Pages

Sunday 28 May 2017

Burbage Birthday Boulder

It's my Birthday today, and in the run up I was wondering what to do for it. In the end I decided that I would really like to be out in the Peaks enjoying the fact I live in The Outdoor City. I'd also been planing to take my son out climbing again as he enjoyed himself at The Three Ships last month even if some of it was a little challenging for him.  After we got in last time we looked in Peak Bouldering and spotted that above Burbage South Quarries is an area named  "The Kindergarten" with two described problems in a large baby boulderfield great for getting kids started, so I decided to head out here with a view to dropping down in to the valley later.



As well as the usual Liz, Kelly and Andy we also had my friend Becky and her partner with their young kid, who I was passing on a pair of my boys outgrown climbing shoes to.  We all played around in the Kindergarten for a bit and the kids got up plenty of things easily before exploring the area for a bit, and then we headed down on to the valley floor.  This area is one I always have fond memories of as it was my first experience of outdoors bouldering; many years back now we headed here after work one evening and after finding Pock Block a little intimidating I got my first problem sent on Fat Cobra, so that's where we started.


Several problems fell easily here, and Becky got to pop her outdoor bouldering cherry. We attempted Cobra Mantel but it was just too intimidating with the mass of Pock Block right where you are likely to smash yourself , so it was time for a little play on some of the easier problems on the aforementioned block such as Pick and Wall Past Slot, then we decided to move on again. Lamb and Sheep have some nice gentle aretes which are a great introduction to Peak Grit, so we headed thataway.


We climbed Lamb Slab and Sheep Slab on many different routes, F really impressing with his commitment and footwork - those new shoes are really paying off as they have been described as "more comfy than his trainers" and he was smearing fantastically, walking up some slabs with no hands.  At the top of Sheep Slab we found a big hairy caterpillar which appeared to be trying to build a cocoon out of grit, which attracted quite a bit of attention.


I also managed to get a few more here - The Sheep's Backside, Sheep Easy, The Crook and The Crook Traverse - before making a weak attempt at The Shearing while others tried much harder at it.  Finally it was time to head to The Brick where many easy climbs went up Briquette and the the Short Arete went on Brick itself before decamping to Fox House for a pint and tea. It was a great birthday, nothing too hard but a lot of fun and even a touch of sun.



Friday 26 May 2017

Saucony Stride Lab @ Accelerate

A couple of weeks back I spotted that Accelerate were going to be hosting a Saucony Stride Lab towards the end of the month, which was perfect timing as I have begun to think about shoes for the Amsterdam Half Marathon. Liz and Kelly had been to one at Up + Running in Sheffield City Centre a few months ago and had given very good reports of it. As the event got closer I realised I had got my dates wrong and wouldn't be able to make it, but as luck would have it my schedule changed and on Wednesday morning I saw they had a 12:45 slot available - perfect, I could take a long lunch and go along.

I hopped on the tram to Attercliffe and was immediately met with a warm welcome, had barely stopped moving before I had been offered a cup of tea - now that's the kind of friendly Yorkshire service I respect. Having only decided on the day that I was going to go along I had no running kit with me, but they were happy to lend me a pair of shorts to replace my jeans, and a loose fitting short sleeved check shirt was fine for a little bit of running.  Now I'm not ashamed to admit I was a little bit apprehensive before doing this as I've not run on a treadmill for many a years (I just find it really dull, scenery and fresh air are some of the best things about running) and I have never had my technique studied, so all I know about how to run comes from observing others, chatting, and reading a myriad of conflicting articles online.  I was fully expecting to discover I was doing it all wrong.

A pair of shoes was picked, and then before it was time to jump on the treadmill it was time for a few questions about how often , how far and how fast you run, any injuries, what you are looking to get out of it, any other exercise you do, and any injuries you've had.  I mentioned that my right knee sometimes twinges (an old hiking injury from Scouts) and that I had irritated my Achilles (Again on the right) recently but stopping wearing boots day to day got rid of this.  He noted that these are probably nothing to do with the areas where the injury occurred and that he would pay attention to them on the run.

On to the treadmill then.  They have 3 cameras set up, one to catch full body profile from the rear and another the same from the side, and one to get a close up on the knees and feet.  These are high speed cameras so that they can analyse specifics of technique. I was set off at a reasonable pace considering my history, then left to relax in to a run.  Thankfully I hadn't forgotten how to run on a treadmill and was soon happily bounding along - at least until it came to time to stop and  I slowed down too fast and nearly went off the back of it.  Initial analysis was good which was very pleasing - semi dynamic body position, midfoot landing, good leg extension behind me, minimal hip drop, stable knee, minimal pronation.  One of the concerns I had had in advance was regarding pronation as in photos from the White Peak Trail Run made me think I was rolling over my ankle, but this was explained as part of the natural dynamic and the point at which the photographer caught me.


As we stepped through the analysis it became apparent that I was dropping my right hip slightly and introducing an imbalance in to my running.  This was studied in some depth and several theories considered, I must admit that at some points it started to escape my knowledge of human biology and musculature systems but it boils down to inactive glutes from a slightly poor posture.  It was clear that I was planting my right foot over to the left, meaning that my left foot has to go the long way around instead of having a clear pass through.  It's all a bit cause and effect, but we discussed a need to stand tall, get the hips forward, and focus on driving knees forward and elbow back.


We also discussed shoes at this point and I talked about how my Decathlon Trail Shoes feel really good on my feet as they are lightweight, flexible and low drop.  I've not got on with traditional 10mm+ drop on road shoes which appear to be very common, and the good news is with my running style I am pretty much free to choose any neutral shoe I want. Taking my comments on board I was suggested the Saucony Kinvara 8 which only has a 4mm drop and was described as "a great match for your description".  Already it felt better on my foot than the test shoe (cannot recall what this was) and I jumped back on the treadmill - at which point they captured more video for assessment.

Compared to the previous stills I am standing taller and my foot placement is miles better, which is mostly me responding to the feedback but I have to say I felt much more comfortable in the shoes too.  At this point Stuart wandered past and started having a chat about it, discussing various causes and all sorts of things which may contribute.  I do not apparently have a leg length imbalance issue, it seems most likely is a lot of desk work sat down reaching further with one arm than the other due to using a mouse.  A good working environment which is comfortable for long periods of time is something I am keen on, but I am going to review it as you can clearly see the difference from left leg to right even after changing shoes and focusing more on technique. This is down to the inactive glutes, apparently when stood on the left leg my hamstring is compensating and on the right my back is compensating - this makes my left hamstring less inclined to lift my foot.
I've come away with a list of technique areas to improve, some exercises to look at (glute activation and strengthening, hip stretching) and a confidence that I am running right, and some shoes to look in to - I am going to look at alternatives to the Sauconys as well (there are some by New Balance I need to check out) but I really did like them - and in that colour they even match my trail shoes.  I would really recommend going along to an event such as this if you are after new shoes or simply want to know more about your technique.  Accelerate is a really friendly shop and I will be back there soon.

Sunday 21 May 2017

2017 White Peak Trail Run - Short Course (10.5km)

You may recall that we entered this race after the Langsett 10k in March, on something of an exercise fuelled adrenaline and endorphine high while recuperating in a coffee shop. Liz and I opted for the short course at 10.5km, and Kelly went for the longer course at 25.7km.  Since then Andy and Paul have also signed up for the long course, so we decided to car share with the 5 of us to reduce costs and environmental impact of the journey over.  With Andy starting at 9:10 we decided to get there nice and early, which meant an eye watering 5:45am alarm call for me to meet up with everyone and get in the car for 6:30.  As it happens we had a nice smooth journey through the peaks and arrived in Ashbourne at 7:30 just as long course registration was opening, and with plenty of parking still available although rather frustratingly the machine didn't accept cards or new £1 coins, we weren't the only ones scrabbling around for change to make it work!


The long course runners got registered and we killed time until short registration opened at 8:45 with the standard routine of toilet breaks and kit changes, faffing with packs, taking jackets on and off, etc.  Once again weather conditions were favourable with no rain forecast, minimal wind and high cloud keeping the sun under control, so kit rules were relaxed but I elected to run with a full pack anyway.  Time passed swiftly though and soon Andy was on his way to the start.  We followed shortly and were there in time to see him set off, and then 20 minutes later Kelly and Paul's start group were off and Liz and I had 10 minutes for final stretches and preparation before it was our turn to hit the trails.


The short course followed the Tissington Trail to begin with, diving immediately into a tunnel which was a rather surreal experience.  The path is a very popular walking and cycling route and as such is wide and smooth, and being an old railway line it followed a very steady constant gradient apart from one dip where a bridge has been removed.  We were going against the gradient so for around 4km we were doing a constant uphill at about 2% - not necessarily enough to really notice, but enough to make it feel harder than it should. We reached the checkpoint surprisingly quickly, turning off the trail at Fenny Bentley and headed towards Thorpe.  It was nice to get off the trail and get some variety, and we got some very enthusiastic cheering from local children which kept us enthused.

Approaching the split where the long course runners head up towards Alstonefield through Dove Dale there was a 10% downhill which I couldn't resist, so I pegged it down the hill and then slowed to wait for Liz - at which point a passing runner assumed I had missed the long split :D.   Leaving Thorpe we turned off the village roads and ran across fields towards the River Dove and I excitedly exclaimed "Proper Off Road!". I really enjoyed this part as it got a bit more technical with steep downhills on uneven ground, thick slippery mud, tree roots, and numerous gates, hurdles and styles.  These slowed us down a bit, but by this point we were grateful of the break.  Once the land levelled out a bit we decided to take it steady, knowing a hill was coming which we needed something in the bank for.

Another cracking photo from Chris Meads Photography

Coming towards Mapleton was the only time I we were confused about the route as the arrow pointed vaguely at a field, but thankfully there were some men metal detecting in the field who pointed us in the right direction and we soon spotted another blue on yellow arrow and knew we were going the right way.  Across the road, down a track which initially looked like someone's drive, and there was the hill.  Another great crowd out to cheer and support and all my plans of running up the hill with Liz were out of the window and off I went, trying to slow down to allow her to catch but by this point there was a lot of walking going on, some of whom were going faster than my running.  The top didn't take too long to find, and a couple of lambs running side by side in front of us kicked us into gear and off we went again.

There were some nice downhills, and some steep downhills, and then a flight of steps - the last thing I wanted to see - but these led back on to the Tissington Trail which meant the end was in site. a 1km to go board confirmed this, and in no time we were back at the tunnel.  Liz had suggested I go for it at this point, but I was happy running with her.  As soon as I got in to the tunnel though I sped up.  I really couldn't see anything, completely lost any point of reference, and just kept accelerating.  It felt good! Bursting into sunlight I could see the finish line and decided that it was time for a sprint, full pelt over the line and stopping abruptly to dib in to the finish box.  Watch time said 1:09 but I knew it was a little bit slower than this as I had heard it auto-pause at a few points.  Liz was over the line a few seconds later, post run hug and congratulations, and we headed in to the hall.


Dark & White Events know how to treat runners right, and in the hall there were hot and cold drinks and all the foods you want after working hard - cake, crisps, biscuits and sausage rolls :)  One of the great things with these events is the instant results, and I got my official time of 1:11:27 which put me in the Silver time band, exactly where I wanted to be.


 A few stretches and a bit of refreshment later, we go outside and wait for the other runners to get back from their longer run.  Kelly wasn't sure how he would do - he had been aiming for under 2h15 but has been suffering with a cold lately, but we expected him to come in between 2h15 and 2h30, with Andy likely to be around 3h based on past experience. Kelly was over the line first out of our group of runners on the long course, with a time of 2h27 but looking utterly destroyed by it.  Just as he was about to head to the hall Paul turned up, so they went to refresh while we waited for Andy.  At 12:09 we came around the corner, sprinting his heart out, and just crossing the line under the 3 hour mark at 2:58:34 which is no bad show.

After some more stretching, refreshing and cooling down it was time to head for home via a pub for lunch. We ended up at the Bentley Brook Inn for a very satisfying carvery and dessert before heading back home.  The Official Results were already online by the time I looked, and have me at 47 out of 98 overall, and 9th out of 10 in my class. That'll do for me.

So, what's next? Well apparently the Dark Peak Trail Run hasn't sold out yet.  Short course is 12km and I'd be up for that, I'll be running it on my own as the weekend after is the Round Sheffield Run and all my usual partners in crime are doing that, but I may well have signed up by the end of the day...

Sunday 7 May 2017

2017 Neurocare Head Start 10k at Rother Valley Country Park

I signed up for this race in January, just after having done the Resolution Run as I had set myself the target of doing a 10k this year, and having discovered I could in fact run I figured I would try sooner rather than later.  As it happens I have since done a 10k trail race in the Peaks and started running longer distances by myself, but this race was always going to be a significant one for me as it was a goal I had set myself.

I was initially looking to finish in under an hour and had no greater aspirations than that, but somehow in the intervening weeks I have signed up for the Amsterdam Half Marathon and figuring I'd do it properly I got an Endomondo Premium account so I could set up a training plan - but figured I'd use it to prep for this race too.  Initially it was suggesting I could do about 56 minutes, until it had me do a Cooper Test at which point it dropped it to 53:00.  Gulp. OK, well I guess it knows what it is doing, so I decided to try for that and for extra motivation set myself up a sponsorship page.

Come the weekend of the race I was planning on going for a swim Friday night and resting up for it, however the pool was closed after work so I came home and had a few beers, then off to bed.  I woke up early and despite my better judgement decided to pop down to Hillsborough Parkrun and take it easy, treating it as a little bit of a warm up.  Apparently taking it easy means matching my PB from last month's pacing event. Either a good omen or a sign I had pushed too hard and ruined my race...

I managed to have a relaxing Saturday after this and a decent nights sleep, and was up bright and early in the morning. OK, early. I wasn't feeling particularly bright.  A spot of breakfast and a debate over clothing (I decided that as I was gunning for it I would go with shorts and t-shirt, wearing warmer clothes over the top) later and I was on the road.  I got to Rother Valley at about 8am, 1h30 before race start and 15m before the advised arrival time, but registration was very efficient and I had my number within seconds.



I had a cup of coffee, wandered around looking at the wildlife for a bit, and chatted with some fellow early arrivals about the route, running in general, and how cold it was - I really wasn't relishing stripping off for the race.  Eventually I decided that it was time to take a walk down to the main facilities to use proper toilets rather than queuing for the portaloos, and on the way back I got race ready, pinning my number (24, a nice low number given there were rumoured to be ~500 entrants) to my shirt from the Peakrunners Langsett 10 and attaching my chip to my shoe - first time in a chip timed race for me. Given it was still cold (although the sun was trying to break through) I decided to warm up with a slow jog around the top lake which got my muscles ready and built some warmth.  By this point quite a crowd was gathering and impromptu warm ups were breaking out.  I spotted the pacers and decided to sit somewhere between 55 and 55.


Before I knew it we were in the starting pen, and after a few announcements we moved down and we were off.  Immediately after the start was a sharp right between the two lakes, which was a little congested, but I fell in to a nice pace in a bit of space, well within sight of the 50s pacers, and realised I was running at about 4:30 - too fast!  I backed off a little and found a comfortable pace at around 5:08 and was within sight of the pacers still.  I ended up passing them at one point and staying just in front of them until around the 3km marker, where my overall pace was showing 5:02 and they decided to pick their pace up slightly to ensure they came in at under 50:00.  I reminded myself that I was running my own race and not theirs, but already in the back of my mind a voice was saying "maybe you can break 50:00!" - I decided to stay within sight of them if I could, and then try and pick the pace up in the 8th and 9th kilometers.

I took this before the race if you are wondering why the course is empty

Before I knew it we were passing the start/finish and getting much encouragement, if I had realised there was water on offer here before I got there I would probably have grabbed one but by the time I had thought about it I had passed them.  At the 5km marker I decided to take on a gel to prevent me flagging - the pace was high and I didn't want to burn out, but at the same time I also decided to relax a little on this back straight as I knew I had just beaten my best ever 5km time and needed to hold some back for the finish - Ks 4 and 5 had been sub 5:00.  Immediately I realised my pace had dropped too low as I was verging on 5:18 and despite that being my target pace before setting off by this point my brain had other ideas, so I kept the pace up in the five zeros.


Once I hit the 8km marker I kicked back up to a sub 5:00 pace, and watched my overall pace hover around 5:00.  This time on passing the start/finish I did grab a bottle of water from the ambulance crew watching over us, depositing it in a pile of others shortly after.  The idea of throwing bottles aside carelessly when running seems fundamentally wrong to me, but you can't carry the extra weight and so at least if there is an obvious zone to discard of waste it makes the clean up afterwards easier. 9km was within site and I was picking the pace up again, the closer I got to the finish line the faster I was going and I was jostling for position with someone but really close to running on empty and let them have the place.  Over the line and I stop my watch - 50:04 with a recorded distance of 10:04, I had smashed my target but had I done enough to get a finish time starting with a 4?


I was presented with a medal by a lovely chap who thanked me for supporting Neurocare (first medal!) and picked up a goody bag and can of Irn Bru before collapsing on the grass to relax, refresh, and let friends know how I had done.


I took the opportunity to upload my run too, noting that it gave me a distance of 10.0km at 4:59...

Once I had gained my breath again I cheered runners over the line, then went and got my warm clothes on.  When I came back I discovered that I could get my time on the spot: Chip Time was 50:01 on the official results - so close to breaking that 50 minutes mark, but I can't feel bad about that as I SMASHED my target and exceeded my more recent stretch goal.  I decided to hang around for the 5k as well - for one thing getting out the park would be hard whilst people were still running and I didn't want to get stuck in traffic for the Wednesday game when I got home.  I was glad I did as there was a fantastic atmosphere, lots of fancy dress and kids running, everyone having fun and giving it their best.

All in all it was a really well organised yet relaxed event, the combination of the 10k and 5k meant there was something for everyone and it seemed that people were having fun - even those who did the 10 and the 5.   Best of all it was all for a great cause - Neurocare are raising money to keep the ROSA Robot in Sheffield to improve the quality of neurosurgery provided.  The ROSA robot assists in cranial surgery procedures such as those used to treat Epilepsy, improving precision and allowing patients who couldn't otherwise be treated to receive the opportunity for a better quality of life.  If you have the means, please consider donating to the cause.

With that done it's time for a rest and a curry.  Next up in 2 weeks it's a similar distance but completely different terrain as I tackle the White Peak Trail Run - there won't be on PBs here, I'm just going to enjoy the Peak District :)