A remarkably mild Boxing Day at Bedford Park saw 5 FlitwickTri members in action amongst the 289 runners who gathered to make a start at working off the Christmas Day excesses.
It was good to see Liam in action again after a lengthy break and Fiona running whilst back from university for Christmas.
Results were:
Chris Wright 45th in 22.25
Liam Ko 108th in 25.32
Pete Jones 187th in 29.01
Fiona Jones 220th in 30.55
Sian Jones 275th in 38.21
Sunday 27 December 2015
Sunday 20 December 2015
Milton Keynes Winter Half - 13.12.15
On Sunday 13 December Les and I went over to Milton Keynes to take part in the annual Winter Half Marathon. The event has been growing in popularity since it started a few years ago and this year 1534 runners took part.
The event start near Gulliver's Land and then goes up alongside the canal and then in a big loop round MK including a very small tunnel under the railway. The route is on paths and redways and one of the surprising things about the route is that you see very few houses and very little in the way of roads.
The route is quite undulating with only one long steady uphill section between miles 9 and 11. The weather in the lead up was very wet but during the actual race the rain stayed away. The course was however wet in places and at one point it was necessary to run through a big puddle for about 30 metres and it was about a foot deep in the middle. This made for some very soggy runners.
Overall a good event but the course and conditions meant it was not likely to be a PB race.
Our times were:
Chris Wright 407th in 1.46.06
Les Potts 943rd in 2.04.40
The event start near Gulliver's Land and then goes up alongside the canal and then in a big loop round MK including a very small tunnel under the railway. The route is on paths and redways and one of the surprising things about the route is that you see very few houses and very little in the way of roads.
The route is quite undulating with only one long steady uphill section between miles 9 and 11. The weather in the lead up was very wet but during the actual race the rain stayed away. The course was however wet in places and at one point it was necessary to run through a big puddle for about 30 metres and it was about a foot deep in the middle. This made for some very soggy runners.
Overall a good event but the course and conditions meant it was not likely to be a PB race.
Our times were:
Chris Wright 407th in 1.46.06
Les Potts 943rd in 2.04.40
Woodley Parkrun - 12.12.15
Pete and Sian Jones continued their Parkrun travels last weekend and took part in Woodley Parkrun in Reading. They were part of a field of 193 runners.
Their results were:
Pete Jones 105th in 26.58
Sian Jones 186th in 37.56
Well done both.
Their results were:
Pete Jones 105th in 26.58
Sian Jones 186th in 37.56
Well done both.
Bedford Parkrun - 19.12.15
On Saturday Les Potts and I were in action at Bedford Parkrun. The day was windy but amazingly warm at 16 degrees C in late December. 237 runners took part this week. Les was part of the volunteering team.
For some reason my legs weren't feeling it this week but I managed to keep going at a reasonable pace to finish in a time of 22.17 which was good enough for 34th place.
The plan now is to try and run off some of the Christmas excess in Bedford's Boxing Day Parkrun.
Chris
For some reason my legs weren't feeling it this week but I managed to keep going at a reasonable pace to finish in a time of 22.17 which was good enough for 34th place.
The plan now is to try and run off some of the Christmas excess in Bedford's Boxing Day Parkrun.
Chris
Bedford Parkrun - 12.12.15
The morning of 12 December saw Steve Clough in action in Bedford as FlitwickTri's sole representative at the weekly Parkrun.
Steve managed a time of 23.34 to finish in 37th place from a field of 207 runners.
Well done.
Steve managed a time of 23.34 to finish in 37th place from a field of 207 runners.
Well done.
Wednesday 9 December 2015
Inner tube offer
In the interests of sharing info, I have just bought some inner tubes from www.innertubes4u.co.uk.
Ordering 3 or more, they cost £3.33 (Specialised Presta), which compares to £5 or £6 at most places.
cheers, Steve
Bedford Parkrun - 05.12.15
On a very windy Saturday morning it was left to the Jones family to represent FlitwickTri at the Bedford Parkrun.
The times were:
Pete Jones 63rd in 25.11
Sian Jones 170th in 38.32
The times were:
Pete Jones 63rd in 25.11
Sian Jones 170th in 38.32
Bedford Parkrun - 28.11.15
I was FlitwickTri’s sole participant at Bedford parkrun on Saturday. The weather was good for the time of year and I finished in 23.16 which was 43rd out of 251.
Steve Clough
Monday 23 November 2015
Movember 10K - 22.11.15
On Sunday Pete Jones and I scaped thick ice off the car and headed over to Milton Keynes for the annual Movember races which started near Gulliver's Land, almost the same spot that Milton Keynes Parkrun starts and finishes.
Despite the freezing conditions it was a sunny morning and there was a very good turnout with 247 runners taking part in the 5K race and 735 runners in the 10K race. As always there were some very good fancy dress outfits on display. Pete and I contented ourselves with our moustaches that had been grown especially for the occasion. Pete's was of a three musketeers style and mine was more of a mexican bandit.
The 5K race was started at 10.00am and those of us doing the longer run had to hang around in the cold until 10.15 before our race got underway. This did very little to help legs to feel alive and the whole race, with its many undulations (including twice up the zig-zag path), felt a bit of a struggle.
Our results were:
Chris Wright 73rd in 48.25
Pete Jones 189th in 55.04
Chris
Despite the freezing conditions it was a sunny morning and there was a very good turnout with 247 runners taking part in the 5K race and 735 runners in the 10K race. As always there were some very good fancy dress outfits on display. Pete and I contented ourselves with our moustaches that had been grown especially for the occasion. Pete's was of a three musketeers style and mine was more of a mexican bandit.
The 5K race was started at 10.00am and those of us doing the longer run had to hang around in the cold until 10.15 before our race got underway. This did very little to help legs to feel alive and the whole race, with its many undulations (including twice up the zig-zag path), felt a bit of a struggle.
Our results were:
Chris Wright 73rd in 48.25
Pete Jones 189th in 55.04
Chris
Thursday 19 November 2015
A good omen
THIS has to be a good omen for the London Marathon in April 2016.....a nice new pair of Brooks Glycerin 13 running shoes courtesy of Sweatshop and Bedford Parkrun.
"Hello Les POTTS
This free event is brought to you by our volunteers and our sponsors:
This free event is brought to you by our volunteers and our sponsors:
Sweatshop PruHealth
Sweatshop Monthly Prize for Bedford
This prize is brought to you by:
Sweatshop
Sweatshop Monthly Prize for Bedford
This prize is brought to you by:
Sweatshop
CERTIFICATE VALIDITY: VALID FOR 1 MONTH FROM 11/11/2015.
Congratulations Les POTTS
You have been selected as the winner of this month's Sweatshop Prize at Bedford parkrun. Please print the attached certificate and present it to the manager of your nearest Sweatshop branch to claim your prize.
You have been selected as the winner of this month's Sweatshop Prize at Bedford parkrun. Please print the attached certificate and present it to the manager of your nearest Sweatshop branch to claim your prize.
Click here to find your nearest Sweatshop branch.
We hope you enjoy your new pair of trainers!
Kindest regards,
The Bedford Committee (bedfordOffice@parkrun.com)
Happy running!
Happy running!
Bedford Team bedfordOffice@parkrun.com
Many thanks to our supporters for their vital contribution to parkrun"
Monday 26 October 2015
Bedford Parkrun - 24.10.15
On Saturday Les, Chloe and I were back at Bedford Parkrun. Conditions were pleasant and the threatened drizzle thankfully stayed away. It was another good turnout with 280 runners taking part.
Chloe was paced by Les to yet another PB but I tried to take it slightly easier than last week having been suffering from a cold all week.
Our times were:
Chris Wright 39th in 22.15
Chloe Potts 199th in 30.26
Les Potts 200th in 30.26
Chris
Chloe was paced by Les to yet another PB but I tried to take it slightly easier than last week having been suffering from a cold all week.
Our times were:
Chris Wright 39th in 22.15
Chloe Potts 199th in 30.26
Les Potts 200th in 30.26
Chris
Perkins Great Eastern Half Marathon - 11th October 2015
Me, Liam Ko and pal Michael Howe tackled the above race for the third successive year. Being where I achieved my Half PB in 2014 (1:53:51) I was hopeful of a good time despite a lack of suitable training in the recent month or two.
On race day the weather was perfect for running being a cool 12 degrees, dry and windless. Despite all this positivity none of us got remotely near our previous times.
Results were as follows:
Liam Ko 1:58:28 1978th
Michael 1:59:48 2063rd
Les Potts 2:00:50 2154th
There were 3,954 finishers.
Regardless of our times this is a great race and relatively local - with it being well organised, having great marshalls and good support from the public.
Les
Wednesday 21 October 2015
Bedford Parkrun - 17.10.15
On Saturday a very pleasant morning for running was forecast and I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with the Bedford Parkrun. Les and his daughter Chloe also decided to take part and when we arrived we found Pete was of the same mind.
The forecast turned out to be very accurate and a field of 280 enjoyed almost perfect running conditions.
It proved to be a good decision for Chloe who managed a new PB and also for me as I managed my fastest time of the year.
The times were:
Chris Wright 22nd in 21.29
Pete Jones 99th in 25.13
Chloe Potts 206th in 31.43
Les Potts 207th in 31.44
The forecast turned out to be very accurate and a field of 280 enjoyed almost perfect running conditions.
It proved to be a good decision for Chloe who managed a new PB and also for me as I managed my fastest time of the year.
The times were:
Chris Wright 22nd in 21.29
Pete Jones 99th in 25.13
Chloe Potts 206th in 31.43
Les Potts 207th in 31.44
Monday 12 October 2015
Royal Parks Half - 11.10.15
Sunday morning saw Pete, Jason and yours truly setting off down to London for the highly rated Royal Parks Half Marathon. This is a great race that starts in Hyde Park and goes round many of the sights of London before doing a convoluted circuit of Hyde Park. All of this on closed roads and then park paths.
Due to some extensive road works this year the route avoided the Embankment and instead included Horseguards, Whitehall and The Strand.
This is also a big race and the wide roads for the first 6 miles or so are needed as this year there were 14,764 finishers.
I ran the first 8.5 miles with a young and very fit friend of mine, Rudi, and spent most of the time trying to get him to pace himself at a sensible level. By 8.5 miles he decided he had enough of that and went a bit quicker and finished in a time of 1.38.13 which was good enough for 1,232nd place.
Having continued at what i found a fast enough pace I finished in a time of 1.42.26 which was good enough for 1,954th place.
Pete was next home in a time of 2.04.43 which was about 6 minutes quicker than he was aiming for which pleased him no end. This meant a finish in 7,807th place.
Jason managed to run more of the race than he had thought given his lack of training and finished in a time of 2.45.11. This have him a finishing place of 13,808th place.
Whilst we headed home with aching limbs and tired bodies I am pretty sure we all enjoyed the event and will be hoping to return for another go next year.
Chris
Due to some extensive road works this year the route avoided the Embankment and instead included Horseguards, Whitehall and The Strand.
This is also a big race and the wide roads for the first 6 miles or so are needed as this year there were 14,764 finishers.
I ran the first 8.5 miles with a young and very fit friend of mine, Rudi, and spent most of the time trying to get him to pace himself at a sensible level. By 8.5 miles he decided he had enough of that and went a bit quicker and finished in a time of 1.38.13 which was good enough for 1,232nd place.
Having continued at what i found a fast enough pace I finished in a time of 1.42.26 which was good enough for 1,954th place.
Pete was next home in a time of 2.04.43 which was about 6 minutes quicker than he was aiming for which pleased him no end. This meant a finish in 7,807th place.
Jason managed to run more of the race than he had thought given his lack of training and finished in a time of 2.45.11. This have him a finishing place of 13,808th place.
Whilst we headed home with aching limbs and tired bodies I am pretty sure we all enjoyed the event and will be hoping to return for another go next year.
Chris
Bedford Parkrun 10th October 2015
For some inexplicable reason both daughters decided to accompany me to Bedford Parkrun today.
I presume there was an ulterior motive and hence it will no doubt it will cost me financially in the near future. Regardless it was bright and fresh - perfect for running and it was good to have their company.
In a field of 275 participants our results were:
Les 102nd 26:35
Chloe 251st 37:10
Emily 252nd 37.24
Let's see if they continue....
Les
Bedford Parkrun 3rd October
Liam and I incorporated Bedford Parkrun into our 16k training run.
Meeting at 8.30am we did 3k before Parkrun, the 5k Parkrun, and then a further 8k to make a nice 10 miler followed by breakfast the the Bedford Park cafe.
Our positions were as follows:
Liam 165th 28:31
Les 166th 28:33
Les
Friday 2 October 2015
Bedford Parkrun - 26.09.15
The Bedford Parkrun last weekend attracted 307 runners of which 3 were from FlitwickTri.
Steve was on the comeback trail from injury and Pete had a week off from his travels round the various Parkruns of the UK to take part in his local race.
The times were:
Steve Clough 65th in 23.31
Pete Jones 120th in 25.38
Sian Jones 293rd in 37.57
Well done all.
Steve was on the comeback trail from injury and Pete had a week off from his travels round the various Parkruns of the UK to take part in his local race.
The times were:
Steve Clough 65th in 23.31
Pete Jones 120th in 25.38
Sian Jones 293rd in 37.57
Well done all.
Tuesday 29 September 2015
Saffron Walden 10K - 27.09.15
Today I ran in a 10K cross country race in Saffron Walden on what was a lovely morning for running. The event was well organised by Saffron Striders and was attended by 217 other participants.
The race route went over rolling farmland and it was challenging but this was largely because I haven’t run 10k for a few weeks.
In the end I managed a respectable time of 56min 13 sec which was not too shabby for a cross country 10K.
The event is well worth a try next year and only 1 hour away.
Pete
Parkrun tourism
I have been a bit of a tourist as a parkrunner and have now taken part in Parkruns at 28 different locations.
Over the summer I revisited Tring Parkrun (29min PB ). If you think that is slow go and run it! The first K is uphill. A lovely run in the Chilterns but not one I could do every week.
Daventry was a nice flat loop around a lake and which is run on hard dirt paths (27min 35s). As Sian got lost in the car I waited about 2min after they had started before I decided to go for it anyway....
Delamere Parkrun near Liverpool was again a lovely run on hard dirt paths through woodland. One or two rises but a fun run (28min 52).
Another local run down near Watford is Aldenham Parkrun. This was another run where you had a chance of getting a PB. Two laps around the lake on good hard concrete/dirt paths. Close to where I used to work (BPL) and I used to walk around the park in my lunchtimes. Parking is a bit pricy (£4 for the day) unless you know where to park on a side road or in the car boot sale. Well worth a visit especially if you are happy to stay in the park and visit the mini zoo and have an ice cream!
Pete Jones
Sunday 27 September 2015
Delta Parkrun, Johannesburg - 19th September 2015.
Whilst on holiday in SA with daughter Chloe I took advantage to get in a Parkrun. Delta Parkrun was the most convenient and I duly turned up at 7.45 for an 8am start.
This Parkrun regularly has over 800 participants so was relatively quite with only 701 finishers.
The weather was not as bad as I feared with it being cloudy and only 15 degrees C albeit with 82% humidity. Being over 1500m above sea level you do notice the thinner air whenever you exert yourself and I was panting most of the way around the course and had to walk on two uphill parts.
It was the first Parkrun that I have come across that has a drinks station halfway around.
Parkrun in SA is slightly different to the UK in that here the majority run or jog the course whereas at this Parkrun the majority walk the course. At Delta more than 50% took a time in excess of 40 minutes and my average time of 25 minutes would have placed me 60th out of 701.
However I was on holiday and it was very humid etc etc so whilst achieving a slightly disappointing time of 28:24 I was placed 138th.
Les
Sunday 30 August 2015
Vitruvian Triathlon - 29.08.15
In a moment of complete madness late last year I decided to enter this event. When you say what is involved quickly each element doesn't sound too bad. It consists of a 1.9 km swim, followed by an 85 km bike ride and then a 21 km run.
My swimming isn't great at the best of times but in open water as part of a wave of 150 or so swimmers isn't my favourite place to be. I started off too fast and needed to slow down to plod pace and then swam my own swim out of the mad washing machine that was going on ahead, especially round the bouys. I finished this element in 1.00.04 and was very glad to have the swim behind me.
Next up was a very lumpy bike ride of 85 km. This included the legendary Rutland Ripple a series of 3 nasty hills that come in quick succession at about 6 miles and then on lap 2 at about 32 miles. Sadly these aren't the only hills in a route which doesn't seem to have a lot of flat and there is a hill about 6 miles from the end of each lap that also gives the legs a good workout. The ride took me 3.11.32 which equates to an average speed of 15.9 mph.
The final element was the 21 km run ( a half marathon in old money) and sadly when I got off the bike my legs felt shot and running was a real effort. The sun had also come out to play and things were getting pretty warm.
I managed to run the first 5 km despite cramp in my right thigh. After the first out lap my leg decided it didn't like running uphill so I had to walk those. My legs generally struggled to get going thereafter so mixed running and walking to make sure I got the the finish. I managed to run the length of the dam in each direction on both laps but walked the feed stations as I needed the energy drinks and the water to pour over my head to try and keep cool.
I ended the 21 km run in a rime of 2.10.20 which was disappointing but at least I made it to the finish and heard the magic words "Chris Wright you are a Vitruvian".
Overall a very tough race and but happy to have completed the challenge.
I managed to finish in 629th place of 704 finishers.
Chris
My swimming isn't great at the best of times but in open water as part of a wave of 150 or so swimmers isn't my favourite place to be. I started off too fast and needed to slow down to plod pace and then swam my own swim out of the mad washing machine that was going on ahead, especially round the bouys. I finished this element in 1.00.04 and was very glad to have the swim behind me.
Next up was a very lumpy bike ride of 85 km. This included the legendary Rutland Ripple a series of 3 nasty hills that come in quick succession at about 6 miles and then on lap 2 at about 32 miles. Sadly these aren't the only hills in a route which doesn't seem to have a lot of flat and there is a hill about 6 miles from the end of each lap that also gives the legs a good workout. The ride took me 3.11.32 which equates to an average speed of 15.9 mph.
The final element was the 21 km run ( a half marathon in old money) and sadly when I got off the bike my legs felt shot and running was a real effort. The sun had also come out to play and things were getting pretty warm.
I managed to run the first 5 km despite cramp in my right thigh. After the first out lap my leg decided it didn't like running uphill so I had to walk those. My legs generally struggled to get going thereafter so mixed running and walking to make sure I got the the finish. I managed to run the length of the dam in each direction on both laps but walked the feed stations as I needed the energy drinks and the water to pour over my head to try and keep cool.
I ended the 21 km run in a rime of 2.10.20 which was disappointing but at least I made it to the finish and heard the magic words "Chris Wright you are a Vitruvian".
Overall a very tough race and but happy to have completed the challenge.
I managed to finish in 629th place of 704 finishers.
Chris
JLL Property 5K - 27.08.15
This is a large annual run in Regent's Park and is organised by JLL to raise money for charity. It is open to all those working in the property world in and around London and this year it attracted a full entry with over 700 runners actually starting the race. This included yours truly, 3 colleagues and a client.
Due to another event a few days later I decided to take part but to take the race a bit easier. Typically for me though I still ran faster than I had planned.
In the end I finished in 263rd place of 736 runners in a time of 23.43.
Chris
Due to another event a few days later I decided to take part but to take the race a bit easier. Typically for me though I still ran faster than I had planned.
In the end I finished in 263rd place of 736 runners in a time of 23.43.
Chris
Tuesday 18 August 2015
A very different bike ride - 17.08.15
Today was a good day for a bike ride with a difference. We visited a small village on the banks of the Loire just outside the city of Saumur and went to visit a world famous wine producer, Bouvet-Labuday. They produce a selection of sparkling wines that we were looking forward to trying after our tour of the limestone caves behind the premises in which the wines are stored.
They offer something rather different from normal tours as the one we took part in was carried out on vintage bikes. As our tour was booked for later in the afternoon our tour was Lois, Ellen and me with a young French lady guide who spoke excellent English (which was a good thing for us). The tour included cycling round 5 kilometres of caves which houses barrels and barrels of wine and vast expanses of bottles. The majority of the tour was lit only by the head torches supplied along with the bikes.
We all had a great time as the wine production process was explained and we got to cycle round caves where a local artist had carried out some amazing and very detailed carvings.
After the tour we got the chance to try out some of the company's products and made a few purchases of the one we liked.
Here are few pictures to give you a flavour, the wines we are keeping for ourselves.
They offer something rather different from normal tours as the one we took part in was carried out on vintage bikes. As our tour was booked for later in the afternoon our tour was Lois, Ellen and me with a young French lady guide who spoke excellent English (which was a good thing for us). The tour included cycling round 5 kilometres of caves which houses barrels and barrels of wine and vast expanses of bottles. The majority of the tour was lit only by the head torches supplied along with the bikes.
We all had a great time as the wine production process was explained and we got to cycle round caves where a local artist had carried out some amazing and very detailed carvings.
After the tour we got the chance to try out some of the company's products and made a few purchases of the one we liked.
Here are few pictures to give you a flavour, the wines we are keeping for ourselves.
Monday 3 August 2015
Prudential Ride London Surrey 100 - 2nd August 2015
Very early on Sunday morning I lined up with around 25,000 other cyclists in London's Olympic Park for the start of the Prudential Ride London 100. This is a huge event and this year I was fortunate enough to get an entry via the ballot.
The start was very well organised and took place on closed roads which was a great experience although id seemed very odd to be ignoring traffic lights, going the wrong way down dual carriageways and cutting corners and junctions like the pros do in their races.
The first 50 or so miles were amazing as they took the riders through the streets of London and past some iconic landmarks such as the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square and Harrods.
From Central London the route went out through south west London and through Richmond Park and then out to the Surrey hills. The first proper climb was Newlands Corner but that was not too much of an issue and soon over. The same cannot be said for the next hill on the route, the infamous Leith Hill. This is a much more serious climb as evidenced by the large number of people walking up the hill, especially in the latter stages. Thankfully I managed to make it to the top without stopping.
After Leith Hill there was a very fast downhill section before reaching the famous Box Hill. Whilst this is a long hill with several hairpin bends the road surface is so smooth it seems to make the climb easier. The steady even gradient also helps with this. It still necessitated a short breather at the top along with a top up of the water bottles.
From there it was a fast run back into central London via Kingston and Wimbledon with Wimbledon Hill at 90 miles an welcome part of the home run. The last part of the home stretch included Chelsea Hospital, the Tate Britain and Parliament Square before a run up Whitehall, around Trafalgar Square and into The Mall for the finish outside Buckingham Palace.
I had to stop to help an injured cyclist following a nasty crash at around 95 miles before leaving him the care of the marshalls and to await an ambulance. Thankfully whilst his bike was in many pieces he appeared largely intact, apart from his shoulder which was in a bad way.
My finish time was 5 hours 51 minutes with the stops but a moving time of 5 hours 33 minutes and an average speed of 18 mph. Better than I had hoped for given the distance and hills involved.
Les would have been pleased with the medal which was very heavy and nicely crafted.
All in all a great event but not one to be taken lightly as my legs are reminding me today.
Chris
The start was very well organised and took place on closed roads which was a great experience although id seemed very odd to be ignoring traffic lights, going the wrong way down dual carriageways and cutting corners and junctions like the pros do in their races.
The first 50 or so miles were amazing as they took the riders through the streets of London and past some iconic landmarks such as the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square and Harrods.
From Central London the route went out through south west London and through Richmond Park and then out to the Surrey hills. The first proper climb was Newlands Corner but that was not too much of an issue and soon over. The same cannot be said for the next hill on the route, the infamous Leith Hill. This is a much more serious climb as evidenced by the large number of people walking up the hill, especially in the latter stages. Thankfully I managed to make it to the top without stopping.
After Leith Hill there was a very fast downhill section before reaching the famous Box Hill. Whilst this is a long hill with several hairpin bends the road surface is so smooth it seems to make the climb easier. The steady even gradient also helps with this. It still necessitated a short breather at the top along with a top up of the water bottles.
From there it was a fast run back into central London via Kingston and Wimbledon with Wimbledon Hill at 90 miles an welcome part of the home run. The last part of the home stretch included Chelsea Hospital, the Tate Britain and Parliament Square before a run up Whitehall, around Trafalgar Square and into The Mall for the finish outside Buckingham Palace.
I had to stop to help an injured cyclist following a nasty crash at around 95 miles before leaving him the care of the marshalls and to await an ambulance. Thankfully whilst his bike was in many pieces he appeared largely intact, apart from his shoulder which was in a bad way.
My finish time was 5 hours 51 minutes with the stops but a moving time of 5 hours 33 minutes and an average speed of 18 mph. Better than I had hoped for given the distance and hills involved.
Les would have been pleased with the medal which was very heavy and nicely crafted.
All in all a great event but not one to be taken lightly as my legs are reminding me today.
Chris
Monday 27 July 2015
London Brick Triathlon - 26 July 2015
After doing lots of sprint distance pool based triathlons yesterday was the day to step up to an open water race and also a major step up in distance to an Olympic Distance triathlon.
The race in question was nice and local and took place at Stewartby with the event based at the watersports club.
Kemlo was also taking part in his first open water triathlon but he opted for the shorter sprint distance race.
The morning dawned bright and dry but the forecast wasn't great with rain forecast for sometime during the race.
At the start of the 1500m swim there was a large mass of people in the water and I decided to give them a few seconds start to avoid getting caught up in a mass of arms and legs. Not that I needed to worry as they all shot off into the distance and i settled into my plodding mode near the back of the swim. The swim seemed to be endless but I am pleased to say that I wasn't last out of the water.
Onto the bike for 4 laps up and down the old A421 between the Marston and Wooton roundabouts (40K in total). This was really a game of two parts with the part going west into the wind far slower going than the part going east with it. Things didn't get any easier when it started to rain half way through and the wind strengthened. From then on the rain didn't stop.
Back into transition and my legs were reluctant to run but thankfully things improved for the 10K run which was 2 out and back laps within the Marston Vale Forest Park.
I didn't see Kemlo at the end as he was finished his event well before me and understandably didn't hang around in the heavy rain. His times were:
Swim 750m 18.27
T1 3.25
Bike 20K 47.47
T2 1.08
Run 5K 27.24
Overall 1.38.12
My times were:
Swim 1500m 41.24
T1 4.25
Bike 40K 1.14.59
T2 1.32
Run 10K 47.13
Overall 2.49.35
It was a good experience but certainly a tough one despite the Brownlee brothers making it look much easier than it is.
Many thanks also to Lois, Ellen and Steve for coming over to offer support during the run element.
Chris
The race in question was nice and local and took place at Stewartby with the event based at the watersports club.
Kemlo was also taking part in his first open water triathlon but he opted for the shorter sprint distance race.
The morning dawned bright and dry but the forecast wasn't great with rain forecast for sometime during the race.
At the start of the 1500m swim there was a large mass of people in the water and I decided to give them a few seconds start to avoid getting caught up in a mass of arms and legs. Not that I needed to worry as they all shot off into the distance and i settled into my plodding mode near the back of the swim. The swim seemed to be endless but I am pleased to say that I wasn't last out of the water.
Onto the bike for 4 laps up and down the old A421 between the Marston and Wooton roundabouts (40K in total). This was really a game of two parts with the part going west into the wind far slower going than the part going east with it. Things didn't get any easier when it started to rain half way through and the wind strengthened. From then on the rain didn't stop.
Back into transition and my legs were reluctant to run but thankfully things improved for the 10K run which was 2 out and back laps within the Marston Vale Forest Park.
I didn't see Kemlo at the end as he was finished his event well before me and understandably didn't hang around in the heavy rain. His times were:
Swim 750m 18.27
T1 3.25
Bike 20K 47.47
T2 1.08
Run 5K 27.24
Overall 1.38.12
My times were:
Swim 1500m 41.24
T1 4.25
Bike 40K 1.14.59
T2 1.32
Run 10K 47.13
Overall 2.49.35
It was a good experience but certainly a tough one despite the Brownlee brothers making it look much easier than it is.
Many thanks also to Lois, Ellen and Steve for coming over to offer support during the run element.
Chris
FlitwickTri Fantasy Tour De France
As a bit of a laugh this year we decided to have a FlitwickTri league in the Velogames Fantasy Tour De France.
Things were nip and tuck right until the last day when Ellen just pipped Pete for top spot.
The final standings were:
Ellen 6578 points
Pete 6424 points
Fiona 5739 points
Lois 5651 points
Chris 5033 points
Sian 4876 points
Simon 4552 points
Roll on next year so we can have another go.
Chris
Things were nip and tuck right until the last day when Ellen just pipped Pete for top spot.
The final standings were:
Ellen 6578 points
Pete 6424 points
Fiona 5739 points
Lois 5651 points
Chris 5033 points
Sian 4876 points
Simon 4552 points
Roll on next year so we can have another go.
Chris
Thursday 23 July 2015
Ironman UK - 19 July 2015
So I did Ironman UK on Sunday 19th July on what was a very wet and windy day in Bolton.
The 1st lap of the swim went well in 31mins but on the second lap the rain was coming down so hard I couldn’t see anything and I lost around 10 mins finishing the swim in 1hr 12mins.
The Bike is very hilly in Bolton with around 5000ft of climbing and wind and rain so again I was slower than my desired sub 6hr bike coming in at 6hrs 28mins.
Running is not my thing but I held on till around 18 miles when my little legs gave up and things deteriorated into a walk / crawl saving my sprint finish for the finishing straight!!
Missed my target of being below 13 hours coming in at 13 hours and 17 mins but as always in Ironman it was a great day.
Coverage of the race will be on Channel 4 this Sunday at around 6am!!
Garry
Saturday 11 July 2015
Bedford Parkrun - 10.07.15
A very pleasant morning greeted 261 runners to Bedford Parkrun this morning. With Pete Jones volunteering our sole runner was Sian Jones and her time of 38.38 was good enough for 243rd place.
Standard Chartered City Race - 09.07.15
On Thursday evening 11 of my colleagues and I joined 4573 runners to take part in the annual Standard Chartered City Race. This is a 5K race around the streets of the City of London and it starts and finishes on Moorgate.
It was a very warm evening and the sheer number of runners made it very hard to run normally as they acted like rolling road blocks.
I managed to finish in a time of 22.06 and that was good enough for 895th place.
Chris
It was a very warm evening and the sheer number of runners made it very hard to run normally as they acted like rolling road blocks.
I managed to finish in a time of 22.06 and that was good enough for 895th place.
Chris
Friday 26 June 2015
Bedford Parkrun - 20 June 2015
A rather dismal morning did not stop 257 runners gathering in Bedford Park for the weekly 5K Parkrun.
From our group there were 2 participants and their times were:
Liam Ko 98th in 25.33
Sarah Eke 202nd in 32.55
Well done both.
From our group there were 2 participants and their times were:
Liam Ko 98th in 25.33
Sarah Eke 202nd in 32.55
Well done both.
Saturday 20 June 2015
Marston Forest 5K - 19.06.15
A small group of us went over to Marston Forest Park for the annual Friday evening 5K race. Conditions were beautiful for being out and about on a summer's evening but a bit warm for a running race. There was also a lot of dust thrown up during the race from the path surface.
There was a good turnout with many of the local running clubs well represented which resulted in some very fast time. The male winner clocked a mightily impressive 15.35 and the female winner clocked a time of 17.32.
Keira Murphy took part in the children's 1K race and looked to be running strongly with her friend Millie.
In the adult 5K race there were 356 runners and our results were:
Chris Wright 82nd in 21.20
Pete Jones 188th in 25.22
Jason Murphy 318th in 33.46
Sian Jones 349th in 38.37
Well done all.
There was a good turnout with many of the local running clubs well represented which resulted in some very fast time. The male winner clocked a mightily impressive 15.35 and the female winner clocked a time of 17.32.
Keira Murphy took part in the children's 1K race and looked to be running strongly with her friend Millie.
In the adult 5K race there were 356 runners and our results were:
Chris Wright 82nd in 21.20
Pete Jones 188th in 25.22
Jason Murphy 318th in 33.46
Sian Jones 349th in 38.37
Well done all.
St Albans Half Marathon - 14th June 2015
For the second consecutive year Liam & I, along with 2,489 other entrants, tackled the above half marathon event.
Compared to the heat of last year the cool damp conditions at the start of this race was a welcome relief. In fact the whole race was run in nearly ideal weather conditions.
If I had to complain I'd moan about the long queues for baggage drop and toilets, that were so bad that the race start was delayed by 10 minutes by which time we had already given up on the pre race loo visit.
The course itself is quite undulating with very few flat parts but had decent support from the public, was well marshalled and had plenty of drink stations.
We had mixed fortunes in the race.
I bettered last year's time by 3 minutes despite walking on 3 separate occasions finishing in 1492nd place in a time of 2:00:29. At the half way point I was in 1380th place in 57:21 so a disappointing 2nd half to the race.
Liam had issues in that he had hardly trained since the MK marathon in late May and in the days prior to this race he had been off work unwell. Consequently Liam finished a disappointing (by his standards) 1992nd place in 2:14:16 some 30 minutes slower than in 2014. At the half way point Liam had clocked 59:19 in 1607th place so also a disappointing second half.
The burgers we consoled ourselves with after the race plus medal, finishers technical t-shirt & goody bag nearly made it worthwhile.
Les
Thursday 11 June 2015
Run Bedford 10K - 07.06.15
Pete, Steve & I took part in the first ever running of the Run Bedford 10k Road Race. The course started and finished on The Embankment and took runners around some of Bedford's finer streets. The course was pancake flat and on closed roads.
The start / finish location, great weather and the Kite festival (also in Russell Park) gave the event a real party atmosphere.
Given that it was the first such event there were no problems with the organisation. There was ample free car parking just a few minutes walk from the start / finish in Aspects Leisure Park.
Surprisingly there was only 433 starters for the event with all but 4 finishing. Having said that the field was of a good standard with all of Bedford's running clubs as well as Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers in attendance and a good turnout from Bedford Parkrun.
Steve was hampered by a calf injury for a good proportion of the race but still managed to leave Pete & I in his wake.
Steve came 170th in a time of 50:02 and was 20th in "our" age category.
I finished in 51:29 in 207th place and 24th in our age category.
Pete finished in 228th place in exactly 53 minutes and was 26th in our age category.
Les
Sunday 7 June 2015
Stratford Tempest Sportive - 06.06.15
On Saturday morning I had a break from the normal Parkrun and went off up to Warwick to take part in the Wiggle organised Stratford Tempest Sportive.
There were 3 distances on offer - Short @ 65 miles, Standard @ 82 miles and Epic @ 100 miles. The Standard and Epic also had the "pleasure" of including in their route a hill by the name of Saintbury Hill. This has been the venue for 2 national hill climb championships so it gives you an idea of what is involved. Over a mile long with an average gradient of 9% and up to 18% at its steepest. Despite the name there is nothing saintly about it.
I opted for the Standard distance and my friend Andy was intending to do the same but ended up doing the Short ride instead.
The sun was out when we arrived but there was a very strong wind from the South West that was quite chilly so the weather was much colder than it appeared and the winds also made things interesting when blowing across the route and challenging when cycling into it.
There were 1500 people taking part in the event so the start area was a bit chaotic and the food stops were very busy but well stocked, not that I stopped long at any of them.
I managed to get round the 82.1 mile course in a time of 5h 03m which equates to an average speed of 16.0mph which I was pleased with given the distance involved and the 3,681 feet of climbing. Wiggle work their awards for the sportives on average speed over the whole event and I was very happy to achieve the top Gold standard for the event.
Overall a long and challenging ride but very satisfying to get up Saintbury Hill without stopping and still having a bit in the tank at the end.
Chris
There were 3 distances on offer - Short @ 65 miles, Standard @ 82 miles and Epic @ 100 miles. The Standard and Epic also had the "pleasure" of including in their route a hill by the name of Saintbury Hill. This has been the venue for 2 national hill climb championships so it gives you an idea of what is involved. Over a mile long with an average gradient of 9% and up to 18% at its steepest. Despite the name there is nothing saintly about it.
I opted for the Standard distance and my friend Andy was intending to do the same but ended up doing the Short ride instead.
The sun was out when we arrived but there was a very strong wind from the South West that was quite chilly so the weather was much colder than it appeared and the winds also made things interesting when blowing across the route and challenging when cycling into it.
There were 1500 people taking part in the event so the start area was a bit chaotic and the food stops were very busy but well stocked, not that I stopped long at any of them.
I managed to get round the 82.1 mile course in a time of 5h 03m which equates to an average speed of 16.0mph which I was pleased with given the distance involved and the 3,681 feet of climbing. Wiggle work their awards for the sportives on average speed over the whole event and I was very happy to achieve the top Gold standard for the event.
Overall a long and challenging ride but very satisfying to get up Saintbury Hill without stopping and still having a bit in the tank at the end.
Chris
Wednesday 3 June 2015
Edinburgh Marathon Festival
On 30th May I took part in both the 10k & 5k events at the above festival.
Both races were in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh and both to my dismay took the runners to the highest road point around Arthur's Seat. This meant that the first 2.5 to 3.0k of each race was a climb upwards to the tune of about 100 meters, and on both races I did resort to walking small stretches of this long drag. The bonus of such long climbs is that there was plenty of downhills in which to recover some time.
Both races were well supported and enjoyable.
Results as follows:
10k race - 628th out of 2,361 finishers in 55:23
5k race - 173rd out of 834 finishers in 27:41
I also entered the half marathon event on Sunday 31st but an 8am start and no early trains from my Dunfermline address would have meant a 5.45am start to catch 6.30am park & ride service to get to the start in time so I took the decision to have a lay-in instead.
Les
London BUPA 10K - 25.05.15
On bank holiday Monday Pete, Sian and I made our way to Cockfosters tube station and then onto Green Park to take part in the above event for the third or fourth consecutive year.
As usual we were very lucky with the weather with it being dry and pleasant, and ideal for running. Given that there was 12,000 runners taking part virtually everything was well thought out and executed really well. Except that is the toilets in that there was an insufficient number resulting in massive queues.
The route changed this year starting on The Mall and finishing on Spur Road opposite Buckingham Palace. Runners follow a clockwise route around the City of Westminster and the City of London. It passed many of London’s famous sights including Admiralty Arch, Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, the Bank of England, the Old Bailey, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Spectators line the whole route.
Our results were:
Les Potts 3,498th in 51:50 1:04 slower than 2014
Pete Jones 4,997th in 55:28 - 3:44 quicker than 2014
Sian Jones 11,222nd in 1:19:56 - 5:54 quicker than 2014
A great medal, decent t-shirt etc etc made the goodie bag very acceptable.
Les
British 10K - 25.05.15
Hi Folks
On Monday 25th June Sian, Les and I ventured down into Green Park to do the London Bupa 10,000 run. We had all done the event before and have enjoyed it so much before we keep coming back.
The weather was ideal and the crowd and bands around the route were great.
Les was the winner from our group in a time of 51 minutes. I managed to beat last years time by nearly 4 minutes and finished in 55 minutes. Sian also beat her 2014 time by nearly 6 minutes completing the run in 1 hour 19 minutes.
A nice goody bag, T shirt and Medal were provided so it was definitely worth the trip!
Pete Jones
Tuesday 2 June 2015
A picture from earlier
Here is a belated addition to the report from the Silverstone Half Marathon in March that I have only recently been sent. This is the before race shot on what was a surprisingly cold and windy day.
From the left it shows me (Chris - in Simon Cowell high waistband mode), Les, Liam, Fiona and Pete.
For results and the race report please look at the entry from March 2015.
From the left it shows me (Chris - in Simon Cowell high waistband mode), Les, Liam, Fiona and Pete.
For results and the race report please look at the entry from March 2015.
Bedford Parkrun - 30-06-15
It was left to Ellen and I to uphold FlitwickTri's honour at the Bedford Parkrun this weekend and we were part of a very large turnout of 331 runners.
Ellen's progression continued and she managed to run all the way round this time without any need for me to revert to Evil Coach mode.
Our results were:
Ellen Wright 241st in 31.11
Chris Wright 242nd in 31.12
Ellen's progression continued and she managed to run all the way round this time without any need for me to revert to Evil Coach mode.
Our results were:
Ellen Wright 241st in 31.11
Chris Wright 242nd in 31.12
Thursday 28 May 2015
Bedford Priory Triathlon - 24 May 2015
I entered the Bedford Priory sprint triathlon on Sunday which consisted of a 750m swim at Priory Country Park, a 21.4k cycle round a fairly familiar route through Cardington, Old Warden, Northill & Cople and a 5k run twice round the lake.
It was a bit of a disaster to be honest. I don’t know exactly what went wrong but I seemed to have forgotten how to swim and had to take regular breaks and alternate with breaststroke for a while. After only 100 metres I had my first thought of retiring; a thought which recurred a few times throughout the next hour and a half.
The small field quickly got so far ahead that I had some difficulty following the right way and I was actually the very last one out of the lake. I then had a fairly lonely bike ride although I was overtaken by the leading contenders in the middle distance triathlon who had first swam 1900 metres.
By the run I had lost motivation although I don’t think I could have gone a lot quicker anyway. I was quite surprised to finish as high as I did (17th out of 24 - top 20, best triathlon placing!!) – though I suspect that a couple of those I finished ahead of took a wrong turn on the bike leg because I don’t recall overtaking as many as 7 after the swim.
My overall time was 1:39:11 (22.41 swim!, 45.16 bike, 28.31 run + 2.42 transition). Bit more swimming practice needed before the next one I think.
Steve
It was a bit of a disaster to be honest. I don’t know exactly what went wrong but I seemed to have forgotten how to swim and had to take regular breaks and alternate with breaststroke for a while. After only 100 metres I had my first thought of retiring; a thought which recurred a few times throughout the next hour and a half.
The small field quickly got so far ahead that I had some difficulty following the right way and I was actually the very last one out of the lake. I then had a fairly lonely bike ride although I was overtaken by the leading contenders in the middle distance triathlon who had first swam 1900 metres.
By the run I had lost motivation although I don’t think I could have gone a lot quicker anyway. I was quite surprised to finish as high as I did (17th out of 24 - top 20, best triathlon placing!!) – though I suspect that a couple of those I finished ahead of took a wrong turn on the bike leg because I don’t recall overtaking as many as 7 after the swim.
My overall time was 1:39:11 (22.41 swim!, 45.16 bike, 28.31 run + 2.42 transition). Bit more swimming practice needed before the next one I think.
Steve
Westminster Mile - 24th May 2015
The race was a 1 mile dash around St James Park starting on The Mall and finishing outside Buckingham Palace. The event was well planned out with a series of races throughout the day. The volunteers and supporters were all first class.
Our times were:
Liam Ko 6:38 459th out of 2,167
Les Potts 7:15 641st
Lovely Serbian Colleague 7:57 1,074th
Whilst a long way to go for such a short race the combination of live music all day, lunch provided by Sweatshop, and the great weather gave this event a real festival atmosphere and was really enjoyable, and a must do in 2016.
Les
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