Thursday 27 August 2009

FLOORED BY ANEMIA

Even Healthy Athletes Can Become Anemic


I guess I should have read the signs last week, tiredness, light headedness, dizzy spells, headaches,shortness of breath and heavy leaden legs. Somehow I pulled out a couple of good sessions but the tiredness and dizzy periods increased, by Wed the day of the final in the series of the Harrock Hill races arrived, but I didn't really care I just did not feel right, in the end I went out for a run on my own, I ended up running better than I thought but when I got home my ears started ringing, it was then I knew I had anemia again [ I seem to get it every year around summer time!
So its back to the iron tablets again and hopefully I'll be back at full strength to tackle my next challenge of three 10 k races with a target of 35 mins something in the Natterjack seaside 10k in Oct.

Sunday 23 August 2009

NOT QUITE A LIGHTNING 'BOLT'

I'd told Barry that I felt like I was lacking some top end power after my last race, so Barry came back with a programme to get me ready for the Harrock Hill race.
Mon was 20 x 45m with 55m easy, this was a new session to me and I found it hard to accelerate up to speed over such a short period of time, it left me feeling some what inadequate compared to Mr Usain Bolt.
Tue was a nice easy aerobic run over the sand dunes, I felt great! = 1.18
Wed I was meant to do a 5 k tempo run , but as I was organizing the 'rubbish 5k' I decided to race that, I felt really heavy legged and ran slower than when I had run round the course only 4 days after the London Marathon on my own!
Thur was 5 x up Selworthy hill and finishing at the top of the grass mound, I felt strong and ran on average 4 sec faster than two weeks ago, with a best of 5.54 pace for the 0.4 of a mile uphill.
Fri was a 1 mile TT round the Selworthy hill 1/2 MILE loop twice, I felt very tired and ran a poor 5.44 mile!
Sat I ran in the hills of Parbold for an hour and a half, felt pretty good as I ran over 5 cli
mbs and stayed mostly on the off road paths.
I ran close to my best time for this very demanding course.
Sun I ran with Jon easy over the sandhill 6, plus ran down and back for a total of 1.22

Bolt wants British actor Statham to play him in

movie, click here

Thursday 20 August 2009

EX 5K WORLD CHAMPION SUPER VET STEVE JAMES SETS NEW ALL COMERS WORLD RECORD AT RUBBISH 5K


RUBBISH 5K, Round 3

Stop press, news;
New Rubbish World Records set in

11 -70 age groups



Under mounting excitement Southport Waterloo's very own no 1 Karaoke singer Tracey Peters started the race off on a very humid evening.

Over 20 runners thundered away down the gravel path to the first corner, I found myself in the lead for a brief 100m before rocket ship Rob Mcgrath came hurtling past, soon followed by Steve McLean, I fought hard on heavy legs to hold Steve and I closed the gap down before we hit the first mile, from there I hung on for grim death until the final 400m uphill, where Steve powered away for 2 nd place behind in form Rob who set a new p.b. but just missed setting a course record.
John Sprackland like me returning after injury finished 4th and Harry Doran one of the fastest under '20' 400m runners in the country [48 sec] finished
5 th in this his longest ever event so far!

Rachel Thomas who has been looking stronger and fitter in each race she runs got one over G.P. leader Carol James, Rachel finished in a new P.B. by 1.08 just behind super vet Steve James who set a new all comers World Record for 70 year olds with 22.52, this was Steve's first race in 6 months after sciatic problems stopped him racing and training, Steve held the 5k world record for V60 some 11 years ago running an amazing 16.22.
Once again young Mathew Tobin set a new world best for under 11 year olds with 23.57, almost 2 mins faster than last month! Mathews secret to faster running- take a 3 week holiday and do no running!
Mathews father Simon went off course yet again and and the best advice we can give is to stay behind your son, who seems to have a much better sense of direction! We may have to put up barriers round the entire course to keep Doctor Simon on track for next months Handicap
event!
Due to the success of the Rubbish 5k series this summer there will now be a club handicap event on Wed 9 th of September at 7 pm at the same venue.
Big thanks to everyone who turned up and extra thanks to all you guys who marshaled, did the time keeping and results, you helped make this the best ever 'Rubbish' 5K in the World! [photo super vet Steve James]
RESULTS, AUGUST 19TH, EVENT 3
1 ROB MCGRATH 17.37
2 STEVE MCLEAN 18.39
3 RICK BOWKER 18.49
4 JOHN SPRACKLAND 18.55
5 HARRY DORAN 20.10 'NEW RUBBISH WORLD UNDER 20 RECORD'
6 PAUL CAIN 20.17
7 PAUL ASHBY 20.32
8 STEVE JAMES 22.52 ' NEW RUBBISH MASTERS 70 W.R'.
9 RACHEAL THOMAS 23.08 'FIRST LADY'
10 MATHEW TOBIN 23.57 ' NEW UNDER 11'S RUBBISH W.R.
11 CAROL JAMES 24.20
12 GRAHAM BENTLEY 24.31
13 CHRIS CUTNER 25.18
14 KEN WILLIAMS 25.42
15 SUE STEWART 26.05
16 SHARON PARDOE 26.10
17 BRIAN GRICE 26.24
18 JON SINGLETON 28.17
19 SHEILA MARSHAL 29.25
ONE LAP
1 CATHERINE ASHWORTH
2 ADI ASHWORTH
3 ROB ASHWORTH
'GOT LOST ON ROUTE'
SIMON TOBIN


JULY RESULTS

JUNE RESULTS



Sunday 16 August 2009

HOW TO WIN A MARATHON


THE RUBBISH 5 K RETURNS

RUBBISH 5K series
Third event 19th Aug, start 7pm,
JULY RESULTS
JUNE RESULTS

The viewing stone circle [ highest central part of the park]
Bentham's way, new woodlands park.
Please come along and support the event.
MAP

EPIC HILL RUN, EXTREME WEATHER AND A KNEE INJURY!


THE CHALLENGE, TWO FELL RACE ROUTES IN ONE AFTERNOON.

The plan was to run over both The Harrock Hill and Ashurst Beacon fell race routes, I set off with Paul in glorious sunshine and very warm conditions.
The first target was the quarry climb and the start of the Harrock hill race, after reaching the top we headed down through the fields, it started to spit light rain and by the time we got to the start of the climb up Ashurst Beacon the rain had become torrential, the road turned into a river within minutes as the water came gushing down. Near the top we took what had been a path to the Beacon it was now a fast moving stream, I half expected to see some fish swimming by!
Once at the Beacon the rain stopped and I decided to wring out my running vest, I must of got at least a pint of water out of it.
We then headed downhill on narrow lanes and then across farmers tracks flooded by the resent deluge, it was here I fell, crashing my knee into a rock. It was hard to see the damage at first as I was covered from head to toe in mud, this mud was not nice, god knows what it was made out of, but put it this way we were very close to a farm yard!
I picked myself up and limped onwards, within a couple of minutes we reached the Leeds- Liverpool canal which seemed like a good place to clean up my wound!
We crossed a bridge and with blood flowing down my shin I followed Paul up the steep quarry climb eventually coming out at the top by an ice cream van. No money for a 99 today so we crossed the road and headed over the tops of the fields to Harrock hill, after crossing the race finish line a got Paul to do one final climb up Hunters, I'm not to sure Paul was happy with subjecting his legs to more punishment but at least once over the top we had a long downhill over the fields to the car in Parbold.We finished the epic route dead on 2 hours, a great workout and well done to Paul for finishing his longest ever hill run and in such atrocious conditions.
The rain started again and by the time we were driving back it was absolutely lashing down!
I've not seen weather like this for a long time, it reminded me of the tropical downpours I'd seen in the Philippines!

Friday 14 August 2009

20 MILE VICTORY LAP AND THE PAIN OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER


After celebrating on Wednesday night the clubs success at the Haigh race with 5 or 6 pints of Titanic real ale [ it went down really well] it was back to reality with a bang the following day!
I'd agreed to do a 20 mile hill run with Rob to help him with his training for the Langdale marathon, said to be the hardest marathon in the country by none other than Ron Hill [ so it must be pretty dam tough].
We set off from Parbold and straight away I knew I'd be in for a bad time, I was hanging on to Robs heels by the skin of my teeth and we'd not even run a mile.
We headed through Hilldale then up the quarry climb to the top of Hunters hill, it was a relief to reach the top, I managed to recover some what as we charged downhill through the green fields.
The next destination was Ashurst Beacon [ 2 mile climb], once onto the hill I started to feel better and took the lead 3/4 the way up, I then lead Rob onto a dirt path that winds its way up to the Beacon at the upper most top, just before reaching the sumit the path steepens to an alarming degree and my quads almost locked up.
Once over the top we got back on the road and I lead Rob down the mile and a half descent, Rob told me he was having a hard time holding on to me, it was not to last, after turning right at Upholland Rob went to the front and I was in trouble again, feeling like I was on my limit [ could I last the distance at this suicide pace].
Next destination Crank, after following Rob over twisting narrow country roads we reached the notorious Crank climb, I was already feeling my energy drain away before we reached the climb so I knew I was in deep trouble.
The first half is gentle as you climb over the tree lined road but all of a sudden after a sharp bend the road shoots upwards into the distant horizon. I start to drop back as Rob pushes on, I'm like one of those Tour De France riders blown out the back on a torturous Alpine climb, a broken man fighting for survival, I wanted to stop, to sit down, to rest, but I fight relentlessly on at a painfully slow pace, the pain was incredibly intense, time was slowing down and so was I.
At last I made it to the top some 30 sec after Rob, once again I seemed to recover on the downhill, after several miles we turned left and up a nasty little climb back to Upholland, this time Rob seemed to suffer, a few more fast miles and we reach the final hill, a narrow tree lined back way up Ashurst Beacon, 3/4 the way up I start to feel dizzy as my last bit of energy drains away, once more Rob moves into the distance, at the top we regroup and I hang onto Robs shoulder as we take the 2 mile decent at high speed, shortly before Parbold village the Garmin shows 20 miles and I shout to Rob I've had enough and jog the final half mile to the car.
20 miles, 2000 ft of climbing at 7.17 pace = 2.29
That felt bloody tough from the start until the bitter end, harder than many races I've run, but I made it through, to live to drink another pint or two!

Wednesday 12 August 2009

Team dominate at HAIGH HALL 4 mile

photo, Richard Shearer and family

Team mate Richard Shearer wins series and tonight we finished 1st teams, both male and female.
Also I was very happy to finish 10th tonight on my come back race after injury, report to follow

Monday 10 August 2009

TESS THE RUNNING DOG AS INTELLIGENT AS MOST SCHOOL LEAVERS


Yes it seems that according to a new study Tess can understand up to 250 words and count up to five which makes her more intelligent than most school leavers. Right Tess you've been deceiving me for far to long, its time to stop slouching on the couch and go out and get a 'REAL JOB'.
'Starting soon'
Tess's Running Blog.

The thoughts and pondering's of an elite long distance running Dog.

AT 54 HE IS THE WORLD RECORD WORLD RECORD HOLDER

His next record is to run the fastest mile wearing a snorkel, diving mask and flippers....
READ IT HERE

Sunday 9 August 2009

BIG TRAINING WEEK

DUNE
Sat 8th

It was a beautiful sunny day as I set out on a long steady run over the big s
and dune paths and through the pinewoods. 3/4 way into the run I noticed I could no longer feel my tongue it had become some what dehydrated, the sensation felt kind of scary.
Anyway I finished with 2 hours 11 mins and the first thing I did as got home was to drink a cool pint of water, aaah a pint of beer would have been nicer BUT....
Barry's put me through a tough week, what with 3 hard sessions plus a speed session. Next week sees me
Race the Final Haigh Hall 4 mile hill race of the summer, this is also a club Grand Prix race Grand Prix Table[ I'm still leading the club G.P. by default, which is a bit embarrassing As I'm in charge of the G.P. this year].
After that there will be some more hard training before my major target THE HAR
ROCK HILL RACE later in the month.








Training fo
r the week
Sun 9th
Easy run sandhills with Jon [ felt tired] = 1.21
Sat

Long easy aerobic run, sandhills- pinewoods = 2.11
Fri
10 x 200m on the beach, max speed 13.6 mph = 55 mins
Thur
3 x 5 mins hill reps = 50mins
Wed
Easy aerobic run big sandhills = 1.35
Tue 4 x 2 min hills = 55 mins
Mon
3 k of hard effort plus easy running = 1.44

RUNNING FREE MAGAZINE click here


Thursday 6 August 2009

Long hill repeats at Clieves Hill


At last I have something positive to say about my running.

Barry's schedule called for 3 x 5 mins uphill, so I headed over to Clieves hill [ the scene of my calf muscle tear last month] and parked up at the top of the hill.
It was a beautiful summers evening as I jogged off on a lap of the cycle race course, I think this would make a great route for some of my tempo runs, the 3 mile country roads loop with a 3/4 mile hill would make for a very challengin
g session.
I ran 2 1/2 miles round to the start of the hill [ 7.05 pace] as a good warm up then pressed the lap button on the Garmin and sprinted off up the hill on my first effort. My legs felt a bit sluggish as I reached the steepest section, I concentrated on knee lift and ball of the foot running and I was soon reaching the top of the hill and the end of the road, glancing at the Garmin showed just 4 1/2 mins so I took a right turn and sprinted along the flat, reaching a farm building bang on 5 mins, checking my lap time showed I'd averaged 6.45 pace for the 150 ft climb.I turned around and jogged back down the hill, no sciatic or calf pains, so things were looking good.
Once I reached the bottom of the hill I did a U-turn and sprinted off again, this time I felt sharper and move aggressive as I blasted the hill, I reached the top of the hill and turned right, passed the farm house where I reached 5 mins on my first effort this time the watch said 4.50 so I sprinted on, pressing the lap button at 5 mins gave me 6.32 pace for the hill.
One more to go, sprinting away my legs started to feel like jelly as I hit the steep section, COME ON I THOUGHT, THIS IS THE FINAL ONE, GO FOR IT. I dug deep, very deep.
I passed my first finishing point, then the second with time to spare, I sprinted all out until I reached 5 mins then looked at the Garmin - WOW, 6.20 PACE.
That was good, dam I almost enjoyed that workout and my sciatic problem seems much better since carrying out regular trigger point massage.

Shoes; NIKE LUNAR TRAINERS
3 X 5 mins Clieves Hill, 1/ 6.45 pace 2/ 6.32 pace 3/ 6.20pace
Total time = 50 mins
Wed
Easy run over the big sand dunes with Tess = 1.35

Tuesday 4 August 2009

HILL TRAINING IN THE NEW BEIRUT

Taking my own life into my hands I braved the scene of recent shooting and hand grenade attacks- Selworthy rd, this is no run down council estate but one of the poshest areas of Southport and more importantly it has the biggest hill for miles around. I have the sandhills to run up, but even the biggest one only takes 30 sec to sprint up, Barry had scheduled 5 x 2 mins uphill so the 'new Beirut' hill was my best option.
After a good warm up I attacked the first effort, reaching the top of Selworthy rd I took a right and continued along Waterloo rd then turned through the gate posts and sprinted to the top of the grassy

mound over looking the famous Royal Birkdale Golf course [ the scene of last years open championships].First effort 2.24 and 10 mph average, each effort got faster with
the 4th in 2.17.Worked on knee lift and ball of the foot running, felt quite strong but I decided to miss the 5th as I could feel a slight sciatic problem that effects my calf, some deep pressure massage on the trigger points of my calf and I was away again heading home, the calf felt ok so I speeded up to marathon pace for the final mile and a half.
Another visit to my chiropractor and more deep pressure massage looks in order.

4 x Beirut hill av
erage speed 5.59 pace.
Total time =55mins

CLICK ON PICTURE ABOVE TO HEAR BEIRUT 'A SUNDAY SMILE'

Sunday 2 August 2009

GROUP TRAINING IN THE HILLS

http://www.westlancsdc.gov.uk/images/leisure_huntershill1_07.jpg
Sat
1st
It
was great to have company in the form of Eddie and Paul on my Arthur Lydiard type long hill run. We started off from Parbold and blasted over 4 climbs, the route was a combination of road and off road. Eddie had a tough time what with bladder problems and a serious wasp sting that nearly had him going to hospital. I asked Paul to set the pace over the final 5 mile roller coaster loop, Paul duly obliged with a pace that had Eddie fighting to stay in contact.
The sight of Eddie sprawled out on the pavement at the end was a sight to behold [ sadly we have no pictures of the event].
All in all we covered 14.46 miles over tarmac, grass, dirt and even some ankle deep mud that made Eddie's new shoes look well and truly worn in. = 1 hour 58 mins
Training for the week
Mon
Grass tack session with the club plus long warm up and warm down
= 1.49

Tue
Sandhill 6 with Eddie, total time = 1.12
Wed
Sandhill 6 with 4 min fast 1 min easy all the way round, 36.47, plus warm up and warm down. total = 0.59 mins

Thur
Sandhills easy = 1.35
Fri
Easy sandhills then 4 x wind up sprints on the road = 48 min

Sat
Group Parbold run, steady = 1.58
Sun
easy sandhill 6 = 1.07