Wimpole 10k Hoohaah

A rather warm morning for this 10k run.  The ground underfoot was pretty dry, with just a few avoidable puddles.  With some steep hills the temperature soon tired me out.  I achieved a reasonable time of 49:51.

A Chiffchaff was heard in the woods.

Ickworth 10k Hoohaah - Sunday 14 April 2013

A return to the site of my first ever competitive run for the Ickworth House 10k.  This is a wonderful National trust property in Suffolk.

The temperature was good for running but there was a strong wind.  The wind really made itself felt at times, to add to the complication of the 2 steep hills.  A further complication was the amount of mud along the stretches through the woods.  It was really hard to stay on your feet at times and this slowed me down a lot.

The run started off at a quick downhill, tail-wind pace of 4.04 for the first km and 4.17 for the second.  At the worst point my pace was down to 6.04 for the fifth km.  By this point any chances of a good time were well and truly gone.  I finished in a respectable 29th place (out of 207) in a worse time (by just 5 seconds) than my first run in 2008 of 52:03.

I heard my first Chiffchaffs of the year today and a Nuthatch.

Sunday 4 November 2012

Histon & Impington Bonfire Burn 10k.  Unfortunately the race was marred by heavy rain and a 15 minute delay at the start.  I was hopeful of a new PB but this was scuppered by being thoroughly drenched with soggy shoes and socks, together with slippery/muddy conditions along the Mere Way off-road section.  Despite teh conditions I achieved a respectable (gun time - no chip time available) time of 45'19".

Sunday 23 September 2012 - Bourn to Run 10k

My second time at this event.  Weather was dry and cool (about 11 degrees), with a light breeze.  The course started with a quick downhill "dash" through the village (4 minutes for 1st 1km), followed by a gradual climb up to the 6km mark.  Between 3 and 4km was the steepest part.  A good time of around 22:15 at the halfway mark. From 7km the course was downhill.

I managed to cross the finish line with a final sprint just before the clock ticked to 45:00 minutes and got a chip time of 44:53.  This is over 2 minutes better than last year's Bourn to Run and not far off my 10k PB.

A large flock of House Martins were flying around the grounds of Bourn Hall at the start.  A couple of Swallows seen near the airfield.

Sunday 20 May 2012

Wimpole 10k this morning at Wimpole Hall (National Trust).  Weather was quite cold.  The course was a bit muddy in places especially on top of the hill at Cobb's Wood.  A tough hilly course with a steep climb between 1 and 2 km.  A pleasant route then either along the edge of or through woodland to the 7km mark,  The course then opened out onto the parkland starting with a steep grassy downhill section.  At 9km the finish was sight but the route teasingly veered away along the avenue (which used to be bordered with elms before dutch elm disease struck several years ago).  I had energy left for a final sprint to the finish for a time of 47'14" and 48th place out of 440 runners.

Saturday 5 May 2012

Fen Drayton Lakes 10k.  A revised route due to flooding, however a part of the course alongside the guided busway was flooded.

I started well but was out of energy by 3k.  This is after a kettlebell class and a boxercise class in the week.  Having slowed down at this stage a number of runners came passed me, including the 50 minutesd pacer at around the 7K mark (but he was running ahead of that time).  A decent final 2k saw me finish up with a time of 48'03", well down on my planned sub-45 time.

Not much opportunity to spot many birds, but a few Swifts seen flying around.