First Race of My 65 Race Challenge

Hartlepool Marina 5 Mile - 29 March 2015


It was an early start to the day to get some breakfast inside me and then to head off to Hartlepool for the first race of my challenge. But before that, the cards and presents for my 65th birthday.
A half case of Faustino V11 means that I can look forward to a meal later, accompanied by a nice glass or two of my favourite Rioja - well deserved after a hard run race.
Hartlepool Marina was a really nice location for a race. A lot of money has been put into the marina and as you approach it you see a beautifully preserved sailing ship, HMS Trincomalee, the oldest British Warship afloat today.
Race numbers were collected from another historic vessel, PSS Wingfield Castle, a paddle steamer which was the old Humber ferry. Then off to the start to join a sell out field of 600 runners.
As usual  picked my spot just a little way down the field and set off at a decent pace into a strong headwind. After settling into a pace just under 7 minute miling, I spotted a big young lad who was running at about the same speed. Yes, with age comes knowledge - when running into the wind, find a big lad to hide behind!
We passed the first mile marker at 6.50 and whilst I thought about leaving my wind break by overtaking him, I thought 'no, lets see how the second mile goes.' This next mile was over 7 minute pace (nearer 7.30 actually), but I stuck to it. With the turn at 2.5 miles coming up I did overtake him, but back he came at me to get a little ahead. Anyway, I found a bit of pace and followed him through 3 miles and we pushed on to the 4 mile marker. Right, said I, whats in the tank? Up went the pace, past the lad ( I know I should have encouraged him to push on with me) and I finished in 36.37, 173rd out of over 500 finishers, not bad for an old fella.
From the results I found that I was third in my category (65-70 years), but there were only two prizes! However, as I pick up some form and get rid, hopefully, of some of the injury niggles I am carrying I may be able to get into the prizes.
Have a look at these of images from Hartlepool Marina.


             
                             I have been photo bombed!

Sixty Five for Izzi 2015
March 29th 2015- March 2016
Date	Number	Event	Time	Overall Finishing Position	Category Position	Comments
29-Mar	1	Hartlepool Marina 5 mile	36.27	173	3	Third, but only two prizes for category!
11-Apr	2	Park Run
12-Apr	3	Blyth Valley 10k
15-Apr	4	Whinlater Fell Race
19-Apr	5	Sand Dancer 10K
25-Apr	6	Park Run
26-Apr	7	Wallsend T. O'Gara Mem. 5K
29-Apr	8	Whinlatter
04-May	9	Ashington Triathlon
05-May	10	Les Alcorn 10K
09-May	11	Park Run

My 65 Race Challenge Starts Tomorrow 29 March 2015

Yes, I am 65 years young tomorrow and I don't know where the years have gone. I don't even feel grown up!
Anyway, I am far from race fit, carrying some injury niggles and yesterday when I had a jog out, was I slow! I was intending to run at 7 minute mile pace and will be lucky to do 8.5.
So, early morning tomorrow I will have a good breakfast and set off for HARTLEPOOL MARINA (start 10.30am).
You can follow my progress on this blog and also look at my performances, as measured on my Garmin Forerunner 110 on the Garmin Website, or Strava - I am mackem1973.

I must be grown up, here I am father to Bridegroom, Chris, and father in law to Laura, Sept 2014 !


                          

Last Run on Madeira - Injury Prone or Injury Phobia?

For my last run on Madeira it was, again, straight up to the highest point above the Lido at Santo Antonio. This is a climb of over 1,000 feet in just over a mile, good training thought I and looking at my Garmin Forerunner 18 minutes wasn't a bad time. To vary the route back to sea level I looked for tracks taking me away from built up areas and plunged down an interesting looking one. Minutes later I was hundreds of feet down amongst the Madeiran examples of our allotments. Instead of our potatoes and cabbages they seemed to grow only bananas, but maybe I wasn't looking closely. Suddenly the path ended and I had that awful realisation, it was time to retrace my steps back up that b...... hill!
Anyway, on the way back up the hill I spotted a side turning and was able to get back onto tarmac. Away I went, ever downhill, pounding on a concrete surface. Oh, thought I, is the usual sciatic pain in my lower leg moving? It was now in the muscle at the front of my calf. Two miles later back at the hotel, it was no better. Well I thought, at least it's a different pain, shin splints? Subsequent 'googling' revealed it was not shin splints, that injury affects the inside of the leg, mine was in the muscle on the outside - Compartment Syndrome? I hope not, but here I am sitting at home, in front of the computer, with little change in whatever the condition is. I can only rest and pray that it is not C. S.  Walking Maisie yesterday I had a little jog and it didn't feel too bad. I may try a slow jog on soft ground tomorrow.
In any event I am entered for the HARTLEPOOL MARINA 5 MILE on my 65th birthday, Sunday 29 March 2015 and I will be there!


                            
 That's Maisie.

Running Levadas Priornais, Funchal, Madeira

Third day of my break on Madeira and looking good. I set off from the hotel ( Eden Mar), turned right and up the hill I went. Past the various hotels, up and up that hill I ran. A break in the wall, a few steps up and there was a water channel lined with concrete and a brisk stream of pure water coming off the mountain to irrigate Madeira's banana plantations.
I had heard that these levadas were a magical part of Madeira, offering the chance to get out into the countryside as they had footpaths alongside them. Well, up country in the mountains, that might well be the case, but in a built up area what you got was a water channel, perhaps two feet wide and a concrete strip alongside of no more than 18 inches. Yes, still a pleasant place to run, but you could not really take your eye from the ground to look down at the sea, for with my luck I would fall and break an ankle.
Anyway, a pleasant run in the spring sunshine then back to the hotel to see if I could improve my swimming for my first ever Triathlon ( Ashington Tri, 4 May 2015).

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE


Tuesday 17 March 2015


All the way to the top of PICO DA CRUZ , 261 metres above my hotel in Funchal, Madeira, the dogs in the roadside properties were launching themselves against their respective fences threatening to tear me limb from limb if only they could. Then on the cork screw approach to the summit the properties ended and there was only scrub at the sides of the road. With the barbed wire fence of the army base which topped this peak approaching I spotted two large, very large, stray dogs lying asleep in the sun; a quick about turn and I was on my way down that hill. As I ran, gun fire from within the base started. A lucky escape? Perhaps the dogs were friendly? But, does anyone know a dog that is friendly to a runner?


 Having been frustrated in my first attempt at reaching the peak that I could see from Funchal's Lido, I looked inland and uphill to the next climb, PICO dos BARCELOS (355M). This was out of sight from the sea, but having dropped down a couple of hundred feet I followed the very steep tarmac up to the white church of Santo Antonio. I may be getting older and maybe a little slower but climbing is no problem. The problem was the ridiculous steepness of the descent from the church on unforgiving concrete. I was aware of the heavy steps I was slapping down on the concrete road, but couldn't find a way to lessen the impact - more on the consequences of this punishment later. For now I could only enjoy the sensation that maybe, just maybe I was putting my injuries behind me and getting into form for my 12 month challenge which was to start on the 29th. My short holiday in Madeira was giving me the opportunity of some warm weather training.

A Recovery Day

Yes, I needed a day's recovery after a, for me, very hard cycle ride on Sunday. It was that tough twenty miles against the wind back to Wentworth, Hexham , that I blame.
Anyway, my day off physical effort involved a first outing to the river this year after salmon.  Very few salmon had come through Bywell I was told, but it was a pleasant spring like day and there I was below Hexham Bridge, no more than six casts of the fly, when bang, a take and away the fish ran. It will be a kelt, said I ( a fish returning to the sea, rather than running up river, to the non angler), but it fought well and after a bit of a struggle it was on the bank (pictured). Kelt or not it had to go back at this time of year, so a quick photo and it swam away, as to whether it was downstream to the sea, or continue upstream I am not sure, but now think, downstream.



Well, that was yesterday, today, Tuesday I felt better with my back and injuries than I have for some time, has the tough bike ride cured me? Trainers on and onto the Keelsmans Way. Oh, it feels good, no pain. A mile later, is that my hamstring niggle I feel? Another half mile, its that b..... sciatica.
Later the Chiropractor, Russell, said that this is how recovery works, first just the thought that the problem may be ending, then lessening of pain, before.......RECOVERY.
Nineteen days to go to the start of my challenge, at least I can run.

My First Velo

My First Velo

 Home after a shower


As part of my training for a first triathlon  ( Ashington) I accepted Louise Griffin's kind invitation to ride an Allen Valley Velo. I say kind, but did she push me for 40 miles,  that is she pushed the pace I hung on as best I could.
We travelled from Hexham's Wentworth,  down the Tyne Valley for twenty miles at some pace to enjoy a cup of coffee (Americano) at the foot of Swalwell Bank. Then it was a very hard return against a strong headwind. That was tough!
This ride was probably my fastest over a reasonable distance, finishing just short of 40 miles in 2hrs 49mins. That's fast for me. Maybe, I need a Road Bike, but my Boardman Hybrid did the job.

Will I be fit for the challenge?

Three Weeks To Go





With just three weeks to go to my birthday and start of my sixty five race challenge I am struggling with two injuries, High Hamstring Tendonopathy and Sciatica.
The hamstring problem has been a problem for over two years and is a constant niggle on the 'sit bone' I can just about live with this. The sciatica is a real nuisance which I have had since December, caused of all things by moving furniture to put the Christmas tree up. I am having intensive treatment by a Chiropractor and keeping my fingers crossed.
Last Saturday, North East Harrier League cross country fixture was at Alnwick - that's the castle in the background behind my lad , Chris and I. Chris had said he would run with me, but I said he would be faster and should start ahead. In the event,I shot off as I always do at the start of a race and when I looked for him he was no where to be seen. After three miles he appeared alongside me and gradually moved ahead, finishing in 48 minutes to my 50. Sciatica was awful by the end of the race, extending from behind my calf to the top of the leg. Normally I just feel it at the side of the calf.
On Tuesday I swam twenty lengths, breaststroke, followed by manipulation at the chiros, before going to Harriers. Maybe this combination was not ideal, for in the warm up to a 6 x 1,000m track session everything hurt. Did about half the session before deciding I was simply putting back my recovery and quit. Quick shower and into the car, Radio Newcastle o., Sunderland were down 1 - 0 at Hull, damn!
In five minutes I am heading to the chiro, hopefully he can do the business. To help in this I have decided to ease off exercise and give his efforts a chance to make a difference.

A Twelve Month Running Challenge

65 FOR IZZI

That's 65 races - Road, Fell and Cross Country, over the twelve months!

Yes, sixty five races starting on 31st March 2015, my sixty fifth birthday!


Why? Because I can, or hope to be able to do so.


Why 65 FOR IZZI, because Izzi (Islam Ali) was a young club mate of mine at Tynedale Harriers who died at a tragically young age in June 2003. Izzi was on his bike on the A69, when head down and pushing for it in a triathlon training session he hit a broken down vehicle and was killed instantly.
I may be 40 years older than Izzi was when he died, but we shared a similar happy and smiling approach to life and I can hope to honour his memory over the next twelve months.


On 29 March 2015 I can draw my Old Age Pension and use part of it to pay the entry fee to the HARTLEPOOL MARINA 5 MILE RACE and start my challenge - that's got to be a novel!


Other challenges over the next year include my first triathlon, the ASHINGTON TRI on Monday 4 May 2015, lots of PARKRUNS, Fell Races, Road Races and the small matter of the WORLD MASTERS MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS at Beyws-y-Coed on 12 Sept. 2015.


I will list my schedule of races in the next blog, have a look and join me for one -  running makes you feel great to be alive and keeps you YOUNG!