North East Running

The month started well with a 5k PB of 17:21. This had filled me with confidence that I could have a real go at a 10k PB at a very flat Kempton Park event at the end of the month. 36:34 was the time to beat, but I'd have been happy with anything under 37:00 just to be in the right ball park. So the plan was to do the first 5k at a 3:42/km pace and then hopefully clock up negative splits to attack the PB. I trained hard through May, then gave myself 72hrs break before the run. The weather was perfect also. Kempton Park - the perfect location for a 10k? ...*however*, by km 3 and 4 of the run it became apparent that I couldn't get anywhere near that 3:42/km pace. Worse still, for the mid-part of the race I was struggling to get the pace below 3:50/km. Even the last two km which should have been the pick up to the end where nowhere near what I had been hoping for. The week before I'd done the same pace as a training race on a route with +125m elevation. The result was a disappo...

Around seven months ago I ran 5k in 17:36 (3:31/km pace) which was my personal best and set me up for a new 17:30 target. But then for the rest of the year, even though I got 3-4 sub-18 minute efforts, I never got close to the 17:30 target. Then from December with the cold weather and icy conditions coming in I seemed to lose that bit of pace and dropped away even further. This was really frustrating as I was putting the training effort in, still doing the same mileage and trying just as hard. Examples of loss of pace below. Entire set of club handicap runs not breaking below 3:38/km pace over 4k :( Saturday morning flat 5k fast effort - disappointingly dropping out to 3:55/km for 4th km Saturday morning flat 5k fast effort - disappointingly dropping out to 3:57/km for 3rd km But with good weather through March and April and a chance to train properly and even race, the form came back. Training : Coming out of lockdown and with warmer weather it meant training as a group again. Interva...

To start right on the edge of the countryside, drive out to Sacriston - suggest parking somewhere near -  DH7 6AB . If it's windy, pick clockwise or anti-clockwise to suite, the valley is sheltered but the top of the hill is very exposed. I set off early to catch the sunrise by the wind farm at the top of the ridge. Once you get to Maiden Law there is a *huge* descent down to Lanchester - then the railway path to Langley Park/Witton Gilbert. A pretty cool route.    Selected photos... Took the drone up to get a sunrise wind farm shot Lovely spring morning Mining heritage Strava Segment of note : - Howden Drop - 1.8km of downhill speedyness -117m elevation! Useful links : Durham Railyways paths -  https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/3691/Railway-paths Series : For a list of different half marathon routes around the North East of England see: - https://northeastrunning.blogspot.com/2020/07/north-east-half-marathon-running-routes.html

Right here's the training plan for 2021. Similar to what I did second half of 2020, but with slightly tougher Tuesday evenings... Based on the principles I put down in the blog post below: https://northeastrunning.blogspot.com/2020/07/how-to-run-faster.html Monday and Wednesday Not going to try and run every session at fastest speed. Monday and Wednesdays will be about getting out and stretching the legs and enjoying it at a deliberately slower pace than normal. Theory is that (a) it'll still do me good and (b) I'll recover nicely for a good workout the following day. Tuesday and Thursday Hard training sessions. Tuesday being the tougher one with a double session. Something like 12x400m or 5x1km or hill work at my fastest pace. Then following it up with a tempo 5km just to really work the legs. Thursday will be something like a progression run finishing at my fastest race pace or a threshold 5k. Friday Day off. Take it as easy as possible to let legs recover as much as poss...

Check out the route on Strava: -  https://www.strava.com/routes/2776497061663443326 A good place to park is the Hadrian Park Estate - somewhere near  NE28 9YB  - right on the edge of the Rising Sun Country Park. The route goes through the park and then west through to Killingworth. Take in the lake and then across the main road and into Gosforth Park. The Newcastle Racecourse (would make a good parkrun!) can be seen to the left, then it's possible to wind all of the way down to Jesmond Dene on nice tracks through fields and in between golf courses. Jesmond Dene is absolutely beautiful and this leads to the coast road. Then it's back through Heaton and eventually Rising Sun again. Selected photos... The entrance to Newcastle Racecourse in Gosforth Park The water was flowing through Jesmond Dene at some rate Love the area around the old mill in Jesmond Dene Strava Segment of note : - Jesmond Dene River Path - Beautiful section of Jesmond Dene Useful links : Rising Sun Coun...

 Check out the route on Strava: -  https://www.strava.com/routes/2772828984079196850 Easy car parking at New Herrington DH4 4ND - just in the housing estate. The run starts by winding through Herrington Country Park and up to Penshaw Monument. Stop for the view at the top and then down the other side to cross the picturesque bridge at Cox Green. It's then a nice wind through the housing estates of Washington before running through the Princess Anne Park. The route then goes back across the Wear and then up the side of the Lambton Estate (a nice place for a walk and a bit of lion park nostalgia ) and then wind all of the way back to the start again. Washington half marathon starting and finishing at Herrington Country Park A slight incline to the top of the hill ;) Penshaw Monument with sun coming up over the horizon Strava Segment of note : - Penshaw Monument: South Side - Get sprinting up those steps all of the way to the top Useful links : Herrington Country Park: -  ...

Check out the route on Strava -  https://www.strava.com/routes/2770053320151874970 I parked at Silksworth Sport Centre SR3 1PD . The runs starts with a lovely (slight) downhill all of the way down a wagonway to the coast at Ryhope. Then it's time to run up the coastal path towards the city. The coast line is not a 'polished' Tynemouth or South Shields - but a rough industrial coast that is pretty stunning in its own way. Even though it wasn't a stormy day the waves were really crashing off the old concrete piers. Mowbray Park into the city centre is a nice route and then it's back around to the coast again, but this time the regenerated sea front leading up to Seaburn. From Seaburn back through to Silkworth allows you to explore the edges of the city a bit - a nice tour of Sunderland with something of interest around every corner. Silksworth-Sunderland-Seaburn The 'industrial' sea front just south of the city has a strange beauty to it The famous walrus (wit...

 Check out the route on Strava: -  https://www.strava.com/routes/2763069315242615926 Plenty of parking around the Tees Barrage - TS17 6QB . The route starts at the Tees Barrage area (same place as the Tees Barrage Parkrun) - I ran out west and followed the River Tees. It's not long before you get into nature reserve area and it feels a long way from the town centre. Looping around at Ingleby Barwick you actually run into Yorkshire for a short while. Then it's back to Stockton, past all of the university buildings and on through to the Tees Transporter Bridge. A little loop around again and back to the start. Selected photos: The famous 'Tees Transporter Bridge' Cool looking bridge near the Stockton university campus Some countryside is found as the route went out west Strava Segment of note : run over - How fast can you sprint across the Transporter Bridge? Useful links : Tees Transporter Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tees_Transporter_Bridge Tees Barrage https:/...

Check out the route on Strava: https://www.strava.com/segments/26248649 This route was actually part of a RunNation organised race. That means that the route below is a lap that needs to be done twice to get to the half marathon distances. The main carpark in Bamburgh is at the post code  NE69 7BJ  - but if you look around the side streets you can get parked for free somewhere. The run starts just before the castle, it then goes up through the beautiful village of Bamburgh before turning left onto some narrow back roads. The day of the race I did it was very windy, but the hedgerow gave some great cover from the cross wind. The road eventually winds around the coast with views of the Farne Islands. Then back to the village again. Keep looping around a second time until you hit the 21.1km mark! Selected photos... Bamburgh Castle Each lap started and finished near the historic castle The Farne Islands Strava Segment of note : Bamburgh HM - One lap - A great little 10k route Use...

I'm forever trying to work out what small things you can do to make sure you give your best performance on the day. Part of me thinks there is a bit of a random factor - some days you are lucky and some days it wasn't meant to be. But the science-part of my brain analyses all of the small variables. Looking back through Strava at similar efforts is interesting. The first screenshot below shows five efforts over the same 5.1km route (+100m elevation). Over a ten week period the best and worst performance are only 18 seconds apart. The reason for this consistency I believe is that the preparation for each effort was almost identical. Time of the day: 0715 on a Tuesday morning Runs in previous two days: HM long run run on the Sunday and a 8km easy run on the Monday morning 24 hrs before. Footwear: The same (old pair of Nike Vaporfly 4%) Food beforehand: Bowl of cereal + cup of coffee Weather on the day: Nothing out ordinary Consistent times on the same route However, the next two ...