A couple of weekends ago I ran my first Parkrun event at Cutteslowe Park in Oxford - http://www.parkrun.org.uk/oxford/home.
Almost 80 runners turned up for the three lap course and while it will never net you a PB, it allows you to have a good ‘gallop’ as my friend Kevin would say. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful and everyone was welcoming in a relaxed (yet competitive) way!
On the multi-terrain course, I did better than I had expected running a time of 20:34, coming in 8th overall and 2nd vet 45-49 (the first vet was the overall fastest on the day).
The Parkrun would make a good regular ‘sharpener’ for race preparation and I would highly recommend giving it a go.
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Start of the Pennine 100
Monday, 13 February 2012
Coast to Coast bike ride with a difference (that’s across America)
I am currently helping an ex-American soldier Tom Von Kaenel prepare for an epic charity bike ride across America. Tom was badly injured while cycling in the Pyrenees in Sept 2010 and was helped by both British and American solders and medical staff who saved his life and so to say thank you he has decided to do a cycle ride to raise some money for veterans of both the UK and US military. Despite still suffering from the after-effects of his accident, Tom is intending to ride from Brize Norton airbase in Oxfordshire on the 21st April to Heathrow and then from the West to East coast of America starting in Seattle, Washington and finishing in Washington DC on 4th July. Tom will then fly back to the UK on 6 July, riding through London back to Brize Norton arriving on 8 July – a staggering total of 4,200 miles.
Tom is hoping to raise £5,000,000 from his endeavours and you can find out more about his challenge at: www.sea2sea.org. Alternatively Tom can be contacted on: tvk@sea2sea.org; twitter: Sea2Sea1; facebook: Sea2Sea.
Tom is hoping to raise £5,000,000 from his endeavours and you can find out more about his challenge at: www.sea2sea.org. Alternatively Tom can be contacted on: tvk@sea2sea.org; twitter: Sea2Sea1; facebook: Sea2Sea.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Long hours on short days
The last few weeks have been VERY busy!
I am very pleased to be able to say that at long last my website back up and running (with a new Web Designer on board) and can be found again at: http://www.cwpersonaltraining.com. We are working on some changes and improvements which will be rolled out over the next few months but in the meantime if anyone wants to get in touch all my contact information is on the site. In addition to looking at Twitter (as mentioned previously), I have been having fun looking at using a QR barcode for future promotional materials. Watch this space!
The results from my speed test with Justin have given me a good base to set my paces for my speed, interval and race pace training. The pace for my longer runs is fine but I am definitely going to have to increase the distances if I am going to enter any of the ultras I would like to do this year.
It feels great to finally be able to get some good consistent training in but getting back training properly while also taking clients for run training has made me realize that I am going to have to be careful not to overload my legs. I can feel that my shins are tight and my knees are a little sore, which is probably my IT bands having a bit of a whinge. I’ve also noticed that this has coincided with me doing more of my training on the roads, so it’s back to running off-road again this week as I do need to keep up my run tally if I’m going to get anywhere near hitting my Jantastic challenge targets with Marathon Talk (http://www.marathontalk.com). If you haven’t listened to Marathon Talk before then I thoroughly recommend giving it a go – it’s a great place for lively chat, information and quite a few laughs.
On the business front I have had quite a number of new enquiries and I have also been helping with Tom von Kaenel with his training for the Sea 2 Sea Challenge (more about this next time) – hence the busy last couple of weeks – but it’s all fantastic stuff!
I am very pleased to be able to say that at long last my website back up and running (with a new Web Designer on board) and can be found again at: http://www.cwpersonaltraining.com. We are working on some changes and improvements which will be rolled out over the next few months but in the meantime if anyone wants to get in touch all my contact information is on the site. In addition to looking at Twitter (as mentioned previously), I have been having fun looking at using a QR barcode for future promotional materials. Watch this space!
The results from my speed test with Justin have given me a good base to set my paces for my speed, interval and race pace training. The pace for my longer runs is fine but I am definitely going to have to increase the distances if I am going to enter any of the ultras I would like to do this year.
It feels great to finally be able to get some good consistent training in but getting back training properly while also taking clients for run training has made me realize that I am going to have to be careful not to overload my legs. I can feel that my shins are tight and my knees are a little sore, which is probably my IT bands having a bit of a whinge. I’ve also noticed that this has coincided with me doing more of my training on the roads, so it’s back to running off-road again this week as I do need to keep up my run tally if I’m going to get anywhere near hitting my Jantastic challenge targets with Marathon Talk (http://www.marathontalk.com). If you haven’t listened to Marathon Talk before then I thoroughly recommend giving it a go – it’s a great place for lively chat, information and quite a few laughs.
On the business front I have had quite a number of new enquiries and I have also been helping with Tom von Kaenel with his training for the Sea 2 Sea Challenge (more about this next time) – hence the busy last couple of weeks – but it’s all fantastic stuff!
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
New Year, Old Body, New goals
Well, I have done almost a month of steady shorter and longer runs with the aim of building a solid base from which to begin my training programme proper. I am doing a 10k speed trial with Justin on Thursday to enable me to calculate my VDOT time, which will effectively allow me to set all the times for my programme - from intervals to easy runs. While I have tried to be sensible over the past few weeks while I make sure that I really do seem to have put the problems of last year behind me, I am SO looking forward to returning to a more structured approach to my running. It makes it so much easier to see where I need to put the work in and that I don’t waste effort on the wrong sort of training.
Most of my recent runs have been off road and I do feel that this has paid off. Although the times per mile are slower, I have been able to get out more often as I have had very few aches after each session. It also means that I have been able to put some concentrated effort in at the end of each run by trying hard to pick up the pace in the final mile. All good practice for the last push at the end of a race! I have done a couple of longer runs (up to three hours on the ground or around 18 miles) and given the lack of light at this time of year, these runs have usually involved using my headtorch. I know a lot of people don’t like running off road in the dark but I do find it very focusing running to the beam and I love the sense of isolation it creates (I know – sad!).
I had a really enjoyable run on Boxing Day while I was at my Mum’s for Christmas. My Aunt’s running club always put on a well organised and well attended two lap race over four(ish) miles for those who can get themselves out of bed! I started well but the second mile of each lap was a long slow uphill against the wind and when I came round for the second lap I was done in! I averaged just over 7 min/miles. Not fast but not too bad after a big Christmas dinner the day before and a few real ales (possibly not the best way to taper for a race!).
Away from the training, I have been looking at how to better make use of social media sites to promote my Personal Training business and hopefully you will see the fruits of this research very soon!
Happy Running!
Most of my recent runs have been off road and I do feel that this has paid off. Although the times per mile are slower, I have been able to get out more often as I have had very few aches after each session. It also means that I have been able to put some concentrated effort in at the end of each run by trying hard to pick up the pace in the final mile. All good practice for the last push at the end of a race! I have done a couple of longer runs (up to three hours on the ground or around 18 miles) and given the lack of light at this time of year, these runs have usually involved using my headtorch. I know a lot of people don’t like running off road in the dark but I do find it very focusing running to the beam and I love the sense of isolation it creates (I know – sad!).
I had a really enjoyable run on Boxing Day while I was at my Mum’s for Christmas. My Aunt’s running club always put on a well organised and well attended two lap race over four(ish) miles for those who can get themselves out of bed! I started well but the second mile of each lap was a long slow uphill against the wind and when I came round for the second lap I was done in! I averaged just over 7 min/miles. Not fast but not too bad after a big Christmas dinner the day before and a few real ales (possibly not the best way to taper for a race!).
Away from the training, I have been looking at how to better make use of social media sites to promote my Personal Training business and hopefully you will see the fruits of this research very soon!
Happy Running!
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Web site update
Some of you may have noticed that my web site has been down since the middle of December. Unfortunately this is due to a dispute between Oxford Web Consultants and the hosting company which is entirely beyond my control. Despite being aware of the position and assuring me that they are dealing with the issue, so far Oxford Web Consultants have not been able to resolve the situation although I hope that the site will be up and running again in one form or another in the near future.
However in the meantime, please do contact me by e-mail (cwpt@hotmail.co.uk) or on my mobile (07581 229 393) if you would like to discuss your personal training needs!
However in the meantime, please do contact me by e-mail (cwpt@hotmail.co.uk) or on my mobile (07581 229 393) if you would like to discuss your personal training needs!
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Winter Workouts
Well after the Brecons Ultra it took me a week to recover enough to do anything more than a recovery run and for me not to feel like my quads and hamstrings had been through a mixer! Since then, I have been trying to keep some quality running going and while this hasn’t always been possible, I have managed a mixture of easy and more challenging runs – albeit not in the number I will need to do to get me to where I want to be in terms of fitness.
I have run in a couple of local cross country races and felt very slow and haggard by the end of six miles but having reflected on my performance, I am consistently middle packing in the V1 (40-50) class which I should be happy about given where I was six months ago. I just need to get my head down and work hard and the fitness and speed will improve.
Last weekend, Justin and I did an 18 miler which and I did felt as though I managed to run well from beginning to end. The great thing about running with Justin is that if I need to crank up the pace for the final couple of miles to come in in a particular time, I just give him the nod and off he goes. He dropped our overall pace from 8:40 min/miles to 8:24 min/miles and I was able to lift my game and make the pace as we hit the 18 mile mark. I felt strong, relaxed and not too tired. All in all, a very good overall run at this stage of my recovery to full fitness and a very solid base to go into my winter base endurance training.
I am also reading the Daniels Running Formula http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-Jack/dp/0880117354 and really enjoying it. Justin has used the calculations for the last couple of years and found them very useful. I will let you know how I get on and if I think they are worth recommending
I have run in a couple of local cross country races and felt very slow and haggard by the end of six miles but having reflected on my performance, I am consistently middle packing in the V1 (40-50) class which I should be happy about given where I was six months ago. I just need to get my head down and work hard and the fitness and speed will improve.
Last weekend, Justin and I did an 18 miler which and I did felt as though I managed to run well from beginning to end. The great thing about running with Justin is that if I need to crank up the pace for the final couple of miles to come in in a particular time, I just give him the nod and off he goes. He dropped our overall pace from 8:40 min/miles to 8:24 min/miles and I was able to lift my game and make the pace as we hit the 18 mile mark. I felt strong, relaxed and not too tired. All in all, a very good overall run at this stage of my recovery to full fitness and a very solid base to go into my winter base endurance training.
I am also reading the Daniels Running Formula http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-Jack/dp/0880117354 and really enjoying it. Justin has used the calculations for the last couple of years and found them very useful. I will let you know how I get on and if I think they are worth recommending
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Unbroken by Brecon
Last weekend was the Brecons Ultra. Billed as a 45 miler, it always ends up being at least 46 miles with some change over (depending upon how much you wobble off the most direct route as the crow flies), so you need to prepare yourself for the Garmin clicking over to 45 miles despite the final two bridges still being out of sight.
We stayed at an Outward Bound Centre the night before, courtesy of one of Kevin’s contacts, which was SO much better than getting up at 3.15 am to drive to Talybont. It also meant that we could register and collect our race numbers the night before. On the morning of the race, we had a good breakfast, made the final tweaks to our gear and put our numbers on our shorts before leaving for race HQ.
We set of along the canal at around a 7.30 pace for the first three miles to the start of the hill, walking up the first hill at a brisk pace so as not to overcook it right at the start. We then made a rapid descent to Checkpoint 1 to refill our bottles and push on along the old railway line. At this point I could see that even though I was feeling good, Justin had much more to give so both Kev and I told him to push on and that we would see him at the end. Kevin and I continued to run together for a number of miles albeit that he pushed up the hills and I then caught him on the downs – all good fun. We stayed together until the beginning of the hill on the second lap when Kev pulled away and I didn’t see him again until the end. It was at this point that I became VERY tired and had to give myself a good talking to not to give up. I think I was feeling a bit fed up at not feeling as strong as last year. Having told myself in no uncertain terms that this wasn’t surprising given that eight weeks ago I thought that I may not be able to run an ultra again and that just being able to complete the two laps was a HUGE achievement – I carried on with a slow steady chug. This worked well as it enabled me to take on food and water and to maintain a forward momentum. Having got to the top of the hill, I knew then that I was going to finish this race and more importantly that I would be happy with what I had achieved.
The lads both ran VERY well. From a position of around 18 when he left us Justin pushed himself to a 7.01 finish and 7th place and Kevin kept his running strong and came in, in a great time of 8.17. I finished in a time of 8.44 and even managed to out sprint a runner at the end. I’d been tracking him all along the canal without having a thought about catching him let alone overtaking, but I think I took less ‘walk breaks’ in the last section and in the end we were so close I had to have a go at passing him.
Overall, I am VERY happy with how my body performed on the day and I feel that I can move forward confidently with a winter work programme to carry on building my fitness so that I can begin next year both stronger and quicker and more able to be competitive in the ultra races I love. Bring on 2012!!!
We stayed at an Outward Bound Centre the night before, courtesy of one of Kevin’s contacts, which was SO much better than getting up at 3.15 am to drive to Talybont. It also meant that we could register and collect our race numbers the night before. On the morning of the race, we had a good breakfast, made the final tweaks to our gear and put our numbers on our shorts before leaving for race HQ.
We set of along the canal at around a 7.30 pace for the first three miles to the start of the hill, walking up the first hill at a brisk pace so as not to overcook it right at the start. We then made a rapid descent to Checkpoint 1 to refill our bottles and push on along the old railway line. At this point I could see that even though I was feeling good, Justin had much more to give so both Kev and I told him to push on and that we would see him at the end. Kevin and I continued to run together for a number of miles albeit that he pushed up the hills and I then caught him on the downs – all good fun. We stayed together until the beginning of the hill on the second lap when Kev pulled away and I didn’t see him again until the end. It was at this point that I became VERY tired and had to give myself a good talking to not to give up. I think I was feeling a bit fed up at not feeling as strong as last year. Having told myself in no uncertain terms that this wasn’t surprising given that eight weeks ago I thought that I may not be able to run an ultra again and that just being able to complete the two laps was a HUGE achievement – I carried on with a slow steady chug. This worked well as it enabled me to take on food and water and to maintain a forward momentum. Having got to the top of the hill, I knew then that I was going to finish this race and more importantly that I would be happy with what I had achieved.
The lads both ran VERY well. From a position of around 18 when he left us Justin pushed himself to a 7.01 finish and 7th place and Kevin kept his running strong and came in, in a great time of 8.17. I finished in a time of 8.44 and even managed to out sprint a runner at the end. I’d been tracking him all along the canal without having a thought about catching him let alone overtaking, but I think I took less ‘walk breaks’ in the last section and in the end we were so close I had to have a go at passing him.
Overall, I am VERY happy with how my body performed on the day and I feel that I can move forward confidently with a winter work programme to carry on building my fitness so that I can begin next year both stronger and quicker and more able to be competitive in the ultra races I love. Bring on 2012!!!
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