Breakthrough

BMC Grand Prix, Solihull – 1500m A race – 4.16.67

Video via Athleticos – http://www.athleticos.org/coverage/250755-2013-British-Milers-Club-Solihull-Grand-Prix/video/710434-Womens-1500m-A (I’m in a yellow BMC vest)

BMC  results / report – http://www.britishmilersclub.com/content/bmcitemdisplay.aspx?itemid=884

What a difference a couple of days makes… on Wednesday I was gutted to be way off my 5k pb… but on Saturday I was thrilled to smash my 1500m pb, and breaking the 4.20 barrier…

Once again Mike Baxter kindly offered to drive me over with Claire Duck, which was brilliant. As ever Mike was full of good advice… the crux of it being not to set off like loonies.

The BMC set up is really fantastic. So great in fact that their races are always attended by overseas athletes (there were 2x Swiss and 2x Swedish athletes in my race). The races are unique in the fact that they attract top level athletes, most of whom are chasing times rather than a title. Pacemakers are provided for every race, with the pace being asked for in advance by the top athletes in each event (seeded according to pb’s/form). Basically the BMC breeds great middle distance runners, allowing them a safe competitive environment to run fast in.

Once at Solihull Claire and I got our numbers, watched a few races, warmed up, did some strides and lined up at the start. I think Claire was especially nervous – as this was her first track race of the season, combined with the fact that she has had some amazing results off the track (great XC results, road relay result and 16.20 5k). I was a little less nervous, as after my bad race on Wednesday and late night Friday I wasn’t really expecting much.

At the gun all the tension seemed to disappear. The pace (set at 66sec / 2.13) was a little slow (more like 67/2.15), which really suited me (and probably the majority of the field). After a lap or so gaps began to emerge, mainly between Charlene Thomas / Mellissa Courtney and the rest of the runners. Unusually for my mentality, I heeded Mike’s words of wisdom, and sat back keeping an even pace (instead of chasing after the leaders and ‘paying the price’). Coming into the last lap this self control seemed to pay off, as I stuck in behind Montana Jones who sped up down the back straight, came past her with 150m to go, and sailed down the final 100m feeling good and completely surprised to find myself in 2^nd behind clear winner Charlene Thomas (4.14.38). Claire also smashed her pb, finishing 6^th in 4.21.27. Hopefully there is a lot more to come from both of us this season….

On Sunday, Claire, Zack and I went for a lovely jog on the Chevin… followed by a cafe stop, trip to the cinema to see ‘Fast and Furious 6’ (cheese-fest) and tapas at ‘Dos Amigos’.

Today my legs feel great, ready for a lunchtime run, body bar and a sports massage from the Ewok.

Next up = Yorkshire Track Champs this weekend

Regression

John Carr 5k – 16^th / 1^st Lady in 16.50

Sometimes races go bad. Last year I vividly remember racing a Sale Sizzler 5k, and from the start something felt wrong, I just couldn’t get going, even if a pack of dogs started chasing me I don’t think I could have shifted any faster… I came 2^nd in 17.13 (my slowest 5k for almost 2years)… anyway that’s how last night’s John Carr 5k felt.

Going into the race I felt confident, training has been going good, miles are up and generally I feel pretty healthy.

However in the days before some self doubt crept in, on Sunday I had got a headache that lasted till Tuesday (paracetamol took the edge off). Then there was the squats… on Monday I did my usual ‘body bar’ class at Club Energy, mindful that I had a race on Wednesday I switched my usual squatting weight (for an unholy set of slow/fast/half/static squats of Pats design) of 15kg for just 5kg. Usually I recover, even from the heavier weight, pretty quickly – ready for Tuesdays track sess – however this week my legs were in bits, and standing on the start line for the John Carr 5k I regretted squats.

From the gun my legs felt heavy and after the first K I knew it was going to be a long race. Long story short I had a pants time, even the downhill’s felt like hard work.

Since 2010 I have done this race, much like the Abbey Dash, as a measure of improvement and I was gutted this year to see my watch at the end of the race, no pb :-( not even close…

2010 – 17.59

2011 – 16.52

2012 – 16.37

2013 – 16.50

This result really makes me question what I am doing. Have I reached the dreaded plateau? I am hoping that this is just a blip…

In other news Zack had a great 5k, finishing just a minute behind in 17.53, a good time considering his lack of training… he is happy  at least!

* photo courtesy of Andrew Hardaker / Saltaire Striders

A Couple of Commissions

Last week I was given the task of drawing an elephant and a rabbit for a gallery client… the idea for the elephant came during a run, with ‘Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus….’ playing in my head for about 4 miles… and then for the rest of the day… anyway the final drawing includes Nelly (made of lot of triangles) stood on her trunk with a line of trumps leading from the circus in the background…

As for the rabbit, probably my most drawn animal (usually based on my pet rabbit Muffin), he is supposed to be after a carrot on a string, armed with a sneaky pair of scissors… although in real life he could probably bite through the string if he wanted (Muffin has gnawed through many garments and phone chargers during his life as a house rabbit).

I really enjoyed having a purpose driving my sketches (usually just done for card designs) and hopefully will get more from the gallery soon! http://togs-gallery.com/

Next up I’m thinking cheetah with a rocket pack / giraffe with roller skates / another rabbit this time with headphones… And maybe one day finish of the canvas I started 6months ago…

Some more Rachicakes originals (available to purchase in the gallery) below…

HDSRL – Otley

13^th / 1^st Female – 34.27

http://harrogate-league.co.uk/index.php?year=2013&race=otley&page=results

On Wednesday, Zack and I decided to have a run out at the first race of the Harrogate District Summer Race League. As it was hosted by Otley AC we didn’t have far to travel… just a 5minute jog to the start line, proffering cheese sandwiches for the buffet.

The course is not my favourite, about 5.9miles – two laps that go out on Pool Road / round Knotford Nook / into a sheepy field and along the river / back up Gallows Hill –  is pretty flat on a range of terrain. However the marshalling was fantastic, all OAC volunteers, giving great encouragement as well as pointing out obstacles. Overall I think Otley put on a great show, that was certaintly enjoyed by all the runners.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a fast tempo run for me… which didn’t happen as I set off too fast and just had to hang on after that…

#funnystory After about 1k of running I caught up with a Wetherby runner, who looked at me, clocked I was a woman, and sprinted off up the road… only to be caught again a couple of minutes later… and never seen again

I found the off-road section particularly tricky, struggling with the hard rutted ground and getting a lovely dollop of sheep poo on my knees. But quite enjoyed the pavement section heading out to Pool…. n.b. the Knotford Nook road really needs its potholes sorting out!

The finish, ideally situated in front of the Cricket pavilion / buffet, turned into a sprint… which I am sad to report I lost to Jonty Bright of Harrogate Harriers who I had run with for much of the race… well done Jonty… I’ll get you next time… #morespeedrequired… #sprintgurnTeam OAC had a brilliant outing, particularly the ‘fast lads’ who were lead home by the mighty Ian Fisher (1st) followed by Jamil (4th) Scott (8th) and Liam (10th).

For Zack the race was a benchmark for his current fitness – assumed to be not good after 6 months off the bike and a few years off running  – turns out he was fitter than expected, finishing 47^th in 38.20 and looking comfortable.

Legs feel pretty good today :-) Much better than after my outing with Skyrac on Sunday…

Looking forward to the next race – John Carr 5k no2 – which as of yesterday has a new CR, courtesy of running buddy Claire Duck, of 16.20 …  amazing running!

Photos courtesy of Paul Wood (brilliant HDSRL photographer)… https://plus.google.com/photos/118080715219268014381/albums/5876056129607247457?banner=pwa#photos/118080715219268014381/albums/5876056129607247457 …. three photos particularly stood out for me in this album…

#1 Jamil #2 no shoes… and awesome socks!#3 ‘yeah yeah, really easy, just finishing now, pop tea on love’

more speed required…

Another busy weekend…

Friday: Gallery Soiree, ‘Shane Green – Still Lives’ 6pm onwards

Saturday: Gallery, then travelled up to Staithes (near Whitby) for my Dad’s 60^th Birthday meal

Sunday: Early start travelling back to Leeds, then onto Cleckheaton for the Northern League

Northern League:

13:25 800m A – 1^st in 2.10.1 A pb! But no-where near as fast as I would like to go… ideally sub2.06… After the first lap (63secs) I had two girls behind me, which was a bit worrying as I felt like I was going pretty fast… however they blew after 500m and I managed to keep going and win by over 5secs. Felt comfortable (no lung burn) so hopefully as the season progresses my times will get faster.

15.10 400m A – 2^nd in 59.0 Not so pleased with this one, my legs went into seizure with 150m to go and I slowed massively…

15.45 200m A – 5^th in 28.1 Ok so maybe I’m not s sprinter… upon getting in lane beside some muscley looking ladies with starting blocks I was filled with a sense of impending doom… which turned out to be well founded, as the gun went, and I left my marks already 10m behind the rest of the field…  the second 100m was marginally better as my legs got up to speed and I managed to pass one athlete to finish second to last in 5^th. For this race there was a pretty strong headwind, meaning all the girls were about a second off their pb, so I hope that in better conditions I could run a 27…  It felt funny, as during/after the race I didn’t feel like I had expended any energy – I guess sprinters use different energy systems in order to got super fast… More speed required!

16.55 4x400m relay – 2^nd team (not sure on splits) A great run from the Skyrac girls – Molly, Jaye and Hannah who secured 2^nd position before my anchor leg… the girl in front was a good 100m away so pretty uncatchable, although I think I made up some ground.

Conclusion…. my aerobic capacity is pretty good at the moment (I’m probably in good 3k-5k shape). This is the first time I haven’t experienced post 800m/400m lung burn, which I am guessing means my lungs are pretty strong…. but also that I didn’t run fast enough…  more speed required!

I also managed to squeeze 46miles in this week, on top of a gym sess, pilates and a nice bike ride in the sunshine

Next up – HDSRL on Wednesday, then a John Carr 5k and BMC 1500m next week…

Crackin’ Track Sess

Usually I do track on a Tuesday, but this week (due to training partner Claire working some hellish night shifts) we switched to Wednesday… under the supervision of coach (and crackin’ athlete http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=39024) Mike Baxter.

Beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, pretty windy on the back straight though (worth an extra 2 secs?!..)

6 x 400m… First 3 at 1500m pace (about 69sec laps) with 1minute rest between each @ 67 (Mike shakes his head and says the familiar ‘You’ll Pay for that girls’) 70 (better) 68 (‘you’ll pay’) ….. lap jog ….. 2 x 400m at a faster pace (targeting 66) with 2 minutes rest @ 63 (‘You’ll payyyyyyy’) 65 (:-0 Mikes look of shock and awe) ….. 10 mins rest/jog/change into ‘race’ spikes …. 400m all out @ 60secs

All in all a crackin’ sess, considering the wind and my Monday/Tuesday mileage of 20 + gym set and pilates. Claire and I are pretty evenly matched and I know without her for competition my times would be much slower. Sometimes we make each other go too fast in the early reps, hence Mike’s ‘You’ll Pay’ mantra; which is well founded (I’ve lost count of the times I have blown up mid-session)

Hopefully our training times (significantly faster than similar sessions we completed last year, especially for Claire who is coming off a crackin’ cross country season) will translate into some good middle distance running…

For me a busy few weeks lie ahead (Northern League, HDSRL at Otley, Sollihull BMC Grand Prix, John Carr 5k no.2, Yorkshire Champs) not forgetting all the exciting things going on a http://togs-gallery.com/

Good Week

A bit of a come down week really – recovering from holiday, and adapting back to the British weather… Got some good training done

Monday – Run Farnley loop / Body Bar at Club Energy http://club-energy.co.uk// Sports Therapy with the Ewok http://www.leedssportstherapy.co.uk/

Tuesday – Track Sess (2×500, 4×300, 4×200 – 1min/100m recovery and 400m jog between sets) Sets getting faster 500′s @ 89 / 300′s @ 49 / 200′s @ 29

Wednesday – Pilates / River run / Circuits

Thursday – Easy runs – am River / pm Golf Course

Friday – Hill Session with Claire (which involved pre-run mattress hauling) 20 x 15secs up Spen Lane… with an extra 45sec effort at the end / Jog Golf Course

Saturday – Bike Ride

Warm Weather Holiday and Running on Sunday

Running has been a bit quiet over the last few weeks, no injury troubles, just trying to get in some much needed miles before track season starts…  my weekly milelage has improved from 20-30 m/w to 40-45 m/w…

Last week ‘getting in the miles’ was particularly pleasurable as Zack and I took a trip to Seville to visit my sister and her partner Domingo. The weather was amazing, ranging between 25-30 degrees, and the annual Seville ‘Feria’ was on – the biggest / most popular festival in Spain. I had planned on doing a couple of session runs, but due to the heat (and my general fatigue from runs/ long long walks round the sights) I only managed steady runs along the hard dirt track that ran round the outskirts of the city. Day to day running / sightseeing looked like this…

Saturday – Arrive, drive from Malaga airport, walk round Seville and the stunning Spanish Square, Tapas for tea (tea time here was from 9pm onwards… and beer, served in 1/2s was 1euro!)

Sunday – Run 40mins along river (beautiful scenery: meadows, marsh, storks, wild horses, sheep herds etc) Long walk around Seville, Siesta, 40min run along river again, Mini Baguettes x 4 @ 1 euro each…. also learned about Tinto – Red wine and Fanta Lemon, which like the beer was only 1 euro… tasty!

Monday – Run 40mins (with Zack… we found some pretty ferocious looking dogs guarding some goats) Looked for some art galleries, but couldn’t park anywhere due to the Feria, Run 30mins (this time on a different route, past a hospital, stopped by a herd of sheep, then got lost in a village) Cooked tea… salmon burgers and Rebujito (a traditional drink during the Feria of Sherry and Lemonade… the lady in the supermarket was selling a free bottle of sherry with 2 bottles of 7-up…)

Tuesday – Trip to Isla Christina (beach next door to Portugal), bit of sunbathing and body boarding, Run 40mins, homemade pizza and too much wii mini golf to be healthy (we left Spain having completed every level of mini golf available…)

Wednesday – Run 30mins, Trip to Cadiz, walk around the old town and sunbathing / body boarding / beach tennis, Run 30mins, Domingo and Hannah cooked a tasty tortilla and tapas.

Thursday – Run 40mins, Trip to Italica – a major Roman settlement, including amphitheatre, Walk around Seville and up the ‘Mushrooms’ or Metropol Parasol in the centre, before a much needed ice cream stop, More Tapas (my favourite dishes of the week = mini fried omlette with tiny shrimp, cured tuna with a quail egg on toast, tuna with mojo, calimari and octopus salad)

Friday – Run 50mins, walk round Seville, up cathedral tower and look at underground archeological site (more roman remains), walk round the Feria… soooo many people/horses/flamenco dresses! Posh Italian tea.

Saturday – home time! Early morning drive back to Malaga airport

A brilliant holiday, and my first time visiting my sister in Spain – who has lived out there for lots of years, and is fluent in Spanish (and various other languages!). She also has a house rabbit, called Toffee, so we didn’t mis Muffin too much…

On Sunday Zack and I decided to have a crack at the ‘Run Sunday’ event http://www.runsunday.com/ that takes place on the Chevin every Sunday. It runs with a similar format to parkrun – free entry and accurate timing over 3 miles – but at a much more agreeable start time of 10.30am. No barcodes required (just sign up online), a brilliant friendly atmosphere and free homemade biscuits upon crossing the finish… a must do event for any runner knocking about Otley on a Sunday morning.

I had often come across runners doing this event on my Sunday runs, so decided (as I had done no sessions for almost 2weeks) it would be a good idea to do a bit of a threshold run. The course is two laps of the top of Danefield , including what is fondly referred to as the ‘killer hill’.

The course was nice and dry and I was pleased to finish first in 17.34 (a new female record and just 6 secs off the overall record… a good incentive to have another go sometime). Zack also had a good run… despite a bit of walking… finishing 4^th.

It was shocking on holiday to hear about the Boston bombings, and my heart goes out to the families affected. Watching the VLM on Sunday and observing a minutes silence on the Chevin shows what a strong community runners come from.

Amazing runs from OAC at the VLM, really inspiring, particularly from Matt John (2.28.01) and Simon Anderson (2.50.07) breaking the 3hour barrier in emphatic style. Some more brilliant results at The San Diego WTS with Alistair decimating the field (as per) and Non Stanford getting her first (though not surprising given her brilliant form) podium, outsprinting Emma Moffat for 2^nd.

Hopefully I will have more running to report on over the next few weeks…

back to BASEics

So following a very brief encounter with the indoor track (due to a December/January ankle injury) I am back to BASE training.

The point is to build a level of endurance before returning to the shorter faster sessions ready for summer racing. So out with the fun (though head-ache inducing) 3 x 300m intervals and in with the monster 8x600m sessions. For me it is the Saturday grass rep sessions that are particularly horrific, ranging between 20-26 mins of effort over my least favourite running surface (grass/mud). Endurance and sensible pacing have always been my downfall, so hopefully going slower for longer (and nailing the 74 sec lap) will help me pace myself to some pb’s this summer.

Speaking of pb’s, sometimes training partner Non Stanford, smashed hers (and the course record) at this weekend’s Trafford 10k… 32.39 (chip) !!!! Amazing running…

On Monday I had fun at another INOV8 photoshoot. http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Index.asp?L=26. This time it was just me and Sean modelling the 2013/14 autumn/winter clothing range. The weather was apparently perfect, howling wind and snow, battering us as we ran various trails on the top of Kirkstone Pass. OMG it was cold, with some of the best shots (taken again by Ryan Edy http://www.ryanedy.com/) coming when the gusting blizzard was particularly brutal (lifting the powder snow from the ground and dancing it over the ground).

I can honestly say that the clothes were beautiful; the team at INOV8 have done a top job in developing them, with the women’s in a fetching shade of purple, and very practical. For me the jackets were the best, super light and wind proof, fitted specifically for women. Gear included 2 x long sleeved tops, 2 x jackets (one thicker with hood, one light and windproof), ¾ tights, Trailroc 236 shoes http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Trailroc-236-Black-Blue-Pink.html?L=26, and Race pro/elite back packs. Unfortunately we didn’t get to keep the clothes :-( but two new pairs of Trailrocs http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Trailroc-226-Grey-Lime-Pink.html?L=26 will certainly keep me going on the Chevin for a while

Busy Weekend

Sale Indoor Open Meet – 600m – 1.32.94 (ranking me 1st over 600m in the UK this year http://www.thepowerof10.info/rankings/rankinglist.aspx?event=600&agegroup=ALL&sex=W&year=2013 … mostly because 600m is not a common distance…)

Last weekend was busy. At the gallery we sold some big originals, and hosted an indoor market on Sunday to complement the existing Farmers market and Courthouse craft fair http://togs-gallery.com/2013/02/25/latest-news-from-the-gallery/

On Friday running buddy Claire Duck and her boyfriend Tom came over for a meal and to collect my old bike for Claire to commute on. Both Claire and Tom were competing at the National xc the following day, so we thought it would be a good idea to ply them with some beetroot juice… needless to say Claire had an incredible run at the Nationals, finishing in 12^th and taking some massive scalps (ahem, Steph Twell!).

In the OAC world Matt John had a cracking weekend… winning the Great North West Half Marathon in a scintillating 68.53… amazeballs

As for me on the Sunday I took myself off to Manchester for an indoor 600m. I arrived, after battling with Man City match day traffic for a good hour, at about 12 expecting the 600m races to start about 1.15… turned out they started just after 12.30… so I went off for a hasty warm up. The Sportcity complex is really fabulous, as the indoor track nestles next to the outdoor track / stadium, so my warm up and strides could all be done on the track without having to worry about getting back in time for my race. After a good warm up the 600m heats were called. I was drawn with the senior women, of which there were only 3.

I probably started too fast (the gun always scares me!) and was timed by a spectator at 29secs for the first 200m. The last 300m were hell as my legs tightened up and I began to think that my pacing was better suited to a 400m. My final two lap times were called at 31 and 31. By the finish I almost caught the lady in 3^rd who took the bell as I approached the line…. next time I will ask to be run with the men to see if they can pace me to a faster time.

Post warm down I had the privilege to watch a brilliant 300m. Won by Hayley Jones in a staggering 38.20 … now that’s faaaaassssssttttttt!

 Looking for my 600m results the board showed blank spaces… not a good sign. I went to the ‘control room’ and they told me they had messed up the timing for that race… what?!!! The lady who had taken my splits was also in there and suggested it was probably around 1.31/2, but without official timing that wasn’t much good… somehow looking at the results website they seem to have rectified this, not sure how, but I’m happy they have! 1.32.94 – something to build on, and an indicator that I should be capable of a decent 800m.

After my hissy fit… sorry to everyone involved… I met with CBP Creative producer Sandra and photographer Cleveland, who kindly arranged to meet me at the EIS track and talk sports photography. They were lovely people, and really passionate about what they do, and I am looking forward to working with them on some projects in the future….