My PBs
Details (e.g., entry forms and results) of running races (e.g., 10K, 10M and half marathon),
both road races and multi-terrain,
in North East England:
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear,
County Durham,
Teesside, North Yorkshire, ...
Generated: Fri 03 Sep at 00:01:19 BST
I took up running in March 2001 and ran until November 2004 when I developed a knee injury. During three and a half years, I completed 149 races. Because of the knee injury, I decided to stop training. However, I started again in December 2007, and did my first race after the break in May 2008.
Here are the results of the races that I have completed,
where the races are given in pb order.
There are separate tables for the Blaydon race, 10Ks, 10Ms and
half marathons.
The fastest time is given by the first entry of each table.
| date |
day
time |
location
distance |
my time
0.5K pace K pace M pace win time me/win win/wor |
who ran links |
comments, comments, comments | splits | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 2002 | 09 | Sun | Blaydon Race 5.7M | 39m24s 2m08s 4m17s 6m54s 26m19s 1.50 |
| not as wet as last year; second under 7m race; officially 40m45s; that beats last year's official time by 5m31s which is about 12% better; support from Gilbert | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Jun 2003 | 09 | Mon 1900 | Blaydon 5.7M | 39m40s 2m09s 4m19s 6m57s 26m24s 1.50 |
| sultry; took 24s off stopwatch time as it took this to get to the start; officially 40m38s; much better start thanks to MickyC who beat me by 12s; 2M marker was too early; not sure why 7m52s | 6m57s, 5m52s, 7m58s, 6m59s, 7m52s, 4m27s | |||||||||||
| 3 | Jun 2004 | 09 | Wed 1900 | Blaydon 5.7M | 44m01s 2m23s 4m47s 7m43s 27m15s 1.62 |
| officially 44m20s; disaster: I chatted to someone at 1.8M and got terrible stitch which I could not get rid of | 6m47s, 7m13s, 8m39s, 7m41s+7m40s (15m21s), 6m00s | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jun 2001 | 09 | Sat | Blaydon Race 5.7M | 46m16s 2m31s 5m02s 8m07s 26m51s 1.72 |
| pouring with rain | ||||||||||||
| date |
day
time |
location
distance |
my time
my pace win time me/win win/wor |
who ran links |
comments, comments, comments | splits | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 2002 | 01 | Sun | Leeds Abbey Dash 10K | 42m52s 2m08s 4m17s 6m53s 30m00s 1.43 1.10 |
| officially 43m02s; foolishly forgot to eat and drink on journey to Leeds; drizzle; hemmed in at the start; didn't see 6K and the 3m56s looks odd; 16 runners from DU CC Club took part | 4m08s, 4m14s, 4m15s, 4m20s, 4m26s, 4m40s, 4m40s, 3m56s, 4m12s, 4m02s | |||||||||||
| 2 | Apr 2002 | 07 | Sun | Wakefield Hospice City 10K | 43m29s 2m10s 4m20s 6m59s 31m35s 1.38 1.16 |
| first under 7 minute race; very pleased; dry; bright; sunny, but cold; a few gentle hills | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Nov 2003 | 30 | Sun 0930 | Leeds Abbey Dash 10K | 43m31s 2m10s 4m21s 7m00s 29m24s 1.48 1.08 |
| officially 43m46s but took some time to get to the start and the finish look chaotic; winner was 36s faster than in 2002; dry with bright sunshine making markers difficult to detect on return route; seemed to be more runners where I was but only a 6% increase in finishers; disappointed not to get a PB: got a third PB; they'd change the finish: it was narrower and crowded which made it difficult to do a last minute sprint; was good to leave at 0700 | 3m50s, 4m29s, 4m22s, 4m22s, 4m45s, 4m09s, 4m21s, 4m33s, 4m24s, 4m17s | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jul 2003 | 02 | Wed 1930 | Tynedale 10K | 43m33s 2m10s 4m21s 7m00s 29m48s 1.46 1.09 |
| need to leave work earlier than 1735; "flat rural 10K along minor roads and tracks"; very slight drizzle; 2nd fastest 10K (29m48s) I've entered; I was lazy during 3rd M; the 6M marker was too early and this caused me to burn out in the final straight; pleased with my time; good atmosphere; support from Karl and Fiona; skipped the pie and peas 'cos of long queue; went to Boathouse afterwards with D, O, K and F | 6m33s, 6m58s, 7m22s, 6m58s, 7m19s, 6m13s, 2m07s | |||||||||||
| 5 | Dec 2001 | 09 | Sun | Scarborough Xmas Cracker 10K | 44m08s 2m12s 4m24s 7m06s |
| cold; foggy; two laps of a housing estate; support from Gilbert | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Aug 2003 | 05 | Tue 1930 | Morpeth 10K | 44m17s 2m12s 4m25s 7m07s 31m27s 1.41 1.15 |
| humid; enjoyable; covered the last 1.21M in 7m34s which seems to be a 6m15s pace (!) or 14m54s for last 2.21M which is a 6m45s pace; this is my 5th fastest 10K | 6m48s, 7m39s, 6m43s, 8m13s, 7m20s, 6m15s+1m19s (7m34s) | |||||||||||
| 7 | Aug 2002 | 11 | Sun | Darlington 10K | 44m20s 2m12s 4m25s 7m08s 30m21s 1.46 1.11 |
| dry and cool; k markers; ran with MickyC for first 6K in 26m00s, he then stayed with the pace to complete in 43m25s whereas I did 4m40s, 4m40s, 4m55s and 4m02s; ITS Club 9 came 2nd in male non-athletic team which is better than last year when we were 3rd; support from Gilbert and Kieran | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Jul 2002 | 03 | Wed | Tynedale 10K | 44m30s 2m13s 4m27s 7m09s 30m15s 1.47 1.11 |
| about 7% better than last year; support from Gilbert, Karl and Fiona | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Aug 2003 | 10 | Sun 1030 | Darlington 10K | 44m43s 2m14s 4m28s 7m11s 31m01s 1.44 1.13 |
| before the start, we applied sunblock because of the strong sun; however, the weather suddenly changed: we started in complete darkness which developed into a thunderstorm with torrential rain, strong cross-winds, 6 foot wide rivers and enormous pools some of which (5" deep) could not be avoided; disappointed at my time but, if you take 40s off for the conditions, it was my 4th fastest 10K; ran with HangedUp's kinetic work looping in my head; Peter Grime (Durham University) came second and ITS Club 9 won the male non-athletic club team prize | 3m57s, 5m28s, 3m36s, 4m41s, 4m22s, 4m45s, 4m43s, 4m31s, 4m39s, 4m02s | |||||||||||
| 10 | Aug 2003 | 03 | Sun 1030 | Harrogate 10K | 44m43s 2m14s 4m28s 7m11s 30m37s 1.46 1.12 |
| hot; nice course: two laps, with small hills at 1.5K, 4.8K and 7K, a 2K downhill from 3K and 8K; too much traffic; lots of entries from the AFC | 4m23s, 4m23s, 4m36s, 4m03s, 4m11s, 4m57s, 4m39s, 5m26s, 4m02s, 4m04s | |||||||||||
| 11 | Feb 2002 | 03 | Sun | Dewsbury 10K | 44m50s 2m14s 4m28s 7m12s 29m41s 1.51 1.09 |
| as boring as Leeds; too early (0930); headwind; some K markers (people!) | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Jul 2003 | 09 | Wed 1930 | Croft Circuit (Darlington) 10K | 44m50s 2m14s 4m28s 7m12s 33m03s 1.36 1.21 |
| 3 laps of the Croft motor racing circuit; boring but flat; muggy; ITS Club 9 won the Corporate Team prize (a silver plate each for M, L and me) | 4m18s + 4m18s (3m16s + 5m20s), 4m43s, 4m34s, 4m24s, 4m25s, 4m43s, 4m21s, 4m49s, 4m18s | |||||||||||
| 13 | Aug 2003 | 31 | Sun 1100 | Tholthorpe York 10K | 44m59s 2m14s 4m29s 7m14s 31m03s 1.45 1.14 |
| warm; good atmosphere; 364 finishers; tried but failed to do negative splits on made-up K markers; hard to go slow at start; last year's winner did 32m45s, multiply that by 1.40 gives 45m52s, so I aimed for 5K of 4m40s followed by 5K of 4m30s to give 45m50s but got 44m50s! | mile markers; rough Ks were 4m25s, 4m36s+4m36s (5m15s+3m57s), 4m42s, 4m26s, 4m44s, 4m50s+4m50s (5m34s+4m06s), 4m18s, 3m25s | |||||||||||
| 14 | May 2004 | 26 | Wed 1915 | Whitley Bay 10K | 45m03s 2m15s 4m30s 7m15s 32m41s 1.38 1.20 |
| "Clive Cookson Race formerly the WoW Race"; "T-shirt"; "barbecue" (not free); 2 lap course | 4m09s, 4m39s, 4m41s, 4m15s, 4m26s, 4m35s, 4m55s, 4m50s, 4m18s, 4m14s | |||||||||||
| 15 | Nov 2003 | 09 | Sun 1102 | Newcastle Town Moor 10K | 45m05s 2m15s 4m30s 7m15s 31m04s 1.45 1.14 |
| dry, with a headwind from the SE; uneven tarmac paths; I beat last year's time by just 8s; the course went the opposite way round to last year's; 8K marker was 0.2K too early; 5 runners from DU CC club did well | 4m15s, 4m29s, 4m29s, 4m35s, 4m38s, 4m37s, 4m41s, 4m27s+4m27s (3m33s+5m21s), 4m28s | |||||||||||
| 16 | Dec 2001 | 02 | Sun | Leeds Abbey Dash 10K | 45m08s 2m15s 4m30s 7m15s |
| officially 45m28s but took 0m20s to get to the start; lots of fun runners; too early (0930); cold; drab; boring | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Nov 2002 | 10 | Sun | Newcastle Town Moor 10K | 45m13s 2m15s 4m31s 7m16s 31m06s 1.45 1.14 |
| three laps; flat, tarmac, puddles; dry with a headwind for half the course; problem with watch so last two splits are made up | 4m20s, 4m25s, 4m23s, 4m35s, 4m52s, 4m36s, 4m32s, 4m33s, 4m30s, 4m27s | |||||||||||
| 18 | May 2003 | 25 | Sun 1130 | Melmerby 10K | 45m16s 2m15s 4m31s 7m17s 31m48s 1.42 1.16 |
| undulating; got drenched for 5m after 1K; gave new shoes (Air Span Triax) a christening; big puddles on country lanes; undulating; difficult-to-find K markers; info about BSBRS is here | 4m00s, 4m30s, 4m31s, 4m59s, 4m38s, 4m45s + 4m45s (9m30s), 4m42s, 4m24s, 4m04s | |||||||||||
| 19 | Aug 2002 | 25 | Sun | Bishop Auckland 10K | 45m23s 2m16s 4m32s 7m18s 28m59s 1.57 1.06 |
| dry; K markers; two laps around BA; hilly in places; well organised; too early (0930); lots of Kenyans fastest being Kimtai (28m59s); MickyC did it in 44m04s; I kept up with him for 4K | ||||||||||||
| 20 | Jun 2002 | 02 | Sun | Hamsterley 10K | 45m33s 2m16s 4m33s 7m19s 36m57s 1.23 1.35 |
| muggy; about 40% off road; some overlap with WR course; K markers; aimed for 4m40s and achieved 4m33s; Butterwick Hospice | ||||||||||||
| 21 | Feb 2002 | 10 | Sun | Pennypot (Harrogate) 10K | 45m36s 2m16s 4m33s 7m20s 32m17s 1.41 1.18 |
| boring; headwind out (24m00s) and tailwind back (21m36s); markers only at 5K and 9K; no training | ||||||||||||
| 22 | Jun 2003 | 29 | Sun 1145 | Rainton 10K | 45m36s 2m16s 4m33s 7m20s 33m20s 1.37 1.22 |
| "70% road and 30% tracks"; flat; very hot; think I ran out of energy 'cos of the heat; overtook JE on final straight but he raced me to the line and beat me; good village atmosphere; info about BSBRS is here | 6m46s, 7m05s, 7m11s, 7m54s, 8m12s, 7m11s, 1m16s | |||||||||||
| 23 | May 2003 | 21 | Wed 1915 | Whitley Bay 10K | 45m38s 2m16s 4m33s 7m20s 31m22s 1.45 1.15 |
| drizzle; 2 laps; some uneven surfaces and a slight headwind at times; felt good and pleased with time especially last 2K; too late for the barbecue | 4m04s, 4m52s, 4m50s, 4m20s, 4m26s, 4m34s, 5m06s, 5m03s, 4m11s, 4m12s | |||||||||||
| 24 | Jun 2003 | 18 | Wed 1930 | Ripon 10K | 45m41s 2m17s 4m34s 7m21s 33m41s 1.36 1.23 |
| two long drags in first 2M; steep hill in 4th M; 5M marker was probably too late; nice sausages; good atmosphere; warm | 7m15s, 8m06s, 6m41s, 8m21s, 6m43s + 6m43s (8m16s + 5m10s); 1m52s | |||||||||||
| 25 | Jul 2004 | 14 | Wed 1930 | Croft Circuit (Darlington) 10K | 45m41s 2m17s 4m34s 7m21s 29m52s 1.53 1.09 |
| "Darlington Pit Stop 10K"; 3 laps of the Croft motor racing circuit; 2K fun run and wheelchair race as well; warm; ITS Club 9 won the Corporate Team prize for the 2nd year running; I was 53s slower than 2003; Martin Scaife beat the course record with the 2nd person 3m32s behind; I got a 1.53 against Martin's time and a 1.37 against the 2nd person! I was disappointed by a lack of markers (which I found stressing); support from Gilbert and his Puttnam friend | 4m24s+4m24s+4m25s+4m25s (17m38s), 4m50s+4m51s (9m41s), 4m44s+4m44s+4m43s (14m11s), 4m12s | |||||||||||
| 26 | Jun 2003 | 15 | Sun 1030 | Newton Aycliffe 10K | 45m42s 2m17s 4m34s 7m21s 32m14s 1.42 1.18 |
| 2.5 laps; very hot | 4m13s, 4m16s, 4m25s, 4m50s, 4m37s, 4m35s, 4m52s, 4m47s, 4m55s, 4m13s | |||||||||||
| 27 | Oct 2003 | 19 | Sun 1030 | Bramham Park (Wetherby) 10K | 45m42s 2m17s 4m34s 7m21s 32m46s 1.39 1.20 |
| multi-terrain, undulating; lack of water at end; bad that 10K started at same time as 5K and later got mixed up with 5K walkers; need a consistent approach to cattle grids; however, very enjoyable | 4m21s, 4m21s, 4m28s, 5m03s, 4m23s, 5m05s, 4m46s, 4m35s, 4m29s, 4m13s | |||||||||||
| 28 | Jun 2003 | 07 | Sat 1400 | Kirkby Malzeard 10K | 45m53s 2m17s 4m35s 7m23s 34m08s 1.34 1.25 |
| hot and sultry; used suntan lotion; reasonably hilly; may have been short of 10K; well pleased with my time which was only 34% more than the winning time; got 2 points in the BSBRS for this race; info about BSBRS is here | 7m43s, 7m30s, 8m03s, 7m29s, 7m29s, 6m51s, 0m47s | |||||||||||
| 29 | May 2004 | 30 | Sun 1130 | Melmerby 10K | 45m55s 2m17s 4m35s 7m23s 33m14s 1.38 1.22 |
| very hot; lots of sponge (and water) stations: thanks; undulating; had a cold which didn't help me beat last year's time; incredibly, at each K I kept within 7s of my 2003's times except lost 12s in each of the last 3 Ks; part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series | 2003 splits in brackets: 4m01s [4m00s], 4m34s [4m30s], 4m27s [4m31s], 5m00s [4m59s], 4m31s [4m38s], 4m47s [4m45s], 4m48s [4m45s], 4m54s [4m42s], 4m38s [4m24s], 4m16s [4m04s] | |||||||||||
| 30 | Jul 2004 | 07 | Wed 1930 | Tynedale 10K | 45m55s 2m17s 4m35s 7m23s 30m56s 1.48 1.13 |
| cool with a strong Ely wind; very enjoyable; support from Hetty and Gavin; "flat rural 10K along minor roads and tracks"; collect numbers on the night | 6m33s, 7m20s, 7m40s, 7m36s, 7m50s, 7m18s, 1m30s | |||||||||||
| 31 | Apr 2004 | 18 | Sun 1000 | Barcelona 10K | 45m58s 2m17s 4m35s 7m23s 28m32s 1.61 1.04 |
| "Cursa Bombers" (race of the firemen) ; hot; became exhausted; too much wine?; 6411 runners | 4m14s, 4m28s, 4m34s, 4m27s, 4m35s, 4m35s, 4m47s, 5m01s, 4m52s, 4m26s | |||||||||||
| 32 | Sep 2002 | 01 | Sun | Tholthorpe (York) 10K | 46m17s 2m18s 4m37s 7m26s 32m45s 1.41 1.20 |
| no training; very hot; well organised; drinks at 4M | 6m52s, 7m18s, 7m41s, 7m53s, 7m39s, 7m07s, 1m47s | |||||||||||
| 33 | Aug 2002 | 06 | Tue | Morpeth 10K | 46m37s 2m19s 4m39s 7m30s 31m14s 1.49 1.14 |
| mile markers; humid; not done much training; a bit lazy during race; suffering from achilles problem | ||||||||||||
| 34 | Jun 2004 | 05 | Sat 1400 | Kirkby Malzeard 10K | 46m39s 2m19s 4m39s 7m30s 33m10s 1.41 1.21 |
| 3 water stations which was good as it was very humid (with a breeze at times); disappointed there were no 1M, 4M or 6M markers, maybe there was white paint; part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series; fun run as well | 7m28s (cemetery), 6m51s, 8m18s, 7m09s (Warren Farm), 8m12s, 7m10s+1m30s (8m40s) | |||||||||||
| 35 | Aug 2003 | 24 | Sun 0930 | Bishop Auckland 10K | 46m40s 2m19s 4m39s 7m30s 29m13s 1.60 1.07 |
| hot; early; hadn't done any training (because of a knee problem); walked four times | 4m24s, 4m06s, 4m26s, 4m38s + 4m51s (5m38s + 3m51s), 5m02s, 5m11s, 4m43s, 4m40s, 4m40s | |||||||||||
| 36 | Aug 2001 | 07 | Tue | Morpeth 10K | 46m43s 2m20s 4m40s 7m31s |
| pouring with rain; no markers | ||||||||||||
| 37 | Jun 2001 | 17 | Sun | Newton Aycliffe 10K | 46m44s 2m20s 4m40s 7m31s 30m38s 1.53 1.12 |
| some sun | ||||||||||||
| 38 | May 2009 | 17 | Sun 1000 | Oxford 10K | 46m44s 2m20s 4m40s 7m31s 32m23s 1.44 1.18 |
| "Oxford Town and Gown 10K"; This was a different route from last year and I preferred this year's. The only problem was at the end of the race when people leaving the park collided with late runners. There were thousands of runners; there was good support and it was well marshalled. Although the rain kept off before the race, it rained quite a bit for the first half of the race (which was refreshing). I got a hamstring twinge at 3K which hurt more at 6.5K. Even so, I ran this race to my plan. I was aiming for 1K splits of 4m39s. My actual times for each 0.5K were very consistent: they varied from 2m07s to 2m25s and didn't change from one 0.5K to the next by more than 10s. My watch made this 10.17K but I think that was because of a loss of signal. | 2m07s, 2m09s, 2m14s, 2m13s, 2m23s, 2m14s, 2m22s, 2m20s, 2m15s, 2m19s, 2m23s, 2m22s, 2m14s, 2m23s, 2m19s, 2m25s, 2m22s, 2m24s, 2m22s, 2m12s, 0m45s (0.17K) | |||||||||||
| 39 | Aug 2001 | 12 | Sun | Darlington 10K | 46m53s 2m20s 4m41s 7m32s 30m57s 1.51 1.13 |
| sunny, ITS Club 9 wins 3rd unaffilated team prize | ||||||||||||
| 40 | Aug 2004 | 15 | Sun 0930 | Bishop Auckland 10K | 47m01s 2m21s 4m42s 7m33s 28m56s 1.63 1.06 |
| hot; enjoyable; 1.52 against the best NE runner (Mark Hudspeth in 31m01s) | 4m42s, 4m17s, 4m30s, 4m19s, 5m22s, 5m05s, 5m03s, 4m35s, 4m41s, 4m30s | |||||||||||
| 41 | Oct 2004 | 03 | Sun 1200 | Norham 10K | 47m03s 2m21s 4m42s 7m34s 31m44s 1.48 1.16 |
| LesV writes: "Started to rain as race started. Quite damp throughout, and fairly windy. Sun came out when race was completed"; .it rained just for the 10K; got drenched by 3M; there was also a strong headwind for the first 3M; excellent atmosphere; across the Tweed to Scotland and back; the 2nd M has a significant hill, the other incline is in the 5th M; collect numbers on the day | 7m19s, 8m14s, 7m33s, 7m39s, 7m58s, 6m57s, 1m24s | |||||||||||
| 42 | May 2010 | 16 | Sun 1000 | Oxford 10K | 47m03s 2m21s 4m42s 7m34s 32m26s 1.45 1.19 |
| "Oxford Town and Gown 10K"; A slightly revised route this year. In particular, we started outside the Keble gate to the Parks. A bit crowded at times for the first 5K. At each K, I was comparing my times with those of last year's race. My improvements for each K were +9s, +7s, +3s, +7s, -5s, +5s, -6s, -9s, -13s, -12s. So at 4K I was 26s ahead of last year's time but I then slowed up to finish 19s slower than last year's time. This was disappointing. My watch made the race 10.21K but it loses signal in a few places. | 2m02s, 2m05s, 2m08s, 2m12s, 2m14s, 2m20s, 2m17s, 2m18s, 2m15s, 2m24s, 2m20s, 2m20s, 2m23s, 2m20s, 2m27s, 2m26s, 2m29s, 2m26s, 2m29s, 2m17s, 0m58s (0.21K) | |||||||||||
| 43 | Feb 2010 | 28 | Sun 1030 | Bourton-on-the-Water 10K | 47m05s 2m21s 4m42s 7m34s 30m33s 1.54 1.12 |
| "Bourton-on-the-Water 10K"; This 10K has two laps around the centre of Bourton followed by an out-and-back course along the road that goes towards Great Rissington and then another 1.75 laps around the centre. After last year's race, they decided that the turn-round point was too early: so this year they re-measured and it was definitely 10K. Drizzle, cold and a slight wind made it less enjoyable. The publicity says that it's an "ideal course for a PB". I didn't aim for one and didn't realise I was close to one until I crossed the line: I finished in 47m05s which is 21s slower than my post 2007 10K PB. If only I'd known. This was despite the overcrowding in places and a lot of puddle-avoiding. Although my time was 1.54 times the winner's time, I got a 1.43 against the second place as the winner had a lead of over 2 minutes. | 2m01s, 2m08s, 2m13s, 2m16s, 2m20s, 2m21s, 2m22s, 2m24s, 2m16s, 2m18s, 2m22s, 2m22s, 2m29s, 2m22s, 2m26s, 2m25s, 2m23s, 2m17s, 2m15s, 2m15s, 0m41s (0.17K) | |||||||||||
| 44 | Jun 2002 | 30 | Sun | Hulne Park (Alnwick) 10K | 47m10s 2m21s 4m42s 7m35s |
| nice; traffic-free; beautiful countryside; humid with refreshing light drizzle; wasn't awake enough; hill between 1.5K and 3K; road between 2K and 5K; gravel path elsewhere | ||||||||||||
| 45 | May 2003 | 18 | Sun 1030 | Sandal Castle (Wakefield) 10K | 47m28s 2m22s 4m44s 7m38s 32m43s 1.45 1.20 |
| hot; 95% off-road; puddly; musical marshal stations; crowded especially for first 2M; still got a knee injury | 6m54s, 8m02s + 8m02s (11m58s, 4m06s), 8m43s, 7m11s, 6m50 + 1m43s (8m33s) | |||||||||||
| 46 | Feb 2003 | 02 | Sun | Roundhay Park (Leeds) 10K | 47m30s 2m22s 4m45s 7m38s 35m52s 1.32 1.31 |
| 2 lap 5K course with muddy and puddly footpaths except for 1st K and last K which were mainly on tarmac; undulating, with one small hill; strong headwind at times; Sir Jimmy Saville OBE gave me my medal | 3m38s, 5m50s, 3m58s, 5m40s, 4m00s, 4m20s, 6m09s, 4m03, 5m49s, 4m05s | |||||||||||
| 47 | Jan 2003 | 19 | Sun | Woodkirk (Leeds) 10K | 47m35s 2m22s 4m45s 7m39s 33m47s 1.41 1.24 |
| sore throat; no map; drag bet 1M and 3M; steep downhill at 3.5M; 5m00s hill bet 4M and 5M; missed 5M marker | 7m30s, 7m36s, 7m12s, 6m48s. 9m32s?, 7m25s?, 1m34s | |||||||||||
| 48 | Jun 2004 | 27 | Sun 1145 | Rainton 10K | 47m36s 2m22s 4m45s 7m39s 32m58s 1.44 1.21 |
| strong breeze for small part of race; hot; disappointing performance; not surprising (nt, np, tmb); in 2003 5th M was bad: so this year I did a split at 4.5M and this improved my time for the 5th M; good photos of the runners are here, e.g., here's one of me; part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series | difference from 2003 in brackets: 6m54s [+08s], 7m32s [+27s], 7m38s [+27s], 8m23s [+29s], 8m07s [-5s], 7m35s [+24s], 1m26s [+10s] | |||||||||||
| 49 | May 2002 | 12 | Sun | Grantley (Ripon) 10K | 47m44s 2m23s 4m46s 7m40s |
| very hot; undulating; 2K of moorland; 0.5M hill at end; scenic; nice day; Black Sheep Series; bottle of BS | ||||||||||||
| 50 | Jul 2001 | 04 | Wed | Tynedale 10K | 47m45s 2m23s 4m46s 7m41s 30m39s 1.56 1.12 |
| sunny periods | ||||||||||||
| 51 | May 2010 | 03 | Mon 1030 | Shinfield (Reading) 10K | 47m49s 2m23s 4m46s 7m41s 33m09s 1.44 1.21 |
| "Shinfield 10K"; This race starts and finishes at the Green in Shinfield and uses pavements, roads and lanes to pass through the neighbouring villages (Ryeish Green and Spencers Wood). Although it has three gentle uphill long climbs, most of the route is flat. It's the third year I've done this race and once again there was a change to the route: the last 2.5K were different. This change included an off-road narrow footpath across a field in order to get back to Shinfield. It lasted from 8.2K to 8.8K and there was a strong, cold headwind as we crossed the field. And in the last K there was a short section on an uneven pavement. Unlike last year, this year the race was licensed by UKA. Officially I finished in 48m04s but I made it 47m49s. That's strange as it took me less than 15s to get to the start. Last year, my watch made the race 9.88K with my watch roughly agreeing with the K markers all the way until the final K which was short. I completed 9.88K in 48m42s. So that made a 10K time for last year of 49m17s. My improvements on each K against last year's 1K splits were: +4s, -5s, +13s, -1s, +23s, +28s, +11s, +19s, +4s, -3s. Overall that was 1m28s better. The pressure is on to beat my post-2007 10K PB at the Oxford Town and Gown in a fortnight's time. At the finish, there was a Mayday fete including the 4Bs: a bouncy castle, a band, a barbeque and a beer tent. | 2m08s, 2m18s, 2m23s, 2m29s, 2m28s, 2m13s, 2m16s, 2m25s, 2m32s, 2m19s, 2m17s, 2m38s, 2m23s, 2m20s, 2m24s, 2m28s, 2m25s, 2m37s, 2m26s, 2m05s, 0m18s (0.09K) | |||||||||||
| 52 | Jul 2002 | 14 | Sun | Wooler 10K | 47m52s 2m23s 4m47s 7m42s |
| humid; officially 48m12s but spent 20s tying up my laces; Paul won the prize for the first man to the top of Cheviot Street Hill; Lisa won a prize for being the second woman to finish | ||||||||||||
| 53 | Dec 2009 | 13 | Sun 1100 | Chesterton 10K | 47m52s 2m23s 4m47s 7m42s 32m31s 1.47 1.19 |
| "Andy Reading 10K"; This is "a fast, flat course through the village of Chesterton and around the airfield at Weston-on-the-Green". For the first time, chips were used. Last year, I did this race in 49m10s. This year, I aimed for 48m00s which is 1.45 times last year's winner's time. That's 2m24s per 0.5K. But, stupidly, I started running without getting my watch sorted out. As I hadn't crossed the chip, I should had stopped. But I didn't. So I started my watch at the 1K marker and guessed I had run the first 1K in 4m30s and worked with aiming for 43m30s. When I crossed the line my watch said 43m25s. For some reason I thought I was aiming for 42m30s and so I was unhappy with this. BUT <cue-fanfare/> my official chip time was 47m52s and so even with all this faffing I managed to beat my target by 8s. Needless to say, this year's winner was faster than last year's and so I only got a 1.47. It was a chilly day (about 3 or 4 degrees) and I wore an extra layer but regretted that later. | 2m14s+2m13s (4m27s), 2m19s, 2m20s, 2m26s, 2m24s, 2m22s, 2m28s, 2m24s, 2m22s, 2m20s, 2m27s, 2m28s, 2m28s, 2m31s, 2m32s, 2m23s, 2m26s, 2m24s, 2m04s, 0m17s (0.07K) | |||||||||||
| 54 | Jul 2003 | 27 | Sun 1430 | Burton Leonard 10K | 47m56s 2m23s 4m47s 7m42s 35m46s 1.34 1.31 |
| warm with a light breeze; "30% road and 70% tracks and country, undulating"; J beat me by 5s but he took a (permitted) shortcut through a 5" deep ford; markers didn't seem to be accurately placed; info about BSBRS is here | 6m47s, 7m41s, 7m59s, 8m42s, 7m11s, 7m33s, 2m06s | |||||||||||
| 55 | Feb 2004 | 29 | Sun 1115 | Huddersfield 10K | 47m57s 2m23s 4m47s 7m43s 33m45s 1.42 1.23 |
| enjoyable; bright but chilly; scenic; described as "undulating" but it's hilly; fast finish; beat last year's time by 13s; officially 48m01s but took 4s to start as the start was very crowded | 7m21s, 8m53s, 7m23s, 8m20s, 7m39s, 6m59s, 1m23s | |||||||||||
| 56 | Oct 2004 | 17 | Sun 1030 | Bramham Park (Wetherby) 10K | 47m57s 2m23s 4m47s 7m43s 36m32s 1.31 1.34 |
| bright with some drizzle: excellent running weather; muddy; multi-terrain, undulating; 5K run and 5K walk as well | 4m19s, 4m30s, 4m55s, 5m24s, 4m22s, 5m09s, 4m59s, 5m01s, 4m42s, 4m38s | |||||||||||
| 57 | May 2008 | 18 | Sun 1000 | Oxford 10K | 48m01s 2m24s 4m48s 7m43s 31m53s 1.51 1.17 |
| "Town and Gown 10K"; | 4m29s, 4m31s, 4m51s, 5m00s, 4m53s, 4m59s, 5m07s, 4m57s, 4m52s, 4m22s | |||||||||||
| 58 | Jan 2002 | 27 | Sun | Moorside (Huddersfield) 10K | 48m07s 2m24s 4m48s 7m44s 34m24s 1.40 1.26 |
| many many hills; undulating, i.e., little flat; photo of me on results page | ||||||||||||
| 59 | Feb 2003 | 23 | Sun | Huddersfield 10K | 48m10s 2m24s 4m48s 7m45s 34m12s 1.41 1.25 |
| dry and sunny; several significant hills with a downhill fast finish | 7m06s, 9m24s, 7m22s, 8m19s, 7m26s, 7m16s, 1m16s | |||||||||||
| 60 | Aug 2004 | 01 | Sun 1030 | Harrogate 10K | 48m12s 2m24s 4m49s 7m45s 31m00s 1.55 1.13 |
| very different course from 2003; just as hilly; cool | 7m07s, 7m54s, 7m32s, 8m15s, 7m50s, 8m32s, 1m04s | |||||||||||
| 61 | Sep 2004 | 05 | Sun 1100 | Billingham 10K | 48m14s 2m24s 4m49s 7m45s 32m03s 1.50 1.17 |
| "Ray Harrison Memorial"; very very hot; first run after holiday and little training | 4m15s, 4m30s, 4m51s, 4m26s, 5m09s, 4m48s, 5m07s, 5m10s, 5m14s, 4m47s | |||||||||||
| 62 | Jun 2008 | 01 | Sun 1000 | Fairford 10K | 48m14s 2m24s 4m49s 7m45s 32m00s 1.51 1.17 |
| "Fairford 10K"; gentle rain; undulating with a hill between 4.8K and 5.8K; unusuallly, I started to push for home at 6K; was pleased with the times for the last 4K except I got a strange time for the last 1K; although my time for Fairford was 13s slower than the Town and Gown, Fairford is harder as it's undulating (but the winning time was only 7s slower) | 4m31s, 4m58s, 5m04s, 4m55s, 4m47s, 5m23s, 4m50s, 4m34s, 4m29s, 4m47s | |||||||||||
| 63 | Sep 2003 | 13 | Sat 1330 | Castleton, Guisborough 10K | 48m17s 2m24s 4m49s 7m46s 35m28s 1.36 1.30 |
| took 1h20m to get there; part of the Castleton Show; a bird's eye view of the route is here; scenic with about 6 uphill sections; no markers; very hot with warm head wind; beat last year's time by 1m21s which was good since it was hot but last year I didn't "create" M markers; so well pleased with performance especially during last 3.21M over undulating terrain; just 22 runners; I came 16th | no markers; roughly 8m09s, 8m42s, 8m22s, 7m29s, 6m56s, 6m56s+1m42s (8m38s) | |||||||||||
| 64 | Aug 2004 | 08 | Sun 1030 | Darlington 10K | 48m21s 2m25s 4m50s 7m46s 31m55s 1.51 1.17 |
| very, very hot; enjoyable; today's splits are very consistent, but overall my pace was 35s per M slower than last year (which is similar to the drop in performance in recent races); the team from the University's CEM Centre ("Cem 6") got the non-athletic club team prize and ITS Club 9 came second | 4m30s, 4m39s, 5m00s, 5m01s, 4m59s, 5m03s, 5m03s, 4m59s, 4m58s, 4m19s | |||||||||||
| 65 | Nov 2009 | 08 | Sun 1000 | Leatherhead 10K | 48m21s 2m25s 4m50s 7m46s 34m42s 1.39 1.27 |
| "Leatherhead Fire Station Charity 10K"; This race is organised by Red Watch of Leatherhead Fire Station to raise money for a local charity. The race is reasonably flat for the first 1.5K but then during the course of about 2.5K there is a gentle climb from 50m to 120m. Over the next 2K, you loose all that height and the remaining 4K is flat. About 2.5K is off-road on gravel tracks through a wooded area called Norbury Park, about 3K is on a cycle path whereas the rest of the course is on roads. Presumably because the race was being timed by chips, the results were being put up almost immediately. I aimed for 1.45 times last year's winner's time (34m33s). That means I was aiming for 50m06s. But, when coming down the hill (from 4K to 6K), I pushed myself with 0.5K splits of 2m11s, 2m14s, 2m08s and 2m18s. Then, on the flat, I rested a bit by slowing down for the next K, but, even though I was tired, I kept pushing myself during the next 3K. In the end, I got 48m21s which is a 1.39. I was delighted with this. As the start and finish was at the Fire Station, I was amused to see the fire engines being moved several times during the course of the morning out of the way of the runners presumably just in case they had to attend a fire. The scenery was good, the signage was good, the organisation was good, the post-race refreshments were good: I'll be back next year. | 2m06s, 2m33s, 2m27s, 2m50s, 2m39s, 2m19s, 2m36s, 3m06s, 2m11s, 2m14s, 2m08s, 2m18s, 2m32s, 2m39s, 2m25s, 2m24s, 2m18s, 2m25s, 2m20s, 1m53s (0.4K). | |||||||||||
| 66 | Nov 2009 | 29 | Sun 1030 | Eynsham 10K | 48m29s 2m25s 4m50s 7m48s 33m16s 1.46 1.22 |
| "Eynsham 10K"; This 10K is a two lap race which uses a mix of Eynsham's main streets and the roads that bypass Eynsham. It was timed using gun-to-chip. The race requires a lot of marshals and they did their job well. It is advertised as "flat and fast" but I found it difficult to get a good time partly because the terrain was a mix of road and thin footpaths with a few grass verges. Although I aimed to beat my best Oxfordshire 10K time, I came nowhere near this: I just got under 1.5 times last year's winner's time. | 2m03s, 2m11s, 2m14s, 2m24s, 2m29s, 2m28s, 2m24s, 2m27s, 2m34s, 2m26s, 2m23s, 2m14s, 2m24s, 2m30s, 2m31s, 2m31s, 2m30s, 2m31s, 2m27s, 2m16s, 0m33s (0.15K) | |||||||||||
| 67 | May 2002 | 05 | Sun | Coxhoe 10K | 48m40s 2m25s 4m51s 7m49s |
| no markers; hot; multi-terrain with a hill; only 1m35s faster than Sep 09; first 7K at 7m32s; next 1K up hill at 11m12s; final 2K at 6m55s; support from Gilbert | ||||||||||||
| 68 | Mar 2010 | 07 | Sun 1100 | Southbourne 10K | 48m40s 2m25s 4m51s 7m49s 33m40s 1.45 1.23 |
| "Southbourne Fast and Flat 10K"; Southbourne is between Christchurch and Bournemouth. This 10K is along an out and back course starting with 0.8K along a road that goes to the promenade and then it's 4K along the prom as far as Boscombe Pier where you turn round. On the way out, the pier looked such a long way away: I could hardly see it to begin with. Although the sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky, there was a cold Easterly wind: so after going round the roundabout outside the pier, the return trip from 4.8K to 9.5K was a battle into this headwind as is clearly demonstrated by my 0.5K splits. So the "Southbourne Fast and Flat 10K" was flat but not very fast. Although there were no cars along the prom, there were a lot of walkers, some cyclists, some stray dogs and some stray children: you had to manoeuvre a way through this lot! | 2m04s, 2m11s, 2m16s, 2m23s, 2m21s, 2m22s, 2m24s, 2m24s, 2m21s, 2m26s, 2m33s, 2m40s, 2m37s, 2m33s, 2m35s, 2m34s, 2m30s, 2m36s, 2m32s, 2m13s, 0m07s (0.03K) | |||||||||||
| 69 | May 2010 | 09 | Sun 1130 | Crowle 10K | 48m41s 2m26s 4m52s 7m50s 33m43s 1.44 1.23 |
| "Crowle Gunpowder Plot 10K"; The race started (and finished) by going 0.75 times round a field. It then went along a narrow track to get to the road. On the way out, this was crowded. It was an out and back course except for a section in the middle. At the bit of the course that was furthest away we ran down one side of the road for about 1K, turned round and ran back the other side of the road. For this, the road was divided in two by cones, but people slowed down as it got crowded. So, at times when there weren't runners coming the other way, I ran the wrong side of the cones in order to overtake people. There were short hills at 2.3K and 8.5K and two gentler hills at 6.5K and 8.1K. Other than that it was reasonably flat. It was very sunny and I found it hot. Foolishly, I didn't have a plan for this race. Last night I had worked out what 1.44 times last year's winner's time was but I failed to remind myself before running. So I had nothing to aim for. After returning to the car at the end of the race, I discovered I had got 1.43 against last year's winners time which pleased me. However, this year the winner was 18s faster but I still got 1.44. | 2m13s, 2m21s, 2m15s, 2m19s, 2m32s, 2m30s, 2m31s, 2m27s, 2m26s, 2m18s, 2m31s, 2m33s, 2m40s, 2m46s, 2m30s, 2m26s, 2m38s, 2m24s, 2m15s, 2m06s (0.47K) | |||||||||||
| 70 | May 2009 | 04 | Mon 1030 | Shinfield (Reading) 10K | 48m42s 2m26s 4m52s 7m50s 32m22s 1.50 1.18 |
| "Shinfield 10K"; new route for 2009; "race starts and finishes in Shinfield and passes through the villages of Shinfield and Spencers Wood"; "generally flat and fast"; "medal"; "mayday fete including a bouncy castle and a barbeque"; got a calf twinge before the race; felt sluggish in the second half with some pain in my shins; to begin with I could hardly walk afterwards; disappointed at my time; relative to the winner, I got 1.50 which is disappointing; my watch made the race 9.88K with most of the problem being a short last 1K; so I make that a 10K time of 49m17s with a pace of 7m56s | 4m30s, 4m47s, 4m54s, 4m50s, 5m14s, 5m23s, 4m54s, 5m11s, 5m06s, 3m55s (0.88K) | |||||||||||
| 71 | Mar 2009 | 15 | Sun 1000 | Exbury Gardens 10K | 48m52s 2m26s 4m53s 7m51s 36m07s 1.35 1.32 |
| "Exbury Gardens 10K"; limit of 350; journey: 74.3M, 1h46m; "flat and fast circular course run over country lanes which starts and finishes in Exbury Gardens, taking in spectacular views of the Solent and includes approx 500m of beach front running on shingle foreshore path at Lepe beach"; 3K marker was too early: it was where the white paint on the ground was but that differs from the printed map; I wasn't very hydrated and it was a very sunny, hot day; even so, I started fast and although each K was getting slower I maintained a face pace to get me my third faster pace since restarting racing in 2008 and a 1.35; very well pleased; I should easily beat last year's Town and Gown 10K time in two month's time | 4m28s, 4m35s, 4m45s, 4m49s, 4m49s, 5m01s, 5m06s, 5m12s, 5m02s, 4m45s, 0m20s (0.08K) | |||||||||||
| 72 | Jun 2009 | 14 | Sun 1000 | Wargrave 10K | 48m52s 2m26s 4m53s 7m51s 34m05s 1.43 1.25 |
| "Wargrave 10K"; journey there: 26.6M, 0h55m; This 10K is at Wargrave (which is between Reading and Maidenhead). It takes place on undulating rural lanes. As there were 628 finishers, these narrow lanes were a bit crowded for the first 3K (at least they were where I was). There is a hill between 3.6K and 4K, but it's mainly downhill or flat from about 5K onwards. The hardest parts are the straight and flat mile just before 8K and the last 0.4K which are on grass going three sides round the recreation ground. This is especially so when it's hot as there's no shade. The race was well marshalled and there were three water stations. Chips were used for timing. 20 runners were from the Teignbridge Trotters running club which is in Devon. Querying a few of them before the race as to why they'd travelled so far, I learnt that they were suffering from a stag day the day before! However, lots of them finished in front of me even though I'd only had one beer the day before: their first two finishers were at 15th and 17th. I also saw some runners with T-shirts saying 'wide fitting "briefs"'. I asked one of them, during the race, an obvious question to which he giggled and replied '38 inches'. Given last year's winning time of 34m40s I was aiming for somewhere between 48m32s (1.4) and 52m00s (1.5). I was well pleased with 48m52s which is 1.43 against this year's winning time. It was very hot (23 degrees?). | 2m11s, 2m24s, 2m27s, 2m26s, 2m34s, 2m30s, 2m47s, 2m43s, 2m29s, 2m21s, 2m24s, 2m26s, 2m31s, 2m33s, 2m20s, 2m28s, 2m23s, 2m11s, 2m12s, 2m16s, 0m21s (0.10K) | |||||||||||
| 73 | Dec 2009 | 31 | Thu 1730 | Barcelona 10K | 48m58s 2m26s 4m53s 7m52s 28m41s 1.71 1.05 |
| "Cursa dels Nassos - Sant Silvestre de Barcelona"; The San Silvestre 10K is a chip-timed race that takes place in the main streets of Barcelona on New Year's Eve at 5.30p.m. It starts just as it's about to get dark. The race is also known as the "Cursa dels Nassos" which is Catalan meaning the "Race of Noses". One web page says that the name "comes from the fact that the date coincides with the last day in the life of the Man of Many Noses, a popular character in Catalan folklore". It was a hard race to run as it was very crowded: space was difficult to find and it was difficult to achieve a constant running pace. I and a few others spent a lot of time being naughty by running along the pavements and even behind spectators in places. This was more hard work because the pavements were sometimes uneven and there are many roads to cross, but I could concentrate on running rather than space-finding. In some ways, this aspect of the race reminded me of the Great North Run. Throughout the race, people were overtaking me at a much greater pace and I was in turn overtaking those who were gently ambling along. This was happening throughout the race, even within the last couple of Ks. They have divided the video of the runners finishing into one minute segments (but I haven't found one of me). Anyway, you can easily see how crowded the race was by looking at one of these videos. | 2m28s, 2m20s, 2m22s, 2m29s, 2m22s, 2m25s, 2m24s, 2m26s, 2m29s, 2m27s, 2m31s, 2m29s, 2m35s, 2m27s, 2m26s, 2m29s, 2m22s, 2m25s, 2m22s, 2m16s, 0m13s (0.05K) | |||||||||||
| 74 | Oct 2001 | 07 | Sun | Norham 10K | 49m02s 2m27s 4m54s 7m53s |
| undulating, 1 hill, to scotland and back, no pipes nor half drinks | ||||||||||||
| 75 | Dec 2008 | 14 | Sun 1100 | Chesterton 10K | 49m10s 2m27s 4m54s 7m54s 33m06s 1.49 1.21 |
| "Andy Reading 10K"; This is a 10K race at Chesterton which is a few miles South of Bicester. It is a reasonably flat course, but it's a bit boring as about 4K is on a straight old Roman Road called Akeman Street and another 4K goes round the perimeter road of a disused airfield. Disconcertingly, whilst on the airfield, you can just about see the lead car on the other side of the airfield about 2.5K ahead! This was the first time I had done a race with my new watch, a Garmin Forerunner 305. I had set it to beep at every 0.5K and so I was getting feedback every 2.5 minutes on how fast I was running. This was so cool. And I can get a .kml file from it without much effort. Here's how my race looks in Google Maps. At 8K, I did some mental arithmetic and decided that if I pushed it I could get in under 50m. This proved to be hard work, and I kept pusshing myself as the splits show: I did the last 0.5K at a pace of 6m52s per M. I got a me/win factor of 1.49 which I am very pleased with. Lots and lots of marshals. The race was very well organised. | 4m37s, 4m53s, 5m04s, 5m05s, 4m59s, 4m56s, 5m07s, 5m06s, 4m49s, 4m27s | |||||||||||
| 76 | May 2008 | 05 | Mon 1030 | Shinfield (Reading) 10K | 49m16s 2m27s 4m55s 7m55s 32m25s 1.52 1.19 |
| "Shinfield 10K"; | 4m50s, 4m58s, 4m43s, 5m14s, 5m11s, 4m58s+4m57s (9m55s), 5m06s, 4m46s, 4m35s | |||||||||||
| 77 | Feb 2010 | 21 | Sun 1030 | Winslow 10K | 49m24s 2m28s 4m56s 7m57s 34m21s 1.44 1.26 |
| "Lions Club of Winslow 10K Road Race"; After not racing for 3 weeks because of various excuses (cold and sore throat, bad weather, lack of fitness, lazyness), today I did the Winslow 10K. Winslow is in Bucks between Aylesbury and Buckingham and this 10K is organised by the Lions Club of Winslow. This year it was held on a cold morning and, although the overnight slight scattering of snow was still lingering when I drove round the course before the start of the race, it had melted by time we ran it. Besides the puddles that this caused, the roads also had quite a few pot holes which was one of the points made by the race organiser before the race. Curiously, it drizzled very slightly from when we were just about to start until just after I finished. Although my map of the route says it varys from about 85m to 113m, it felt fairly flat when I drove it. However, when I ran it, I found a long gentle incline lasting from 3.5K to 5K and another short one at 5.5K. But the cruel bit was at the end: there was a steep hill from 9K to 9.5K. Needless to say this is where the official photographer was positioned to catch all the grimaces. This hill is noticeable in my last four 0.5K splits: 2m34s, 2m30s, 2m48s, 2m22s.My Garmin said that the K markers were accurately positioned apart from the 1K marker which was a little early. All the markers apart from the 3K marker were on the left. The route was well marshalled: there had to be quite a few of them as there were several winding sections and a few junctions. The route twice goes under the railway line from Bicester to Bletchley (currently freight only) and through Verney Junction which was once an important railway junction. So when we ran pass Station Kennels I was looking out for a pretty disused railway station but found a horrible electricity substation! Last year's winner's time was 32m32s and because I was lacking in fitness and was still suffering from a cold, I aimed for 1.5 times that time, i.e., 48m48s. I was initially disappointed with my 49m23s. However, this year's winner took 34m21s and so I got a 1.44 which is very good. Once more this demonstrates the silliness of aiming for a time based on last year's winner's time. | 2m04s, 2m09s, 2m20s, 2m22s, 2m24s, 2m29s, 2m32s, 2m37s, 2m37s, 2m33s, 2m30s, 2m28s, 2m19s, 2m27s, 2m33s, 2m32s, 2m34s, 2m30s, 2m48s, 2m22s, 0m12s (0.05K) | |||||||||||
| 78 | May 2008 | 26 | Mon 1100 | Upper Boddington (Banbury) 10K | 49m26s 2m28s 4m56s 7m57s 34m06s 1.45 1.25 |
| "Upper Boddington 10K"; managed the first 4M in 31m00s which is 7m45s per M but there was a strong head wind for most of the last 2M; last 0.25M was around a grassy playing field; strong gusty winds and rain throughout the race; really pleased with the 1.45 against the winner's time which is good given the course; and I got a trophy for being 3rd in my category; junior race as well (at 1230) | 6m54s, 7m36s, 8m16s, 8m15s, 8m35s, 8m14s, 1m37s | |||||||||||
| 79 | Sep 2002 | 14 | Sat | Castleton, Guisborough 10K | 49m37s 2m28s 4m57s 7m59s 35m41s 1.39 1.31 |
| drizzly mist; no markers; scenic; 6 serious uphill sections; only 37 runners; part of the Castleton Show;bird's eye photo of the route is here | ||||||||||||
| 80 | Mar 2009 | 22 | Sun 1030 | Marwell Zoo 10K | 50m02s 2m30s 5m00s 8m03s 33m00s 1.52 1.21 |
| "Marwell Zoo 10K"; I hate zoos, and the first 2K of this race was around the footpaths of the zoo; the rest of the race was along quiet country lanes; it was undulating with four hills; virtually downhill from 6.5K; well marshalled with two drinks stations; these were useful as it was hot; it was a difficult race to pace; at about 6K I decided to aim for 50m and my 10K time was 49m41s; I got 1.52 which is disappointing | 4m56s, 4m48s, 5m24s, 5m19s, 5m56s, 4m38s, 4m55s, 4m41s, 4m47s, 4m16s, 0m21s (0.08K) | |||||||||||
| 81 | Jun 2009 | 28 | Sun 0930 | Thame 10K | 50m11s 2m30s 5m01s 8m04s 33m53s 1.48 1.24 |
| "Thame CPM 10K"; journey there: 19.4M, 0h33m; HRR-RC; "chips"; "T-shirt"; "spot prizes"; fun run as well; I didn't enjoy this, mainly because it was very hot (23 degrees) with little shade and also because of the 0930 start. As there were over 900 runners, some parts of the route were crowded. Because it was crowded, at one point I found myself running at the speed of the pack instead of my planned pace (2m20s per 0.5K). At a few places on the Phoenix Trail and also on the path at 9K, it was difficult to overtake because it was crowded. It was well marshalled and there were a lot of enthusiastic spectators along several sections of the route. Generous goody bag as well as a T-shirt. | 2m12s, 2m17s, 2m26s, 2m30s, 2m24s, 2m28s, 2m30s, 2m27s, 2m36s, 2m30s, 2m42s, 2m24s, 2m36s, 2m33s, 2m37s, 2m39s, 2m35s, 2m32s, 2m30s, 2m29s, 0m15s (0.08K) | |||||||||||
| 82 | May 2010 | 30 | Sun 1100 | Ropley 10K | 50m14s 2m30s 5m01s 8m05s 32m14s 1.56 1.18 |
| "Ropley 10K"; Ropley is about 13 miles east of Winchester. This 10K takes place on traffic free country lanes which were often lined with tall trees. Although there was brilliant sunshine, a chilly breeze made it not too hot. It is a demanding course as it starts with a 50m climb during the first 1.25K and is then undulating for the rest of the course. There is a short sharp climb at 5.5K but you are rewarded with a 40m drop at 7.5K. A final gentle incline at 9K is followed at 9.5K by a gentle decline to the finish. That didn't stop them at the front from fighting it out. Supporters and onlookers were entertained by the display of a very close finish put on by Toby Lambert (Winchester & District AC) and Haggai Chepkwony (Bristol & West). Lambert put on a superb display of last minute strength and stamina to take this year's win from Chepkwony right on the finishing line. Both competitors recorded the same time, but Lambert was judged to have finished just ahead of Chepkwony by the referee and officials on the line. It was one of those events that brings the village to a halt with most of the roads closed. The race was well marshalled and well supported by people in the villages en route. You could enter teams. I saw a team of American Footballers and a team from the army wearing 44lb backpacks and raising money for "Help for Heroes". They were still smiling at the end. Earlier in the morning, for children, there were 100m and 500m dashes around the Recreation Ground and a 3K Fun Run around the village. All of the events were very well organised. I found this a difficult race to pace. Although I was aiming for 48m06s (1.45 times last year's winner's time) or 49m45s (1.5), I got 50m14s (1.51). This was my first race in my new shoes (Brooks GTS 10). | 2m18s, 2m32s, 2m49s, 2m26s, 2m31s, 2m34s, 2m22s, 2m20s, 2m32s, 2m33s, 2m48s, 2m53s, 2m40s, 2m40s, 2m24s, 2m16s, 2m21s, 2m26s, 2m35s, 2m01s, 0m13s (0.06K) | |||||||||||
| 83 | Sep 2001 | 09 | Sun | Coxhoe 10K | 50m15s 2m30s 5m01s 8m05s |
| no markers, cloudy, sunny, windy | ||||||||||||
| 84 | Sep 2002 | 08 | Sun | Berwick Walls Race 10K | 50m15s 2m30s 5m01s 8m05s 34m44s 1.45 1.27 |
| very scenic course; well organised; M markers; very hot; there were four uphills; went to good pub (Barrels Alehouse) | 7m18s, 7m20s, 9m22s, 8m00s, 7m55s, 8m30s, 1m52s | |||||||||||
| 85 | Apr 2004 | 11 | Sun 1030 | Guiseley (Leeds) 10K | 50m17s 2m30s 5m01s 8m05s 36m16s 1.39 1.33 |
| "Guiseley Gallop"; part of the Airedale Triple; bottle of beer; no markers: on the map I made it 9.3K; different route at the end of the first wood; greasy through the woods; two hills in last 2K; I made my time 48m45s which would give me a 1.34: don't understand the discrepancy; crowded? | rough splits: 5m06s, 4m41s, 4m30s, 4m05s, 5m15s, 5m05s, 4m44s, 7m59s, 6m02s, 1m17s | |||||||||||
| 86 | Dec 2008 | 07 | Sun 1100 | Bromham 10K | 50m39s 2m31s 5m03s 8m09s 34m08s 1.48 1.25 |
| "Bromham Pudding Run"; Last week's 40m32s at the Wolverton 5 gave me a pace of 8m06s per M which is 5m02s per K. That was for 5M. So today I thought of doing that pace for 10K which would give 50m18s. However, I had too much beer last night and so early this morning I thought Id be happy to get round! According to the car's thermometer, it was -6 when I left home and -2 when I got to the car park. So long johns, two layers up top and I decided to wear a hat. It was a 20 minute walk from the car park to the race route. I then ran back to the 9K marker and then ran to the finish and then walked to the start which was about 0.5K from the finish. What a lot of warm-up. Although it was foggy when I got to Bromham, the sun started shining and warming the place up. When running, I only got one icy patch. The Bromham 10K is a two lap race which means you can easily suss out the end. | 4m55s, 5m00s, 5m10s, 5m11s, 5m11s, 5m22s, 4m57s, 5m12s, 4m57s, 4m44s | |||||||||||
| 87 | Aug 2009 | 09 | Sun 1000 | Aylesbury 10K | 50m42s 2m32s 5m04s 8m09s 31m22s 1.62 1.15 |
| "Bearbrook 10K"; "memento"; "K markers"; "course is mostly flat with a long hill on the A4011 from Wendover to the Halton Airfield turn, the remainder of the course being a slow downhill to the finish at the Rugby club"; As I got some injury to the top of my hamstring last Sunday at the Hooky 6, I took it easy today. It was also very hot, about 22 degrees. I did whatever speed I felt like, rather than using my watch to pace me until the last K which I did in 4m11s. I partly blame the injury on needing some new shoes. I got some yesterday and ran in them for the first time today. In the last few years, the winning time has been somewhere between 31m37s and 33m31s. Today, the course record was broke by 15s by a member of a local running club. He finished in 31m22s with the 2nd person home in 33m30s. I got 1.62 compared with the winner and 1.51 compared with 2nd person. Much of the course was on footpaths or cycle paths which were very uneven. The final section of the course was around the field. The race was well organised and well marshalled. | 2m20s, 2m25s, 2m34s, 2m29s, 2m38s, 2m40s, 2m33s, 2m37s, 2m42s, 2m43s, 2m46s, 2m51s, 2m42s, 2m26s, 2m32s, 2m31s, 2m39s, 2m24s, 2m08s, 2m03, 0m04s (0.02K) | |||||||||||
| 88 | Jul 2004 | 25 | Sun 1430 | Burton Leonard 10K | 50m47s 2m32s 5m04s 8m10s 36m40s 1.39 1.34 |
| hot with a strong headwind; looks more like 6.7M to me; mainly off-road; seemed to more up than down! part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series; 2M fun run as well | 7m01s, 8m15s, 8m58s+8m59s (17m57s), 7m19s, 8m10s, 2m05s | |||||||||||
| 89 | Mar 2009 | 01 | Sun 1100 | Goring 10K | 50m48s 2m32s 5m04s 8m10s 33m48s 1.50 1.24 |
| "Goring 10K"; undulating rural lanes and footpaths with three hills including a hill for the first 1.5K; lots of runners (1200?); I made the route 10.15K and I don't think the markers were accurately placed; was hoping to do the 10K in under 50m but got 50m05s; the last three 0.5Ks were done in 2m15s, 2m01s and 2m10s but 1K of this was downhill; I got 1.50 times the winner's time | 5m18s, 4m26s, 5m06s, 4m57s, 5m04s, 5m30s, 5m12s, 5m34s, 4m59s, 4m11s, 0m43s | |||||||||||
| 90 | Mar 2004 | 28 | Sun 1200 | Hamsterley WR 10K | 50m49s 2m32s 5m04s 8m10s 38m20s 1.33 1.40 |
| usual slog to Doctor's Gate as shown in this photo by John Bright; got a 1.33; did it in 2m04s less than last year: that's 20s less on each M; enjoyable; randomly allocated prizes which was good | 4m32s, 2m55s, 6m41s, 2m12s, 3m26s, 2m10s, 6m37s, 7m35s, 0m38s, 1m29s, 2m07s, 1m27s, 6m18s, 3m02s | |||||||||||
| 91 | Jul 2010 | 03 | Sat 1030 | Kingham 10K | 50m51s 2m32s 5m05s 8m11s 34m14s 1.49 1.25 |
| "Kingham 10K"; This was the first Kingham 10K using this route. It started calmly with a run through the village but after 1K there was a 2K hill taking us from 127m to 190m. This was followed by a single track footpath through some woods and then some drive ways of the Daylesford Estate. So it was mainly flat from 3K until 5K when we descended into Cornwell. After turning round and going through the village again we retraced the hill that was the descent into Cornwell: it was about 30m ascent in 0.6K. At 7K, there was a little dip and then at 7.5K we retraced the long outward ascent. So for the last 2.5K it was downhill to the finish. It's all shown in the splits. As it was about 28 degrees, the two water stations at 2.5K and 6K were very welcomed. The parking arrangements were laid back: find somewhere in the village. And there was only a 5K marker, but I saw white paint on the ground for 2K, 3K, 7K, 8K and 9K. | 2m12s, 2m34s, 2m48s, 2m45s, 2m47s, 2m55s, 2m31s, 2m27s, 2m39s, 2m41s, 2m14s, 2m14s, 2m56s, 3m22s, 2m41s, 2m21s, 2m15s, 2m16s, 2m16s, 2m05s, 0m04s (0.02K) | |||||||||||
| 92 | May 2009 | 31 | Sun 1030 | Wallingford 10K | 51m20s 2m34s 5m08s 8m15s 36m35s 1.40 1.34 |
| "Wallingford Thames Run"; journey there: 13.8M, 0h31m; "multi-terrain course of wide river paths, field tracks and road along beautiful stretches of the River Thames and its lovely Oxfordshire countryside"; "starts and finishes in the grounds of Howbery Park where a number of attractions will be available"; last year's winning time of 32m36s on a course which was less than 10K (I didn't know how much less) made me aim for somewhere between 45m38s (1.4) and 48m54s (1.5); it was very hot (22 degrees?), and I got 51m20s; this slow pace worried me when I was doing the race; however, this year's winning time was 36:35 which means that I got 1.40 which pleases me a lot; the terrain was a mix of tarmac, cart tracks, paths through grass and paths through fields; the route involved crossing fields, some with cows, negotiating recent cow pats, at least five kissing gates and one stile (which caused a queue as indicated by the 3m02s in my splits); other people have said they got held up by 2 minutes and 6 minutes at this point | 2m08s, 2m18s, 2m23s, 2m33s, 2m37s, 3m02s, 2m34s, 2m35s, 2m34s, 2m38s, 2m49s, 2m36s, 2m32s, 2m37s, 2m38s, 2m34s, 2m39s, 2m44s, 2m40s, 2m17s | |||||||||||
| 93 | Oct 2004 | 24 | Sun 1100 | Pickering 10K | 51m33s 2m34s 5m09s 8m17s 36m27s 1.41 1.33 |
| humid, quite hot; long drag with one hill during first 4K, undulating and off-road (muddy) until 7K, downhill for 2K with a flat final K; collect numbers on the day | 5m06s, 5m27s, 4m16s, 5m51s, 6m05s, 4m31s, 4m53s, 4m13s, 5m33s, 5m40s | |||||||||||
| 94 | Oct 2009 | 25 | Sun 1030 | Blenheim Palace 10K | 51m43s 2m35s 5m10s 8m19s 35m37s 1.45 1.30 |
| "Blenheim 10K"; In my 4.5 years in Oxfordshire, I'd not been to Blenheim Palace before and today I managed to see a lot of its grounds in this 10K race organised by the Rotary Club of Woodstock. The race had a new route this year. Although some runners afterwards described the new route as hilly, I thought the ascents were reasonably gentle, the whole course only varying in height from 75m to 120m. Foolishly, I'd not done my homework and so I didn't know last year's winner's time and so had no time to aim for. And in the early part of the race, I moaned to myself about having two beers the night before as my body didn't feel like racing. Although the surrounding countryside was beautiful, the route was on a wide tarmac path throughout except for a few short off-road sections. At about 6.5K I was running at the same pace as another much younger runner and we swopped positions a few times and it seemed to me he didn't like this. At one point I feel a bit of "road rage" occurred as "we" jostled for position (with no other runners about on this wide path). Just before 8K, on a downhill section I went with some other runners ahead of him and then forgot about him but I see from the results he was only 5 seconds behind me. It meant my splits for that section were faster than they would have been: 2m21s, 2m27s, 2m25s. It was getting near to the end of the race where I usually go faster. At 8.5K my mind was on someone else: a member of my running club who I usually beat had surprisingly overtaken me a lot earlier but he was not far in front. I overtook him with 0.5K to go. It sounds competitive; I see I finished up with a 1.45 (times the winner's time) which surprised me and pleases me a lot. | 2m18s, 2m30s, 2m30s, 2m22s, 2m32s, 2m42s, 2m40s, 2m21s, 2m52s, 2m40s, 2m56s, 3m14s, 2m38s, 2m21s, 2m27s, 2m25s, 2m46s, 2m35s, 2m14s, 2m16s, 0m25s (0.1K) | |||||||||||
| 95 | Mar 2002 | 31 | Sun | Guiseley Gallop Trail (Leeds) 10K | 51m44s 2m35s 5m10s 8m19s 36m27s 1.42 1.33 |
| excellent; dry; no markers; undulating; paths through woods and alongside canal; bottle of beer | ||||||||||||
| 96 | Jun 2010 | 27 | Sun 0930 | Thame 10K | 51m47s 2m35s 5m10s 8m20s 33m33s 1.54 1.23 |
| "Thame CPM 10K"; All week I wasn't looking forward to this race: the route has two long boring straights and the weather was forecasted to be hot. It turned out to be about 29 degrees. On the start line, I chatted to another Fetchie who said he'd read my comments about the Otmoor Challenge. I began well adopting a pace very close to last year: at each K marker I was only up to 7s different from last year and at the 6K marker I was just 3s slower than last year. But, by about 6.5K, I was exhausted, questionned why I was pushing myself in this heat and slowed the pace down. This was a race in the HRR Road Championship and I was going to come second in my age category: there really wasn't much point in trying to beat last year's time. About 1K later, I saw another HRR runner in front and I wasn't sure who he was and so I increased the pace but slowed down after I'd passed him and discovered he was not in my age category. It's all shown in the splits! In the end I was 1m35s slower than last year. The race was timed by chip-to-chip. Like last year, there was a lot of encouraging support all along the route. At about 9.5K, one man and his child were on a platform on a crane high above the road: I shouted up to them that this was a bit OTT; he shouted back that what we were doing was OTT. Like last year, there was a generous goody bag and a T-shirt and lots to drink at the end. Like last year, it was too damn hot. | 2m14s, 2m13s, 2m27s, 2m27s, 2m28s, 2m35s, 2m32s, 2m31s, 2m34s, 2m21s, 2m32s, 2m35s, 2m39s, 3m18s, 3m27s, 2m38s, 2m17s, 2m27s, 2m39s, 2m37s, 0m15s (0.08K) | |||||||||||
| 97 | Feb 2009 | 15 | Sun 1000 | Salisbury 10K | 52m23s 2m37s 5m14s 8m25s 36m37s 1.43 1.34 |
| "Salisbury City 10K"; starts and finishes at the Raymond McEnhill Football Stadium; "medal"; route includes a run round Old Sarum; 10K walk, 5K run and 5K walk as well; disappointingly, we finished and started in a field adjacent to the stadium; the route was a mix of tarmac and off-road; there were slippery patches, a kissing gate and a stile whilst running round Old Sarum; the 1K marker seemd to be 0.15K too early; there were three places where they needed another marshal; a couple of tough inclines | 4m33, 5m09, 4m48s, 5m12s, 6m14s, 6m09s, 5m06s, 5m07s, 5m16s, 4m50s | |||||||||||
| 98 | Oct 2009 | 18 | Sun 1000 | Frieth 10K | 52m52s 2m38s 5m17s 8m30s 35m00s 1.51 1.28 |
| "Frieth Hilly 10K"; This 10K race takes place in the Chilterns and consequently the route was wonderful with beautiful scenery. The organisers say the race "involves sections on road, trails and footpaths through woods and fields, including challenging off-road descents and ascents". Very accurate! The race starts in the village of Frieth (which is about 5 miles from Marlow). The route is gently undulating for the first 1.5K first along a lane but then along a path through a wood. In a short break in the wood, there is stupendous view across to the other side of the valley. The Chilterns look wonderful in their Autumn colours. During the next 0.5K, the route throws you down from 160m to 90m. Then the route is reasonably flat along a 1.5K lane from the village of Fingest to the village of Skirmett. And then there is a long hard climb. Although the contours on the ascent are not so close as they were for the descent, it's hard work: in 0.3K you go from 80m to 110m. This is on a footpath that then flattens out for a bit (in Hatchet Wood) before another push in all taking you from 80m to 160m in about 2K. From 6K to 9.5K the route is mainly along country lanes but there is about 1K that is along the side of a field. Although it is mainly undulating, you do gradually drop from 170m to 140m. However, there is a final sting to the race; the last 0.5K is a climb back up to Frieth, from 140m to 175m. If that isn't enough detail for you,here is a link to a map of the route. Throughout the race, there was wonderful atmosphere. Before the start, the Rev John Wigram gaves us his "runners" version of Psalm 23 followed by a blessing. And there were people clapping, shouting and cheering almost anywhere where the route hit a road junction. Following feedback from the inaugural race held last year, this year there were K markers. According to my Garmin, these were accurately positioned. Because of the changeable terrain, I didn't attempt to pace myself. However, before the start I decided to try to aim for 52m54s which is 1.5 times last year's winner's time (35m16s). I did run all the way, resisting the temptation to walk the steep ascents! It was only at 7.5K that I looked at my watch to decide whether it was possible to complete in 52m54s. It looked possible but when I got to the bottom of the 0.5K uphill climb to the finish I wasn't so confident. But when I crossed the line I was jubilant as my watch said 52m52s! A bacon roll, a hot dog, a piece of cake and excellent coffee then followed. What a tremendous morning! So make a date in your diary for the third installment of this race: it's on Sunday 17th October 2010. | 2m16s, 2m14s, 2m22s, 2m20s, 2m23s, 2m28s, 2m29s, 3m09s, 3m16s, 2m50s, 3m26s, 2m54s, 2m46s, 2m27s, 2m22s, 2m28s, 2m44s, 2m19s, 2m25s, 3m08s, 0m07s (0.3K) | |||||||||||
| 99 | Mar 2003 | 30 | Sun 1300 | Hamsterley WR 10K | 52m53s 2m38s 5m17s 8m30s 38m18s 1.38 1.40 |
| hot; the hills in the first 4K are killers; better course than last year; GR 093313 | 4m30s, 2m03s, 6m24s, 2m35s, 6m56s, 5m51s, 7m28s, 0m40s, 1m20s, 2m17s, 3m05s, 4m01s, 5m47s | |||||||||||
| 100 | Jan 2009 | 11 | Sun 1030 | Woodcote 10K | 53m39s 2m40s 5m21s 8m38s 35m26s 1.51 1.30 |
| "Goring, Woodcote and District Lions 10K"; "undulating by-roads, kilometre marked"; "free hot drinks"; "medal"; elsewhere on the web it says "tough road race, 5K downhill followed by 5K uphill" | 4m41s, 4m48s, 4m52s, 5m03s, 5m10s, 6m19s, 5m15s, 6m00s, 6m24s, 5m06s | |||||||||||
| 101 | Apr 2003 | 20 | Sun 1030 | Guiseley Gallop 10K | 53m52s 2m41s 5m23s 8m40s 34m05s 1.58 1.25 |
| disaster; I'd done no training 'cos I'd had flu all week; spent most of the race doing mucus control! was tired after 3.5K; later I even walked on the level; Diane (who I beat by 8s and 55s in the previous two races of the Airedale Triple) beat me by 5m today; after the race, she commiserated; I was very disappointed not to have a fair go at the Triple; the results of the Triple are here; I came first (and last) in the M50 U/A category and so I won in this category! | no markers; roughly 4m08s, 4m20s, 5m12s, 6m17s, 5m02s, 6m01s, 3m51s, 7m31s, 7m40s, 4m05s | |||||||||||
| date |
day
time |
location
distance |
my time
my pace win time me/win win/wor |
who ran links |
comments, comments, comments | splits | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 2002 | 16 | Sat | Brampton to Carlisle 10M | 72m43s 2m15s 4m31s 7m16s 48m35s 1.50 |
| dry; no wind; excellent race giving me a 10M PB and the first 10K was my 3rd fastest; did the 10M at same pace as last week's 10K! would have got even better time if I did not have stitch after 4M and slight right calf twinge after 6M; 2 pounds car park and 1 pound bus | 6m12s, 7m10s, 7m05s, 7m02s, 7m16s, 7m44s, 7m40s, 7m50s, 7m44s, 7m03s | |||||||||||
| 2 | Apr 2002 | 28 | Sun | Blyth Valley 10M | 74m26s 2m18s 4m37s 7m26s 51m19s 1.45 |
| dry and overcast; I aimed for 75m00s and so I was pleased | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Jun 2003 | 22 | Sun 1030 | Croxdale 10M | 74m31s 2m18s 4m37s 7m27s 52m52s 1.41 |
| 4 laps of 2.5M which meant 0.5M markers; warm, refreshing wind; didn't beat 2nd PB by 5s, however 1.41 for me/win is good; got lapped by 2 people, first one at about 6.1M whereas 7.4x=5.3y, y=x+2.5n gives 6.3M | 6m54s (3m26+3m28), 7m36s (3m51+3m45), 7m30s (3m50+3m40), 7m26s (3m28+3m58), 7m37s (3m47+3m50), 7m21s (3m47+3m34), 7m57s (4m02+3m55), 7m28s (3m45+3m43), 7m19s (3m30+3m49), 7m23s (3m54+3m29) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Sep 2003 | 07 | Sun 1030 | Catterick 10M | 75m20s 2m20s 4m40s 7m31s 58m01s 1.30 |
| hot; think the 8M marker was 0.2M early and the last mile is only 0.8M; enjoyable; went to plan; came 17th (out of about 54); 4th fastest 10M; 1m01s faster than last year and same (good) me/win (1.30) as last year | 7m19s, 7m59s, 7m28s, 8m48s, 7m29s, 7m20s, 8m00s, 6m17s, 9m05s, 5m39s | |||||||||||
| 5 | Apr 2004 | 09 | Fri 1030 | New Marske 10M | 75m48s 2m21s 4m42s 7m34s 52m20s 1.45 |
| 1M circuit followed by 3 x 3M ||gram with mile markers and water every 3M; flat; warm and windy; my 5th fastest 10M | 6m59s, 7m30s, 7m52s, 7m23s, 8m01s, 8m09s, 7m29s, 7m32s, 7m53s, 6m59s | |||||||||||
| 6 | Sep 2002 | 22 | Sun | Catterick 10M | 76m21s 2m22s 4m44s 7m38s 58m49s 1.30 |
| enjoyable; hilly for 5M, undulating for rest; new shoes (Asics 2070) and watch (Timex Ironman Flix); last two splits are strange; good time considering the hillyness | 7m05s, 7m45s, 7m28s, 8m38s, 7m31s, 7m40s, 7m45s, 7m57s, 8m26s, 6m02s | |||||||||||
| 7 | May 2002 | 19 | Sun | Thirsk 10M | 77m02s 2m23s 4m47s 7m42s 50m12s 1.53 |
| hot; hopes shattered in last mile; did 9M at about 7m30s and then did last 1M in 9m30s as I was in agony from a stomach pain; I even walked in the last 1M! even so, this beats previous 2nd 10M PB by 0m32s; did first 1M in 6m16s | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Nov 2003 | 15 | Sat 1230 | Brampton to Carlisle 10M | 77m13s 2m23s 4m47s 7m43s 50m23s 1.53 |
| strong NWly headwind; did not feel like running; 35% more crowded than last year: 385 in 2001, 364 in 2002, 493 in 2003; Carlisle car park was 2 UKP, bus from C to B was 1 UKP; mainly flat course with a downhill finish; Elvet Striders' map of the course is here | 6m32s, 7m37s, 7m26s, 7m24s, 7m42s, 8m04s, 8m02s, 8m16s, 8m38s, 7m38s | |||||||||||
| 9 | Nov 2001 | 17 | Sat | Brampton to Carlisle 10M | 77m34s 2m24s 4m49s 7m45s 53m20s 1.45 |
| dry; no wind; excellent race; 5 cows (no race nos) ran down lane with us | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Apr 2004 | 04 | Sun 1200 | Grizedale Forest (Hawkshead) 10M | 77m49s 2m25s 4m50s 7m46s 57m40s 1.35 |
| sunny at first but sleety rain during last 4M; hard-core trail through forests with views; green cycling route clockwise; first 2M is hilly; although described as "undulating" the course had a tendency to hill in many places; I did well as my time was a 1.35 (and 1.31 times 2003's winning time 59m24s) | cumulative splits: bottom 329926 7m01s, zigzag 326930 10m30s, FP to L 318943 20m04s, FP to R 326954 27m28s, top 332983 44m13s, carpark 342965 60m00s | |||||||||||
| 11 | Mar 2002 | 29 | Fri | Marske 10M | 78m29s 2m26s 4m52s 7m50s 53m28s 1.47 |
| very sunny and bright; 1m circuit + 3 x 3M ||gram; mile markers; water every 3M | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Oct 2003 | 12 | Sun 1030 | Stanley 10M | 78m30s 2m26s 4m52s 7m51s 55m50s 1.41 |
| dry, slightly chilly with gentle breeze; long hill bet 1M and 2M, two hills bet 3M and 4M, same two hills again bet 6.5M and 7.5M; took off 5s for near collision with car! | 6m30s, 8m42s, 7m29s, 9m05s, 7m51s, 7m14s, 8m14s, 8m33s, 7m27s (7m32s), 7m17s | |||||||||||
| 13 | Oct 2002 | 13 | Sun | Harewood Trail Race 10M | 79m00s 2m27s 4m54s 7m54s 54m46s 1.44 |
| path in first mile is narrow and so it's best to start towards the front; officially 79m47s but got delayed at stile by woman with 2 dogs; sunny, but cold so ideal for running; mostly off-road, with many Wild Race-like sections but fast around reservoir; "greasy" (Phil Liggett); undulating with 2 horrible uphills in the last mile | 7m30s, 7m20s, 8m29s, 8m29s, 7m24s, 7m45s, 8m55s, 7m48s, 7m35s, 8m36s | |||||||||||
| 14 | Nov 2002 | 03 | Sun | Guy Fawkes 10 (Harrogate) 10M | 79m35s 2m28s 4m56s 7m57s 53m48s 1.48 |
| excellent running weather: sunny but reasonably cold with wet surfaces; start and finish on trail bridle ways; gradual rise during first 3M; uphills at 4.5M, 6.5M, 8.1M; Ripley Castle | 7m10s, 9m01s, 8m57s, 6m18s, 9m43s, 6m41s, 8m43s, 7m28s, 8m22s, 7m11s | |||||||||||
| 15 | Jun 2004 | 13 | Sun 1100 | Ripon 10M | 81m09s 2m31s 5m02s 8m06s 61m06s 1.33 |
| baking hot; 21s faster than my 2004 Fountains 10M; drag from start to 4M with some respites; long steep hill between 5M and 6M; I think the 3M and subsequent markers were too late recovering at the 9M marker; well marshalled; two water stations at 4.5M and 7.5M; got confused by swing gate at 9.5M; only 83 finishers; hot dogs were good; more enjoyable than I thought it would be but I preferred the Wed 10K | 7m56s, 8m08s, 9m01s, 8m03s, 7m45s, 8m53s, 8m19s, 8m07s, 7m07s, 7m54s | |||||||||||
| 16 | May 2004 | 09 | Sun 1100 | Fountains 10M | 81m30s 2m31s 5m03s 8m09s 59m54s 1.36 |
| part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series; there are 5 hills in the last 6K of the route and the earlier moorland section (2K long) was boggy with deepish puddles; humid, but cool; burned out by 7.5M; the winner's time was 4m42s slower than in 2003 and so I got a 1.36 but I would have only got 1.48 with the 55m12s of 2003; disappointed there was no burger stall | 7m18, 9m10s, 6m52s, 7m50s, 8m03s, 7m42s, 7m53s, 8m37s, 9m39s, 8m27s | |||||||||||
| 17 | Sep 2001 | 30 | Sun | Tynedale 10M | 82m10s 2m33s 5m06s 8m13s 53m20s 1.54 |
| Lisa in 75m35s, smiling Karl at finish, used new cold gear, jelly tea | ||||||||||||
| 18 | May 2003 | 11 | Sun 1100 | Fountains 10M | 85m14s 2m38s 5m17s 8m31s 55m12s 1.54 |
| at Grantley; only done 3M of training in last fortnight because of knee injury; took it gently and was pleased to have got round; across moorland from 1M point to 2.5M; undulating plus 4 hills in last 4M; strong headwind at times; hail at times; well organised; excellent burgers and good pint of BS; info about BSBRS is here | 7m48s, 8m59s, 7m47s, 8m11s, 8m21s, 8m20s, 8m57s, 9m05s, 9m27s, 8m06s (3m53s, 2m27s, 1m46s) | |||||||||||
| 19 | Mar 2009 | 08 | Sun 1100 | Salisbury 10M | 86m21s 2m40s 5m21s 8m38s 51m10s 1.69 |
| "Salisbury 10"; journey time: 64.5M, 1h21m; chips; excellent run from Salisbury NNW along rural roads up the valley of the River Avon to visit the villages of Little Woodford and Middle Woodford. In Upper Woodford, the route turns east for 0.5M before going due South down the other side of the valley through Salterton and Little Durnford; the route is undulating throughout with the only significant hill being at 6.5M; there were water stations at 2M, 3.5M, 5.5M and 8M, and as the sun was making it hot I grabbed water at each of these; there was a bit of a cold head wind at times during the last couple of miles; although the race was marked with mile markers, I chose to get feedback from my watch at every 0.5K; my watch created a map of the route | 5m07s, 5m10s, 5m30s, 5m35s, 5m34s, 5m30s, 5m30s, 5m46s, 5m24s, 5m28s, 5m36s, 5m21s, 5m10s, 5m11s, 4m58s, 4m45s, 0m58s | |||||||||||
| 20 | Sep 2009 | 13 | Sun 1030 | Witney 10M | 92m46s 2m52s 5m45s 9m16s 58m42s 1.58 |
| "Cotswold Classic 10"; HRR-RC; This is advertised as "a tough 10 mile one lap road race in the picturesque Cotswold countryside": it lived up to that description. The race was well marshalled and marshalled with enthusiasm! I'm currently 3rd in the age 60 category of the Headington RoadRunners Road Championship. The guy who's 2nd is Kit. I need to compete in both today's race and a 5 mile race on October 11th. Normally it'll be a doddle to beat Kit but with the injury to the top of my hamstring I'm worried about even being able to do 10 miles. I've done the sums: today I just need to finish. If I don't beat him today, I need to beat him at the Hanney 5 which should be easy enough to do. Last year he did today's race in 1h29m30s which sounds like a good time for this course. The only 10 mile I've done recently I did in 1h26m21s and that was on a reasonably flat course. I decide to aim for 1h28m which means 2m45s per 0.5K. I drove round the course beforehand and lost track of the number of hills: there were a lot of sharp descents and ascents. Even so, when I was running I found the difficult bit was the endlessly long but gentle climb of 90m: a gentle hill lasting for 4K from Crawley to Leafield. I decide to take it reasonably gently but trying to keep to some thing like 2m45s per 0.5K. However, because it's so undulating/hilly, it's difficult to judge whether I'm doing this. At about 7.5K, Kit overtakes me. This is a bit of an upset to the plan! I decide the best idea is to sit on his tail. I run behind him for about 0.5K but he slows down when we get to a hill and so I overtake him. This is probably a silly move as for the remainder of the race (8K) I'm worrying about how far behind me he is. In the end, I finish 50 seconds in front of him. So if I've really done the sums right, I just need to get round the Hanney 5 to finish 2nd in the Road Championship: I could even walk it in just over an hour! | 2m29s, 2m31s, 2m48s, 2m57s, 2m42s, 2m55s, 2m59s, 2m55s, 3m04s, 3m02s, 3m09s, 3m02s, 2m48s, 2m47s, 2m30s, 2m41s, 2m56s, 2m49s, 2m37s, 2m34s, 3m08s, 2m39s, 2m57s, 2m46s, 3m16s, 2m50s, 3m04s, 2m42s, 3m40s, 2m47s, 2m49s, 2m36s, 1m19s (0.23K) | |||||||||||
| date |
day
time |
location
distance |
my time
my pace win time me/win win/wor |
who ran links |
comments, comments, comments | splits | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 2003 | 26 | Sun 1100 | Jedburgh (Borders) half marathon | 97m32s 2m18s 4m37s 7m26s 72m48s 1.34 |
| a little chilly with a slight drizzle at times; mainly flat; some uninteresting long straight roads; I made it a PB beating my Turin time by 5s but officially it was 97m39s which is 2s slower than my Turin time or 24s faster than the chip Turin time! | 6m46s, 7m34s, 7m13s, 7m01s, 7m43s, 7m31s, 7m31s, 7m50s, 7m52s, 7m31s, 7m53s, 7m12s, 7m12s+0m43s (7m55s) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Sep 2003 | 21 | Sun 0930 | Turin half marathon | 97m37s 2m18s 4m37s 7m26s 63m52s 1.53 |
| hot, with a gentle wind; officially (using a chip) my time was 98m03s: I can't explain the discrepancy; 1247 runners; I came first out of the 5 UK runners; chip time for first 10K was 47m11s | 4m41s, 4m34s+4m34s (9m08s), 4m48s, 4m42s, 4m38s, 4m43s, 4m36s, 4m45s, 4m44s, 4m14s, 4m51s+4m50s (9m41s), 4m38s, 4m37s, 4m37s, 4m33s, 4m38s, 4m53s, 4m28s, 4m09s+0m25s (4m34s) | |||||||||||
| 3 | Jan 2003 | 26 | Sun | Knavesmire Brass Monkey half marathon | 98m05s 2m19s 4m38s 7m28s 67m56s 1.44 |
| limit reached on Nov 7th 2002; officially 98m18s but took 13s to start; strong headwind (15mph?) at times | 7m03s, 7m28s, 7m51s, 7m41s, 7m11s, 7m36s, 7m49s, 7m38s, 7m39s, 7m36s, 7m41s, 7m07s, 7m01s?, 0m44s? | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jan 2003 | 12 | Sun | Morpeth to Newcastle half marathon | 98m42s 2m20s 4m40s 7m31s 67m48s 1.46 |
| dry, cold; officially 98m56s but took 14s to start | 7m50s, 7m10s, 7m11s, 7m10s, 8m05s, 8m10s, 7m44s, 7m29s, 7m18s, 7m40s, 7m30s, 7m59s, 6m57s, 0m43s | |||||||||||
| 5 | Oct 2002 | 06 | Sun | Great North Run half marathon | 100m06s 2m22s 4m44s 7m38s 59m58s 1.67 |
| hot; very crowded; passed Frank Bruno at 6M; officially 104m02s but took about 4m to get to start; probably would be well under my target of 100m if it were a real race; support from Dave and Gilbert | 8m14s,7m35s, 7m34s, 7m38s, 7m46s, 7m24s, 7m11s, 7m25s, 8m12s, 7m41s, 8m09s, 7m40s, 7m00s, 0m42s | |||||||||||
| 6 | Jun 2002 | 15 | Sat | Tromso half marathon | 100m30s 2m22s 4m45s 7m39s |
| 2200hrs; "midnight sun"; the 2nd K was 1.4K long and this threw out my mental arithmetic; my official time was 102m24s for what I claim was 21.4975K; so this made 30s over my target of 100m for a half marathon; grr! | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Jan 2004 | 25 | Sun 1000 | York half marathon | 102m22s 2m25s 4m51s 7m48s 68m26s 1.50 |
| officially 102m31s but it took 9s to start; first race in Nike Air Pegasus 2002; when I bought them I didn't know they are 395g; blue skies, strong warming sun, a gentle cold wind and a flat course: except for about 3 icy patches this was PB country; enjoyable; I did better than a fortnight ago (MtoN) but still not close to a PB; race limit reached on Oct 16 | 7m13s, 7m21s, 7m37s, 7m53s, 7m12s, 8m03s, 8m08s, 7m58s, 8m15s+8m16s (16m31s), 8m12s, 7m48s, 7m42s, 0m45s | |||||||||||
| 8 | Mar 2003 | 23 | Sun | Ackworth Pontefract half marathon | 102m33s 2m25s 4m51s 7m49s 65m18s 1.57 |
| officially 102m38s but took 5s to get to the start; reasonably hot and sunny; undulating; lots of runners which made the first 2 minutes crowded; good atmosphere and countryside | 7m06s, 7m43s, 7m29s, 8m47s, 7m25s, 8m08s, 8m06s, 8m01s, 7m40s, 8m09s, 8m00s, 7m44s, 7m33s, 0m36s (0.1M) | |||||||||||
| 9 | Jan 2002 | 13 | Sun | Morpeth to Newcastle half marathon | 103m20s 2m26s 4m53s 7m52s 67m24s 1.53 |
| drizzle; slight headwind; officially 103m40s but took 0m20s to get to the start; ran with L for 7M; support from Dave and Gilbert | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Jul 2003 | 05 | Sat 1400 | Burn Valley half marathon | 104m25s 2m28s 4m56s 7m57s 74m34s 1.40 |
| before race I decided on 8m10s but got 7m57s; well pleased; still feeling good in last 3rd of race as shown by splits; lots of water and sponge stations; good atmosphere; mainly road, hilly and scenic; warm but mainly overcast; free "post race tea"; info about BSBRS is here | 7m15s, 8m13s, 7m26s, 7m53s, 8m21s (8m51s), 9m17s (8m47s), 8m14s, 8m11s, 8m01s, 7m59s, 7m32s, 8m03s, 7m17s+0m54s (8m01s) | |||||||||||
| 11 | Jan 2004 | 11 | Sun 1030 | Morpeth to Newcastle half marathon | 104m47s 2m28s 4m57s 7m59s 67m23s 1.56 |
| officially 104m51s; didn't do well; slower than 2003 MtoN, 2003 Burn Valley (hilly), 2002 MtoN; some excuses: (a) strong SW wind which was head-on at times, (b) bright sunshine which was head-on most of the time, (c) got stitch after 4M; slight change to route because of roadworks; more supporters and more crowded: number of finishers up from 612 (2002) and 726 (2003) to 1020 (2004) | 7m24s, 8m02s, 7m29s, 7m41s, 8m13s, 8m12s, 8m18s, 8m09s, 8m00s, 8m29s, 8m11s, 8m19s, 7m37s, 0m42s | |||||||||||
| 12 | Sep 2004 | 26 | Sun 1040 | Great North Run half marathon | 106m32s 2m31s 5m02s 8m07s 59m37s 1.79 |
| officially 109m40s but took about 3m to get to the start; what a lot of people! bright and cool but with a head-wind for the last M; was pleased with my result even though it's not my best GNR | 7m11s, 7m28s, 7m43s, 8m28s, 8m17s, 8m14s, 7m51s, 8m03s, 8m20s, 8m18s, 8m56s, 8m37s, 7m58s, 0m48s | |||||||||||
| 13 | Feb 2002 | 17 | Sun | Liversedge (Roberttown) half marathon | 107m27s 2m32s 5m05s 8m11s 73m38s 1.46 |
| officially 107m38s but took 0m11s to get to the start; hilly; well organised race; I got a spot prize: a bottle of locally produced sparkling wine! | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Mar 2002 | 03 | Sun | Pafos (Cyprus) half marathon | 110m22s 2m36s 5m13s 8m25s 77m33s 1.42 |
| very hot; bumpy, dusty roads; well organised water, sponges and K markers | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Apr 2003 | 06 | Sun 1030 | Baildon half marathon | 111m23s 2m38s 5m16s 8m29s 79m29s 1.40 |
| dry, with slight wind; Baildon Boundary Way is excellent being multi-terrain, rural, undulating/hilly; well organised; too many other walkers/cyclists; first race of the Airedale Triple | 7m00s, 7m14s, 8m54s, 8m15s, 8m37s, 7m22s, 8m14s, 7m09s, 9m18s, 12m27s, 10m01s, 7m27s, 8m11s, 1m02s | |||||||||||
| 16 | Sep 2001 | 16 | Sun | Great North Run half marathon | 112m00s 2m39s 5m18s 8m32s 60m30s 1.85 |
| too crowded to run properly, hot, headwind for last 1.2M, enthusiastic crowd, official time of 118m23s but took over 6m00s to get to the start | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Jul 2003 | 19 | Sat 1000 | Bishop Wilton half marathon | 114m15s 2m42s 5m24s 8m42s |
| hot again; I was aiming for 104m but instead I got almost my slowest 13.1M; tougher than Burn Valley or Baildon but not so scenic; long hill (170 metre climb) between 3M and 6.5M including 135metres climb in 1.5M, then the nicest bit: an off road downhill (down 130 metres) to 8M, a steep hill (30 metres) just after 9M and a 75 metre climb between 11M and 12M, down down down (90 metres) from 12M to end; my guess is that the me/win will be something like 2.00! | 7m17s, 8m20s, 7m45s, 10m04s, 10m33s, 9m25s, 7m16s, 8m37s, 8m37s, 9m26s, 7m57s, 11m25s, 7m03s, 0m36s | |||||||||||
| 18 | Jul 2009 | 11 | Sat 1500 | Rovaniemi (Finland) half marathon | 115m15s 2m43s 5m27s 8m47s 77m33s 1.49 |
| "Rovaniemi Half Marathon"; Rovaniemi is in Finland a few Ks South of the Arctic Circle. A 10K takes place earlier in the afternoon, and this takes a nice route whereas the Half is the route of the 10K plus 5K down one side of a straight dual-carriageway and then 5K back again. I found the dual-carriageway bit boring and hard work in 22 degrees Centigrade. There's also a full marathon that does the Half twice. As last year's winner's time was 1h15m27s, I aimed for 1.5 times that time, i.e., 1h53m11s, which is 2m40s per 0.5K. As my 0.5K splits show, I managed to achieve that for 7.5K but my attempt for 1h53m11s didn't allow for the 22 degrees Centigrade. Maybe this was was the reason why this year's winner's time was 2m06s slower than last year's. My time was 2m04s slower than the 1h53m11s. I got a 1.49 which pleased me. The change from one split to the next was 5s or less in 75% of the changes. | 2m17s, 2m26s, 2m33s, 2m44s, 2m39s, 2m42s, 2m41s, 2m41s, 2m37s, 2m36s, 2m39s, 2m39s, 2m38s, 2m37s, 2m38s, 2m42s, 2m44s, 2m46s, 2m44s, 2m49s, 2m45s, 2m49s, 2m43s, 2m45s, 2m45s, 2m41s, 2m42s, 2m50s, 2m56s, 2m46s, 2m47s, 2m52s, 2m47s, 2m50s, 2m53s, 3m00s, 3m02s, 2m51s, 2m47s, 2m45s, 2m35s, 2m35s, 0m59s (0.27K) | |||||||||||
| 19 | Nov 2004 | 14 | Sun 0730 | Havana (Cuba) half marathon | 117m14s 2m46s 5m33s 8m56s 66m10s 1.77 |
| humid; mainly flat with 4 slight hills between 8K and 13K; aimed for 6m per K but at 15K thought 2h was on and was pleased to achieve this; 5K, 10K, 15K and a marathon as well; developed knee problem after 2K and although this seemed not to affect my race I haven't been able to do any running since | 5m28s+5m28s (10m56s), 5m51s, 5m47s+5m47s (11m34s), 5m41s, 5m39s, 5m35s (6m35s inc loo break), 5m56s, 5m50s, 5m42s, 5m26s+5m26s+5m27s (17m19s), 5m52s, 5m33s, 5m02s, 5m33s, 4m56s, 5m15s, 4m32s+0m27s (4m59s) | |||||||||||
| 20 | Apr 2010 | 11 | Sun 1000 | Grove (Wantage) half marathon | 117m19s 2m46s 5m33s 8m56s 72m39s 1.61 |
| "White Horse Half Marathon"; HRR-RC; The route is flat on country lanes. The race was well signed and well marshalled. The running conditions were good: some hazy sun with an occasional cooling cold wind. As I hadn't done much training during the last two weeks, I was apprehensive and from about 4M onwards I frequently wanted to give up. Curiously, even though I wasn't enjoying it, I was achieving good times. My plan was to get in under two hours and to do about 2m40s to 2m50s per 0.5K. My 0.5K splits show that for most of the race I was well within this pace, but I tired a lot at the end. At about 10M, I was wondering whether I could beat my post-2007 PB (1h55m15s), but a bit of arithmetic led to an answer of "no". In the end, I got a second best time. | 2m23s, 2m22s, 2m24s, 2m22s, 2m32s, 2m35s, 2m30s, 2m28s, 2m36s, 2m37s, 2m37s, 2m38s, 2m43s, 2m34s, 2m35s, 2m47s, 2m44s, 3m24s, 2m43s, 2m44s, 3m19s, 2m41s, 2m46s, 2m46s, 2m45s, 2m46s, 2m45s, 2m54s, 2m45s, 2m48s, 2m52s, 2m57s, 3m01s, 2m50s, 2m53s, 2m58s, 3m04s, 2m49s, 3m04s, 3m01s, 3m00s, 2m54s, 1m23s (0.26K) | |||||||||||
| 21 | Jul 2002 | 06 | Sat | Burn Valley (Masham) half marathon | 117m23s 2m46s 5m33s 8m57s 71m35s 1.64 |
| buffet tea; dry; half-marathon over fairly hilly countryside; lots of water and sponge stations; well organised and friendly; over 300 entrants; did first 5M at 8m00s but became tired after 7M; Black Sheep Series | ||||||||||||
| 22 | Nov 2009 | 01 | Sun 0930 | Marlow half marathon | 118m38s 2m48s 5m37s 9m02s 75m30s 1.57 |
| "Marlow Half Marathon"; A return visit to the Chilterns: a fortnight ago I was here on a bright chilly dry Sunday morning for the Frieth 10K; today it rained most of the time for the Marlow Half Marathon which has a "challenging and undulating scenic route over quiet country lanes through the Chiltern Hills". Meaning that the first 2K is up a hill, and that there are four other uphills at 3K, 5K, 13K and 17.5K. Of course every uphill has a downhill, and as usual I didn't know whether to take these gently or to gain a few seconds by charging down them. Besides being very wet, it was also windy. We tried to avoid puddles and splashing each other but on several occasions we got wet as there were mini lakes to run through. I had driven round the course yesterday afternoon and so I knew where all the uphills and downhills are. I knew it was going to be tough. Before the race I had looked at last year's winner's time (1h14m42s). Multiplying this by 1.5 gives 1h52m03s. As I thought it was unlikely I would get anywhere near this time, I didn't try: I just wanted to get round. As I've already mentioned, the first 2K is all uphill (where my 0.5K splits were 2m48s, 3m00s, 2m46s and 2m44s). During this 2K, I was beginning to feel a pain in two familiar places: my right knee and the top of my left hamstring. This didn't bode well and it depressed me for several Ks. When I looked at my watch at just after halfway, I saw that I'd done that half in about one hour. So I wondered whether I could finish in under two hours. However, there were still two uphills to come. But there had been uphills in the first half. The most significant remaining uphill was between about 12.5K and 13.5K where my 0.5K splits were 3m36s and 4m39s. I did some more sums at the two thirds point. These suggested I would finish in 2h03m. This spurred me in adopting a faster pace for the level and downhill sections from 15K to 17K (2m21s, 2m34s, 2m36s, 2m28s). The final hill then appeared and like others I walked a bit of it (3m26s, 3m05s). After that it was flat for 1K and then downhill for 2K: so there was no stopping me trying to get in under 2 hours. My splits for the final 2K were 2m33s, 2m26s, 2m12s, 2m03s. In the end, I finished in about 1h58m. I'm pleased with this: it is 3m slower than the Half I did in Rovaniemi but that was on a flat course. However, it is 2m faster than my appalling Half on a flat course at Krems. The race was well marshalled and marshalled with enthusiasm which was nice given they had to stand around for about 4 hours in the rain. Several of them said "well done Headington" which I liked. There were several water stations also being cheerfully and efficiently manned, often by kids. But unlike some races they knew what to do. And probably because it was often pouring with rain I said more thank yous to these people and to the marshals than usual. | 2m48s, 3m00s, 2m46s, 2m44s, 2m39s, 2m30s, 3m28s, 2m28s, 2m53s, 3m00s, 3m06s, 3m07s, 2m55s, 2m55s, 2m51s, 2m37s, 2m47s, 2m43s, 2m31, 2m45s, 2m50s, 2m36s, 2m47s, 2m44s, 2m41s, 3m36s, 4m39s, 2m51s, 2m51s, 2m48s, 2m21s, 2m34s, 2m36s, 2m28s, 3m26s, 3m05s, 2m38s, 2m42s, 2m33s, 2m26s, 2m12s, 2m03s, 0m43s (about 0.2K) | |||||||||||
| 23 | Jun 2009 | 06 | Sat 1400 | Horton-cum-Studley half marathon | 118m50s 2m48s 5m37s 9m03s 75m01s 1.58 |
| "Otmoor Challenge"; I enjoyed this: it was along footpaths and roads around the Otmoor. Pouring with rain before the race which eased off as we started to race and was only drizzly from then on. There were two long sections of mud and one short section. As this was my first Half since November 2004 and I've done no training at this distance, I just aimed to get round and hoped to finish within 2h. Although some have claimed this is more than a Half my watch made this 20.99K which is pretty close to 21.0975K. It's mainly off-road for the first 4K and this explains the 3m23s 0.5K split: it is for a mud section. Then for the next 6K it's along a road where I repeatedly did times close to 2m46s per 0.5K. The over 3m splits are another mud section. The long hill in and steep hill out of Beckley accounts for the 3m16s and 3m27s. I managed to achieve some fast times in the last 2K. Here's where we went in Google Maps and in WheresThePath. I saw runners from Oxford Hash stop for beers on three occasions! | 2m31s, 2m41s, 3m23s, 2m44s, 2m38s, 2m41s, 2m49s, 2m47s, 2m46s, 2m48s, 2m45s, 2m47s, 2m44s, 2m49s, 2m51s, 2m46s, 2m42s, 2m49s, 2m52s, 2m52s, 3m12s, 3m31s, 3m06s, 2m50s, 2m54s, 2m58s, 2m59s, 2m56s, 2m36s, 2m44s, 2m58s, 3m05s, 2m54s, 3m16s, 3m27s, 2m37s, 2m41s, 2m42s, 2m25s, 2m28s, 2m32s, 2m17s (0.485K) | |||||||||||
| 24 | Sep 2009 | 20 | Sun 1000 | Krems half marathon | 119m48s 2m50s 5m40s 9m08s 65m03s 1.84 |
| "Wachau Halbmarathon"; This half marathon from the village of Spitz to Krems is alongside the River Danube for the whole distance. On the same morning, there is also a full marathon and a quarter marathon which also start in other villages on the Danube. On the day before race, I had walked the last 3K of the route of the race, and had found white paint marks on the ground for the 19K, 20K and 21K markers. On the morning of the race I had to get a bus from outside Krems railway station to the start of the race. There's a choice of a ship at 8am (which takes 90 minutes) and 20 buses at 8am and another 20 buses at 9am. I have booked a seat on the 9am bus. I do a 2K warm up by running from my hotel first to the 20K marker, then to the finish and then back to the railway station. I'm in plenty of time for the bus. It's very crowded in Spitz, there being about 4 thousand runners. About 6 weeks ago in Finland, I'd done a flat half marathon in 1h55m55s, that's a pace of 5m27s per K. That day, I was aiming for an average pace of 5m20s per K, but failed to achieve that pace because it had been so hot. I try for that pace again today. But again I don't achieve it. However, today it's not very sunny and, although it's warm, it's not too hot, and so it's ideal to get a good time but I don't feel motivated. The course is again flat but it feels long. Because the Danube doesn't twist much, the route has long straights. The only thing that motivates me are the crowds alongside the route as we run through the villages of Woesendorf, Weissenkirchen, Duernstein, Unterloiben, Oberloiben and Stein before reaching lots of support through the streets of Krems. In the early stages of the race, I see a runner that has no feet. His legs end in stubs to which are attached some weirdly shaped, artificial legs/feet. It's impressive and some times he's ahead of me and some times behind. I don't know whether he beat me. Although my 0.5K splits don't change much, they gradually get slower: at 5K I'm doing 2m45s, at 10K it's 2m47s, at 15K it's 3m00s. Aside: at about 10.9K, my Garmin watch goes AWOL as we go through a 0.9K tunnel and it thinks I do an extra 0.11K. At 16K, with 5.1K to go, I work on how I can get in under 2h. I keep working out whether it's achievable to do this if I average 3m00s per 0.5K (which I can do without too much effort). It keeps looking that it's on. When I get to the 19K marker (which I saw yesterday), I start to speed up. I'm encouraged by passing several runners and by knowing these streets. I get to the 20K marker which is where I warmed up earlier. As I enter the long straight finish in Ringstrasse I look ahead. Because I've done my homework I know where in the distance the finish is and I get my 0.5K pace down to 2m30s. Foolishly, in the last few seconds of the race, I keep glancing down to my watch. I really want to finish in under 2 hours. The watch is only showing hours and minutes and not seconds; each time I look it says 1h59s, and it still says 1h59s as I cross the line. Yippee. I made it 1h59m46s. The winning time was 1h05m03s which gives me a ratio of 1.84 which is not impressive. The first seven finishers in the Half Marathon were from Kenya and Ethopia. The first woman was 10th overall. Although I should have done a better time, I came 17th out of 41 finishers in my age category. The races are very well organised with lots of details truely thought out. There is a free early morning train service from Vienna and a free bus shuttle from car parks in Krems to the railway station where there is free transport (bus, train, ship) to the starts of the three main races. The race is chip-timed from start to finish. And after the race, the competitors pass through a large funnel containing water, isotonic drinks, bananas, energy bars, apples, cakes. There is then a park where you can buy lunch (such as bratwurst) and beer/coffee. Two criticisms: although there were numerous refreshment stations en route (where you could get water, isotonic drinks, banana, gels), there were insufficient people manning the drinks and so you would have to wait to get a drink. You could purchase a chip or pay a deposit for a daily hire of a chip, and, although there were lots of signage for various things after the refreshment tunnel, I didn't see any for getting your chip deposit back. Being shattered, I nearly forgot to get my deposit back, and when I did remember I didn't know where to go. In the end, it was obvious: it was where I had got the chip in the first place. | 2m31s, 2m37s, 2m35s, 2m44s, 2m35s, 2m42s, 2m41s, 2m42s, 2m43s, 2m45s, 2m43s, 2m54s, 2m46s, 2m43s, 2m47s, 2m48s, 2m44s, 2m50s, 2m45s, 2m47s, 2m48s, 2m52s, 2m57s (0.39K), 2m51s, 2m49s, 2m54s, 3m00s, 2m55s, 3m01s, 3m00s, 3m05s, 3m06s, 3m03s, 3m06s, 3m04s, 3m06s, 2m57s, 2m58s, 2m45s, 2m48s, 2m33s, 2m30s, 1m15s (0.30K). | |||||||||||
| 25 | Jul 2004 | 03 | Sat 1400 | Burn Valley half marathon | 122m09s 2m53s 5m47s 9m19s 81m03s 1.51 |
| big disaster: stitch at 8M, I just wished there had been a bus back; hot with a strong cool breeze; good water and sponge stations and a good tea afterwards; photos of the runners are here, e.g., here's one of me; part of the Black Sheep Brewery Race Series; 3M fun run as well | 7m10s, 8m39s, 7m51s, 9m00s, 10m00s, 9m42s, 9m18s, 9m47s, 9m45s, 10m25s, 9m51s, 11m14s, 8m37s+0m52s (9m29s) | |||||||||||
| 26 | Jul 2010 | 10 | Sat 0945 | Adderbury half marathon | 128m28s 3m02s 6m05s 9m47s 79m50s 1.61 |
| "Adderbury Half Marathon"; This Half Marathon is a mix of off-road and tarmac. It was mainly a flat course with a few inclines. We met all sorts of traffic: motorway traffic, slow moving canal bridges, a hot air balloon and even a steam train! We also met stiles, steps, kissing gates, old wooden kissing gates that wouldn't move and cows that were standing across the path. It was hot (about 23 degrees); thankfully there were four water stations and these were cheerfully manned. It was a race where people exchanged words as they passed, and it was a race where people looked after each other. At 6M I asked a walking runner if he was OK and he retaliated about 0.5M later. And whilst crossing a stile I glanced back and saw the runner behind going the wrong way. I ran back to the junction and shouted to her. I had to do the stile again. Grhh! I hate stiles. After finishing, I learnt that a fellow HRR runner had gone wrong there too: a direction arrow or a marshal was needed. As it was hot, I didn't try to get a good time. Since last year's winning time was 1h21m04s, I thought I might do 1.5 times that time, i.e., 2h01m36s. So that means doing 6 minutes for each K. So that was the plan for the race. However, I started too fast and spent a large amount of the first part of the race trying to slow myself down failing miserably as the splits show and exhausting myself. Still I was happy with 2h08m28s. | 2m10s, 2m35s, 2m30s, 2m41s, 2m45s, 2m34s, 2m37s, 2m46s, 2m45s, 2m49s, 2m48s, 3m40s, 2m52s, 2m54s, 3m21s, 4m01s, 2m51s, 2m49s, 2m50s, 3m41s, 3m32s, 2m58s, 3m05s, 3m32s, 2m57s, 2m52s, 3m28s, 3m10s, 3m21s, 3m47s, 3m08s, 3m06s, 3m21s, 4m08s, 3m09s, 2m44s, 4m16s, 2m47s, 2m34s, 3m09s, 2m29s, 2m36s, 0m23s (0.09K) | |||||||||||
| 27 | Jun 2010 | 05 | Sat 1400 | Horton-cum-Studley half marathon | 138m04s 3m16s 6m32s 10m31s 77m55s 1.77 |
| "Otmoor Challenge"; The Otmoor Challenge is a half marathon along footpaths and roads around the Otmoor. Together with 5 mile and 13 mile walks for walkers, it forms one of the events of Horton-cum-Studley's Otmoor Day. Last year, when I did this for the first time, it was very wet and the route had three very muddy long sections. This year it was very hot and humid (25 degrees). I didn't cope with the heat: I had to stop and walk. There were others doing this and I had several long conversations. Although I started off well on my way to beat last year's time, this plan was soon ditched. When I finished, I didn't even wonder what my finishing time was for about 10 minutes. I made use of two of my four stashes of isotonic drink but the 500ml were too much. This was my 26th half marathon and it is now my personal worst time beating my previous by 17 minutes. I would like to thank the organisers who put out extra water en route and to those kind people of Noke who used their garden hoses to cool us down. Thanks also to the St Johns Ambulance: I chatted to one of them at Noke, he seemed worried about my state and was all smiles (like me) when I saw him again on the road in the last mile. | 2m15s, 2m27s, 2m35s, 2m32s, 2m34s, 2m36s, 2m38s, 3m02s, 2m35s, 2m43s, 2m40s, 3m33s, 2m45s, 2m48s, 2m52s, 3m25s, 4m58s, 3m03s, 3m00s, 3m37s, 3m09s, 3m32s, 3m03s, 3m00s, 5m04s, 3m08s, 4m21s, 4m13s, 2m59s, 3m12s, 3m55s, 4m04s, 4m13s, 4m58s, 6m13s, 2m59s, 2m57s, 3m13s, 2m45s, 2m51s, 3m06s, 2m34s (0.460K) | |||||||||||
