I didn't run at all for a week after my shuffle round Bungay as I still felt pretty grotty. We attended the Silverstone Racing Club Dinner Dance on the Saturday night which was great fun, good food, great company and lively entertainment. The hotel we stayed at just outside Northampton was next to the Brampton Valley Way, a path along the route of a disused railway line. This is one of my old training runs from the days when I resided in Northampton. We had packed the bike so we could jog/bike for a few miles for old times sakes. It was a gorgeous sunny day so well worth it, although I was still shuffling!
We met our friends Andy and Debbie for lunch at Pitsford; really good to see them and have a catch up.
I still felt pretty rubbish the following week. Although I had booked the Wednesday afternoon off for the Nowton Park Weds league race I decided not to run; I had already run the minimum 6 races and couldn't improve on my points tally. I needed to save as much energy as possible for one last shuffle of the season on the Sunday and the time would be much better spent getting through the mountain of work I needed to get through that week.
The last race of the Suffolk xc league was at Haughley Park. I jogged round to warm up and had to stop and sit down three times! It was bad enough dragging myself round a couple of weeks ago but to have to do it again didn't fuel my enthusiasm! I gave myself a good talking to before the start and aimed to get round in one piece and collect the points. The race was pretty rubbish and I felt dreadful but I did what I needed to do and hung on to the position of first lady.
Unforeseen circumstances resulted in me having to pull out of the inter-counties and national vets xc champs this year. I'm gutted as I was unable to run at the Nationals at Parliament Hill so haven't been able to test myself at a level above regional.
Although the last two races of the season (Bungay and Haughley) were very disappointing I've got to be positive and look at the season as a whole as, aside from the nationals and inter counties I've achieved everything I've aimed for. Its easy to get hung up on the things that have gone wrong, especially when they are toward the end of the season and fresh in the mind.
So here are the positives;I won my leg of the Round Norfolk Relay and broke the course record, setting the time I'd aimed for by the second. I won the Eastern Regional xc champs, I won all six Weds league xc races and the ladies championship for the second year running and I won all four of the Suffolk xc league races, although rather untidily at the last two races! Unfortunately the Suffolk xc league rules award the Women's Championship to the highest placed senior lady so I can't win that (too old!) but will be awarded the highest placed female vet 35, for the second year running.
I'm having an enforced couple of months rest from running now, back shuffling' again in a while! Little Bloke over and out............................................
Tuesday 13 March 2012
Sunday 26 February 2012
A few weeks of ups and downs.......
Well my three weeks of hard training got off to a great start! I had a good track session on the Monday evening, 18x400m. I did the first 6 at 90 second pace, the second 6 at 85 pace and the third set at 80 pace. I felt comfortable and in the zone, a place where you can only be for a short while before dropping off or burning out. Wednesdays track session was just as good; 10x4 minutes. I ran at just under 90 pace and again felt very comfortable, apart from my hands which felt incredibly cold! Although I felt good and my fitness seemed to have peaked. I always have the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that I've peaked too early but I hoped that this wasn't the case.
I had a good hill session on the Friday morning before work. The ground was so frozen that I thought the road was a safer option. We live near a very undulating quiet lane which is great for a hill session when you are short on time. I did 8 reps, which was definately enough.
I had planned a long run with the boys at Brandon on Sunday, and then 6 inches of snow fell overnight and put an end to that! I was snowed in for the day in Chedburgh but managed to run over to Ickworth to meet the boys there instead. We did two laps of the park, which added up to 17 miles! Great for fitness running in snow that deep and brilliant for cleaning shoes too!
On Wednesday I went to Easton college with Pat and Eloise for the cross country. have to say we were all very surprised that it wasn't called off. The course was two laps of farm tracks and was covered in compressed snow and ice. When we jogged round to warm up it was so slippery I decided to put my spikes on. This ended up being a good choice, I was able to get on my toes confidently and didn't slip at all. I had a good race and finished first lady. I'm really pleased as I've now won the Weds League with 6 race wins, woo hoo!
I met the boys at Ickworth for a steady 17 miles on the Sunday. The ground was still frozen and icy so we tried to stick to the woodland trails as much as possible. I felt great, raring to go, and then, as it can often do when you reach peak fitness, it all went horribly wrong!
When I got home from the long run I discovered a blister on the underside of my big toe. I drained it, cleaned it and dressed it as I'm prone to infections from blisters. On Tuesday night my toe started throbbing, and by Wednesday morning I couldn't walk on it! No training for me this week :-( .I started taking antibiotics straight away, and by Saturday it was ok to walk on but I felt pretty lousy. I was supposed to be racing at Bungay the following day, which gave me a bit of a dilema as I needed to complete this race to feature in the league but had far too much to do at home and felt under the weather.
I decided to man up, and made my way over to Bungay. I started jogging round to warm up and had to walk several times. I felt too hot, and then too cold. Not good at all. After a quick chat with Herbi I decided that I might as well shuffle round as we had driven all this way. I started ok, and then half way round the first lap went backwards. My legs felt like jelly, no strength in them at all. I got slower and slower until I was struggling to jog. I was being overtaken by people who were usually quite a way behind me which was frustrating. Fortunately there is a dog leg in the three lap course which gives an opportunity to have a sneaky peek at who is behind you. I could see the next lady about 45 seconds behind me and, as I was still 1st lady at this point decided to compose myself, hang onto my jog pace and 1st place and take home the points.
I managed to hang on, and finished first lady, although I have to say I really didn't deserve it! I felt awful at the finish and went straight home for a lie down! After much waffling on at various running buddies about how badly I ran (aplogies to Pete B, Pete G, Chris, Darren , Mike and Herbi for ranting on!) I've decided that it was most likely due to the anti-biotics and feeling a bit crap!
I'm going to have a few easy days now and get my self back in gear for the last three races of the season. Lets hope they are more successful than Bungay..................................
I had a good hill session on the Friday morning before work. The ground was so frozen that I thought the road was a safer option. We live near a very undulating quiet lane which is great for a hill session when you are short on time. I did 8 reps, which was definately enough.
I had planned a long run with the boys at Brandon on Sunday, and then 6 inches of snow fell overnight and put an end to that! I was snowed in for the day in Chedburgh but managed to run over to Ickworth to meet the boys there instead. We did two laps of the park, which added up to 17 miles! Great for fitness running in snow that deep and brilliant for cleaning shoes too!
On Wednesday I went to Easton college with Pat and Eloise for the cross country. have to say we were all very surprised that it wasn't called off. The course was two laps of farm tracks and was covered in compressed snow and ice. When we jogged round to warm up it was so slippery I decided to put my spikes on. This ended up being a good choice, I was able to get on my toes confidently and didn't slip at all. I had a good race and finished first lady. I'm really pleased as I've now won the Weds League with 6 race wins, woo hoo!
I met the boys at Ickworth for a steady 17 miles on the Sunday. The ground was still frozen and icy so we tried to stick to the woodland trails as much as possible. I felt great, raring to go, and then, as it can often do when you reach peak fitness, it all went horribly wrong!
When I got home from the long run I discovered a blister on the underside of my big toe. I drained it, cleaned it and dressed it as I'm prone to infections from blisters. On Tuesday night my toe started throbbing, and by Wednesday morning I couldn't walk on it! No training for me this week :-( .I started taking antibiotics straight away, and by Saturday it was ok to walk on but I felt pretty lousy. I was supposed to be racing at Bungay the following day, which gave me a bit of a dilema as I needed to complete this race to feature in the league but had far too much to do at home and felt under the weather.
I decided to man up, and made my way over to Bungay. I started jogging round to warm up and had to walk several times. I felt too hot, and then too cold. Not good at all. After a quick chat with Herbi I decided that I might as well shuffle round as we had driven all this way. I started ok, and then half way round the first lap went backwards. My legs felt like jelly, no strength in them at all. I got slower and slower until I was struggling to jog. I was being overtaken by people who were usually quite a way behind me which was frustrating. Fortunately there is a dog leg in the three lap course which gives an opportunity to have a sneaky peek at who is behind you. I could see the next lady about 45 seconds behind me and, as I was still 1st lady at this point decided to compose myself, hang onto my jog pace and 1st place and take home the points.
I managed to hang on, and finished first lady, although I have to say I really didn't deserve it! I felt awful at the finish and went straight home for a lie down! After much waffling on at various running buddies about how badly I ran (aplogies to Pete B, Pete G, Chris, Darren , Mike and Herbi for ranting on!) I've decided that it was most likely due to the anti-biotics and feeling a bit crap!
I'm going to have a few easy days now and get my self back in gear for the last three races of the season. Lets hope they are more successful than Bungay..................................
Monday 30 January 2012
From the beaches of Goa to the mud of Nowton Park!
Our holiday in Goa seems months ago, we've been back less than two weeks! South Goa has become our annual winter holiday destination. It breaks up the cold damp winter months and makes the spring seem so much closer. The hotel was fantastic, we would definately stay there again. We ran every other day on the beach first thing in the morning; it was great seeing the sunrise whilst running as well as the fisherman bringing in their catch. The 32 degree dry heat was perfect for lazing around reading and sleeping for the rest of the day!
It was a bit of a shock to the system when we arrived back in the UK where it was -4 degrees! I was keen to sharpen up as the Nowton Park cross country was scheduled that weekend. I got straight back into my morning gym routine on the Monday and completed half of the track session on Monday night. I had calf problems last year at a Monday night track session straight after our holiday and ended up having to take the rest of the week off so I was keen not to make the same mistake again this year. Fortunately my calves were fine this time round, and I was able to complete Wednesday's track session comfortably.
Whilst I was away the Bury Natural Health Centre, where the Suffolk Sports Injury Clinic is based, moved premises. The new location, Park Farm Business Park in Fornham is great with plenty of parking. The new centre was opened officially by Sally Eastall. Thanks to Sally and to Pete Golding for their help with this!
The Suffolk Cross Country took place at Nowton Park Sunday 22nd. We had a lot of rain during the week, although fortunately the windy dry conditions on the day took a lot of moisture out of the 2 lap course. I chose to run in spikes for a bit of extra grip on the corners, although to be honest I didn't manage to accelerate enough at any stage to need that amount of grip so would probably have got away with wearing my innov8 x-talons!
I started slower than usual and felt a bit flat. I got on the shoulder of the leading lady in the first mile who then put her foot down and pulled 10 metres or so away from me. I didn't feel sharp enough to challenge her again but she upped the pace to a one I was happier with so I'd go the response I wanted.
I decided to maintain the gap and try and keep the pressure on throughout with the intention of challenging for the lead in the latter stages of the second lap. My plan worked, and I was able to catch and overtake the leading lady 400m from the finish, putting my foot down all the way to the finish.
Pacers had a great turnout and there were fantastic performances from all runners. Steve Robinson won comfortable, and it was good to see Kevin Murphy running so well.
I swam on Monday morning and completed a recovery gym session on Monday night. Tuesday was a busy day at work so I had the day off. The Wednesday League was held at Shouldham Warren the following day. I hadn't run there for well over 10 years so was grateful that Pat Partridge was able to run and navigate!
The course was great, a shade under 3 miles on woodland tracks. I felt a lot sharper than I did on Sunday and set off with the leading men (remember that the men complete 2 laps of the course whilst the ladies only run round once, I wouldn't be anywhere near the leading men if I had to run as far as them!) The two leading men moved away after the first mile, but I managed to stay just off the back of the trailing two. I'm really pleased with my run and aim to stay on the shoulder of the men ahead for the whole lap at the next race.
I've got three weeks of hard training now in preperation for the National XC at Parliament Hill on Feb 25th and the inter-counties xc on the 10th March. The real training starts now.............
It was a bit of a shock to the system when we arrived back in the UK where it was -4 degrees! I was keen to sharpen up as the Nowton Park cross country was scheduled that weekend. I got straight back into my morning gym routine on the Monday and completed half of the track session on Monday night. I had calf problems last year at a Monday night track session straight after our holiday and ended up having to take the rest of the week off so I was keen not to make the same mistake again this year. Fortunately my calves were fine this time round, and I was able to complete Wednesday's track session comfortably.
Whilst I was away the Bury Natural Health Centre, where the Suffolk Sports Injury Clinic is based, moved premises. The new location, Park Farm Business Park in Fornham is great with plenty of parking. The new centre was opened officially by Sally Eastall. Thanks to Sally and to Pete Golding for their help with this!
The Suffolk Cross Country took place at Nowton Park Sunday 22nd. We had a lot of rain during the week, although fortunately the windy dry conditions on the day took a lot of moisture out of the 2 lap course. I chose to run in spikes for a bit of extra grip on the corners, although to be honest I didn't manage to accelerate enough at any stage to need that amount of grip so would probably have got away with wearing my innov8 x-talons!
I started slower than usual and felt a bit flat. I got on the shoulder of the leading lady in the first mile who then put her foot down and pulled 10 metres or so away from me. I didn't feel sharp enough to challenge her again but she upped the pace to a one I was happier with so I'd go the response I wanted.
I decided to maintain the gap and try and keep the pressure on throughout with the intention of challenging for the lead in the latter stages of the second lap. My plan worked, and I was able to catch and overtake the leading lady 400m from the finish, putting my foot down all the way to the finish.
Pacers had a great turnout and there were fantastic performances from all runners. Steve Robinson won comfortable, and it was good to see Kevin Murphy running so well.
I swam on Monday morning and completed a recovery gym session on Monday night. Tuesday was a busy day at work so I had the day off. The Wednesday League was held at Shouldham Warren the following day. I hadn't run there for well over 10 years so was grateful that Pat Partridge was able to run and navigate!
The course was great, a shade under 3 miles on woodland tracks. I felt a lot sharper than I did on Sunday and set off with the leading men (remember that the men complete 2 laps of the course whilst the ladies only run round once, I wouldn't be anywhere near the leading men if I had to run as far as them!) The two leading men moved away after the first mile, but I managed to stay just off the back of the trailing two. I'm really pleased with my run and aim to stay on the shoulder of the men ahead for the whole lap at the next race.
I've got three weeks of hard training now in preperation for the National XC at Parliament Hill on Feb 25th and the inter-counties xc on the 10th March. The real training starts now.............
Sunday 18 December 2011
A few more races to round off 2011
I started my week of hard training the day after the regionals with a speed session at the track. I wouldn't usually advise speedwork the day after a race but I felt I needed to up the game a bit for the weekend by sharpening up and getting onto my toes.
I dragged myself out of bed early on Monday morning and did a recovery gym session with plenty of stretching and some core work. My track session consisted of 12x400m at 80 second pace which I was pleased with. Another tough swim session on Tuesday morning, and back in the gym again Wednesday morning.
The track session on Wednesday night was 8x800m. I felt the benefit of Mondays short sharp work and worked at 86 second pace.
I completed another tough swim session with WSSC on Thursday morning to rest my legs and recover from the previous nights track session; I'm still a terrible swimmer but not quite as terrible as a year ago!
I was happy with the way I felt last Sunday after a steady long run on the Friday, so I repeated this on Friday evening having hit the gym on Friday morning.
Saturday was a much appreciated rest day!
On Sunday at Woodbridge the course was the same as it was earlier this year, with wide farmland tracks and sandy terrain. I had a moderate start, I didn't think it necessary to put my foot down straight away as there were no narrow sections early on. I couldn't hang on to Julian who is flying at the moment but felt I had a strong race with consistent pace. I finished 29th overall and first lady. Steve Robinson won the race comfortably.
I'm really pleased with this race as my time was exactly the same as when I ran the race February, with similar splits. I was two phases of fitness further forward in February so to acheive the same time is encouraging, I just hope my fitness hasn't peaked too soon. If I've misjudged the timing of my fitness I will be burnt out and tired for the races I hope to peak for in 2012 so fingers crossed this isn't the case!
My next race was Wednesday at UEA. I don't like to train at the track on a Monday if I'm racing on the Wednesday and also felt that after the hard training the week before I needed to taper and relax for a couple of days. I had a recovery gym session on Monday morning and was pretty tired during my swim session on Tuesday, to be honest I was useless!
The course at UEA was interesting to say the least! I had a strong start and got on the back of the leading men. We followed our usual route through Earlham Park and upon reaching the lake encountered a roll of chicken wire across the boarded path around the lake and several men on all fours tacking it on! We jumped over the chicken wire (well most of us did!) and warned the men we were on our way through, negotiating our way round them.
I moved up to fourth overall in the last mile of the course, and finished first lady. Emma ran well and finished 6th lady for pacers and Eloise and Cathy both had a great run. Overall a great result for Pacers ladies.
On Friday Herbi and I headed up to North Norfolk with my Mum and Dad for a family weekend away. We stay at a self catering suite in Cley next the Sea. The living room has a lovely woodburner, which came in very handy as it was freezing cold and poured with rain all afternoon! I headed out for an early(ish) run along the coastal path on Saturday morning, accompanied by Herbi on the bike. It was beautiful, so quite and white with frost. We did 10 miles, and after brunch and copious mugs of tea headed off to Holkham for a walk on the beach.
The walk was great, I've never been to Holkham before and quite fancy running that leg of the Round Norfolk Relay! We hit the Adnams shop afterwards and had a great time tasting the wine and chocolate liqueurs! They had lots of kitchen stuff as well as gifts to drink and eat so we bought plenty of Christmas presents as well as some mulled wine for the evening.
In the afternoon we lit the woodburner and drank rather a lot of mulled wine before a meal at the pub down the road. We headed off to Dereham the following day and met the rest of our family and some friends for the Santa Special train trip and a meal out afterwards.
After a lovely chilled out weekend it was back to the grindstone on Monday morning. I had another race scheduled for Wednesday so I didn't go to the track Monday night, I had a lie in and used the gym in the evening instead! I had a hard swim session on Tuesday morning to set me up for Wednesday.
This weeks race was at Reepham. Last year the course was under snow so you couldn't really see what you were running over. We were ready to contend with the ploughed field and river crossing we contended with last year, although the foliage and bogs seemed harder to negotiate without a layer of snow over them!
How wrong were we! The first half of the course had changed this year and we had a river crossing we weren't expecting in the first half mile with a boggy water meadow leading to and away from it. We then had to climb over a five bar gate which I have to say I did very badly! Pete Golding is an expert at vaulting such gates so I'm hoping he will pass his expertise on!
No ploughed field this year, instead we ran round a field before a nice downhill stint on a grass track. A bramble patch and another water meadow preceded a deep river crossing that, again, we weren't expecting! Another stint on the water meadow and we tackled the water crossing from last year which was very easy in comparison to the others!
I was a bit further back in comparison to the men than I was last week at UEA, so some work to be done there. I finished first lady and Eloise and Cathy were a fantastic 8th and 14th respectively! Another great result for the Pacers Ladies.
I take my hat off to Chris and Peter who ran round it twice.
Having completed the first phase of races for this season the plan was to put in a few weeks of hard training again to move my fitness forward in preperation for the second phase of racing in January. However, I was shattered on Thursday so ducked out of my swim session in the morning! I started training again on Friday morning with a gym session in the morning and a hill session in the evening. The hill session was tough, 10 reps of the hill on the left hand side of Ickworth Deer Park. I felt stronger than the last couple of times I did this session so my fitness has improved.
Herbi and I went to his work Christmas Parties on Friday and Saturday night. I couldn't get out of bed in time to run with the boys on Sunday morning but eventually managed to drag myself out to complete an enjoyable 14 miles round Ickworth Park in the snow.
Even though the Formula One season is over I can't post a blog without a mention of my favourite sport. I'm pleased to see the new driver line-up of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Riccardo at Toro Rosso. Both very talented drivers I've followed in Formula Renault 3.5 this season. The change in driver line up at Force India with Nico Hulkenberg joining Paul Di Resta should also bring some exciting racing.
I'm looking forward to some hard quality training over the Christmas period, as well as two weeks in Goa in January! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year........................
I dragged myself out of bed early on Monday morning and did a recovery gym session with plenty of stretching and some core work. My track session consisted of 12x400m at 80 second pace which I was pleased with. Another tough swim session on Tuesday morning, and back in the gym again Wednesday morning.
The track session on Wednesday night was 8x800m. I felt the benefit of Mondays short sharp work and worked at 86 second pace.
I completed another tough swim session with WSSC on Thursday morning to rest my legs and recover from the previous nights track session; I'm still a terrible swimmer but not quite as terrible as a year ago!
I was happy with the way I felt last Sunday after a steady long run on the Friday, so I repeated this on Friday evening having hit the gym on Friday morning.
Saturday was a much appreciated rest day!
On Sunday at Woodbridge the course was the same as it was earlier this year, with wide farmland tracks and sandy terrain. I had a moderate start, I didn't think it necessary to put my foot down straight away as there were no narrow sections early on. I couldn't hang on to Julian who is flying at the moment but felt I had a strong race with consistent pace. I finished 29th overall and first lady. Steve Robinson won the race comfortably.
I'm really pleased with this race as my time was exactly the same as when I ran the race February, with similar splits. I was two phases of fitness further forward in February so to acheive the same time is encouraging, I just hope my fitness hasn't peaked too soon. If I've misjudged the timing of my fitness I will be burnt out and tired for the races I hope to peak for in 2012 so fingers crossed this isn't the case!
My next race was Wednesday at UEA. I don't like to train at the track on a Monday if I'm racing on the Wednesday and also felt that after the hard training the week before I needed to taper and relax for a couple of days. I had a recovery gym session on Monday morning and was pretty tired during my swim session on Tuesday, to be honest I was useless!
The course at UEA was interesting to say the least! I had a strong start and got on the back of the leading men. We followed our usual route through Earlham Park and upon reaching the lake encountered a roll of chicken wire across the boarded path around the lake and several men on all fours tacking it on! We jumped over the chicken wire (well most of us did!) and warned the men we were on our way through, negotiating our way round them.
I moved up to fourth overall in the last mile of the course, and finished first lady. Emma ran well and finished 6th lady for pacers and Eloise and Cathy both had a great run. Overall a great result for Pacers ladies.
On Friday Herbi and I headed up to North Norfolk with my Mum and Dad for a family weekend away. We stay at a self catering suite in Cley next the Sea. The living room has a lovely woodburner, which came in very handy as it was freezing cold and poured with rain all afternoon! I headed out for an early(ish) run along the coastal path on Saturday morning, accompanied by Herbi on the bike. It was beautiful, so quite and white with frost. We did 10 miles, and after brunch and copious mugs of tea headed off to Holkham for a walk on the beach.
The walk was great, I've never been to Holkham before and quite fancy running that leg of the Round Norfolk Relay! We hit the Adnams shop afterwards and had a great time tasting the wine and chocolate liqueurs! They had lots of kitchen stuff as well as gifts to drink and eat so we bought plenty of Christmas presents as well as some mulled wine for the evening.
In the afternoon we lit the woodburner and drank rather a lot of mulled wine before a meal at the pub down the road. We headed off to Dereham the following day and met the rest of our family and some friends for the Santa Special train trip and a meal out afterwards.
After a lovely chilled out weekend it was back to the grindstone on Monday morning. I had another race scheduled for Wednesday so I didn't go to the track Monday night, I had a lie in and used the gym in the evening instead! I had a hard swim session on Tuesday morning to set me up for Wednesday.
This weeks race was at Reepham. Last year the course was under snow so you couldn't really see what you were running over. We were ready to contend with the ploughed field and river crossing we contended with last year, although the foliage and bogs seemed harder to negotiate without a layer of snow over them!
How wrong were we! The first half of the course had changed this year and we had a river crossing we weren't expecting in the first half mile with a boggy water meadow leading to and away from it. We then had to climb over a five bar gate which I have to say I did very badly! Pete Golding is an expert at vaulting such gates so I'm hoping he will pass his expertise on!
No ploughed field this year, instead we ran round a field before a nice downhill stint on a grass track. A bramble patch and another water meadow preceded a deep river crossing that, again, we weren't expecting! Another stint on the water meadow and we tackled the water crossing from last year which was very easy in comparison to the others!
I was a bit further back in comparison to the men than I was last week at UEA, so some work to be done there. I finished first lady and Eloise and Cathy were a fantastic 8th and 14th respectively! Another great result for the Pacers Ladies.
I take my hat off to Chris and Peter who ran round it twice.
Having completed the first phase of races for this season the plan was to put in a few weeks of hard training again to move my fitness forward in preperation for the second phase of racing in January. However, I was shattered on Thursday so ducked out of my swim session in the morning! I started training again on Friday morning with a gym session in the morning and a hill session in the evening. The hill session was tough, 10 reps of the hill on the left hand side of Ickworth Deer Park. I felt stronger than the last couple of times I did this session so my fitness has improved.
Herbi and I went to his work Christmas Parties on Friday and Saturday night. I couldn't get out of bed in time to run with the boys on Sunday morning but eventually managed to drag myself out to complete an enjoyable 14 miles round Ickworth Park in the snow.
Even though the Formula One season is over I can't post a blog without a mention of my favourite sport. I'm pleased to see the new driver line-up of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Riccardo at Toro Rosso. Both very talented drivers I've followed in Formula Renault 3.5 this season. The change in driver line up at Force India with Nico Hulkenberg joining Paul Di Resta should also bring some exciting racing.
I'm looking forward to some hard quality training over the Christmas period, as well as two weeks in Goa in January! Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year........................
Sunday 27 November 2011
The first phase of cross country races, and the final GP of the season
This week, the first phase of cross country races has gone well. A gym session on Monday and a WSSC swim session on Tuesday morning left me feeling ok but not as sharp as I would like for the EACCL race at Whittlingham on Wednesday. Thanks to Chris for the lift and leaving later than he would have liked and from a different location to accomodate my working schedule!
We weren't entirely sure where the course was when we jogged round a warm up semi-lap, but hey ho there are usually a fair few people in front to follow. I had a good start and put my foot down from the onset, multiple steep stairs in the first mile were tough and I couldn't stay with Julian after the first mile. We took the wrong route so added a little bit to the proposed distance but to be honest I think everybody did! I'm just thankful that I didn't follow Chris's route and add an extra half mile on at the far end of the lake!
I finished first lady so was pleased with that. Eloise and Cathy both ran well 17th and 24th respectively, not sure where we finished as a team but hopefully we can claw our way back towards the lead over the next few races. I wore my innov8 x-talon 190's, a good choice with the mix of trail grass and hardcore track.
A tough swim session on Thursday morning with WSSC, a gym session on Friday morning and then a steady 10 mile run on Friday evening left me relieved to take a rest day on Saturday.
The Eastern Counties cross country was held on Sunday at Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. I felt that a steadier start would be beneficial today as we were racing with the under 17s and under 20s. I managed to be late to the start line, start at the back and collide with a hedge early on, but extracted myself from the hedge fairly quickly and made my way up the field. I got to the front runners 3/4 of the way round the first lap but they got away from me later on in the lap. I started to pull them back halfway through the second lap and decided to pass at the start of the hill and put my foot to the floor all the way to the finish rather than strategically sitting behind untill the top of the hill. Fortunately it worked out and I finished first, so really pleased. Innov8 x-talons again today.
The icing on the cake for this week has to be Jenson Buttons third place at the Brazillian Grand Prix and second place in the drivers championship, wicked!
A few days of hard training are on the cards this week before the cross country at Woodbridge at the weekend......................
We weren't entirely sure where the course was when we jogged round a warm up semi-lap, but hey ho there are usually a fair few people in front to follow. I had a good start and put my foot down from the onset, multiple steep stairs in the first mile were tough and I couldn't stay with Julian after the first mile. We took the wrong route so added a little bit to the proposed distance but to be honest I think everybody did! I'm just thankful that I didn't follow Chris's route and add an extra half mile on at the far end of the lake!
I finished first lady so was pleased with that. Eloise and Cathy both ran well 17th and 24th respectively, not sure where we finished as a team but hopefully we can claw our way back towards the lead over the next few races. I wore my innov8 x-talon 190's, a good choice with the mix of trail grass and hardcore track.
A tough swim session on Thursday morning with WSSC, a gym session on Friday morning and then a steady 10 mile run on Friday evening left me relieved to take a rest day on Saturday.
The Eastern Counties cross country was held on Sunday at Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. I felt that a steadier start would be beneficial today as we were racing with the under 17s and under 20s. I managed to be late to the start line, start at the back and collide with a hedge early on, but extracted myself from the hedge fairly quickly and made my way up the field. I got to the front runners 3/4 of the way round the first lap but they got away from me later on in the lap. I started to pull them back halfway through the second lap and decided to pass at the start of the hill and put my foot to the floor all the way to the finish rather than strategically sitting behind untill the top of the hill. Fortunately it worked out and I finished first, so really pleased. Innov8 x-talons again today.
The icing on the cake for this week has to be Jenson Buttons third place at the Brazillian Grand Prix and second place in the drivers championship, wicked!
A few days of hard training are on the cards this week before the cross country at Woodbridge at the weekend......................
Sunday 20 November 2011
A fortnight of quality training and a win for McLaren
Having completed a fortight of hard quality training I'm pleased to say I'm feeling sharper and fitter than I was earlier in the month. If I have a couple of weeks in between races I like to increase the intensity and volume of my training to move up a level fitness wise before the next race.
I've been to the track on a Monday and a Wednesday both weeks, and feel that I've improved over the course of the sessions, which is nice! I've also added in a hill session a week, increasing the number of intervals each week. We are very fortunate to live within a mile jog of Ickworth Park so its easy for me to jog over to the steep hill on the left hand side of the deer park, run some intervals and jog home. There are a couple of decent hills on the way home so I usually work hard on these to complete the session.
I treated myself to some new kit from Vince's shop Runability prior to commencing the intense training, it certainly made a difference as I felt more comfortable and a lot less scruffy than when I train in my work t-shirts :-) Vince recommended some gortex innovate 275 shoes as my long runs are mostly off road with short sections of road included. These have been great; warm dry feet with plenty of grip on muddy tracks and adequate cushioning for the road.
I've stuck to the three swim sessions a week whilst increasing my running and seem to be improving a little. The warm weather has also enabled me to continue cycling on a Sunday ( as a fair weather cyclist I usually pack my bike away for the winter at the end of October!)
I'm now tapering down for the first of a series of races. This is the RAF Wednesday League race at UEA next week, followed by the Eastern Counties XC champs on Sunday.
On the work front the Sports Injury Clinic at the Bury Natural Health Centre is now open every Saturday from 8am to 1pm. I'm also working at the Osteopathic Centre for Family and Children in Cambridge from 9am -12pm the first Thursday of every month.
It was great to see the two McLaren boys on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Had Jenson not had the KERS issue I guess he would have finished second rather than third, but here's hoping he can keep his second place in the championship. I'm looking forward to the final race of the season in Brazil next weekend, going to have to jump in the car straight after the race at Eastern Counties and head home so I don't miss the start!
I've been to the track on a Monday and a Wednesday both weeks, and feel that I've improved over the course of the sessions, which is nice! I've also added in a hill session a week, increasing the number of intervals each week. We are very fortunate to live within a mile jog of Ickworth Park so its easy for me to jog over to the steep hill on the left hand side of the deer park, run some intervals and jog home. There are a couple of decent hills on the way home so I usually work hard on these to complete the session.
I treated myself to some new kit from Vince's shop Runability prior to commencing the intense training, it certainly made a difference as I felt more comfortable and a lot less scruffy than when I train in my work t-shirts :-) Vince recommended some gortex innovate 275 shoes as my long runs are mostly off road with short sections of road included. These have been great; warm dry feet with plenty of grip on muddy tracks and adequate cushioning for the road.
I've stuck to the three swim sessions a week whilst increasing my running and seem to be improving a little. The warm weather has also enabled me to continue cycling on a Sunday ( as a fair weather cyclist I usually pack my bike away for the winter at the end of October!)
I'm now tapering down for the first of a series of races. This is the RAF Wednesday League race at UEA next week, followed by the Eastern Counties XC champs on Sunday.
On the work front the Sports Injury Clinic at the Bury Natural Health Centre is now open every Saturday from 8am to 1pm. I'm also working at the Osteopathic Centre for Family and Children in Cambridge from 9am -12pm the first Thursday of every month.
It was great to see the two McLaren boys on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Had Jenson not had the KERS issue I guess he would have finished second rather than third, but here's hoping he can keep his second place in the championship. I'm looking forward to the final race of the season in Brazil next weekend, going to have to jump in the car straight after the race at Eastern Counties and head home so I don't miss the start!
Sunday 30 October 2011
XC races
I made good use of the time out of training whilst my back settled down and got stuck into writing up my thesis. By Wednesday I needed a break from it so stopped off at the Pacers to join in with the track seesion. Great session, I'm not particuarly track fit at the moment and have plenty of work to do but its a good start. I'll try and get there at least once a week over the winter months.
I felt confident that I was ok to run a cross country race so decided to give the Ampthill Challenge trophy a go at the weekend. I'd never run this course before, and have to say its the toughest track I have ever raced! Lots of steep hills but fortunately dry weather had resulted in light firm terrain. It was a two lap course; I was pretty much finished after the first lap but kept going for the second lap. I finished 3rd lady so really chuffed with that! I felt incrediby unfit, but I guess my training programme for a fast flat 5 mile road race wasn't particuarly good preperation for this race! I'd like to have a go next year and train properly for it. I'm sure its helped my fitness :-)
I've picked up the swimming again now, increasing to 3 sessions a week. I'm determined to get the hang of front crawl by the end of the winter! Managed to get to the track on Wednesday, just half a session as I was racing again on Saturday. Saturday's race was the eastern region v Cambridge Uni v RAF held this year at Gog Magog Downs. Not quite as hilly as the previous weekend but still a tough course. I finished 3rd again so happy with that.
We had some friends round for dinner later that evening, had a lovely evening, lots of food and booze and a really good catch up. Managed to fit in a 25 mile bike ride on Sunday morning before the Indian Grand Prix. Enjoyed chilling out with a cup of tea whilst watching Jenson Button drive superbly to finish 2nd. The Indian Grand Prix is our wishlist to attend in the future!
The next xc race is towards the end of November so the aim over the next few weeks is to fit in some harder sessions and man-up!
I felt confident that I was ok to run a cross country race so decided to give the Ampthill Challenge trophy a go at the weekend. I'd never run this course before, and have to say its the toughest track I have ever raced! Lots of steep hills but fortunately dry weather had resulted in light firm terrain. It was a two lap course; I was pretty much finished after the first lap but kept going for the second lap. I finished 3rd lady so really chuffed with that! I felt incrediby unfit, but I guess my training programme for a fast flat 5 mile road race wasn't particuarly good preperation for this race! I'd like to have a go next year and train properly for it. I'm sure its helped my fitness :-)
I've picked up the swimming again now, increasing to 3 sessions a week. I'm determined to get the hang of front crawl by the end of the winter! Managed to get to the track on Wednesday, just half a session as I was racing again on Saturday. Saturday's race was the eastern region v Cambridge Uni v RAF held this year at Gog Magog Downs. Not quite as hilly as the previous weekend but still a tough course. I finished 3rd again so happy with that.
We had some friends round for dinner later that evening, had a lovely evening, lots of food and booze and a really good catch up. Managed to fit in a 25 mile bike ride on Sunday morning before the Indian Grand Prix. Enjoyed chilling out with a cup of tea whilst watching Jenson Button drive superbly to finish 2nd. The Indian Grand Prix is our wishlist to attend in the future!
The next xc race is towards the end of November so the aim over the next few weeks is to fit in some harder sessions and man-up!
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