"Something tells me I'm into something good" (sung)
This weekend saw me compete in my second road race - the Aldbourne 10k. I chose this one because it is close to home, and I was keen to see more of this picturesque village and the surrounding countryside.
My preparations had seemed to be going well. I had been doing regular 6-7 mile runs and on a few occasions had managed to extend this to roughly 10 miles. I have a session with Anthony (my trainer) once a week and on the Thursday before the race he put me through a very demanding fartlek session, made even more exhausting by the humid weather. I did a light body pump on the Friday and then had a day of complete rest on Saturday, visiting the gym only for a back, neck and shoulder massage.
Doing as much training as I do and spending so many hours at a computer I am prone to a bit of back pain so I find that a massage the day before helps to ensure it doesn't flare up during the race. As always my therapist, Louise Mills, did a fantastic job of getting rid of any knots and tension so no worries there.
There was a slight cause for alarm the night before the race: as I can't really have a few glasses of wine, which I would normally do on a Saturday in, I had planned to go to the cinema to see "Cinderella Man". Unfortunately I felt suddenly very tired and had a slight stomach upset, and was worried I might be going down with some kind of bug. As it turned out I was fine, and the tiredness was more likely due to the nerve-racking tension and excitement that is the Ashes series (more on that in a separate entry).
Despite this I slept well and enjoyed my usual pre-race breakfast of scrambled egg on toast. I drove to the gym where I met Anthony. Today it was just the two of us competing, so he drove us to Aldbourne.
The race didn't seem as well organised as Pinewood. Had it been me driving, I would have missed the car park, which was not that well sign-posted and walking through the village we had to ask for directions to the start point. But we found it in the end, Anthony got his race number and we started warming up together with a jog through the village and round the football field.
As the start approached I felt more confident. I had done this distance before, and a lot more in training. We were soon called to the start point and the race began. Going through the village I felt good. I was keeping up with the bulk of the pack, and was keeping my breathing under control. A short hill followed, and we were flanked by on-lookers giving us warm applause.
And then we got to the second hill. This was by far the steepest and longest hill I have faced to date during a run. I dropped down to a canter, and found myself breathing hard, but was determined to keep going. It paid off, and as the slope became less steep I was able to increase the pace.
After about 6km the worst was over, and I started to feel really good. I looked at my watch and worked out I was still on course (no pun) for a sub-hour finish. I started to stride out and felt the benefit of my sessions - my legs were holding up and my breathing was still under control. I was feeling good, really good. I was enjoying the race and the thought occurred to me that I have just about got to the point where I am really, really enjoying my running.
As I made my way down the last hill to the finish point I decided it was make or break time. Whilst being careful to avoid slipping on the wet gravel underfoot, I started to sprint to the line. Unfortunately I hadn't counted on there being another lap of the football field to do. Happily Anthony was there to cheer me round, but on that last lap I had literally nothing left in the tank. It was sheer force of will that got me to the finish point.
There were several positives to come from this experience: firstly it shows I am learning to pace myself during a race. If I can reach the end having given it my all, then I can only improve. Secondly, and this is something I didn't notice myself at first - Anthony pointed it out - my recovery was excellent. From being bent double and feeling almost sick I very quickly regained my composure and went off to collect my reward of a glass of water, mars bar and a commemorative t-shirt. This shows how much my cardio-vascular fitness has improved in recent months.
Thirdly, and most significantly, was the enjoyment factor. My next major race will be the Swindon half marathon on 16th October. After that, I hope to run the Reading and Bath half marathons in early 2006 and then train for the London marathon in 2007. Now that I am starting to enjoy races I can think of no reason why I shouldn't achieve each of these goals.
Another good thing about today was being able to spend a bit more time with Anthony, getting to know each other better. Whilst I see him most days at the gym, his client base is expanding at such an exponential rate I rarely get to chat to him for very long. On the way back we talked about various things, including our mutual appreciation of good wine. On arriving back at the gym I urged him to take the wonderful Sideways from the DVD library. I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did.
I myself returned home to enjoy a few well-earned cold beers and catch up on events in the Oval test match.
Which leads me to my one area of concern - what am I going to do now there's no cricket to look forward to after a race?? At least Anthony and I have decided to get a few of us together for a beer after the Swindon half marathon next month. Hopefully many of you reading will join us in celebrating the next landmark in my new hobby - you would be very welcome and your support is much appreciated.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, September 2005
My preparations had seemed to be going well. I had been doing regular 6-7 mile runs and on a few occasions had managed to extend this to roughly 10 miles. I have a session with Anthony (my trainer) once a week and on the Thursday before the race he put me through a very demanding fartlek session, made even more exhausting by the humid weather. I did a light body pump on the Friday and then had a day of complete rest on Saturday, visiting the gym only for a back, neck and shoulder massage.
Doing as much training as I do and spending so many hours at a computer I am prone to a bit of back pain so I find that a massage the day before helps to ensure it doesn't flare up during the race. As always my therapist, Louise Mills, did a fantastic job of getting rid of any knots and tension so no worries there.
There was a slight cause for alarm the night before the race: as I can't really have a few glasses of wine, which I would normally do on a Saturday in, I had planned to go to the cinema to see "Cinderella Man". Unfortunately I felt suddenly very tired and had a slight stomach upset, and was worried I might be going down with some kind of bug. As it turned out I was fine, and the tiredness was more likely due to the nerve-racking tension and excitement that is the Ashes series (more on that in a separate entry).
Despite this I slept well and enjoyed my usual pre-race breakfast of scrambled egg on toast. I drove to the gym where I met Anthony. Today it was just the two of us competing, so he drove us to Aldbourne.
The race didn't seem as well organised as Pinewood. Had it been me driving, I would have missed the car park, which was not that well sign-posted and walking through the village we had to ask for directions to the start point. But we found it in the end, Anthony got his race number and we started warming up together with a jog through the village and round the football field.
As the start approached I felt more confident. I had done this distance before, and a lot more in training. We were soon called to the start point and the race began. Going through the village I felt good. I was keeping up with the bulk of the pack, and was keeping my breathing under control. A short hill followed, and we were flanked by on-lookers giving us warm applause.
And then we got to the second hill. This was by far the steepest and longest hill I have faced to date during a run. I dropped down to a canter, and found myself breathing hard, but was determined to keep going. It paid off, and as the slope became less steep I was able to increase the pace.
After about 6km the worst was over, and I started to feel really good. I looked at my watch and worked out I was still on course (no pun) for a sub-hour finish. I started to stride out and felt the benefit of my sessions - my legs were holding up and my breathing was still under control. I was feeling good, really good. I was enjoying the race and the thought occurred to me that I have just about got to the point where I am really, really enjoying my running.
As I made my way down the last hill to the finish point I decided it was make or break time. Whilst being careful to avoid slipping on the wet gravel underfoot, I started to sprint to the line. Unfortunately I hadn't counted on there being another lap of the football field to do. Happily Anthony was there to cheer me round, but on that last lap I had literally nothing left in the tank. It was sheer force of will that got me to the finish point.
There were several positives to come from this experience: firstly it shows I am learning to pace myself during a race. If I can reach the end having given it my all, then I can only improve. Secondly, and this is something I didn't notice myself at first - Anthony pointed it out - my recovery was excellent. From being bent double and feeling almost sick I very quickly regained my composure and went off to collect my reward of a glass of water, mars bar and a commemorative t-shirt. This shows how much my cardio-vascular fitness has improved in recent months.
Thirdly, and most significantly, was the enjoyment factor. My next major race will be the Swindon half marathon on 16th October. After that, I hope to run the Reading and Bath half marathons in early 2006 and then train for the London marathon in 2007. Now that I am starting to enjoy races I can think of no reason why I shouldn't achieve each of these goals.
Another good thing about today was being able to spend a bit more time with Anthony, getting to know each other better. Whilst I see him most days at the gym, his client base is expanding at such an exponential rate I rarely get to chat to him for very long. On the way back we talked about various things, including our mutual appreciation of good wine. On arriving back at the gym I urged him to take the wonderful Sideways from the DVD library. I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did.
I myself returned home to enjoy a few well-earned cold beers and catch up on events in the Oval test match.
Which leads me to my one area of concern - what am I going to do now there's no cricket to look forward to after a race?? At least Anthony and I have decided to get a few of us together for a beer after the Swindon half marathon next month. Hopefully many of you reading will join us in celebrating the next landmark in my new hobby - you would be very welcome and your support is much appreciated.
Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, September 2005
posted by Jon | 8:14 pm
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