Bedford Parkrun 16.03.13

Pete Jones and Les Potts took part in Bedford Parkrun this morning and despite it being a cold, breezy and damp morning Pete achieved a fine PB of 23.36 with Les not far behind him.

Times were:

Pete Jones        23.36
Les Potts          25.06

Well done both of you.

Milton Keynes Half Marathon

I took part in the MK Festival of Running Half Marathon on Sunday. This was my first half marathon event and a distance I have not previously attempted.

Starting and finishing at the Xscape building the route started on closed roads but with the majority being on Redways going as far as Willen Lakes and back through Campbell Park . The weather was ideal in that it was very cold but windless, and the marshals and crowd were encouraging throughout the race.

I was hoping for a sub 2 hour time and was on course right up to the 18k mark when my energy / stamina deserted me, this unfortunately coinciding with a 2.5k climb up Campbell Park to the finish.

In retrospect I probably started off too cautiously although with so many runners on the narrow Redways it wasn’t easy to make progress and I eventually went over the line in 1,732^nd place in 2hrs 2minutes.

I’m pleased with my first effort and hope the experience will stand me in good stead for the Northampton Half on 31^stMarch.

 

Les

Parkrun St Albans - 09.03.13

The Jones family enjoyed a trip out to St Albans for the weekly Parkrun. It was Fiona's first time there so it counts as a PB, so well done.

Times were:

Pete Jones          23.47
Fiona Jones        29.48
Sian Jones          38.57

Silverstone Half Marathon - 03.03.13

Well it was time to see if all the training had paid off at the Silverstone Half Marathon on Sunday. Unfortunately Les was unwell on the day so that left Pete, Garry and I to take on the challenge along with 6200 others.

The day dawned dry and not too windy and there were some breaks in the cloud allowing some glimpses of the sun.

As the race went on the cloud increased and the wind started to pick up. Things didn't get too bad and the rain stayed away but once you stopped running the temperature soon dropped as the wind started to pick up.

Our times were:

Chris Wright          1:44:07
Garry Milner          1:54:15
Pete Jones            2:03:54

Chris

Parkrun MK - 02.02.13

On Saturday Les was on his own at the MK Parkrun and was on tailrunning duty. He finished in a time of 43.03 but I don't think we should count this run when looking at the statistics of his recent spate of PBs.

Pre-race thoughts

Well a look out the window shows a light frost so it's chilly but thankfully it's dry and there doesn't seem to be any wind. This is a major bonus as the Silverstone circuit is very exposed to the wind.

Now thoughts turn to what to wear and just as importantly what to eat. The former will come down to a late decision at the race with all surplus items going into the bag drop, which last year was very well organised with no big queues like you sometimes get. The latter will probably be old favourites as it is not the time to be experimenting. Thankfully there are 2 water stations and 2 Lucozade stations during the race so there will be multiple opportunities to drink and refuel. Little and often is usually the best policy.

Final thoughts which will no doubt enter the mind at the start line will no doubt be have I done enough and/or the right training. What pace should I start at, do I go off faster and then hang on or go easier and then try and pick up the pace to get a negative split? I'm sure I will not be the only one with these thoughts.

I'm also sure all will be fine and hopefully the race will go well and Pete and Les will run well in their first half-marathon and Garry in what is a bit of a short race for him. I'll report back post race and let you know how we all got on.  

Chris