A review of 1st Quarter 2011

March has been a busy month and rounds up a great first quarter of 2011 so here is a review of progress and activities.

parkrun in Bromley has been growing steadily after some terrible winter weather and by the end of the month it had reached its 82nd event. In March it averaged 131 runners each week and the last weekend was particularly rewarding for me personally as I set a new PB of 19:15 whilst being chased hard all the way to the finish kept me going.  Although only in 11th place it was a 35 second improvement on my previous time.  Conditions were ideal for the run with the ground firm and no rain in the preceeding days and I was feeling certain that an improvement was going to come but the margin did suprise me.

Running has taken a more frequent part of my commute to work since the turn of the year.  Last year I had been commuting by bike most days and the running performance had really suffered as a result.  The heart and lungs were fine but the legs just were not cooperating.  So starting late last year I switched a couple of days to running to the station then taking the train and DLR part of the way.  The final part of the journey involved the Regent Canal from around Limehouse up to Victoria Park then the final mile to Homerton on the local roads.  At first this was hard work but by March I was running from South Quay to Homerton, a distance of 4.3 miles in approximately 32 minutes in both directions each day as well as the 1.7 mile run from home to the station.  When combined with some long runs up to 20 miles on Sundays at 8 min/miles I had rediscovered an enjoyment with running that had been missing for about a year.

Cycling was not forgotten, but the winter has been tough on the south east London roads on a bike.  Bad weather, terrible road surfaces, punctures, a couple of falls and drivers who at best could be described as inattentive.  Also a change of route was required as I lost patience with and gave up using the Greenwich foot tunnel and started to use the Rotherhithe instead.  Although slightly further the route is faster, the downside is the polution in the tunnel which is terrible but it's quick to get through by making the most of the downslope.  

At the end of February I did my first sportive event of the year The Hell of the Ashdown.  A full race report was posted here.  This was my first training event in preparation for the Dragon Ride in south Wales.  It was a perfect day and although I was exhausted at the end of 65 miles I was very pleased with my 4 hour 15 minute time.  The Dragon is almost twice this distance but I rode HOTA alone for most of the distance and have gained valuable experience of riding a demanding route.

Also during the first quarter I have attended a Race Directors day course with England Athletics; an excellent event and good networking opportunity.  Through work I spent a week in Aberdovey on an Outward Bound course with 40 students and particularly enjoyed the overnight trip staying in a wooden cabin away from the centre.  Another weekend away was down on the East Sussex coast at Camber Sands at the Fitness Fiesta. 

I also had my London 2012 Olympic Games Maker interview in early February and walked the Sector 2 route during half term in preparation for marathon day on Sunday 17th April.  My only other volunteering was supporting the Marsden March as a marshal.  Behind the scenes the dialogue regarding SportBromley moved a step forward with a couple of meetings at the Civic Centre and I am looking forward to the forthcoming AGM.  There is a possibility I will make it onto the committee but nothing has yet been finalised.  There have been two PWR committee meetings and one race sub-group meeting in the first quarter but from the perspective of Race Director and Treasurer it has been very quiet.  The 10k is in the calendar for 9th October and entry is open on Runners World and RunBritain with a steady flow of entrants.  The sub group continue to discuss sponsorship opportunities with interested parties and the chip timing system to be used.

The next quarter has already started well with a reasonable performance of 67:09 at the Dartford 10 last Sunday.  Also Bromley parkrun hosted a three way mob match between local clubs Petts Wood, ORR and Beckenham on 2nd April which led to a record busting attendance of 266 runners on Saturday morning.  I ran well but not as quick as the previous weekend achieving a 19:47 with the intention of saving my legs for the 10 mile run the next day.

Looking forward, instead of completing a marathon which will have to wait to the autumn, I need to focus on the bike riding in preparation for the Dragon Ride and also the BHF London to Brighton during June.  These two rides will be a big contrast to each other.  The Dragon is a hugely popular event amongst the serious club cyclists whereas the L2B is more of a fun run with a carnival atmosphere.  Nonetheless the L2B has the Ditchling Beacon to climb and its my intention to get well ahead of the crowds so that I can complete the climb.

Therefore by early July I hope to be reviewing achievements with the bike in those two rides on the back of solid weekend training rides out into Kent and running some respectable performances in a few 10k or 10 miles races.  Also by then parkrun attendances might be averaging over 150 each week and event preparation for the 10k will be well advanced.