Over a Full English Breakfast in the work kitchen one day we were musing what would happen to us if we kept eating this way - my workplace is not averse to the odd cake and even features a donut based scheme to incentivise good information security practice - and a passing comment was made to starting a work running club. Given I have discovered running in a big way over the last 8 months I thought this was a great idea and seized the opportunity, and before anyone could wonder what was happening 12:00 on a Tuesday was a fixture in the company calendar.
I wanted this to be accessible to people, and to fit in 1 hour while giving people time to wash, cool down and eat. Working on the basis of around 30 minutes moving time I decided to look at some 5km routes starting and finishing at our City Centre office. Inspired by the Outdoor City Run Routes I tried to add some interest to each route taking in the urban green spaces Sheffield is so loved for.
Route 1 - Sheffield Canal and the River Don
My first route is inspired by my good friend Andy, from whom I lay have also borrowed the idea of a work running club. The combination of the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal and the Five Weirs Walk along the River Don is a real bonus for urban running in Sheffield, running as they both do from Sheffield City Centre to Meadowhall (and beyond) with never too much distance between them, and I have used them in runs ranging from 5k to 21k of mostly traffic free running.
For our work runs we start at the top of Fargate, running down the side of Town Hall and across Arundel Gate to the station via Howard Street before turning right, and a short climb up to the tram tracks. From here it's a blast along to Park Square, and if you get lucky you can race the tram. From the roundabout you drop down into Victoria Quays, one of the hidden gems of Sheffield and a beautiful place to dream of the relaxed pace of life of a narrowboat. Along the canal to Cadman Street bridge where a bit more road takes you to the Five Weirs Walk - well in reality a quick blast along Effingham Street before crossing the delightful Cobweb Bridge and dropping past the ever evolving River Don sculptures by 'Dan' before returning to the city centre and a punishing blast up from West Bar to Church Street - I vary this section depending on how cruel I am feeling on the day, it certainly gets noticed by people lulled into a false sense of security by the prolonged flat section :)
Route 2 - Norfolk Park
This route is directly inspired by the City Centre Traffic Free Trails but tweaked to suit an office start/finish. Following the tram tracks we again cross Park Square, this time in a different direction, before climbing past Park Hill flats through South Street Park up to the Cholera Monument and Clay Wood before crossing into Norfolk Heritage Park. The relentless climb from Park Square continues all the way up to the top of the park before finally turning the corner and heading downhill to Sheffield College, back along to the station, and then a final kicker of a hill back up Howard Street back to the office - a great place to stretch out the pace...
Route 3 - The Botanical Gardens
This was always designed to be a fast one as it's fairly flat, though it does involve crossing a great many roads so you have to get lucky with traffic. Up along West Street dodging the lunchtime crowds and crossing over the ring road below the University to continue along Glossop Road, the crowds die out as you hit Brocco Bank and eventually drop into the utterly wonderful Sheffield Botanical Gardens where I like to pick a route at random to make the most of the space before dropping down on to Ecclesall Road and fast back in to town - watch out for the building work at the site of the old Grosvenor Hotel though or (like us) you might find you need to double back on yourself...
Route 4 - Upper Don and the Ponderosa
Picking up the Don where we left it on Route 1 we follow the Upper Don trail to the industrial heritage (and the birthplace of the Sheffield Real Ale revival) of Kelham Island before heading up to the Ponderosa which on the time of our first run was still in full cleanup mode from the weekends Tramlines. This was a hard climb, possibly because only a few days before I had run 21km from Hillsborough to Attercliffe and back via Don and Canal, before finally reaching Crookes Valley Road and a much needed descent. Crossing the road we pass the Arts Tower and enter the pedestrianised space of Sheffield University Students' Union before passing the Hicks Building and the famous Johns Van and crossing past the old Henderson's Relish factory and heading back to West Street, through Leopold Square, and back to the office.
We've now run each of these routes at least once, with 2 or three people each week so far generally running at something between 5 and 6 minutes per kilometre - the Botanical Gardens was a fast one as we managed to get our Commercial Director on board, who is a regular runner with eyes on a sub 3 hour marathon. I'm really happy with how it is gone and am always looking to get more people joining in so will be keeping the pace accessible, faster runs can always happen another time - There are plenty more lunchtimes in a week! Coming up next I am going to try reversing the routes and see how they fare, then I may have to think of some new twists.
Showing posts with label 5k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5k. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Saturday, 15 July 2017
Greno Chase 2017
A while back one of our circle of running friends pointed out the Greno Chase - a 5k road race just up the road from us on a Friday evening? Sounds ideal! This year it also didn't clash with Tramlines so it was easier to get people to sign up, even if some were reluctant... We ended up with 4 of us in Team Monkey Business - Me, Andy, Kelly and Liz.
As the event drew closer the thought of doing a 5k race after a hard week of work seemed much less sensible, especially as 3 of us had found this to be the week where Half Marathon training plans had us doing Cooper Tests which are never pleasant, and there had also been the regular climbing sessions in the evenings including a trip outdoors. Some last minute frantic planning on Thursday evening saw the important parts arranged - the logistics of how to get beer and meat to Andy's for a post run barbecue. Come Friday and we headed up to Andy's got changed, and walked up to the start. There were many complaints about sore legs, and much discussion of how slow we were all expecting to go, but registration was swift and soon we were avoiding the communal warm up - I never saw it actually happen, so maybe everyone had the same idea.
The course is a relatively simple one, being a triangular circuit, 2 laps starting and finishing midway up one of the straights. From my brief attempt to study the course it looked like 2 sides were uphill, and one downhill, so my aim was to take it steady on the hills and belt it down the last side, though I was also hoping to get an average pace of between 4:30/km and 4:45/km.
Soon it was in to the pen ready for the start and after a few announcements we had a 10 second countdown and we were off. Now my experience of mass start events has been Hillsborough Parkrun, so I was expecting a bit of a shuffle until people spread out and then having to pick up the pace to make up for it. This didn't happen, the start was ultra fast and I got swept up in it, my last comment to Liz before leaving her to run her own race was along the lines of "B****y Hell, that was a fast start!".
Uphill out of the park and we turn right along Main Street, the crowds were out in force and it was a fantastic feeling to be running on a closed road with people on all sides cheering us on. A sharp left on to Stephen Lane at one of the many pubs on the route saw us hit with a bit more of a climb, and I was continuing to overtake people here and worrying that I was overcooking it as there was a fair way to go before the downhill. I'd caught Andy up by this point, and we kept trading positions for most of the race - he was gaining on me uphill, I was pelting past him on the downhills initially then he caught me, and then I'd pull away again.
As we climbed out of Greno, I saw the downhill start much earlier than I expected and I picked up pace towards the corner and took it fast before belting down the hill and taking kilometre 2 in 4 minutes dead - fastest ever km for me. Dropping back in to Grenoside we pass the Cow and Calf, loads of kids were lining the route holding hands pout for a high five so of course I indulged, indeed I tried to get everyone I could on the race - absolutely loved the community support. Onto what in my head was the Main Straight the uphill started again, very gently at first but slowly increasing. The crowds were growing again, loads of cheering, and passing the start/finish there was water on hand but I didn't feel I needed it at that point, and I was running too hard to take it on board again.
Lap two went much like lap one, though a little slower due to tiredness. Special recognition to the kids on the corner of Stephen Lane and Graven Close who were giving out drinks, I didn't need one but I thanked them anyway. I fought up the hill knowing where the downhill was again, and caught Andy up who was suffering a little, encouraging him on as the crest of the hill was in sight but I'm not sure he had anything left to reply with. I took the downhill as fast as I dared, conscious of the fact I still had to drag myself up Main Street to get to the finish. I found myself being chased up the road by a double decker bus which had decided it was time to move regardless of the fact the race was still underway but I wasn't going to get out of it's way. Before I knew it I was turning in to the park, Kelly already finished cheering me on. I had nothing left to go any faster so when someone came storming past me all I could do was congratulate them and cheer them over as I followed them home.
Over the line, stop the watch, grab a medal, look at my time. Watch says 21:15 at 4:38/km average pace - fantastic! That would have been a 5k PB if it had been 500 metres longer. As I grabbed a bottle of water and walked to meet Kelly I saw Andy running home not 30 seconds behind me and so shouted him home, then it was a sit down and short wait for Liz to come through, entering the finish straight at speed and soon over the line. Official results are not yet in, but looking at a handy Strava Segment results for us are as follows:
Good work Team Monkey Business!
As the event drew closer the thought of doing a 5k race after a hard week of work seemed much less sensible, especially as 3 of us had found this to be the week where Half Marathon training plans had us doing Cooper Tests which are never pleasant, and there had also been the regular climbing sessions in the evenings including a trip outdoors. Some last minute frantic planning on Thursday evening saw the important parts arranged - the logistics of how to get beer and meat to Andy's for a post run barbecue. Come Friday and we headed up to Andy's got changed, and walked up to the start. There were many complaints about sore legs, and much discussion of how slow we were all expecting to go, but registration was swift and soon we were avoiding the communal warm up - I never saw it actually happen, so maybe everyone had the same idea.
The course is a relatively simple one, being a triangular circuit, 2 laps starting and finishing midway up one of the straights. From my brief attempt to study the course it looked like 2 sides were uphill, and one downhill, so my aim was to take it steady on the hills and belt it down the last side, though I was also hoping to get an average pace of between 4:30/km and 4:45/km.
Soon it was in to the pen ready for the start and after a few announcements we had a 10 second countdown and we were off. Now my experience of mass start events has been Hillsborough Parkrun, so I was expecting a bit of a shuffle until people spread out and then having to pick up the pace to make up for it. This didn't happen, the start was ultra fast and I got swept up in it, my last comment to Liz before leaving her to run her own race was along the lines of "B****y Hell, that was a fast start!".
Uphill out of the park and we turn right along Main Street, the crowds were out in force and it was a fantastic feeling to be running on a closed road with people on all sides cheering us on. A sharp left on to Stephen Lane at one of the many pubs on the route saw us hit with a bit more of a climb, and I was continuing to overtake people here and worrying that I was overcooking it as there was a fair way to go before the downhill. I'd caught Andy up by this point, and we kept trading positions for most of the race - he was gaining on me uphill, I was pelting past him on the downhills initially then he caught me, and then I'd pull away again.
As we climbed out of Greno, I saw the downhill start much earlier than I expected and I picked up pace towards the corner and took it fast before belting down the hill and taking kilometre 2 in 4 minutes dead - fastest ever km for me. Dropping back in to Grenoside we pass the Cow and Calf, loads of kids were lining the route holding hands pout for a high five so of course I indulged, indeed I tried to get everyone I could on the race - absolutely loved the community support. Onto what in my head was the Main Straight the uphill started again, very gently at first but slowly increasing. The crowds were growing again, loads of cheering, and passing the start/finish there was water on hand but I didn't feel I needed it at that point, and I was running too hard to take it on board again.
Lap two went much like lap one, though a little slower due to tiredness. Special recognition to the kids on the corner of Stephen Lane and Graven Close who were giving out drinks, I didn't need one but I thanked them anyway. I fought up the hill knowing where the downhill was again, and caught Andy up who was suffering a little, encouraging him on as the crest of the hill was in sight but I'm not sure he had anything left to reply with. I took the downhill as fast as I dared, conscious of the fact I still had to drag myself up Main Street to get to the finish. I found myself being chased up the road by a double decker bus which had decided it was time to move regardless of the fact the race was still underway but I wasn't going to get out of it's way. Before I knew it I was turning in to the park, Kelly already finished cheering me on. I had nothing left to go any faster so when someone came storming past me all I could do was congratulate them and cheer them over as I followed them home.
Over the line, stop the watch, grab a medal, look at my time. Watch says 21:15 at 4:38/km average pace - fantastic! That would have been a 5k PB if it had been 500 metres longer. As I grabbed a bottle of water and walked to meet Kelly I saw Andy running home not 30 seconds behind me and so shouted him home, then it was a sit down and short wait for Liz to come through, entering the finish straight at speed and soon over the line. Official results are not yet in, but looking at a handy Strava Segment results for us are as follows:
- Kelly - 17:56
- Me - 20:33
- Andy - 21:03
- Liz - 25:25
Fantastic times for all of us given it was a Friday evening and we were all grumbling beforehand. I really enjoyed my first road race on closed roads with big crowds, and will be looking for more of them as the energy of the crowd was a great motivator.
Once we had all cooled down a touch it was time for the walk back down the hill to Andy's for beer and bbq. Half way down the hill we were all getting chilly, so by the time we were changed and sat outside many blankets were required, some rain turned up too but we persisted and had a very enjoyable evening before heading inside to catch up on the Tour de France. Next running event? Looks like being a 15k run to the pub in August for Kelly's birthday.
EDIT: Results are no up, 40th out of 129 for me which I am really pleased with. Kudos to Kelly for his 9th place finish!
- Kelly: 9th place (18:32)
- Me: 40th place (21:10)
- Andy: 50th place (21:40)
- Liz: 94th place (26:19)
Good work Team Monkey Business!
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Peak District Trail Run Spring Series 2 - Bradfield - 5.5k
I wasn't going to be free on the weekend of April 1st but plans changed and I found myself available. The first thing I did? Scan Si Entries Event List for a running event. I spotted Trail Run Series #2 and when I saw it was in Bradfield my mind was pretty much made up - it's less than 5 miles from my house and highly likely that at some point I will run there from my house, especially given the presence of the Old Horns Inn at High Bradfield. It's also just over the Peak District boundary, reminding myself I live so close to such a beautiful place.
There was a choice of a routes - a 14k run around three reservoirs (Agden, Dale Dike and Damflask) or the 5.5k which went around Damflask on the last part of the 14k route. I was in two minds about which to do as the 14k was really appealing but two things swung it for me - none of my usual running friends were free to join me for it and Hillsborough Parkrun were having a pacing event the day before, so I signed up for the 5.5k in the end. This race had a compulsory kit list which included the following:
The day dawned clear and dry with some breaks in the cloud, and I set off for Bradfield with plenty of time as I wanted to get parked. I registered and due to the fine weather the kit list was relaxed to little more than a windproof top, but I decided to still run with my bag as practice for some longer trail runs I plan on doing. I had time to kill before my start time so I did some warm up laps of the cricket pitch (hey, I am taking this seriously) before walking over to the start, scoping the course a little while chatting with some fellow runners. Competitors on the 14k were already coming past us at this point, having started earlier with the idea that the finishes were vaguely synchronised. We had the race briefing and an introduction to the sports dibber system being used for timing here, and then we were started one at a time. Somehow I ended up at the front of the line...
Dibber in the box, watch started, and off I go, just as another 14k runner came round the corner. I decided to go for a fast start so that I had something in the bank should I flag later, and soon overtook a slightly surprised looking man who was already 2/3s of the way in to his run. First km down in 4:47 - fantastic, but I worry I am going slightly too fast now and back off to a 5:00 for the second km. By this point the dam wall which marks the end of the reservoir and the turning back point was well in site. I was slowing by this point, probably having cooked it a little in my pelt down the western bank of the reservoir but I was having fun.
The eastern bank wasn't as smooth and free flowing as the western bank, being more twisty and undulating. This slowed me a little more, so having the fast start behind me was looking good as it kept my overall pace on target. As I pushed on I saw Chris Meads out taking the official photos for the event which spurred me on to push harder again - I even managed a "Thank You" as I passed him - and the effort clearly paid off as he caught this shot of me which for 4km in I think is looking rather good.
I hung around for a while watching people finish, my favourite moment being when a man came over the line to the cheering of his young daughter exclaiming "Daddy daddy daddy!" excitedly, as soon as he had stopped and reality caught up with him he turned to her to be greeted with "Daddy I missed you!" - a really touching moment which warmed my sentimental heart. Once all the short course runners were over the line I headed home, and reflected on the fact I had run that at a 5:10/km pace, something which only a few months ago was unthinkable for me. I finished 4th of 6 in my class (Male 17 - 39) and 12th out of 36 overall for the 5.5k course which astounded me, and I comfortably got my silver. I want to do a 5k at under 5:00/km now, but next year if I do this again I will be doing the long course. Next up for me at present is the Neurocare Head Start 10k at Rother Valley where I want to be under 1:00:00 and am currently planning on trying to pace at around 5:40/km which should see me come in at between 00:56 and 0:57
There was a choice of a routes - a 14k run around three reservoirs (Agden, Dale Dike and Damflask) or the 5.5k which went around Damflask on the last part of the 14k route. I was in two minds about which to do as the 14k was really appealing but two things swung it for me - none of my usual running friends were free to join me for it and Hillsborough Parkrun were having a pacing event the day before, so I signed up for the 5.5k in the end. This race had a compulsory kit list which included the following:
- Running shoes that in the organiser’s opinion are fully suitable for the type of off-road terrain to be encountered (NB no flat soled shoes allowed).
- Waterproof jacket
- Windproof leg cover
- Other waterproof & warm body cover appropriate for the prevailing weather conditions.
- Sufficient coins for telephone calls or a mobile phone.
The day dawned clear and dry with some breaks in the cloud, and I set off for Bradfield with plenty of time as I wanted to get parked. I registered and due to the fine weather the kit list was relaxed to little more than a windproof top, but I decided to still run with my bag as practice for some longer trail runs I plan on doing. I had time to kill before my start time so I did some warm up laps of the cricket pitch (hey, I am taking this seriously) before walking over to the start, scoping the course a little while chatting with some fellow runners. Competitors on the 14k were already coming past us at this point, having started earlier with the idea that the finishes were vaguely synchronised. We had the race briefing and an introduction to the sports dibber system being used for timing here, and then we were started one at a time. Somehow I ended up at the front of the line...
Dibber in the box, watch started, and off I go, just as another 14k runner came round the corner. I decided to go for a fast start so that I had something in the bank should I flag later, and soon overtook a slightly surprised looking man who was already 2/3s of the way in to his run. First km down in 4:47 - fantastic, but I worry I am going slightly too fast now and back off to a 5:00 for the second km. By this point the dam wall which marks the end of the reservoir and the turning back point was well in site. I was slowing by this point, probably having cooked it a little in my pelt down the western bank of the reservoir but I was having fun.
The eastern bank wasn't as smooth and free flowing as the western bank, being more twisty and undulating. This slowed me a little more, so having the fast start behind me was looking good as it kept my overall pace on target. As I pushed on I saw Chris Meads out taking the official photos for the event which spurred me on to push harder again - I even managed a "Thank You" as I passed him - and the effort clearly paid off as he caught this shot of me which for 4km in I think is looking rather good.
The end was in sight now and when I hit the road again I knew I was getting close and started pushing harder, before giving it my all to get across the final field and over the line. 28:24 on the watch and thanks to the official results being compiled live on the day I got confirmation pretty much straight away. After a sit down and some stretches (And a quick text to let people know how I had done) it was back in to the hall for some much needed refreshment.
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Hillsborough Parkrun April 2017 Pacing event
A Parkrun does not normally warrant an update of its own being a regular occurrence, but this was a pacing event so it was a bit different. My plan was to follow the 26 minute pacer, my best for the course having been 26:44 the previous weekend and I prepared as I all too often prepare for a Parkrun by going to the pub, on this occasion popping in to support The Bar Stewards. What didn't help was waking up at 4am and being unable to get back to sleep.
On the morning of the event I walked to the park and met up with Becky who was the pacer for 38 minutes and Liz who was planning on trying to stay with the 27 minute pacer. Liz has been by my side since I started trying to run seriously and helped me pace my first Parkrun, I am very grateful to the support she has given me in getting in to this running thing, and hopefully we'll be hitting some longer peak trails together in the coming months.
After the customary race briefing came the customary start, as over 300 people all try and get away at the same time and find their space. We were caught up in traffic on the run to the first corner and our pacers were disappearing, so it was time for a bit of off road overtaking to get with the bunch. I tracked my pacer down and found myself keeping going, I was happy with this pace of around 5:00/km so I carried on past them, settling in to a comfortable rhythm and slogging up the hills. I was surprised to find myself overtaking the 25min pacer at one point as well, but I just couldn't sustain the effort and they came back past me. It was hard going, but the pacing event really made me dig in and push.
Finally I was on lap three and giving it all I had left to get to the finish line (which really wasn't very much). Over line and my watch said 25:33, I had smashed my PB from the previous week of 26:44. Official timing later put it at 25:29, I was a little late to stop the timer as I was exhausted. After queuing for barcode scanning, jellybean scoffing and of course ringing the PB bell I walked back to encourage Liz home, but couldn't find her so walked up to the finish to find she was so close behind me she must have already been in the queue by the time I was scanned, having finished in a brilliant new PB of 26:34.
Together we waited for Becky to finish who was worried she had gone too fast, but 37:12 on a 38min pacer is fine and she was closer than some of the others. Then (of course) it was off to The Pie Parlour where I pushed the boat out and went for a Hearty Full rather than a light Full. The rest of the day was very sedate as the early morning combined with beer the previous night caught up with me and combined with the effort of the Parkrun - and I had to save myself for the next day...
On the morning of the event I walked to the park and met up with Becky who was the pacer for 38 minutes and Liz who was planning on trying to stay with the 27 minute pacer. Liz has been by my side since I started trying to run seriously and helped me pace my first Parkrun, I am very grateful to the support she has given me in getting in to this running thing, and hopefully we'll be hitting some longer peak trails together in the coming months.
After the customary race briefing came the customary start, as over 300 people all try and get away at the same time and find their space. We were caught up in traffic on the run to the first corner and our pacers were disappearing, so it was time for a bit of off road overtaking to get with the bunch. I tracked my pacer down and found myself keeping going, I was happy with this pace of around 5:00/km so I carried on past them, settling in to a comfortable rhythm and slogging up the hills. I was surprised to find myself overtaking the 25min pacer at one point as well, but I just couldn't sustain the effort and they came back past me. It was hard going, but the pacing event really made me dig in and push.
Finally I was on lap three and giving it all I had left to get to the finish line (which really wasn't very much). Over line and my watch said 25:33, I had smashed my PB from the previous week of 26:44. Official timing later put it at 25:29, I was a little late to stop the timer as I was exhausted. After queuing for barcode scanning, jellybean scoffing and of course ringing the PB bell I walked back to encourage Liz home, but couldn't find her so walked up to the finish to find she was so close behind me she must have already been in the queue by the time I was scanned, having finished in a brilliant new PB of 26:34.
Together we waited for Becky to finish who was worried she had gone too fast, but 37:12 on a 38min pacer is fine and she was closer than some of the others. Then (of course) it was off to The Pie Parlour where I pushed the boat out and went for a Hearty Full rather than a light Full. The rest of the day was very sedate as the early morning combined with beer the previous night caught up with me and combined with the effort of the Parkrun - and I had to save myself for the next day...
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