Olympic Gains

I spent a very enjoyable hour or so this morning running around a building site. Well,  I wasn't actually on the building site for the whole time, but my participation in the Newham 10k took me through the Olympic Park in Stratford and provided a close up view of some of the new 2012 facilities. As the bloke on the PA at the start kept telling us, we were very privileged to be the first ever athletes to be running through the Olympic Park. Something to tell my grandchildren about in years to come I suppose; perhaps I'll keep quiet about the fact that we didn't actually make it inside the main arena itself though!

With the loss of an hour during the night courtesy of British Summer Time, my 6:15 am exit from bed was a bit of a shock to the system, but after my hot water with a slice of lemon, a bowl of cereal, a shower and shave I was raring to go. We drove to Tesco in Leytonstone, taking advantage of the free parking before walking to Leytonstone Tube Station about five minutes away. 

It's not the most attractive or uplifting of neighbourhoods, but I was very excited to discover the magnificent mosaics adorning the outside and inside of the Underground station, commemorating the old master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who was born at number 517 Leytonstone High Road in 1899. The works of art, which comprise a total of 80,000 tiles and took 7 months to complete, were installed to commemorate the centenary of his birth.

I was hoping that the shower I would be having later would be less eventful than the one depicted in the Psycho mosaic!

There was a really friendly atmosphere amongst the runners waiting at the start line, and despite of the absence of spectators along most of the route, the whole race generated a great buzz.  It was fantastic to be a part of a much more culturally diverse field than is found at most road races in the UK.

Waiting for the race to begin

The route was narrow for the first km, and with the field not yet spread out, progress was slow – almost proceeding at walking pace at times. It's never a bad thing to start steadily though. It can help prevent running out of steam later on, although this is less of a factor in a 10k than in a half or full marathon.

At around 2k we passed the wave shaped aquatic centre (swimming pool in old money), and then wound our way in a surprisingly undulating manner towards the Olympic Stadium itself, which came magnificently into view between the 4 and 5k markers. 

The theatre of Olympic dreams?

I passed 5k in a palindromic 31:13 minutes, and slowed only slightly in the second half of the race to finish feeling good in a very pleasing 64:26 minutes, my best 10k time since 2005. For the final 500m I found myself, not unpleasantly, running in the slipstream of the Powerade sponsored 65 minute pace maker, proving just how efficient she was at her job on top of her easy on the eye qualities.

The 65 minute pace maker

It was such an enjoyable run, and completed 8 minutes faster than I managed in the London 10K in May last year.  What's more, although the additional 5 minutes I need to shave off to achieve a new PB still feels like a significant challenge, I'm not ruling it out after today's performance. Especially as I sacrificed a few seconds in stopping to take a couple of quick snapshots and I was also slowed down by probably 30 seconds or so in the congested opening stages of the race.

The Newham 10k route is unique. The Olympic Park is already looking very impressive and I am now looking forward to the summer of 2012 even more expectantly. The London Olympics are going to be stupendous.

My very own Olympic medal..... well, almost!

After returning to the Tesco car park we headed to Bromley for a much needed Sunday Roast followed by rhubarb crumble and custard produced to the usual deliciously high standard by my Mum. What a treat!

Therapy for tired legs (part 1)

Therapy for tired legs (part 2)

My energy further replenished by a couple of hour's rest and a cup tea, we headed for Brent Town Hall to spend a couple of hours at the Pakistani wedding of one of Juliet's work colleagues. This was another colourful occasion, that emphasised further what a wonderfully diverse city London is. The spicy food on offer undoubtedly took me well over my recommended daily calorie allowance, making me glad that I had already run off at least some of the excess earlier in the day.

What a busy, interesting and fulfilling day!

Spot the Difference .....

.... if you can! Only 24 days to go now until I qualify to go on a Saga holiday, so I thought it was time to take a closer look at how I compare to the Club 18-30 version of myself (well almost, I think I was 16 or 17 when the topless photograph was taken). I'm finding it hard to spot any changes. Can you?

Answers on a postcard please! Or preferably in the comment box below. Go on tell me what you think - if you haven't got an appropriate account, click on anonymous and write your name below your comment. You'll also have to copy out the squiggly letters.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Spring in my Step

Is it really two weeks since the Bath Half Marathon? I have continued to be very busy at work, but it seems like only a few days ago we were driving home from the West Country in the beautiful late Sunday afternoon sunshine. My, how time flies! It's now less than a month until my 50th birthday. Eeeeek! On a cheerier note, it's only just over two weeks until our trip to India. Am I getting excited about that? You bet I am!

In the two weeks since Bath, Spring has started to really establish itself and with a sunny but fresh weekend forecast by the Met Office, it was time to start the process of preparing the garden for the months ahead.

The first cut of the year!

After a mostly dry week, this year's first cut of the lawn was relatively straightforward, and the results impressive - from a distance at least. Some minor remedial work is required, but there will be plenty of time for that over the coming weeks. It was lovely just to be out there in the sunshine enjoying the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of birdsong.

This time of year is great for running. The sun is often out, but the nip in the air means there's no danger of overheating. Colour is beginning to return all around bringing with it a tangible feelgood factor after the winter months. I've been out twice this weekend, three miles on Saturday and a six miler today. Both runs went well. My stride is lengthening and remaining strong for longer distances. I would even go so far as to say that there is a definite spring in my step. I'm really looking forward to the Newham 10K next weekend.

In the pink!

To try and convey some of the joy of Spring I have been feeling these last few days, I took my small camera out with me on my run today and paused briefly a couple of times to capture a little of the local colour and freshness that makes this such a wonderful time of year.

A colourful welcome to Firwood Avenue.

Lovely! Now it's time to spring into action for another busy week of work.

The Bath Half Marathon

The past is always present in Bath

I'm starting to write this blog post as I enjoy the beautiful late Sunday afternoon sunshine from the passenger seat of the VW on the way home to St Albans after a fantastic weekend in the west country. After two months of training interspersed with the occasional trip down memory lane, this was the weekend when Project Five O got properly underway. Sunday 6th March. The Bath Half Marathon. My first race of the year.

I'll get to the race itself shortly. The weekend wasn't just about the half marathon, however. It was a welcome weekend away in a beautiful part of the country. We made our way relatively unhindered by the usual Friday night congestion, and arrived at the picturesque village of Freshford, near to Bath at around 7:30 pm. Our destination was the lovely house of my uncle David, whose legendary hospitality was as generous as ever throughout the weekend.

One of the original houses in the village.

After a traditional English breakfast on Saturday morning, we travelled the short distance on a crowded train from Freshford to Bath.

The main focus of this first of trip into the city to see the impressive Roman Baths. This was my second visit and felt even more enjoyable than my first due to the chance to listen to the thoughts of the always interesting Bill Bryson via the audio device provided to visitors to listen to on the way round. Other attractions take note - this was included in the entry price, not an optional extra at further cost.

Steam rising from the hot spring water of Aquae Sulis

There is a real sense of the distant pass at the Baths and the ingenuity and technical achievements of the Romans, way ahead of their time, never cease to fascinate me. Travelling back in time, however, is hungry work and we were ready for a very modern day lunch at Yo Sushi followed by a heavenly toffee apple from the Fudge Kitchen Shop.

Mine's the second from the right at the front on the top shelf!

As I had already consumed two helpings of summer fruit strudel with ice cream for my dessert the previous evening, I was beginning to worry that all of my training and reasonably healthy eating thus far in 2011 would be undone by this onslaught of puddings just when I needed to be at my fittest and lightest. Mind you, it didn't stop me from indulging in a second helping of apple crumble and ice cream following David's chicken curry later the very same day!

Anyway, enough of the build-up. Race day arrived distinctly chilly and overcast. David dropped me off near the start in Great Pulteney Street. After feeding what rapidly appeared to be turning into a pudding addiction with a pancake smothered with lemon and sugar from a stall in the 'Runner's Village' I joined a field of 15,000 waiting for the start.

In Henrietta Street - about 300 metres back from the start in Great Pulteney Street

As soon as I passed through the start line I felt comfortable, and set off at a steady pace that I was able to stick to without difficulty as I passed the half way mark. I was still feeling good, but having struggled badly in the second half of most races I have entered since 2006, I kept thinking "This can't last. Any time now I'm going to start getting a pain in my knee or hip or the strength is going to ebb from my muscles." Remarkably, though, I just kept going and barely slowed at all until the torturous half mile incline leading back up to the finishing straight in Great Pulteney Street. I crossed the finishing line in my fastest time for a half marathon since 2006, and although it was still 17 minutes short of my personal best, it was my third best time ever and over 26 minutes faster than I ran (or more accurately started running and then hobbled) last year.

Passing through Queens Square after about 7 miles

I still think my 2:09 at Fleet may prove beyond my capabilities five years on, but nevertheless I was thrilled by my performance today. It's really encouraged and motivated me to push on and stretch myself in the challenges to come. But of course, first must come the post-race analysis. The secret of my promising return to form needs to be scrutinised by Hawk Eye and Hotspot for the benefit of geriatric runners of the future.

Well, here are what I think are the four key factors behind my improved performance.

1. Puddings. In all seriousness, having eaten pretty healthily since the beginning of the year, I reckon that my last minute burst of glucose-rich carbohydrates turbo-charged my leg muscles at the ideal time, leaving them bursting with 13.1 miles worth of strength and endurance.

2. A nice little link with Roman times here - grapes. My usual practice is to boost my energy on the way round by eating a Jelly Baby every time I pass a mile marker. I'd forgotten to buy any this time and so popped a bunch of grapes into my bum bag on Sunday morning. Not only did a couple of the seedless wonders once a mile seem to inject just as much energy as a JB, they left my mouth feeling fresh and unsticky.

3. Boobs. Let me explain. 144 runners, including television presenter Fearne Cotton, were running with an inflatable breast attached either to their front or back in support of the Breast Cancer charity coppafeel. It was quite a sight to behold and the large mammaries were the subject of many a ribald comment out on the course (not from me I might add, although the experience did rather change my mental image of the phrase "tweaking a muscle")

"Jogging for Jugs": http://www.coppafeel.org/

Fearne and friend

Between the 7 and 10 mile markers I found myself running behind two girls each with a boob attached to their back. They were running at just the right speed to act as perfect pace makers and the rhythmic swaying of their (imitation) breasts was almost hypnotic. The part of a half marathon that I have really struggled with recently just flew by!

4. Having a realistic training plan and sticking to it. All of the above would have had no effect whatsoever if I'd not trained properly. I have built up slowly but have resisted all temptation so far to skip  a training run. With the help of a sports massage from Stan I have avoided injury, and the extra hamstring stretching he recommended has definitely helped too.

Another medal for my collection

So, a fantastic race as part of a great weekend. Newham 10K on 27th March is next - bring it on!