Category Archives: parkrun

David The New Years Day Double 2011

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I’m not much of a fan of New Years Eve.  It’s only another day/evening, and by the look of some of the ‘trollops’ as we drove through Twickenham and Richmond at about 12:30am this morning it looked like an excuse to squeeze into a tiny dress that probably didn’t fit you before Christmas and really doesn’t fit now!  Anyway, enough about that.

New Years Eve was spent round a friends house for a few nibbles, a little drink and then being turfed out onto the street at about 10:30pm (yes, the ‘party’ ended at 10:30pm).  We then headed to the top of Richmond Hill, watched West London light up with fireworks at midnight and then headed home to sleep.

New Years morning at 9am and I was on the start line at Bushy parkrun along with over 360 other runners.  However, a number of us had bigger and bolder plans than just the one parkrun this morning.

With Banstead Woods and Richmond parkruns starting at 10am quite a few runners were planning on running Bushy and then one of the others.  Danny Norman and myself opted to try and do the ‘double’ with Richmond parkrun and make it more interesting by running between the two events.

Google maps plotted the most direct route on foot to be about 3.9 miles (as opposed to about 5.2 miles by car) so as we lined up shortly before 9am it was a relief that the announcements were kept brief and we were set off on our way bang on time (if not a minute before).

A solid run saw me cross the finish line in 19:09 (23rd) and as I walked through the funnel to collect my finishing position I was being shouted at to ‘hurry up’ by Danny who’d finished over a minute beforehand.  After registering my position we collected our ‘superjuice’ (er, Lucozade Sport drinks) and headed off to Richmond.  We were on our way at 9:20am.  Next stop – Richmond.

The run to Richmond was pleasant enough – the roads were empty which enabled us to take the ‘racing line’ at every opportunity!  We arrived at Richmond Park at about 9:48am with plenty of time to spare, and to get cold waiting for the start!  A few minutes later we were joined by Oliver Garner – another Bushy runner who’d run to Richmond as well – making it the three of us who ran – rather than the run/drive/run approach favoured by everyone else.

Danny, Oliver, David shortly after finishing Richmond parkrun

Danny, Oliver, David shortly after finishing Richmond parkrun

Richmond parkrun set off just after 10am with a field of 170 runners.  I ran most of the 5k with Paul (Mr parkrun) and after another solid effort crossed the line in 19:54 in 18th place.

The best part of it all was Sharon stood at the finish line with a warm jumper and some gloves to put on.

A solid 10 mile run with two parkruns – a good start to a new year.

For information London in 2011 was currently the only place to ‘do the double’ and 51 parkrunners completed the challenge with the following combinations… Bushy/Richmond, Wimbledon Common/Banstead Woods, Bushy/Banstead and Bromley/Banstead.  I’m sure this time next year there will be more options available.

David 2010 Running Summary – David

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Another year, another summary of the years activities (see 2009, 2008, 2007 for previous summaries)…

After finding myself on the injured bench at the end of 2009 I desperately wanted to start 2010 with a parkrun. So, the start of the year began on the 1st January with Bushy parkrun. I finished in 24:24 and logged the following…

“First run since 28 November. Almost stopped after 1k but wasn’t sure if foot pain or just bloody freezing!”

My next run was at Black Park parkrun on the 23rd and then again in mid-February. My left foot was starting to get better but I decided to get back into things but not rush it.

As part of my Ironman training I was getting time in on my bike (and did the brilliant ‘Hell of the Ashdown’ cycle sportive at the end of January in the ice!).

  • January mileage – 6.22.
  • February mileage – 29.
  • March mileage – 86.

So, things were picking up again but I needed to not rush things.

  • April mileage – 93.5

In May I was back at the Bognor Regis 10k for my seventh year in succession. All I wanted to do was get under 40 minutes. I’d run a 40 minute 10k on a treadmill a few days before so felt good and with a steady run (although in a strong wind) I finished in 39:53. That’ll do nicely.

At the end of May I was in the pool for my first triathlon of the season (Thames Turbo Race 3) and finished 17th out of 330 finishers.

  • May mileage – 147

In May I also started cycle-commuting into London a couple of days a week on my mountain bike. This was a great opportunity to get some extra easy miles in on the bike – especially on ‘recovery’ days when I wanted just an easy session.

I was going to write about the ‘National Family Week 5k’ that was held at Twickenham Stadium at the start of June but the event was such an (expected) shambles that I won’t. You can read about it if you want to…

Mid-June we were in Wales for the Bala Middle Distance triathlon. This is a great event on a tough course and I had a great race. Finishing in 4 hours 48 (nearly 4 minutes faster than in 2009) and 120th out of 629 finishers.

  • June mileage – 143

A month later we popped over to Richmond Park to run the Ranelagh Harriers Coad Cup Handicap Race and then jumped straight in the car and headed to Dover to catch an overnight ferry. Five days later I was on the start line at the Challenge Roth Ironman Distance race. What a day! You can read all about it in my race report but my highlights were a 64 minute swim (for 2.4 miles) and a 3 hour 35 marathon!

  • July mileage – 110

Post Ironman I seem to have plenty of 5k speed in my legs (no idea how!) so decided to run one of my favourite 5k’s – the annual ‘Wedding Day 7k’. What I hear you ask? Well…. you run it like a 5k race, then hang on for the final 2k. It’s torture, but enjoyable at the same time.  So, 12 days after my Ironman and I got a 19 second PB on the course. Nice.

At the end of August I raced hard at the Thames Turbo triathlon and finished 20th out of 357 finishers with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes 37 seconds – a few seconds faster than earlier in the year. This was the warm-up for the Vitruvian…

  • August mileage – 77

The beginning of September saw us at The Vitruvian half-Ironman distance triathlon – and what a race. I had a blinder of a race and finished in 4 hours 28 – just under 33 minutes faster than I was in 2008!

“What I like about this the most is that I have the same wetsuit and same bike… I am just stronger overall – especially on the bike and run. This is great to know, especially when I know that I can do better with more (and more structured) training.”

This marked the end of the ‘triathlon season’ and I’ve not seen my wetsuit since. Now it was time to concentrate on other things…

  • September mileage – 122

I’d been asked if I ‘fancied running a marathon before the end of the year’ some time ago and decided it would be a good idea. The next couple of months were concentrating on marathon training and getting those long runs in. I took part in a few races but didn’t run them hard – I ran these more as controlled training runs.

  • October mileage – 180
  • November mileage – 184

At the start of December when all my training was banked and ready to deposit on the streets of Luton for their marathon the race was cancelled due to snow.  Very frustrating but something that can happen with a race held in December.  I got my first ever ‘podium’ placing at Bushy parkrun instead!

After missing out on the snow running earlier in the year through injury I got to enjoy what everyone had been raving about many months ago.  I also learnt that cross country spikes are awesome for running on ice covered paths.

In between some of the snow I found myself getting a 5k personal best of 17:51 at Bushy parkrun. It was hard work (as 5k always is) but very satisfying considering the cancellation of the marathon.

A few more parkruns (they’ve been going on all year, I’ve just not mentioned them above) and a couple of small mob-match/races completed the year.

  • December mileage – 101 (before I go out for a few miles later today!)

My total run mileage for 2010 was around 1285 (1311 in 2009, 1028 in 2008, 1320 in 2007) so I’m ticking over again and have no complaints after a slow start to the year.  Here’s my monthly run mileage for the past four years where you can see trends for 2010 such as my mileage increasing for my summer Ironman and then again in my October/November marathon run focus.

Here’s a summary of the running races I took part in (ignoring parkruns) during 2010:

  • 20 Feb: Ranelagh Harriers ‘mob match’ against Blackheath & Bromley
  • 27 Mar: Ranelagh Harriers Baker Cup
  • 16 May: Bognor Prom 10k – 39:53
  • 31 May: Thames Turbo Triathlon – 17th overall
  • 13 Jun: Bala Middle Distance Triathlon – 4:48:15
  • 13 Jul: Ranelagh Harriers Coad Cup
  • 18 Jul: Challenge Roth – 10:10:58
  • 30 Jul: Wedding Day 7k – 26:25
  • 30 Aug: Thames Turbo Triathlon
  • 04 Sep: Vitruvian Triathlon – 4:28:01
  • 09 Oct: Surrey League Cross Country
  • 17 Oct: Cabbage Patch 10
  • 23 Oct: Ranelagh Harriers ‘mob match’ against SLH
  • 20 Nov: Ranelagh Harriers ‘mob match’ against TH&H
  • 12 Dec: Stragglers/26.2 ‘mob match’
  • 26 Dec: Stragglers Cabbage Patch 4

So, what’s in store for 2011. The cancellation of the Luton Marathon means that I will be going for my London Marathon ‘Good For Age’ time at Brighton in April and we’ll see what happens then. I’m going to be busy at work for at least the first few months of 2010 so I’m currently not planning another Ironman. I will however continue to swim/bike/run train and will do a couple of Half Ironman races in 2010.

Oh, I also seem to have got myself one of my running club ‘ballot’ places in the London Marathon so right now I plan to run the Brighton Marathon and then seven days later the London Marathon. Could be interesting!

Looking back at what I wrote in my Challenge Roth race report at the end of July – six months later and everything remains the same…

“So, what next…. the trouble with most of these Ironman distance races is that you have to enter them a year in advance and I’m not sure I want to commit to one next summer. What I’m currently thinking is concentrating on getting a better standalone marathon time under my belt and also getting some good cycle training in next year. If I don’t do something like the Outlaw Iron distance race in the UK in August 2011 then my next big race will be in 2012, and it could be any of them…possibly even Challenge Wanaka in New Zealand.”

David Sharon The Boxing Day Double 2010

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There’s always parkrun at Bushy Park on Christmas day and it’s a great way of getting an extra run in over the Christmas break.  However, with the 25th falling on a Saturday there’s no extra run to take advantage of.

Well…. the good people at Black Park parkrun near Slough decided to run an event on Boxing Day at 9:30am. Excellent.  The trouble is, I love running the ‘Cabbage Patch 4′ race on Boxing Day as well (at 11am).  What should I do…. The Double of course!

Showing off the 'spikes' - photo: Kirsty Bangham

Showing off the 'spikes' - photo: Kirsty Bangham

After picking up Kirsty we were at Black Park by 9am to get ready for the 9:30am start.  Following the ice fest that was Bushy Park on Christmas Day I thought I’d try a new strategy – wearing cross country ‘spikes’ rather than just trail shoes.  In my shoe bag I had some brand new 5mm spikes which did absolutely nothing to help grip so had only one option – go for the ‘beavers teeth’ – a set of 15mm spikes that stick out like, well, er, beavers teeth, from the bottom of my shoes.

After a short test run and warmup I decided that the grip on the snow and ice was amazing.  Decision made.

As we lined up for the start there was a big group of runners – in fact just a few under 150.

We set of and within a few seconds we’d all settled into our pace and I found myself in about 7th place.  I had a chap in full Santa Claus outfit (with beard) right on my tail.  After about 1.5 miles I edged ahead of him and hung on to keep in sixth place.

The ‘spikes’ I wore were fantastic and made a huge difference.  I was able to concentrate more on running, rather than dodging around the ice on the ground.

I crossed the line after a solid effort in sixth place in 18:53 – a position and time that I was very happy with.

After registering my parkrun barcode we jumped in the car and headed straight to Twickenham for the 4 mile race at 11am…

The Cabbage Patch 4 race was an altogether different affair.  Trail shoes were worn, the Thames towpath was covered in ice and it was bloody scary and difficult to run!  The amount of times my feet slipped around on the ice was incredible and this, together with the fact that my lower right leg was hurting (as a result of the difficult run at Bushy parkrun yesterday), ensured that I took the run nice and steady.  This is and still remains one of my favourite races, although the conditions were really tough.

I followed the run with big hot chocolate at the local coffee shop with friends.  All in all a good morning out.

David Sharon Christmas Day 2010 at Bushy parkrun

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Christmas Day 2010 at Bushy parkrun

Christmas Day 2010 at Bushy parkrun

Christmas Day at 9am means Bushy parkrun – well at least is has done since 2006.

Last year I didn’t run (damn injury) but Sharon did. This year we were both at the start – albeit not fighting fit!

Recent snow and ice had made the course absolutely treacherous. The paths that make the 5km route had become sheet ice and completely un-walkable, let alone runnable. With the cancellation of a couple of other local Christmas Day parkruns because of ice this meant that the numbers at Bushy were going to be more than usual.

Over 530 people were lined up at the start in fine weather, apart from the freezing cold and ice underfoot! After a brief set of announcements we set off on our way – albeit cautiously – a theme that continued for the rest of the run.

I saw one runner almost slip just after 1km and another who was about 3 metres in front of me fell at about 2.5km. He soon got up, overtook me and stayed ahead of me so didn’t come a cropper!

It was hard work on the snow and ice and my time of 19:33 showed that. Of the 531 finishers there were six runners who got new Personal Bests. Looking at Christmas Day 2009 where there were 414 finishers there were 27 runners who recorded PB’s. Clearly the conditions were not conducive to fast times.

Sharon ‘slogged’ her way round to her worst ever parkrun time, but finished with a smile on her face – and to be honest – that’s all that matters.

David Sharon Woodbank parkrun – 18 December 2010

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Mid December found Sharon and I visiting her family in Leek, Staffordshire.  As our visit included a Saturday then we had to consider a local parkrun – of which the two nearest are Bramhall and Woodbank, close to Stockport.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse with some recent snow and from weighing up both events and the likelihood of a last minute cancellation we opted for Woodbank – as they have an alternative 5k route for these kind of conditions.

So, after an early start we headed to Woodbank – found the car park close to the park and saw a growing number of lycra clad runners get out of there cars and head towards the running track.

Well, the location is perfect!  There’s plenty of car parking (if you’re in a car – if it weren’t 30 miles away then I’d rather run/cycle there), then there’s a little club-house to shelter from the cold, and finally toilets literally 15 metres from the start line!

Today (well, the 18th) was the Woodbank pre-Christmas parkrun and almost everyone was wearing a santa hat or similar.  Except Sharon and I who forgot to pack ours when we drove up the day before.  Rest assured we’ll have our hats out on Christmas Day at Bushy parkrun.

Because of the snow a sensible decision was made to run the three lap flat course rather than the regular two lap ‘full’ course.

David - photo: John Paul Kearns

David - photo: John Paul Kearns

After a short briefing the 43 of us headed off onto the first of three laps.  Looking at recent results I should be right up at the sharp end of things so headed off in close pursuit of the two chaps who raced off the front.  One runner opened up a slight lead and in second place was a youngster in a ’10 club’ tee.

About two thirds of the way round the first lap I overtook the second place runner and then had probably a 10 second gap between myself and first place.  The trouble is, I just couldn’t bring the gap down!  The on course support from the marshalls was superb and very encouraging – but clearly every word of “you’re catching him up” to me was preceded a few seconds before by “keep pushing, the tall lanky one in the hundred club t-shirt is getting closer!”

Being a three lap course I lapped a few of the slower runners and we gave one another plenty of support.  Everyone was super friendly.  Must be a northern thing.

In the final km the leader extended his lead and by the finish beat me by 15 seconds.  My time was 19:11.  Considering the conditions (and the fact that my Garmin measured the course at 3.24 miles – however accurate that may be) I was happy with that time, although would have loved the victory!

Sharon - photo: John Paul Kearns

Sharon - photo: John Paul Kearns

At the finish line we were all given a goodie bag – leftovers from the Stockport 10 road race the week before and then ushered into the Stockport Harriers clubhouse for tea/coffee and cakes.

Everyone we spoke to was incredibly friendly, the number of runners was very manageable, the facilities were top-knotch and this event (of the 16 different parkruns that I’ve been to) had a lovely ‘feel’ to it.

Well done Woodbank parkrun.