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My mate is currently setting up the course at Wollaton Park.
They're flooding one of the laps at the moment... (we go through the middle of that stream)
How pointless!
I think they've basically extended the water section rather than create one. Still fairly pointless. My mate was talking to the guy who designed the course and he was told by the organisers to make it as muddy as possible. His comment was 'there's going to be a lot of shoes come off but it should be a lot of fun'.
Lit - don't know about that stupid log.
Only ever race i wore gloves in, it was a super cold January morning in 2006. Regretted having them on about 1/2mile in.
National XC yesterday was good fun! The course was runnable in most places and the flooded / boggy bits were fairly short so didn't cause too much of an issue although there was some pretty deep bits (see photo).
The cavalry charge at the start was amusing as usual and the first kilometre or so was fairly crowded but then it opened up. Was running with my club mate for a while but he opene dup a bit of a gap which I couldn't really bridge and he just stayed a similar distance ahead of me for the rest of the race. First six miles I felt pretty good and then the last 1.75 miles were a bit of a grind (possibly to do with doing a 20 minute parkrun on an undulating course that morning) but I managed to hold pace and position. Finished in 54 mins, which is about 10 minutes quicker than last year, albeit different venue, different course and about 400 places higher.
Thoroughly recommend that everyone runs The National XC at last once.
Bit muddy...
Lostock 6
I did this race three years ago and it turned out to be the start of a purple patch for me. It’s a good, fairly local race on an undulating route. Since 2014, they have changed the course to replace a brutal uphill section followed by a bit of downhill with a long gradual incline. I figured this would help me as I am weak on hills. I was also encouraged by my very comfortable long run last Sunday. However, I have been strangely struggling for pace in all my runs since so wasn’t at all sure how today would turn out.
I managed to time my arrival to coincide with a massive queue to collect numbers then bumped into my former next door neighbours, who I hadn’t seen for several years, so was obliged to stop for a chat. This resulted in a curtailed warm up of only 12 minutes, which still felt sluggish. As we lined up, I told myself you can never tell your form until you are into the race. Anyway, after a comical false start, we were away. A short downhill section as we spread ourselves out, followed by a fairly steep uphill for about 800m. I wasn’t enjoying this, especially as I found myself behind someone wearing an anorak!
The first kilometre came up in a disappointing 4:45 but at least that hill was now behind me. Unfortunately, as we rounded a bend, we were suddenly running into quite a stiff breeze. Happily, Anorak found this even tougher than me so I managed to pass him. Shortly afterwards, we turned out of the wind and I was able to settle into a decent rhythm. 4:33 for km number 2. I started to pass people fairly regularly and up ahead I could see a Wigan Phoenix runner who had beaten me on the eight occasions we had raced. Over the next couple of kilometres he came back to me and I passed him somewhere in the fifth kilometre. 4:30, 4:28 and 4:29 for 3rd, 4th and 5th kms.
Up ahead, I could now make out the Lostock AC vest and familiar broad shoulders of my old nemesis, Brian. He’d beaten me by just 4 seconds here three years ago and has a 5-0 record against me. I maintained my pace and by the time we reached 6k and turned uphill, he was just 5 to 10m ahead. 4:30 for km 6. It was a case of digging in and staying close to him as we gradually gained height for the next two km. Only 4:48 and 4:49 for 7th and 8th kms but I was still with him. Once we crested the hill, I started to push and within a few hundred metres I overtook him then kept pushing. 4:20 for 9th km – well it was downhill! Just got to maintain it now and helpfully I got involved in a bit of a battle with another runner. I passed him but that seemed to wake him up and he came back past me very soon afterwards. He was too strong for me but trying to keep up meant that I averaged 4:02 pace for the last 660m.
So I finished in a pleasingly palindromic time of 43:34. Equally pleasing was to finally record victories over two local rivals. Brian finished on 43:49 and the Wigan guy, who was clearly off form, on 45:25. Disappointingly, I was only 4th V60 and nowhere near a prize. 1st V60 ran 37:34 and 3rd ran 41:01. There was even a V65 with 42:15. Surprisingly then, Brian was second V55. Most importantly, my time was 1:18 faster than 2014 and suggests a sub-45 10k could happen this year on a flat course. Now where can I find one of those?
Excellent Pete! Congrats on taking down Brian, I'd forgotten about your nemesis.
How about this for a 10k? I've been asked to run with my mate.
https://www.sportstoursinternational.co.uk/events/manchester-10k/
I was thinking more in terms of Lancaster next weekend,Tommy, but remind me about Manchester nearer the time, please.
I lol'ed too Pete, because Brian is such a villainous sounding nemesis. Superbly well done on the improvement of your previous purple patch time. All hail the new purple patch !
I felt the endurance starting to seep into my legs this morning and managed 21 miles at close on 7 min/mile pace. It was also my son's 7th birthday so I ate lots of junk food at his party all afternoon and now I feel I must do a short recovery run to rid myself of some ex- stress while my cottage pie gently cooks.
Lit - I think mobility is about the range of movement at a joint, which might be restricted by muscles, ligaments, joint capsules or nerves, while flexibility is about the length of muscles.
OK back to the P&D thread.
Well done on XC Tommy, nice muddy photo and excellent running in the Lostock 9.6 Pete.
12,16 = 28
8 weeks to go - time to get serious.
Ha, there are some miserable looking photo's in that picture, Tommy. Well done on a double race day!
Well done in Lostock, Pete. I was expecting the story to end in a prize. Just goes to show the quality of runners still going in that age group.
I managed a 12, 8 and 7.5 (5 at mp) and 2 x spin in the 4 training days available to me last week. As you say, Skinny, I think now is serious time.
I just about survived Edinburgh undamaged ( 2 years ago I did my ankle there badly whilst drunk walking on the cobbles) though I have almost completely lost my voice. I cut both nights a couple of hours shorter than the others which has seemingly made quite a big difference in how I felt. Droitwich half next Sunday so need to get most of my training in, in the first half of the week to provide a mini taper.
Surprised by your post Lit, i always thought you were one of the more strong cored, and thus flexi type runners, amongst a lot of super tight immobile jointed types (like me!)
I've had spells doing jack all stretching, and times doing huge amounts, but what I do now seems to be a lovely mix, perhaps 5-10mins post run.
I have no doubt i'd need at least 5mins of deep hamstring stretches to be able to touch my toes though.
The one time I tried to really do loads of core, I overdid it, and basically locked my hamstrings for 6months!
I used to do a lot of robust stretching but still got niggles and then I think Mr V suggested I might be doing more harm than good. I know do a more sensible amount and only up it a bit if I feel things tighten up.
SG, I have been having this problem with my hamstrings since I pulled my lower back out late September. I have gone from having no tightness or hamstring issues and them being pretty strong to them getting really tight and fatigued with anything over about 8 miles. This obviously is not helpful when marathon training. I have now started trying some intense hamstring and glute isolation exercises to see if that helps.
Cheers all. A lot of photos I've seen are mostly of people looking miserable.
This video includes the start plus an extended clip from the muddy water jump, plenty of fallers including the guy who was in third.
https://www.facebook.com/IlkestonRunningClub/videos/1316511678415138/
As I say, even if you hate cross country, I would recommend taking part in The Nationals just for the experience.
Ticking over this week and next before target half marathon. Not really sure what to do session wise.
Thanks, SG. My Lostock is a suburb of Bolton. Race started very near the football stadium. Not to be confused with Lostock Hall, which is near Preston. Nor with your Northwich Lostock Gralam, which is, errr, somewhere else!
You learn quickly that what one company label as a place can be a fair mileage away from another. Take Warrington...Premier Inn, lovely location right on the M6, ideal to find late at night after a long day(i mean for travel links rather than scenery of course!). Warington Travelodge....not very close to anything, and a nightmare to find down dodgy country lanes late on!
DT, hope it passes. I've had a few of these "i can't see the back of this" long stretches, the hamstring one was oh so close in the memory. I just sort of went into rehab mode, and made sure i got a 6&4 in every day. Can't even remember how it went, probably just faithful stretching. I'm sure you'll have seen an expert, but i'd recommend an Oesteopath, for an all over look, rather than one of those "manipulator" physio types, that seem to think anything can be healed with one click!