Inter Services Cross Country Champs

I raced at Blandford camp yesterday in the Inter Services Cross Country Champs. I will post a full race report on my onsport site (link on the right) but as a brief blurb, I have to say that this ended up being a cracking race. I am referring to the Vets race here, as the Senior Mens race is far too hot for old gits like myself! That said, the Vets race is equally competitive and places in the team are covetted. I was drafted into the team after Al Turnbull withdrew due to injury. I was hardly a worthy replacement as Al is by far the quickest Vet around right now (not sure what has happened to Dave Cole?). As we gathered at the start, it became clear that 2 other team members were quite ill! That left 4 of us to run hard. With only 4 to count, the race was on against the Navy and Army. Sure enough Ronnie McWilliam and Marcus Maxwell, both runners who normally beat me comfortably, were off the back sufferring with ilness.

I decided to go off hard and give the race everything from the off. This race has a small field of competitors because each team consists of 6 runners - just 18 in the race! After the first lap of 2 I was hanging in somewhere mid-pack and battling to hang on to 2 Army guys and a Navy chap. I could see the 3 RAF runners not too far ahead and I knew that we were packing well as a team. Then the shouts from the spectators started! As the small bunch I was in passed, the Army spectators were shouting that their 2 guys must stay ahead of me. The RAF spectators were shouting to me that I must move through to beat the 2 Army guys and the Navy guy in order for the RAF to win the team champs! Doh! No pressure then!

To be frank, I was seriously on the limit and hanging on! One of the Army guys put on a spurt on a flat section to try and keep up with the other Army guy and Navy chap. As I knew there was a hill coming up, I tucked in behind this Army guy. The other 2 were pulling away and the gap was growing.

As I hit the hill I pushed hard and the accompanying Army guy fell back. Carl Thompson was at the top of the hill urging me to get on terms with the 2 opposing team guys ahead. All this spurring on and focus on a team champs really made a difference and the occasion felt special! I clawed these 2 guys back and actually started to pull away. Then we hit a roller coaster section that was quite muddy. My racing flats couldn't cope with this slippy stuff and both guys came back passed me! As we hit an exposed flat section into the wind I sensed that they were slowing; so I put in another dig to get back on terms. The final section was slightly down hill and it was time to employ a racing mental technique that I use in triathlon.

I pick a point a few hundred metres ahead and visualise that this is the finish line. Then I take off and leg it like my life depends on it! When I get to the point I am focussing on I do the same again! And so on until I get to the real finish line. Sure this hurts. I mean really hurts! But it worked in this case and I opened up a gap and held on to the end. I was seriously exhausted and happy that I had squeezed every ounce of energy out of myself.

More importantly, we won the Vets title by a single point fromm the Army 8-) Well happy with that result and I managed 7th overall. True, there were some faster Vets missing from the line up but circumstances hit every race in strange ways and you get what you're given.

So much for the brief race report! I will get some pics up soon. The day was very enjoyable. Watching the Senior man take the title was awesome too. Man! That Ben Livesey and Rob Bugden can run like the wind! Those 2 were way ahead of the rest. But the other RAF guys all bunched within the top 12 for a convincing win.

Today I pushed hard on my single speed for a total of 40 miles and grabbed a quick swim of 10 x 100m on 1:45 coming in around 1:28 and 10 x 50m on 60 second coming in around 41 second. So a decent couple of days and tired legs now!

Train well out there!

Painful Week

Despite completing a decent week of training,there has been a belly full of pain to put up with - some just fatigue and some that should not really be there! I cannot complain about this pain (see last post!) But maybe I can merely describe the niggling foot/lower leg injury and the kinda weird lump on the bottom of my foot? Ok; maybe not! It all gets very boring!

So what training have I been up to? Well, I raced around avery snowy/icy RAF Wittering cross country and finished 7th. I felt like I ran ok but the foot problem held me back on the uneven ground. Mike Taylor (RAF Triathlete) ran well and Daz Sharpe carried on with his great run form. I did a run track session on Tursday with Dave Connell and Super Fast Paul - he's called that because he's super fast . . . Yes he really is! We did 8 x 600 with 200m jog. I really do like track running but I need to accept that I am slow! Well, slower than I would like to be or think I am capable of! So finishing off with reps of 1:54 and 1:55 will have to do. Reckon I can get these closer to 1:50 come summer time . . . Oh yes, I forgot; I won't be within 800 miles of a running track come summer. 8-(

I also completed a couple of decent turbo sessions; one of them had a 5 mile lumpy run at 6:30 mile pace off the bike. Yesterday I ran 10 miles, which is a long run for me. It was a painful run due to that lump under my foot! Anyway, it will be an easy week next week as I have a few deployment training days. Then the Inter Services cross country at Blandford.

I feel like there is some run form just dying to get out and burst through! The next Lincs League cross country event on 29 Feb at Coningsby could be the place to unleash it!!

Perspective

Just opened up the latest issue of triathlon Plus. If I ever moan about an injury again, someone remind me of a guy called Ken Owen that I have just read about. This guy suffered a detached hamstring and cruciate ligament rupture in a water ski accident. He has now completed his first duathlon - amazing. We can all get self obsessed with our racing and training; and that can be good to help us strive for better performances. But a healthy dose of humility and perspective is also needed! Let's be thankful for being able to simply do what we enjoy. Speed and race results will follow. Being grounded is good for us all to ensure longevity within our sport. I have a long term goal to achieve a medal in a World Age Group Championship but my first priority is to enjoy my sport and help others.

Off to race in the Lincs Services Cross Country League - enjoyment first!

Snowed In

I wanted some short and hard running today. However, the weather prevented anything like that type of training! Had to settle for a long run with efforts on the hills where ever I could!

Check out the new link on the right at the top. The intention is to use this site purely for previewing events, race reports and results. Also, when I get the time, I hope to create an online lbrary of pics that I have gathered over the last few years. Hey, it may provide interesting viewing in 20 years time!

I am a Rehabist!

See that swollen foot below? The last 2 weeks has been spent managing this very frustrating injury! This has been difficult as I am trying to focus on running at the moment – though I am obviously not doing so well, especially when compared to the pocket rocket that is Frank Whittle!

Anyway, I am stumbling between made up training sessions thought out 5 mins before I complete them – nothing new really! I managed to race at the Lincs Services league Cross Country race at Digby last week but I felt grotty and I was rather tentative through a section of the course that went through a quarry. I was happy enough to finish in 9th place. I was light years behind fast man Daz Sharpe, who had a very good run. Mike Taylor is coming into shape also and he should improve a lot this year in triathlon – if he stays healthy! He always seems bandaged up for one reason or another!


This week it was the RAF Cross Country Champs at RAF Halton. Although the foot injury was still bugging me, it did not affect my pace. I actually felt like I ran ok. However, I just cannot compete with the frantic pace these ‘real’ runners move at! I finished 22nd and was happy enough with that. I am now travelling reserve for the RAF Vets Team which will compete at the Inter-Services Cross Country Champs to be held at Blandford Camp on 22 Feb 12. If I get to run I will surely be the last man on the course!!

All I need to do is keep this injury at bay! Trouble is, it hurts to bike also, which is not so good! I suffered through a decent turbo session yesterday and the bike fitness is ok really. I am also doing plenty of rehab work to strengthen my left leg. The injury is caused by an imbalance caused by all the rehab work I have done on my right leg to sort the Achilles problem out since 2009! Training is gradually moving from sport specific to rehab! Soon I will be a part time triathlete/part time rehabist!