New year new gear!

New year new gear! Thats right. Courtesy of Brooks rep Vicki. At Christmas Brooks were running a little competition for running shops that they supply. Basically you had to post a festive photo on social media of shop staff and brooks products. Here's ours!

My colleague Kirk and I with our festive offering!

This little classic won the two of us a pair of Brooks running shoes of our choice and a running jacket each. I opted for the Ravenna 7. A shoe I hadn't tried before. As much as I love my Pure Cadence,  I felt as though I wanted something with a little more structure for my longer runs. (I turned 50 in January so also thought maybe it was time to start thinking of protection!)

Ravenna 7

                                                                                                                                                                 

I I've used them 3 times now and can honestly say I really like them. I'm a mild over pronator, so for me there is just enough support without the shoe feeling really rigid. I like the way Brooks have blended in the support on this version, no ugly grey

The heel counter feels really firm, I like the way it really holds my heel, and no slipping.

Comfort

There is plenty of room in the toe box. It is definitely deeper than the cadence. This suits my wide forefoot and the fact that I lift my big toe when I run. Plenty of room for my toes to swim around.

I've used them 3 or 4 times now.  They are a real comfort shoe for me. Plenty of cushioning. Yes they are a little heavier and less flexible (so I feel less fast) than the cadence, but for my longer training runs or shorter slow recovery runs they are perfect. And I love the colour!

folds up tiny

The LSD jacket is so light! It folds up to nothing (into its own pocket) and has an elastic carry loop so

folds into its own pocket and has a carry strap

that you can carry it around your arm whilst running if you don't need it for the whole run.

I have made good use of this whilst running around Malvern and on the Malvern Hills. It does it's job perfectly. It really has protected me in the cold driving winds we have had recently.  It's kept me dry and warm on the most blustery of days....and we've had a few of those! This jacket looks great. It is a real classy design, I get great comments every time I wear it. Again, I love the colour!

blustery run

The back is slightly longer than the front so it comes down over your bum. Keeping everything warm and protected from the elements!

covers your bum

It has a nice big reflective strip down the back too for visibility.

reflective strip

This jacket is semi fitted, so therefore very stylish and flattering. 

Thank you Vicki, two fantastic products that I feel I will get loads of use out of this season :)

2 great stylish yet practical products

Winter Ball Buster..Human race event.

OK so last race of the season for me, the Human Race Winter Ball Buster sponsored  by CEP.
And what a corker it was!
I entered this race way back, the idea being that it was a fall back if I didn't do well enough at the Wiggle London Duathlon to earn a spot on the the GB team for the European long distance duathlon championships in Copenhagen 2016. I was still really looking forward to the Ball buster with it carrying such kudos as being a toughie as well as it being such a long standing event. However, the weather forecast was horrendous! Strong winds and torrential rain. So the night before this is all I could think of.
We had a long slow journey down to Surrey the day before and it was dusk by the time we arrived at Box Hill. We wanted to be there in day light to recce the course. (I wanted to know what this famous hill was like, especially from the cycling point of view.) We ended up recc'ing in the dark and Friday night traffic, which in hind sight wasn't the best of ideas.  Especially as I was going to be running the first lap so this would give me a really good recce before tackling it on my bike !

A  short while later we went to ASK, in Dorking,  to carb up ! We had telephoned and booked a table for 7pm. However, an hour after placing our order we still hadn't had any food brought to the table. (They were very busy)We quietly brought the matter to the attention of a waitress who apologised . She wasn't sure what had happened but she said that she would arrange for us to have our starters for free. A short while later the Manageress then came to our table to apologise and insisted that we have all of our food for free! This we thought was a very generous gesture and felt it worthy of a mention.

Back to the Ball buster. This was the 25th anniversary of this race and it has a reputation for being a particularly tough duathlon...so clearly I was drawn in. Basically its 40 miles.. 5 laps of an eight mile loop incorporating Box Hill on each loop, so run it once, cycle it 3 times and run it again at the end! If you haven't finished the last lap of the bike by 11am you get pulled off the course. So its not for the faint hearted. All this alone is tough enough but the weather conditions were just as forecast...torrential rain and strong winds. Transition opened at 6am in the dark at the top of box hill. It was already a quagmire! A staggered start from 8am...waves of 10 people every 10 seconds to avoid congestion on the first lap. 

Staggering at the start.

OK so not the clearest of pics! But it's the only one of me racing!

The 8 mile loop I'm sure is beautiful in different weather! The box hill climb is just over 2kms and includes hairpins. The rest of the route undulates and is narrow and uneven in places but it was the wet leaves and debris from the trees that slowed me down yesterday. There were a few 'offs' from others more gung ho than me on the bike. The scaffolding of the transition area blew down at one point so this gives an idea as to the conditions we raced in! Prize giving was also called off as it was so awful at the end.
The first run took me just over an hour, the 3 lap bike 1 hr 29 and the last run 58 mins. This was pretty much what I had estimated so I was really pleased with this in these conditions. (final time 3:31.10) I was 8th female, 1st F45-49, (2nd F40-49) 

Andy Greenleaf was the overall winner breaking the course record. Ali Moult was first female with a clear lead over second place.

As always a big thanks to Ron for sorting my bike and getting me to the start line in time, as well as putting up with my worrying the night before! and thanks to Neill Williamson who gave me a new pair of legs on Thursday.
This race is right up my street ! I LOVED it !!! but I really need to be less of a wus when it comes to riding downhill. 

Great hoodie

You get a great hoodie for your efforts, the organisation was perfect, and the marshalls deserved a medal for standing out in those conditions.

Special thanks go to Nelson Training and Charles Hinitt and associates (accountants) for their generous sponsorship this year.

Last race of a busy year for me and it was definitely a great one to end on. I highly recommend it. 

And to finish, the traditional post race celebration, Curry and Champagne !

Cheers !

London Duathlon

Race day !!
So as previously blogged...15 weeks of training for this event.  And it was definitely worth it.....
The night before I was pretty relaxed about things as I knew I had done done the training and practiced changing an inner tube! My right hand man Ron had pimped and tweaked my bike and that was running smoothly too. So, if anything was to go wrong it was probably going to be something I didn't have control over. Just the nagging doubt in the back of my mind of cramp, as this has let me down in the past.
We were staying about 6 miles from the venue and transition didn't open until 7.30am, so fortunately for me it wasn't a mega early start. The 24 hour Costa next door to the Travelodge was still a great help in the morning though.

The London Duathlon is the biggest duathlon in the world. 3,000 competitors across their 3 distances, duathlon, half duathlon, ultra duathlon, duathlon relay. Each race consists of laps of Richmond Park. Anti clockwise running (laps measuring 10km plus a short cut for the 5k runners) and clockwise cycling (laps measuring 11km) so I had to do 2 laps on the first run, 7 laps cycling and finally 1 full 10k lap running.

The large transition area before everyone else arrived

We couldn't have hoped for a better day weather wise. It was a beautiful autumn morning in the park. A lovely sunny day. Just a good temperature for shorts and T shirt racing, and for me, only feeling too hot on the last 10km run.

The Ultra competitors were first to start at 8.45am. We were set off in waves. Only 8 females taking on the challenge amongst the men, which appears to be pretty standard for this race judging by previous results I've seen.  Then from 9am waves of standard distance duathletes are fed onto the course, followed by the relay teams and finally the sprint (or half duathlon) distance competitors.  This makes for an extremely busy course. Especially on the first few laps of the bike.

Busy but beautiful

 I found it really hard to get into any sort of rhythm. Its a bit of a joke when you keep seeing signs that read 'no draughting'! as it can be wheel to wheel on parts of the course.

How many bikes?

Nice day for a ride in the park

There is a hill, so of course there is more congestion here, which is a bit of a shame as this is where I was hoping to gather some ground on some cyclists but getting past other riders was a bit of an issue until pretty much my last lap, by which point my legs were only letting me use my very easiest gear to get up it!

 However, after recceing the route a couple of weeks previous I had an idea that it was going to be a congested ride which is why I opted for my road bike as opposed to my TT bike, ie easier to manoeuvre and at least I would be near the brakes on the drops if I needed them in a hurry what with other cyclists weaving about in front! Even though there are some longer straights and some nice descents, you need to be a very confident technical rider to clock a good time on the bike leg of this course due to the business of it.

Last lap

A good start

The run loop is undulating and very picturesque. Plenty of time to look around, soak up the environment and check out the deer. There are plenty of water stations and marshals..all of whom were brilliant. Very attentive and encouraging. On the first lap of my first run one marshal shouted to me 'well done first lady' which amused me at this point, and I called back 'well there's a long way to go but its a good start!'






I ran the first 20km cautiously, targeting 7.30 pace, knowing I still had a lot of racing to do. I was really pleased with my pacing and ran into T1 ready for a bike ride!

Yippee !!!

T1 was probably the worst part of my race. Unfortunately the marshal on the gate as we ran in pointed us all the way down transition as if we had to run around the cones, even though I was racked on one of the closest rows to where we ran in. Another marshal then told me I didn't have to do this so I doubled back...so I lost some time here. Then, even after practicing loads, I couldn't get my helmet on, I got the straps all muddled. Rookie error.

After the bike leg and a smooth dismount T2 was better. Nice encouragement from the male ultra competitors here too who arrived at T2 the same time as me.
My legs were a bit wobbly for the first few strides but I soon settled into a rhythm. I got a bit hot at this point, but I knew there were 3 water stations on the route. There was plenty of water left so we could take two bottles, one for drinking one for pouring. One of the marshals recognised me from the very beginning and said 'well done you're still the first lady' which felt really special. I felt motivated as I over took 3 male ultra competitors.

Running into the finish 

I ran into the finish straight and could here Ron shouting encouragement to me...brilliant.
I heard my number announced as first lady in the Ultra as I crossed the finish line. Amazing. Don't you just love it when a plan comes into place?. I was so relieved, and so happy. I felt amazingly relaxed. Mission accomplished. 5:04:27 was my finish time. I would've loved to have gone under 5 hours as I think this has only been achieved by one woman to date. But, I'll take a win !!

The tweeted pic! First lady in the Ultra.

A woman from the events crew met me at the finish line to congratulate me and take a photo which she immediately tweeted ! Another great moment.

There was no prize giving, which was a little disappointing. Especially as the race was sponsored by Wiggle! A podium pic would've been nice.

I really enjoyed this race, everything fell into place. It was a bit of a funny in as much I knew I as the first female in my race all the way round. The ultra competitor bib numbers were blue, so it was easy to spot others in my race. After the very start I didn't see another ultra female. So at no point did I have to 'race' anyone! I kept to my own race plan, kept a rhythm. never went into 'the red' at any point. But then maybe this is how racing a longer distance should feel. Quite different to sprint and standard racing. I loved it. More time out there doing what I love doing...running and riding my bike.

Finally a big thanks to Ron and Neill for their input to this. I couldn't do it all alone, it's teamwork.

I would recommend this race if you are thinking of taking on any of the distances, but you do need to be aware that it is a very busy course. With all levels of ability racing. And all types of bikes.

You get a nice substantial medal and a T shirt available in all sizes for your efforts, but unfortunately no prize giving or awards for first finishers.


The organisation can not be faulted. The marshals are excellent. Plenty of water, and an energy drink station. An extra water station for the ultra distance cyclists.  As its laps supporters get to see you  at regular intervals without having to move from their spot. Ron and I spotted each other on all 10 laps which was great! And as race venues go it has to be up there with the most picturesque. Traffic free, just watch out for deer randomly crossing in front of you. The parakeets are a nice touch too!

Residents of Richmond park

Summer training for the London Duathlon.

So the summer has been dedicated to training for the London Duathlon. I decided I wanted to take on a longer challenge this year, so signed up to the Ultra distance, 20km run, 77km bike, 10k run.

I have endured fifteen weeks of structured training including time trials and races, all gearing towards this race.

I have run for a total of 38 hours and 27 minutes covering 303 miles with 10, 780 feet of climbing.
In laymans terms thats just 22 miles short of Malvern to Glasgow, and two and a half times up Ben Nevis.

I've cycled for 54 hours and 04 minutes, covering 1,014 miles with 42,622 feet of elevation! To put this into perspective Everest is 29,030 feet !

This was mostly fueled on grilled chicken, broccoli brown rice and peanut butter, the odd Guiness, cherry active and soreen malt loaf!

Race Brakedown:

Peaked too soon

10th June: I kicked off with the local Malvern Joggers 10k race. This is a tough off road run, and as a local it has to be done at least once. It's a Wednesday night race, which is a bit different for me. I was a bit nervous to start as I knew a lot of the other runners and I didn't want to let myself down. However, I started too fast, rookie error I know, and took the lead for the ladies for a good two thirds of the race, but then slowly but surely started to pay for my early efforts as I got overtaken several times and finally was unfortunately pipped on the line into 5th place, just missing out on 1st vet position,  by a woman I thought I should've beaten !! So, not a great start to training but a good kick up the back side for me.


14th June: Next effort was the Shirley Roads CC 50 mile time trial on the K33/50 at Alcester. This was my first ever time trial ! 7am and 50 miles....what was I thinking? I was apprehensive, but not too nervous about time or performance as I had nothing to compare to. The traffic on the dual carriageway course was worrying me a little. I gave it a good go and was really pleased with my 2:20:28, not bad for a first go. A few days later I was really pleased to receive a cheque for £15 as apparently I was 2nd female....still trying to work out the handicapping/scratch system that goes with the rest of the cloak and dagger mystery of time trialing. However I did enjoy the gathering around the blackboard at the finish to check out finish times whilst indulging in coffee and cake listening to everybody's experiences of the course! Very friendly and welcoming.

Losing my TT virginity

A Prettier ride

27th June: Another 50 mile TT. This time with as the Stratford cc open event, the K25/50 held at Welford. This course was a little harder in my opninion, but a much nicer ride. Two laps. A quieter TT with  just 2 of us girls up for this amongst the men and out of the two of us I was first.
A nice thing to do on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Not a mother/daughter shot, but first and second ladies to finish!

5th July: OK into July and I'm ready for a 10k race. The Black Country 10k at Halesowen. Again i didn't really know what to expect. This was a really friendly race with plenty of support. Not the most inspiring of courses but sometimes I quite like racing around town centres and housing estates, as lets face it, that's how a lot of us train, so no surprises. It was a two lap course that also entailed an out and back at one point so I had a good Idea I was near the front ladies. I was thrilled to finish 2nd lady overall and 1st vet 40, and picked up prizes for both ! £50 in total,......bostin'.




11th July: Its the Upton Triathlon, and our club championship race. This was my only Triathlon this year. See previous blog for more details but I had a great race and finished 1st female in the sprint, also winning the club championship for sprint distance tri.

QOH Trophy

16th August: The Great Shakespeare sportive. I opted for the 100km distance. There was a great little challenge for all riders in the 100k and 100mile events. Who could be the king and queen of the hill, Lady Elizableth Hill, at Tysoe. Timing mats were in place to time us all. Well, not one to turn down an offer like that I was determined to give this hill the beans! Yep, I got the top spot, Queen of the hill and second lady to finish the 100k sportive over all. I had a good feeling about my effort on the hill climb challenge but my overall finish position was a bit of a surprise as I stopped at both feed stations for a comfort break and a bite to eat.

Queen of the Hill

Romeo Dunn

22nd August: A VTTA event. The K33/25s 25 mile TT again at Alcester. The same dual carriageway but not exactly the same part of it as on the 50 mile earlier in the season.  This was the respectable time of 2pm, However, the duel carriageway was really busy and it was also very hot. Sweat was running down my back and face before I had even started.
I clearly hadn't read the full rule book on TT'ing as I pitched up in my triathlon kit. I wanted to use this TT as a bit of a practice for race day so wore the kit I was hoping to race in. However, on the start line the timekeeper had to give me a polite telling off as my shoulders weren't covered in my sleeveless TT top. He said he wouldn't spoil my afternoon of racing today by disqualifying me but I must take note and make sure I wear a top that covers my shoulders next time. I felt awful, and embarrassed as the other riders must've clocked this too. I wouldn't have broken the rules intentionally and will not be making the same mistake again.
I really enjoyed TT'ing this distance, and was thrilled with 1 hour 3 minutes dead. I was fourth female. I'm definitely up for more 25s. Coffee and cake was plentiful at this event! I think TT'ing is my new favourite thing.

Rebel on the course

Enjoying racing a half again

30th August: Time for another running race. My first half marathon for 3 years. The Severn bridge half marathon. The race starts in Chepstow, takes the runners over the bridge to England, around a little loop and then back over the bridge to Wales. This is a great event and I would recommend it. Again I wasn't nervous as I knew I was no where near my PB potential so it was going to be interesting to see what I could do. It is quite a tough course, quite hilly, and also windy on the bridge!I had no idea I was doing so well, I was 8th female over all in a time of 1.34:42. Not bad considering I stopped at 2 miles for a comfort break!  However, out of the top 8 women finishers 5 of us were in the FV45 category! Old girls certainly ruled at this race.

8th Female out of this lot!

So that's it. Training done, TTs and races used as bench marks and practice. Inner tube changing practice done.  Recce of Richmond park done.
A last minute change of plan on which bike to use. For several reasons I've decided to race on my road bike and not my TT bike. So, as I type Ron is pimping my ride for me. The Ridley has had a face lift with better groupset, lighter/faster wheels, and tri bars. The pimped up Ridley has become a Pidley.

Race ready.

Pimped

Race on !!

Brooks Pure Cadence 4

There are some perks to working in a Running shoe shop, occasionally you get a free pair of running shoes. The Brooks rep asked which shoes I would like to try from their range and I opted for the Pure Cadence 4.

New shoes.

I have used shoes from the Pure Project before. I loved the Cadence 1, so as soon as 2 came out I bought a pair. However,  I really didn't get on with these and ended up giving them away. The fit was completely different and I found them too narrow. However, version 3 came out and once again I found the fit much better, they felt closer to the original design. I liked the asymmetric lacing too. But, they didn't last me very long, I felt the upper went baggy very quickly and I suffered with very sore feet.

The timing was perfect for me when the rep popped into the shop as I was considering which shoes to buy. I've done about 200 miles in my current pair (not Brooks) and wanted a second pair to use along side as I am running a fair bit at the moment training for the London Ultra Duathlon on 20th September. This consists of a 20k run a 77k bike and finishes with a 10k run, all within Richmond Park. I'm considering wearing a different pair of shoes for each run.

So, back to the shoes. I was't sure which size to go for. I am usually a US 7.5.  However, these once again felt a bit narrow, or shallow in the toe box. I tried half a size bigger but they definitely felt too big. I do prefer a slightly closer fit, I like to feel that my foot is being held, where some people like their feet and toes to be able to swim around a bit more. So, I went for the US 7.5 remembering that possibly the upper could loosen off after a few runs.

Lots of flex grooves

The shoes from the Pure range have a 4mm drop from heel to forefoot, promoting a forefoot strike. So when you try them on first of all they feel a bit wobbly, or as if you are tipping backwards or as if there is a bit missing from the heel! They also feel very 'slipper' like when you first put them on. All this can be a bit disconcerting for some but I highly recommend you try running in them as this is where the shoe comes into its own. They feel very flexible. I like that.

4mm drop.

I couldn't wait to get out and try my new Pure Cadence 4s. It was raining hard, but I didn't let the risk of getting them filthy put me off! Straight away I started running fast! I had to remind myself to have a few minutes warming up ! But these shoes make you want to run fast. They are extremely cushioned and feel very bouncy. They make me want to pick my heels up higher towards my backside too! They are such a responsive shoe. And I felt all this straight from the off. So, I eased back for 10-15 mins and then put a 5 minute fast blast in and repeated this pattern for an hour. Brilliant result. I forgot I was wearing new shoes and had to remind myself to think about how they felt. Fast, that's how they felt!  However, the toe box was still feeling a little shallow.

I ran in them again today, half hour easy before a bike ride and half hour hard after a bike ride. Today they felt even better. I wore a thin running sock and I think this made a difference to the feel of the depth of the toe box and there was no restriction today.

Still not dirty

Plush red laces

From a girly point of view I must admit when they first arrived in the shop I didn't like the colour... Grey shoes? When the rest of our stock was so colourful it seemed a bit drab. (other colours are available) But, I have to admit they look the business when you put them on. I love the plush red laces, they feel all squishy and are very tactile!

Squishy tongue

The tongue is also very cushioned, this is a nice touch as often I find shoes dig in on the top of my feet. Not so with these.










So the verdict so far...I love my new Pure Cadence 4s. I am running the Severn Bridge half marathon this weekend as part of my London Du training so will be giving them a race day run out. I will definitely be wearing them on one of the runs at the London Ultra Du.
Thank you Brooks
#runhappy

Upton Tri

 A couple of months on from Alcobendas and I've managed another multi sport event...Upton upon Severn Triathlon. Local to me. Way back on 1st of January this year entries opened, with all good new year intentions I entered the standard distance with the intention of nailing my swim from then on. Basically the intention turned into avoidance so basically my improvement in  swimming didn't happen, I tried, but clearly not hard or often enough. I decided to contact the event organisers and switched to the sprint.. This was a weight off my shoulders as I knew I could manage a 750m swim without hyperventilating or drowning. Or crying.

I competed in the sprint distance last year and finished 2nd female overall.  So having relieved myself of the pressure of swimming 1500m I had then put myself under pressure to do at least as well as last year. On top of this my club, Malvern Tri, made the decision to make 'Upton' our club championships as we had over 30 of our members entered in either the sprint or standard. It was to be a big day on my race calendar.. Even though sprint Tri doesn't feature in my long term plans for this year or next... More on that at a later date.

The night before the event a few of us from the club got together to put the club gazebo up at the venue so that we all had a meeting point.

The day dawned and as usual nerves were high before I left the house. 'Oh God I've got to get in that river again. Last year there was no current. Please have a current.' That's all I could think of.
All the 'sprint' ladies were starting in the water together. Here we go with the usual shrieks and and shouts of 'good luck', nervous laughter, all of which stop immediately as the starting horn sounds. Mild panic takes over with frantic splashing...and these lovely angelic friendly women suddenly become competitive devil women from hell. Well, that's me too! However, this year I started further back from the front as I didn't want all the fast swimmers overtaking me making me feel even more inadequate in the water than I already did. I think this helped, I soon settled into a relaxed rhythm and thought 'this is what it is, in 15-20 mins I will be on my bike.' And I was.. In just over 15 mins I was being hauled from the river by a burly man. Where would we be without burly men? (still in the river in my case)

Goggles and hat off, sleeves of wetsuit down leaving goggles and hat inside the sleeve... Anybody would think I'd practiced. 

Like a pro..

A quick T1 hot on the heels of another of our club females... Do you think she was my target at this point?

Evil eye

I had a blistering bike, it felt good, a new set up on my TT bars and I liked it. I nailed the dismount leaving my shoes on my bike and swinging my leg over ready to hit the ground running. Literally.

A member of my club was marshaling dismount and told me I was third female at this point. I'm out of T2 quickly and running strong ... The next Marshal tells me I'm second lady! I'm still running strong and overtaking but are these people on their first or second lap? And did the marsals really know? (The standard participants had to do 2 laps of the course.) I had no idea who I was racing. I overtook Ruth Johnstone who I knew was racing the standard and could then see no other females. At a turnaround point a member from my club said  'there's a woman about 200m behind you!' Oh god RUN!! No wait, that's Ruth who I just past! I'm so confused and blowing hard at this point but still feeling strong.

Winning!

I powered across the finish line.




Here the female Marshall cut off my timing chip and said 'I think you're first lady' 'Am I?' She wasn't sure, she asked a colleague, she wasn't sure either!. I found Ron... 'Ron, I think I won'... 'I think you have!' Will someone please tell me?! Another friend from the club, Jacqui, kindly offered to relieve me of my hysterical confusion and go to the timing tent to get my print out... I won! First female. Yeeeha! I've done it. A win on home ground and also female winner of club championship (female sprint) what a result!!. Four minutes faster than last year, faster in every discipline. Thrilled thrilled thrilled. :)

Club champions, Steve, Neill, Vikki, Lisa.

Our club is fantastic. As everybody came in the first thing they did was wait at the finish line for others from the club to finish and cheer them on. We have true camaraderie and support for each other. We did so well... Memorable moments were Sheila smiling all through the day.. Her first tri, Lisa third female on the standard, Rob.. (An amazing duathlete), fastest novice and fith male in his first Triathlon. Gulab extatic to be 5/6 mins faster than last year! Steve first overall in the sprint. Plus many of our club members marshaling and supporting. What a great day. So many moments.

I recommend Upton triathlon. Its a great day out for all the family. Sprint and standard distance races and children's fun runs. Plenty of marshals. Plenty of signage. Camping and an evening after party! But, get your entries in quick as this is always a sell out event. Entries open 1st January and will be sold out within about 4 weeks.

Thank you Upton, see you next year!