As Covid continues to affect the world, it has been difficult for any person who loves sports and fitness to get out and do there “thing”.
Okay you can still go out for a run, cycle and swim (Oldham Council not blocked it again this week) but for group training, races and events it has been a massive blow.
That said as we enter a new “normal” I have returned to training with Royton Road Runners (RRR) and lead the 8:00 min/mile group out on Monday’s and Thursdays. We have not really got to 8:00 pace and numbers still low as people have got used to training alone, some folks quite rightly have reservations about mixing especially if they are vulnerable. That said it is picking up and as a club, we are adapting the process and dedicated to setting a framework that will mean there is something there for our members.
The difficulty is motivating people as no races are being held we would normally be getting to the close of the season and getting ready for Cross Country (running in muddy fields and woods a great experience).
I chose to cycle as there are still events happening and this week finally got to take part in a sportive, which is not quite a race but the next best thing, timed and friendly but more on that later.
I started this week on the back of some okay training and a Sunday 45 minute gruelling exercise bike session, averaging 20mph and sweating like a pig, the weather was so bad Saturday the great big ride planned by the SIP Cycling Club (SCC) was cancelled, perversely the Sunday morning was not so bad and by 10am pretty nice out.
Monday - RRR group B
In a change of venue we went out as Group B, me and 3 others on the last trail run of the year, the nights are drawing in now and you need good light on the trails (There is usually a head torch run taking place so hopefully that will go ahead this year).
We met at the (now closed) Yew Tree pub so we could access the lanes rather than the club and get as much done on the trail and canal towpath before it got too dark, it did, however, catch us a little and it was great to emerge from the farm tracks unscathed although the mud may never come out of my shoes! The foul weather of the last week had saturated all the paths but still fun to run through.
Tuesday - Run
I went for a run as the weather wasn’t great and didn’t fancy going out on the bike. I decided to do a test run on the proposed Hill Training I had planned for my group on Thursday, it went okay and my running mojo felt like it was being topped up nicely.
Wednesday - H.I.I.T
This was my first “First” of the week, High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) at the gym, I have often seen these on the timetable at Gym and thought not for me, but having done one now I think this will be a regular addition to my training plan. 30 Minutes of moving, weights and working on my rubbish shoulders will be a great way to exercise and takes little out of my day doing at lunchtime.
Thursday - RRR Group A+B
We met at the club and I was joined by Carls group "A" as they had low numbers and fancied the route and session I had planned, so following the “rule of 6” we set off towards Oldham and to the local famous Compton Street Hill. I have often commented as running up it, people living on the hill must burn out clutches and brake cables much more than everyone else. It is steep and goes on for a bit, perfect for running up as you can make a loop up to run around, recover and attack it again.
3 times we looped it and it gives you a fantastic feeling to finish it, people sometimes think that if you do hill training it improves your racing speed. This is not strictly true, it will make you stronger on hills and if the race is hilly then super, but if your race is mostly flat then don’t bother, you would be better off spending time training on the flat!
As club runners we “normally” have races every other weekend and “up north” most races will have a hill or two so it makes sense to add some proper hill training in now and again.
The group did well and the route was designed to have a flat start, hills, downhill back to the club feel. When we got back everyone said it was great and so will pop this one in again in a couple of months!
Friday - Spin class
On Friday I had my second “First”, a spinning class at the gym, oh my lord it was tough! I had one eye on my main goal on Saturday so had to be a bit cautious. The session was quality but I died near the end, reduced the resistance on the bike and just free span my legs to stop them from seizing, looking around at all the “fit people, I was a bit shameful that I bowed out.
That said they probably do this once, twice a week and if they tried to run 10 miles or cycle 40 miles they would struggle I suspect. So reset my thoughts and contented myself it was a good cardio workout, great for the legs and effectively “Miles in the bank”.
Saturday - The Great Yorkshire Sportive 2020
Last but not least my third “first”... The Great Yorkshire Sportive, a brand new event put on by Velo29 (the event company behind classics like the Cheshire Cat and the Beast of Yorkshire), was staged for Saturday 10th October.
I now have a roof rack and bike carrier to get around so going to events is a breeze, I stopped on route to York at the services and got a subway breakfast (extortionate prices).
I arrived on time and rolled up on the bike, nervous and excited all the same, I have run countless races, parkruns and the like, but never a cycling event.
The parking at the HQ was adequate if not a bit "Stoney" for road bikes to get to the start, once I got the bike of the route it was just enough time to attach my participant number, the timing chip to my helmet and head to the start.
Some more signage/ Marshalls around the start area would have been helpful but got to the queue to be checked in the event and crossed the line just a little earlier than my allotted zone but still in the "rule of 6"
My stupid Garmin edge yet again failed to just "hop" onto the course and kept insisting on going back, then all of a sudden it was fine until the first big junction where it said go right and the signs go left... so I assume either I got the route wrong when I manually had to create it in Strava... or there was a route change, I suspect I made a mistake!
The roads were a bit rubbish in some sections and the guy who "drafted" behind me from around mile 6 to 13... thanks and hope I got you a PR on a Strava, not however on the first hill where he could not keep up and never saw him again.
The biggest challenge on the route was shared by the short, medium and long route and is the form of "The Terrington Bank" a moderately steep hill and where the official photographer was camped, I was catching some of the Medium route riders and suspect they were conserving energy or not hill climbers so tried to move into some free space for a photo opportunity!
The new 28 cassette came in handy and managed the climb with the extra granny gears.
The feed stop was at around 20 miles and had a breather and a bit of pork pie and headed back out. In future, I will probably skip the feed stop as gels are adequate for a "short" route of 40 miles.
The short route cuts through Castle Howard and has stunning scenery, I think a future family trip to the castle and grounds are in order, my head was far too much in the "push" mode to appreciate it all.
Strava has new premium features and gives a very nice view of your effort:
I have created a route based on my ride so if I do the same route next year it might work!
I was one of the first to set off so when told I was second back and the fella before me was 10 minutes ago, I thought well that's okay and see how far I have slipped once everyone gets back.
As it turned out I was still second back which I super happy about
The sausage butty was very welcome and a cheeky beer to wash it down
So a very good week and a nice rest day on Sunday so welcome!
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