon distance but it doesn't half make for slow times on these intervals. The odd sprinter was on the track tonight running with a tyre attached to their waist. We occasionally coincided to give me something to chase, which made up to 5 seconds difference to my rep times; a stark reminder of the value of a well matched training partner on these sessions. Anyway, 8 x 1k it was with 2 mins of jog recovery. A total of 11 miles all in. I had a nice chat with a local Clayton runner who was expounding the benefits of drill work for leg speed. I'm gonna have to Google this stuff and add it to my arsenal when I'm gunnin' for those PBs in the New Year. Another good sesh in the bank before the XC race in Birmingham on Saturday. No more hard stuff for the rest of the week.

Cross Country

The trip to Mansfield was tense yesterday, I had pre-race jitters at the pressure of running with our fastest ladies team over a 3k cross country course amongst some of the best runners in the land. The nice bit was the venue, back to Berry Hill for a lovely undulating course with fantastic loo provision and a nice trackside cafe offering bacon butties and trays of chips for those deserving a post-XC snack.

Soon after arriving we heard the news that one of our star runners had suffered a run in with a pothole and after a stunt roll across a pavement into the road was lucky to still be with us. Mary W is okay I think but not quite okay enough to race. So Vicky W, me and Jo B took on the XC world together. Vic took on leg #1 and despite the interruption and stress of a foot op earlier this year still looked a lean running machine and brought us through in 15th position to hand over to me on leg 2. I was nicely in touch with a few ladies at the leg start and enjoyed the chase through the woods though could still feel the GSR in my legs. After being passed by one far too perky looking runner I managed to dig in and pass a few more over the climb out of the woods and through the final 800m to bring us to 8th, handing over to Jo B for the final leg. Jo ran a stormer and maintained our position for much of the run, clashing elbows with some of the fastest in the field, even Steph Twell was there. Jo brought us home in 10th place after a battle to the finish line. A good gutsy result for us girls I think. Results here. The boys 'A' team ran strong too, the 'B' boys not making a full team in the end and M's nasty cold left him glad of a lucky escape. Its back to the long run tomorrow.

Friday Night Fever

As always, time off school has flown by and its now nearly the weekend before going back to work. M is feeling miserable with a cold & I'm trying to be very Zen and 'in the moment' but I can't help but feel all depressed and distracted by the looming miserable Monday back at the office. To distract myself, I've gone for the cheap fix. Yes, a bit of Internet shopping.

I'm a massive music lover and have to avoid going into shops that sell music of any kind (or books, or cameras, or exotic foods, or ice cream for that matter...) I get a bit overwhelmed by the endless list of stuff I want to listen to and have to come away with nothing or risk spending a whole year's earnings. Anyway, I have since discovered a new way, a 'Third Way' of approaching the whole 'too-much-choice-paralysis' that leaves me frozen like a frightened rabbit in front of book shelves, CD racks and Indian restaurant menus. M sent me a link to an Internet site that has a comprehensive range of music for download even for my less mainstream tastes and it is really very reasonable indeed as well as being totally legal (I really don't feel too happy engaging with the illegal download market). Anyway, Xmas has come early in Runningbear's house. The idea is I buy it first on MP3 format cheap, have a good listen before I decide if its worthy of a CD purchase. I am old fashioned and like a good album sleeve and something tangible to stack on a shelf. So far this week I have bought 17 new albums. Yes, 17! Including one by a band called F**k Buttons. Sadly, M doesn't share the same tastes so they are confined to my Cowon D2 and earphones for now. I'm so excited to have so many new tunes to listen to. The blow of Monday's commute is now softened a tad...

Anyways, back to running. I'm in a funny place reflecting on my training this year and plans for the marathon next year. I think I'm in a bit of a rut and am wondering whether my approach needs a review or whether I'm still slowly adjusting to the building mileage. I just don't seem to be running as well as I should after all the hard work over the summer. M reckons I'm being impatient and that it'll all kick in very soon. The main thing to avoid is doing more in a panic to see improvements. An easy run was welcome today after a steady 9m on the trails yesterday. The legs are feeling a bit niggly so I may not be ready for the shock of a 3k XC race tomorrow. Gulp. That just sounds so wrong, 3k is just too short.

Duck!

An amble out across the border to Lancashire and a visit to Nelson for half a track session today was a bit of a test for these race recovering legs and a taste of the faster pace that'll be no doubt needed for this Saturday's National Cross Country Relay Champs at Mansfield.

The club are fielding both male and female teams for this high quality event so I'll have to brace myself for this intro to the XC season as it'll be blistering fast, something these old legs are not quite ready for. A VO2 session of 300m efforts today should keep the fatigue at bay but also give me a bit of a kick start from all the long races of late. I was also chauffered by Mr Complete Runner himself today and treated to a fine lunch at a nearby canalside cafe. The ducks were very sweet and obviously on the lookout for any choco softies that might be going spare.

Cross Country Runners Do It In The Woods

The sun shone brightly for our early morning start out to Ruthin this morning. The four of us were tucked snugly into our tiny tin can of a car with our spikes at the ready for what was the final race of a very long cross country season for us all. The British Masters XC Champs at Ruthin was held in a really beautiful setting; the lush flat course was set to lovely mountain scenery in the impressive grounds of Ruthin school. Despite a heavy training week and tired legs I felt a bit fresher than anticipated though M's very blue (and possibly broken) toe was a bit of a worry - it's a long story but involved a pair of very baggy trousers, a flight of stairs and a flamboyant mouse rescue from a hungry cat (don't ask). My race was the first of the programme, and started at a blistering pace set by Tara Krzywicki of Charnwood. I struggled to decide whether to go with her but the pace just seemed too fast for the 6k course so I opted for a steady start with the hope that she'd suffer burnout halfway. This tactic was a bit ill conceived as she established a great lead and was pretty much unreachable as the race progressed. I managed to maintain second place pretty comfortably taking the Silver individual medal. Am left feeling pretty happy with my run after the heavy training week and was also v. chuffed with my first ladies team turn out for Bingley (following transfer ban expiry in March). Club mates Sue B and Andrea D also came in strong to secure us a ladies team Gold in addition to my Silver. The medals are pretty hefty and mark a nice and jangly end to the season. Well done to Kevin O on his superb return to the XC scene after a bit of a long break and also to my darling M who hobbled bravely around the course despite his purple toe.Thanks to all those team mates who offered support and shouts of encouragement around the course. Particular thanks to Tricky Ricky who came to support club mates without racing himself and made good use of himself as club photographer and coat handler. Best wishes to him in the Hull 20 tomorrow. Feels great to be back home and know I've an easy off road training run tomorrow. No hard sessions left with the ease down to Wilmslow HM next weekend. Feelin' a bit wrecked after the early start and long day out today - looking forward to some hard-earned kip. Night, night.

View more XC race pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36582880@N03/sets/72157615749647688/detail/

You spin me right round baby right round...

Well, I said I wasn't gonna ease down for this race tomorrow and I didn't but (as always) am now beginning to regret the decision as the day looms. Got out again into the glorious sunshine this morning for a very pleasant, short and easy 3.5, round and round in circles on the grass; a bit like XC really only much more pleasant. It'll be my first XC race where the mental wrangle over race attire; Helly under club vest Vs vest only (with no softy undergarments - proper Yorkshire), will not pose itself and I might even get a proper sweat on without it freezing to my skin and forming icicles in unusual places. Anyway, will just have to run like a nutter and hope my legs can stand it - feeling tired & v. creaky at the moment.

Back to more interesting things, have been a bit naughty and bought myself a fantastic new toy - Canon D-SLR 1000d. God, it's beautiful! And it does some pretty amazing things. My last camera was an ancient Canon AE-1 program (pictured). Have never had digital before and am very taken with the live view screen and the range of manual SLR settings; allowing you to preserve some creativity whilst making the camera accessible to your mates to point and shoot at things when necessary. Anyway, have little time left of my remaining holidays to have a proper play so am gonna go and make the most of this glorious sunshine.

"Run hard, be strong, think big!"

Lovely sunny day again today- we landed lucky with our choice of time off work these last two weeks. I'm getting far too used to this easy life of running, eating and sleeping and am now beginning to worry about the shock of being back at the office next week. Trying hard to push that to the back of my mind and enjoy the last few days. Ran an old fav again with Tricky for company today; an easy 7ish miles around the Fewston & Swinsty reservoirs. The weather was so beautifully warm and sunny that I might have (or maybe imagined) a small tan line appearing, just to add to the attractive collection from the last time the sun saw my legs.

M was still fresh despite his efforts on the track 24 hours before whereas I was feeling double my age and my trusty HR confirmed this to be the case - HR is a great tool for guiding your judgement on effort and avoiding over-training. Much needed easy days and some more massage are now planned for the next few days. A few brief strides and easy run in the morning before our monthly massage with Maggie and then a short easy run on Friday before the final XC race of the season. It's been a surprising and encouraging XC season for me this year. I'd been hoping at best for a top 10 finish in the Complete Runner XC league this time round with a cautious hope of securing a county vest. It ended with winning the league, a Yorkshire vest & silver team medal. Nevertheless it feels like a long season now and will be glad to put those long and fairly scary spikes to bed for the summer months.

A short post tonight for fear that blogging is putting a strain on my home life - with both of you blogging it comes down to muscle power to dictate who gets on the PC first and my arm wrestling is not my strongest physical attribute - even thinking of a netbook as a compromise solution (any tips or recommendations out there?)... any excuse to check out a new gadget.