Aberystwyth 10k 2011

Aberystwyth 10k 2011

So following a fantastic year of cycling, wedding planning and job rotation it was finally time to finish off the season with a bang. The Aber 10k is the perfect race to assess my year of running and with a quality field it usually pushes you to the max, and this year was no different. With the running shoes taking a gd hit over the last few months I was optimistic of a gd performance but knew i had to pace myself to get a strong finish. All 350 of us started off down plascrug avenue with rain clouds slowly making their way closer, I quickly hooked onto a pair of heels which would provide me with an excellent pace for the rest of the race. 5k gone i felt strong and was ready to push on and gain a few more places but knew that with 90 of football on the saturday that the legs would evetually call time. With a solid pace I felt strong enough to push on on the last 1km but did little to catch the pace of the runners in front. PB of 36min 56 sec. 
11th/340


The bike well and trully rested and ready to be picked up from Mach Holy Trail, new compact shimano 105 chainset on board ready for the spring commute.

Gwent cross country league - Swansea

Having avoided the cross country scene since school it was time to see what had changed in 15 years. As this was only an hour drive i decided to head down to singleton park, Swansea for the 2 round of the Gwent Cross country league. A stone throw away from my student stomping ground it was a familiar sight but didn't really know singleton to be a hilly park, where did they find them. Put my Sarn helen vest on and lined up for a 2.40pm start with former BB star Glyn wise standing alongside me in his Cardiff Uni running bib, random. The course was very moist and the 3 year old solomons where in the deep end and struggling many places required cutting corners and plenty of jumping to avoid the deep stuff, great fun. Little to hasty off the star and lost a handful of places coming into the final lap. Finished 63rd and felt completely rotten. Tough going.

Ras y Mast 2011 Nov

Sarn Helen race which has a real habit of getting your feet wet and muddy. 2 river crossings and a boggy climb gives the runners a real test. A fresh autumn day greeted 92 runners from around mid and south wales and we started off to the news about Gary Speed, big shock! Having hit the City of Swansea with the Barcelona boys on Friday night i was aiming for a clean run with as little pain as possible. Started off with a steady pace and let the runners go on their way. Once we hit the big climb to the mast my legs were strong and quickly picked off the other trainers one by one. Having introduced some higher mileage and hill sprints into my training in the last two weeks i found my fitness at a different level and i was up 7th and catching the runners in front. Could not make any ground over the last mileage but finished strongly passing another mountain bike on the last hill to the finish. Burger and tea finished a great day off.

7th Runner 46min 12 sec PB