The Casnewydd Championship is a competition run between Lliswerry Runners and Caerleon Running Club, and there are awards for best in age groups over certain races, and also for those that have improved the most from the previous year. Unfortunately I wasn't up for any prizes.
There were only a token few from Caerleon there, and Carl said that he felt like a gatecrasher, and I understood how he felt. We were seriously outnumbered there. Maybe it would be worthwhile, now that CRC is a much larger club than it was when I joined it three years ago, for us to have our own annual dinner/dance and awards ceremony. Currently we dish out the club awards at the AGM after the main business has been concluded. Food for thought my CRC friends?
Saturday is Parkrun day, and the day was a bit gloomy and drizzly.
Because I was racing the following day, I wanted to conserve some energy, so I didn't extend my distance by running too and from the Riverfront.
Sally asked me if I would mind running with her 10 year old son Euan? He was complaining that his mum isn't running fast enough, and as I am faster than Sally, I was her obvious choice, I guess. In the end, Tony Derrick was there also so the three of us ran together.
Riverfront Parkrun is becoming more popular now, regularly exceeding 300 participants, so the Z bend by the theatre is now becoming a little tight. In hindsight, maybe we should have started closer to the front of the pack, as Euan was looking for a 25:30 ish finish, and we did get held up a little here.
After the turn around point, I felt it was time to open up the taps and drive us home to a good finish. The pace kept increasing and with just about 800 metres to go, my left shoe lace came undone, but I wasn't about to stop and tie it up. Euan accelerated, and with him being under 11 years old, the rules are that he has to keep within arms reach of a responsible adult, so Tony and I had no choice but to try and keep up with him. My God that was tough! And boy can that kid run.
We didn't get the PB that Euan wanted, in fact we were a good minute off it. I think a change of tactics are what is required.
- Start closer to the front of the pack
- Run with a faster pacer 😂
You can see that slow 1st mile, then consecutive miles getting faster.
Aprez Parkrun with Euan at the front
Lliswerry 8
This is a 8 mile, totally flat race run around the country lanes on the south eastern side of Newport, beginning at Nash school. It was the 33rd year for this event but my first time running this.
I really wasn't sure what my pace was likely to be, but I thought I would aim for 9 minute miles and see how I got on. That would give me a finishing time of about 1 hour and 12 minutes, and I was happy with that. So I headed off to the starting pen for the 9 minute and overs where a few of the CRC ladies were.
The start came and I headed off and got myself quickly into a nice pace, but hoping that it wasn't going to be too quick. I was quickly overtaking many people, leaving the CRC girls behind and catching up with others in front of me, all of which I overtook. I had set up my watch to show me my estimated finishing time, and in the first mile it was showing a 1 hour 9 minute finish.
After the first mile I had settled into a really nice pace and my watch was now showing a 1 hour 7 minute finish time.
We reached the turn around point, which was new for this year due to road works on the usual route, and I could see fellow club mates Steve and Mark ahead of me, both who I managed to pass in the next half mile.
With just two miles to go, I was beginning to feel the first signs of tiredness in my legs. My watch was still showing a 1 hour 7 minute finish so I couldn't slow down now. Besides which, up ahead I could see three more CRC purple shirts, and they were my next target to reach and overtake.
I was just inside the final mile when I overtook Michael, and I could see up ahead that Morris was running with, and encouraging Charlene to the finish.
With just a few hundred metres left, the school in sight, and crowds of supporters lining the road, I was feeling strong and I had caught up with a guy, who had a lady in front of him, but because we had been guided by the marshals onto the pavement, I was unable to get past on this narrow section until we turned into the school and the finish line was clearly in sight. I accelerated into a sprint and overtook the guy and set my sights on the girl, who had also accelerated into a sprint. The guy I had just overtaken, obviously disgruntled that this short, old guy had overtaken him, tried to get past me again and was right on my shoulder, but I managed to hold him off but I was just short of catching the girl. What a finish! Phew.
The route
My pace
You see it also says my 2nd best 10k time, my PB being 48 minutes at the Torfaen (Mic Morris) 10k, which is mostly downhill.
It's meeeeee 😃
Jo & Michelle
Sam, Sally & Claire
Griffithstown Harriers friends, Andrew and Jenny
Me turning into the home straight
Some of the CRC crew enjoying tea & cake
Striking the Steve H pose in our race finishers shirts
Sally, Sam, Claire & myself
This weeks Tuesday club run was the Frechfa Frolic, a seven mile out and back course. It's pretty much straight forward, beginning fairly flat before it makes its merry way uphill for a fair old while. Once at the top, you touch the railing by the dual carriageway and head on home.
I wasn't sure whether to run with the faster 7PM start bunch or, the 6:45 slower group, as I'm somewhere in between speed wise. So I came up with a plan, my own challenge, to go with the slower group and ensure I was the last to start, then to try and catch the lead runners before we ended up back at the club house.
All was going well and on the outward bound leg and I caught and past a couple of groups and I could see that I was slowly beginning to catch the lead group.
At the top of the hill is a bus stop shelter and this group had stopped there, rather than carry on down the path 100 metres or so to the railing by the dual carriageway, as I did. By the time I reached the bus stop shelter again, that group had gone and I couldn't see them ahead of me in the dark misty drizzle. The next couple of miles were going to be level or downhill so hopefully I may just be able to catch them.
With about 1 ½ miles to go, I could see the red lights on the runners backs in the distance and I pushed hard, determination driving my legs.
Coming to Forge Close, and the final hill ahead of me, this final group were now within range and I pushed hard up the hill, and I knew that once over the brow, I could catch them. They turned off Ponthir Rd and into the final 100 metres on Usk Rd when I reached the rear runner. The road behind me was clear so I ran onto the road and past this group before jumping back onto the pavement and slowing down ready for a final, easy jog back to the club house.
I'm taking part in a 1000 mile challenge, which is exactly what it says, to run 1000 miles in 2018. So far it's going good, is all I will say.
Thursday lately has been "long run day" as my weekends have been too busy to do this. Last Week Tania joined me for part of my run and it was lovely having the company, so much more enjoyable than running alone, with only my music and my thoughts for company. So this week I put a call out on the Caerleon running club Facebook group page and a couple of ladies responded.
Sarah and Tracey are newbie runners, having come through the C25K course, then the 5210K course. Last Sunday they ran the Lliswerry 8 and this was the first time that they had run over 10k. They wanted to push themselves up to 10 miles as in four weeks time they will be running in the Newport half marathon, which I will also be running in. So I devised an "out and back" route, heading from Caerleon to the Riverfront in Newport, over the SDR bridge, back along the opposite side of the river, then follow the same route home.
Tracey was beginning to struggle a little by 8 miles as she'd developed a sore ache on one foot, possibly due to her trainers? But she carried on and I made sure she finished running, and not walking. Well done ladies, it was a pleasure running with you, I am sure that they will have no problem finishing the half marathon.
A very easy pace for me but challenging for the ladies
I don't think I've ever seen my heart rate so low on a run
This evening I have a core session at the gym, Saturday is Parkrun and the start of a new C25K course, so I am helping out with that, which means I wouldn't get much running in so, I'm going to run to and from the Riverfront which will get me at least 6 miles in. Then on Sunday it is the penultimate GLCL cross country race, this time being held at Usk.
I shall be reporting on all of these next week, so until then fellow runners, keeeeeep running 😃.
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