Harriers interval training last night and there were loads of us, we have had so many new members of late that I wonder how we're going to cope with the increased volume at training sessions. I suppose it's a nice problem to have! Anyhow, a fairly short session which suited me, my legs still feel a bit tired from the Hebden on Saturday. High intensity though, I was chasing a clubmate back up the hill at the end of the session and see from my Garmin log that I damn nearly maxed out my HR, that's not good is it? I don't know why I succumb to such temptations. Max HR that I saw in 2013 was 183, so 181 last night is not big or clever and will do absolutely no good.
Full hour training with swim partner Emma this morning, we're just building back up to the sort of sessions we were knocking out late last year and it hurts. Warm-up, breathing pyramid (3-4-5-4-3) then 3 sets of 3 x 4 off 2m45s (it's a 30m pool). By the time we were into the third set, pretty much all form had disappeared and I was hanging on to her heels for dear life. Bloody hard work.
On a positive note, I have tomorrow afternoon off and rain or shine Helen and I are going to head over to the loveliness of Calderdale and do a bit of Wadsworth Trog recce, probably followed by tea in a local boozer. Also - and changing subject somewhat - we had some very positive news last night insomuch as my youngest son received a hefty sum via the CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) following the little fracas back in 2012 when his jaw was broken in four places during a night out in Leeds. The scum-sucking ars*wipe who was responsible for this is still doing time in one of popular prisons by the way, I do hope he's enjoying it.
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Monday, 20 January 2014
Mudfest & Pies
Myself and Helen did the Hebden 22 LDWA event on Saturday along with some friends from Nidd Valley Runners and Calderdale Fell Runners. These LDWA events (hereabouts at least) are very popular with off-road runners and as long as nobody gets too competitive or wears a club vest, the organisers are happy - and I should think so too, it must boost their funds no end! Anyhow, I hadn't done the Hebden before but I knew it was a tough one with tricky navigation and so it proved: Lots of very muddy terrain and a series of sharp climbs, it certainly woke me out of my reverie.
I made a bit of a schoolboy error and started off wearing my heavy waterproof jacket when it just wasn't justified, of course within 15 minutes I was bathed in sweat and didn't dare take the blasted jacket off in case the windchill got me.The result was that I got quite dehydrated and on the final climb was struggling with cramp in both adductors, very annoying and entirely my fault. Once we topped out I saw that the group I was running with had managed to increase their lead on me by about 200yds, so once my legs had loosened up it was a balls-out effort down the descent and run back into Mytholmroyd to catch up. I really threw myself down that final descent, probably giving it a bit more than was justified given the conditions, however I'm pleased to say I caught 'em, though I think on a good day I might have managed to sneak past in the final sprint home. As it was, Helen and I reached the village hall together in 4:29:27, honour satisfied.
Quite a few people from outside the area had travelled to do the Hebden and it was nice to catch up with some people I hadn't seen for a while. Actually, something that made me smile was that while we were waiting for the off, a guy with a strong Wirral accent was proclaiming his expertise and that he'd ran in Yorkshire before and it wasn't that bad. I think he must still be eating his words, because I saw him come in around a couple of hours after us, white-faced and complaining bitterly about the terrain. Poor guy.
All in all a superbly organised event and the BEST way to spend a Saturday I can think of. Due to the early start (0900), there was lots of time to loll around the hall afterwards and chat with other runners. There were some damned good ones present too. The food was ace and after a delicious helping of pie and peas, followed by apple crumble and custard, all washed down with a couple of mugs of tea, well, I was feeling at my most convivial. You wouldn't get this at your local 10K, that's for sure.
I made a bit of a schoolboy error and started off wearing my heavy waterproof jacket when it just wasn't justified, of course within 15 minutes I was bathed in sweat and didn't dare take the blasted jacket off in case the windchill got me.The result was that I got quite dehydrated and on the final climb was struggling with cramp in both adductors, very annoying and entirely my fault. Once we topped out I saw that the group I was running with had managed to increase their lead on me by about 200yds, so once my legs had loosened up it was a balls-out effort down the descent and run back into Mytholmroyd to catch up. I really threw myself down that final descent, probably giving it a bit more than was justified given the conditions, however I'm pleased to say I caught 'em, though I think on a good day I might have managed to sneak past in the final sprint home. As it was, Helen and I reached the village hall together in 4:29:27, honour satisfied.
Quite a few people from outside the area had travelled to do the Hebden and it was nice to catch up with some people I hadn't seen for a while. Actually, something that made me smile was that while we were waiting for the off, a guy with a strong Wirral accent was proclaiming his expertise and that he'd ran in Yorkshire before and it wasn't that bad. I think he must still be eating his words, because I saw him come in around a couple of hours after us, white-faced and complaining bitterly about the terrain. Poor guy.
All in all a superbly organised event and the BEST way to spend a Saturday I can think of. Due to the early start (0900), there was lots of time to loll around the hall afterwards and chat with other runners. There were some damned good ones present too. The food was ace and after a delicious helping of pie and peas, followed by apple crumble and custard, all washed down with a couple of mugs of tea, well, I was feeling at my most convivial. You wouldn't get this at your local 10K, that's for sure.
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