June 2015

[glaconman]

Another couple of cheeky races to report.

Sat 6th June  - The Wharfedale Trail Half Marathon

The name of this race may conjure-up images of pretty Dales villages, lush pastures,
obscure types of cheeses and breeds of sheep and heiffer. James and Tristran cavorting
along the road in their Morgan. Ruined abbeys perhaps. The reality is a tough race spent
battling up challenging terrain. This year there was also 50+ mph headwinds to deal with
whilst tackling the major climb of Mastiles Lane, once part of an important long distance
monastic route.

I started to loose interest at about 10 miles, in the sense that my will to finish as well
as possible became compromised by extreme fatigue and mental fraility. But I did alot of
strong running upto that point.

It's a very special route and a recommendation for anybody wanting a long race in the
Dales.

ps. Probably the best race for being challenging whilst carrying a benign name is The Bluebell
Trail Race which features Trooper Lane in Halifax. A cobbled, hair-pinned beast like a
dragons neck. The Barbour's Honey Beer of races you might say.

Mastiles Lane

Thursday 11th June - The Full Bronte 5 mile road race

Warm sunshine. A pb on the course. A bronze medal in the Yorkshire Vets Champs V45 category. And great beer with good company for a few hours after the race in the clubhouse. Another mid-week stonker and no mistake.

And whilst we're counting (well I wasn't, but I guess I am now thanks to Dan) here's one I missed earlier ...

Wed 13th May - John Carr 5k

More furious action from the first set of Emmerdale. Does this count as a race report?

[Sweder]

Wed 13th May - John Carr 5k

More furious action from the first set of Emmerdale. Does this count as a race report?

Less is more 

[marathondan]

More furious action from the first set of Emmerdale. Does this count as a race report?

When 43% of the word count is made up of questioning the validity of the report... yeah I suppose so

[glaconman]

Having managed 14 races in just over 3 months I'm thinking I have a reasonable excuse for my race reports being so concise. Rarely have I managed such a purple patch without pulling-up. So now feels like a good time to have an easy week, ruminate and plan.

5ks, 5 milers, a couple of half marathons, trail and fell. There's nothing like tearing up the training manual and getting out there and racing yourself fit. I'm very proud of the valleys that surround me; they represent a sweet spot of running culture that, whilst not unique, are very special. I'm a lucky boy.

I've definitely got the right balance between easy running, racing and cycling. The thing I need to get under control now is weight. Being a sensible weight makes running a much more enjoyable sport.

When we got back from India in January (after 3 weeks of trying to find the best restaurant on the sub-continent. And it's still Shivala opposite VT station by-the-way) my knuckles were raised against the door of No 80, Kilogram Street. I've since managed to pull that back to 74. But at 5'7.5'' I'm still, well, 'stocky' is how I like to put it.

There doesn't appear to be much on the calendar before the holidays. The Tour de France looms large after an interesting build-up of Spring Classics and last weeks excellent Dauphine. Most people are predicting a great race. We'll be travelling to France the day before the final stage to do some cycling. I cannot wait. Hot days cycling in the high mountains, evening storms under canvas, Alsace beer in medieval villages and Toulous sausages spitting in the pan. Vive La France.

My big target on our return will be the Burnsall 10 in late August. So I'll need to keep the running going on holiday if I'm to do well in what must be one of the toughest 10 mile road races in the country. I've run it twice but never turned-up fit. Time to give it a better shot this year.

Other than that ....... I'm going to put my feet up tonight. And drink a pint of my latest homebrew (a 3 malt and triple-hopped IPA called Oxymoron) and wish everybody a Summer of health and well-being.

[Sweder]

Wonderful

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Brilliant!