the Royal Wedding Day 5k

we are always game for a laugh here at Optimistic Towers, so when a chance perusal of the Kiwi Classic Events website showed this race, mrs theoptimistic runner thought there could be no better way to spend a day off work than running round Woodbank Park in Stockport.

whilst we do have access to childminders, we thought it would make things a bit more interesting if we did the race (which involved being handcuffed together via cable ties) whilst pushing optimistic junior round the park in his super duper off-road buggy.

i also thought i might as well go the whole hog and wear half my penguin suit - which turned out to be very hot!

i understand that the race followed the woodbank parkrun route which involved a couple of hills and tree roots! luckily the buggy was up to the task - though the driver struggled with the hill second time round! we were finished by 10:30 in time to collect a pair of commemorative champagne flutes and make our way back to new mills to enjoy the rest of the day off and walk the dog along the canal to the Navigation Inn at Buxworth.

Herod Farm fell race 3m

With the week off work post mrs theoptimisticrunner's London Marathon jaunt, i thought i'd best put my free time to good use and have a go at this fell race. A category 'AS' race with 1100 ft of ascent, this was set to be even tougher still than January's Lamb's Longer Leg which fairly chewed me up and spat me back out again.

After a low key registration at the Reliance Garage off Turnilee Road in Glossop, we made our way up to the (uphill) start up a farm track just off the main road. A quick chat to one of this race's veterans revealed that the race took in the summit twice, information that at least meant I knew some of what was in store.

the first hill

after the first stretch of farm track the race took us up the side of Whiteley Nab which involved some hands-on-knees climbing, but we were soon bombing back down the hillside.

the fun I was taking in the descent was tempered by the fact I knew that every stride was going to have to be compensated for in the climb back up to the top!

the last climb back up the nab didn't seem too bad, however the last stretch saw us with the heather in front of our faces, and in danger of falling backwards if we leaned too far back! but the summit was soon made and we plouged our way back down again:

whilst I still finished near the back of the field, I put in a much better performance compared to Lamb's Longer Leg, and was pleased with my time and how I coped with the race.

next up is the Rainow 5 in May.

breakfast poll

On the right hand side of this blog is a poll that will run until Christmas - what do you eat before a race? Do your carbs come from cereal or toast? Is your sugar in the form of a banana or some jam? Results will be revealed in December...

The Cheshire Challenge 40 mile walk

Report to follow

http://www.constructingcommunities.com/home/media/news/11-05-05/Mansell_completes_The_Cheshire_Challenge.aspx

.....

run home 9.3miles

1h23 http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gBW4P0WyhvA

run home 9.5 miles

1h 23 http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gBW4P0WyhvA

I tried to take a shortcut through Brabyns Park and cut out a large section of climb and a mile of the route, sadly was reduced to a walk through the park due to muddy conditions underfoot and came out at the wrong time, at the foot of the hill.