Posts Tagged Running

Wild Llandegla

Last weekend I managed two days in a row at Llandegla. Friday night was the first round of this year's Dash in the Dark, organised by the Clwydian Range Runners. The four-mile course wasn't too boggy or arduous, but was hard work for someone like me who's used to longer races. I would have taken a photo, but it was a race in a dense forest at night so there wasn't really much to see. I pushed really hard and got below 30 minutes, which I was pleased with (quicker than last year, too). There are two more races this year, so I hope I can along to those as well.

Disappointment in store for some people who'd travelled to Llandegla. © Haydn Williams 2012

Disappointment in store for some people who'd travelled to Llandegla. © Haydn Williams 2012

On Saturday morning I went back up with my bike. The previous evening we'd run past the shed at the entrance where the car park attendant sits – by the morning it had blown away in the increasingly strong winds! Climbing out of the car park I could hear branches snapping, and the horrific gusts continued to blow me literally off the trails, requiring me to pedal to make any progress on downhill sections more than once. By the time I made it back to the car park, all trails had been closed. Hard work, but great fun on the black trails nonetheless.

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Helena Tipping 10k 2011

It is with regret that I announce my retirement from the sport of road running, having yesterday made my debut in the sport of road running.

My brother recently asked me to join him for his first road race, the Helena Tipping 10k organised by Wrexham Athletic Club Road Runners. As it turns out, he had to pull out and so I was the sole representation of the Williams family. The course is only a couple of miles from our parents' house, so was reasonably familiar territory even though I didn't know all of the route. Not being a road runner, I approached it in the hope that I'd suddenly find it interesting and enlightening, but actually it was just hard work!

About to cross the finish line. Photo by Gareth Williams. (c) Haydn Williams 2011

About to cross the finish line. Photo by Gareth Williams. (c) Haydn Williams 2011

I had a reasonable run, pushed myself a bit in the last third, and managed a decent sprint at the end to pass three people in the last 100m or so. I could feel a lack of stamina because I don't normally run at such a consistent pace; my usual fell running provides more variation. The provisional results placed me in 77th, or 22nd for the 18-35 age class, with a time of 41m 42s.

I've been wanting to try a road race for a while, just for the experience. It wasn't purgatory, but it wasn't the most exciting race I've ever undertaken either – I doubt I'll be doing any more soon without a very good reason. On the plus side, if this is the only road race I ever do then I must have achieved a personal best. Although conversely it was also the slowest road race I've ever done. Hmmm….

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Beacon Hill Trail Run 2011

It could be said that my preparation for races is really quite shoddy. I rarely get an early night before an event, and prior to the Beacon Hill Trail Run the last time I had run was a month before (at LAMM). The Beacon  Hill course was five miles long, in an up-down-up-down pattern along the hill. It was a strange mix of entrants, as it included not only runners, but Nordic walkers and cani-crossers too. The start line was therefore a jumbled mass of runners, dogs, and walking poles. After some initial confusion everything calmed down a bit and I settled into a pace. Said pace was faster than usual, given the short distance and the fact that this was a trail run on a wide gravel track rather than my usual fell-running antics.

Beacon Hill Trail Run 2011 route. Screenshot from Ascent; map data copyright Google et al.

Beacon Hill Trail Run 2011 route. Screenshot from Ascent; map data copyright Google et al.

I was feeling the strain on the uphills, with my cardiovascular fitness evidently taking a massive hit from four weeks without any kind of training. Nevertheless, I pushed on and kept up the pace past the halfway point where my brother was stood, cheering me on.  Back up the hill again, and the pack spread out some more at the top. I suffered on the final downhill stretch: dodgy knees mean I can't just let go and power down like everyone else, but have to constantly check my speed.

Official race photos are here – search for number 97 if you're interested in seeing what I'd look like when attacked by a swarm of copyright notices

I crossed the line feeling generally OK, but having put in a lot of effort to keep the speed up. My final time was 36m 35s, placing me 17th out of 103 entrants. There were definitely some cani-crossers ahead of me, but unfortunately the results aren't split by category so I don't know how far down the field of runners I was. Yet again I have a race where being a minute faster would have made a huge difference – lifting me to 9th place in this case. I guess I should really start some proper training…

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