urban attack

The good:
So many of the core OCR runners were hear, it was great chatting and hanging out with the elite runners from Inov8, Obstacle Kit, Muddy Kit and RPC, and also a huge amount of the usual faces from mudstacle, muddyraces, muddyducks.

I was shamelessly cheesy and went over and say hi to Tim 'Livewire' Shieff. I've saw him a few years back winning the World free running championships and follow the incredible stuff he puts on youtube. He's one of my stepson's heros too, so it was realy cool to go over and chat with him and find out his role captaining the european Ninja Warrior Team. SUCH a nice bloke! It was awesome watching him and his team at the event playing on the monkey bars and obstacles.

Again, another moment to curl your toes at, but i went over to ex ITV Gladiators Hunter and Panther and got a photo with them and got chatting about OCR and some how onto my tattoos and scarification work. Was very funny lifting my race vest to show those 2 my ink, scars, and podgy belly. Again, really nice people who where a pleasure to meet.

I loved racing on the BMX track this was so unusual and hard to get the right pace and stride length sorted, the monkey bars where the perfect distance, small rungs and very stable.
You couldn't beat the facilities, showers, clean toilets, hot food, good coffee, plenty of seating to watch the action, huge free carpark, supermarket with walking distance.

The concept is great too, we have all watched the military videos of the head to head obstacle racing ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMUIJmHCMjA ) and would love to have a go. This event looked like it was going to be somewhere close to this.

The Bad
The obstacles were just too narrow, the overhang wall would only fit three people on at a real push, there were lots of flying feet, near misses and queueing! This obstacle needed to be much wider. Same deal with the haybales although it was single file here due to the bottle neck cuased by the overhang.

There wasn't enough obstacles either, there was plenty of space for pipe crawls, cargo climbs, extra walls.

some of the waves in the mens race had 30+ runners, this was way too many caused massive bottlenecks in a 'sprint' environment.

The lack of communication was very frustrating, things started late, no one knew what races where happening, the format of the races. This made it very difficult to time eating and warming up. There just seeming to be no sense of a plan.

Too much time and effort had gone into, too much padding, no one really cared about having Ex-Gladiators, Strongmen, Tug-of-war, Cheerleaders, and XFactor singers. They just made it into a very long day.

One of the things I LOVE about OCR is its accessibility, anyone, with any level of fitness can partake, However this event had really only appealed to the superfast and to the OCR addicts, which is a real shame.

The Ugly
So much waiting around just wanting to know what is happening, when are the next races?
I never heard booing at race before, or cries for people to be disqualified, but this is what happened. With out briefings and clear course rules there were competitors that made false starts, competitors that ran through the safety padding rather than attempt the monkey bars. time penalties were put in later on for monkey bar failures.

With a large pot of money on the table people's aggression seemed to come out, flailing elbows and arms from the startling made some unpleasant viewing, but this would have been suppressed if the waves were smaller and more space given on the starting line.

Recommendations
Smaller waves is a must in a sprint environment like this you can't have more than a single row of people on the start line.

Qualifying and seeded, knockout waves.

Use timing chips and mats at the start and finish, open up the course for 2 hours to all the competitors, and have F1 style qualifying, where you can make as many practice runs as you like in those 2 hours.

Then waves of 10 runners:
1 from the top 10% time
1 from the 11-20% time

This creates waves of mixed ability allowing all the fast runners to make their way through to the next rounds

the top 50% of each wave make it through until you get your final 10 athletes.

This works as even if you are knocked out in the first round, you have had 2 hours playing on the course and 1 competitive round.

Obstacles MUST be completed, if you fall you go back to the beginning of the obstacle. and try again.

Race Review - The Derby Runner XC League - Race1 Markfield - 16th Nov 2014

Cross country racing is bloody hard work, but great fun, so I decided to come back for this years Derby Runner league I buddied up and car shared to the event which always helps with parking and is a nice relaxed way to prepare for the day's racing. I love the simplicity XC racing as long as your UK Athletics running club is registered in that league, you can just rock up at an event and race. No timing chips, no race numbers. Racing in it's simplest form.

After a catch up with other runners, a quick warmup and stretch we all gathered at the start area. After some cursing about peoples parking and entrance blocking from the race director also asked if there where any ladies in the crowd, as the ladies race was to start 10 minutes later. After lots of high pitched 'No, I'm a man', and 'I heard him say Jehovah', and people questioning if my my beard was real the race was under way. I was still laughing at the impromptu Monty Python sketch as we ran round the school fields jostling for position and finding the right pace.

It was a very popular race with around 600 runners it was pretty busy for the first couple of kilometres, i was getting a little frustrated at being hemmed in so much, so at the bottom of one of the hills I pushed hard past 5 or 6 runners and into a clearer path. It never thinned out completly and I was always either fighting off another runner or pressing hard to catch the next runner in my sights. I felt pretty strong and was certainly making progress through the field, I would still drop the odd place too but that was okay.

A few frustrations with queues for styles, narrow slippery bridges were a bit of a pain, but also gave me a few moments to get my breath back and rest a little. The course was beautiful running through fields, mud and compacted trails. The greatest moment was a 800m downhill run through dense woodland on a single track path. This was fast with plenty of turns, fallen trees to leap, and branches to dodge. Being so close to the surrounding trees, made you feel like you where running even faster. At one point I even overtook a Stormtrooper (scout) on his scouter bike i was going so fast.

http://www.derbyrunnerleague.com/



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Race Review - Adidas 24 Hour Thunder Run - 26th - 27th July 2014

I arrived on site around 9am, and found our pitch with ease thanks to the huge 'DERWENT RUNNERS' flag waving in the wind. I took 3 seconds to pitch my tent but a bit longer to drag all the crap I brought with me over to the tent. I'm only away for one night but i still manage to bring a whole months worth of 'stuff I'll need'. Once I was set up I put the camping kettle on and made myself and team mate a coffee and waited for the rest of the team to rock up. It should have been a team of 8 but a couple of last minute drop-outs put us in a team of 6.

The rest of the team slowly arrived with 2 of the Team having stopped on the way to sneak in a quick 5K run at the local Parkrun! Nutters! With the team now all assembled we sat out, in the baking sun, on camping chairs, chatting about the running order and tactics. It was a wonderful atmosphere chatting about running with the team and neighbouring campers. As we got closer to the 12pm gun time our first runner got into his gear and we all pottered to the start line to cheer him off, and scope out the transfer area. I was running the 5th leg and by the time it got round to me settling off we where averaging about 1 lap every hour.

Lap 1 - 4pm (49m16s)
It was baking hot when Matt came bounding round the corner, crossed the line and passed on the orange arm band baton, I set off at half decent pace and was cheered on by the teams and supporters who had camped right on the edge of the course. This added so much to the race, such an amazing feeling to have the course go straight through the middle of the camp site. Fellow runners and teams shouting encouragement and support right from the 'go'. The course is a stunning trail run, lots of hills, wooded sections, field sections and even some compacted gravel trails.

I've struggled with a niggle in my knee for a few years and this is always compounded when I run more than once in a day. So I overly concerned about this and didn't put in 100% effort in lap 1 instead I dialled it back to about 75% and just had a great time taking in the scenery and saying hello to all the marshals and congratulating every runner I passed, especially those brave enough to take on the 24 hour solo challenge! I was happy with a sub 50 lap and was even happier to Liz waiting in the transfer area, keen to get her run under way. with the baton snapped to her wrist she set off, and I headed back to camp to compare note with the rest of the team.

I didn't bother with any sleep in this slot between laps, instead i cooked some beans and chatted with the team and went out to cheer them off. The day was starting to cool down nicely and with an hour to go before my second lap I did some final stretches, checked my head torch and generally pottered about with a slight nervous energy.

Lap 2 - 10pm (1h05m53s)
I grabbed MORT (Mudstacle Obstacle Racing Tyre) and headed off to the transfer area to wait for Matt. There were quite a few 'Are you running with a tyre?' comments, and 'Why are you running with a tyre?'. Simple answers are yes, and I want to get better at 'carry' obstacles at races so this is great training for me. As Matt swept round the final corner he spotted me and the tyre snapped the baton on my arm and I was off. Running with a car tyre is pretty hard work on the shoulders but it is amazing training, It get sore and uncomfortable so i had to swap it from shoulder to shoulder and occasionally carry down my my hip. The wooded, tree root strewn sections at night where amazing. It took a huge amount of focus and rapid adjustments so get through safely. I love trail running and I think I love it even more at night.

The added weight of the tyre became a real burden at the 7km mark and hills forced me to a walking pace. Even though it was almost 11pm the heat was stifling and exhausting, the final push in the final kilometre was a really slog. But it was great to pass on the baton, drop the tyre, and roll her back to camp. I sat with the team back at camp as we chatted under the stars and glowing camp light for a while discussing all manor of random stories and adventures. I managed to get a couple of hours sleep in before my next lap but there was so much movement and noise through the camp site with people returning and setting off it wasn't the greatest sleep.

Lap 3 - 4am (58m07s)
The sky was turning a dark blue when I headed off the the transfer area, and I was hopeful of seeing a sunrise in my third lap. We had a few down pours in the early ours and it was still lightly raining as Matt swung around the final corner. Luckily he spotted me as all I could see was blinding head torches. I set off into the drizzle with my body still feeling broken from carrying the tyre and not enough rest. But it was good fun to be out on the trails again. The hills still hurt but it was balanced by hearing the birds singing their dawn chorus in the wooded sections and the delicate dark blue skys when out in the open sections. This was such a beautiful time of day to run. I didn't catch the sunrise but skies were stunning. I could of happily plodded out a second lap, but I had to pass the baton on to my awaiting team mate.

back at camp, team mates were milling around still and chatting. I was exhausted so had a catchup and some food before getting a few hours kip.

Lap 4 - 10am (51m00s)
I was up and about with a few hours to spare for this one as the sun was up and baking, everyone was chatting around the camp, so I joined in and had some breakfast. We had slightly fallen below the 1 hour average per lap, but were still on target for 24 laps which meant allthe runners will run 4 laps, which equates to a distance just shy of a marathon for us all (apart from the parkrunners!).

I left the transfer area around 10:30am which meant I had just under 90 minutes to get round before the cut off and let Liz complete her final lap. I felt pretty strong and freash for this lap and was running well. I walked for a while with a mate who was on his 16th lap in the solo category. He was hurting but in great spirits, and still managing to break into a jog. I had some Cliff Bloks with me which helped keep up the energy levels, and I managed to run the entire course apart from choosing to walk to chat with fellow runners and walkers. When I got to the final hill, which was quickly named 'PARTY HILL' as lots of people gathered here to cheer on the runners, and push them into a run up the final hill. I sprinted up the hill for the crowds and nearly coughed up a lung when I was safely out of sight. I mad it round in just over 50 minutes which allowed Liz to run her final lap. The team gathered on party hill and cheered all the runners as they came past. When Liz came into sight we all joined her for the final 500 metres and crossed the line as a team.

This is an amazing event, and incredible course, with an amazing atmosphere, facilities and organisation. I can't wait to come back ad do this again. The team I was in was great fun and never missed a transition. It was very funny watching runners come in, and not be able to see their next runner. Shouting their name became increasingly funny when other runners joined in the calls. My favourite moment was in the night time transfer and a runner came in shouting
"DAVE"
"DAVE"
Dave replied: "STEVE"
Steve: "Dave"
They were homing in on each other voices through the dark.
Dave: "Steve"
Steve: "Dave"
and then someone in the crowded darkness shouted
"I Love you"

This moment summed up the event for me. Light hearted fun with some serious running in between.

Race Review - Long Eaton 5 Mile - 20th July 2014

Due to this race being the optimum distance from my house and at the optimum time, I was able to have a great cycle ride through quite roads, disused train lines, and canal tow paths.

I arrived with plenty of time to lock up my bike pick up my race pack and get changed. The ever ubiquitous and helpful Derby Runner stall, or was it Nottingham Runner? Seeing as we are in the contested zone, with Nottinghamshire Postcodes, and Nottinghamshire phone numbers. But I guess we are on the Derbyshire side of the river Erewash so it must have been The Derby Runner!

Right that's this weeks geography lesson out the way, time for PE! I pottered about saying hello to the usual faces at local races and lined up near the start. Just before the gun went my sister told me to keep right and take the racing line on the first bend. Huh? Last week I was buying trainers because they match my socks and now my sister is talking race tactics for the starting pistol? Next thing you know I'll be doing my nails and she'll be growing a beard! I took her advice and went off like a scolded cat and kept the inside track into the first corner.

This was going to be a fast race and I was happy to be near the front of the pack and just settle into a steadying pace. The 16km cycle ride to this race hadn't effected my energy levels but had worked my leg muscles hard. So it was odd for my legs to be hurting this early on in a race. But this was a new challenge and I was quite enjoying it. As we exited the park and onto the streets of Long Eaton, the marshals were out in full force giving great encouragement and direction. The hardest part of this course were the 2 canal crossings on the road. These were small but sharp hills that really disrupted my pace and energy.

Once back in the park for the final kilometre I pushed on to try and keep a fellow runner off my shoulder and really opened up the pace on the final stretch to romp home in 33:09. I don't run 5 mile races very often, but this is the second 5 miler in a couple of months and it is a great distance. next time I'm aiming to get under 33 minutes!

This was a really well organised race, with plenty of marshals, a great goody bag with a pair of running socks, and even a barrel of real ale in the hall for a post race celebrator cup of beer!

Thanks to Nicola for the photo!

http://www.longeatonrunningclub.com/
http://www.derbyrunner.com
http://www.nottinghamrunner.com/

Strava:

Race Review - Tara Kinder Memorial 10km - 18th July 2014

It was going to be another HOT evening of racing.

The car park was almost full when we arrived and when we finally found a spot and paid for a parking ticket I left the other half and little 'un to go grab my timing chip and meet up with the rest of the team, have a quick warm up and stretch before heading towards the start line. I was feeling I little more confident this year and stood half a dozen rows back from the start line.

As the gun went it was a mix of runners and I tried to get out in front of as many as possible, slowly working my way through the pack. It was a good pace and after the first 500 metres I settled down at the back of a pack of runners. The pack was moving well and not thinning down and I hung on to the back of this mini peleton for the first 1500 meters. I soon realised looking around the class of the runners in this pack. I started recognising runners from Parkrun who beat me by a good 3 or 4 minutes. Faces I recognise from Facebook with their 'Just won this race' or post photos of their Garmins (which I always assume are Photoshoped to show such rapid pace). If didn't take long for me to get dropped off the back. But it was great running for 15% of the course with the super whippets.

As I watched the whippeleton cruise away, I carried on with my grinding away, I was slowly being overtaken by other runners, but I knew I had gone out too fast, as always, and would suffer for the rest of the course. Still, it was a beautiful evening in a beautiful park and the marshals and supporters were out in force cheering all the runners on. The first lap was a killer and it was hard not to quit after one lap. But I took on some water and continued on to the 2nd lap.

The second lap was a simple case of keeping my head down and slogging through the heat telling myself I was saving something for the final lap. I was still slowly dropping places, but keeping them in my sights for longer. Was nice to see the family on the second lap and managed to offload my sunglasses as I ran past. As I hit the water station for the second time and started the third lap I was struggling.

The third lap was slightly easier than the second. I now know that I'm on the home straight with only 3 and a bit kilometres to go. The heat has only got worse and I'm struggling with energy levels, but a few mini races with other runners keeps me focused and keeps up my pace. As I get inside the final kilometre I try and increase the pace and maintain my position and start my final push with 200 metres to go. It was a hot and heavy final 200 metres but I managed to keep any runners from beating me in this final stretch.

Things went a bit dizzy once I had finished and crossed the line, so I rested under a large tree in the shade until I felt steady enough to make my way to the water table and collect my t-shirt. A really great race that raises a lot of money for a great charity and cause.

Thanks to Robert Lane for the photo

http://www.tarakinder10k.co.uk/
http://www.derbyrunner.com/

Srava:

Race Review - Crich monument Race - 12th July 2014

This is my second year running at Crich Monument race, so I knew what to expect, and with the weather similar to last year, it was all about the hills and the heat.

Today was my sister's birthday so we headed down to Parkrun in the morning for a nice 5km run with coffee and cola afterwards. A few of the Parkrun regulars were heading up to Crich in the afternoon so there was a nice buzz around the Darley Park cafe in anticipation of the afternoon's main event.

After a light lunch at home and some time to chill out and drink lots of water we headed up to Crich, it was a well attended event with a busy car park and lots of runners and fete goers milling around the streets. We mustered at the start line and awaited the vuvuzela to start the race. From the gun it was a steady up hill climbing out of the village I made may way through a few people but found a steady pack to run with. Once through a few styles and fields the route started its epic descent.

I could run for hours like this. Fast, twisting single track paths with rocks, tree stumps, shrubbery and patches of mud to negotiate. It was stunningly beautiful, very little room for overtaking but the small pack of about 5 or 6 runners were all running at the same flowing pace. It was great fun picking a path when you are right on the shoulder of the runner in front. You have to trust them to make good decisions and keep the pace, because if they suddenly stop or stumble I wont have time to stop myself. Once the excitement of the downhill section abated it was on the long drag of the tow path.

On any other race, this scenic, bridge strew, tow path would be a delight to run on, but today this is the dull drag part of the race, sandwiched between the opening thrill ride descent, and the closing cardiac climbs. Today the flat run didn't seem to long. Probably because I was managing to keep a good pace and take a few positions too. This was great racing, really enjoyable watching the runners exchanging positions and pressing hard to try keep the positions they had worked so hard to get.

Now it gets very serious. Up and over the canal bridge and we are on the way up. A few jokes between runners as we face the first woodland hill climb. It's hard, and the legs are really feeling the pressure, lots of runners are now swapping between running and walking, but never stopping. As the woodland ends and the course opens up onto a grassy hill, and I'm forced to walk. Walking is just as quick as running, and slightly less energy sapping. It's a long demoralising climb, but rewarded with a short downhill burst on the tarmac road. A generous and welcoming home owner stands at the foot of their garden with their hosepipe spraying runners with a cooling shower. This marks the final water station and the final big climb up to the monument its self.

This final uphill slog on a narrow well walked path, flanked on both side with tall grass is tough, but keeping my sights on the giant beacon, as it comes closer and more impressive. Once at the monument I am safe in the knowledge that it is about 1km of downhill and flat roads, fields and churchyards to the finish. I open up my legs and start picking up some speed. I thought I was running pretty quick until a Parkrunner I recognised came blistering down the road at full tilt. I managed to reel him back in on the flat ground and sneaked past him at the churchyard after a little confusion with a gate. Marshals were thick on the ground now, making sure no one takes a wrong turn in the final 800 meters. I still have some energy left and press hard. I'm not going to catch anyone infront of me but I make gain a few seconds on the clock.

I cross the line and feel amazing. What a great race, what an amazing place to finish, right in the middle of a village fete. I take a couple of minutes in the shade to look through the goody bag, with a very tasty beer inside, and a few vouchers, and a bonus t-shirt and extra beer for 'best beard of the day'. I grab some water and then wonder back on to the course to keep a marshal company and cheer on the rest of the runners and wait for Rob and my sister to finish.

Thanks to Dean W's other half for the photo!

http://crichmonumentrace.co.uk/

Race Review - Colin Potter 10km - 4th July 2014

When I arrived at Haslams Rugby club it was a bit drizzly so i kept my winter coat on and wondered over to registration and to chat with my team mates. There was a lot of runners from Team Derby Runner and also a lot of supporters who were not running through injury or because they were marshalling. We hid from the rain in the Team Derby Runner tent / shop / team HQ. This was a bad idea as I purchased a new pair of running shoes! But they were on sale and they did match my socks. OH MY GOD! I've turned into my sister, impulse shoe buying based on what colour my socks are! I did 'need' a new pair of road running shoes as my current pair are giving me blisters and really sore feet.

So once I had stashed my new trainers and coat in the car I hung around the start line, usually I hang about the middle of the pack I fight my way through the runners at the start of the race. But today I was feeling a little more confident and parked myself about 5 or 6 rows back from the from and happily chatted away to other runners.

The gun went and I went off at my usual 'run as fast as you can to avoid bottle necks at the first obstacle' tactic kicked. I always do this even though it's not an obstacle race! But it does help being nearer the front on road races to help negotiate the opening twists and turns and getting past slower runners. I was pushing pretty hard and the pack thinned out pretty quick, I was running along side a few other runners as we hit the first hill. A short steep little blighter, and having a couple of other runners by my side forced me to maintain the pace. The course drifted through the hills of the park and I was feeling fast and strong. Even a few switch back turns didn't slow me down.

The course takes the river path and flattens out nicely, my paces seems to be hold quite well as we cross the bridge and head back towards the park. Once inside the park and on the beautiful tree lined avenue the surface is a little slippery from the race and you can just feel a slight amount of give on every stride. It's nothing big just a slight distraction. As we reach the half way point and the water station I spot my sister marshalling and go to take water from her, but she ends up grabbing an extra cup and throwing right in my faces. She 'helpfully' passes me the other cup and I take a few sips and continue onto the second lap.

I checked my watch and my pace was an average 4:05 minute kilometres. I was pretty stoked and surprised I was running at this pace, but also meant I was getting close to my elusive sub 40 minute 10 kilometre time. The second lap was tougher and 5 or 6 runners came past me on the hilly sections but I managed to keep them in my sights and carry on pushing hard. One moment of note on the second lap was on the river section were a small group of local youths were giving runners a bit of verbal, it was a little unpleasant, and if I hadn't been running quite so well I may stopped and given them a stern talking to!

Anyway local chavs aside, the second half of the second lap was grueling I was gaining on another runner and managed to nudge ahead as we entered the park, he picked up his pace as I took the lead and pushed me in the final 2 kilometres to keep up a decent pace. Now determined to keep my slender lead I started to empty the tank on the final avenue, and dropped the hammer as we entered the rugby field. It was a noisy final 200 meters with Wimbledon-esq grunts and a few 'come on' outbursts. I was stoked to keep my slim lead, stopped my watch, and then turned to shake hands with my fellow runner who pushed me to keep up the fast pace.

It took me a while to work out how to recall the stats on the fancy watch but was over the moon to get a 41:50 time. A personal best by about 45 seconds on wet and hilly course. I had a great race, on a great course with fun encouraging marshals. Can't wait for my next race and try and shave off a few more seconds!

http://colinpotter10k.com/

Race Review - Little Eaton 5 - 29th June 2014

I couldn't turn down a 5 mile run in my home village were I was brought up. I turned up and painlessly registered and stood around chatting to the fellow members of Team Derby Runner and other local runners. I also ran into my Strave.com Nemesis! He is always smashing my course records and stealing my 'First' positions. But he does make me go out and try and beat him too, so it s good healthy competition!

We all line up for the start of the race and it is a wonderful relaxed environment with people still chatting and the marshal giving friendly pointers to look out for on the course, once the briefing has ended there is a short countdown from 5 and we start our run. I comfortably sitting in the top 10 as we round the first corner. I know the village very well and happily maintain a steady pace up the first small hill. I'm running a decent pace and its a beautiful day. After about half a mile of flat running we hit the big hill of the race at as the tarmac ends and we hit the trails I catch up with a runner who is struggling with the hill and breaks into a walk. I manage to keep up a steady jog and pass him. He then picks up his pace to run and comes past me. We exchange positions like this half a dozen times, but a steady pace wins on this occasion and I stay ahead of him as the trail flattens out and moves onto pasture land.

I picked up another position here through the long grass and was now sitting in 4th position after a couple of fast downhill runs through the grasses I end up back on the road and can hear another runner close by on my shoulder. As we reached the half way point and water station I stop for a cup of water. My shadow overtakes me and I end
up about 5 meters behind him once I restart running. The course is once again on beautiful rolling hills, footpaths and some beautiful rustic bridges over streams and brooks. It is such a beautiful run, which is a great distraction from my burning lungs and aching legs.

As I climb the last hill another runner sneaks past me, knocking me back into 6th position, we have a cheerful exchange of banter and he even holds the gate open for me. I know this is only a village run, but it is wonderful when runners are good honest, people, out to enjoy themselves, and at the same time as being competitive. I try to not lose any distance now that we are on the long final downhill section. Its not until the course flattened out and went on a lap around Little Eaton park that I was with a few meters of the man ahead of me. His family were cheering him on loudly and insisting they he doesn't let me overtake him. I'd love to say that I backed off, generously, to allow him to shine in front of his family, but in all honesty I just couldn't match his finishing pace and watched him cross the line a couple of seconds ahead of me.

We shook hands afterwards and I sat and watched the rest of my team mates and friends cross the line. This is a great race with a very challenging course. Very well marshalled by Little Eaton Hornets Bravo team, Bravo!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Eaton-Hornets-Running-Club

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Race Review - Belper Harriers Derwent River Relays - 28th June 2014

I love the fact that i can see part of this course from my front room. This was a truly unmissable race for me, and was stoked when Team Derby Runner put in 2 teams for this one. Because this race is very civilised, one has time for a hearty breakfast, a Parkrun, a healthy lunch, and still have time for a little light gardening before things kick off at 2:30pm.

I wondered over the road, met up with the team and pottered around chatting and generally larking about before the race. I was given the task of bringing our male vets team home and running the 4th and final leg of the 4 x 5000m relay. We watched the leg 1 runners head off, some practically leaving burn marks on the rugby field as they scotched off the line. Those of us not in the first couple of legs continued our chatting and glanced at our watches as the first runners came back onto the field for the hand overs. Knowing looks and appreciation of those whippets charging in, clocking up 15/16 minute times where made around the watching runners along with rapturous applause and cheering.

Once our third leg runner had been out 10 minutes or so I waited at the hand over area, eagerly awaiting the sight of the blue and white vest of Team Derby Runner. As he he came running round the final bend running strongly, the marshal readied me, and held his arm across the line. As Wesley crossed the line, the marshal instructed me to "go", and I headed off for a pacey lap of the rugby fields.

The lap round the rugby fields was a nice flat warm up, before getting a little more rural, as the course went behind the local supermarket on to open meadow meadow land were the long grasses whipped your legs as you ran past, passing was a bit tricky due to the narrow paths cut out by hundreds of dog walkers over the years. It was a pleasant run, and I was pushing myself to try and keep up a 4 minute, kilometre pace. The run is great taking in heart of Belpers sporting heritage, passing the Belper Meadows cricket club, Belper Hockey club, Belper Meadows Tennis Club, and Belper Town Football club. A quick run on the roads before a sharp turn back on the trails.

This route takes me on my regular training run route, I love it, running along side the beautiful river Derwent, lined with a huge variety of trees and bushes, the paths are flat and well maintained. You can here the crowds an
d runners on the other side of the river as you pass the rugby club. Wonderful marshals hold open a kissing gate that would have been a real pain to navigate, and brought all the runners to a complete stop. A quick jog up some steps and i'm running over the river bridge that usual signifies the start of my warm down and trot back to my front door. But I have to keep up the pace and keep pushing all the back to the Rugby club.

I overtake a runner as I enter the finishing area and try to put on a sprint finish for my team mates. I cross the line, stop my watch, and try to recover, the marshalls at the finsh direct me to water, bananas and a cup cake! once i've inhaled the gorgeous little spongy delicacy and taken on some water, i look down and see my time was 19:50. YES. My first sub 20 minute 5km and on a tricky mixed terrain course with styles, steps, sharp corners. But on closer inspection my GPS recorded the course a little under 5km and my pace was 4:05 minute kilometres. I am still really happy with my speed and couldn't have run any harder on the day, so i'm super happy with my result.

Hats off to Belper Harriers for putting on such a great event!
https://belperharriers.wordpress.com

Race Review - Hairy Helmet - 20th June 2014

The Hairy Helmet Real Ale Realy. Is one of my favourite summer races, it brings together the local running community from the super quick club runners, to the marathon runners, to the obstacle course runners, fell runners, Parkrun'rs, fun runners, and every type In-between.

The format is a simple 4 x '2 and a bit mile' relay you enter your team of 4 and you each complete a lap, passing over the timing baton at the Start/Finish line. It's a great format that is incredibly inclusive and friendly. Most runners bring their families and friends down, as there is always a BBQ, beer and someone to cheer on.

I had managed to get on two teams this year, one for my family and one for my running club, Team Derby Runner, after injury stopped one of the TDR runners competing. But my mate tried to enter to late and couldn't get his team in. So he took my spot in my family team at the last minute.

So I was now just running the third leg, for my TDR team, I watch my teams mates and friends set off in wave 1 and and took some time to do a little stretching and taking on water and then went over with my stepson to the change over area, and stood in wait to watch him set off. Once Izaak had gone out of site I joined the melee of waiting running craning their neck to spot their team-mate come round the corner.

I was lucky as my team mate has a shock of bright red hair, Rob rounded the corner looking focused and running well. I shout and wave to help guide him into the change over area, I start to jog away as Ron Weasley firmly puts the baton in my hand just before I cross the line and start my lap. I latch on to two club runners from Sinfin and Heanor, who are setting a really good pace and we battle together swapping position almost constantly for the first mile. This first mile has all the uphill sections and you start to feel that rancid metallic taste in your mouth as you try to maintain the pace up the steeper sections. I manage to pull away on the downhill section but the enthusiasm and increased speed is short lived. As we hit the flatter final mile one of the guys pulls away a 20 meter advantage, and I don't have the legs or lungs to bridge the gap.

As I enter the meadow area of the park you can see the finish line and have about 800m left to run. The crowds and marshals are incredibly supportive and encouraging. With only 400m to go I try to step up the pace and empty the tank and gain an extra few seconds, I spot Jordan in the sea of runners, waiting for the baton in their hand. I pass the baton on and watch Jordon smoothly run off at a blistering pace. I duck under the course tape and bent double try and regain my vision, breathing and stability. This isn't a short race, isn't a medium distance, definitely not a long race.

The distance of this race, means you can't sprint it all, but you have to taste blood in your mouth, running much faster than you would like to, and right on the edge of vomiting. But it is over pretty quickly and the atmosphere and event is outstanding, an amazing BBQ and a free beer for every entrant. After my run I chilled with the family and friends, and spent another hour eating hot dogs, drinking the splendid beer and chatting to lots of other runners who are passionate about the local running community.

Huge thanks to the teams involved

Website: http://www.hairyhelmetrelay.co.uk/
Organisers: http://www.derwentrunners.co.uk/
Beer: http://www.derventiobrewery.co.uk/
My Team: http://www.derbyrunner.com/

Race Review - Ramathon Half Marathon - 8th June 2014

This was the first half marathon I was going to race, I had ran a half marathon before, but that was just to keep my sister company on her first marathon. Now that she is a seasoned marathon and half marathon runner she doesn't need me to keep her company, so I was going to try and put in a decent time today.

My pre-race preparation went completely to the dogs when I woke up an hour later than I wanted and only had 55 minutes to get to the start line. Kit on, breakfast scoffed, kit bag grabbed, half arsed roll on the foam roller. 45 minutes to get to start line. Drive to the event village, and find the road already closed. 20 minutes to get to the start line. Sod it, I knew the race didn't start until 10 am and no runners would be out, so I sneakily moved the cones and went through the closed road. The car behind me did the same and kindly replaced the cones. Parked up and headed to the Derby Runner tent to pick up my race number. 12 minutes to get to the start line. I spot a fellow Team Derby Runner,
"Hey dude, where is the team tent?"
"Over by the finish line, 5 minute walk that way"
"Cheers, good luck in the race"

I start running against the oncoming runners and spectators heading for the starting pens, get to the team tent drop my bag off and our Team Captain is standing there with my race number in hand and 4 safety pins already opened, primed and ready for pinning to my vest. 8 minutes to get to the start line. time for a couple of jokes about making my way through the back markers, and pre race nerves,
"which way are the loos?"
"Just round the corner mate, you've got plenty of time"
4 minutes to get to the start line. After a quick stop off at the loo, it was a gentle jog back towards the starting pens.

I scan the pens looking for my sister to let her know I was here when fellow Team Derby runner Rob yelled me over. 45 seconds before the race was due to start at 10am. I vault the pen barrier and join Rob for some friendly "what time do you call this" banter. I need those 45 seconds to attach my racing chip and for my watch to find a GPS satellite signal. The race started about a minute late which was a bonus as my watch takes a while to get a signal, and my watch, like me, wasn't to be rushed and waited until we were moving towards the starting mat before pinging success and letting me start the clock on today's race.

I go out steady still chatting to Rob about pace and tactics for the next 13.1 miles, and the tactic was simple, run every mile in roughly 7 minutes and 30 seconds. We both had fancy enough watches that displayed our pace, all though mine was set to kilometres rather than miles so i was aiming for around 4 minutes and 30 seconds for each kilometre. This is how the first 5 miles went, chatting about running previous races, and the pace was steady and we were having a jolly good time. Rob's hip hurt around the 5 mile mark and indicated his chattiness would decline. This was fine by me and I happily looked around fields and trees and we progressed. We soon noticed we where catching up with runners we had started near, but our pace was still steady.

Rob's steady pace tactic was paying off, we reached the half way marker and Rob pointed out "This is where the race starts" and he was right we were still fairly comfortable and picking off runners who had gone out a bit quick, and were now suffering in the heat and struggling to maintain their earlier pace. I always burn off the start line at races and then just keep going through the pain and slow down towards the end. This works Okay at Parkrun, which is only 5km, and even in obstacle races where I can get a slight rest on the obstacles, but in a half marathon pacing is a genius tactic!

I'm taking a cube of energy from my 'Cliff Blok' every even numbered mile marker and my energy levels feel Okay. At mile 8 my legs feel Okay and my ITB hasn't flared at all, this is going pretty well. when Mile 9 hits I am starting to struggle. 10 miles is a long race for me, 10 kilometres is my regular race distance and training distance, so I'm now in unknown territory. I'm now struggling to stay on Robs shoulder, negative thoughts start to creep in, overwhelming desire to slow up and even walk come to mind. I know that if Rob pulled away 5 or 10 metres I would drop my pace and never catch up again. At this point Rob lets me know;
"Don't let me slow you down, go for it if you like"
"I wish, I'm struggling to keep up"

So Rob must be feeling the pain too, but we keep our steady pace going, picking off another runner every half mile or so. This is keeping me motivated, we are still 'racing', we are still gaining places, moving up leader board, little by little. We only have about 5km to go. "Just a Parkrun to go". The scenery is very familiar now we are definitely on the way back to the event village, the crowds are getting bigger and we both skipped refreshments at the final water station.

At the 12 mile marker, all I could tell myself was "only 10 more minutes, then you can stop". We had discussed picking up the pace for the final mile, but that was a long time ago, the heat, the exhaustion was kicking in. entrenched in our pace, we couldn't go any faster. However we were still nicking a final few positions. The marshals were increasingly supportive and formative of how far until the finish. My replies, and thanks to the marshals were less cheery and a little more than a grimace and raised thumb. We hit the 400 metres to go marker earlier than I expected and tried to push for a fast finish. With 3 or 4 paces it was clear i wouldn't keep up that speed for 400 metres so dropped back to the usual pace and waited until i could see the finish line before dropping the hammer and emptying, what little was left in, the tank. There was three people between me and the finish line, Rob and 2 other runners. I started my finale and pulled past Rob, encouraging him to make these final 2 runners with me. He stepped it up and a glance over my shoulder saw him take them both following me over the line a single second after me.

HUGE thanks to Rob for dragging me round at a steady pace, my usual method of burning off the start line and holding on for as long as possible would not have working at this distance and in these conditions. HUGE thanks to the other Rob, captain of Team Derby Runner for having safety pins and race number ready for me.
HUGE thanks to all the marshals and race directors for putting such a great event.
HUGE thanks to all the members of Team Derby Runner for there support and advise over the years i've been running with them,
HUGE thanks to the bacon butty stand. Amazingly simple. One massive hot plate of bacon and a stack of bread rolls. No choices, no options, no thought needed. Walk up say "Yes please" and swap £2.50 for a bacon butty. You need simple choice-less,  quick, delicious, food when you could quite happily eat anything at this point.

Time: 01:39:00
Position: 177th

Equipment - Vest - Gul 1.5 Neoprene Flatlock Vest

I wanted to test my new vest out prior to Rat Race's Dirty Weekend, with the weather looking wet on the Saturday and a large amount of water obstacles. Even though the weather today is a mixture of cloudiness and sunshine and around the 15° Celsius mark, it was a good time to see how the vest was in milder conditions, just in case the weather people made a mistake.

Sucking in the belly

I followed the sizing chart on Gul's website and Amazon's and went for the small vest. As for neoprene to work in cold temperatures it need to be snug to the skin. It does fit rather too snugly, now regretting eating an entire 200g bag of midget gems last night. 

Once I had squeezing my self in I set off for one of my usual lunch time routes around the local hills.

http://www.strava.com/activities/138488067

After a about 2 / 2.5 kilometers the sweat started to build up on the chest and back and wasn't uncomfortable, but you were certainly aware of tightness and clinging sweat. My run takes in a few steep hills and the vest didn't feel any worse when putting in more effort, and its is perfectly flexible when pumping the arms, vaulting gates, and styles. The most noticable discomfort is when the sun was shining on my back, these seemed to heat exacerbate the heat, and it had that strange, warm, unpleasant feeling, like when you're in a car with heated seats or an electric blanket turned up to high. I can see this vest being great in colder conditions and with water submissions.

Once back from the run it was fairly easy to pull off with all the added sweaty lubricant, it felt great to be out of the vest and took another 15 mins sitting topless before I had cooled back down to normal.

I'll take it with me to Dirty weekend, and if its cold or raining, or both and wear it under my Mudstacle running vest. otherwise I'll save it for colder race days or rainy training.

Race Review - Judgement Day - 26th April 2014

Moments

With judgement day being well reviewed and written about I thought I would just write about those tiny
moments that make a race, that make you smile when you remember, days, weeks, and even years later.

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/04/judgement-day-review-believed-hype-done.html

Flipping tyres
One of the task sections of the race was flipping tractor tyres from one post to another, which equated three flips one way and then three flips back. I've never flipped a tractor tyre before. It was way harder then I thought I watched other competitors flipping their tyres, and tried to mimic their technique but I just didn't quite have the strength. Eventually I managed to get my hand under the tyre and get enough leverage to flip it once. I couple of dudes waited and gave heaps of encouragement,but they got bored of watching me hug the giant rubber ring. and made it on their way. Once I got half way and, and done a serious amount of swearing, cursing, and praying in a variety of real and newly invented languages I had sorted the technique. Flipping the tyre by gripping the tread in the middle of the profile rather than lifting from the bottom. Those six flips were an epic achievement for me and was exhausted when I finished. I had watched the guys I started with, flip and finish and run off into the distance, I saw other guys and girls flip faster and overtake me whilst I struggled. once that tyre was back on the starting post I got a huge high five from the marshal and felt AWESOME!

Dropping the sandbag
After a 2km trek with a 35kg sandbag I had incredibly sore shoulders, my calfs and quads were starting to ache, lower back was twinging, but in those 2km i had some great moments of clarity and humour. I had seen people run past with lighter, smaller sand bags, I had seen bigger stronger dudes romp past with full sized sandbags too. As I passed a marshal and stopped for a chat about the weight of the bags, I realised that if i had wanted an easy run today, I would have gone to the gym and gone on a treadmill. Zero regrets about picking a stupidly heavy sandbag. Dropping the bag back at the finish point was incredible. Suddenly being 50% lighter was so empowering I just opened up the legs and enjoyed a wonderful kilometre of good paced running through a beautiful dandelion strewn field. Life is good.

The hug
I'm not a fan of heights, every time I've been to 'GoApe' I've been terrified, but I feel I 'have' to do these things to try and get over these fears and become more comfortable with them. When I reached the 'confidence training' area, I was neatly sandwiched between a professional roofer, MT, out in front and 'I'm really not comfortable with heights', PR. So following a dude overloaded with energy, along climbing and height skills to equal that of a chimpanzee, was both inspiring and demoralising at the same time. It was great to see that all the high obstacles can be conquered and with some ease. When we came to the area were you had to cross from building to building at the height of a first floor window with only 2 girders to act as a bridge, MT skipped across, only stopping for a bit of show boating and posing for the camera. Myself and PR went quite pale, and I even offered PR the chance to go before me.
"No, You go" was the reply. so taking the advise of the marshal I placed my feet in each girder and hands on top and slow shuffled along like a drunk kitten. This was terrifying, i thought once i was half way out, I would settle and the panic would subside. but it just got worse. my mini shuffles where painfully slow, I just wanted to get to saftey I just needed to get to the opposite window. If finally came and I hauled my self through feeling like a kitten who's been in a tumble dryer. I turned and saw PR taking the same approach as I had, you look stupid, you look like a wimp. But for someone who's 'really not comfortable with heights' this was outstanding work to put yourself a huge way outside your comfort zone, to do something you know you will hate and terrify you. As PR pulled his gangly frame through the window you could see the relief and joy about being back on a firm safe holding. We hugged. It was beautiful, and a moment in obstacle running I will always remember, and in the future, mercilessly take the piss out of PR for!

Race Review - Endurer Dash 14km - 13th April 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/04/endurer-dash-review.html

Race Review - Endurer Dash 8km - 12th April 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/04/endurer-dash-review.html

Race Review - Derby 10k - 6th April 2014

2 races in a weekend seemed like a good idea when i signed up for them. Saturday was a 12km obstacle course with hills, rivers, mud and barbedwire. So Sunday's 10km flat(ish) road race should be a breeze. But the problem is that I'm becoming more and more competitive, and more obsessed with a sub 40 minute 10 km. So I've been training, not just pottering off for a run, but real, actual training. So I knew this was going to be a lung buster. I knew I was going to have to spend between 40 and 45 minutes pushing my self as hard as I could.

Being part of Team Derby Runner is great, the team president organises team parking, and facilities for us to leave our bags, relax pre and post race, and even get a massage. During the pre race chatting and "so, what time are you aiming for?", I found a few guys that are also looking and hitting the 40 minute mark. So it was great to have a few buddies to easily spot and try and keep pace with. Once we were in our starting pens, the banter started, especially when we realised how close to very front elite runners we were. Funniest line heard was "bloody hell, we're starting right behind the Kenyans". A five minute gap was given after the elite wheel chair racers went off, and then the gun went for main 10 km race.

As I set off I spotted a fellow team mate who is a 40 minute man, and he hadn't bolted off the line, but was running at a nice steady pace. AWESOME, I kept close to his shoulder and resisted my usual urge to sprint off the line. 50 metres in and this felt great, all I have to do is keep this up for another 950 metres. after about 1500 metres I was still close to my pacer and exchanging places with another team mate of similar ability, as we reached the city centre and roughly 4 kilometers my target was opening up a decent gap, I just didn't have the legs to keep up this pace, but was still tussling with other team mate, but soon he too pulled past and put a 200 metre gap between us.

I was soon joined by a third team mate around the water stations at the 7km mark, but I was going to make it hard for him to pass me, so I pushed harder tried to keep my slim lead. I then got a sense of deja vu, I've battled with this guy before. He's the dude with the red '50 Parkrun' t-shirt I've played this game with at a few park runs at Darley park. We battled, (well I say 'we', he was probably just running his own race, and it  only me that had an inner dialogue of us fighting for position) exchanging leads up to the final kilometre and he managed to find an extra gear and pulled away. It was too little too late, as I hit the final 400 meters and started my sprint finish. It was a hard race and i was happy-ish with 42m44s, as it was a personal best, but I was hoping to be closer to 40 than 45.

Just mean I have to train harder.

Huge thanks to everyone at http://www.derbyrunner.com/ and RW for the photo.

Race Review - Born Survivor - 5th April 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/04/born-survivor-race-report-obstacle-racing-poetry-motion.html

Race Review - Xrunner Wild Run - 29th March 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/03/xrunner-wild-run-video-review-fun-fights-derbyshire.html

Race Review - Airfield Anarchy - 22nd March 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/03/airfield-anarchy-video-review-spiffing-day-newark.html

Equipment - Gloves - O'Neill 2mm SLX

When I was looking for winter gloves for obstacle racing, I needed something to keep my hands warm even when wet, surfers gloves seem to be the best idea. Surfers spend hours out on the water with wet hands, and need grip to push up off their boards when catching the waves. So they will have come up with something ingenious that would be suitable for obstacle racing.

Neoprene works by trapping a small layer of water / sweat inside the glove next to your warm skin and because neoprene is a rubber based material it is very well insulated and the thin layer of water remains nice and warm. This means it is essential to get a tight fitting glove other wise each submersion will simply flush the glove with cold water and chill your hands.

At the 2014 Tough Guy 15km obstacle race in late January I wore O'Neill 2mm SLX neoprene gloves. The weather consisted of a constant drizzle and temperatures in the single digits. The course is famous for its sub zero water obstacles and huge punishing obstacles. 

The gloves were outstanding, not once did my hands feel the cold, every other part of my body took serious blows delivered by the aggressive cold water. My fingers maintained their dexterity for hand over hand rope crossings and so many climbs up cargo nets and greasy wooden A-frames. The surface on the palm and fingers added incredible grip and confidence when climbing and crawling. 2mm of neoprene is surprisingly cushioning when crawling and using my hands on tree trunks to slow myself when running down steep hills. But they never felt bulky or clumsy

Neoprene is very tough wearing too, after wearing these gloves at 6 obstacle races over the last 12 months the gloves look exactly the same as the day I purchased them. I can't recommend these gloves highly enough for cold wet obstacle races.

Race Review - Xtreme Challenge - 9th Febuary 2014

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/02/xtreme-challenge-review-association-queens-greatest-hits.html

Race Review - Tough Guy - 26th January 2014

177th 2:10:09

I wrote for Mudstacle today so you can find me review here:

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/01/winter-tough-guy-review-going-need-bigger-plaster.html

Dr. StrangeHills or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Incline

Here's a some training tips for approaching hills I wrote for Mudstacle.com

http://www.mudstacle.com/2014/01/hill-running-tips.html

Race Review - Holly Bush Inn New Year's Day Race - 1st January 2014

Result 17/88 14m57s

The second race within a week were I can run to the start line in under 10 minutes. I had been up until about 3am following a small house party and changing nappies in the night on our small wee baby. So getting up for 10am on new year's day was quite a challenge. I made to the the pub for just before 11am and chilled out with my sister and a fellow Team Derby Runner member. Then to my surprise my friend, from way back, walked in with safety pins, registration sheets, and a suspicious looking bag.

I joined the back of the queue for registration and registered all three of us before sticking the self adhesive race numbers to our chests. my sticker fell off almost instantly so I used a couple of safety pins to keep it secure. We sat around and chatted and kept warm in the pub as the rain and wind rolled in finally around 11:40 we were invited to muster outside and the master of ceremonies unveiled a rather splendid looking shotgun from the suspicious bag.

As we jostled on the start line the countdown started as the shotgun was aimed high into the air cocked and on '1' an almighty bang as the shotgun was fired. This had the effect of stunning most people rather than motivating them to run. It was pretty tight as we left the pub car park and on to the uphill bridleway, but with a bit of fancy footwork and off piste diversions I managed to get through the thicker clumps of runners and settle into a hard half km of uphill trail running. As the mud and stone gave way to tarmac the road got steeper but i knew it was a short race so no need to save any energy and pushed on until the course flattened out. The problem with the top of the hill was that it was incredibly exposed. The wind was driving the rain horizontally right into my face, and was brutally painful on my forehead and face.

It was a welcome relief when the route took us back off road and slightly more sheltered. The fields where incredibly slippery but the downhill gradient was great fun. I slowed down when running towards a pack of horses. one of the horses was on a path set to cut me off but when it stopped its hoofs started to slip in the mud, as I waited to see what the horse would do next 2 guys over took me. I pushed on and ignored the potential head to head with Mr Ed and managed to re take one of the guys, but couldn't quite catch the other dude. The final stretch done some narrow slippery steps was pretty dicey but great fun. finishing with a hand on the pub door was a great touch and huge thanks to all involved in this awesome short run all in aid of charity.

http://hollybushinnmakeney.co.uk/