Merry Christmas!

Celebrating with a 9am appearance on Richmond Park after stormy weather over the last 2 days.



Boggy but not wet. At least 174 crazy people (big and little, prams and dogs) finished ahead of me...

Time is running out. It's not a PB day and I suffered towards the end. It's been a week since I did my last run of 7 miles.

The inactivity is killing me but there aren't enough hours in the day. The legs need strengthening .... Much of that building offline but slowly.

Am considering quitting my gym membership as I hardly ever go - but what would 2014 hold?

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Wintry reflections….

It's almost the end of November - the days are getting shorter, colder, wetter, and I am getting much, much lazier.



Renovations have finally kicked in….a correction to my wardrobe malfunction, and a chance, to take these down from my curtain rail, so that they don't get dustier..







Only a few weeks more than 17 weeks to go before Virgin (Money!) London Marathon - I nudged the one who got the 'You're  in' magazine to start thinking about it…and time to get fit for the 17 week training plan (which starts before christmas).



and where, where are my goals this year? distracted. the hope of achieving something bigger in life than to skim minutes off a 26.2mile this year has left me a failure to hit the 2 small goals I have set myself for 2013…but hey…theres still 5 saturdays, before the end of the year. so literally, I can, I still can. :)



I need to really learn how to prioritise, and carve out the minutes, the half hours, to put on those shoes and get out there.



"It's too cold, It's too dark, I'm tired"…. I must say, one of the happier moments I have had in the last week was to don those shoes and long sleeves, those shoes…in the mild rain, after a long day cooped up in a function room, only minutes away from "the Happiest Place on Earth" in Europe….and round, and round, and round, and round and round…




Meeting people, seeing smiles, makes the hydration and fun afterwards, worth it.



Jumping on the Velib, when the RER and Metro would take too long, on a Saturday morning, in a dress and boots, around, across the Seine, Jardin Luxembourg….magic moments….




My legs are sore, not from the running, but from the walking, cycling….and lack of quality sleep.



to learn to switch off, to relax, to pick up, and go, and run again. It seems to have only happened, in the recent month or so, when I am out of the comfort zone of my home….a gym in Taipei, a gym in Hong Kong, a gym in Hammersmith, a gym in Staines….rarely on the street where I live, or in the park…





These mags say it all - Don't feel Blue, Sorry! You're In!

The winter will be here for a while…and its time to have the clock ticking again….to energise, to try for a record time :)

"Hey, Road Runner, are you afraid of the woods?"

it's October, it's Autumn....when the leaves Fall, the temparture drops, and time to slow down and enjoy successes of the gardening year , as well as calling a conclusion to the 'running season' for 2013??

Well...with no registered races in the pipeline - here's a long overdue update of another year of Farnham Pilgrim Half Marathon - and the 2nd medal in a week in the distant past of September.



The fun of the trails, and being in nature, faster than a hike, and those cakes! The lovely calendar sitting on my wall in 2013 - showing every month, the lovely scenery of the north downs way...where the pilgrims have been...and this is my 2nd time, so it's starting to feel like Wokingham Half, where the familiarity takes over, but this one never, is an attempt to slash one's 13.1 mile PB. My only target, with a truthful non-existent training (apart from the EMC run on the Wednesday before - still glowing in that '3rd fastest woman in the firm' glory :))- was to beat last year's time.

and I did. by around 2 minutes!

The half marathon itself felt easier than I remembered, the queues to pass the stiles (one here to illustrate) was shorter



the cakes smaller - to motivate myself to the finish I had imagined piles of really really big cakes - but the ones at the finishing line was marvellous as usual..
 

yes- I have learnt not to take big chunks of mars bars from grubby hands in front of the pub (after the 3 mile climb). I headed for a small piece at the 'authorised' nutrition station and ensure they melted on my molars for that slow release of sugar....

 the views were rewarding, and this year with all the hill runs (wimbledon, chobham, richmond and around my neighbourhood) some parts of this were not new to me at all....its watching where my feet were going and not slip...and enjoy the scenery - a faster way than a long hike through the English countryside! and there were a few pilgrims that we spotted - 'There's no discouragement.....I'll labour night and day, to be a Pilgrim'...I sang :)



This year - we have new mugs to bring home, and a 'scary' black t-shirt with the words -
"Hey Road Runner, are you afraid of the woods"?

 

after my 2nd Farnham Pilgrim - I'd say, NOPE :)
 
 now onto my other pursuits...while i work on the next opportunity to hit the road/trails again...

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The micro-marathon experience - and one of the top 5!

As a pledge to help the million makers team in EMC raise funds for the Prince's Trust, I signed up to this fun run at Gunnersbury park, just behind the office.
Having felt like I've done ultras this year at work - I didn't do much publicity for the fundraising , and it was a big drop in distance from last year's for the same charity. The organizers were great in helping out with the info to send out, and Thanks to some of my new and regular supporters (I will need to Thank you all personally too!) I exceeded my target easily.
The run itself - 3 time slots on a Wednesday from lunchtime. I picked the one at 6pm and was only making it in time if it weren't for a visiting colleague waiting downstairs!
It turns out to be 8 of us at the start, drizzling and wet, the starter horn went off pretty quickly after we assembled.
No trampling over each other , 3 of them went ahead in the distance , with me keeping my own company, and a few behind.
I'm familiar with the park but not the course charted as it meanders through buildings and focuses on the less open parts if the park where I tend to get lost. The cones marking the route had been slightly moved around by youths earlier, so it almost felt like an adventure race!
A mile in, I ran into some steps, and was promptly overtaken. In the near distance behind there were a few more running together. When it is such a small race one becomes conscious of where one lands - although this is just a much needed training run for Farnham Pilgrim tomorrow.
The rain continued, and I just love the organizers - cheered on at the one lap mark. Not long after that I passed the one who overtook me, who started walking. It is very easy to be distracted, but I pressed on - turning on my internal soundtrack , to the tune of 'in the mood', after a few encounters of such types recently ;) the riffs kept me focused - and the final downhill, past the pond, hearing the horn go off in the distance..

Job done. My watch said 37 minutes with 2secs to spare...I can't believe it! Then my runkeeper confirmed my doubts - it could've been a 3.7 mile instead of a 4 mile - but not UKA certified course, so ok!
But which run would there be when one runs through a finishing ribbon, has a full goody bag , and medal And a printed certificate all at the same time! I can only feel so loved.

We all stayed and cheered for the final finisher at 51 mins , and went home.
The day after, the times for the 3 slots of the fun run was published and I was the 3rd fastest female !
Never imagined a placing in any race at all...it is surely a record for record's sake!
It was fun all right, although I wasn't able to line up future running partners on the spot like some others that day, it was good to be out there again in the presence of active people outside the confines of the desk and laptop and the four walls.
Not too late to sponsor! Please click this link :)
http://www.justgiving.com/Bonnie-Wong1
Now less than 24 hours to go before the next race. A hilly and hopefully not too wet one! I look forward to the finishing table of good cakes :)
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Double digit growth!

It's been a while and not having done too much as have been pedaling hard in the office and out.
Sleep deprived, last thing I would want is dash out for a run, or cycle. 😔
When I had imagined going for early morning runs over the bank holiday long weekend trip in Sicily - the place was lots hillier than I thought, and it didn't happen - only a short dash in Marsala's city walls and seafront.
In the last few days I went into amendment mode...
A cycle to and from my car service garage. > 10 miles.
Richmond Parkrun (no barcode and a screenshot on iPhone doesn't work!) and then...around the outer loop. Just over 10 miles ...a small loop and a bigger loop, treading over familiar ground and not quite. It's noticeably cooler now, and our friends here are growing up, and unfortunately ready for the cull ...

I didn't have great amount of sleep and was totally able to 'run on fatigue' as a runner's world article states, being a time saver's way to train for a marathon.
The fooling technique worked... Save energy.. There are more hills coming...I kept on telling myself. Before long I had already arrived Faster than I thought.
But not advisable as it drained a lot out of me and I didn't realize at the time. From almost 0 miles to double digit mileage in a fortnight. Feels like I'm back to square one.
Another afternoon of working on my now exponential growth veggie batch (in 3 months) from this
to this..
- a constant reminder: constant investment reaps exponential rewards.

An increase in mileage in a week like this, only tires you out, burns you out. Am not young anymore.
A lack of consistent training has taken its toll - I am down with the cold.

And it's September. In a week's time, I have to use my legs again in that way...

Hmm, time flies. Not enough of it and summer is slipping away...

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Wimbledon Common Half Marathon

My 3rd Half Marathon this year, and my 3rd race in July.

Done. and potentially hanging my trainers up for the summer(?)
The level of training wasn't there for any breakthroughs so the result was expected.
Having done the 10k a bit more than a month ago in warm temperatures - i had a reasonable expectation of what wascoming. today, the trail was adorned with puddles from last night's much needed torrential rain so one had to dodge from time to time to avoid getting muddy shoes.
The course was made up of 2 laps, with the first 2 miles uphill and then the mile 6 and 11 being down. I did capitalise on the 6thmile doing an amazing 8:56 min/mile but tired me out for lap 2.
It was a typical trail - not closed off which means the occasional walker or dog or traffic could be in the way, but otherwise well marshaled.
Drink stations were available every 5 kilometres but I would say am glad I hedged my bets by bringing my own little bottle of lucozade - when water ran out at drink station #3,I could carry on my own...and on drink station #1..I lost a little time by waiting a little for the cups to be filled.
Is it a race where one can find runners with similar pace to pace yourself? In my13.1 today I kept on seeing, overtaking and be overtaken by an old man, and a woman with a pram. Eventually old man finished ahead of me with pram lady behind me (she slowed after the 2nd uphill lap).
My legs were feeling it - conscious of my painfully tight right heel and the 2 blisters on the inside of my left, waiting to burst. The playlist of my mind wasn't on a full stream of motivational tunes - mainly devoting focus on how not to twist an ankle and on how to forefoot strike, and be efficient.
I now know the consequences of stopping, of starting too fast. The pace still needs to be worked at on consistency, but the last few months have simply been testing on my body, and not having enough sleep, and recovering from a week on antibiotics can all be blamed.
The massage along the way to prevent a stitch (lesson from last Sunday's 10 miler) and the remedies...slowing down, breathing like blowing candles...
Am I on the verge of the group of people that should've given up doing this on a Sunday morning?
Runthrough operating these races as a business ? Did they calculate the demand for cups of water at drinks stations - so that the slower ones would miss out (when they need it most)? In contrast to the 10k, lucky that I arrived to the finish with another medal and tshirt to add to my collection.
Is a 2:08.44 (unconfirmed time) something to beat myself up about?
Every race is different. Compared to Shakespeare (my last one, in feb) 2:10.xx and Milton Keynes last year (July, trail), 2:09.xx - this isn't all that bad.
At least my hubby was there, to start, and to wait for me at the finish (another 16 minutes!) - saving me a finisher's orange that I would not have arrived to receive.
Next - time to hunt down a good Physio to get my poor ankle on the mend!
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Race for Life 10k + 3 royal parks run

My 2nd July race this week was another one in the intense heat.

An excuse really to bond with my girlfriends , I signed up for race for life 10k in Hyde park, donning a pink tutu.

Every reason to blame for that poor performance of 58:08 - on run keeper, unchipped.

Now I've always been skeptical about charity races, and having previously stepped into the foyer of Cancer Research's offices in islington , I'm not sure how much of it goes into the impact of research to 'get' cancer.

Intense marketing, free apples and brioches just like the VLM, minus a bag drop (insurance premiums?) - I traveled minimal. BUT with an excess of water bottles as the course map didn't make any mention of drink stations.



Now this is a race that makes you think. runners are encouraged to put on a back bib for the reason they were there today. I certainly knew why one of my friends here do this race year after year. it's touching to see those who posted pictures behind their back of loved ones they have lost.

My bib was for the fighters - those close to me who have fought and conquered, and those who are fighting.

For the 58 minutes that I took on this gloriously hot Sunday morning to do the 2 loops around London's green lungs - it was a struggle. Hot weather - do you stop and walk? (I did, briefly) what if you didn't press on to finish the race - or it being life's last moments before collapse?

What are your priorities? Do you wish you had spent more time elsewhere or with the people that you love, than toiling away and losing your days, nights and precious training time to make this and other journeys easier?


Life is short. Health is precious. To jeopardize maintaining fitness as what I've done in recent weeks has a price to pay. (I developed an allergy after several insect bites in this park that afternoon which lead to a week on antibiotics to cure a swollen itchy foot and leg).

One must fight. And make time to set things right.




Post Hyde park 10k - I had to loiter around London to wait for my city dwelling friends to freshen up- and I took to the Mall and Piccadilly , still freshly closed to traffic after the British 10k (another marketing super machine - the medal has quadrupled its size 5 years since I ran it! Makes some marathon medals look small for the effort taken) - and did some good laps - and ticked 3 royal parks in a day.

Few more days til the next race, and I have no aspirations as my training has been binned due to my long hours at a desk.

Currently doing some damage fatigue management by maintaining some light exercises- 5ks jog/cycles every day.
Let's hope the weather stays cool for Sunday so I can have a good stab at this half marathon!

[soundtrack]
After all that you put me through,
You think I'd despise you,
But in the end I wanna thank you,
'Cause you've made me that much stronger

Well I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true
Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff time is up
'Cause I've had enough
You were there by my side, always down for the ride
But your joy ride just came down in flames 'cause your greed sold me out in shame

After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that I hold resentment for you
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong
'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know
Just how capable I am to pull through
So I wanna say thank you
'Cause it


Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter


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JPM Corporate Challenge 2013 - a sunny and breezy one

I don't like to sign up for races I don't make to the starting line, and that almost happened today.

Ever being positive enough to leave at 5 to catch the 5:11 train, it didn't happened as planned (as expected ). Despite having ran to the train station and seeing the train pull in the platform..one thinks, there's another 1 in 20 mins time.

But the train was cancelled! Which means I had to take the 6:11 train, which was 8 mins late. With a 20min train journey and more than 10 minutes to the start....and pin the bib, and the chip...a slim chance I will make the starting gun of 6:45

I almost contemplated throwing in the towel and heading back to work (!) or home, but thought the better of the £10 entry fee and the future of the institute (should a merger go ahead with the kiwi's, this could be the last one we see of the logo?)
I waited patiently, and lean into the crowdedness of the now 6:18 train reading the book of the same title :) to queenstown road.

Calm at the station, I met another fellow working for Sky rushing to get to his blue bib start. I paced jogged with him for a bit until he took off after learning my target time was 33 mins! I was forced to do a warm up jog to the start as the closer exits were blocked with runners at the start. The gun had just gone off and surprisingly there were some corporate tshirt wearers strolling into battersea park, oblivious of the start time of the race. I had to dismiss them as 'walkers or cheerleaders' and made my way to my group - lucky the bib was the chip so off I went..to the green start that never was...and got to the start after a short wait.

Being the back of the pack was peaceful, less aggressive corporates trying to elbow you or stop and start walking. It was one of the nicest runs, sunny with a breeze. I relaxed and got into the rhythm of this course I know so well, seeing the Thames shimmering its reflections..how I miss the river!

Tried hard to maintain steady pace and gait, and not stop, even at drinks station. I was almost in the zone, thanks to the warm up jog earlier. Legs felt good, lots more lift compared to the last weekend

Given all factors I was thinking I be comfortable rather than going for It towards
the finish.

My watch said 31:4x , not too bad, given fatigue and lateness.



Another t shirt collected and lovely hospitality with the Aussie CA and the regulars. It was easier downing a bottle of water than a beer!

I have 2 texts from the organisers (after a faulty qr scan of the code on the bib!)
One said I finished 31:38 the other 47:12. Pace 13:30 (what rubbish)
Runkeeper says it was 9:17 min mile for 3.4 miles
Who to trust? Only my legs.

At least it's not a personal worst on the chip time! My expected on missing the train was 1:00:xx. Phew!

See you next year! As they all say...how will the game change? Who's got the snazziest t shirt, biggest and well equipped marquees.

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The same 10 miles, only 10 minutes faster.

Monday is a rest day. take it easy.
But last week was a 10 miler week!
Exactly that. Very low mileage.
If I didn't make myself ride in on Thursday 40 mins on the bike return, that's all I got up to.
What? No quick break...15 minute power jog? What happened?
.........I'm a dull girl.
Having said that and to through the week and into a sunny weekend, involving a full Saturday of walking from bond street to Camden town via primrose hill...




, yesterday's run was great along the canals. Very slow start...consistent 10:13 splits for 2nd and 3rd mile...then the typical slow down and the turn around point...popping a gel...




until the 2nd half ..I picked up speed...mile 9 at 9:56...with a shock almost trip over....lucky a few quick steps stopped me from going anywhere..
Average 10:39. Last week's attempt with a bit of exploration , was 11:16 min mile over the same distance. I wouldn't risk any longer.
A hot day...it didn't feel easy. My legs are still aching today even when climbing stairs. And always...even with generous Vaseline application..my blister returned :(

Well this week will be different. 2 races in the space of few days..that's my training done. and nights prepping and being in a gig! Many opportunities to be out of breath..

Better get some sleep.
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A new Personal Best, A serious training week

Those sweet words. A time marked by my own watch, and then an adjusted time on that email on Saturday afternoon.




Congratulations on setting a new Personal Best by 5 seconds at Richmond Park parkrun! Congratulations on setting a new Years Best time today.


It has taken me 2 years and 2 months to shave only seconds off my best time on this course.

Have I not tried hard? Yes and no. In the last few visits, however, I have learnt my lessons and have made some improvements - mainly, getting there earlier, not stopping and drinking the right stuff beforehand.

In fact the last week's training have been focused on the one big time robber - stopping. My last Parkrun I stopped twice, the one before I stopped once.

In the last week, my focus in training has been not stopping. With my new shoes (yes, finally! an asics gt-3000 as t-194n are phased out) and armed with my benchmarks lap and interval times at the park next to my office, I was able to make 2 sessions of this. No stopping around the big loop, slow. Then to and fro, and to again. I concluded that a 0.5 mile interval was probably too long to see improvements in results, but by doing 3 in a row, I am implanting
the effort I need to put in to get those few seconds off...
It wasn't easy given the general late nights and things on my plate recently. But I get the idea.

Now, for the second bit in the note..
You achieved an age-graded score of 55.06%. For an explanation of age-grading, please see the WAVA age grading overview

Very interesting to know that the world record holder at my age can run 45% faster than me!

A great race time predictor follows on from the link
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/racepaces/rp

This shows that I'm really borderline to break my 2hour again in 13.1miles unless I pick up my game.

I have open a page from an old copy of runners world, a training plan for a sub-2. Halfway through the timetable I am, with 4 weeks to go.
This weekend, a long slow run of 10 miles @ 10:27min/ mile..

Tick, on the mileage but not the pacing. A very nice summery morning spent exploring the wey navigation with only the 3rd and 10th mile hitting close or below this target pace...all in the name of exploration..well, at least 2 more miles covered at this same time as my last long run 2 weeks ago at chobham!



Can't believe it's July already and the next race is only a week and a half away! And a performance at the office bbq on Thursday ..and then the next 10km on Sunday...and quarter-end at work..

Needing my quality sleep to cope with all this. Tomorrow will be a rest day, exercisewise.

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Chobham Common

A week of no activity - cooped up with squeezing every minute to get through my to-do's...is a bad idea.

A short run would energise - as inspired by a girl I see running outside my cul-de-sac most mornings when I'm at home. Not in my type of running gear, but she's our there doing it. In the evening, when I drove out, she was doing round 2!

I'm saying this as my only run last week, was on the Saturday, and I paid for it. In a good way, as we explored for the first time - Chobham Common, and getting lost meant extra mileage...




The sights however, were rewarding. That's what trail running is about - not watching time (too much) - being in touch with nature, and training muscles that one doesn't always use in road running or treadmill.




8.8 miles in 1:55 on my feet with frequent reference to my iPhone to get us back to the right track... I was exhausted and my right foot, imbalanced.

***
Thereafter, a week of some activity every day. Just over a month to Wimbledon half, need to start training. Kicked myself hard - intervals on the treadmill on Monday, cycling Tuesday, a brief lunchtime run on Wednesday (sunburnt on the back of my neck?) and now, another morning run to the station.

Feeling more energized, but its humid, and its not feeling easy at all. Will it get easier when it gets warmer in the next month? It just needs to be, with the extra mileage I'm putting in!
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Baguette and Chateau runs

Back from a week away in the Loire Valley and then a week of glorious sunshine at home - lots of time outdoors and less time to update...

Staying in a house in a 'remote' location for a week makes for perfect training conditions: less than 15 minutes cycling to the closest boulangerie for the group's daily baguette runs,




and an almost daily 'interval' jog around the hill where the house was - 2 loops is almost a 5k and rotating between running clockwise, and anti clockwise - to rotate the balance on the legs.

As there were no tall structures around I had every reason to believe the accuracy of the GPS maps and the consistently sub 9:45 min miles I have been churning.




But consistency is the key and I ran out time to perfect it.

The previous week had been one identifying baselines for interval training but struggling to find the balance between enjoying a sunny ride almost to home (20 mile cycle day on a work day!) or to get 290litres of soil out for a new raised veggie patch, or actually hitting out the miles.

Had a good hour in the park next to my office last week - 5k Parkrun and then a few intervals in few locations. So close - that I could go out again day after day after day. But... The morning traffic? The unending pile of work? Would an hour outside make the real difference or will it be one laden with guilt when deadlines loom :(

Over the weekend I focused on running slow and not stopping on my long run, 7 miler to old Windsor. I cannot run too slow at the start, but slowed down when approaching a turning point, except for the second last mile.

Maybe it is the mindset? How to be slow and steady?


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Wimbledon Common 10k

A very lucky bib number, a run 24 seconds away from my 10k PB..

A late night after a rainy day, I had expected boggy conditions, luckily it turned out to be a day of wonderful sunshine.
Basking in the warmth of the Sunday morning sunshine, in a sleeveless top and shorts, chatting away with Vinnie, a fellow late-stage over pronator (we used to be asics twins) making a debut back to the racing circuit :)

- this was the type of race I wouldn't mind - relaxed atmosphere, close enough to home. A bit of negotiation got us a discount for 3 races - 2 of which would be half marathons on the same track in 7 week's time - which I would trial during this 10k...Hubby had other plans, saving me £11, and gone off before the 10k start to do his own loop around Neighbouring Richmond park...
The course was a loop - first 2 uphill and last 2 coming down, and flat trails in between.
Up hills did feel like the Farnham pilgrim , trails and all not easy, but it contributes to us not starting too fast - because we simply cannot!
I always wondered how big Wimbledon common was and whether it was just a loop of parkland or was there much more? A lot of what we ran that day was close enough to traffic - hear them, see them... Walkers with their Nordic sticks, riders on their lovely horses... Lots of activity, but no deer like itsneighbour. Oh well.
It was a good training run, it got warmer, one was tempted to skip the water station at 5km, but breathing thru my mouth and recovering from a stitch , I just had to. (Then I saw a girl with a similar pacing to me cut a corner to avoid the stopping!)
The race 'starts' in the second half so as
I reached 5km I took stock. >27mins (ie Parkrun speed) this again was a goner. :(
Well I can only make the best of it and capitalise on the downhills and trick myself that my legs were still fresh. Failed on the latter (although it wasn't terribly bad!) but on the 9th kilometre I release my legs within reason and did a 5:10 lap!
The last kilometre was all flat and as hard as I could drive my turbos..I can see the clock ticking in the distance - 55:xx - it kinda didn't matter, how much can I make up for it? Like an Olympian gold medallist by reaching out my hands for the photo finish? (The race chip was on the bib- unfortunately I couldn't keep my lucky number close enough) --- I finished

But officially 55:48, 24 seconds off my PB at Bushy Park 10k on my birthday 2 years ago.
24 seconds! Less than half a minute, every second counts. As I have learnt through the course of the week - the hard way to put it simply.
Am evaluating my training if I were to break 2 in a half marathon by end July. Have just signed up for a few practice opportunities. But need to get out there and get some quality speed on those legs !
Started reading Ben Ainslie's 'Close to the Wind' ( oh what a feeling!) and on the first pages he recalled one of the best advices he got from his coach: 'we want to be in a position when you're good enough to win gold even whe you're not sailing at your best'.
Need that feeling that my training can prove that I have capacity to achieve.
But achievement is very different in everyone's eyes and in the midst of so many priorities. I stayed on near the finish line for another 10-15 minutes to wait for Vinnie (with her dad and my hubby) as well as the team that were fundraising (wearing T-shirts with a photo on it)....It is also great to see my colleague cutting out her Parkrun barcode in the office last week and coming back this week to tell me she's done her first in prep for a charity 10k. Or another telling me he's smashing PB's in training for an upcoming race.
It's great hearing from my dinner guests how they have overcome their injuries and am easing back into the activities they love with some modifications and greater awareness of what their bodies can do..
It is good signing up for yet another appearance at the jpmcc this year (not totally susidised by my professional org this year as some people have not turned up!) and the organiser thinking that I don't need to train.
Am glad to inspire and be inspired! (Hmm..using what i learnt during London 2012 games maker training! )
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a gr8 Monday...Richmond Park Take Two

Who will buy, this wonderful (Monday) morning,
Such a sky, you never did see!

Who would rise at 8 in the morning
To drop a cyclist off for a ride to the sea...

And then the day's left for me to enjoy
Should I do another Parkrun?

2 loops of 5 (to train for a 10km)
Or bonus miles to a Freedom (5km unscheduled Parkrun)

Chose the latter,and had fun!




Who will try, a shortcut thro the middle
Who would know, there's 2 lakes in between!



Me, oh my, I don't want to lose my way

So what am I to do,
These signs are not useful too


I persisted, 8 miles later - I survived!






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2 secs...and heaps of sunshine

The glorious first may long weekend has just flown past, and its been great spending much of it in Richmond Park.

After a long week of work (not new anymore) and into the night...I pushed ourselves out to beat the non existent Saturday traffic to the 9am Parkrun

Got there too early, without a coffee, a tired me to the starting line.

It's the first Saturday of the month - and usually there's pacers...I see miss Sally(?) with 27:30 bib on, and vowed not to see her all the way...

Due to potential land degradation issues, they've changed the place for starting announcements - and one had to walk between those at the start toget to the bad to start...which means, an earlier forced start...

Miss 27:30 pacer explained the route to a few followers 'and it gets steeper towards the end, killer hills'..since I was slowly passing her in the downhill first kilometer... I let the chatter fade in the distance.

I know this track too well.. And when it gets harder, and when it gets steep. And today, I knew wasn't my day. I did the thing one isn't supposed to do. Walked for a minute - it was a hard push...
Near the second dip of the track miss 27:30 caught up, and so did the few followers, missing a few.
They asked me not to stop...so I pushed on....and can only hope...



Failed a sub-27, and missed official PB by 2 secs!

What could I have done better? Earlier nights, a coffee and warmup.
In contrast to my other half, I don't loathe Parkrun. I recommend it for those that needs encouragement - what I can achieve in a Parkrun is often played back at the final 5kms of a marathon (when one realizes benefits of fresh legs!)

A little tired visit to Isabella plantation after, not quite in full bloom. What a Saturday !





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Faux Filet

April in Paris, only just. And just an overnight stay.

Stayed near Bastille - and to Marathon de Paris veterans, that's the 5km mark and the first drink station / bottleneck.




Spent most of the Saturday walking around, visiting old haunts - escaping the labyrinth from the chatelet metro via a walk east, with the bastille insight, and out of sight again....the brasseries made commercial via too much word of mouth reviews, the marche at the mouffetard (Left Bank) open on a Saturday afternoon (my mouffetarte shop has given way to a clothes shop!)

The highlight being the evening meal at a lovely little establishment at the Marais, run by 2 (female) lovers - the recommendation of the night being Faux Filet !
My poor French turned suspicion into 'false beef' = horse but lucky it wasn't- a nice protein fix it was (lately I just need meat, don't know why)




What wasn't faux there was: c'est deliceaux!

Of course, how can a Sunday morning not start with a beautiful run (my hotel selection, of course was strategically to facilitate such pursuits).
Late checkout requested (a pattern here) and of course I had to lead the running route (professional run tour guides charge €75 for this luxury!) -

Along the right bank of the Seine we went - a quiet stretch that runners/cyclists/rollerbladers would go on the middle of the road (where available) and where not, the minimalist/barefoot shoe runners would suffer on the cobblestones.





It was nice being there, jogging the memories of 2 Sunday mornings in April few years ago, when we were racing and spectating against time. The only clock this time, was the possible late checkout charge ....so the logical point to turn back was in the jardin Tuileries - as pretty as before...

And some customary stretching with the louvre in the background



And then..a straight run, traffic permitting , down rue rivoli...



Not quite 10kms (would've been if we reached halfway up the champs élysées near George V)...but at least we did it!

***
Things aren't always what they seem, faux imaginations are easily found with a bit more thought, but its the initial idea, and the necessary logistics with a diversion, that gets me out there.

Back home, I've finally tried a day commuting with the bike and train alone..ok, with a lift to my old station with faster trains in the morning.

On the way back, I explored the options of heading home by cycling totally, by using my return ticket and changing to the slower train that will take me a 5 min ride home, or by using the return ticket and cycling the 5 miles home.

I chose the 3rd option, which meant I didn't have the 20 minute dead time on the platform for the train change (I got home quicker than waiting for the train!)

Alternatively, if I had decided to cycle my whole way without interruptions, I wouldn't have wasted time on waiting for the train even.

Faux pedal economy. Real exercise. Just more planning required for a proper workout. But how many balls to juggle?

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Coast to Coast

(Dual post on travel blog @ Wordpress )

Cycling for some, but driving for me (with a bit of running , sightseeing in between!)

777 miles for the car, 164.18 miles on the bike - completed from our home in Surrey, up north, staying in Preston for the night, to make a fresh start on Walney Island on the West of the Lake District on a Saturday morning.

5.5 hours + of driving , to the working class island on the west side of the British mainland. Boring buildings, but a coastal walk near Sandy Gap marks the start of the route.



Seeing the boys off ( europe's biggest offshore wind farm to the right of this picture)...

I had 4 hours before lunch. What else but a run along the coastal path, and a walk amongst the pebbles to touch the water on the west coast.


Now that I live miles away from the sea, I always think about when was the last time I was this close to the water. Perhaps in Perth Australia , last November?

The wind in my face, a glorious morning with dog walkers on the coast, it was lovely being there. To compensate for the poor pace I have been maintaining , some intervals between bench and rubbish bins were done.


A coastal drive via ulverston got me to our lunch spot at l'enclume, a 2 Michelin star restaurant in the little village of cartmel.

The 6 course lunch + cheese was the loveliest one could experience on a long distance bike ride - and a quick pop in to the home of the lovely sticky toffee pudding we got from waitrose a while ago, so nice that I had to sketch the cover..and then I found out we were coming here... Surreal



After lunch, the cyclists headed east - Dean with the luxury of arriving at the coast in 5 days and Seng by the next day (to catch the BonWagen home) - and I set off along windshadowed mountains , saying goodbye to the lakes and into the Penines.
Checked into the B&b with an hours snooze, then I was called to pick up the cyclist at Kirkby Stephens for dinner and a rest overnight.



These w2w (Walney to Wearmouth/Whitby) routes were very well signposted!

The next morning after the good ole English breakfast, I requested for a late checkout from the B&b and went for what usually would be a walk for most, but I had miles to catch, so it was a run instead. 4 mile return to smardale gill viaduct via a disused railway path and crossing few gates - no chance of getting lost, and fond memories of the Farnham pilgrim trail half last September



Not easy running back into the wind!

Returned in light drizzle, packed up and headed to the next stop, Barnard castle, expecting to miss my cyclist (as I gave him 2.5 hours head start!)
He took a wrong turn, so had a bit more of a journey to catch up climbing to the highest point on the track, so more time for me to head down near the water for some panoramic shots


We eventually had lunch in a little gallery off the high street at around 1pm, and with few hours of daylight to go, and working on Monday - we decided to head to wearmouth (Sunderland ) rather than scenic Whitby.

Which means another hours drive to Durham - a bit of peace and quiet for me visiting the cathedral during evensong.



No free wifi in close proximity and a text from the cyclist saying he will press on - at 5ish I made my last descent towards the coast.

Not far at all, a lovely feeling reaching the mouth of the wear river


The end of the coast to coast route was unspectacular and typical of sleepy English seaside



I touched the water on the east. Connected. Peace. And waited near the beach in the car..



At around 7ish pm, Seng had reached the coast . Final mileage as below.


Photo to proof it


Then it was the drive down south...home just after 1am.

What a weekend! Now what next of the amazing British cycle routes?


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