5th Annual World Wide Festival of Races

As I return from injury I said I wouldn't be doing any races. I have quickly changed my mind as I have entered this morning the World Wide Festival of Races. This is the 5th annual race and is being held over the week end of the 9th/ 10th of October 2010.The difference with this race is that I need merely to step out of my front door and I will be the race starter!

You can run on your own, with a group of friends or enter a local road race scheduled for the  weekend of 9/10 October.

Take a look at the website it is easy to register and enter a race distance of your choice. You can chose to do a 5k , 10k or a half marathon. With my current level of fitness a 10k race will suit me and I registered for this.

I was entrant no 398 and so far the only entry from Bury St Edmunds though there is a fellow Suffolk runner at Haverhill. There are runners from 32 countries at the moment.Last years total entrants was over a 1000 and this years will probably surpass this.

The race is a totally free, fun world wide community run. You can share your training and progress and then register your time and results afterwards. In a sense it is not a real race as there is no prizes for the fastest time and with different time zones many of us will be running at different times. However why not register if you are not doing anything else this week end it should be fun for any runner and fellow blogger.

I am not sure where I will chose to run - from my front door or perhaps select a location somewhere in Suffolk. Let me know if you register it would be interesting to know if you do. 

You can hear more about the race on a number of running pod casts  including the Runners Round Table.

Review of my Running in March 2010

March . One of my favourite months of the year. The first greenshoots and buds appearing the daffodils and snowdrops in the hedgerows.  It is that sense of new life, renewal , the dawn chorus and the longer days everything feels better and there is a sense of anticipation of whats to come in the rest of Spring and Summer.

How did I do with my running in March? My  stats show

•  a total of 144 miles for the month which is up from 129 in 2009.
• I ran on 19 days 
• My biggest mileage week was 41.5 miles for this week beginning the 1st of March
• My longest run was 13.1 miles on the 21st and 28th of March
• Fastest paced run was my tempo run on the 24th of March 4 miles in 32 mins 03  for 8.01 pace
• Slowest run was an easy run on the 20th of March  5 miles in 45 55 for a 9.11 pace
• My average weekly rate is currently 32.3 miles
• My target for the year is 1400 miles and I am currently up on this by about 68 miles
• Quality sessions - I  ran 2 tempo run, 2 interval run  and 6 long runs in March
• My weight is down from 86.5 to 83 kilos in this month
• No hill sessions recorded which is a weakness for me at the moment
• Races - 1 on the 28th March at Stowmarket Suffolk - Joe Cox Half Marathon
• My tempo run pace improved to 8.05 average mile pace from 8.11 in February
• My easy run pace was slightly quicker at 8.46 miles compared to 8.49 in February
• My interval pace was 7.48 a mile compared to 8.02 miles in February
• My long run pace was 8.47 in March compared to 8.58 in February

Highlight and success of the month must be the Joe Cox Half Marathon. This was my first race since June 2009 and helped to restore my confidence to do road races. 

Joe Cox Half Marathon 2010

St Mary's Church Buxhall

Finally the race that I have been training for really since the beginning of January arrived. On a dry but breezy day I set of for the new race venue headquarters which were in the small village of Buxhall in Suffolk.

The Headquarters were at a firm called John Deere a tractor and lawn mower company. There was plenty of car parking and the directions sent by the Stowmarket Striders who organised the race were good. The decision to switch the race from Gt Finborough last years venue was clearly a good one at least from the participants point of view.

As I got out of the car I was caught out a little by the weather. It was much cooly than yesterday with a chilly breeze blowing across the prominatory position of Buxhall. Walking to the headquarters to pick up my race number the views were quite stunning looking towards St Marys Church and the tower windmill in the village.

Joe Cox Medal

I wished I had brought my gloves and my thoughts were changing regarding what I was going to wear for the race. I had been confident the day before that I could just wear the St Edmund Pacers club singlet and shorts.

After picking up my race number I had nearly an hour to kill. This I did by listening to the latest episode of Marathon Talk podcast. I do think this podcast is one of the best out there at the moment. Good mix of training tips and humour in a magazine style format.

Junior Race at Buxhall

I then took in the start of the juniors funrun . There seemed to be a very good turnout of runners from the St Edmund Pacers.

It was then decision time on what to wear and I wimped out and decided to wear a long sleeved top under my race vest. The start at 11am came and I shot off too quickly carried along by those around but I felt good and I ran the first 2 mile loop in  7.43 and 7.31 miles. The course was very rural often along single track roads. The roads were open to traffic but there was very little and this didn't appear to be a problem.

Final bend

Finish in site

There were frequent drinks stations during the race I believe there was either 3 or 4. Drinks were provided in small bottles most of this being wasted after a few sips and then lobbed into the verge. This must provide the marshalls quite a lot of work in the tidy up.

After about 5 miles I felt warm and wished I wasn't wearing my long sleeved top and I toyed with removing it and chucking it but decided to just ignore it and hope for the best.

Bobby Moore Charity Runners

It has been so long since I last raced that I had forgotten how so much of the race is about the mental focus and whole miles go by once you get yourself into a trance like focus on the race and who is around you. The course was generally flat but large sections of the race were spent running up hill down in short bursts. The strong breeze was a constant consideration.

I began to stiffen up after around 10 miles and I stopped at the drinks station here to have a drink. Although I realised I had slowed my pace I was confident of finishing which was my first target. My second target was to get under 2 hours and if I ran well to get under 1hr .50 mins.

Daisy Tractor Girl

So I was pleased to complete the race in 1hr 48 mins on my watch and officially I believe in 1 .48.03. My mile splits for the race were

7.43,7.31,8.09,8.01,8.27,8.11,8.21,8.15,8.28,8.19,8.24,8.34,8.13 and 1.17

This is an average of an 8.15 pace so plenty to work on here but I am going to have a restful week before considering what to do next?

Bury 5 at Nowton Park Bury St Edmunds

The Suffolk Friday 5 series continued with Saint Edmund Pacers turn to host the five mile road race series. This was the 4th race after events organised by Ipswich Jaffa, Felixstowe Road Racers and Stowmarket Striders.

The good weather increased the number of entries compared to last year. Wheras there were 391 finishers in 2008 this year the number was up to 451. The weather was warm , sunny but also humid and this had its effect on more than a few runners who needed help from the medical attendants due to the humidity.

I entered on the night and this year parking was easier as we were allowed to park within Nowton Park. Like many other runners I took advantage of the Lucozade Sports Mobile Stand which was providing free sports drinks and energy bars.

I am never very good with running in heat it always to sap my energy and so I knew before the start this would be more of a training run than a race. I also had in the back of my mind last years DNF!. My only ever did not finish race.

As a consequence I set off at a moderate pace and ran the first mile within the park in 7.40. The first mile has lots of bends and is narrow in places with some up hill sections and generally you have to watch your footing for mole holes.

Once you leave Nowton Park and emerge on to Fox and Pin Lane you are starting to gradually climb up hill and my second mile time had slipped to 7.57. The steepest section of the course takes you up the old town lane to High Green and through a local farm. I seem to struggle with hills and was passed by many here as my time for the 3rd mile was 8.36.

However once at the top of the hill I knew I was at least going to finish albeit in a slow time . There is a good long downhill stretch past Nowton Church and my time recovered in the fourth mile to 7.40. There is another up hill section at Nowton Road near the Nowton Village Hall but by this point you know the finish is close by and you return down Fox and Pin Lane and into the park for a sprint to the finish line. My final mile was my best in 7.33. In fact at this point I felt as if my legs had woken up and I was ready to do another five though very hot. At the finish the humidity had left me resembling a river of sweat and absolutely soaked I took the offer of a cold shower from a jug of water from one of the race helpers at the finish funnel.
My official time was 39.22 for 216th place right in the middle of the pack bearing in mind the 451 finishers. Probably my slowest ever 5 mile race but I was still happy relieved I think to get this bogey dnf out of my mind.

The junior race had a good entry and many of the photos in this entry capture the beginning of this race. I will load other races to flickr in due course


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Now playing: Ramones - Chasing the Night
via FoxyTunes

Felixstowe Half Marathon 30th September 2007

11am 13.1 miles in 1 hr 44 mins 46 seconds
Week to date mileage 30 miles
Month to date mileage 160
Average weekly rate 30.7 miles
Average monthly rate 133
Year to date 1197
Lifetime 10790

I rate the Felixstowe Half Marathon as the best road race on the Suffolk calender. It has everything great marshaling , crowd support and an easy to find headquarters for the start of the race. Add to this a seaside promenade with plenty of entertainment for any family and friends who might accompany you to a race. Then offer a course that offers a mix of rural countryside, town centre and 1-2 hills then you have the ingredients for a great race which this event has and no wonder there was no opportunity for late race entries - you need to book in advance!

The weather was a repeat of the previous year with good sunshine but with an autumn feel.

Last year I managed a time of 1.46 .19 so this was my target to try and beat this . I decided to start at a much more gentle pace at the beginning and it took some time to reach the start line hence a difference in my official finishing time of 1.45 and my watch time of 1.44.46.

My mile times that I remembered to record went like this :

Mile 1 7.50
Mile 2 7.38
Mile 3 7.50
Mile 4 7.54
Mile 7 8.24
Mile 9 7.58
Mile 11 8.32
Mile 12 8.06
Mile 13 8.58

Clearly I slowed on the 2nd lap but unlike last year my legs didn't stiffen up to the point of feeling that I was just putting one foot in front of the other.

Once again Felixstowe TV were present and you can watch a video of the event which is fairly unique among events in Suffolk as far as I am aware. Well done Felixstowe Road Runners!

I will load many others photos of this event on my flickr site when time permits.

Bury St Edmunds Friday 5

7.30pm 5 miles in 37 mins 41 secs

Week to date mileage 19 miles

Month to date mileage 5

Average weekly rate 29.3 miles

Average monthly rate 127

Year to date 636

Lifetime 10229

Tonight was the first in a series of Suffolk/Essex 5 mile evening races from Nowton Park Bury St Edmunds. The weather was surprisingly warm and dry after recent rain seemingly every day for the last couple of weeks.


Perhaps the combination of the good weather, the enjoyable location at Nowton Park and the excellent organisation all helped to swell numbers as even with a few minutes before the start of both the junior and adult races there were big line of last minute entries. The guys in the registration tent did a brilliant job as looking at the results on the Saint Edmund Pacers website it would appear the race entry must have exceeded 500.

The figure of eight course has a bit of everything - to begin with there is a mile and a bit within Nowton Park. As per usual most people belt of at a good pace partly to get good position as some of the corners are fairly narrow and with the volume of runners you can get stuck behind a group and overtaking is then not easy.

Things begin to settle down after emerging from the park and heading up hill to High Green. The course runs through a farm across rutted tracks and some puddles. . There is then a good downhill section near Nowton Church before another slight climb, more downhill before returning on to the same road and into Nowton Park for a sprint down the avenue of elm trees.

I took lap times but I haven't made much sense of them and I think I must have failed to stop my watch at the finish as my overall time seemed to be more than the official time.

Anyway my lap times were

Mile 1 7.30
Mile 2 15.42 - 8.12
Mile 3 23.49 -8.07
Mile 4 31.00 - 7.11
Mile 5 37.56 - 6.56

I was slower than last year by 13 seconds by the official time. I struggled to get going and felt hot after the 1st 2 miles. I didn't take enough drink at the half way point and would have better off stopping and having a drink. At this point the hot air balloon looked much more inviting than running.

However it was a good event and depending on work commitments I am know considering whether I can do any of the other events in this series of races.

Friday 15th June - Kirton

Friday 8th June - Ipswich

Friday 22nd June - Stowmarket (Haughley)

Friday 13th July - Great Bentley

The free race t shirts were very popular.

As per usual I will load up many other photos on my flickr site in due course.

Felixstowe Half Marathon

11am 13.1 miles in 1 hour 46mins 16 seconds

Week to date mileage 24

Month to date mileage 33

Average weekly rate 30.3

Average Monthly rate 132

Year to Date 1218

Life time 9238

Today I travelled down to the Suffolk coast to take part in the Felixstowe Half Marathon. I was feeling far from confident based on recent training but thought I would give this race a try having never run here before.

There was plenty of parking at the seafront carparks and having arrived early there was time to venture along the beach before the race. The headquarters for the race was the sports centre and brisk business was being done on the late race entries, the weather being so good sunny warm and dry.

This course is 2 laps with plenty of contrast starting along the coast and promenade before venturing up hill in to more rural countryside before returning into town and downhill back to the seafront. Talking to runners I had been warned about a sharp hill which obviously being a 2 lap course you need to run up twice. However whilst there is a hill it really isn't that steep and on the first lap I was still waiting for the steep hill when we reached the end of the first lap.

Along the promenade you have the advantage of a very well supported crowd of spectators lining the walls on both sides shouting encouragement. The race also boasts 2 comperes who entertained the crowd with their unique sense of humour. Dressed as hooray henries or spivs they kept a conversation going with the crowd at the start.

The good weather encouraged a record entry for this race of 456 and in good warm sunshine the race set of at 11am. I felt good for the first few miles of this race. My aim being to beat my time I ran at the Norwich Half Marathon in June of 1.49.03. My plan was to make sure every mile I ran was under 8 minutes and then to see how I felt later in the race as to whether I could push on.

My splits for the race were as follows

Mile 1 7.23
Mile 2 7.32
Mile 3 7.50
Mile 4 8.00
Mile 5 7.57
Mile 6 7.42
Mile 7 7.38
Mile 8 8.25
Mile 9 8.13
Mile 10 8.19
Mile 11 9.15
Mile 12 8.38
Mile 13 8.17
Mile .1 1.00
Total 1 .46.16

As can be seen my plan worked up to 8 miles when my times started to slip badly and I began to be passed by a good number of runners. My legs felt like lead and I had a real lack of energy, my feet were burning (must look at getting some better socks) and my concentration went and rather than concentrate on the runner in front I was thinking of the finish. I supose mile 8 is rougthly where you encounter the hill on the 2nd lap. However there are plenty of downhills after this but I just didn't have the energy to pick up the pace.

My finishing time was better than Norwich by nearly 3 minutes but considering the heat I think my time at the Norfolk race was a bigger achievement.

This was a well organised race and a credit to Felixstowe Road Runners. I will certainly return again to have another bash at this course. It makes a good day out especially when you are as lucky as we were with the weather.

I finised 161st out of the 402 finishers,the winner running 1.12.57. There is a video of the race which you can watch at Felixstowe TV.

Tarpley 10 at Beyton Suffolk 2006

10am 10 miles in 1 hour 19 mins

Week to date mileage 31

Month to date mileage 93

Average weekly rate 30.3

Average Monthly rate 133

Year to Date 1157

Life time 9177

I found this race a struggle. I wasn't confidant going into the race following my patchy training. The weather was good at the start of the race as it was slightly overcast though half way through the sun emerged and it was quite warm.

The car park had changed for this 2nd running of the Tarpley 10 to the Beyton School instead of the pumpkin field. There were a good number of late entries to bolster the total entry. There were 115 finishers today compared to 124 so the overall entry was slightly down.

My mile splits were as follows

1 7.18
2 7.45
3. 7.56
4. 7.54
5. 7.48
6. 7.43
7. 8.06
8. 7.59
9. 8.36
10. 7.51

I failed to beat my time from last year which was 1 .18. 25 in the main to some slow miles from 7 miles onwards. It is time to get some more consistent training in!

Fornham Circular Run Suffolk

10am 7.5 miles in 59 minutes 25 seconds.

Week to date mileage 25

Month to date mileage 54

Average weekly rate 33.3

Average Monthly rate 145

Weather: grey and milder than recent

The course - head out of Bury on the Beetons Way past Tollgate and through the village of Fornham St Martin.
Return to Bury through Fornham All Saints along the A11101 Mildenhall Road , back to Tollgate and return up Beetons Way hill and home.


An ok run. I haven't felt that my breathing has been quite right for my last couple of runs.
I have been slightly breathless as if I am trying to force the pace a bit too much. I eventually settled into the run after half an hour and was ok.

My times over the last year are as follows

1.14 jan 06 60.05
2.17 Dec 59.29
3.29 Oct 59.52
4.3 Oct 60.19
5.11 Sep 60.14
6.28 Aug 57.42
7.19 Aug 59.36
8.22 Jul 58.24
9.10 Jul 59.48
10.1 Jul 59.42
11.23 Jun 64.01
12.8 Jun 62.18
13.23 May 59.38
14.5 Apr 62.41
15.1 Apr 60.26
16.19 Mar 59.01
17.2 Mar 60.43
18.5 Mar 62.16
19.26 Feb 62.16
20.6 Feb 61 .23
21.28 Jan 61.02
22.16 Jan 61.14

So todays run was my 4th best over this course in 23 timings.

From the Bury Free Press on Friday was this report on last weeks Lakenheath 5 mile XC.