Half Marathon training 4/12

Nearly a month into my Richmond Half training. According to the plan I should have completed 14 runs, got some miles and some pace into my legs.
The week beginning July 21st was meant to be a four run week. Two speed sessions sandwiched by longer slow runs.

Run #1

Starting on Monday I was targeting 80 easy so picked the well known route out of Stansted, to Manuden, Rickling Green and then back to Stansted. This is a nice 12th route that includes a long climb up the hill as you leave Manuden. As I'm entered into the Manuden 10k later in the summer any practice up this reasonably tough climb is worthwhile. Once at the top you get a brief moment to relax downhill before a second, shorter climb as the lane undulates. In truth you then continue climbing for another kilometre or two, almost until Rickling, but the gradient isnt noticeable.
Though the pace was intended to be easy, I found myself consistently below 6:00/km without any effort. Rather than rein in my enthusiasm I kept up the pace and stayed relaxed. After having the country lane completely to myself I turned right as soon as I entered Rickling Green and started heading back south.
The next couple of clicks are alongside the main road, not normally a problem. Unfortunately with the weather recently everything has overgrown and the local councils haven't got on top of this. At one point I was thankful for a grass verge as the pavement was impassable. There were plenty of occasions where I was forced into running on the main road or found myself ducking and weaving more overgrown vegetation.
The last two kilometres were up the familiar Pennington Lane and back into Stansted. My pace had remained good throughout, so finishing my '80' in just over 70 minutes, clocking the 12km at a rate of 5:47/km. The run was very pleasing, it was the longest distance and amount of time I'd been out in a couple of months. To get progressively faster as the run continued was also very satisfying.

Run #2

Wednesday morning brought some speed work to the table in the form of fartlek training. As the format is easier with lampposts around I opted to stay within Stansted rather than head out into the country. I'd also noticed the climb from the train station up to Forest Hall School was now a section on Strava, I had to get myself on that leaderboard!
It took time to haul myself out of the house, I really didn't feel with it. The slightly later time meant that commuters heading to the station were greeted with some mad man sprinting, walking and doing some horrific jogging in between! I ended up doing nearly three laps of the Forest Hall estate, a perfect venue with neatly laid out lampposts to provide the fartlek markers.
This was the first time I'd completed a 40 minute fartlek session. Naturally my sprint pace tailed off a bit to the end, but the effort was strong throughout.

Run #3

Friday morning was another speed session. This time the target was just to run at tempo so I headed out on the Stansted loop. The weather was much cooler in the morning, though the humidity was still horrific.
There wasn't really much to write home about, a consistent 5:34/km pace. The legs were strong and I felt decent. A nice second tempo session for the week, perfect setup for the weekend.

parkrun Volunteering

My parkrun stint for the week started on the Friday evening. The Great Notley parkrun has already established a reputation for two things. Firstly the infamous hill of doom, secondly the table of cakes that greet runners (and volunteers) at the end of the run. 

Marshal position H, plus sign just in case the marshal is incompetent

With our kitchen finally serviceable, I wanted to add a contribution to the table. I'd normally try millionaires shortbread, but previous attempts had resulted in caramel that wouldn't set. Rather than bring disaster to my second volunteering stint I decided to take a safer option. A sausage roll is always a good way to finish a run and using a recipe I'd picked up on instagram from Elly Pear I put some together for post run goodness.
The volunteering went to plan this time, no one running inadvertently off course! When I got back to the race HQ the sausage rolls were fast disappearing and appeared to be going down well. 

Batch of sausage rolls (more sausage boats) for post parkrun enjoyment

The recipe for those interested: sausagemeat (I usually just take some regular sausages and skin then, this occasion they were the Cumberland variety), puff pastry, add a bit of chutney alongside the meat. Wrap the pastry round, glaze with milk (or egg) and then sprinkle a combination of smoked salt, garlic granules, nigella seeds, dried onion & sesame seeds (the last two ingredients were missed out on for the parkrun batch). Cook until awesome!

Mega sausage rolls at home for lunch with the leftover sausagemeat. Added some stilton for extra awesomeness!

Another PB, new kit, KT Tape & Medals in the Toilet? HM Training 3/12

Just two runs to report on for the week beginning July 14th. So with that in mind we might meander off course at some point to discuss where everyone displays their run bling.
The exploits and exertions of the Stansted 10k left me feeling rather tender as the week started, the plan being to run on Tuesday, Thursday & then Saturday. Tuesday's run didn't happen as my left achilles was still tight following the hills of Stansted. Tuesday was a revelatory day though. I had my regular physio planned, once my back was sorted I asked if I could have my IT Band checked over. Although Paula had experienced a bad ITB previously, her pain was generally in the knee itself where as mine was manifesting in the ITB itself. After some necessarily painful massage I was told that yes, I have some ITB inflammation & though I'd caught it before it had become Runner's Knee, I'd need to treat it regularly with the foam roller & tape it up to aid recovery.
It goes without saying that this is self inflicted. Tight calves have caused most of my issues since 2010 & a combination of that & some dodgy glutes will also be adding to the pain. The good news is this pain has been with me for a couple of months, so I can't land the blame at the door of the new trainers. So it is time to lean sideways on the foam roller for some excruciating strengthening, or use a handheld roller. To this point I've been more successful with the hand held massage stick, mainly due to the muscles being very tender after the massage.
When I did venture out on Thursday I felt reasonable. I had some new kit to break in, some New Balance trail shoes to accommodate the variable conditions faced at the Great Notley parkrun. With a visit due on Saturday I attempted to navigate around Stansted in search of grass to run on. Albeit this stretched as far as a lap of the recreation ground, not a huge success! I'd also see a hill segment from the train station up to Forest Hall School on Strava so gave that climb a go to see how I'd fare.

Great Notley parkrun

Saturday morning saw me returning to the scene of my volunteering crime the week previously, this week to the relief of many (including Len) in running gear so that the only race I could spoil would be my own. The journey over had brought rain, so many of us were in hope that we'd at least get some to break the humidity of the morning. I was tempted to run in a vest, but the lure of the parkrun 50 shirt was too much. My knee and ITB were covered in KT Tape, one of the world's most expensive forms of sticky tape, especially in the UK. I'm still sceptical as to how much good it does, time will tell.
I lined up alongside Paul, though he was doing his own thing, no pacing duties on this occasion. We were soon on our way & finding out that the heavy rainfall had left many puddles around the course. At first I avoided them, then remembered I had the trail shoes on & could be more direct with my running. After chatting to Len who was running for the first time having been Race Director for the first three, I settled into a rhythm, hoping rather than expecting to run strong. The most solid surface was the brief sand pit section. Usually tough, the overnight rain had left it like a beach with the tide out.
With this being my second outing at Notley I was still getting to know the circuit and the various turns involved. My pace seemed reasonable though, just under 5:00 for the first kilometre. With a sub 25 being a hopeful target and a big hill to follow I knew my pace needed to maintain or preferably speed up to accommodate the climb and subsequent recovery.

Lap 1 - Smiles & Thumbs Up

I was able to give a thumbs up as I passed the photographer near the lake but disappointed as my second kilometre wasn't any quicker, a negative split post hill would be required. As the hill of doom approached I seemed to adopt a rather cavalier attitude. I attacked the hill, driving myself up it, overtaking a couple of runners on my way. Perhaps it was Stockholm syndrome but I appeared to be enjoying the climb! The unrelenting Stansted 10k had given me even more confidence with my ability to ascend and a bemused Paula was able to picture me giving another thumbs up after she'd walked to the top just to take photos.

Finding some kind of enjoyment in conquering the hill, need my head checking!

There was no bird touching to be done this week, a PB was in sight! Despite the peak being the highest point of the park there was still no rain to be found so I descended in the dank, humid conditions. The trail shoes certainly helped, giving a firmer base to navigate down, knowing you're unlikely to slip is an added bonus.
The descend was potentially slower than the ascend as I tried to fill my lungs once more and recover. A third km of 5:09 was both good and bad news. Bad in that I would be over a 25:00, but good that I'd lost minimal time on the climb, even if Strava is trying to tell me I was only a second faster than my first attempt!
On a normal parkrun my fourth kilometre is usually my weakest as I grow weary before a final push. I couldn't afford that to be the case on this occasion and got back down to a 5:00/km pace. In theory if I could maintain pace I'd be in touching distance of a 25. I carried the pace into the final click, finding a decent rhythm. Soon I was approaching the finish, a length of a grassy field before a ninety degree turn and last sprint to the line. As I entered the field I passed the cheerful tail runner and then gave some encouragement to core team member Dan. A glance of the watch told me I could maintain and should be absent cross at 25. Despite knowing I'd started my watch just before the official start (always a good motivating tool, rob yourself of vital seconds in a cheap psychological trick), my competitive juices kicked in, I couldn't help but put everything into the finish! A strong end to the field and I was turning for home and into another gear to the finish. The photographic evidence suggests I might have even raised my knees properly, something Sean has been trying to get me to do for years!

Approaching the finish line, less smiles......

I crossed the line and realised just how disgustingly soaked I was. The humidity was off the scale, I'd not been like this on a run since the Reggae Half in Jamaica!!! I'd clocked an unofficial 24:48 so was in a great mood after the run as I slumped on a bench!

The Eat

If you're not a fan of hills then another reason to visit Notley is to take on the post race spread of cakes. Once I'd recovered slightly I approached the table and made a predictable choice of tiffin. I'm told the other cakes are equally good, but unless a lemon drizzle is going to start being chocolate covered I'm only going to opt for the magnificent tiffin! Being on volunteering duty next week I might have to contribute to the cake table. Unfortunately my millionaires shortbread can be notorious for not setting so a savoury addition of sausage rolls might get the vote. 

Cake table - Although I only have eyes for Tiffin...

We definitely didn't head into Tesco's straight after to pick up some chocolate milk and a donut afterwards. That definitely did not happen!

The Conclusion

Although I've not covered any significant distances so far & we're a quarter of the way to Richmond, I feel decent at the moment. All of my injuries are in check & manageable. My pace is really good & if I can get some long runs under my belt then I'm confident I'll be able to deliver a PB in Richmond. My climbing is getting better, which is only going to pay dividends on flat or fast courses. 

Run Britain handicap - shows my 2012 - 2013 decline quite nicely

The recent mass updates to the Run Britain website also means that my handicap is finally up to date. The Southend parkrun time of 23:31 meant that my handicap dropped below 15, to 14.9 for the first time (think of it like a golf handicap). Surprisingly the course conditions on Saturday were deemed more favourable than the first event (though I still don't get how they work that work), yet the 24:44 is the 6th best run I've ever completed in pure handicap terms. If I can get down to a 24:30 in this current training cycle then a visit to Chelmsford to attack a 23:30 could well be on.

And Finally

Some debate in the Holt household current regarding how Run Bling should be displayed. Our house is currently being renovated and this has led to a difference of opinion. I'd like to hang our medals and some bibs in a part of our dining room that'll double up as a home office. Paula on the other hand wants the shiny to be consigned to the garage, as it is too showy & boastful. I quite like the idea of being boastful, after all we've worked hard for each of those medals!

The renovations have also provided a potential third option. Our utility room / downstairs toilet is probably going to end up painted in brilliant white or something to that effect just to maximise the light in the room. With that in mind we'll need to accessorise the room to give it a less clinical feel. Why not put the medals in there? Might as well put the medal mooses on the wall behind the toilet, it's either going to be that or some horrendous stuff we paid tourist tax for in Jamaica!!!

So where do you keep or display your Run Bling?

Stansted 10k and some disastrous volunteering. Richmond Half 2/12

We're a sixth of the way to the Richmond Half. This meant it was time for a four run week. Working an early shift meant lunchtime runs as I wasn't prepared to wake at half four and evening running has never agreed with me. The week started well, fartlekking around Battersea Park probably drew some confused expressions. My pace was pleasing though, the sprint sections held strong throughout. I dropped Wednesday's run as I had a cricket game in the evening and didn't know how involved I'd be. After scoring two with the bat and not being required with the ball I probably could have snuck out at lunchtime.

On Friday I again had cricket in the evening but with an eye on the forecast and the rain overnight I suspected that would be a non starter. So a colleague and I retraced my Battersea steps, just at an easy pace though in order to preserve the legs ahead of Sunday.

parkrun Volunteering

My new schedule allows be alternate Saturdays off, with Paula at Comic Con I headed across to Great Notley parkrun for my volunteering debut. As numbers allowed all of the regular places to be covered I was able to head to the top of the hill of doom to offer encouragement and high fives to everyone as they got to the peak.

pre parkrun briefing, awkward moment when we realised all our outfits matched

Unfortunately things didn't completely turn out that way. As the leaders approached the front runner asked which way round, I presumed he meant round the bird, the large plinth on the top of the hill, so I said either way is fine. I didn't realise they'd headed down the back of the hill until a non parkrunner doing hill work pointed out they're going the wrong way. Luckily everyone else headed on the usual course and the two guys that had an inadvertent detour were back on track with a 5.2km parkrun.
I was absolutely mortified, forgetting that this is a new event and that not everyone will know the course, researched beforehand or might not have heard the brief. There isn't usually a marshal at the top of the hill so I'm not sure what would have happened either way.
Once I'd repositioned myself to avoid confusion and reminded myself mistakes happen I got on with my task of cheering folks on. The top of the hill is where you're at your most knackered and I hope a smile and some kind words to encourage everyone downhill at least brought some cheer to people. Not everyone touched the bird, but I managed some good photos and encouraged anyone that wanted it.
At the end of my duties I told Race Director Len about my directing debacle. For another week I made the race report, for all the wrong reasons though! I managed to catch up with some of the guys thrown off course and though they could be rightfully pissed they accepted my apologies.
My first volunteering experience certainly was an eye opener though. I guess the number of volunteers you need depends on the course and event size but there appeared to be a dozen of us to cover the event. The amount of organisation and dedication from the core team needed to make every single parkrun go smoothly is immense and I'd recommend everyone tries to give up at least one Saturday morning to be the other half of the parkrun story.

Stansted 10k

Having an event literally on your doorstep makes it rude not to compete. The Stansted 10k takes place every 2 years and starts and finishes all of 5 minutes from our house. I'd cajoled Joel, Paul & Emily with the offer of BBQ, warning them in advance that the course was a tough one. Joel had seen a map my run of a previous event and declared in advance that it didn't appear to be too bad.

Pre Race Team Um Bongo photo - Joel, me, Paul & Emily

Heavy overnight rain and a majority trail route left me opting for some old Adidas Supernova Sequence trainers rather than write off some of my newer pairs. We were all expecting even more heavy rain during the event, to the point of nearly running in jackets. My mind was cast back to you the 2012 edition that featured nearly every season. By the start the sun had well and truly put it's hat on, Paul, Emily and myself lining up together with the intention of Paul pacing us to a 54:00. Regular readers will find this pacing strategy bizarre, after all just a month ago we were tearing up the HBO within 52:00. This was a testament to just how tough the course was. In 2012 I clocked a 56:23, just weeks after a 51:38 HBO so I felt a 54 was a fair target to aim for.

Less than 1k in, we were almost enjoying it at this stage!

We started well, taking in the first couple of kilometres to bank some time & then having a really good third which was essentially downhill all the way. This led us to the first climb of the day, Watermill Lane alongside Farnham cricket club. I've always found this to be a tough ascend, but attacked it climbing up 21m in 300m travelled. I was able to recover my pace straight away & still return a 5:18 kilometre, adding more into the bank. Unfortunately my caviller approach to the first hill meant we left Emily behind, but Paul was happy to continue pacing me. The Grade Adjusted Pace was 4:48/km, in hindsight perhaps this was too fast!

The course then travelled towards Farnham, including a nice decline before heading off the road just as the ford approached. At 25:45 through 5km I was feeling good, but knowing every second banked would be needed as the course would only be getting tougher from this point on. The next climb appeared to finish after 400m but after consulting my post run stats I can see it continued way past Farnham church, a full 1.1km over which we ascended 18m. I joked at the time that Paul was lying when he said the hill had ended!!!

At 6km we passed another water station, thanked the volunteers for their support and enjoyed some downhill respite. The descend was gentle but brought us to a climb I'd forgotten about from my 2012 attempt. Another 17m up over the course of 400m. Probably means nothing to most ardent hill runners but by the peak I was beginning to labour & was thankful that the course flatten out as we approached the road between Stortford & Manuden. The next kilometre was nearly all downhill, but my pace didn't recover as well as expected & the need to cross a footbridge at walking pace in single file also killed my momentum.

Not an ideal time to lose momentum as a morale killing hill was to follow. You could see it from the point at which you emerged from the footbridge. Run along the field, turn ninety degrees and start climbing. In 2012 this climb & the downhill were crazy as the heavens had opened leaving the course a mud bath. The climb itself on paper doesn't look too bad, 10 metres over the course of 200, barely a scratch surely? But everyone around us was succumbing to walking pace. I was determined & as we reached the peak Paul encouraged me to recharge & carry on. My words of "I'm struggling" and a quick scan of my face persuaded Paul that was indeed the truth and at that point the aim of the race became to finish. My head had become very light with the effort of the climb, something I've not experienced in race conditions for a while. The fourth climb of the run nearly finished me off, but in my mind it was a case of one more, then a medal.

It is only when you look back that you can see the truth. From the footbridge, the start of the 4th climb to the end of what I thought was the 5th at Bentfield there was actually another climb. Each has a mere 200 metres of light descend before you're called upon to climb again. So in truth, from 8.0km to 9.4km you ascend a total of 30m. Ok that's only one Great Notley hill of doom, but it's at the end of the 10km!!!

My 9th kilometre at 6:03 at the fact the course appeared to be measuring slightly long meant the target of a 54:00 wasn't on, but that wasn't going to stop me pushing. At the final water station I took a bottle of water & threw it over myself. It wasn't pretty though it provided me with the slap in the face needed. The support as we finished the last hill and entered Bentfield Green was a great. It gave me a chance to kick & I attempted to drive home to the finish line. Of course there had to be a cruel minor uphill to finish the event & a high curb to negotiate, but I dragged myself over the line in 54:28, nearly two minutes faster than my 2012 exploits.

Medal. Knackered.

Paul was thankful that I hadn't collapsed on him & I was equally thankful that he'd given me the extra push needed to a very tough course. I was also thankful for a picket fence someone had installed on their front garden as it propped me up whilst I sat post race. Emily came through moments later & soon we were joined by Joel, the first person to finish a race claiming they hated me!

The Eat

Of course the only way to adequately reward people for hard work is to fire up the bbq. Numbers were lower than expected, though this allowed me the luxury of having ample food already in stock and not needing to make homemade burgers. I'd put together some nacho bean patties for Emily & Paul though we reserved these for last as their consistency suggested they might not grill well!

We laid on a spread of standard sausages and burgers and supplemented it with a number of creations including zesty chicken, coconut prawns, stuffed mushrooms, cajun and chilli asparagus and courgette completing our efforts. These were added to by Emily with some stellar guacamole and some always popular halloumi kebabs. It's fair to say no one went hungry!!!

Post run milkshakes. Still knackered.

Post run we all enjoyed a milkshake, though if I was the perfect host this would have been some specially purchased Cacio or Mr Shericks!

The Conclusion 

Without doubt the Stansted 10k is the toughest event of that distance I've competed in. I'd forgotten just how brutal the course was, 100m of climbing across the whole distance. In total there were six climbs and all but one were in the second half of the run. This was definitely an event for going out hard in an attempt to bank time. In hindsight perhaps an energy gel taken after 3km would have helped. Or even more hill sprints. To put the result into context, I was 4:10 slower than my best of a month ago, the fact that the gap is a minute closer than 2012 tells me I'm a much stronger than two years ago. 

The best reaction was Joel's. Back in November he hated the Greenwich Mo Run due to its severity. This was tougher and took longer, yet he was able to savour the experience and vowed to come back faster and stronger for the 2016 edition. The sense of achievement in conquering a tough course is something you can't explain. Sure I was slower than usual, but for the course I did the best I could. My aim with this event is to run it every time it occurs and chip away at that time. I think this has set me up perfectly for a sub 50 at the Pride 10k in four weeks time. 

An unexpected PB - Richmond Training Week 1/12

The first week of Richmond Half training has ended. In terms of easing myself into a plan it fit the bill. One tempo run, an easy & a parkrun. No major distances, not even 17km completed for the week, but a good start. My reintroduction to hill sprints on Tuesday went well as I headed out to Lime Kiln Lane in Stansted & found a usual stretch to take on five times. Of course whilst attempting to sprint up a hill you feel horrendous, especially by the end, but the intention isn't to make you sprint hills in a race, but to provide more power generally. To give some perspective, each 48 second hill sprint (nothing if not consistent) included a 9 metre climb, where as the Great Notley parkrun hill is 29m!

The easy run on Thursday gave an opportunity to complete a full loop out of the back of Stansted & through the town. I was aware that my glutes were still playing up on downhill stretches, I need to get that issue resolved before it proves more of an issue as my training plan progresses. Despite running easy I did move through the gears as I returned home, eager to not miss my train into London for work!

This brought us to parkrunday. Yesterday was also Paula's birthday & I'd tabled the idea of going to Southend to enjoy the amusements, but also so that I could visit the parkrun. After some persuasion (finding an Ace Comics store in the town helped seal the deal) Paula agreed to an early start & we were on the road down to Shoeburyness (the parkrun isn't in Southend itself).

Conditions were changeable, they'd been plenty of rain and drizzle on our way down. By the time we arrived at the park it appeared the rain had cleared up, leaving a dull grey sky, hardly the scene for a delightful run next to the sea!

The Run

After a short but quiet race briefing we were led to the start & I tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to line myself up with similar runners. The lack of a megaphone appeared to leave many unaware that the run had started and we were off to a walking start. The slightly slower start gave me a chance to get into a nice rhythm, though it returned my slowest kilometre, 5:00.

The course was a simple three lapper that included a challenging turn towards the sea & into a wall of wind. The fresh sea air was beneficial & the longest stretch of the lap hugged the coastal wall. My second, third and fourth kilometres averaged 4:50/km, leaving me looking at a low 24 minute run if I could maintain the pace.

Lap 2 - Presuming I'm on for a 24:30

Instead what happened was that I was able to push the pace a bit more, dropping down to 4:30/km pace. I didn't feel especially quicker, but realised I was approaching the line, a quick glance at my watch showed I was still to enter the 24th minute. With this in mind I carried on pushing, not easy as there was a slight rise at the lap end & the finish was about the only part of the lap not on perfect tarmac. My face in the background of some of the finishing photos is one of pure determination as I clenched my teeth to get over the line. I tried to give the double thumbs up as I crossed the line and shut down the GPS. The last minute looks to have been one of the fastest I've ran & I was surprised to see 23:31 starring back at me from the display of my Garmin.

Finishing in 23:31. Nothing left to give other than the thumbs up

The Conclusion

Although the course was quick, I certainly wasn't expecting that result. A PB by 21 seconds is the biggest improvement I've returned at 5k since 2011. To PB at the start of a new training plan is a very pleasant surprise. I suspect near perfect conditions contributed, well rested, cool weather, bouncy tarmac surface, flat & in a good place mentally all could have been beneficial to the result. That said, being well rested should mean that my best pace would be out of my grasp.

When runbritain finally published all of the parkrun stats since March there was an interesting result included within my handicap. The 25:02 last week at Great Notley was one of my top five results based on course toughness. So although it was my slowest result in some time, according to the handicap system it was better than a 24:24 at Oak Hill. Perhaps I was in form then & I just didn't know it.

Either way I'll bank the PB & aim to get even closed to 23:00.

If anyone is PB hunting then I'd recommend a trip to the Southend event. The park isn't overly picturesque, but if the coastal wind isn't too bad then the course is seriously quick. If you fail to clock a decent time here I'd be surprised.

The Eat

A trip to the seaside doesn't quite equate with healthy eating. By the time we'd left Southend I'd consumed a Wimpy Shake, Gregg's Sausage Roll, Rossi Ice Cream, Slush & some of the worse chips I've ever tasted (avoid The Pavilion, part of Adventure Land & find a decent chippy)!!!

Seaside goodies

We followed this path of dietary destruction with a BBQ in the evening. Paula's folks, Alec & my folks came over as we lit the BBQ as I piloted some home made burger recipes. Unfortunately the burgers lost structural integrity leading to variety of shapes being served up. Thankfully both the combinations tasted good, just need to work on forming them better. The Mexican burgers proved too wet & fell apart, the Stilton & Apple too dry so also fell apart!!!! The slow cooked in beer ribs finished well on the BBQ, though I think belly slices would be much better.

BBQ Time!

Apart from some pitta I managed to avoid bread throughout, enjoying my homemade slaw (included apple & pear), chargrilled Aubergine & Asparagus. If that wasn't enough desert was both birthday cake & a home made pavlova brought across by my Mum.

Salads for the rest of the week then.....

A man with a plan?

I've taken it relatively easy in June. Hardly any kilometres clocked, no performances of note, just a ticking over of the engine whilst I worked out my goals for the Richmond Half in September. By luck or judgement the half lands on Sept 21st, 12 weeks from June 30th. This gave me the opportunity to put together a full plan based on this goal. I might have the US Half and St Neots halves in November, but they're extra events without specific goals.
As discussed at length in October a 1:50 half is something I'm striving for. Dropping 7 minutes between Copenhagen and Helsinki proved to be unrealistic, but the two and a half minutes chopped (would've been more without a toilet stop) suggest further gains can be achieved. Therefore the target for Richmond will be a 1:50.
I've tweaked the format that has done me well since spring 2013. Lucozade produced several training plans for the London Marathon website and I found them the most adaptable. Too many plans look to achieve 5 or 6 runs a week. Previous plans I've put together have included 4 runs a week and even this I've struggled to achieve. A Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday schedule has proved too hard to maintain, especially if the Saturday is a parkrun. This has led me to dropping too many long runs. With all of this in mind I've gone for a simple format, run, rest, repeat. If I run on a Saturday, I take the Sunday off. This leaves me with a fortnightly parkrun schedule and frees up some time on Saturdays, volunteering at Great Notley parkrun the most likely result.
Actually to say I've tweaked the format would be misleading, the format has been thrown out! Tempo runs will now be on Tuesday or Wednesday giving an easy run buffer before a parkrun or long run. In recent months my tempo efforts have been limited to just parkruns, I'm hoping to do more midweek effort sessions over the course of this schedule. I've included hill sprints, 3-2-1's and fartlek, all staples of my normal regime.
After last year's post Pride debacle I've included a week of rest after the 10k in August, allowing some recovery after what I'd like to be my first sub 50 minute 10k.
I've not set any grandiose plans for a parkrun PB, I'll attend every fortnight at various events and just try to deliver gradual improvement. I'm also expecting to get restarted on the DDP Yoga. A lack of space at home during building works is slowly being addressed which means my rest days can include some diamond cutters!
Unlike in October I'm not going to make a big weight loss goal. The past two months where I've dropped down on carbs have been very beneficial and if I can continue this improvement in diet the weight will naturally fall. I'm a lot more comfortable than I was and the overall weight loss since the start of 2013 has been excellent.
So here's the plan, hopefully there won't be as many missed sessions as previous attempts!

Will I manage to stick to the plan?

New home, new shirt

~Updated with more photos~

I can't recall ever enjoying running during my formative years in Braintree. During my school years I was never athletic. Even as a cadet I'd compete at Wing Athletics more out of a sense of duty than any degree of competence. It was until 27 that I found running and started to enjoy it. Back in 2010 I was introduced to parkrun and this past Saturday my home town Braintree became acquainted with the concept. 

Saturday was also a special day for me. Having reached the 50 run landmark at the start of June I would be receiving my 50 shirt before the start of the run.

Receiving the much desired 50 shirt

We'd persuaded Fergie down from St Neots, Alec away from Chelmsford, Paul & Emily from a lie in to join us for the inaugural run. My mum & step dad also made it to watch me run for the first time since a primary school sports day, no egg & spoon race this time!

I believe the colour is known as parkrun Red

Mum managed to arrive just in time to hear my name called and the shirt presentation. Race Director Len introduced me to everyone and like a rabbit in the headlights I rather sheepishly took my shirt and got changed, resplendent in parkrun red. 

The Run

The 1st GN parkrun gets underway

I was thankful for the change of attire as my Royal Parks Half shirt was attracting every thunderbug in the county! The course was fairly simple, two laps of the Great Notley park with the second including a climb to the top of the hill. Since the start of March I'd been on a ten parkrun streak of sub 25:00 times so that was the target. Whether that was remotely possible would remain to be seen, my total km for June had been a paltry 35 so I'm rested if nothing else. My hope was that I could tap into a well of deep lying form and that would take me to a decent time. When I lined up alongside my brother in law Alec and said I'd try to hang with him, it was more in hope than expectation! In a mere two months of running he was now quicker than me so it wasn't a surprise that within a minute he was away from me and stretching out a decent gap. 

Paul at the end of Lap 1

Alec finishing Lap 1

Attempting a non camp wave....

Emily smiling at the end of Lap 1, pre hill of doom

Ferg enjoying the Essex countryside

I settled into the different terrain, the course would be described as trail, not a favourite of mine. It even included a stretch of sand, the temptation to emulate Greg Rutherford had to be suppressed. The course was wide enough to accommodate a bumper field of 230 for the inaugural, no weaving or excessive speed required to establish some space. This allowed me to focus on just enjoying the run and trying to return a decent time. There were plenty of twists and turns as the course snaked it's way around the park before opening out towards the finish of the lap. 

Of course the first lap was the easy part, lap two was laid out straight in front of us. Climb the hill, pass the back of the bird statue and then descend down. I chose to attack the hill. I'm relatively strong on hills and I knew that playing to my strength would be beneficial. The ascend was steep, almost a double hill as the angle changed on the way up. By the time I got to the top and tapped the plinth I was done, I could almost forgive the runner near me that crossed in front rather than behind to end the pain! Exerting the effort uphill meant I could use the downhill to recharge and recover my legs. Not that it was only my legs that were on fire, even as I reached ground level once more my lungs were blown, properly gassed out!

One benefit of my strong climb was that I'd almost reeled Alec in. With him just ahead we spoke about the hill in less than flattering terms! I pulled alongside and suggested he tried to stay with me until the end, presuming he'd recover and extend a gap once more. We ran through the sandpit together and the Monaco casino style hairpin double right. I then started to pull away with about 1.5km to go. Alec was still close at a kilometre, enough for me to call back that it would be over soon!

Paul finishing

25:02, first time over 25:00 since March 8th

Alec finishing

Emily less happy at the finish

Fergie finishing

Aside from a glance over my shoulder with 300m to go I concentrated on getting myself across the line. As we approached the final corner there was a young lad on my shoulder, I willed him to beat me and sure enough his sprint kick left me standing!!

The Conclusion

I tried to finish strong, crossing the line in 25:02. This ended a ten run sub 25 streak going back to March, but was a highly satisfactory result. The course is one of the tougher parkrun challenges, if I can get down to a mid 24, perhaps low 24 here then a 23:30 would be possible at a flat event such as Chelmsford. 

The big news is that parkrun can add another Hill of Doom event. Of those I've completed I can list four such events that are worth a visit if you're a running sadist.

parkrun Hill of Doom series:

Wimpole

Finsbury Park

Brockwell 

Great Notley 

The tougher the course, the greater the level of satisfaction when you complete it. When uploading my run Garmin suggested the hill was just a mere 3 metre climb! I felt cheated by GPS!! After chatting to the core team on Facebook we've established the Notley hill of doom is a 29 metre ascend and descend. No wonder it felt tough! My usual hill sprints include a 9 metre climb, so this was a triple hill rolled into one. This explains why even after the descend it took some time to recover. 

For an inaugural the event was perfectly managed as well. Lots of marshals (useful as the course twists and turns regularly), lots of scanners on hand at the end and good information once the PA system was replaced with a traditional megaphone. 

I've already scheduled my summer and I'm expecting to return frequently, possibly more as a volunteer than a runner as it's time to start giving back to the parkrun community. I'm hoping I can marshal at the top of the hill of doom, I feel there's a missed opportunity to give everyone a congratulatory high five before they start the down hill!!

The Eat

This was something the GN team had planned in advance, a while table of cake! After chatting to Run Director Len to thank him for the 50 shirt, I made my way to sign the guest book and then picked up an awesome slice of tiffin. Washed down with a chocolate milk once we picked our car up from Tesco, a perfect recovery drink. 

Cake! Including awesome tiffin