Big Brutal Lie In 2015

This weekend was due to be my victorious destruction of the longest swim I'd ever done. I'd signed up for the Big Brutal 5K Swim at Llanberis.  I'd booked a lovely little youth hostel for the night before,  More details here.

Now about a week prior to the event, I realised I was in no way fit for 5k so I got in contact with the organisers and saw if I could down grade to the 2.5k distance. They said that would be fine and to mention it at registration on the day.

I left on Saturday afternoon to drive over to the hostel and I have to admit I did not want to be going. I was feeling a bit bluergh and not feeling prepared at all. This was not helped by my front tyre blowing out about 10 miles from Runcorn, going about 70 miles. I pulled over to the hard shoulder and started changing the tyre. It is terrifying trying to change a tyre on the hard shoulder as lorries thunder past. Eventually I got it sorted with a bit off help with some friendly Highways Agency chaps. I thought this was going to mean I was going to be too late to register at the hostel and I'd have to turn around. Sat Nav said I'd still be there in time so I plunged on.

I checked in and got settled in my room and set the alarm for 6.40 so I could be at the lake for about 7.40 the next morning. However, when I woke up in the morning, I felt terrible. I didn't feel up to swimming and this was more than my usual morning malaise. I've been feeling under the weather for a while and I didn't feel like risking it so I stayed in bed and checked out about 9.30am and went home. An absolute fail and I only tell you for the purpose of transparency. But look forward to Dan's report on the Severn Bridge Half Marathon, it should be a good one.

Severn Bridge Half Marathon Hopes

This post will be brief as I just want to publish my aims for my next race.

With the Severn Bridge half marathon only days away, preparation has been much better than for the race for men. 
The last time I ran a half marathon was way back in 2009 so it's been a while. 
My training has dipped away from cycling and swimming a little and focused more on upping the distance of my runs, which has gone fairly well. I've managed some 11.5-12 mile runs and felt ok over this distance so hopefully that extra mile or so will be achievable.

As for my aims for the race itself:
My first and only half marathon distance was completed in a time of 2 hours 31 minutes if I remember correctly.  Back then I was two stone heavier and not very fit at all.
I am a little better prepared for Sunday, so I'm fairly confident of a PB (although I don't want to tempt fate)

What I am aiming for is to finish in sub 2 hours. The further under this time I can get will be a bonus.

So there we go, nice and simple...finish in under 2 hours.

Watch this space...

A Wake Up Call: Race For Men 10k 16th of August

Dan: In my last blog, I said the Severn Bridge half marathon on 30th August would be my next race. An impromptu text from Rhys on Monday 10th asking if I fancied doing the Race For Men 10k race in Gloucester 6 days later changed that.

The three days leading up to this race was spent catching up with family and friends over several beers, so not the best preparation for a 10k I'll admit. Still, this was a completely flat course, running around a field so I was quietly confident of a decent time after the success of the much hillier Tenby 10k, maybe even another PB. How wrong I was.

The race itself was a fairly uneventful four lap course around a flat field. I got off to a decent start and kept up with the front group of 4. These lads were shifting and I was wary that there was no way I could maintain their pace for a full 10k. As it turns out, this group of 4 were only doing the 5k race which is why they were going so bloody fast and the reason I burned out rather quickly. What a numpty!

I carried on pushing as hard as I could and felt I was going at a decent pace, but my Garmin soon corrected that, showing ever decreasing km times. Disheartened by this I plodded on to the end.

I crossed the finish line somewhere between 45 and 46 minutes I think,  I was too disappointed to care.

This was a nice race on a lovely day and all for a good cause and I will do it again but it brought to light a few home truths. We need to take this challenge seriously if we are to succeed. I know it seems obvious, but you can't just rock up to a sportive event off the back of three days on the beer and expect to do well.
In fact, a complete re-think on diet, training, recovery, preparation and lifestyle is needed,  and with just over a year to go there is no time to lose. 

Rhys: Well this race was a disaster and as Dan says it has got me thinking. I'd gotten cocky after Liverpool and mocked the thought of a mere 10K as a stroll in the park. Unfortunately, Strolling is exactly what I did and I didn't even do the full 10k. I think the delay in the report on this has been due to some shame as detailed below.

Held at Plock Court in Gloucester, this was the male equivalent of the Run For Life Events which have been going for a few years now. As far as I'm aware this was the inaugural Race For Men (Edit: Completely Wrong - This is the 7th Year) and it was well attended and well organised. It may not have been the most stunning of courses (4 times round a large playing field) but it was a nice atmosphere and full of enthusiastic folk. Only real downside was they recommended to get there far too early for an 11am start, as such Me and Dan were waiting around from around 9.30 onwards. Still always nice to catch up.

Once the race started, I found myself in the front pack and realised I should have started much further back. I watched Dan hare off in a cloud of dust and managed not to attempt to keep up with him, which would have been a mistake. As the course went on, my legs started to hurt and not in a way of usual running. My legs had been funny all week since running up the hill by my house after a few cheeky pints, in flip flops. I fear I'd done more damage than I'd thought. As such I was walking more than usual and slower than usual. I managed the initial 2.5k lap in 15 minutes but the second lap was just a nightmare. Due to the circular nature of the course, I could keep track of where Dan was and he was doing pretty well. So well in fact that he lapped me on his 3rd lap, before I'd finished my 2nd. As I came to finish lap two, I could see my time was about 35 minutes and I couldn't see the next two laps going any better. As such seeing digression as the better part of valour, I decided I was only doing the 5K and finished. I was hugely disappointed with myself as I'd been hoping for this race to go well.

After having a quick lucozade, I watched the actual 10kers finish and even though Dan was gutted I believe he came about 4th in the 10k and the guy who finished 1st did it in around 41 minutes I believe.

As Dan has said, a reevaluation is needed. We both realised we'd been fairly lax that week on looking after ourselves and as I said I got Cocky. There's a huge need for me to knuckle down now as we approach the 1 year mark., I still need to sort out food, consistency or training. And unfortunately I fell off my booze reward wagon, The current plan is to start again 1st September and to have a semi detailed training schedule from that date too.

Mainly I need to learn that every race should be respected and not to be cocky about the shorter races.

I'd happily do this race again and I want to show it who's boss next time.

Progress

Back when we started this blog, we made some predictions on our expected and hope for times. As part of a semi-regular stocktake, tune in after the jump to see how things are shaping up.

Tenby 10k

With Tenby being my home town, I'm a little ashamed to say that the first time I ran it's 10k was in 2014. However, after doing so it instantly became one of my favourite 10ks around. Last year's race took place on a scorching hot Sunday in July where the heat caused many problems. 
Apart from the month and day, this year was completely different. The skies were grey, rain fell and the biting wind provided a bit of a chill. So much so in fact, that I donned my running leggings for this one (something I didn't think I'd need in July).
What I love about events held in Tenby is no matter what the weather, there is a great atmosphere. Despite the cold and rain, hundreds signed up to race and hundreds came out to watch. There was a real buzz of excitement in Tudor Square and I was eager to get to the start.
Once the competitors are called to the start, they make their way down to St Julian's Street. Now, how anyone who has been to Tenby will know that this street is fairly narrow, so filling it with 600 runners, including a Scooby Doo, was a sight to behold. It was also highly entertaining watching a man trying to drive down St Julian's Street only to be halted by the sea of competitors. Most people would have pulled over until we had past or just turned around, but not this guy. His suggestion was, and I quote: "surely they could just move aside to let me past." Yeah good luck with that...muppet.
Anyway, back to the race. I found myself a good position toward the front of the crowd and awaited the claxon.  By the time the 1 minute warning came I was raring to go. My race plan was simple and what I use for every 10k. Go out as fast as you can for as long you can, keep a decent pace for the rest and save enough for a sprint finish.
After a countdown from ten, we were off. Running up the high street was chaotic but a lot of fun. Trying to plot out a route through all the runners while keeping a decent pace up was challenging, but running up the high street with so many supporters cheering you on, including my family was just brilliant.

I Started off at a really quick pace (for me) and the first 5k came and went surprisingly fast. My Garmin watch displayed lap times ranging from 3:59 to 4:12 for the first 5k. I was really happy with this but realistically knew I wouldn't be able to maintain it for the full distance.
At about 3k in, I caught up with a mate of mine who was hoping to achieve a similar time as me of sub 45mins, so we decided to stick together for a while. This helped a lot in keeping up a good pace. However, when we arrived at the first large hill, he began to pull away and I just couldn't quite reach the same pace. Not that is mattered too much as I was happy with how I was running.
For the second half of the race, my pace did slow a little as predicted. For the second 5k my lap times ranged from 4:23 to 4:36; still a pace I was happy with. The Garmin was a huge help,  allowing me to know when to up and lower my pace if needed.
I got passed the second of the three major hills in the race with no problems and knew it was flat until hill number three at about 9.5k. The route itself is lovely,  running through the town, along side the beach and through a the lush little village of Penally. It also helps knowing the roads so we'll as I knew what was coming up and had time to prepare. 7km to hill number went by with no drama, but as I have mentioned,  I knew what was coming up. Hill number three is a killer! And the fact it comes at 9.5km makes it even worse.
My approach was simple, get up as fast as I could. It was tough, very tough and my pace did slow here. The issue with this hill is that it is incredibly steep to start with, and when to think you're over the worst, there is a subtle gradient which keeps going and going and it drains you. What kept me going was that it was only two more corners until the home straight back down the high street.
Turning the final corner, I was greeted with hundreds of spectators all lining the the pavements. This really does give you a lift, and helped me with one last push and a sprint finish. I even managed to overtake a runner who had passed me in the hill and right on the finish line were my family cheering me on.

So, to the results:
My previous 10km best was 45:16 set at the Westonbirt 10km (another fantastic event).
My aim, as I mentioned earlier, was to go under 45 minutes for the first time.
With the weather as bad as it was, and knowing how hilly the course is, I wasn't overly optimistic about my chances.
However, my final time was 44:48, a new PB. To say that I was happy with this is an understatement,  I was bloody extatic!

Overall review:

The race was well organised with a great atmosphere. The route was excellent,  with clear Km markers and three drinks stations. Results were accessible instantly at the end of the race and we were provided with a T-shirt, water and fruit at the end.

Improvements:

If I'm being picky, I would rather a medal than a t-shirt, if not both. I'm a sucker for a medal.

This was a great race and a great result for me. Next up, the Severn Bridge half marathon on 30 August. I can't wait!