SportsShoes Blog

Ran Noon Stone today on the hills above Todmorden - 9 miles 2300 feet of climb - organised by Tod Harriers.

Rather fittingly it started at Noon - or just after as it took the organisers a while to get the big entry back to the start line.

After a frantic dash along the road for 400 yards it’s straight up a very steep rough moor for the best part of a mile before plunging back down to London Road then up again to the Stoodly Pike monument which towers ominously over the valley bellow.

From the start I was running with an old pal of mine Paul Crabtree from Bingley’s arch rivals Keighley & Craven. We climbed to the monument along with a couple of lads from Pudsey and Bramley and then headed out over the moor to the res. You get a bit of a breather here as it descends slightly but the underfoot conditions are tricky and demand a lot of concentration. After the res we crossed a stream and then commenced the climb back up to the moor top. From here it’s around a 2 mile battle across trackless heather and bog which climbs gradually making it a thoroughly energy sapping experience. Paul, myself and a Pennine runner worked well together up here and we hauled in my mate Jason Stevens from Calder as we topped out at the rocks. Jason used his local knowledge to take us over a great line through the rocks before we popped out at the water conduit. From here we turned for home and as we ran along the good track beside the conduit I lost touch with the other three as their roady legs were quicker than mine. Thankfully, as we started  the rough descent my fell legs came good and I reeled them all back in so we were running together as a foursome again.

With about 1.5 miles to go there’s a savage descent - it’s only about 150 meters but it’s nearly vertical and it felt like we were competitors in a Cooper’s Hill cheese rolling race rather than a fell race. At this point I got to the front of our team of four but my lead was short lived as it’s straight back up from here and I lost places first to Jason and then to Paul on the ascent. At the last marshal Jason had about 8 seconds on Paul and I was a further 5 seconds behind - the Pennine runner had been broken on the last climb so it was now a three horse race.

The final descent is a beast - probably about 1/2 mile of very steep down hill running over trackless moor - on the first steep descent I caught and passed Paul and turned my attention to Jason. Just before the final descent I passed Jason and as I did he shouted ‘you git’ which made me laugh out loud. From here it was a case of simply keeping my nose in front which I managed to do despite Jason getting a massive amount of verbal encouragement (abuse) from the local Calder crowd.

I was pleased with my day’s work but don’t know where I finished as I had to dash off afterwards as I’d promised Carloyn I’d tidy the garden…….nice!

Must mention my shoes before I finish - I wore my brand new fresh out the box Inov8 212 X Talons and they were awesome - I’ll give them a proper review once they’ve done a bit more.

Unfortunately in the quest for stardom and riches I guess it’s inevitable that some athletes will reach for the medicine cupboard to improve their performance.

Now I must admit to having taken my fair share of Ibuprofen tablets as I staggered round Mont Blanc and a couple in the Fellsman last year but in general I hate cheating in all its forms - I think it destroys the whole meaning of sport which to me is to try as hard as you possibly can and when all’s done the best ‘man’ wins.

I’ve just finished reading a book titled ‘the Death of Marco Pantani’ - for anyone who doesn’t know, Pantani was hailed as one of the best cyclists in the world in the early to mid 90s - that was until his fondness for stuffing his body with r-EPO and Cocaine was revealed to the general public at which point he quickly sniffed his way to an early grave.

To me the actions of Pantani and countless other cyclists kill not only themselves but the sport they allegedly love. As a keen cyclist myself and a lover of all endurance sports I still wonder if I’m watching ‘real’ humans every July as they ‘whizz’ around France in Le Tour.

One thing’s for sure, when I’m old and grey(er) I will be able to look back on what I achieved and know that it was all done through hard work and determination.

I’ve now just started another book about an athlete whose body was also pumped full of drugs - but this time it’s someone I’m immensley proud of - Jane Tomlinson proved to us all what the human body could achieve in the face of massive adversity if only one is willing to apply a huge dollop of courage and determination.

In March it’s Bingley Harriers’ club dinner and we have Mike Tomlinson Jane’s husband coming to speak - I can’t wait and I’m sure it will be humbling, motivational and tear jerking all at the same time.

As for my cunning plan - things are progressing well - I’m nearly ready to go public with the idea and I’ve already selected my charity - Jane’s Appeal.

Hope you’re still getting these posts as I notice they’re not appearing the ‘Latest Blog Posts’ section…..

This week so far :-

Sunday afternoon (after my 52 mile bike ride) - 30 mins run with kids and dog

Monday - AM 20 mins steady (The longer days now mean I can now run off road with my dog every morning - yeagh!!)

Tuesday - AM 20 mins steady - PM 10 x 1.5 min efforts with 1 min recoveries. Efforts = 1 min 10 at 10k pace + 20 seconds at 5 k pace - a tough workout.

Wednesday - AM 20 mins steady

Thursday - AM 20 mins steady - PM 9 miles on the road 1hr and 6 mins- see http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2573153

Friday - AM 20 mins steady then a day in Filey with the family and dog - great day had by all - dog now bushed after chasing every other dog on the beach.

Now for my cunning plan….Although I’m planning on 2 big cycle races this year (the Fred Whitton and La Marmotte), I’ve been feeling that I’ve not really got any serious running challenges to focus on. So I’ve dreamt one up and I’ll give you the details soon. For now, let’s say that it’s going to be a solo long distance run aimed at raising money for charity. I don’t normally do runs for charity but I have a good reason to do so this year so thought I might try and raise a few quid by doing something a bit unusual - watch this space for details…..

Tough match last night V Patrick Chifunda which I managd to win in 5 11-8 10-12 11-5 8-11 11-2. It wasn’t the greatest of displays. A hot, bouncy court was more favourable to his style but in the end I was physically stronger. I played a really solid 5th set which was needed. Next up is Liam Kenny, the Irish number 1, so a lot to gain here. It will be a tough match but looking forward to it!

unfortunatly I went down to Liam Kenny 3-0 in 69 mins. I didn’t play badly but didn’t play great. Although it must be said “hats off” to Liam, I thought he played a good match. Each game was nip and tuck untill towards the end of each set Liam was more clinical and patient where I was trying to be the aggressor which was definitely the wrong tactic on a hot court with a high tin..

Next stop Montreal for the Sanctuaire Classic.

In Washington DC playing in the above event. 1st round today v Andrew Mcdoughal of Canada. I started pretty strong 11-3 up in the 1st… But a bit of a lapse in concentration gave Andy a chance to get into the match and he took the second 16-14. Even though I lost it I took alot out of him and I managed to close the next 2 games out 11-3 11-4. Tough match tomorrow v Patrick Chifunda

Right, well I have had some time off ( well, not time off, but not committed training ). I am now feeling like I have my direction back, now that the days are lasting longer and I am in talks about this years holiday, and if you have been following my blog you know I like to try and achieve that “unachievable beach body”.

Anyway, had a large back and bicep workout yesterday and it felt great. Off again tonight to hit the “delts”, and do some cardio …. boohooo.

j.

Here’s how my week has looked since the Trog last Saturday :-

Sunday - 30 mins steady

Monday - AM 25 mins steady

Tuesday - AM 20 mins steady / PM 6×2.5 min efforts with 1 min recoveries

Wednesday - AM 20 mins steady / PM 53 mins hard with hills 7.5 miles

Thursday - AM 20 mins / PM 45 mins steady 6.5 miles

Friday - AM 20 mins steady

Saturday - AM 25 mins steady / AM Bike 19 miles with hills

Sunday - AM Bike 52 miles with hills

Well well well time flies! Its got round to pre season training again. It has been a shock to the system getting up on a Sunday morning for training, having spent every Sunday since September in hibernation I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. And to make it even more fun it was colder inside than it was outside!

Bowling was strange for for a bit,  I was using muscles I haven’t used in 6 months and they didn’t like the first 30min, they were feeling very stiff. I was surprised how quickly I settled into a rhythm and after an hour I was feeling good. I just bowled this week as I find it takes me longer to settle back into bowling than it does batting so I tend to work on that for the first 2 weeks then get on with the batting. Monday morning wasn’t fun, ached alot, my shoulders were very bad so it’s time to stock up on Radox!!

What a stunning days in the hills we had yesterday.

The Trog is a 20 mile (measured at over 21 by some Garmin wearers) fell race around the moors above Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope and Haworth.

http://www.cvfr.co.uk/Races/Trog/troghome.htm

The WHOLE course was snow covered yesterday - literally from start to finish - which is something I’ve never experienced before. The weather was generally fine and at times when the wind dropped and the sun was out it was actually quite warm. However, when the wind was up and the sun in, it was blooooming freezing.

Before the race there was a shoe debate - should it be trail shoes or studs? The majority (including me) opted for studs (my very warn down walshies) and it proved to be the right choice. I think I’d have struggled in anything else.

About 110 runners set off in the full Trog (there’s also a half Trog run on the same day) and the field quickly spread out as the first couple of miles are a gradual climb over the moor. I turned at CP1 in 11th with my team mate Rob Jebb leading the field (as expected) and breaking the trail - a tough job that he did all day.

As we crossed the next couple of moors towards the Withins Ruin, myself and a Clayton runner had got into a good rhythm and we picked up and passed a friend of mine Jason Steven of CVFR as he struggled with the snowy conditions. Jason usually beats me but today was going to be my day….

As we turned for home (just 10 miles to go) we caught another chap and once I’d passed him I was in 7th overall which I held to the finish. As we started the descent towards the finish I managed to break my Clayton challenger and althouh I could see another group of 4 runners ahead I couldn’t catch them despite throwing caution to the wind and chucking myself down steep icy bankings and through snowy fields.

The race was orgainsed by the excellent team at Calder Valley Fell Runners and their hospitality extended to soup, sarnie and a cake at the finish for all runners - washed down with as much tea and coffee as you could drink - excellent!!

Overall Bingley Harriers had a great day with Rob winning the full Trog, myself in 7th and Lee Athersmith winning the half Trog with my mate Martin following him home in 3rd.

For anyone who’s interested, here’s what I packed for the race (the silver wrap is half a malt loaf squashed flat!!) :-

In the race I only had half the drink, one gel and a mini mars bar that I sneaked in for good measure (the cheese is there as a salt boost in case I feel cramps coming on) - the malt loaf wasn’t needed and was there in case I started to ‘bonk’ and needed to refill the tank with ‘real’ food.