Last XC race of the season for me yesterday, my 4th race out of the 5 race series. Almost definitely shouldn’t have run the 3rd race after pulling my calf a week before, doing it more damage, and since then done almost no running for 7 weeks.
Tested myself with a hard effort at parkrun and everything felt good, other than a lack a of fitness. Kind of had my arm twisted to help the B team make history of getting promoted to be in the top division.
Pretty happy with how that went given I wasn’t going full gas and fitness was well down. Generally was OK on the flat and slight hills. I’m awful down hill, and wasn’t in the mood to push it or risk anything. Found myself in no mans land towards the finish, and was taking it quite easy, however it soon became apparent there was at least one person behind closing rapidly so I kept upping the pace until the final 50m was a full on sprint. Just managed to hold him off, a much younger lad (u23) who can run a 2:06 800m I later saw on PowerOf10.
Bit of a roller coaster of a season, rather poor first result, really happy with 2 & 3 (despite the dodgy calf which re-went less than 1km in) and then just happy to be able to run in the 5th one.
Bring on November…
Well… might do the National which will now be some time in September.
Me and the lad I did my first one with went out with an aim of sub hour. I was secretly hope for sub 58 from looking at times from the previous year.
Race went well, we were targeting 4:00min km splits. 250m split each for the ski, length each for the sled with me finishing all these. BBJs I started and finished including an extra long stint to finish. Row 500m each, I was holding 1:38/40s. Smashed through the rest fairly happily, bar the WBs which I thought I’d do 50, I was hurting a bit from flying through the lunges and did about 25 before changing. Finished with a 59:24. Course was long, they’d definitely changed it from the previous year! Usually first 1km is short or even and was the case last year in Madrid. This time it was longer than the rest. Also the roxzone was huge! Again previous year around 4 mins for the top finishers this was nearer 5! We were well faster everywhere than Birmingham in October…apart from the sled pull, which my partner said he had a mare with, 30 seconds slower. We finished 10/470 and 6th AG. 30 seconds off 3rd and a podium and WC spot. Always room for improvement!
I’m now full focus for Hyrox World Champs in June solo and having to do Pro weights! I’m not expecting a top finish as the weights are alot for me! But the target is sub 1:10 and sub 4 kms. I now have a coach for the next 3 months! For those unware, all the division weights are Pro at the WC. So no choice on this!
Probably one for the injury or rant thread but my leg has been playing up again since Sunday so I doubt I’ll be entering many more races that involve running for a while. I think an easier pace would be safer but that’s harder to do when you are racing and I don’t want it dragging onto next year.
I’m going to look at entering a few TT’s so at least my cycling fitness might hold up and I can hopefully use the new bike.
I did the Grizzly a couple of times probably 30 odd years ago - once in an orange tutu (long story). At that time they swore that every year was going to be the last year, and yet it’s still going!
Sorry, senior moment. I was thinking of the Grim Reaper. I like the look of the Grizzly, would have signed up but of course, I can barely walk today, so I’d be like a bear with a sore head. (geddit? )
Marathon today. Sub 3 .
Flat course along the South Wales coast path, out and back, out with a tailwind, back into the headwind. Thankfully no rain, but plenty on splashing through puddles. In a nice group on the way out, ticking along at the required pace, but stretched out to single file at the turnaround and I pushed on. The pace dropped a bit into the wind, but still on track. Caught a few stragglers, thought I had time to spare, but the mile markers kept getting further away from my watch splits and the last stretch along the coast was the worst for wind. Then we had to do a loop to the finish that involved a short climb, thought I was going to cramp on the down hill, but managed to hold it togther for 2h58, 16th overall.
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