peter.persico

The Stockton Duathlon

Apr 292013
 

By Peter Persico

On run 2

On run 2

Since I’d started cycling again in 2012, 7 years after a serious road traffic accident on my bike, on top of running and general training, I decided to enter a duathlon in 2013. Simply put, a duathlon is a run followed by a cycle followed by another run. There were 3 distance options: Novice [2km run, 10km cycle, 1km run], Sprint [5km run, 20km cycle, 2.5km run], and Standard [10km run, 40km cycle, 5km run]. This being my first one, and with very little persuasion and encouragement, I entered the standard distance. At the time, I’d also discussed my intention with Peter Leach who subsequently entered the sprint distance along with Jane Oughton.

As the date drew closer, I had done various training sessions, picking up further cuts and scrapes along the way, so generally felt ready to go; however, I did have a few residual concerns, such as this is my first one and I’m doing the full distance that is probably full of experienced people. I arrived in plenty of time at about 0900 [the start of the novice distance]; the sprint distance started at 1100, and the standard distance at 1300. After racking my bike in the transition area, I spent some time soaking up the atmosphere, drinking water, and eating bananas [by the end of the day, I was fed up with bananas]. The weather was not as pleasant as the previous day when I had collected my race number. On this day, it was windier with no cloud break or sun. Just before the race briefing for the standard distance, I exchanged a few words with Peter Leach who had recently finished the sprint distance. When at the race briefing, some of my concerns appeared justified because all I could see were people who looked like they absolutely knew what they were doing, and I was trying to remember how many laps I had to do on the bike and some of the rules.

Run 1

The first run was 10km and was 2 laps that went round the river bank, over the Tees Barrage footbridge and the Millennium bridge, and round some of the other roads near Durham University Queen’s campus; after the second lap, we would enter the transition area. I had set off nearer to the back to build in a bit of confidence though passing people. I was going at a fairly decent pace considering what was still to come, and tried to remember the advice given to me of not being afraid to race. At times it felt like I was floating along, but that could have been lack of oxygen to the brain. I didn’t pay too much attention to the view unfortunately, but when I did focus, the route appeared relaxing and calm with a few people out rowing on the river. There were plenty of people in various places along the route either out for their own walk or watching, and who shouted words of encouragement. When I entered the transition area and got to my bike, I grabbed a quick drink as I made my way to the mount point to begin the cycle portion; I think the transition went fairly smoothly overall.

Cycle

The cycle route was 6 laps on closed roads and we were supposed to count these ourselves; a challenge by the end. There was some noticeable headwind throughout the cycle, especially on some of the uphill sections. I soon realised that a bit of extra preparation may have been useful, that being oiling my chain because it appeared quite dry. It was at about lap 4 that I began to feel uncomfortable in the saddle. This is not something I’d experienced over such a short distance, having managed to cycle a lot further without this problem. I’m not really sure as to why this occurred, but someone later said that it may have been due to my speed. All I know is that it resulted in me slowing down, and I got overtaken on the final lap by someone I had in mind earlier to beat. He, therefore, became the person I wanted to catch on the final run. The cycling route appeared very busy and it was important to keep attentive, especially with all the cones and other cyclists. There wasn’t really much in the way of scenery, and perhaps this was a good thing because I didn’t want to crash having heard about such things in these type of events. I remember seeing several people with those blocked out wheels designed to make them go faster, and some with those aerodynamic helmets, so I felt a bit basic. When I came back into the transition area, I was definitely glad to get off the bike [I don't think my legs fully agreed at this point though]. I got briefly confused trying to find my rack area, but it wasn’t a major problem, and then I was off on the final run, grabbing a bit of water from one of the water tables just outside of the transition area to rinse down the gel I’d just taken on board.

Run 2

The final run was just 1 lap mostly covering the same area we’d covered in run 1. I’d started this run slower because my legs had still to get the idea that I was running. I was happy when I saw that I was catching the person who’d overtaken me on the last cycle lap, and I soon passed him. We exchanged a few sentences, which allowed me a bit of time to gather myself for this final push. Perhaps I should have just carried on through to get a quicker time, but still, I think it helped my mind as well. Halfway round this lap, the muscles in my quads began to do something strange – cramping a little. I decided to slow down a bit more, but when that didn’t help, I thought what the hell, and went a little faster again, which did eventually help. I came across the bridge and onto the final straight so kicked a little, which was about all I could manage, and crossed the line. My name was read over the speaker along with my finishing time, which was a nice touch I thought. When I think about this final run, it was by far the hardest run I’ve done, and that includes the mud runs and obstacle runs. Happily I didn’t collapse after crossing the line, but I couldn’t have done any more, which means I’d pushed myself. [On a side note, the Bradford 10k was unfortunately scheduled for the week after this duathlon]. I waited for the person I’d passed to finish and we exchanged handshakes and brief words about our experience, which was a nice way to finish this event.

My result

My total time, according to the website was 3:14:58. I had set a goal of beating the time for my final training session that was of a shorter distance by just over 3 kilometres, which I’d done in 3:19:35. My run 1 time according to the website quite different to what my Garmin said, by just under 4 minutes. Peter Leach noticed some timing and pacing inconsistencies as well, including that I was cycling at double his pace for double the distance, so perhaps this is accounted for by technological issues. I don’t know if this can be considered a good time for a first duathlon of that distance, but despite a few differences in timings, I was glad I’d done this and generally pleased with my time. It was definitely a challenge and something I would definitely do again only better. At the time of writing this, there was only one photo of me [attached] on the second run. I’m not sure if there will be more photos of me put up at some point, but at least I’m featured. When captured on camera, I look a little tense, which is likely due to me trying to get my legs to work better. It’s a shame I didn’t get a photo crossing the finish line, but by that point, I’m not sure what I’d have looked like, so perhaps it’s a good thing!

 April 29, 2013  Posted by at 9:44 am race reports Tagged with:  No Responses »

The Yorkshire Terrier

Mar 122013
 

Yorkshire Terrier - After 1

By Peter Persico

The Yorkshire Terrier is a dog of the terrier type developed in the 19th Century in Yorkshire to catch rats in clothing mills and mine shafts. But you may be pleased to hear that I’m not writing about dogs, rather about a 10km obstacle night run that took place on Saturday 9th March 2013 organised by Rat Race Adventure Sports. The organisers described this event as “a tough run in hilly woodlands”, and also said that “the route will be rough, steep, muddy, slippery, and wet, wet, wet. It will include natural and man-made obstacles, and half-way round you will encounter one obstacle where you should expect to get very wet”. In addition, they stated that you may need to concentrate to avoid twisting an ankle or getting poked in the eye by a low branch. Since the event would involve running in complete darkness, a fully charged and functioning head-torch was mandatory. So, why would I [or anyone for that matter] sign up and then show up for such an event? I’m not going to deal with that obvious question just yet!

The start and finish of this run was in the Newburgh Priory estate in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, running through the edge of the North York moors in the Howardian Hills. Before collecting the race pack, each participant had to sign a ‘disclaimer’. This is not something that you tend to encounter in ‘normal’ races. From what I saw, neither I nor those around me actually appeared to read the information on the disclaimer; instead we just went straight to the part where we sign. I then collected my race pack and got myself ready with the two other people who had come from Motiv8 North. I had decided to dress in a tweed flat cap, a white shirt, a bow-tie, and shorts. In the end I chose not to wear the bow-tie because when my top button was fastened, it limited my oxygen intake so would have become an issue when breathing more heavily.

At the start, it was noticeably cold, and my fingers were very cold and my lips were shaking. I was starting in wave 2 out of 3 [each wave setting off 15 minutes apart] at 1745. The start of the run was up a hill that a fellow participant described as 45 degrees. On the way up that hill we encountered 3 lines of haystacks about 15m apart of increasing height over which we had to climb. The whole course was undulating and very muddy, and involved some rapid turns through the trees in the woodland. Other obstacles that we encountered included spider web [rope] in between some trees, climbing over a very large log, crawling under cargo nets, going through a waist-deep lake that at one point was shoulder-deep due to the uneven surface, climbing over fences, more haystacks and tires, and finally up a wet diagonal structure using a rope. Whilst going across some fields, we encountered also some sleet, but despite this and the water, I was warm all except my fingers even with gloves. It got dark a little after 1800, and when I looked behind me at various points, all I could see was a line of head-torches going back a long way like ants moving across the fields and hills. I didn’t go as fast as I could have all the time in part due my own head-torch and also so I could fully appreciate the fun. I did find my vision impaired by my breath hitting the light beam, which caused me to slow at points since I wasn’t sure of into what I was running; in addition, the back of my head-torch got caught in one of the cargo nets. So, things I have learned from this run: I need to get some tips on how to run with a head-torch [tips greatly received] and I need to get some lace locks because I had to stop about 5 times to tie a shoe lace [now acquired]. When I finished, I collected a medal, a bottle of water, and a chocolate bar. Some participants had taken up the option of camping overnight, and many headed over to the bar for some post-run refreshments and to compare stories, as well as to warm up.

So, to return to the earlier question of why would I sign up and then show up for such an event, I ask you to consider the following [if the above was not reason enough]. Sometimes, we forget the sheer pleasure that just running around and jumping, crawling, and slithering over stuff brought when we were children [unless you were born after health and safety got silly]. Also, you can’t obsess over split times on a GPS when you are jumping over obstacles or crawling through mud. So, though you generally don’t leave with a PB or clean clothes, you do tend to leave with a smile on your face. These events do aim [on the whole] to put some fun into what are undeniably physical challenges. I did leave with a smile on my face as I have after all such events I’ve entered in the past. I may also be slightly daft for doing these things, but will leave that for others to decide!

RESULTS

646 runners completed

1st male whippet 00:49:17 [from wave 1]
1st lady whippet 01:02:45 [from wave 1]
Peter Persico 01:36:25 [I thought I was a bit quicker based on the timing of the finishing photo but hey!]
Last whippet 03:10:42

 March 12, 2013  Posted by at 9:30 am race reports No Responses »

The Leeds Christmas 10k

Dec 092012
 

There was a post on Facebook by Andy Wicks on the Saturday evening before the race [01/12/12] asking if anyone was going to this run and wanted to meet at the club to travel there together. I’d seen this race advertised on the Abbey weekly emails and had been mulling over whether or not to enter some time ago, but hadn’t actually done so in the end. However, after seeing this post and after a brief exchange of comments with Andy, I agreed to enter on the day despite having run the Pain Barrier 10k race earlier that day. Why would I do such a thing, I don’t know, but others are free to speculate at their leisure.
The race was a new one and was described as multi-terrain, starting and finishing at the South Leeds stadium, and running through Middleton park; there would be 2 laps of the course. Four of us met at Adel War Memorial Association car park to travel to the race: Andy Wicks, Liz Willis, Andy May, and myself [Peter Persico in case you're not sure]. Upon registering, we were given t-shirts, but decided not to wear them for the run because they were made of cotton despite being encouraged to by those handing them out. No, I’m not anti-cotton in general, but as most runners are aware, they do not make good running tops. Whilst registering, we also encountered Stella who had turned up for the race.
After some warm up drills we lined up at the start and then we were off. The course didn’t appear to be really multi-terrain and could be run in regular footwear, but it did include some interesting and at times quite lengthy inclines, with one long decline [run twice]. Coming back in towards the stadium, I saw Andy and Liz heading back out on their second lap. I wasn’t running as fast as I would have liked mainly because I had done the pain barrier 10k run the previous day, but was still aiming for a decent time [and not getting beaten by anyone in a heavy costume]. During the 2nd lap, roughly at about the 7km mark, I began to feel a bit of a strain in my thighs, but carried on still determined to get as good a time as I could considering my previous day’s activity. I was so glad to see the stadium heading towards the finish that I managed a surge of speed for the final 400m or so, finishing just in front of Stella. I late found out that they had spelt my name wrong on the race results, despite me trying to write as neatly as possible on the race entry form].
After crossing the line, we, the Abbey runners in attendance had a bit of a chat along with Andy May who had managed to win the race. I’d managed to get a mince pie but I’m not sure the other Abbey runners got one. A short time later, we headed back to Andy’s car (Andy Wicks) to get changed before heading back to the stadium for the prize presentations. Andy Wicks managed to capture a few pictures that should be put on the website, including some of those that won prizes. Unfortunately Stella wasn’t about when the one featuring him, myself, and Liz was taken. Andy May received a rather nice trophy, and I think was initially was uncertain as to whether it needed to be returned next year. However, since it said 2012 on it, I think the conclusion drawn was that it was most likely for keeps. So, if anyone fancies a crack at this race next year and to try and win it, you may get to keep a nice trophy. In any case, I did think it was a nice course, and definitely one that should be considered by more people. All of us who went definitely appeared to enjoy the run, and having a few of us at this race made it all the more fun. Hopefully, there will be better technical t-shirts for next year, and I guess one of the reason we [or at least I] do these things is because of the t-shirts. There were also some interesting costumes worn by other runners, which added to the overall fun.

Finally, I’d like to thank Andy Wicks for providing transport to the race and for his little encouragement to get me to come along.

 December 9, 2012  Posted by at 4:42 pm race reports 1 Response »

The Pain Barrier 10k

Dec 052012
 
Pain Barrier - swamp

My socks are damp!

I know, the title doesn’t make this sound very appealing, but stick with me on this one. The pain barrier described itself as as 10k mud run where participants would face hills and ravines, extreme mud and woodland trails, and ponds and water obstacles. I entered this event shortly after completing a Spartan race in August 2012, without much thought, and had even less idea about exactly what this would be like or involve. However, the race information on the website did identify 4 specific ‘challenges’: the pool of punishment, the horrific hills, the swamp of suffering, and the dips of despair. Again, these may not inspire confidence or a willingness to participate, but still.

I arrived at the car park in plenty of time, a full hour before the scheduled start, and picked up my run pack. There was a cold air that morning, so I stayed in my car once I’d got ready to stay warm. The organisers had pointed out prior to this event to bear in mind that it will be “December in the north” and to dress accordingly. When it was getting close to the start time, I made my way to the starting area along with all the other participants. People were stretching and warming up, music was playing, and the organisers were getting everyone cheering. Then, after a short countdown, we were off running across a field, slightly downhill, before entering some woodland.

There were several points during the run where we encountered cold and muddy water. When I say cold, I do mean cold because there was ice on the ground, and once my feet were wet and cold, they remained this way to the end. The final water experience was deep enough to come up to my chest. Layers of clothing were of little benefit. There were some hills that you could run up or take at a slightly slower pace, but there were also several ravines that you had to scramble up, and at times we were sliding down whilst trying to go up. I was wearing gloves due to the cold and decided to take one of them off and put it in my pocket to help me get a grip on the ground. I later lost this glove in the swamp of suffering, which annoyed me; it also made me think that next time maybe I would not bother with gloves even if my hands were cold. Going down the hills was equally treacherous and most of us ended up sliding down these and crashing into each other.

The entire run took me 1 hour and 22 minutes. I did get stuck behind people at some points, which slowed me down; trying to pass people was not always possible due to the terrain, at least for me. After the run, we were given a goodie bag, which included a nice technical t-shirt, and we were also given a medal. I may not have convinced people to do these type of events, but I was glad I’d done it, and the camaraderie you get in these events is so much more than I’ve noticed in regular runs and races. This, for me, makes them enjoyable and wanting to do more. The organisation was also very good, which is always helpful in ensuring a good experience. Before anyone says no to ever doing any type of event like this themselves, I think they should give them more consideration, specifically regarding how they may help your general running and fitness, as well as help your mental game. Also, what’s the worst that could happen? If any of you feel you have missed out and want to do something like this, worry not, there are more planned! If anyone is interested, I have posted some pictures up on Twitter that show just how much fun I had during the run.

 December 5, 2012  Posted by at 8:21 pm race reports Tagged with:  4 Responses »