Promotion campaign gathers strength

Squirrels dominate again in Chingford, but I pick up injury

Once again, NHRR won both Men's and Women's events and are now in a very strong position with 2 races left in the series.  Personally, I have hardly run since, due my right hamstring being crocked, so I am sulking a bit!  I have also since left my former aquarium, which whilst necessary, means I no longer live in the same tank as the fishlets, which is adversely affecting buoyancy.

Overall Midweek League Div2 standings after 2/4 races

Orion MWL - Preview

A hilly, but scenic jaunt through Epping Forest

No room for complacency, as another good turnout will be needed to replicate our opening-race success!

This is the toughest course in the MWL (excluding the similarly challenging, but not league-affecting, Mob Match at Trent Park).  There are two notable climbs, the 2nd being shorter, but much steeper.  It's another lollipop route, starting and finishing with about 1.7 miles on woodland trails, with quiet country roads in-between.   At least most of last 2 miles is easy, but you will have earned it.

Total distance when we last did this race last in 2009 was about 6.7 miles

The elevation profile is below (click on it to enlarge)

You can see the course map via this link.

***UPDATE*** the course has changed and is now circa 10k. I've not seen a course map, so not sure how much overlap there is with the old route. Due to a nasty fall last Thursday, I may not be able to run myself. The grazes and bumps are OK, but my left big-toe has been quite purple and sore for a few days. I'll try a test run Tuesday and keep fingers crossed. Hopefully, Sir Darth's "spiral fracture" diagnosis will prove incorrect!

One wheel on my wagon...

And I'm still rolling along
Them Cherokees are after me
I'm all in flames, at the reins
But I'm singing a happy song

I'm singing a higgity, haggity, hoggety, high
Pioneers, they never say die
A mile up the road there's a hidden cave
And we can watch those Cherokees
Go galloping by

I ran to near exhaustion at the MWL on Wednesday, feeling sick and dizzy at the end.  Sadly this generated a time about a minute slower than I was expecting.   Not felt up to much running-wise since, and my Sunday long-run totalled one mile before my legs and mind gave up.  My wagon has been rolling without a full set of wheels for a very long time, and once again, the pioneer life has taken its toll!  Once I find that cave, I'll get some new wagon-wheels.

Thanks to Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard for the music and words!

Bishops Stortford MWL - Preview

The promotion campaign starts here!

A pretty accurately measured (if not officially certificated 10k road-race). This means that times/age % scores will not count towards Club Awards/Records etc. Not too much flat-running, apart from near the start and the end. Being a lollipop-style route, the beginning and end are pretty much the same.


Click on either image to enlarge


Hope you all have a good race!

A new PB (of sorts)

30 days and 30 runs - backs to base(ics)

I've been a bit too tired/stressed to do many speed-sessions in the last 30 days (just 3), but I did manage to do something I've never done before - run every single day for a little over 4 weeks!  I don't think I've ever run for more than 10 consecutive days before.  As a result, I managed four 50-mile weeks and feel much stronger for it.  Outside marathon training (where I averaged 60-mile weeks at peak over a month) I've only run that kind of monthly volume once before.  The difference on the previous occasion was that I was nearly at burn-out and should have been resting instead.

*** UPDATE *** 35 consecutive days was the final tally!

More volume, less speed...

... and 23 consecutive days of running

Life has been a bit stressful over the last few weeks - work, home and family, so I've only done one speed-session, but instead have done about 50 miles/week for 3 weeks and have really felt the benefit.  My fitness graph below shows the step-change in base-fitness.  I am hoping that some sharpening over coming weeks will put me in good shape for the Midweek Road-race League which starts on 16th May.