Tour de Yorkshire

It is a mere 2 degrees overnight and it’s fair to say a bit nippy in the tent but at least it isn’t raining for the sportive.

The professionals are doing Middlesbrough to Scarborough but sadly we’re just doing a small section of that. Well most of L’s 40km is actually on the route but my 85km includes a big loop round Dalby Forest which isn’t. Sadly a lot of these roads are narrow, mud strewn, potholed and spectator free. In fact even the 'on course' sections are largely spectator free as they have set us off so early that no one is in place yet unlike last year when the crowds were fantastic and cheered us up all the hills. Problem was us amateurs almost held the experts up when they caught us up, so I assume things had to change.

The event, while still good, isn’t a patch on last year’s in other ways too. The ‘toad in the hole’ and fresh flapjack feed station isn’t repeated and the finish takes place in total gridlock on the roads into Scarborough. As people head into town in their cars to watch the race the riders slalom in and out trying to reach the finish line. A tad dangerous I think. At least the last 2k is traffic free.

We all do get a crack at the Harwood Dale ‘King of the Mountains’ climb where David Millar has kindly set the time to beat at 3:57.

After the race I head back to camp. L has already finished, had an isotonic beer and gone off to see to the dogs.

Yorkshire Half Marathon

Today is the Yorkshire Half Marathon which is actually the Sheffield Half Marathon in disguise. I wonder if there’s some politics behind this name change because it is most definitely Sheffield's race and Sheffield really deserves full billing in the name given how well it is supported by the locals. Perhaps it is an attempt to distance itself from the famous water debacle of 2014 after which the organisers and the race route all changed but half the point of these types of events is to promote the name of the city they are in.

It’s just me running today as L has decided that the combination of a heavy cold and her various injuries is too much to drag around the course. So the dogs get a reprieve from being home alone and get to join in with the supporting.

As with most of these big races, the toilets were a slight problem. There probably were enough but as they were widely scattered which meant queues snaking all over the place.

The start is right in the city centre on Arundel Gate and the finish is on Pinstone Street but from there there’s an out and back on the always well supported Eccleshall Road with a mid-race loop taking you up to the edge of the Peak District. This is the interesting bit.

Interesting in that is consists of a five and a half mile hill taking you all up to the village of Ringinglow. It was a long challenging climb that turned many grown men and women to tears. I quickly realised that it’s a good job that L had opted out of doing this with her dodgy ankle but personally I loved the new cheeky course but then I do love a bit of a hill. Note to self: I must try and take it easy given the state of my calves.

The support from the people of Sheffield was amazing and there were crowds nearly all the way along the route. Although the macabre bunch did seem to congregate most greatly on the hilly bits but they were all very vocal in cheering us up it and apparently the view from the top makes it all worthwhile. Yeah, whatever. Ask me again later.

Post-hill it’s largely flat across the moors before we start plummeting down the other side

back to Sheffield. It is here that I latch on to the 1:45 pacer, who is evidently planning a negative split given how far he is off his target pace. Clearly he’d done the hill at a steady pace and now he set off like a greyhound on steroids. I simply couldn't keep up with his downhill pace as I'm not that hot at plummeting but I (almost) managed to keep him in sight until the finish.

I often complain about not seeing the mile markers and I again struggle here. They were on the same sail banners as loads of sponsors’ logos and that’s probably why I missed half of them. There were also some showing a countdown from 10k which were very clear to see as they were twice the size of the mile markers. Wrong way round surely!

The water stations were excellent and had the entertaining addition of some large blue bins for target practice with your used bottle. They were actually so big it was difficult to miss.

I cross the line in 1:46 again, the same as in Cardiff, where I’m handed my medal and a florescent lime green monstrosity that appears to be masquerading as the race t-shirt. Not sure what am I supposed to do with that?

I am then reunited with L and the boys after waiting an inordinate time for my bag from the baggage bus. It may just have been my baggage lorry but it was utter chaos as they couldn't find loads of people's bags. This means my plan to have warm clothes ready had backfired massively but overall it was a great race.

World Half Marathon Championships, Cardiff

After arriving we wandered over to the Expo at the Cardiff Arena to collect our race numbers and size up the opposition. There is no sign of Mo though, who has clearly already done his sizing up.

Part of the race pack is a rain cape, which is a nice touch from the most expensive race I’ve ever entered, but we won’t be needing that we think on what is a gloriously sunny day. Well, that was Friday, Saturday (race day) was a different universe entirely consisting of leaden skies, rain and near gale force gusts of wind. So yes that rain cape came in very useful.

With a 2.10pm start (for TV one imagines), this was one of those races where you really don’t know what to do with yourself beforehand with far too much morning to play with and no idea what to eat or not eat. We get the campsite café to do us a bacon sandwich rather than a full breakfast baguette.

Then we stash the dogs in the car, put the rain capes on and walk to the start across Sophia Gardens where we could see some the elite teams warming up. In fact Doggo had tried to leg one of them up on his walk earlier. Bless him, always trying to help out.

The race started on time without incident unless of course you count Rhydian Roberts murdering Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’ or you were eventual winner Geoffrey Kamworor who fell on the start line. Then there is a mass rustling of rain capes being removed as we all run off in pursuit and straight into a head wind. I’m sure none of us got anywhere near Geoff.

My physio has told me to start slowly to preserve my dodgy calves. She suggested nine minute miles, L protested that was a sprint and suggested something unprintably slower. First mile 8:10, damn. Second mile 8:00, damn. Then the 1:45 pacer chap overtook me. Third mile 7:54. I trust my legs that they know what they’re doing and just roll with it.

By now we are approaching with some trepidation the exposed Cardiff Bay Barrage given the increasingly strong wind and the rather large black cloud overhead. It is a time to start drafting behind others, so I find the taller runner I can and slot in behind him. Even he doesn’t shelter me much when the heavens open and we are all attacked by a horizontal rain storm propelled on gale force winds.

Thankfully it is brief and the weather soon returns to being simply miserable. I actually quite enjoy it, not getting injured yet is also a bit of a bonus. Each mile ticked off is greeted with glee as it’s one less to walk when the calves inevitably go. Not that it’s easy to see the miles markers to tick them off as the wind has flattened a fair few of them.

At eleven miles I realise that the calves perhaps aren’t going to go after all and it is also at this point that I can no longer hold on to the 1:45 pacer but he has done me a sterling job as I cross the line uninjured and happy in 1:46:20.

Having actually got quite warm on the run it is only now that I’ve finished that I discover how cold and wet it actually is. Thankfully they were belatedly handing out foil blankets, which they hadn’t initially been doing at the finish line. I could have done with another rain cape!

I start to head back to the car for warm clothes but realise that I have no chance of making it there and back before L finishes. I should probably have left a bag at the finish so I do what most people seemed to be doing, sheltering from the elements in the City Hall against the wishes of the doormen but who seemed to have given up trying to stop people.

I had arranged to meet L at meeting point ‘Z’ but they had only put ‘A’ to ‘E’ up, which wasn’t very helpful. Eventually though we are reunited and we hobble back to the campsite together.

Semi de Paris

So today it’s the Semi de Paris, as they call it around here. We are up for breakfast as soon as the breakfast room opens. It is surprisingly busy for so early on a Sunday but only one other person admits to having entered the race.

Then it’s back to Chateau de Vincennes along with 37,000 others. I have been given a start time around an hour ahead of L, so having found the baggage drop its soon time for me to head to the start.

The race itself starts off well. I settle into a steady 4:45 per km pace but after only 6k in disaster strikes and my troublesome left calf decides to become troublesome. It locks up and I am faced with another 15k of jog/walk/hobbling to the finish.

I suppose I theory this gives me more time to admire the sights of Paris but we don’t really go past many of them. We twice head through the Place de la Bastille, which is where the most vociferous crowds are and where we’ll probably be getting slaughtered later. There’s also a nice section down the side of the Seine but other than that it’s not even as good as a Big Bus City Tour.

As I head towards the finish we are urged to wave at a multitude of photographers. I wave at one, give a thumbs up to another and then perform a mobot for the third. 

I finish in 2:06. Shoot me now. I hobble off to get my bags back before finding a good spot to watch the rest of the runners come in and to decide who to invite back to the suite.

When L comes in she is a bit miffed as I still beat her time, even if you submit the generous head start I had. I invite her back to my suite figuring that might cheer her up,

Four Villages Half Marathon

This morning we get up early and drive over to Cheshire for the Four Villages Half Marathon. We head off through the overnight snow which has left a thin covering down our street. The organisers, Helsby Running Club, have repeatedly assured us that the race will go ahead claiming this year that full road closures and a gritter on standby will ensure this happens. Two out of the last three editions have been iced off including the only time we have entered in 2013.

We have our doubts on the drive as there is fresh snow everywhere you look except oddly once we cross the border in to Cheshire. Helsby itself appears completely snow free.

We have arrived super early to avoid being sent to the park and ride carpark a few miles away. We have dogs with us and want to get them close. We were prepared to park on the streets nearby but in the end we are early enough to get on the club house car park and almost front row. So the boys will have a great view of the start.

The race itself is all on lovely lovely tarmac and takes in the four villages of Dunham on the Hill, Mouldsworth, Manley and of course Helsby. Hence the name Four Villages. It is an undulating route but there are no massive hills to speak of. Obviously it is cold so I go for full leg and arm cover as well as gloves.

The race goes well, no injuries flare up and I get a decent pace on. Soon I’m at 10 miles where there is not only a timing clock and some chaps shouting ‘just a parkrun to go’ but also the prospect of it being almost downhill all the way to the finish. Yes, really. For once those marshals did not lie.

It has to be said the whole event runs like clockwork and I do a good time as well. My 1:44 is as good as at Derby in October, a bit short of Leicester but this is after all the first race of the season.

L also runs well, surprising herself. She even buys a souvenir t-shirt as one isn't included here. I still wear mine proudly from the cancelled race three years ago. We grab a bacon sandwich and crack open our flash of coffee to celebrate before heading back home.

Bolsover 10k

Today is the Bolsover 10k, which I hadn’t intended running but as L has pulled out due to her back injury it would have been a shame to have wasted the number.

We ignore the marshals trying to get folk to park in the town centre and get as close to the start at Bolsover School as we could. This was a good call and we got a great spot in one of the side streets.

The race route takes us around the outskirts of the town before heading out into the countryside in a big square before another jaunt through the town to the finish back at the school.

I slotted into a steady but acceptable 4:30 per km pace that I manage to maintain most of the way round. The course was undulating but had no real hills to speak of.

My pace went AWOL in the last 2k which I’m sure was down to poor km marking rather than my pace dropping which I think I maintained well. I had thought at one point that I was on for a 43 but in the end I only just break 46. A 45 is acceptable, just, a 46 wouldn’t be. 45:57 is therefore ok, just.

L had briefed me earlier and warned me not to win anything, such as the Over 50s Ladies. As if. Luckily I ended up running close to two such over 50s Ladies, one of which left me for dust about 3k from the end. I also made sure that I crossed the line just behind the other just to be on the safe side.

On checking the results later it appears that neither of them we over 50 at all. Sorry girls, I’ve never good at judging ages. Luckily there was one sprightly oldie who clocked 39:30, well out of my league, but it appears I came second and have won a prize. Yay. I mean ooops. I wonder if get a trophy as well? We leg it before the presentation, hopefully they’ll give it to someone else.

Clowne Half Marathon

Today is my first crack at the popular Clowne Half Marathon. Just myself and 800 others make our way to the Clowne Community Centre for the start where the weather is cold but there’s hardly any wind or rain, yet, or would that be snow?

It’s a playful course with nicely undulating terrain but no massive hills. It’s certainly not a quick course. Parts are very scenic but other parts, like the A619 Chesterfield to Worksop road, are not. This particularly long drag from mile 11 to mile 12 with cars whizzing past your heels at 60mph was not the highlight.

As I once again have a dodgy calf I take it easy but I hadn’t intended taking it 1:50 easy, ten minutes slower than at Leicester. It’s a decent workout though and a decent race. It's chip-timed with drinks in bottles and with a goody bag that takes two people to lift.

The goody bag contained a Lucozade sports drink, an iPro Sports drink, a banana, a Tunnock’s caramel wafer (all the way from Scotland), a small Soreen Malt Loaf, a Warburton’s six pack of crumpets and the obligatory assorted leaflets. You could also top it up with their homemade flapjacks.

Then there was the Christmas Theme T-Shirt in red, naturally. Oh dear. The less said the better about that but they’ll be plenty appearing in the charity shops in the next few weeks.