Kev's Extreme Pow-Wow!

Just found the official photos from the British 10k a couple of weeks ago. The ones of me show that it was pretty hot and I was suffering…

Fortunately the photos of Liz and Nich also confirm that it was a ridiculously hot day to do a run like that!

My exercise diary appears to have filled up over the weekend. I hacked for 2 1/2 hrs on the hardtail on Saturday, ran 7 miles with a hangover (thanks to Steve & Angies’ wedding reception) on Sunday morning, biked on the Nomad for 2 1/2 hours with Bruce and Catherine on Sunday afternoon, biked on Monday evening with Nich for 2 1/2 hours in Bracknell forest and then again last night for a couple of hours at Aston Hill.

In case I’ve not said it before Aston Hill is great by the way… as long as it’s dry; otherwise the roots become a nightmare. Last night it was superb and I got to ride not only the normal XC downhill but also DH3 and the infamous Black Run (ok I didn’t ride the big drops but I rode the rest).

Finally today I played football for the first time for a while. I also played in goal for the first time in 4 years! As expected, due to limited vision I couldn’t really see the ball coming and let in a number of soft goals. That’s my excuse anyway! At least the thought was there.

The best thing about this is that my Polar exercise diary makes it look like I’m really fit… If only I wasn’t so tired this evening!

So this week has been an interesting one. Monday’s minor car prang, didn’t start the week well, neither did getting lost in Collingbourne woods immediately afterwards. Not the best way to impress the hottie that you’ve taken out for the evening – that’s for damn sure!

Went for a ride today and got shouted at by a walker. I kinda shouted abuse back at him and he came running after me (unsuccessfully of course). By the time I’d finished my ride I needed to reflect on the week just passed. What a crazy one!

Finally, congratulations to Steve and Angie on their funky wedding in Las Vegas. Good style in the wedding and great reception this evening!

So according to the British 10k website, over 20,000 runners took part in Sunday’s run. My result? ... 123rd!

Sweet!

This weekend saw my first entry into the British 10k run in London. This turns out to be the third biggest participation run in the UK (after the London marathon and the Great North Run).

My preparation for this run was impeccable with heavy drinking on Friday night followed by a curry, and then heavy drinking of beer and wine on Saturday night during and after the dreadful England match. Thanks for the drinking assistance provided on Saturday by Rach, Lou and Amanda!!!

We (Nich, Liz and I) got up first thing on Sunday to make the dash into town for the run. I decided that I didn’t want to get caught up in the masses at the start so I worked my way up the start field to the point where I was literally three or four rows from the start line. Bearing in mind the run had something like 18,000 participants, I thought that was pretty good going.

As I stood alongside the guys from Birchfield Harriers running club I wondered whether they’d still be with me at the finish!!! Unfortunately they left me for dead and I launched off into the 31 degree couldron that was central London.

My target was 40 mins but unfortunately I didn’t quite make it so my finishing time ended up being 41 mins 27 secs. Given the heat and the fact that my heartrate hit the highest level I’ve ever seen (190 bpm), I don’t think I could have given more on the day.

Nich and Liz both finished on just over the hour mark and we all really enjoyed the run. For anyone that wants to see the sights and enjoy the experience of the London marathon without running the marathon, I would heartily recommend this run. Certainly I’ll be taking part again next year… and hopefully beating that 40 min mark.

This year was the first time for three years that I have taken part in the Mountain Mayhem 24 hour mountain bike rice. Can’t believe it has been three years… coming 27th with the mens team from Nationwide only weeks after having an eye operation seems like only yesterday!

Well, this year I was taking part on behalf of Red Planet Bikes and rode for the mens team. We also had a mixed team, a girls team and a solo rider.

Upon arrival at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury, I soon realised that this would be a challenge quite unlike my previous Mayhems in that hills were in evidence on this course.

My practice lap on Friday was done with Mark (a member of the Nationwide mens team from last time visiting to cheer me on) and the course quickly got a thumbs up. Consisting of several bits of fun singletrack, lots of campsite-skirting riding and one beast of a climb, this course would separate the men from the boys.

On Saturday, Mark got roped into riding a few laps for the mixed team, which had laps contributed by no fewer than 8 riders over the course of the weekend. Certainly the emphasis for this team was on fun.

The race kicked off at 2pm with its usual Le Mans start and my team started out with intent when Johnny and Andy set out for fast laps. I was third in the order and got to a flying start with a sub 40 minute lap and Graeme finished the team’s first stint. This process continued until late into the evening when, after dinner we switched lapping strategies in order to get slightly more sleep.

My stints in the evening continued until about 2am when, after two laps in the dark I was buzzing. My new bike lights (Exposure Enduro combined with Exposure Joystick) proved stunning in a race situation and I was dying to do more night riding by the end of this stint… although I was also dying for some sleep!

After some sleep I was woken at 5am for my sixth lap of the 24 hours. I had 20 minutes to get up, have some breakfast and make it to the start line in order to take the baton. I made it with moments to spare and put in another lap!

Between laps I helped liven up the campsite atmosphere by joining in the trackside entertainment provided by the Red Planet camp. We were the only camp to cheer on virtually every rider on their way past, giving them the horn (not what you think) and latterly some good Pom-Pom action. Singletrack’s forum showed that riders had been appreciative of this support (albeit I prompted them to say this!). It was at this point that I looked at the guys and gals that had been doing the 24 hour solo event and decided that I wouldn’t be keen to ever give that a try. Most looked beaten and bruised and were losing the will to live!

My last laps came with a flurry, finishing at 1pm. My last lap itself was a beauty, with me giving it everything and achieving my second fastest lap time of the weekend. Overtaking Catherine (one of Red Planet’s girls team riders) just before the final singletrack was amusing as I stormed past shouting “Red Planet Rider coming through”.

When the results were examined, it turned out that our team had come a highly creditable 48th and for the first time ever, my laps had been the fastest on the team. Hurrah!

Highlights of the weekend for me: