Another parkrun day 14/1/17

Another parkrun day.....

That's not me, he's just a very happy bloke I happened to photograph

03:34 Woken by cat screaming whilst sitting in middle of bed
06:34 Wake up for the 14th billionth time and with a painful yet strangely numb arm.
08:00 Woken by alarm
08:02:53 Crawl to bathroom sobbing
08:10 Disaster! Discover boiler has gone off and cannot warm coffee pot before putting in machine meaning probably lukewarm coffee!!
08:15 Manage to reset boiler. Phew!!
08:20 Choose between 2013 Oslo marathon tshirt which has very little life left in it due to poor quality of printing or Trafford 10k tshirt. Plump for former
08:21 Caffeine hit!
08:29 Assault toilet
08:30 Reflect on the fact that I may have last night, somewhat unwisely, after a couple of glasses of wine, announced on facebook page that I plan to win today's parkrun by nobbling 10 other runners
08:35 Check through window to see if any police cars outside.
08:45 Leave for parkrun with relieving lack of flashing blue lights
08:47 Return to house for trainers
08:50 Select today's adrenaline inducing banging choon on car stereo- Hard to Beat by Hard-fi. Sing like loon
08:52 Arrive at Wetherby car park; now in serious hurry to get to start line on time
08:54 Whilst speed walking realise have forgotten to do physio exercises
08:55 Do some quick hip-hitches. Resist urge to sing "I'm coming out"
08:57 Strip and put on trainers etc- leave huge pile of clothing as have brought extra warm gear so can photograph runners later
09:00 Still lacing up trainers when ED announces we are about to start!
09:00:10 Realise have forgotten barcode card!
09:00:15 Get  back-up laminated barcode from sports bag and stuff in back pocket of shorts, because am genius
09:00:45 Put on other glove as sprinting away from start
09:01 Laugh as the 2 young lads that have blistered away from start line playfully shoulder charge each other as they disappear away from the rest of us mere mortals
09:02 Realise that have not tied up left trainer well enough
09:04 Realise that inov8 mudclaw fell trainers are not best choice on completely frozen mud
09:10 Settle in to tenth position
09:21:30 Realise runner behind is coming up fast as we approach finish line
09:21:35 Find killer instinct and sprint like a nutter for line to retain tenth position
09:23 Realise that cannot find back-up barcode in pocket because am def not genius
09:25 Grab camera and start snapping away at other runners
09:40 BACON!

09:50 Arrive home and find barcode stuck to inside of pocket with buttock sweat
10:29 Text message: Scott, thanks for volunteering today at Wetherby parkrun. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by us and all the runners. (They haven't seen the pictures yet!)
10:40 Head to shower to avoid "You stink" comments only to find girlfriend has put washing machine on.
11:00. Start processing pictures!
11:30 Delete worst blurry photos
11:40 Start download!
11:42 Aaaaaand, relax!
11:44 Text message: Scott, your time in position 10 today at Wetherby parkrun was 21:53. Well done. (33 seconds faster than last week. Result!)
18:00 Open magnum of prosecco

A parkrun day 7/1/17

A parkrun day...

Here's one someone took earlier. Think this was at Woodhouse moor parkrun about 3 years ago

07:50 Wake naturally 10 minutes before the alarm, result!
07:55 Put the coffee machine on
08:00 Startled by alarm going off
08:01 Choose between wearing "intimidating" ultra-marathon tshirt to "psyche" out the "opposition" or awesome cool Halloween Scarborough 10k tshirt. Plump for latter
08:10 Caffeine hit!
08:20 Violate the toilet
08:30 Check TUE certificate is still valid
08:31 Steroid inhaler
08:40 Leave for parkrun Wetherby
08:41 Select adrenaline-inducing tune "Reverend" by The Kings of Leon on car stereo and sing it at the top of my voice
08:50 Arrive at park and do incredibly camp hip exercises the physio has given me on steps in front of sports association- manage not to get arrested or put on any registers but earn some funny looks
08:55 Strip!
08:57 Pat cute doggies!
09:00 PARKRUN!
09:01 Wonder if I am going to finish behind man pushing large child in buggy
09:05 Pass buggy, phew!
09:05-09:22:26  ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!
09:26:30 Try to get brain to tell hands to hold out token and barcode. Pretty much fail
09:27 See life flash before eyes. DAMN! I eat a lot of cake!
09:28 Manage to gasp out a thank you to marshals
09:30 Laugh as large child emerges from buggy and pulls woolly hat out of eyes
09:35 Man behind cafe counter asks me "Is it raining outside?" Me: "Um no, I've just been running"
09:36 Try not to drip on cafe counter
09:40 BACON!

09:41 Post PPP bacon picture to parkrun discussion group
10:17 Text message: Scott, your time in position 13 today at Wetherby parkrun was 22:26. Well done.
10:18 Sit wondering if being 13th 2 weeks running is an odd omen especially whilst wearing 10k Halloween tshirt....
10:20 Throw trainers, tshirt and hat into courtyard after dagger looks from girlfriend
10:30 Aaaaaaaaaand relax
11:30 Eventually go for a shower because, apparently, I am "stinking out the house"

Race Review: The Baildon Carnival Canter. 12/7/14

Leave a message at the end or twit me up @scott_leach 

All pictures reproduced by kind permission of Debi Nicholson

The start of the 2014 race. Photo courtesy of Debi Nicholson. (You can just spot me in my green Fellandale vest)

Cantering to Baildon

Saturday the 12th of July is a pretty busy day around the West Yorkshire region with carnivals and fêtes popping up everywhere. It was a tough choice but I decided to take the short drive to Baildon where a fell race was due to be run from the rugby and cricket club right next to Baildon's small and quintessentially English carnival.  A predictably understated affair, the carnival consisted of a tea tent, some bungee trampolines, a couple of burger vans and a few stalls. Oh, and a lovely family atmosphere. 

I arrived in plenty of time and watched the junior runners coming in from their 1 mile "fun run" then paid the £3 entry fee and eyed up the bananas we'd be eating afterwards. Getting there early gave me plenty of time to contemplate the last few running months and wonder what this race would bring......

A Quick Catch-Up

Very briefly, so as not to bore the under-armour off the 3 people who read this: In October last year I fell badly on my right arm during a mountain relay race in the lake district. The fall rammed my shoulder upwards and twanged all the nerves in my arm and they continued to give me pain for months. In the immediate aftermath I was unable to run at all for a couple of weeks. The injury affected my gait and I subsequently developed a problem with my right knee and ankle. Anyway, to cut a long story short, after physio and lots of strengthening exercises, I am just about ok now and am back up to tentatively running about 60 miles a month (I was doing 150 with no problems in September) but my fitness has suffered badly. Stupidly I didn't cross train enough whilst injured and was able to only do very limited running.

So it brought me to this race. A few weeks ago I ran the Chevin fell race at about 80% and went around 2 minutes slower than I had in 2013. Both races are a similar length but with less elevation at Baildon and now I felt that I was finally in a fit state to give a race some welly at least. Not that I currently possess much welly, but I could at least give it some flip flop.

A popular detail of fell races is to make the route look like a noose. This is on purpose, I'm sure

Your Starter For 10

There really weren't that many more of us than 10 but at least the 46 runners were nearly twice as many as last year, apparently. 

A tiny megaphone wielded by a tiny lady set us off and we cantered around the sports field. I heard a couple of people mention that there were some narrow bits early on that you could get stuck at so I decided to go reasonably hard at the beginning to ensure I didn't get stuck.

Shortly we came to a road that marshals were holding the traffic back from and we got our first look upwards to the trig point on Hope Hill at 282m. Whilst it didn't appear to be any sort of a walk in the park, it wasn't intimidatingly high and I formulated my master plan: Take it easy(ish) and try to make it to the top still running. Masterful eh?

In front of me I could see the long steady climb across Baildon moor and I forced myself to be sensible as I was passed by a lady in a Pudsey vest and not chase her. The race bimbled along on a gentle incline and I continued to preserve energy for the climb.

As the path turned from gradual incline to something a little more energy-sapping I began to reel in a few runners and the Pudsey runner soon disappeared behind me. For no real reason I suddenly became determined to make it to the top without walking. I tried to adjust my pace accordingly for this new target and when the path flattened out again I dared to dream I would achieve my goal. The path took us around to the back of the peak of the hill and we looked up to the summit, it really wasn't very far, but it was pretty steep. 

As I made my way up it my legs began to feel the burn and I slowed to a fast hike. Damn it. At least my hike was as fast as the people around me that were still running. 

At the top of Hope hill a small party of marshals had gathered for their summer solstice festival and I assume that after the race had passed within half an hour they would be naked and sacrificing a hi-viz vest to the Gods of the fells, but don't quote me on that.

Elevation graphs always look much less impressive that the actual climb was

Being Beaten by a Girl

I had reached the top of the climb in a reasonable shape and now I could enjoy (Sort of) the descent. I generally descend more quickly that the people around me running a similar pace so I had reasonable hope of a good finish. After all, these were mainly road runners, surely I could get down a hill quicker than them, right?

Well, yes and no. I did mange to catch a few runners, especially the ones descending with no real confidence, those ones I flew past, but all the while I could hear a runner behind me, catching me up. I felt ok, but I knew that I didn't really have enough in me for a big finish so was pretty much resigned to the fact I would be over taken by who ever it was.

As it turned out it was the second placed lady, Emma Stoney from Baildon runners and she was catching me at a rate of knots. I decided I would try a tactic on her that has worked once or twice- wait until there are a couple of hundred metres left, suddenly sprint and see if she would give up. 

Yeah, it didn't really happen. As we entered the final field to complete the race by running two sides of it, she put on her sprint first, I tried to respond knowing I wouldn't be able to keep up that sprint for the 150 or so metres left, she'd have to give for me to beat her. In the end, just as we turned the final corner and looked towards the finish, she came flying past me travelling at about twice my speed, I couldn't help but laugh out loud and I immediately gave up and slowed down- the only way I would have beaten her is if I'd tripped her up. My giving up had a very strange impact on the crowd though- they gave me a big boo!! Which just made me laugh all the more. 

Photo by Debi Nicholson

Above is Emma already a fair way in front of me despite having only just passed me. Her sprint finish was truly impressive.

So in I trotted in 14th place out of 46 runners. Looking at the winning time I felt a little pang of regret knowing that in September last year I would have been pretty close to that time. Ah well, there is always next year.

The results haven't made it on to the FRA site yet so I can't actually recall who won it, but I do remember that Hannah Oldroyd won the women's race, which is impressive as she had led the women home at Skipton park run that same morning!

Next up is the Washburn valley relay on Friday evening then the Ingleborough fell race on Saturday afternoon. Wish me luck!

Race Review: The Wetherby 10k 8/9/2013

Apologies to the people that have commented on my blog that I have only just replied to. Google have a major problem where using certain blog templates mean that comments are hidden! This is why I have reverted to an old-style blog; so I can see the damn comments!

You can also tweet me: @scott_leach

Last year's mug; something I have often been called

A Cracking Little Yorkshire Run

Last year, after I had got over the disappointment of finding out this race wasn't actually run on Coronation Street, (apparently that's Wetherfield) I thoroughly enjoyed the Wetherby 10k put on by the Wetherby Runners AC and so decided I would enter again this year despite a choice of several races. The route is an undulating mixture of good, solid trails and road, setting out and finishing at the racecourse. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and it was one of my favourite races on last year's calendar. Seriously, who wouldn't want to get their hands on the beautiful and ma-hoo-sive Wetherby 10k mug that all finishers receive?! It's been used almost daily ever since I got mine last year. I plan to defend myself against burglars with it should one ever break in while I am home as I'm pretty sure it could easily fracture a skull.

The 2012 event had been run on one of the hottest days of the year and the heat had taken its toll on the runners, slowing the field down considerably. I had been just about holding 40 minute pace last year when mammaries went skyward at about 7k and I finished in over 43 minutes. Last year, my time placed me 94th, this year that same time would have moved me down over 40 places.
When Sunday dawned; slightly chilly and overcast at times, it felt like a great improvement on last year's soaring temperatures. Unusually though, this race starts at 2pm and by then it had warmed up a bit to 17C, perfect race weather and no chance of ending up a sodden puddle on the A1 from either sweat or rain.

I think they deliberately made it in the shape of a saddle...

Thinking about the race in advance it was difficult to gauge what time I was likely to do. I inconveniently forgot that I had run the twisty, turny, undulating, York 10k which is fairly comparable to this race in many ways, in just over 40 minutes only a few weeks ago. Consequently my brain told me I had no idea of whether I would get near 40 minutes on a predominantly trail race. As ever, I planned to gauge how I felt as I started running.

Race Day:

Enjoying a rare sleep in on a race day, I followed it with a leisurely breakfast of fresh ground coffee, bircher muesli (oats soaked in apple juice, greek yoghurt, grated apple, squirt of honey, banana and pecan nuts) and drove the short distance over to Wetherby. The racecourse is used to handling far more people than 1000 runners and friends so parking is very easy and as close to the start as any race I've ever done. Rebecca and I arrived in good time with around 45 minutes to the race and remembering last year's toilet situation, made use of the ample bushes around the car park instead. The excitement of race day had started to kick in as I drove there which I was pleased about; a bit of adrenaline can only help you on race day.  Numbers had been sent out in the post, but the race chip needed to be picked up at race HQ and there was no queue for this at all.

The race "village" was a bit larger than last year with a bouncy castle and a few stalls. The atmosphere felt like that of a small village carnival.

So I will have my usual quick grumble; it's my only one about this otherwise fantastically well organised race. And you've guessed it: the toilets. Last year the start had to be delayed due to queues at the loos and sadly that situation hadn't been rectified this year. I think there were 8 portaloos for over 800 runners and the many spectators; less than 1 toilet per 100 people. I guess I must be missing something because this happens at every single race I do. Maybe portaloos are really difficult to book? Perhaps they are incredibly expensive? Maybe someone who knows can let me in on the secret?

Ok, enough of that as I really have nothing else bad to say about this wonderful little race.

My quads have been feeling like planks of wood recently and I made sure I warmed them up with a short run and felt them loosen off nicely. Off we went to the start. I left Rebecca a little further back and made my way to the front. The atmosphere was jovial as the MC made friendly banter in between announcements,"Don't step on the timing mats; you will be electrocuted!"
I resisted the urge to step on them and pretend to be electrocuted. Mainly because I knew it might activate my chip and wreck my race timing.

Standing on the line I reflected on the fact that I had broken rule 1 of race day preparation: Never use anything new on race day.
And yet, there I was, wearing trainers bought only one day before and sunglasses I had never run in. I began to worry that the God of running would smite me with a thunderbolt for this terrible sin. I justified my decision of course; I had run 5k in the trainers yesterday and they felt great, My old sunglasses didn't fit me well and would sit on my forehead which would then cover them in sweat. The new ones had an adjustable nose grip. If worst came to the worst I could run with them in my hand. Anyway, it was only 10k, what could possibly go wrong in 40 minutes?

Nike Flex 2012, £45 from the Nike shop at Junction 32, Castleford, since you didn't ask.

HONK! And they're off!

The inflatable race arch stayed up this year (shame, it was hilarious when it collapsed last year) and on the sound of the horn, off we went. The start of the course is downhill along the road into the racecourse. As usual I used the downhill for some free speed and covered the 1st k in only 3:39. The road became track and I settled in to a comfortable pace. Then it became a physical and mental battle to hold that pace. The first few kilometres passed and my pace remained steady at 3:50. I was on for sub 39 minutes. The bridge over the A1 passed for the first time and I managed to maintain my speed across it. At 5k, the traditional(!?) bagpiper welcomed us and I grabbed a cup of water to wet my dry mouth. I glanced at my watch and realised I had broken my 5k PB.

At 6k I began to feel good. My pace quickened and I started to chase down  runners. In front of me was a Knavesmire Harrier who I recognised from other races and someone shouted out encouragement to her calling her Emma. As it turns out she has been first woman home in many local races and in fact had finished first woman at this very race last year. I didn't expect to catch her, but I started to inch closer with every step. It must have taken at least a couple of k, but I eventually caught her. Later I found out she finished a minute behind her time from last year despite the better weather conditions, so I can only assume that illness or injury have curtailed her training lately. Still it was pretty satisfying to 'beat' her. She even genuinely looked pleased when I passed her after the race and said it was the first time I'd ever beaten her. Perhaps it was just a reflex smile or maybe she felt happy that a man would be very pleased to beat her.

People think I'm mad, but my unicorn disagrees

At this point in the race I was expecting the usual debate with myself. Would Good Scott (GS) or Bad Scott (BS) turn up. I really didn't want to have to put up with too much BS on this run. GS had been in my ear all the way up until now. Not exactly confidently, but quietly keeping me going. BS was still trying to wrestle her gag off in the corner.
We came down off the A1 again and soon the worst part of the race arrived. A short sharp sprint up and down a small hill with a 180 degree turn at the top. GS began to shout at me, telling me to keep it going, push hard, don't let it slip now with only a mile and a bit to go. GS punched BS in the face and she slumped to the ground. (I'd like to point out that domestic violence is only acceptable inside my own brain between the imaginary folk in there and nowhere else!)

I could see the race course now and it still looked a depressingly long way away, but the track through the trees was there before I knew it, signalling the final stretch before turning on to the racecourse road for the sprint to the end. GS was doing all he could to keep me going. BS suddenly tore off her gag and informed me that I could walk it in under 40 from here, which was a terrible lie! Luckily GS drowned her out and I managed to put in a final spurt. The track turned sharply left up a steep, short incline and a sign informed me there was 400m to the finish. The young guy next to me that I had been trading places with sprinted away from me like a young gazelle. I went as hard as I could, but there wasn't much left. Glancing down at my watch I saw I had 30 seconds left to reach the finish and go under 39 minutes. I had no idea if that was possible, but every second I saved now was another off my PB.

Crossing the line, it was all I could do to keep up-right and once again, I forgot to turn off my GPS meaning I wasn't sure what time I had finished in. I would have an agonising wait to find out my time when the official results came through. My lungs burned as I forced my legs to walk around the finishing funnel. I bumped in to the race director and we said hello as we have talked on facebook before. He took a picture of my GPS watch and congratulated me on my time which was 4 and a half minutes quicker than last year.
Rounding the corner I picked up my trophy: A second Wetherby 10k mug, my favourite race souvenir of this, or any, year. I held it above my head like the FA cup and did fake cheer sounds, much to the amusement of the lady handing them out. I really wish other races would take a leaf out of this book and give out usable race souvenirs instead of ugly/garish t-shirts that end up stuffed and neglected in a drawer before ending up in a charity bin.
The goody bag was as good as any I have ever got and included a banana and a bottle of water. One of the many lovely touches from this race, and new for this year, was a small flannel tucked in to the mug. Brilliant!

I jogged off to the car and back dabbing my brow with the new flannel and waited for Rebecca with my cheap compact camera after deciding not to take my pro camera to the race. In she came finishing strongly with a chip time just under 52 minutes, her fastest time for a while.

After the race, leaving the racecourse was easy although we chose to forego the discounted fish and chips for competitors at the local chip shop.
Back at my house we wasted no time in in using our winnings.

Later that evening I learned that I had finished in 41st position out of 765 finishers in the race but had failed to break the 39 minute barrier coming in at 39:07, a PB by 20 seconds. I had also shaved 8 seconds off my 5k PB in the process! I had to be pleased, on a difficult course I had run only my second ever sub 40 time. So for the first time this year I had run " A good time" not "Good, with all things considered" I doubt I could have gone any quicker on the day than I did.

So will I be back again next year? Of course! I have to keep collecting those mugs! A Cracking Little Yorkshire Run? Aye lad, tha's reet about that.

The mug remained virginal at this point. The cup, not me. No fake tan was used in the making of this photo, honest!!

Run review: Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs

This Sunday I woke up with nothing to do and all day to do it, so what better, I thought, than deciding on somewhere epic to run, rather than setting off down the canal again for the Nth time. Don't get me wrong, the Leeds-Liverpool canal can be really lovely, but in winter, with all the litter exposed in the bushes by the lack of foliage, it loses some of its romance. Call me crazy, but semi-submerged traffic cones and shopping trollies don't do it for me either. Surely, living in one of the more beautiful parts of the world I could find somewhere better.

I've walked around Swinsty and Fewston reservoirs a long while ago and mainly in the dark, so I didn't remember them well. Looking them up though, it seemed like it might be a nice place to run with a path that seemed fool-proof to a navigation-phobe like myself.
Then came the kit decision, would it be freezing cold? Would it be muddy? Would it rain?
I climbed in to the car with a giant, stuffed-full carrier bag, looking like I was off to Oxfam to donate 10 year's worth of clothing. On arrival I would be able to kit myself out for any conditions ranging from Saharan Africa to the Antarctic.

As it turned out, it was a slightly chilly day, so a long sleeved top and t shirt sufficed, the hat, gloves and buff stayed in the car. I looked slightly less silly and wimpy than usual, tights aside.
The trainer choice was more tricky. Would I need the trail runners or would my normal running shoes do? And if I chose the bright orange trail runners, would it ruin the look of my outfit?
I took a gamble on the normal runners - the paths looked well kept that I could see.

I have to say, this was one of the more pleasant runs I've ever done, oblivious dog-walkers excepted.
The paths are incredibly well maintained, in fact I'd go as far as to say they are the best I have ever been on. The scenery around the reservoirs is really lovely and it keeps close to the water as you go around.
I lapped each reservoir, crossing over between them to form a figure-eight.
Here's the route (Ignore the slight spiky detour at the bottom of Swinsty, that was a teeny error)

My fears of a wind and rain swept run didn't materialise and I managed not to trip over any dogs OR punch any oblivious owners.  The path gently undulated providing a good challenge without being too much for a lazy Sunday afternoon bimble.

So my conclusion is: If you want a pleasant, easy, Sunday afternoon run in lovely surroundings, with perfect paths and no navigation, and running up embankments occasionally to avoid the odd canine doesn't bother you, then look no further. I have to admit though, I don't think I would attempt this on a weekend in summer. The battle through the crowds would probably be too much.
And park in the northern car park- there's an ice cream van in there!