Break Falling

20/03/2011 - Well firstly apologies for not posting for a couple of weeks.  I've only done a few runs since the half marathon due to initially taking a small break and just being too busy with other things.  Anyway I had to get back to training a.s.a.p as I have a 10 mile race at the start of April and a beach holiday coming up :-).

In the week I managed to convince my daughter to do one run a week with me and to do the fun run at Whipsnade in June.  How did I manage to pull that off I hear you ask?  I pay her a pound for every mile run which she collects for Scottish Wildcats conservation.  So I dragged her from the garden and took her out for a 3 mile run.  This cost me £2 since I'm the one with the GPS phone and quite prepared to lie :-).

Taking it easy in the garden

Any tonight was the night of the Perigee moon or some call it the Super moon.  Amazing sight and so bright I almost did not need the torch.  As I've mentioned previously I'd found a nature reserve just outside the village which is lovely to run round, day or night, so this was where I was heading.  I was still aching quite a lot from the Saturday as I'd completed a 3 hour combat crappling seminar with Matty Evans a top notch self defense instructor.  Damn my face hurt from being crushed more times than I can count.  So I did not really feel like heading out but I had to get going again and there was that glorious moon.  So first things first I took a picture, stored away the camera, popped on the headtorch and set off.

Perigee Moon

Set off through the village and out via the cycle path before jinxing off into the nearby field.  Two miles later and I'm in the woods.  Another mile and I'm out the other side and scare the life out of a small dog playing in the fields.  Off across the fields over bridges, back in to fields, bridges, fields, trip, arse!!  Rather than fall flat on my face I did a forward break fall, rolled and regained my feet.  Anyone watching it would have looked like I was doing a Captain Kirk impression ala those fight scenes were he forward rolls around to avoid the alien charge.  This is one of the benefits of a martial arts background :-).  Anyway, thankful I was not covered in horse shit, I carried on.  Eventually I decided I needed to head back home and turned tail and retraced my way back to the village. 30 minutes later and I'm back home, mud covered but happy to have got out.

Silverstone - The Race Report

06/03/2011 - Silverstone 1/2 Marathon Race Report.

Are we sitting comfortably? Yes, good, then I'll begin.

Let me start by saying, DAMN it was cold this morning.

I got off to a nice early start as I don't like being late and was safely at the track by 10:30am. They say it's a 20 minute walk from the parking to the track and for once they were not lying. I popped over to the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People charity stand as I was running for them. I met some nice people there and got my Hearing Dogs for Deaf People running vest. Off to dump my bag in the baggage area and down to the track. Did I mention it was cold? Well standing around in just a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for 35 minutes waiting for the race to start maybe exacerbated the chill a bit

Anyway eventually we were off so I fixed my eyes on the shapely rear of an attractive female and set off (hey whatever gets you round eh?). The sun came out and the first few miles were lovely, bottom hopping from one lycra clad deriair to the next (thank god for lycra and sunglasses. Before you judge me I'm sure the ladies were doing the same to me .... well it's possible .

I'd had a problem with my achillies tendon prior to this race so I was a little concerned but all felt fine. So by mile four I was feeling very comfortable and able to just run and enjoy it.

By mile five I was having deeply thoughts of the nature of life and what an incredible array of shapes ladies posteriors come in.

I was feeling pretty good as I reached mile six and grabbed my first drink. Further on and I was looking forward to the halfway point. Well I was until a tannoy announcement goes out to tell us that the first person was finishing. Git

By mile 7 I'd got bored of bums

Miles 8 and 9 were kind of unmemorable other than looking down, track, looking up, bum.... don't care, looking down etc.

By mile 10 I'd got bored of life. I started to get quite a few pains and gripes from my legs and it all got a bit painful. I was determined not to stop and to do the entire race without stopping or walking even once.

The last mile. I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to go faster, boy was it tough. 1/2 a mile to go and I could see the finish. That spured me on and I pushed a bit harder. Last 300 meters and I'm actually sprinting. I cross the line at full tilt I think just inside 2 hours and 10 minutes (I think around 2 hours 9 mins and something - official timings will confirm). As I'd never run this far before my goal was a sub 2 hour 15 minute run so I was over the moon.

With a big grin on my face I walk over to where they remove the race chips from the laces of your trainers. I'm feeling great as I walk up the ramp, I feel like superman, like Beckham after a wonder goal, and I present my foot for chip removal to the young lady who looks admiringly into my eyes. It's at this point I lose my balance and fall backwards into the arms of the young chap coming up the ramp behind me.

Having got the guys number and a date .... I'm joking... I head off for me free bag of goodies and a nice shiny new medal. I then run over to the charity stand and get another nice shiny medal from them, thanks Hearing Dogs for Deaf People ... people. You were lovely as were those marvelous dogs. As was the after race meal, a bacon baggette and a coffee.

Anyway to cap a fabulous day I then got to finally meet the lovely and completely certifiable barnaby bear (a member of a runners forum I'm a member of). Nothings better on a cold day than a hug from a lovely gal, it was a brill way to finish the Silverstone marathon day. p.s. I hope you had a good journey home BB. x

Would I do it again? Yeah

EDIT: - word of advice try to remember what carpark you left your car in. Oh and try not to own a bleeding silver Ford Focus, do you know how many of those there are..... loads.

OK official results: 02:09:39
Overall finish:  3937
Gender: 3045
Age group:  230

The medals

Ho Hum

01/03/2011 - well it just 5 days till the Silverstone marathon and I'm getting a little worried.  I did a 9 mile run the previous Monday and all was well.  Wednesday I did a 5 mile recovery run and at mile 4 my achilles tendon in my right foot became rather painful.  Had a rest till Sunday when I could only do 3 miles.  So I'm gong to try a short run, say 5 miles, a few days before the 1/2 marathon and hope it's better.  What's also not good is that my daughters been ill with a streaming cold and my wife's just come down with it.

So short post for now with my fingers crossed that everything will be OK for Sunday. 

Oh and as I did not take any pictures while out here's a pitcure of a plane I took the other weekend :-).