Twenty Four Hours To Tynedale

Preparation for the Tynedale 10K

Checking the pace in the Blaydon Race

With just 24 hours to Tynedale ( it just doesn't have the same ring as Tulsa does it?) I have gone into preparation mode. For this is one of my landmark races, not only because it is one of my club's own events, but also because its route goes throgh my own village, Wylam.

To date, in this challenge, the best time I have achieved for a 10K is the 45 mins at Blyth, can I improve on that? Well I will certainly be trying to do so.

Over 25 years ago I joined Tynedale Harriers with certain goals in mind, to go below 40 minutes for 10K races and 65 min for 10 miles.

Within a year I had achieved both goals, the 10K being the Tynedale 10K in 37.30. I can't remember which was my first sub 65 minute 10 mile, possibly Brampton to Carlisle, but just as likely The Tynedale 10 mile.

For a number of years these times were my standard, but now those days have passed and if I can get below 45 mins tomorrow I will be happy.

What can possibly go wrong, apart from the heat, forecast to be 27c , my early , too fast(?) pace, age, a dodgy hamstring, or something else from a long list? Check out what happens in a couple of days on this blog.

65forizzi Update 21 June 2015

Lambton Run 10K - Race number 18

Just seen results and it looks as though there wasn't a V65 category, I will have to settle for second place in the V60 category behind Alan Rowell of Durham City Harriers.
Alan did 46.13 to my 47.36.

65FORIZZI
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	516 ran
07-Apr	2	Monthly Mile S Shields	6.27	20	na	20th out of 79
12-Apr	3	Blyth Valley 10k	45.34	296	3	563 ran
18-Apr	4	Park Run Ncle 5K	21.44	147	3	646 ran
19-Apr	5	Gibside Great Run Local 5K	24.28	8	n/a	51 ran.
22-Apr	6	Keswick Round the Houses	46.11	88	3rd V60	186 runners
25-Apr	7	Park Run Ncle 5K	22.44	149	2nd	601 runners
04-May	8	Ashington Triathlon	1.28.48	190	4th	1st V60 in 5k run
05-May	9	Les Allcorn 10K, Alnwick	45.53	57	2nd V60	125 runners
10-May	10	Great Run Local 5K	25.05	6	n/a	45 runners
13-May	11	Latrigg Short Fell Race	28.5	67	3rd V60	87 ran
24-May	12	Gibside Great Run Local	24.3	10	n/a	50 runners
27-May     13		George Ogle Mem. 6m	43.13	66	1st V60	195 runners
06-Jun       14		Grasmere gallop Trail Race	50.12	25	1st V60	305 runners
09-Jun       15		Blaydon Race	40.13	621	3rd V65	3825 ran
13-Jun       16		Park Run , Ncle	22.2	100	1st V65	511 ran
17-Jun       17		Humbleton Hill Fell Race	47.18	31	2nd V60	59 ran
21-Jun       18		Lambton 10K	47.36	117	2nd V60	715 ran

Lambton Run 10K

Mr Lyons?

Today, 21 June 2015 , was race number 18 in my challenge, The Lambton 10K Run, organised by Sunderland A.F.C. Foundation of Light, the charitable arm of my footbal team, The Mackems.
Whilst it was my first visit to the Lambton Castle Estate, I have previous for this site. For, (yes, another of my stories!) forty years ago when I was a Building Society Manager, a contact asked me to telephone a client to arrange a mortgage.
" Mr Lyons?" said I.
" No" came the response, " Lambton Lion Park".
Thank you Peter Muirhead, how are you still a good friend after all these years?
Yes, at one time we did have a real life lion park near to Chester Le Street. Today, it has reverted back to being the private estate of the Earl Of Durham who kindly allowed permission for this charitable event.
The course of the race was described as undulating over estate roads in the main. For the major part of the route is was exactly that, undulating. In the last mile, when I was struggling to keep up the fast pace that I had set ,we hit a hill, a big hill, of quite long grass. I was also playing nip and tuck with a couple of runners I recognised from past races, could I get ahead and keep ahead?
Fortunately, in my warm up I had passed the 9K mark and knew that the final kilometre was either level, or slightly downhill. That was all the incentive I needed! Up came the knees, elbows at piston speed and away I went, first passing one rival and then just metres from the line the other.
I finished in 47.31mins, hopefully a time good enough to get amongst the prizes, for the prizes from this event will be awarded at the Stadium of Light! I await the release of the results with more than a little interest.

Humbleton Hill Fell Race 2015

A Good Race And Very Lucky Escape From Injury

 No, I haven't pinched one of Marcus Byron's fell race signs, He handed it to me as he kindly took these images!
I am waiting for the full results from last night's race, but I can report that I got through the race almost intact, more later, and won a prize at V60 level.
It was a sunny night as the field set off up the seven hundred feet climb through woodlands and onto the open fells above Haydon Bridge. I felt fairly strong on the climb and was able to stay with the pack as we did the three mile up hill bit of the race.
Climbing towards the checkpoint at the top of the fell I kept asking myself was that my team mate, the slightly younger, Neil Cassidy, ahead? Last year Neil had beaten me by six minutes in this race. Was I really catching him? No, I decided and that is probably the point when I lost the race within a race.
Turning for the two mile downhill sprint for home, I noticed that I was about to cross over some large stone flags which bridged several dried up water courses. Too late I felt my left leg go into a gap between them, snap said my hamstring as it flexed, 'ow'  said I, as my ankle hit the side of the gap on its way into a hole. 'Wow', I thought as I realised I had got away without breaking either my ankle, or leg. Last time I had a similar accident (Falstone Falcon Fell Race) I tore my calf, badly.
Putting the accident out of my mind I flew away downhill catching Grace from Tynedale Harriers as we entered the wood. Now if it had been a fella that I was chasing, then I would have got past him on that narrow path through fair or foul means, as it was I did the gentlemanly thing and stayed behind. Emerging onto the road I told Grace that we would have a road race to the finish.
Yes, I know that I should have crossed the line with her, but having got into a sprint I couldn't get out of it, could I?
At the finish I found that it was Neil just ahead of me to take the V60 by just 30 seconds, his 46.48 to my 47.18.
As mentioned above I am waiting for the full results from the race. One of the stats that I wanted to see was how many ladies were in the race for there seemed a high proportion of the fair sex represented. I think that this is an excellent feature of these modern times, particlarly as we were competing on equal terms. It was also enjoyable to be running with so many friends from the fell running world. Is that any type of running attracts nice people, or is that fell running attracts the nicest?
Today my ankle is a bit sore and I have a bruise to show for a near encounter with disaster. I got away wih it, thank goodness and am, hopefully, ready for Race No. 18 the Lambton Run at Lambton Park, on Sunday 21 June 2015.

Newcastle Park Run 13 June 2015

Race Number 16 in the Challenge

Well here I am eleven weeks into my 65 race challenge and still going (reasonably) strongly.

I have put some miles in this week including three races, Grasmere Gallop, Blaydon Race and now today's Newcastle Park Run. When I add on Thursday's 8.5 mile jog to Newburn Bridge and back, that's a few miles. No wonder I was never on for a pb today.

My next race is the Humbleton Hill Fell Race, Haydon Bridge on Wed. 17 June, start time 7.15pm. Come along, you can enter on the night.

Today's stats:
Total Runners      ------   511
Finishing position------  118
Finishing Time     ------ 22.20
Age Category       ----- 1st V65, 2nd V60
 

THE BLAYDON RACE Number 15 In Challenge

Blaydon Race 2015 and another prize!

At the finish

After a nice off road, Trail Race, at Grasmere on Saturday, featuring a climb of 659 feet it, was down to sea level and a flat, fast road race last night, Tuesday 9 June 2015 when I joined 4,000 other runners for the trip 'alang the Scotswood Road to the Blaydon Races'.
The start outside St Nicholas Cathedral in central Newcastle was a very congested affair and after a delay whilst the road ahead was cleared, the race started and even though I had climbed over the barrier to be near the front, we went nowhere and slowly at that. Maybe, I exaggerate, but just like The Great North Run, there were some slow b........s who should not have been there.
Anyway, with a bit of zig zagging and a dash along the pavement as we passed Central Station I got among the other club runners and got the pace up to 6.30 min pace.
I must be getting a bit fitter, for  I was able to keep the pace below 7 minute miling until we were over the Scotswood Bridge at the 3+ mile mark. Then it was about hanging onto a decent pace as we went back on ourselves until the turn for home.
At this point I caught up to fellow ( lady actually) Tynedale Harrier, Kim Bluck, and we had a bit of a ding dong all the way into Blaydon. Kim said her legs had gone, but still passed me. I then dug in, caught her again, only to be overtaken,again, and led by her to the finish.
Going through the line in 40.13 (average 7.04 min. pace) I could only hope that it was good enough to get me among the prizes and that turned out to be the case, 3rd V65. Mark Mcnally, who was also the first V65 in the first race in my challenge (Hartlepool Marina) was 1st V65. His fellow Elswick Harrier, Harry Matthews, was second.
A few days rest now before my next scheduled race, Humbleton Hill Fell Race, Haydon Bridge, Wednesday 17 June , organised by pal and fellow Harrier and Sunderland supporter, Marcus Byron, - enter on the night.

Grasmere Gallop 10K Trail Race

NUMBER 1, FIRST V60

Race No. 14 AND MY FIRST PRIZE

It was back to the Lake District for number fourteen in the challenge, The Grasmere Gallop 10K Trail Race.
The night before the race Maisie and I camped by the river again at Setmabanning, in what turned out to be a wild night of galeforce winds. I could have done without the lack of sleep that this caused, for I had only just declared myself free of a cold and I was looking ahead to one of my landmark races, the Blaydon Race, on Tuesday.
Chris had also entered, so it was father and son again as we lined up at the muster point on the showfield in Grasmere.
"It's a mass start, so faster runners to the front" called the race starter as hundreds of runners, nordic walkers ( whatever they are) and fun runners formed up behind a piper to march into the centre of Grasmere to the startline.
Chris and I lined up near the front and away we went as kiddies in the fun run sprinted past before running out of puff after the first hundred yards. Settling into my normal (too fast) starting pace of just over six minute miling I told Chris to go ahead as I wanted to see how I felt before settling into a pace.
After about a quarter of a mile the road starts climbing and keeps going up, eventually reaching the  road sign 'LOW GEAR NOW'. At this point Chris was still in sight and we were 'marshalled' onto the main, off road section, still climbing. Now I was in to my element for what I lost to the youngsters (everyone under 65 years) on the uphills, I gained on the downhills, for no one is daft enough to sprint them , as I do ( I have the scars, literally, to prove it) .
This is a pleasure, I thought, as we passed Grasmere Lake, and climbed up to see Rydal Water from above, beautiful. All too soon we reached the turn back for Grasmere. Looking ahead, I could see that I had pulled a lot of places back on Chris and there were only four places between us, could I catch him?
"Oh! where did that cruel climb come from? " I thought as a short, steep hill appeared. Then it was another down hill sprint to the lake and perhaps a mile along the lake shore before the final climb back up to the road (in total 659 feet of climb). Now it was a downhill dash back into Grasmere with a runner in front to catch! As we turned to pass the famous Gingerbread shop I caught him, but he put in a sprint to get away from me again as we entered the showfield and headed to the finish.
"Peter, you're first V60 " cried the timekeeper as I went through the line, " Yessssssss! " Roared I, as I came to a halt in admiration of the benefits of computerisation ( well something like that).
Looking at the results, Chris was 16th (8th in his category) in 47.41. I was first V60 in 50.12 - 25th overall out of 305 runners. Yes, trail racing suits me, for what I may have lost in speed I can make up in sheer doggedness ( plus daftness) on the rough ground.
The bottle of wine was a nice prize to receive and as the first in this challenge much appreciated.
Bring on Blaydon!

Back of the mass start

AND STILL HE PIPES!

THIS WILL TASTE GOOD

Before the off.

Maisie camps at Setmabanning again.

NUMBER 1, THAT'S 1ST V60.