Racing and Training 2018

after a couple of days of pain and stiffness in the lower back. Not quite sure why. I did a Lliswerry Runners 5K time trial on the Riverfront parkrun course. That was plus a run out from the NISV to the wave and a run back again. I did a lot of the warm up and warm down with a 68 year old called John. The 5K went pretty well. I think I was well under 25 minutes. Much closer to 24:30. We shall see!

am I did the 8am session with ... Martyn & Sian Jones, Gareth Yeomans, Garry ?, Alison Carter, Steve Crowther We ran from the NISV to the top of Beechwood Road. Then back via Clevedon Road, Tennyson Road 7 Colridge Road. We returned to the NISV via Traston Road. It rained heavily.

Newport parkrun - 23 in 23 anniversary edition. Feeling like I am on the mend so I worked a little bit harder today.

Massage with Daniela

Set off on the Royal Oak loop ... clockwise. This enabled me to choose one of a variety of distances. I felt quite stiff and sore after Tuesday's GLCL run at Chepstow so I cut this one short to 4k.

I did the GLCL Road race series race 2 at Chepstow. I treated it as a hard training run. It was tough and hilly.

pm I did the EMACNS 2018 - Alicante Open 10K. it was very warm. It was a flat and fast course. Archie & Lynne did the 5K. I passed Lynne on her final straight. I did a negative split.

I did the Tennyson Steps loop again.

I did the tennyson steps loop

I was too late for parkrun ... I wanted to do a little more that just parkrun so I went out later.  i did a kind of randomish run. I ran down to the Riverfront. I met David and Cara Gates on the town bridge and stopped for a chat. I then took a selfie for Jacqui Mines and also reported a parkrun sign still on the course. I continued on over the footbridge ans stopped for a chat with Howard Attwood and Jane Lovell at Horton's Coffee Shop. I headed down the footpath and across the SDR and round toward the Velodrome. I headed back home from Nash Road over the footbridge and back through Lliswerry 7 Somerton. I was feeling the strain after about 6K so it was a jog walk back for the last couple of ks.

usual Royal Oak loop.

afternoon session. I did a run from the Velodrome out on to Nash Road & Traston Road then down to the 1500 metre trail to Pye corner as an out and back. Cut back past the Tennis Centre to the velodrome.

I went out with the 6 @ 6 squad. They were doing the Newport 10K route. I cut the bit where they go down Stevenson Road to the Transporter Bridge and back. I was definitely struggling on this run. Two days on the trot with the second day's run in the evening is still too much for me.

I did the Royal Oak loop.

So this was a league match. The GLCL League Race 1 at Parc Bryn Bach. The GLCL is a local league for invited local clubs. The numbers taking part have mushroomed in recent years as the clubs have seen their memberships double at least. The league is “friendly” and volunteer led rather than being performance orientated. It has a rudimentary web site here… https://sites.google.com/site/glclrunning/ Thus those pesky elite clubs who “steal” the top runners from “lesser clubs” and tend to hoover up the awards in open events are not invited (e.g. MMRT - https://www.facebook.com/MMRT-481719911927187/ ).  The GLCL is sport for all. Results do not appear in Power of 10. It was a cold and wet evening and I wore a long sleeve technical T shirt under my club vest. I also wore my hi viz yellow woolly hat. I started at the back and gradually picked up the pace. My lack of fitness was evident to me in that I could feel (1) reduced leg strength on the hills, (2) a weakness in my...

I watched the Newport Marathon from the 7.5 & 14 mile mark

am I did the Newport parkrun slowly. I walked and jogged and chatted with Morwenna who was doing only one lap.

I did the 6 @ 6 session. It was a shortened out and back session down Usk Way to the SDR - a short stretch of the SDR then returning over the SDR bridge and back down the other side of the river. I hung a left at Horton's coffee shop back to Eton Road where my car was parked.

am I did the Royal Oak loop. Felt reasonably good this morning. Heart rate was not too elevated by the climb up Royal Oak Hill. Signes of improvement ... though injury still needs to be managed. Core strength needs to be built upon. Get a gym I will go to ?

I was inconspicuous by my absence at parkrun yesterday. Not fully recovered from Friday the evening six at six 5K session. ... but this morning was my first Sunday morning run since July last year. Absolutely buzzing. Thanks to the 8 am crew for the great welcome back!  :-) London marathon day is a good day to bury some good news.