Soaked to the core!

Today's Manchester marathon was got to be the worst conditions ever for a UK event. The wind and rain was incredible, bad enough for us in our wet weather gear, runners in shorts and vest...

Royton road runners were on duty at the 38k aid station dishing out water,gels and shot blocks. New to me was the water packs as they were like sachets with a valve, they were quite easy to prepare and dish out with the added feature of splatting if a runners stands on them.

The shot blocks however we ended up cutting them out and pilling into boxes as runners had a hope in hell chance of tearing them open with tired frozen hands... Lord know we couldn't!

It was good to see our Oldham parkrunners on the route, first passed our station was Dave Peart who I believe snook under 3 hours which was bang on his target and his very first marathon. I would easily credit 10 minutes off any runners time in that area due to the weather!

I missed Simon but saw Anne-marie, Tony and Angie as well as a few Heaton parkrunners, Scouse John, Andrea and thought I saw Ria Bright heading up the road as we were leaving... The trousers surely could be no others.

Well done to every one who part including Andi Jones and Tony Audenshaw, their legs must be strong given they were running in the VLM last Sunday!!!

Over the last month I have started back in the gym and I have a trainer working on my Core, Glutes and arms. This has been a great motivator but unfortunately work and family life have meant running and cycling at an absolute minimum (parkrun my only running and the bike looks a bit dusty) I have however done a bit of swimming. The Wilmslow Triathlon is only a couple of weeks away and I must say my enthusiasm is very lacking, not helped by the fact xtramile events have not sent any correspondence to suggest I am taking part, not even a start time!

After watching the VLM last week on the TV and subsequent session in the pub to ease the torment of not being involved, I had a shake up and decided to give up booze once more! The next drink I should be having will be in "The moon on the mall" after the VLM 2013!!!

So now I am soaking in a hot bath after taking some strong painkillers for my dodgy shoulder, which the physio will be beating up on Mondays session...

Have a good running week!

Mark K

Back to running

In the last few week's I have started to get the running mojo back again. I would like to thank club mates, parkrunners and my mentor coach Don for all their kind words, support and advice.

Running has always been a part of my life summer games at primary, cross country at senior school, 10k team with BAe Systems and so on. Sadly it all stopped once I qualified as an aircraft sparky and promptly made redundant, work and family life seemed to push running to one side.

In 2004 I joined Oldham and Royton harriers after by chance seeing them at Heaton Park, cross country was going on and it caught my eye. I took part in the Manchester 10k in 2004 and 2005 but never seemed to improve and get back to the times I posted as a youngster! I enjoyed being coached by Joe Ashcroft who sadly passed away last year but my knee was always giving me grief, somehow just icing it did not help and I fell out of love with running once more.

I re-emerged into the running world in 2009 after reaching a hefty 13.5 stone (traditionally I am a skinny fella) the desire to get back to fitness kicked in and I was back in the Manchester 10K to see if I could make it around. Whilst buying some new trainers the salesperson asked if I ran for a club (personal service from a running shop not from some kid in a superstore...) No I answered and he mentioned Royton Road Runners, I made a pact that if I made it around the 10k and survived I would join RRR.

True to form I made it around in something like 51 minutes and signed up at what I now know to be a great club. Long story short I lost weight, gained fitness and got my 10k times back into the 38 minute territory.

After the London marathon in 2011 I thought I was on top of the world, a 3:09:08 had secured me a "good for age spot" in the VLM 2012. Alas a couple of weeks later whilst taking my group out on a Thursday, I ending up hobbling back with the left knee in agony after a couple of miles. My old adversary was back...

I felt as low as you be, I rested, iced, rested and iced but after a mile the pain just came back. Just to make it worse I had a health scare and was in and out of hospital with chest pains and fainting spells that frightened the life out of me. Eventually I was given treatment and signed medically not dead yet by the cardiology department and told to get fit and healthy again!

Strange though my life insurance premiums are now double what it used to be... Any hoo what does my musing mean thus far, well after getting physio I now know what the cause of my knee issue is and with ample stretching can overcome the pain. I have taken stock of my situation and am resolute to getting back on track. The Wilmslow triathlon is my next major target, not for super fast times but to focus on building strength into differant area's of weakness (if my physio is reading this then yes... My gluteus are the weakest ever).

I enjoyed Oldham parkrun this week, the sun was shining and seeing friends really perked me up getting ab sub 25 minutes a boost for sure. On Friday I had a brief run after work which felt hard but the speed was hardly electric. The knee was bit painful but a brief walk eased the pain and gave the old chest a breather.

This Wednesday will be the Vera Hirst 5K and though I am still in the premiership at RRR I doubt very much that I will be a threat to any of the fast guys till next year, hopefully I won't be bumped down too much at the sorting hat ceremony in 2013!

Have a happy running week and my blog should become a regular feature again. Next week I hope to bring you up to speed with the Oldham Half-marathon ( I am assistant RD) and October 21st should be in your diary, just the Police to get onside and we are in business.

 

Mark K

 

 

 

parkrunfans blog: ...and they're off!

parkrunfans blog: ...and they're off!

Training still not up and running

2 weeks into the new year and I cannot get excited by marathon training, sure I wore my 26.2 (www.marathontalk.com) technical t-shirt at this weeks parkrun but still my mojo ain't there.

I did have a great run with Rob Titherington at parkrun this week, I could just hold onto a conversational pace in spite of the playful rebukes from Jason Chapman and Andrew Berkley! I did remind them that parkrun is not a race... But still when Robert and I caught young Jonathan Healy at the last corner we picked our pace up, my legs would not carry my enthusiasm. Rob stole eleventh and I settled for 13th... Central governor in hiding!

13th was prevalent as on Friday I was flying back from London on the 3 o'clock shuttle, I am not superstitious except about re-tying my shoelaces before a race, but I did feel a trifle bit hesitant boarding the plane! 

The good news was my pace around parkrun was very steady and I had no pain in the knee or calves, finishing in 23:06 felt good for a change. 

I have been amazed with the tacx flow turbo trainer, my pre conception was that it would be like a treadmill... utterly dull and far too easy to just stop when it gets a bit hard. OK so it's shiny and new but it felt great and I can appreciate that most people I have spoken can manage 30-40 mins on a turbo trainer before having to get off.

For me though it means I can get fit, strengthen my legs and glutes without hitting the tarmac and braving the weather. I have a pretty good set-up with a fan to keep cool and my iPad loaded with movies and music so grinding the miles without leaving the house is cool. I can also work on my "Changing gears" routine, there nought like looking to see what gear your in and realising your waving over the road!!!

So treadmills, turbo trainer and pockets of road running not on a par with last years London marathon training but I am a realist and want to just enjoy the marathon, training and all. I hope to build up over the summer and rock an Autumn marathon.

Now I have been challenged by a fellow parkrunner Nephi Alty in Jantastic I have to step up to the plate for sure :)

Have a good running week one and all (How are those New Year resolutions working out for ya?)

 

Mark Kelly

A mixed year but ending well

I had a great result even though injured at this years Virgin London Marathon 3:09:08 was just inside the good for age requirement for the VLM  2012. I picked up a calf injury just before which was aggravated on the marathon, then chest problems in the summer meant I had to rest for the next few months.

A knee problem kept me off the pavements and I decided to start cycling to get some fitness back, recent physio has cleared the problem (ITB is tight so judicious stretching regime now in place).

My goal now is to get fit and complete the VLM 2012 in a reasonable time, also to have a crack at some cycling time trials and hopefully a sprint triathlon in the spring.

I took part in the Stockport boxing day 5K and managed a 23:01 which spookily takes me back to my first 5k in recent years at the inaugural Heaton parkrun in June 2009. Back then I was a bit heavier but in a similar fitness state and managed a 23:00, so it tells me there is much work to do!

I did enjoy racing again though and had second thoughts about doing the hot toddy, the picture above was taken by Rachel Chapman and captures my mood perfectly...

On my Birthday (and anniversary to the wonderful Mrs Kelly!) we went shopping, Clare for an eternity ring and me... New running shoes. It was good to see Rick at Sweatshop again and putting a pair of Brooks Adrenalines felt like seeing old friends, I also picked up a pair of ASIC 2170's which will be reserved for distance training and races.

Wednesday I did a gym session for the first time in some time, I had a tough time on the treadmill, for the next couple of weeks I am going to attempt 5k at each running session. The first mile saw a mild ache in the left calf, the new trainers felt good but my chest was aching. The problem with treadmill's are it is too easy just to stop, so when I hit 2 miles it was getting too much I wanted to give up, instead I upped the speed and made the 3.1 in 26.21 so not a bad effort.

Next I tried the "Glute machine" but man are my glutes so weak! I figured not to do too much on my first trip back into the gym, a quick swim later and I was done!

Back into the gym on Thursday as the weather was seriously bad, another 5k on the treadmill and we have resurrected the Wii fit balance board as it acts as a great motivator for all the family!

On Friday I took to the roads on my bike, my goal is to increase my fitness whilst my legs get back to strength. I have fitted a garmin cadence device to the bike, on my first test before Christmas my average cadence was 66 which means I was turning the wheels 66 times a minute RPM) the aim is to average 90 and as I get fitter the speed will accompany the cadence.

Saturday saw the last Oldham parkrun of the year and 45 runners took part in pretty awful foggy wet weather, in 2012 we hope to grow the numbers back to the 75-100's again. Oldhams' micro-climate can often deter runners but it does not keep everyone away!

New Years Day went well as I put my Adidas Kanadias back on for the multi-terrain 'Joe Salts New Years Awakener'. Last year I managed 19th with 27 minutes and some change, this year, unfit and stuck for sections behind slower runners as the paths are narrow... 33:46 not a bad effort and I learned a lot about caring for my injuries. Remember before running I am to stretch my ITB, this is straight forward at the gym or at home, but as a stretch to be carried out lying down can be difficult to fulfil before a race. My calves were behaving today which I was please with but by mile two the left knee painful, I remembered my physio advice to slightly lift the knees  running and drop the pace. This I did for about half a mile and it worked  well, coming down the final hill my legs felt good and I turned on the sprint finish, nicking a place or three at the end!!! Andy O'Sullivan made a tanoy comment about my finish which is kind of embarrassing but everyone gets the same treatment.

So 2012 is here and my marathon training kicked off with a good effort, it tells me there is much work to be done to complete the VLM in a reasonable time. My true performance indicator I guess will be the Great North West half in February... Roll on the VLM

Have a great year everyone.

Mark Kelly 

The week that was

Monday saw me back on the physio bench for session number 3, Andy used a deep heat machine to warm my ITB up for its punishment. We also took some time to discuss linking David Roberts Physio to Oldham parkrun as they have done with Bramhall and Woodbank. They are offering a monthly prize of either a massage (Sports or the relaxing kind!) or 1/2 price assessment, to someone who has been injured. Much like the sweatshop prize for a deserving runner we can help a struggling person :)

I went for a run after physio and boy did my calves give me grief, my sedentary life has been taking its toll on my ahem..."athletes" body. The basic plan is to run the same 2 mile loop whilst I get my fitness back, then gradually increase the distance. The classic London marathon training starts on Jan 1st which gives you around 16 weeks to prepare, for me it starts on my birthday which coincides with the Hot toddy road race which is usually icy and has the best hill (Old Lumbetts) you know the one where you nose is scraping the road.

So after one mile my right calf was screaming and I was forced  to stretch it out for a moment, when I got home I jumped in a hot bath to give my legs a good stretch!

On Tuesday I repeated the same loop and felt a bit more comfortable, that said my right calf was tight and my thinking is that my running style has changed to protect my ITB (Sub-consciously). I need a coach to access my style but the track is shut until Jan 9th, hopefully Brian will be at a parkrun over the break so can give me a check over!

Wednesday was my last physio session, so fingers crossed my ITB issue is under control and I hoped to run at Oldham parkrun this week and use the "hot toddy" race as a training run. To put my RRR vest on once more will hopefully spur me on! (not all plans workout as you see later in the blog)

I ventured out on the same two mile loop that I used this week and yet again the calves where tight after one mile. My physio assures me this is fine and just a case of my body being way out of shape have been a couch potatoe for the last 6 months (my words not his...) happily though I stepped up to an average 8:36 min/mile from Monday and Tuesday's 9:03 :)

Now I can get my training diary sorted for 2012 but RRR have not published the race calander for 2012 as yet...

Yey I joined the gym again at DW sports, got a free month and looking forward to getting into "gym bunny mode" as I was being shown around the gym little has changed since last time I was a member. I will have to dig out an iPod as treadmills are notoriously boring but a neccasiry evil in winter training, my marathon mojo is definatly back in full swing.

Today I took part in the Stockport Boxing Day 5k, my first road race since the London Marathon. On arrival I parked up near Iain Stainthorpe of Rochdale Harriers and chatted whilst we walked to register. The excitement of filling out an entry form flooded back memories from earlier in the year, pinning on the number too much for me and I pinned it onto the back of the shirt in error and proceeded to wear it back to front! 

Of course it is winter but an unseasonably warm 11 degs meant I was getting dressed outside, topless and frantically re-pinning the number I got a "rude" awakening that 11 degs ain't that warm.

It was good to see Angie and Tony from Oldham parkrun in attendance, I also had a brief hello with Gill Doolan from Heaton parkrun... And again as she passed me on the second lap!!! 

I ended up with a 23:01 which was not bad in my current fitness level and recovering from injury. The left calf was quite tight but manageable, the knee behaving its self except on the last downhill section, where the pounding must have caused a bit of discomfort to must runners.

It felt great to complete a race before the end of the year, but I won't be at the "hot toddy" on my birthday as today was a good indicator of my capabilities. 5.8 miles and the biggest hill in Todmerdon just a bit too much to handle me thinks.

Instead I am off to Sweatshop in the morning for some shiny new running shoes and as my garmin's battery life is poor... possibly a new watch.

Just for those to have a laugh below is a picture of me on Christmas day wearing the bad shirt my bro Robert got me. Each year a group of us must buy/make a shirt so ugly you don't want to wear it and certainty not wear it in public. But wear it all day we must and this year I took my family to our local curry house for the best Christmas meal ever... For some reason I got looks of looks from customers and staff alike :p

Back on the road

This week saw me get back on the road after taking the summer and autumn off with health and injury woes. I have been getting physio from Andy Byrne at the Oldham branch of David Roberts Physio centres. The first session on Tuesday was a nervous experience as I was unsure my personal diagnosis would be corroborated!
If the knee issue was serious I.e. needing surgery then I had considered hanging up my shoes. Last Saturday Royton Road Runners had its annual presentation night and even though I was sat in the same place as last year, i could not have felt more differently.

2010 had been a great year and 2011 carried on in much the same fashion, my Marathon PB at London had secured a good for age place in the VLM 2012, but since then I have run just a few miles!

Andy was giving the knee a great looking at and to my relief he informed that my issue is ITB related. It was no surprise when he remarked it is largely due to having weak glutes! During my coaching training I would always be embarrassed giving demonstrations in areas like squats as I just wobble and fall over. Bear in mind that at the time I was marathon fit and should have been doing single leg squats for breakfast!

This week was the last "track" session for RRR, Brian and I met the runners as usual but the track is shut due to building  works! So it was a hill session instead. The weather was so bad I was glad to get the call that the session was over, we won't meet again until the 9th Jan.

I had another ITB physio session on Friday and it is amazing that they don't leave bruises, but it is working   I went for a run today, just a couple of kilometres but it felt good to be out. I dug out the Adidas Kanadia's and headed out onto the snow. My ITB was fine and part of me was happy I had pain elsewhere in my legs! My fitness is at zero but now it is time to start working on getting back to running, London is jut over 4 months away...

On Saturday we had our Santa Dash at Oldham parkrun, 52 runners braved the snow to run around a just passable course. Resplendent in Santa suits and raising lots of money for Christies we had a great time and the cake provided by Tony and Angie.. totally scrumptious. Below a picture of Sandra, Bev and I on the start line, I had no end of problems stopping the oversized trousers from dropping, a jacket that would not stay shut and a belt that snapped first go. Not to mention a beard more annoying than my real one!

So onwards and upwards and once again a say roll on the Virgin London Marathon



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