Run run run

This week was a very running centric plan, the cycling has taken a back seat and felt great to do a "regular' training week. Historically this was 2 x RRR training runs, a track session or pacey 5k and a Long Slow Run (LSR).

On the cycling front, I have a new profile picture which my son has crafted in photoshop (was hoping for a few pounds to be shaved off!) merging my two sport photos, the Bangor 10k (the one I had to run in shoes) and the first Sportive I did the other week.

So Monday started with a good training session with RRR group B, the route I had tried out on the Saturday before, this time though from the club and as we ran back, I could have peeled off home but felt strong and carried on to the club, a run just shy of 10 miles and 5th on the "Tiny Rebel" segment and a PR on the final sprint back to the club.

Most talk around the route was on the number of chippys open and how the smell is so good! 

 

Tuesday I had a jaunt around Royton and felt good to have a bit of pace in my legs, again 5th on "Tiny Rebel" some of the paths were dark and a reminder winter is coming!

After a nice rest day on Wednesday, it was back to training with the RRR on Thursday  

I move to 3rd on Tiny Rebel and a run just shy of 9 miles, this time the smell of chippys was too much and succumbed to pudding, chips and curry afterwards!

On Sunday I was originally going to cycle with the SIP on a nice hilly route but decided to do a Half Marathon instead

I had not really prepped, hydration or food so by mile 8 it was tough going and the route began to go uphill, I could happily have turned for home but wanted to complete a half marathon and pushed on.

The first half of the route does not need any stops for lights and so on, after Middleton, it was a regular stop and start which gives some rest for the chest, but the legs I kept having to swing to keep them from tightening up.

For some time I have been thinking of getting a "turbo trainer" and as the weather gets worse and the days shorter it pays dividends to turn to cycle on a trainer. So thankfully Wahoo has started to take orders again, the demand for any kind of training equipment is strong and the supply, patchy at best as the pandemic rolls on.

The model I have gone for is the Kickr and have friends with these and they speak very highly of the quality, it can simulate up to 20% hills which is plenty enough for me!

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-trainers/kickr

Hopefully it will arrive in the next few weeks as it is a backorder.

Getting more running in my training

My "on route" photo from last Saturday's "Great Yorkshire Sportive" has now arrived and a big thanks to Richard Sharpe "SI Events" for taking a cool picture.

On Monday there was no RRR Group B training night as nobody could make it, I decided to do a 10k at a reasonable effort, the route is a regular for RRR and my calf was painful going up any hill. Overall I felt strong and got some good segment results.

I took a break from the gym, in training last week I overdid things and so gave myself a recovery window, the calf still is a struggle, the reason I switched to more cycling was to train whilst it healed, as I ramp the running back up it is haunting me.

On Thursday we merged the top two groups (staying under the rule of six) and did a 7.5 loop, with the run to the club and back it was around 8.9 miles.

The aim was 8:30 pace and the lads worked hard and we achieved it, running in the winter is borning as the lanes are dark and soggy so stuck on the roads. Having runners to chat with (Covid inevitably is on discussion, especially on how it affects races planned and the next year) so that does something to lessen the boring street running.

On Saturday Recce of the Middleton lollipop, or at least my version of it, in this case just shy of 6 miles from my house and back.

It has 3 miles downhill and then the hard work coming back, the calf is still tight but kept the HR down and apart from the people milling around the road parallel to Chadderton Hall park as they get in/out of cars.

There are two segments for this stretch:

Run to the Cafe! - I can smell the Bacon

And then for on the way back

Run away from the Bacon butties

I tried hard for this segment but dodging people and that put pay for a good result.

All in all a good run and the route will be okay with my group on Monday

On Sunday I went out for a ride with the SIP Cycling Club, low numbers this week... just the two of us but no bother and we have good weather and Tatton Park was full of cyclists, a testament to the nice climate.

I tried my Le Col knee warmers for the first time, did the job, once I got used to them and adjusted them correctly as they were riding up at first.

The route is a good one, once you get out of Manchester that is! We stopped for a bacon butty at the usual cafe in Knutsford and then headed around Mobberley to Wilmslow

So back on track and onto the next week!

A busy week culminating with the Great Yorkshire Sportive 2020

 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!

https://www.strava.com/routes/2750396852043950452

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!

Cycling for now

As my running has faltered with my calf still not being right, I have taken the approach to cross-train and keep my fitness somewhere I can easily return to running proper!

Last time I blogged, my road bike had just been repaired and enjoyed a long ride with my mate Steve which has been great at keeping my morale up where it needs to be. Running Races are falling by the wayside and no real view as to when they return so trying to turn my attention to cycling and any events that I can enter.

On Sunday I went out for a ride with the local cycling club SIP CC, based out of my local craft ale pub The Secret SIP the pace was good and had good banter on the way round, we headed through Manchester, past Old Trafford and onto Altrincham.

We passed through Dunham Massey and Tatton Park, stopping off for a Bacon Butty and latte in Knutsford.

After the butty stop, we set off and went through Mobberley and Wilmslow and past the Etihad (two terrible Manchester football teams in one ride!)

I had a good sprint up the hill at woodhouses, out of the saddle the lot! and then through Oldham and back into Royton.

We arrived back at the pub and I had a refreshing pint of Hacker Weiss whilst chatting with the lads.

In August I plan to ride with Steve from Coniston (where he is doing a 1-mile swim in prep for his Ironman in October) the route I have made is around 90 miles so planning a break halfway at Lancaster.

So now focusing on cycling to keep my fitness up and have set a goal to complete the Tour De Manc and this I hope to keep me going whilst running races are still being postponed. It is 100 miles of all 10 boroughs of Manchester (and a bit of Cheshire) very hilly and very long.

The big challenge in the last two weeks was a ride with the club with hills and boy did this week have it.

As Garmin is offline due to hackers, life is tricky especially as it is my hub for syncing data to Strava and trainingpeaks, managing by digging the "fit" file from the device and manually uploading it.

We did a good route and was surprised we went up Lumbetts in Todmorden, I raced this back in 2010 when the "Hot Toddy" used to take place. This race was about 5.5 miles and on my birthday in December, setting off from the centre of town it featured "Old Lumbetts" as a hill that just keeps coming until you reach the Sheppard Rest pub, you then have the downhill to contend with which kills your knees!

On a bike this represents as bum clenching braking which the Cayo was struggling to do, the back wheel squirrelling as I tried to slow for sharp bends.

For some time I have wanted to do Cragg Vale which is a long constant climb from Mytholmroyd to the Blackstone Edge Reservoir and arguably the UK's longest climb at 5.5 miles, there are lines painted on the road, counting down the kilometres, for my first attempt, I clocked 30:05  

 

 

The route in full

One cool feature of TrainingPeaks is the ability to "normalise" the elevation, the raw data can sometimes be a bit misleading so this is the "fixed" view.

So with tired legs, I am finishing writing and no searching for better brakes for my bike... haha

Training Resumes

It has been a couple of weeks resting since my calf went pop. Luckily it seems to have been minor so Resting, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) have done the trick, it can be 6 weeks usually to recover but I hope I am over the worst!

I had one failed attempt to run, to be safe I figured on running short loops near to home so if it was painful then a short walk back, as I feared the pain came back and trudged home.

To see if I could keep a bit of fitness I went for a ride on the hybrid bike I have, it is a "Cube Nature Exec Allroad" and effectively a category 2 mountain bike but best for paved road or canal towpaths etc.

The calf felt good and this both boosted my fitness and morale that I could exercise and not further damage the muscle.

 

So this Monday I went for a run with my fiance Debbie who always apologises for her breaks and pace but it really helps me to do the same, especially when I am injured. The calf behaved and my HR nice and low helped shift a bit if the KFC I have been consuming whilst injured!

On Wednesday I dropped off my Focus Cayo 105 for repair at Cycle Addicts in Rochdale, the front wheel needed replacing or spokes replaced, the gears needed resyncing as changing up and down a clunky misfire affair. At least that was my memory from the last time I rode it some years ago!

The Focus is a beautiful carbon fibre bike, German engineered and super light, despite its chunky frame.

I got the bike back Thursday evening and took it for a test ride, the difference to the Cube is immense. With this bike, I use my cleats so that extra energy you can deliver with the feet locked to the pedals really shows.

I transferred the cadence sensor and various bits like water bottle cage, under-seat bag and rear "Catseye" light, everything worked and as went through Royton spotted some friends in my local pub so sped home and "ran" to go for a pint before closing time!

On Saturday I went for a big ride with Steve from work and we used the route he took when he popped to my house the other week (Rochdale - Edenfield - Ramsbottom - Bolton - Walkden) and loop the long way home!

It was a nice morning but as usual, the rain was not far away and little showers plagued us for the first few miles. The route takes you to Rochdale (My strava segments being busted on this stretch due to the performance of the bike) and then through Norden up a steep hill to Edenfield, the route is beautiful and splendid views of the countryside await those tough enough to ride up it. There were some runners doing "the hill" I thought to myself "I would rather be running up here... much easier!"

Along the side of the road were nice signs thanking not jusy the key workers but to remind folks about the pleasures of life, I would have taking a photo but "pushing" yourself up that hill takes some effort... no time for selfies.

As you exit Edenfield it is mostly downhill and tentative squeezing of the brakes on damp roads always a squeaky bum moment!

But the worst hill of the route was after I left Steves house and headed through Agecroft up to Prestwich, many times I have driven up that hill and given it no thought, on the bike it was hell, after nearly 40 miles it was not needed!

But I made it back nearly bang on my predicted time and with a PR on the hill near my house at the end

In fact the last 3 segments I went though including the "hill aka "Speed CAm Short Sprint"

I enjoyed the route and the odd burst of speed getting out of the saddle and will be putting in long bike rides into my training plan from now on.

On Friday 17th July, the Manchester Marathon will announce whether the event will take place or be postponed if it is moved to next year, then I will drop long runs and just do a 10 miler on a Friday, my Sundays will be handed over to cycling.

I finished the week with a 5 mile (well ditched to get back sooner) flatish run. I used the Strava route creator which I have not used for some time and is much better than before. I will dedicate a bit of next weeks blog to using this "premium feature" of Strava.

Needless to say, my legs were achy and in particular my left hamstring was sore from the ride. it is important to remember that if you body gets injured it will auto compensate, so as my left calf is not 100% my left leg is working harder.

So next week I will add a mixture of rides and shortish runs to keep my legs ticking over, have a good week everyone.

Mark

and the calf goes pop!

I started this week with a rest, yesterday’s effort at the Oldham Half Marathon warranted a break and elected for a brief walk.

The lanes are still muddy so Tuesday used the usual Crompton loop of 5.5 milestone, the pace felt good but had a slightly tight calf as I got to the highest point on the route. My chest was a bit tight, the return of car traffic starting to take its toll I think. 

I decided against a fast run through Royton (which is the norm), the aim was to keep the run at 161bpm so settled for a comfortable but tempo last mile.

As usual got to the mid week and weighed up what to do, I have been thinking about marathon training and how Manchester may or may not happen. At some point my long runs become loooooong and want to make interesting routes that I can extend as the plan this year is to increase them 1 mile a week till I taper down in the middle of September.

So looked at a common route I see on Strava and have done in past years up to Hollingworth lake, it is too far for my usual 10 mile Sunday jaunt and comes in at 18 miles, so decided to do it on the bike as this is a super distance for a jolly bike ride.

I could not find my HR strap so managed used my Garmin Forerunner to track the ride, it can pair to the edge and display its screen (So to speak) so at least I can view my MPH and HR.

It was not setup for autopause and you still have to use the watch buttons, there being plenty of lights and roadworks, I was pausing and unpausing all the time. Sometimes I forgot to start the watch, the worst being in Milnrow... so my hard effort through the village and up the steep hill "Kiln Lane" is missing, hence the Stava title of "Afternoon Ride - stupid pause button" bah.

But managed fine in the sun and the canal was just tooooo busy, at one point I had to go through a tunnel, I always ring the bell, before and during to warn folks I am coming, near the end of the tunnel a couple entered from the other side, they tried to push back but in the end I caught up too quickly.

The guy was giving me grief and shouted 2 metres at me, my reply "Stay Alert, listen for the bell" and carried on my merry way.

As I went around the lake, I stopped for a breather and took some pictures, there is always a queue at Mt Thomas's Chippy so now it is more evenly spaced at roughly 2m 

On Thursday I had my planned 10K to do and it was very hot, not fun in the sun but managed a good effort.

Friday was again a hot day and after work heading out for the run, all good but the last mile hard going and my right calf felt a bit tight

With the weather being unpleasant in Saturday I decided to take a rest and give my legs a chance to recover.

Sunday was set to be an 11 mile or so run, heading out to do my usual route of up to Rochdale, down Queensway, onto the canal and home... All was going well, chest felt good, legs strong, shoulders pain-free (been a week of painful right shoulder). I was going at around 7 min/mile and suddenly my right calf popped, I managed to run another 400m but had to pull up.

Runners are great people and it was a nice change to only see dedicated runners and a few cyclists on the towpath. The numpties that have been out since the lockdown are a nuisance, so early on a Sunday and the weather not conducive to their requirements, it is back to proper folks to use! 

So now have been icing the calf and deployed a Tubigrip to give it support, ice, rest and maybe a bit of cycling this week and hopefully, I can start training next Sunday... you never know with these things, time to listen to my body for a change!

Hope you have a good week!

Mark

Edinburgh Marathon is off

Last Sunday I started putting marathon training into practice and wrote about how you should start to increase mileage, some intensity and some variety. So had some fun running a hilly route and doing a little extra.

This had the effect of overtraining and Strava had a whinge at me, the balance of measured training versus having fun, which is my main reason for running and exercise in general. It also keeps you fit and some illnesses away, in my case the Sarcoidosis that hangs around in my lungs. If I don't exercise my lungs that the disease takes hold and the muck I have to cough up not great!

So to carry the fun theme, rather than do a standard Monday bike ride of 10 miles to ease my legs (The day after my LSR) I was challenged to do a hilly ride. Pretty soon my distance training will become a little dull as you should practice a route similar to the race you are doing. Edinburgh is flat at the start and downhill for the rest of the route, to the point, it is not a qualifying race for things like the Boston Marathon as the race and time you are proving your abilities has to pass a basic test of:

The start and finish are no more than a certain distance away from each other and the course is not "net" downhill.

Edinburgh starts in the city centre, heads down to the coast, follows the coast out to a housing estate where you loop back and then finish on Musselburgh racecourse.

 

So not close to the start and definitely downhill! But a great run and PB potential, the drawback is that it is usually at the end of May and very warm!

So back to the ride, nice and hilly and took in much of the Oldham Half Marathon route albeit a bit longer! The route takes in beautiful views of the countryside around Oldham, in particular, Uppermill which looked great in the sunshine (I managed to miss the downpours from earlier in the day)

Going downhill on Grain Road was a bit scary as the tarmac was wet and the heat tends to make the surface more slippy somehow so I got to around 35 mph but had to ease on the breaks before the bends and as it enters Delph really manage the brakes!

Tuesday was my sons birthday so took a break from training, Tuesday being my traditional Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) day which comes 2 days after a long run, if I manage my Monday session right I can usually avoid DOMS but as you get fitter and used to the long runs it becomes less of an issue.

I did have a quick run on the beach, knowing that Strava would map me running in the sea, which I actually saw for the first time ever!

Wednesday was my normal mid-week longish run, the sun was out and enjoyed a bit of speed for the first half, it always feels a bit of a slog coming back from Middleton, more hilly, smoggy and general grim part of the route.

On this picture, you can see Strava's summary giving the route and mile splits.

As a "premium" user I get an extra feature of GAP, this gives you a different pace based on the elevation.

In essence, it flattens the route for you, allowing you to see if you are consistent up and down the hills. 

Very nice to get thanks for running hard up a hill... not so for taking it easy downhill as this shows, however, it shows consistency!

 

On Thursday I did my Crompton Loop as the weather has been foul recently, the “Lanes” are mostly mud after a good downpour.

My pace/HR is consistently reducing and Strava has a nice feature of matching your runs and giving you a trend

Friday arrived and the email I have been dreading came in, the Edinburgh Marathon is off! So a review of my training plan ensued and a revised plan is now in place, gone are the long long runs and refactored as Manchester Marathon being my goal, that of course may fall by the wayside and as a result, this will be a poor racing season. But in context, I would rather train alone and not race, than have this virus make more lives miserable!

So I went for a quick bimble on the bike to keep my legs loose!

Saturday morning I met Steve at Salford Quays, he is training for the Barcelona Ironman in October so this week “happy” to be open water as restrictions are being lifted. The one good thing to come out of the COVID situation is more people are keeping fit and getting out and about. He says that “uswim” can open the booking on a Wednesday and within an hour all slots are booked for the Saturday. There are 100 swimmers per hour and I don’t know how many sessions are put on through the day but he got an 08:00 - 09:00 place. 

I rode down the Rochdale Canal to me him, the geese are very protective of their young at this time of year so plenty of hissing! I got a bit lost as usual so I arrived a bit late and after a quick phone call, a rendezvous was arranged. As he was on his road bike, the canal towpath no use to him, we headed to my house on the roads and I managed to keep up with him and even rode up the big hill back to my street!

To finish the week off I did the Oldham Half Marathon route, it is a beast of a course and something I was very involved with 10 years ago as Assistant Race Director. I have driven around the course, rode around it with the official measuring person (Vowing not to ever run this race as it is too hilly) and run some segments of it.

So with the news the marathon was off and not much to aim for I figured a good effort was required so that I have a yardstick to what:

 

a) My half-marathon potential is.

b) If I ever compete in it then some knowledge of how to race it (Don’t attack the Ladcastle hill, it ruins the next bit”) and a 1:40.11 time I would be please to take in a race, so a target if I ever do compete.

The Oldham Half consists of 7 basic stages, the back of my hoodie (from the event) has a good profile of the race

• Town Centre - One lap of the market area and then down to “Mumps” and onto the bottom of Ripponden Road. As with all races try not to get too giddy and manage your pace.
• Up Ripponden Road to Grains Bar - a long stretch of uphill, it has small sections of “flat” so you can get your breathe back and your HR down a bit, but has that effect of “not another hilly bit” about it.
• Grains Bar to Delph - Fast downhill, fantastic views and once you go through Delph it is flat and a beautiful village, shame you don’t turn left and miss going through the village proper! As it is you turn right and head to Ladcastle.
• Ladcastle - This road is one hell of a hill, very steep to go up and when you get to the top, the reward is breathtaking views of Uppermill. As you descend on the other side you go past the golf club, mind the bends and posh cars as they come up at you! On the race we have marshals and signs everywhere.
  
  
  
  
  

I took this picture on Monday when I cycled up Ladcastle, it is stunning and after a hill like that!

• Lydgate - Once you get to the bottom of Ladcastle you swing right and up to "the Farrah’s" pub, on our risk assessment this is one of the biggest outside the town centre. You have to cross over at a junction, not so bad when you are on your own, with hundreds of runners (spaced out by now) but now you have a big climb to Lydgate. It pays to have paced Ladcastle well, today it was a struggle to get my legs moving well today on this section. You then have a smashing downhill to the village of Lees, try to get your breath back as the uphill to Lees soon looms.
• Lees - Put politely, this hill stinks and you will be glad to get it over with, unfortunately, the rest of this section moves you into a less glamorous part of Oldham slightly downhill so get your breath back for the final (and first) section
• Back to the High Street - So when you have passed the areas of Clarksfield and Greenacres, you swing a left at the Fire Station and head towards Glodwick, it undulates and you can sense you are in the last mile of the race. Traditionally I view half-marathons as a 10-mile race with a 5K (parkrun) to finish. For the Oldham Half, it is more a 12 mile with 1 mile give it what you can, there is a sting in the tail of this race and it the reverse of the start (if you recall I warned about managing your pace for the first stage...) it is a big hill Oldham sits on and if you can manage a Linford Christie sprint at the end, then all the best to you.

So all in all a good week and chuffed with the Oldham half route.

Have a good week

Mark