Bourton on the Water 10k

This weekend I competed in the Bourton on the Water 10k, for the second year running.

The Bourton 10k is known for being a very flat and fast course, and therefore attracts a good field of athletes, some world class, all looking to gain that all-important "personal best".

For me, it wasn't just about a PB. My first sub-50 minute 10k has eluded me for a while now, and I have come frustratingly close on more than one occasion; even at Aldbourne last September (a notoriously tough course) I managed to get round in less than 51 minutes, but couldn't quite crack 50 minutes. I expected to finally manage it at Bromham in December, but was thwarted yet again, mainly by the weight I had put on whilst on holiday, I believe.

Since the Christmas break, my training has been going well I feel, I am building up the mileage, going regularly to Body Pump to keep myself strong, and am starting to lose weight again - largely due to the fact that I have cut right back on the booze.

I have also taken on a new personal trainer! Well kind of; last Thursday I had my first session with Ali O'Hara, who does my sports massages and teaches Body Pump. At the moment I'm going to just do core training with him, probably every 3-4 weeks. I've always had a high regard for Ali and think he is an excellent instructor. I would like to do some running with him which would be beneficial - his 10k time is around 40 minutes - but he is the first to acknowledge the only thing stopping me getting my times down is my weight, which ultimately only I can do something about.

I enjoyed the session with Ali, and think core training will be very beneficial to my running. Besides, it's nice to do something different every now and then. Doing the same sessions week in, week out, can get tedious at times.

Earlier in the week, my training had not gone so well; I did my long run last Sunday, which proved a disaster - almost. I decided to run from the gym to Pipers Way, and then pick up the Swindon half marathon route. All was going well until I got to the village of Wanborough (about 9 miles into the half marathon route), where I took a wrong turning and started heading in completely the wrong direction..The end result was, I was on my feet for far longer than I intended, and was completely shattered from the run.

I managed to go to the track on Tuesday (400m laps) but my right hamstring started giving me realy gyp during the session (I think I had strained it during the long run). I managed to get through the session, but it was a concern, especially when I couldn't run on the treadmill after body pump on Wednesday - I decided to give it a few days' rest and hope for the best come race day.

I was also subjected to a large amount of mental stress the week before the race, thanks largely to a number of individuals at NTL. My digital TV broke down a week before the race, and it took 8 days, countless phone calls, and two visits from two technicians before it was returned to its former glory. I could write an essay about the whole saga, but suffice it to say had it happened next month while the cricket world cup was on my colleagues in the office wouldn't have been laughing at my conversations, they'd have been calling for the men in white coats.

Anyway, the weekend of the race arrived and time for a trip to the movies on Saturday afternoon. This time it was "Hot Fuzz", the new comedy from the team that brought us the brilliant "Shaun of the Dead". I waited until the day before the race to see this, as I had been looking forward to it for some time and knew it would take my mind off the race the next day.

I wasn't disappointed. It didn't have quite the same mocking humour as "Shaun of the Dead" but it did keep me smiling for 2 hours on Saturday afternoon. Just what I needed.

On Sunday I set off on what is now a familiar journey to Bourton. I arrived a tad early, but at least it gave me time to relax, take on board a drink, and then stretch and warm up for the race. As I got to the start line I tried not to get too nervous, and kept smiling.

Soon the race started and we were off. I set off at what I thought was a decent pace, but it was probably too decent to begin with. I knocked out the first 3km in 14 minutes, but then the problems started. My breathing was not good (it was harder than I anticipated) and I soon had chest pains. I did my best not to slow down too much and push through it, knowing the reason I was hurting was I was well out of my comfort zone.

The chest pains subsided a little, but the breathing didn't get much easier. I kept pushing myself, knowing the time was all-important. Besides, a good hard race, even at a short distance like this, is always a quality training run.

Later in the race I suffered stomach cramps (maybe I shouldn't have had that banana an hour before the race) but still kept pushing, even though I slowed down a little. By then I was 7km into the race, and all I had to do was maintain a decent pace for the last few kilometres.

In the end I crossed the line hearing someone call out "49:30" which would be my official time. I was a little disheartened that it had been such hard work, but at last I had done it - I had run my first sub-50 minute 10k.

The challenge now, as I decided before the race, is to keep that 10k time under 50 minutes, irrespective of the course. Now I can aim for a 45-minute 10k, and once I've cracked that, I can go for a 40-minute 10k, which I regard as the hallmark of a quality runner. Some people may think this ambitious, but I reckon I can get there; as Ali said, there is still a lot of weight for me to shift, and once that goes, it will make one hell of a difference.

I think I'm more determined than ever to lose the weight now. I feel I have proved to myself that my times don't do me any justice because of it.

Having said that, Sunday afternoon was no time to be worrying about the weight. I headed back to the gym, knocked out an extra 8km on the treadmill (to make up the mileage) and then got myself home where I partook of a few tasty beers to celebrate the new PB.

Hopefully the next time I have a beer to celebrate a new PB will be in 4 weeks - after the Bath half marathon. I'm fairly confident I'll achieve this, and then it will be a case of fine-tuning for the London Marathon on April 22nd. And I think it's safe to say there'll be a few drinks that evening as well.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, February 2007

Please sponsor me to run the London Marathon to raise money for Samaritans: www.justgiving.com/jonrunslondon2007

Tough Ten

This weekend I competed in my second race of the year, the Easyrunner "Tough Ten" challenge at Weston-Super-Mare.

This race was recommended to me by one of my running buddies from the gym. Having read the reports from previous years on the runners' world website, I decided it would make a good, tough training run to help get me in shape for London and sent off my entry form.

I'm generally quite pleased with the way my training is going at the moment. I even plucked up the courage last week to go to the Harriers' training session at the track:

http://swindonharriers.com/training/neilenglandschedule

The last time I went was just after my holiday and feeling overweight and under-motivated I "wimped out" after a couple of reps. The problem with this session is it tends to attract the best runners in the club, as only very serious people would willingly put themselves through such pain! Anyway, although I was unable to complete all 17 x 300m reps, I did make it through the session and actually quite enjoyed it. I also made a couple of friends by getting chatting to some of the runners of similar ability. It does add some variety to my training to go these sessions and they sure as heck WILL get my 10k and half marathon times down in due course.

I had two rest days in the week; on Thursday I met up with Pete in Bath for a drink and a curry, which was very enjoyable. It helps now that his train home is at the same time as mine so I'm not left in the pub on my own for half an hour at the end of the evening. We chatted about running and races - Pete competes in mountain bike races - and how nice it is to see parts of the world you might otherwise never experience by competing in events. As long as you come away from an event knowing you've done your best and you've enjoyed yourself, that's all that really matters, we concurred.

On Friday I didn't train either as I had to wait in in the evening for my new lodger, Tom, to arrive from Holland. On Saturday I felt a bit restless, and taking a view that the race was going to be a training exercise more than anything, did body pump at the gym, followed by a very slow and steady 6 mile run.

In the afternoon I made the customary trip to the cinema, and this time saw "Music and Lyrics". I was originally planning on seeing "Hannibal Rising" but got the times mixed up. I very much enjoyed the film; I always like Drew Barrymore and while Hugh Grant always seems to play the same character (fobbish English gent) he does play the part very well. It was standard rom-com material, but funny and enjoyable.

I travelled down on Sunday morning with three of the lads from the gym, and Mike Sas who works for MAN ERF UK. We went in two cars, I went with Mike in his car - it made sense as he was always going to finish well ahead of me (his 10k PB is 36 minutes!) and wouldn't want to be waiting round in the cold for me.

It was indeed cold on Sunday morning, and I wondered if I shouldn't have worn an extra layer. As it turned out, I soon warmed up. I went well for the first few miles, knocking out the first three miles in 24 minutes. It soon got a lot tougher however, and the first hill up into the woods was very, very steep. I tried to run all the way up but couldn't manage it. In the woods, the surface was very muddy (not surprising after the rain and snow in the last few days) and while I managed to keep running, it wasn't easy to get a foothold.

The worst part for me was, as usual, the downhill stretches. My downhill running seriously needs some work, and people were flying past me on both sides.

Having said that, the hill second time round (there were two laps in the woods) was an absolute killer. It's not often that I admit defeat and walk up a hill, but this was one of those rare occasions. I was completely out of breath and was worried I might give myself a heart attack if I tried to run much furthe! I decided during this race that the hill I use to do hill reps is no longer challenging enough for me - I need to find a steeper one so I can take my hill running to the next level.

I got to the top however, and completed the rest of the race. I nearly had a nasty fall near the 9-mile marker, catching my foot on a loose rock (it wasn't the best of surfaces!). Somehow I managed to pull myself upright, but I'll never know how.

I ran my hardest on the final section along the beach and finished the race in 1 hour 31 minutes. Obviously I'd have liked a better time than that, but I worked out that equates to roughly 9-minute miles. When you consider I couldn't manage 9 minute miles at the Bath half marathon (which is flat and all tarmac) a year ago, to do it on this course shows how much I have improved in the last year.

And most importantly, I came away knowing I had done myself and absolutely enjoyed myself, as per the conversation I had with Pete. The views out to sea were fabulous, and this is an event I will probably do every year. Next year I'm sure I'll be a lot lighter and will aim to do it in less than 1 hour 20 minutes. As I write the next day, I am quite sore and know I must have worked hard during the race!

The afternoon was fun as well. I just relaxed on the sofa with a few cold beers and watched England beating Australia to win the Commonwealth Bank One Day series! I don't much like the Duckworth/Lewis method, but I'll take a win over Australia any way it comes and this was a great end to an otherwise abject tour. Obviously I'm pleased as punch that the boys will come home with a trophy and something to show for their efforts down under. And maybe, just maybe, the upcoming World Cup may give England fans something to shout about.

Copyright © Jonathan Weedon, February 2007