Beautiful Gibside Chapel

Race no. 83 Great Run Local

Autumn Colours At Gibside

The Warm up

It was a short journey through Rowlands Gill for my second race of the weekend, the Great Run Local at Gibside, and what a beautiful setting for a crisp, autumn morning.

After a jog and organised warm up away we went, but I was off the pace as the fast guys left me for dead. Was it  the effort of yesterday's Parkrun, or that nice half bottle of Rioja last night? Who knows, but at least I found a bit of energy on the long pull uphill and actually caught and passed one of the front runners. Then, that very welcome turn for home and yes, I can still run fast, very fast downhill!

At the finish I recorded 25.24 for this tough 5K race, probably about par for the course. I was told on my very first run here that it was about three minutes slower than your average Parkrun time and that was pretty accurate.

By the time you return to your car and switch on your mobile the result from the run has already been texted. Lovely people, lovely surroundings, what more could you want from a run?

Statistics
14th position from a field of 80.
There is also a 2K course, just right for beginners, or anyone returning form injury.

A Two Race Weekend

Race no. 82 Town Moor Parkrun

Away We Go!

Looking comfortable

I recognise Chris' style and those long socks!

Pass me? Not this time!

The field is off!

 The month of October  has seen me just ticking over and conserving energy for a busy November to come with a cross country, the Brampton to Carlisle Road Race, Norman Woodcock at Gosforth Park and the Town Moor Memorial 10K scheduled for the month.

Saturday saw the Graham family back on the Town Moor, for another Parkrun. For Chris it was  milestone, a new 19.24 minute pb. For Laura, also a pb, as she enjoyed some 'me' time,  her parents looking after baby, Alfie. For me, just another day at the office, recording a 'standard' 5k circuit of the 'Moor'.

It was a perfect day for running, cool, but no wind as 650 runners set off on the 5K circuit. Chris had joined his Heaton Harriers' team mates at the front, whilst I tried to stick to my 'don't go off too fast' strategy. Laura, meanwhile, had her own challenge - one that mere men will never experience - getting back into running after giving birth.

As I ran, the crowded field thinned out a little and I cast around for my age category rivals. "How" , I wondered," had I only recorded a third place V65 last time out?" As the 4K marker was passed I spotted one of my rivals picking up his pace. "Not this time", I thought, as I also increased pace with a couple of hundred yards to go,  really putting my foot on the gas pedal all the way to the line. Looking at 'Strava' after the race I see that I recorded 5.37 minute miling pace to the line, that's fast!

I was second V65 in 22.20 for 162nd position. Joseph White, Sunderland Harriers was 165th in 22.24. Ian Mason was ahead of both of us in 22.03 for 153rd place. My next target is to get back under 22 minutes - why not?

Chris, who is steadily improving his finishing times, recorded 19.24 for 49th place. Laura finished in 31.05 for 524th.

That will be my last 'Town Moor' for a while as I look for a bit of variety in my racing. It will not be my last 5K however, as I fancy the hilly Great Run Local tomorrow at Gibside. I am also taking part in a test run for the latest Parkrun to start in this area, the Prudhoe Riverside Park, next Sunday. That after the Norman Woodcock Memorial Race next Saturday -no rest for the wicked!

Keep On Racing!

Race no. 81 Back to the Parkrun Town Moor, Again!

Chris makes it look easy!

But it's hard for me at the finish.

 

 

Use it, or lose, it is a true saying in terms of fitness and particularly relevant to racing. So it was that I realised it was weeks since I had a proper race - the Tynedale 10 mile/ Great North Run - and I needed just to race again.

Yes, I had my excuses for missing the first two cross country events of the season. Firstly, a chest cold for Wrekenton, then a weekend antiques fair in Kelso, but a glance at the diary told me there was a family wedding coming up in Scotland next week and very little mention of races. The answer? The usual fallback of a 5K Parkrun. Back to the Town Moor for me then, and my lad, Chris, was also up for it.

On a cold and wet Saturday morning we joined the hundreds of runners, on Newcastle's Town Moor for the weekly Parkrun. The rain got even heavier as we warmed up with a circuit of the lake, before retreating under the portico of the Exhibition Hall which is now the Wylam Brewery ( producer of my favourite real ale), for some stretching.

A cultural note, now, for the original North East Coast Exhibition was based here in 1929, attracting several million visitors. This week it was announced that the Great North Exhibition 2018 will be held in Newcastle/Gateshead with the same ambition, you heard it here first.

Having lost a little of my racing edge, I let Chris start some way ahead of me and he was soon lost to sight. My 7.09 for mile one was followed by 7.17 for mile 2 and 7.38 for mile 3. My grimace for the last 0.1 mile to the finish (above) shows the effort needed to drop this pace to 6.22 miling.

Chris with the advantage of youth and fitness was able to knock a mile a minute off my pace, recording 19.51 for the 5K compared to my 22.52. Well done, son.

C.J. finished in 48th position to my 159th in the field of 643, yes 643 on a miserable morning!

My (relatively) disappointing display having focussed my mind on the remaining 19 races of this century of races challenge, I have just looked at the Future North East Races site and booked a few races into my schedule. This now looks something like this:

Oct. 29/30 (cannot find much choice, hence ) Parkrun/ Great Run Local
Nov. 1 Monthly Mile (?)
Nov. 5 Norman Woodcock Mem. Gosforth Park
Nov. 6 Inaugral Parkrun Prudhoe
Nov. 12/13 either Cragside 10 mile Trail, or Townmoor Mem 10K
Nov 20 Brampton /Carlisle 10m.
Nov. 26/27 Harrier League Cross Country or Ponteland 10m.
Dec. 4 Hexhamshire Hobble Fell Race
Dec. 10/11 ???
Dec. 17 Saltwell 10K

Back to the 'Moor for Race no.80

Lining up on the Moor

A face in the crowd - that's me behind the guy in orange

Chris going for it.

Leaning right for the turn

Am I running today, Granpops?

What a nice surprise at Saturday's Town Moor Parkrun. Having decided at the last minute to put in another Parkrun, the first people I saw at Claremont Road carpark was grandson, Alfie, plus Chris and Laura.

I was still a bit sore from my recent efforts on road and mountain as we lined up with the usual five hundred plus runners.So so much so, that I was happy to let the fast boys and girls, including Chris, dash off, as I settled into a comfortable seven minute miling pace.

Of course, that is still faster than my half marathon pace and I was having to work by the time we reached the 3K point to maintain a reasonable pace. 7.07 for mile one, 7.12 for mile 2 and 7.26 for mile 3, then the finish was in sight and up the pace went to 6.24 and through the line in 22.35 for this 5K course.

Race number 80 in the bag and a few days off are planned before my next scheduled race,the North East Harrier League Cross Country at Wrekenton, next Saturday. My last cross country , at Durham, earlier in the year was a painful experience in the deep mud. I can only hope that it was just an off day for me, here's hoping.

Statistics
Finished in 22.35 for 109th place, 2nd V65
Chris was 39th in 20.20.
553 ran.

A Tough Tynedale 10 Mile Jelly Tea Race

Race no. 79 Hills and More Hills

Hexham Race Course looking over the Shire

I can smile, after the race!

Ouch, that hurt and that was just setting off from Hexham Race Course at the beginning of the Tynedale 10 Mile Race!

Yes, I obviously hadn't recovered from my efforts in last week's Great North Run. My calves were tight and everything was just, sore. As I settled into an easy pace for the first couple of miles, I was running alongside my pal and V60 rival, Richard Sill of Morpeth Harriers, it must have been an easy pace, for we were chatting, or maybe Richard was. I had remarked on my soreness and he told me "I am a doctor and you need a day of recovery for every race mile". Actually, I made that up as he would not say the doctor bit, but he was right about recovery and it was only seven days since the GNR. 

Well that is me getting in my excuses for a slower time than I would have liked, but the hills in this scenic race are tough. Over the ten mile route you actually climb 1,088 feet and it feels that and more. At least I ran them all, albeit at a slow pace for the really steep sections.

The first mile was nice and level, then the road drops down to the Devil Water, before starting the first climb. Having run with Richard to this point, I watched as he disappeared ahead of me and didn't see him again until the finish. It was now just about getting around and as I had put aside my usual competive nature I could enjoy the rolling countryside - on what other road race would the marshals (well done lads and lasses of Tynedale) have to warn you of the slippery surface as you run through a ford!

My GPS watch was telling me that my early pace of seven minute miling had dropped to over ten minutes for some of the hills, but was averaging at 8.30 and I was happy enough with that pace. Having upped my average run distances after a year of 5K and 10K races, it was almost pleasant to cruise along at a pace which wasn't eye popping. So it was that I put in a faster pace from seven to eight miles back down to the Dilston Burn (Devil Water) before hitting that final, tough climb up to the Race Course Road. Here I was caught by another of my local rivals, Lynn Valentine, Sunderland Strollers. Lynn has done this in every race we have shared, catching me in the last couple of miles - good luck to her. I also noticed that it took some time to catch runners who were actually walking the steep bits. What was particularly galling was having passed them, at least one of these runners/walkers actually overtook me again before the finish!

But, no recriminations from me as to my finishing position, the steep hills, hot weather, etc; it was a lovely day out in wonderful scenery - look at the view across the shire, above, at the finish, wow! We live in a wonderful area.

The resuts show that Richard Sill was first V60 in 1.20.32 for 24th place, I was second in 1.25.32. 102 lucky runners ran.

Post Script to the Great North Run
Having put aside my competive instincts during the race, I spotted a number of runners from a Tyneside club at the finish and could not stop myself from asking them if one of their V65 members had actually beaten me in the Great North Run. "No", they responded " 'X', had given his number to another (younger) member. That meant that I had actually being first in my age category in this international half marathon, no prize, but what a moral victory, morale booster.

Great North Run 2016

Race No. 78 A Half Marathon Effort

A Proud Dad and Sophie at the finish

Caught unawares at the Percy Hedley marquee and what about those stockings!

Before the race

Hurrah! It all came together on the day.

Yes, my training paid off and I came safely through the first half marathon that I have run for a number of years. The sun shone, the crowds cheered and I ran a controlled race to finish in a quite decent time. What more could I want, apart from a sprint finish with Mo ?

It is a year or two, or more - quite a few more, since I could run a half marathon in 1.23, in fact my last Great North Run was 1.29.30. That thirty seconds under 1hour 30 was vital, for at the time I vowed that if I couldn't run under 1.30 then I wouldn't run another. That was until my lovely daughter, Sophie, said that she had an entry for this year.

How could I get an entry and accompany her - at her pace?

The first part of the question was quickly answered when fellow harrier, Louise Griffin, told me that local charity for the disabled, The Percy Hedley Foundation, had entries available for runners. Could I raise some sponsorship monies for them? Of course I could.

The second part was a little more difficult, Sophie refusing outright to run with me, stating that I was too competitive to run at her pace. Competitive, moi?

So, at 10.15 am Sophie and I parted, she to go to her White starting block 2.00/ 2.15 hours start and I to my Orange 1.35. I will confess that the latter time was never my finishing target, but everyone tells a little white lie for their target, don't they? In my mind, I had always planned to run 8 minute miles, which is a 1.44 finishing time.

Come 10.40 am and away we went, going through the start line just four minutes after the elite. The first couple of miles takes you slightly downhill to the River Tyne and over the iconic Tyne Bridge. It was now a struggle to hold back as my fellow runners set a reasonable pace encouraged on by very enthusiastic crowds. 7.05 for mile one, 7.35 for mile 2 and 7.32 past Gateshead Stadium for mile 3.

Passing the stadium I spotted a neighbour of mine, Andrew McKegney, who I introduced to running some years ago.
"What time are you looking for, Andrew? " I asked.
"Same as last year, 1.43", he replied.
"Well, we have a couple of minutes in hand and can ease off , a touch " I cautioned as he started to open a gap ahead of me.

Half a mile down the road I caught him again going through mile 4 in 8.08. The road now climbs, passing Heworth Metro. Still climbing it was 8.24 for mile 5, my slowest of the race. Having taking onboard a Lucozade Sports drink (4.5m), I added some water at six miles (7.53), leaving the energy gel I carried for the half way mark. I also had a salt stick capsule in my short's pocket to take at 7 miles (7.31). In all this activity I  passed Andrew without seeing him.

At 8 miles ( 7.41) I took my last refreshment, before knuckling down to the tough section up to the eleven mile mark in South Shields. Nine miles was 8.11 and the most suprising sight of my regular race rival, Harry Matthews. I have raced against Harry of Elswick Harriers for almost thirty years and he is always ahead of me. Today with a quick greeting and without changing pace, I was past him.   7.48 for 10 miles, 8.06 for Prince Edward Road (11 miles) and a definite climb. Then that glorious first sight of the sea as you turn onto the sea front for the 12 mile marker (8.00).

No matter how many times one does the Great North Run, you will want to sprint this last mile and a bit. Sometimes you can actually do it. Other times, there is nothing left in the tank. Today, I felt quite good and picked up the pace. With 800 metres to go and the end in sight  I thought that I was sprinting, but my watch told me otherwise and I headed for the line in 7.40 for the last mile.

Over the line and I felt good, oh, so good. What on earth had I been worried about ?

After collecting my race pack, including that so important, Great north Run Tee shirt to add to the growing mountain of tee shirts from my 100 race challenge, I headed to my sponsor's marquee. The massage on my sore calves and quads was much appreciated, before reluctantly refusing further refreshment, for after recovering my bag (and mobile) from the baggage bus I needed to contact Sophie.


"I have just passed 12 miles, Dad". Sophie replied to my question as to how she was doing.
"Excellent, I will see you at the meeting point, soon" I said, proudly.

Doesn't she look good, very, very good for someone who has just ran their first half marathon as a relative new comer  to running?

Statistics

Sophie finished in 2 hours12.06 for  17,698 th position.
I finished in 1hr.42.43 for 3,068th position and 2nd V65.
57,000 ran.


PS
Today, Monday 12 September I have asked myself the question what shall I do for Race no. 79? The Tynedale Harriers 10 Mile Jelly Tea Race, next Sunday , 18th Sept., of course. My achillies injury had prevented me from doing this race last year over its new, hilly, very hilly course. After yesterday's GNR, there is nothing to fear, is there?

Parkrun Rising Sun, Newcastle upon Tyne

Race no.77 3 Sept. 2016 The last race before Great North Run

Rising Sun Country Park

Chris finishes

Pushing It!

Another Race Done

My thanks to Rob Kirtley for these excellent images.

What happened to August? I have to ask myself that question as my race schedule shows that I only had one race, The Stamfordham 10K, during the month.

Well yes, that is true, but August was actually a month for recovery and mileage. Recovery from the Wiggle Hell of Hexham, my marathon cycle sportive and upping the length of my runs to half marathon distance.

Having given myself a week to recover from the sportive, I started to increase my mileage, finishing the month with 100k of running recorded on Strava. I also ran that 10K just to check on my general fitness. What it showed was that I had very sore quads and boy did I suffer at the hands of Toni Robson (www.revitalisehexham.co.uk) when she tried to massage the knots out of those sore muscles. After the second session, which I managed to get through without too much pain, I was ready for my first race in September.

Parkrun Rising Sun was a new one to me when my son , Chris, suggested it and I am glad he did for it turned out to be a fast course. Not only that, but it is in a country park and made for very pleasant running conditions.

I will have to postpone my pledge to set off at a steady pace in races for the Great North Run, for today I shot off from the start, leaving my more sensible son to shake his head at my 6 minute pace. By the end of the first mile my pace had dropped to 6.47 and Chris (6.39) was past. Now in oxygen debt I was down to 7.35 for mile two, before picking up the pace to 7.24 for the mile three, finishing in 22.29 mins.

Chris meanwhile, had kept below seven minute pace, finishing in 20.52. Am I too old to learn pace judgement? I will have to for next Sunday, or I will be in trouble long before South Shields.

Chris was 12th finisher, I was 30th from 178 runners. 1st V65.

Now I am having a few days in the Mediterranean sun as I taper down for the Biggee!