This weekend is the second West Yorkshire XC race. This time it is over at Boddington Hall in Leeds. It's a favourite of mine, as I've always to date, had a good run there. I won my Yorkshire XC title there back 2001. I have to do all three now if I want to try and win the title.
At this moment, I'm trying to shake of a cold. I've had it for a couple of day's now, and I did feel unsteady in training yesterday. Frustrating.
Took today off to aid recovery. I try to do some last minute work before this Sunday's race. I have recovered from the marathon I did a few weeks back, but I'm struggling to switch on for racing.
I'm hoping come Sunday, I will be fired up to do the business. We'll have wait and see.

Today I did a recce of the first West Yorkshire Winter League series XC race hosted by my second claim unit - Idle AC.
I heard it was going to be 4.5 miles, so I decided to run to their club house from home 8.10am and meet them for 8.30am start. Quite a good turn out for so earlt in the morning.
My plan was to extend it afterwards by taking in the canal, Spring woods up to Hollins Hill, over the golf course and back along the canal via Tong park. I was out for three hour's in the end, with almost ten miles added on.

The start of the Buck circuit begin's next to the BMX track opposite the Thackley Sunday League football club. The course is two laps, the first being the smallest. The area it cover's is mostly in the woods and along the canal bank, between Ainsbury avenue canal bridge and Brackendale canal bridge. There are some fast stretches, but the canal stretch needs more concentration and skill.

This race and the follow up have a West Yorkshire XC in the afternoon, which are higher standard and generally faster courses. These winter league's have more interesting/enjoyable routes for all standards.
My plan is to hold back on the first two WYWL XC's by running with the second placer. Tsk, Tsk.
Mind you, that plan could back fire. Cause the person in question may force the pace. I have also got be careful with fallen leaves and tree root's. I don't want to injure myself, which might hamper my performance later that day.
It is a crazy idea to do both in one day with a three hour gap between them. But if I do 'tempo' for the am one, and 'race it' for the pm. It might work?
I will get a few gripes from people at Otley AC and my coach for this. But my coach has said in the past, I'm fit enough to do a half hour run in the morning and do a 3pm race.

Training has been going alright to this point. I'm spending my time training mostly on the fields with my XC spikes on the shorter run's for XC purposes. My immune system is good one point, then down the next. It will be almost a month since Slovakia, so I hope I'm in good shape. If not, I hope I'm dignified in defeat, even when someone close to me will say I've had a crap run.

Training is going well, and so is my recovery. It's all down to cutting back for a bit and starting the mileage increase later ready for Mumbai marathon in late January (21st).
Quite keen to run the 2nd West Yorks XC league over at Leeds Bodington Hall. I won my Yorkshire XC title there back in 2001. Nice undulating circuit with plenty of mud to plough through. Hoping for a good hard race and team support on that one.
The 3rd and last race day's of the WYXC have a race running for Idle AC in the morning. I probably am putting the WYXC at risk? If I do the Winter League XC for Idle, I will run at tempo with who ever is leading. They are not as demanding as the WYXC races, so I hope my plan works.
Dan Simmons has had to pull out of the Greatest Race on Earth marathon series. He was due to race Nairobi marathon at the end of October, but has acute tonsillitis. Poor lad is gutted not to run. Not sure what's going to happen, but hopefully it will be sorted very soon.

Before I go into talking complete and utter...way's of how to get the most out of your running. I would like to congratulate the Otley AC member's who took part in the first Complete Runner XC league race over in Huddersfield last Saturday in my absence.

Jamil Parapia had another superb run to finish well high up, and get a few scalps at the same time with 8th place. Jamil won't admit that I'm on his list of marked people.. I would like to believe him, but some how I'm not so sure. His form has improved a lot since he started with us around two year's ago. He has confidence in his ability's which has made an impact in his race times and positions this year. It's nice to see he's doing very well for us.

Now then. What was Obi-Wan Fisher up to that day?

I could have made it, cause my exam had finished earlier than I thought. Being a bit of a clever clogs. I thought (just like my running) it went rather well. A multiple choice was included in the exam's.
I like multiple choice.
I really do.

One plant pot in my class even asked the examiner "What's the answer to question 14?"
"You can't ask that in a exam" I said, with my head in my hands.
"You could have atleast asked about question 18.... cause I'm a bit stuck on that one"
No, I didn't reply to that.

I couldn't believe my ear's..

This wasn't one of the related questions below. But there was some obvious stuff in there, I felt some individual's struggled with...

Q. If a person was suffering from severe dehydration. What would you do to help?

A= Sit in a chair and learn to play the guitar.
B= FOR SOMEONE SUFFERING FROM DEHYDRATION - GIVE THEM SOME WATER!
C= Force down their throat a nice big bag of salted peanut's.
D= Ask them first if they like the American hit movie "Invasion USA" with kung-fu master Chuck Norris. You can also tell them you think it's ace aswell.


Before I sign off. I think better tell you how I'm getting on after Koscice marathon in Slovakia two weeks ago. That's what the blog is for isn't it. Well isn't it?
Are you ready? Here goes.

Ahem!


Things are going alright.

Going to have to miss this weekends first Complete Runner XC as I'm doing a work related exam over three day's (Thu-Sat).
My form has taken a dip aswell. It's been ten day's since Kosice marathon, and yet I still feel heavy legged and a bit lifeless.
I honestly thought the visit to my favourite Bradford curry house would help top up the reserves. Yet despite over eating (two starter's and a main course). I still feel depleted.
Did a 50 min grass session earlier today. Felt okay on that one. I was going to do a 6 x 3min tempo on grass up hill later tonight, but my legs felt very heavy? I felt going over to join the other's at Nab Wood would have been a wasted effort. I'll try again tomorrow.
It might have something to do with riding hard on my racer for an hour yesterday?

For the foreseable future, I will be concentrating on XC's for Otley and Idle AC (9 races over winter) Yorkshire XC (nice and hilly and hopefully knee deep in mud). Mumbai Marathon two weeks after Yorkshire XC. Missing Northern and the Brass Monkey Half, the day after cause of Mumbai which is on the 21st Jan. Aiming to do National XC. Then I will do this, and then I will do that..

Other than that, a quiet winter period.

Welcome back folk's to another installment to my sometime's bizarre world.

Just come back from Slovakia after racing the Kosice Marathon on Sunday 1st October which I believe is the oldest one in the world (1924).
My team manager was Martin Rush of UK Athletics who took part in the Barcelona Olympics as a race walker, and Holly May and Nigel Leighton to whom he coaches. All three are from down southwest in the Bath area. Despite their close connection's I didn't feel the outsider in the team.
We all stopped over at Stansted on Thursday 28th before flying over to Kosice via Bratislava the following day. Our hotel was metre's from the start/finish area. Lucky us.
For the host's, this is a big event on their calendar. All our needs were catered for (well not all needs).
During Saturday there was many race related things to do. Including lighting the Kosice Marathon torch, followed by a introduction of ourselves to the locals. Best bit was signing autographs for Kosicians for them to sell on Ebay SK.

After getting all the required details for the marathon. Our team manager arranged a meeting for us regarding drinks, race split's etc and when and where Martin was going to meet us on the circuit on race day. As it was going to be mostly a solo run on my part. Martin's updates proved helpful.
Race day itself was like Saturday - warm 24c. It was also humid, but was likely to get cooler later on, according to Martin's source.
My target was to get under the 2.20 mark, which I believe I was fit enough to do it. Nigel had a target of 2.15.50ish. Holly was going for I believe a 2.40 - 2.45 target. Can't quite remember.
Despite the conditions the Africans and the Russian's belted off. Martin told us to run our own race and work at it once things have settled down.
Nigel went of with a Romanian who was aiming to go through half in 67.30. Nigel wised up to this being a bit too quick for these conditions early on into the race. Yet he kept trying.
I had company from just one runner who later dropped off as I came to the end of the first half of the race.
Further up the road I could see Nigel on his own. It was to early for me notice what he was going through. Martin told me to pull him back gradually which I did and work together.
I looked across at Nigel and his face told me things weren't going to plan. I went ahead hoping he would latch on but it wasn't to be.
Martin being concerned for his athlete was worried he might do some long term damage. Nigel was suffering with heavy legs. Nigel a whole is a marathon runner who can run easily between 2.16 & 2.19 on the right day. Today wasn't his day.
My target of getting under 2.20 was going to be close as we passed the half way point in a time which would have given us 2.20.
From then on it was me, long stretches of road, humidity and smart arse kids running beside me shouting, Tempo, Tempo, Tempo.
Around 18 miles I passed the 2.15 Romanian who was going to help Nigel with the pacing. He was just about jogging. The Ruski just in front was just the same. They had paid the price.
Blister problems arose on the last five miles in, but I tried to take my mind off that and try to keep the tempo going which is hard on your own with no one to run with or having the luxury of a lead car there.
A mile or so from the finish I was passed by a Hungarian? and a Polish runner. I didn't want to look at my watch. I just wanted to believe I was 2.20 or near that mark. I was actually 2.25.55.
My first thought's were I let down UKA and Martin Rush who did all he could, and my coach Dennis Quinlan who planned a meticulous training program for this race. So I decided to polish off that can of Slovakian premium lager which we all got in our 'goodie bags'. It took a while to reach out for it out from the cupboard as I was quite stiff.
A little later, I was right as ninepence.
Nigel Leighton didn't want to DNF for GB so stuck it out to the end, and finished 2.48. Good for him for sticking it out for the team.
Holly May who's Martin's partner had the best run of us three. She came to finish second with 2.41ish to beat the over confident Ruski. She got a nice trophy and nice pay day aswell.

It's pot luck with getting the marathon right. I still feel fitness wise I can do it. I will have to work on the belief more to make it work.

I enjoyed Kosice Marathon very much and representing GB again was a very proud moment for me. ....and the Slovakian crumpet was rather nice on the eye too. I can tell you this, I wouldn't mind being used as a meal ticket for the right one...strickly speaking only.

Hmm, nice report if I say so myself...