London Marathon 2011

I had a decent run in the London marathon recently. I had a few injury issues that interrupted the build up to the race, and it was touch and go whether I should withdraw or not. However, the previous year I deferred my entry due to a car crash so this year I would not be able put it back a year. Luckily my injuries improved and I was able to maintain some fitness in the gym, then train sensibly before the race. I knew I was perhaps a month behind where I felt I could be fitness wise so I would not be running at my best.

Then of course we had the heat to deal with - plus all the hordes of people getting under your feet. Difficult to run an even pace when people are slowing in front of you, but I suppose this is the London marathon and there are 36,000 runners, and lots of them are charity runners so what can you expect.

Considering all this I was happy to run 3:29.

Hopefully later in the year I can run a marathon in cooler conditions, and run a lot faster.

****
Update
For anyone interested I ran the 2011 Frankfurt marathon and finished in 3:18:58. I didn't get to the start early enough and perhaps was a bit relaxed about my starting position. There were too many people in front of me to get to the starting position I really wanted - with the 3:15 pacer. So I ended up battling for much of the race to get past people. It was a good race but with a better start I felt I could have run 5 or so minutes quicker.

National X Country Relays 6th November 2010

The National X Country Relays are taking place on Saturday 6th November 2010 at Berry Hill Park in Mansfield. It would be great if we could get a team from Clowne together so we can continue to get Clowne Road Runners on the map.

Senior Women run 3 x 3K, and senior men run 4 x 5K. To cover withdrawals and injuries we can enter three times that number (ie 12 men to cover a men's team of 4, and the first 4 home to count.)

If you want to run please contact me ASAP, and I can get the entry forms in - provided we have enough runners to form a team! Entry forms need to be in by 15th October so this is urgent. Also, if you're running the Dovedale Dash in our Grand Prix you can consider the xcountry relays as a warm-up!

Also, please note the date changes for the next 2 monthly meetings:-
November meeting-- Fri 12th November
December meeting on Fri 10th December
due to meeting room being unavailable on the 1st Fri of these months.

Cheers, and keep on running,
Matt

Clowne RR News - Sept 24th 2010

Well done to all Clowne runners who have been racing recently. It's been quite busy recently with the Bawtry Forest trail race, the Exterminator ( a tough fell race so special congratulations to everyone for completing this -- results are online at http://www.clowneroadrunners.org/2010results.html )and the Spire 10, and of course the Robin Hood half/full marathon, and the Great North Run.

Also, I was unable to make the recent club trip, but I've heard from a reliable authority that it was a success & people are looking foward to doing it all again. Apparently Paul Sadler ran out of fuel, and had to be helped gently from the fells. Perhaps he should drink more beer the night before?! Special thanks should be passed from all at the club to all the people who had a hand in organising this - hopefully there will be another event next year. Photos & a report can be found on our website -- http://www.clowneroadrunners.org/clubtrip11sept2010.html

Some results:
Robin Hood Half marathon- 12th Sept 2010
Matt Russell -- 1:30:57
David Binch -- 1:37:08
Paul Deconinck -- 2:10:25
Samantha Wibberley -- 2:22:23

Robin Hood Full marathon
Glyn Walker -- 3:46:10
Bert Wain -- 4:05:59

Great North Run - 19th Sept 2010
David Goater -- 1:59:45
Tracy Jones -- 1:59:45
Fiona Cunliffe -- 2:10:34
Joanne Lancaster -- 2:21:40
Sarah Coakley -- 2:35:51
Sharon Bache -- 2:35:59
Andrea Walker -- 2:35:59


Clumber 10k - Marshalls needed
As many people will know the Clumber 10k is taking place this Sunday. If anyone is available to marshall can they please contact John Harrison ASAP on **************

National X-Country Relays are taking place on Saturday 6th November at Berry Hill Park, Mansfield. We can enter a maximum of 3 teams in each age group, which for our club would mean 12 men (over 20 years) and 9 women (over 20 years). The closing date for entry is 15th October 2010. If you want to take part please email me. I'll also bring this along to the next meeting - which I believe is next Friday.

Jog Derbyshire Meeting - 8th October
Also, Tom Crampton the Jog Derbyshire coordinator has been in touch regarding a meeting taking place on 8th October:-

attend a meeting on Friday 8th October at 10am at Godkin House, Ripley. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of Jog Derbyshire becoming an England Athletics affiliated club. At the moment, there are no specific plans to do so, but we are seriously looking at the possibility as a way of sustaining the project for the foreseeable future. Before we begin the process we thought it important to discuss this with clubs already linked to the Jog Derbyshire project and Steve Moore from EA to gauge opinion and work out the best way to move forwards.

Please contact Tom directly if you would like to attend, or if you are unable to attend but would like to discuss this with him further. His numbers are:-
Direct Dial Tel: 01773571234
email: tom.crampton@derbyshire.gov.uk

Clowne Half Marathon 2010
We already have over 150 entries, but of course we want as many as possible so please get those entry forms out where you can. Several people will be handing forms out at the Clumber 10k this Sunday.

Not the Larwood 10k
The date for the 2011 10k race in Shireoaks (name tbc but it won't be 'Larwood') will be Sunday 22 May 2011. If anyone would like to assist in the organisation of next year's 10k race please contact Jim.

Club Kit
Mel will be placing a new order soon for club kit. If you would like more club kit please email Mel & if she can she will order it for you.

I think that is everything for now. Have a great weekend everyone, and keep on running,

Matt Russell
Club secretary, Clowne RR
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Getting Back to Running

I've started running again.

Yes I haven't written anything here in a few months, and part of the reason for this is that I haven't been up to much following a car accident a couple of days before Christmas. I didn't break any bones, but I had concussion, whiplash and suffered from delayed shock, and until you experience these things you don't realise how long it takes to recover, or the effects it has on you. It's coming up to 2 months since the accident and I'm almost back to normal.

It has ruined my plans to run a marathon in April, though. I'm getting fitter now, so who knows how fit I'll be in a few months. But, I don't have the time to put in the required distance runs, threshold runs and hill repeats. I'm thinking I will concentrate on 10ks and do some half marathons, then possibly at the end of the year choose a full marathon.

Not a Leicester Marathon Report

Apologies to any faithful readers of this blog that there hasn't been anything to read here for the last month. I have been a little busy, and I haven't raced since doing the Leicester marathon. But, you'll probably say that you didn't see a report on Leicester. No, I did not write one. Running for 26 miles takes a lot out of you emotionally and mentally as well as physically, so I didn't sit down and write one because I didn't want to fill the page with complaints about the course, and about how I was feeling etc. Things that most people are not interested in, and I'm not that interested myself, and only write things like that because I'm tired!

Since the marathon, and resting up afterwards I am feeling a lot stronger and fitter and am looking forward to the Edwinstowe 10k in December, and then the Bolsover 11k the week after.

Photo from Sherwood Pines 10k 2009

Finishing fresh and full of running...
but just behind...

Inter-club Summer X Country

This is a very low key event, and not knowing this, but just seeing the words "summer x country" on our club website, I thought it would be a competitive xcountry race, and so approached it like that. It was the day after running the Elmton Chase, but I felt good so looked forward to running fast.

Unfortunately not many people turned up - I would estimate around 20. We did a steady lap of the Retford Rugby pitch then went out through the woods across trails and fields. There were just enough marshalls along the way to stop you from getting lost, and also some arrows and ticker tape.

Three runners got away fairly early on - the eventual "winner" Carl Thackeray, and Steve Battle running for Clowne as well as one runner from Killamarsh - and there was a group of us behind them. I made an effort to leave the others behind and opened up a gap (not sure how large because I was focussed on making efforts to catch the three at the front; I could see them most of the way, but didn't catch them.)

Towards the end we went into a field, the marshall said follow the arrow, I ploughed into the field running across plants etc, and said "where's the arrow?" The Killamarsh runner said "it's over here". He was quite a way to the right on the correct path. I rejoined the path, but he had a lead now, and as we went over the hills towards the Rugby club he gained a bit more of a lead, and even though I was working hard I couldn't catch him.

He didn't finish that far in front though!

Anyway, it was a fun event and I thoroughly enjoyed it. No, it wasn't a race, but I'll beat him next time!

Clowne X Country Race

"It's over the same course as previous years, but just listen up..." mmm I thought, well this is the first time I've run it so that doesn't help.."just bear that in mind and you'll be alright."

I had missed something here. What was it? Oh, there was no way I could get lost because I wouldn't be leading the field out like I did at Retford. No, I didn't want to drop back through the field again like that. Yes, it's ok to have a fast start to stay out of trouble, but then you have to deal with the lactic acid. I'm not quite fit enough for that; not quite a Gebreselaissie.

The wind was blowing cold, and the dark clouds were circling. I hadn't come prepared for this - a Clowne running vest, a pair of shorts and my Walsh's, oh and a grey woolly hat. A t-shirt wouldn't have helped keep me warm, though, as it would just have got wet, and these Ron Hill technical vests do an excellent job of wicking the moisture away. Plus, if you're running fast enough you should keep warm anyway.

I couldn't feel my hands for the first 20 minutes of the run. Keep you hands clasped together,I said to myself, to stop your wedding ring falling off your finger. A pair of gloves would have helped.

Paul Sadler was just ahead of me, yes and Stuart Platts and Scott Ramsden weren't that far ahead. Then there were four Kestrel vests. Over one stile, through the mud, over another stile, my studs slipped on the wet wood and I nearly went over.

Keep up the pressure, just try to gain on them through the mud. One Kestrel runner is taking it easier through the mud then speeding up afterwards. If I can just gain on him in the mud maybe I can keep with him and beat him at the finish.

We're coming to the end, just another mud-strewn field then can't be much further. Accelerate, you can catch them. That's when my foot slipped from under me, my right shoulder hit the mud and I slid forward a couple of foot. Straight up, get running again. Mud everywhere, at least I missed all the stones, so no major damage.

Round some more corners, then I'm scrambling over a wall. Keep on running...

Andy Ward calls out encouragement "come on you can catch both of these", and I've nearly finished. I start sprinting past a Retford runner, and a Kestrel is just ahead, then round the corner, keep on pushing, nearly there - I sweep past Stuart Platts, and sprint for the finish. The Kestrel runner holds me off.

I'm 10th, a good improvement on the Retford run. Scott finishes 7th, so just a few places ahead. Paul Sadler is back in 19th.

Damage done: scratches on right shin, cuts on right hip, small bruise on right knee, vest covered in mud.

Retford X Country Race

The sun was shining, and all was right with the world. Except I had a mini-panic that I wouldn't be able to find the start of the race. Yes, I had a satnav, but no it wasn't a great deal of help. Yes, I had the "postcode", but when I put this into the TomTom it didn't recognise it and made suggestions for somewhere in Northern Ireland. No, I wasn't leaving England, I just wanted to find somewhere in Retford.

Thanks for the wonders of a mobile phone (& Dave Johnson) I found the race start - helped by seeing some runners walking down a street, if it hadn't been for that I may have driven round a bit more in a daze.

Half an hour to go to the start of the Retford interclub X-Country race - time enough to do a warm up. So I ran round in circles for a bit - yes I felt good, did some strides and some sprint drills. They have a couple of football pitches, and alongside there is an old track (it might be cinder, it is certainly not one of these tartan ones, and if pressed I would say it was dirt, but it's marked into lanes and good for running on in that it's flat and level.)

Now, the start. When we eventually got to the start we were told we had to run to the corner of the field and round a cone. Anyone going the wrong side would be disqualified. Then there was some more bunting in another corner (anyone going the wrong side would fall down a hole), then we would go through a gap in the hedge and well...not sure where after this, but it would be self-evident surely?

I need a good start, I thought. Don't want to be tripping up over people going round that cone. So, "Go!" Got a good start and to my surprise I was first to the cone - what's happening here then, how come I'm in the lead, relax don't panic - to the other side of the first field and Steve Battle passes me, then I draw level - out through the gap in the hedge and there's three of us - which way is it then? No one seems to know - I spy John Proffit to the left, and presume it's that way.

After this more people passed me especially as the ground got uneven, we crossed stiles and went uphill. The rest of the race is a blur. I remember Scott Ramsden passing me and saying come on Matt keep it up, then Stuart Platts & they didn't get that far ahead. Even near the end I was thinking I could bridge the gap, but when we darted through the gap in the hedge again the race was virtually over and it was too late.

And I was working on closing the gap to the Killamarsh yellow vests right to the end, but the gap in the hedge beat me and the funnel came too quick for me to catch them. I did see Paul Sadler just behind me, but concentrated on trying to catch people in front rather than thinking about who was behind!

All in all good fun - but maybe I won't start so fast next time.

Liversedge Half Marathon on YouTube

Liversedge Half Marathon

The Liversedge half marathon is a tough run with lots of hills. I don't remember the course that well except for the parts when we were running uphill or downhill, but perhaps that's my mind playing tricks with me, perhaps there were some flat bits as well.

It shows how hard the run was by the fact that the winner finished in 1 hour 17 minutes 57 seconds. Also, Olympian Tracey Morris was fifth overall in 1 hour 19 minutes 51 seconds. I don't know what her personal best is, but I'm pretty sure she has run close to 2 hours 30 for a marathon.

So, that puts my time of 1 hour 32 minutes 57 seconds into perspective - just 15 minutes behind the winner. On a kinder course I would surely have gone well under 90 minutes.

I didn't take a lot of water on board as I found the one drink I did take made my stomach feel unsettled (this probably had something to do with the curry and half a bottle of wine I'd had the night before).

It was a well-organised friendly race, and I would recommend it - forget what I said earlier about it being a really tough race! The only problem I found was the fact that the roads were open to traffic, and lots of the drivers weren't very patient. So, it was a concern at times. This would have been helped if there had been more marshalls, but it is hard to get more volunteers on a half marathon I suppose.

On a side note I was annoyed by a woman runner who passed me at 3 miles, then cut in front of me blocking me in - I dashed onto the pavement to get past, then made sure if she came past again she couldn't block me in (stick elbows out and run nearer to the middle of the road!) She did come past again (another annoying habit she had was blocking her nose with her finger then shooting snot out of the other one!), but at the 3 mile point she stopped and jogged back.

Anyway, from what I remember of the race it was fun, and I hope to run it again in the future. My photos is here:- Matt's Photo

Sunday Run

I ran for 80 minutes this Sunday morning, and covered just over 8 miles. Running in the dark for a long time, which was fine because Helen came along on her bike so she could light the way. She is doing a bike ride in May - riding the Coast to Coast across England in 3 days - so she is starting her training.

Feeling fitter these last few days after Christmas, but muscles are aching a little so I will book in for a massage as soon as I can.

Got to go in the bath, then soon after this go and clean out the chickens; later we will be going to Helen's parents for dinner.

Mystique of the marathon

There is a mystique around marathon running that is difficult to explain. After all what is special about running for 26.2 miles?

To find out why marathon running has a special aura follow this link

Today's Running

Ran twice today, and feel good for it; bit tired but that's from other things going on and not from running. Late nights, and early mornings. When you're training hard you need to get plenty of rest - 8 hours sleep a night plus a nap during the day.

I've not been getting enough sleep, and I probably won't get enough for the rest of the week either.

Did threshold running this morning, and then an easy run on the treadmill tonight. The important thing is to avoid injury as well as training hard, and the rewards will come.

Races

I'm itching to go racing again. To put on my running vest and get to the start line, and to run as fast as I can. There's nothing like the feeling of freedom you get running fast - time stands still and you just concentrate on moving forward.

I've been looking for more races, but chances are that my next race will be the Clowne Half marathon on 23rd November. Done that a couple of times before and it is a harder course than the Worksop half. But what goes up must come down as they say!

After that I hope to have a couple of 10k races at the beginning of December - to hone my speed for the winter, and to look forward to some cross country.

Ran twice today - faster run for 45 minutes this morning, then an easy 30 minutes on the treadmill tonight. It felt good to run twice, but feeling tired now.

Today's Run

Had a good easy run this morning - out for 90 minutes and covered just under 9 miles. Still recovering from last week's half marathon, but lot better today, and the massage has helped. The strange thing was that last Saturday night my knees ached a little, but during the half marathon they were fine, and not a problem at all.

After the massage I've started to feel the ache in my knees again! That seems to be the way it goes - I have a rest day, and my legs ache, but when I run I don't feel a thing. Should cut out rest days, but that way I'll get injured.

I'm following a training schedule now from Nick Anderson at Full Potential that should get me to running as quick as I've run before (80 minutes for half marathon), and faster with time.

Worksop Half Marathon Result

Well, I had a good run in the Worksop Half Marathon on Sunday. I have to say that it is not an easy run: the first mile is uphill so if you're keeping an eye on your pace I wouldn't be too worried that you're slower than you expect at this point.

The word that they use to describe races like this is undulating. Lots of gradual hills that you might not notice, but very few flat parts (I don't remember any flat sections), and well what goes up must come down, and the last mile is all downhill. Run as fast as you can to the finish, but don't run too fast, and whatever you do don't fall over in your desire to get to the finish.

It's a well organised race, and as long as you're not bothered about drinking on your way round you're alright. There were 3 water stations on the route where people were handing out small plastic cups of water - I had one mouthful of water towards the end, but didn't really see the point in trying to drink much until I'd finished.

I've put my race result on the right. I'm quite happy with my race, and have recovered quite well. Oh, all race finishers got a £5 off voucher to be used at SheRunsHeRuns , and also a very nice t-shirt.

Here's a photo of me with my mum at the finish --

Worksop Half Marathon - My next race

My next race is the Worksop Half marathon on the 26th October. This is an undulating course that goes through the scenic Clumber park. I ran it last year, and I remember quite an uphill, and a lot of road running for the first 3 miles, but you then go off into the park and quite a lot of the race is through Clumber, and is relatively traffic free.

I'm looking forward to the run, and hope to finish in around 90 minutes. I have run quicker than this before, but I will be happy with 90 minutes as it is a good starting point for further improvement.

Rother Valley 6 Mile Trail Race

I had a good run yesterday in the Rother Valley trail race. I missed the start by up to a minute, so spent all the race passing people. This was a hard way to run the event given that it wasn't an easy race to start with. There were a few hills, and steep descents, a bit of mud, and the finishing straight was on the edge of the lake which meant it was a little boggy.

But lots of fun. The only drawback was that you had to pay to park (£2.50), which was on top of the entry fee for the race itself. Never mind, at least the money should go to the upkeep of Rother Valley Country Park.

I finished 23rd out of 114 runners.

Running

When I first got into running I wasn’t interested in running personal bests, or beating other people across the finish line. No, that disease crept up on me later. What really interested me was the sense of freedom I got from running; the fact that i could just head out the door, and go. All i needed was my running shoes, and a t-shirt, shorts, and running shoes, and i could escape from other people; escape into my own world.

I couldn’t really explain this to others because I said I could think things over when i was out running, but this wasn’t entirely true. I could vent an emotion out running that it would not really be appropriate to do in another way; not to my sense of decorum anyway. I remember one time that i was really frustrated and angry at one of my University professors, and so i put my anger into my running, and that made me go quicker, and i felt loads better afterwards.

Part of my anger came from the fact that I realised he was correct in his criticisms, but that is by the by. Yes, I wasn't doing the work I was supposed to be doing....but I was more interested in running. I was more interested in the great feeling I got from running, not in writing essays.

I have strayed off this path many times, but I have returned to the straight and narrow! I am as committed as I ever was to running, and look back at myself and wonder why did I ever listen to so many well meaning people, and get distracted from my running.

Life has its ups and downs, and about turns etc, so I'm back where I want to be (almost). I have lots more running to do, but that may have something to do with the running "disease" I mentioned earlier.

To run faster than I have before, and to run further.....