"Le Tour de France @ 50"

Last weekend saw me turn 50 so all races will be new age bests! But that was far from my mind as the family took me away on a mystery weekend. It wasn't until we left Nice airport that I discovered that I was going to spend the weekend in Monte Carlo and watch the time trial and start the next day of the world's greatest bike race (and in my opinion see the fittest sportsmen on the planet in action) the Tour De France! Thanks must go to my wife Deborah for organising such a fantastic surprise that gave me the best birthday ever.

For two days I was able to soak up the atmosphere of this major event and see how quick these riders go. If that wasn't enough on the last morning I got up early for what is likely to be one of my most memorable runs ever around the streets of Monte Carlo and taking in the famous sites of the Casino and Cafe de Paris. It is a run (following much of the famous grand prix course) that I will remember for ever. What a birthday surprise! The photos show the family Wheelton in the gardens of Casino square and the riders including the yellow jersey rolling through the square where the start of this famous three week race started moments later.

Annual mileage 645

"15 x 4 + 1 my three favourite numbers"

It's been a few weeks since my last update and a lot has been happening on many fronts but the three numbers 15, 4, & 1 are still clear in my mind. They formed the key session of the week at the end of June in my run up to the club champs. On a night where temperatures were up around 27C the coach threw at us one of the season's annual toughies namely 15 times 400m with one minute recovery! I completed the session but was in a total state of exhaustion! You would think that running just one 400m at the end of the week would be no problem. Wrong! At the annual champs I was aiming to beat my son Matt's time of 66 seconds dead set the previous week. He was away in Italy on a school orchestra tour so couldn't run against me and at 350 metres in the 400 I wished I was in Italy as well! I had gone off far too quickly and was holding up well over the first 200 m with a sub 53 second junior to keep pace with but from the bend in to the 300 the wheels starting to come off, time caught up with me and I was in danger of not finishing. However I just held it together in front of a cheering crowd and crossed the line in exactly 66 seconds! Maybe getting the exact same time was meant to be, but the banter with Matt will undoubtably continue. As the first Macclesfield Harrier home however I took gold (although it was a club champs this was an open meet so other clubs could compete).

Sarah also had a good afternoon winning the club champs in the U/11 javelin and long jump so we proudly posed with our medals.

This was my last event as a V45 and 50 is just around the corner!

"Summer Heights"

Although due to work and family commitments (running my son around with his drum kit to gigs and other things), it's still generally been another good athletics week. On Wednesday Sarah came 3rd in the inter schools athletics 600m, whilst today Matt turned out in the Premier Division of the Young Athletes League for Macclesfield Harriers in the pole vault (something he enjoys and is very good at) and the 400m to score club points, (something he doesn't!). I had a great afternoon officiating on the track and it's great to see all the athletes, as the future of the sport, giving it their all and excelling.

For me it's been a fairly light running week apart from some steady sessions and a couple of excellent tempo runs which I really needed as the club's annual track and field championships are now only a week away. As my fiftieth birthday approaches rapidly I have for some time had a challenge out to Matt that I am still faster than him over a track distance of his choosing! His response has been to challenge me at polevault or trampoline, both of which he knows I have never done. However his 400m today in 66 seconds has set me a challenge, and although he is off to Italy with the school to play a series of concerts and will miss the championships it is my opportunity to see if I can run faster and settle the discussion once and for all! So the pressure is now really on!

Weekly mileage 15. Annual mileage 606

"Back With A Bump "

After a month of great training and racing my running came to a grinding halt for the first week of June with a painful bout of "runners knee" aggravated by the all out assault at the Wincle Trout Race. After a few days rest I'm not sure which was most painful, missing the Tuesday track session or lying upstairs on the treatment bed in the clubhouse watching the session having the knee attacked by the physio! But it must have helped for a couple of easy runs after this and it appears to be on the road to recovery.

The last week has included a return to the track including sets of 300's and 600's with 100m jog recoveries. the fastest in 54 seconds (for the 3's!) and the remainder sub 60 seconds, which whilst not being as quick as I would like for this time of the year when compared to the previous week at least I am running again! The aim will be to pick this speedwork up in the next few weeks as the annual club track & field champs are just around the corner.

Things were rounded off with a great early Sunday morning seventy five minute run over the local trails around Rainow & Kerridge. The perfect end to the week!

Weekly mileage 29. Annual mileage 591

"Running For Your Supper!"

The second race of the week was the annual "Wincle Trout Race", held as part of the annual Rose Queen Fete. A tough, hilly 6 mile course including river crossing, this is only the second time I have run this race in over twelve years due to previously breaking my collar bone and collecting nine stitches over my eye whilst descending off the highest part of the course! This is an increasingly popular race with a limit of 300 runners being reached well before the day and the prize is also rather different, namely a fresh trout from the local trout farm!

A fast start took the race through the grounds of the trout farm and down into the Dane Valley where the river crossing came far to early to cool off the field, who for once had temperatures rising to the mid twenties. An undulating river valley is followed by a long slow ascent out past Lud's Church and onto the open moorland.

A rapid descent over Hanging Stone (scene of my former collision with a dry stone wall!) and a long hands on knees climb to the finish in a time of 55.13 and 120th place. All in all a tough but great race and one I hope to run again next year.

The only downside is that following a slow eleven mile hill run earlier in the week, pain appeared in my right kneecap & whilst there was no problem during the race, the following day gave way to a very painful "runner's knee". Two days later the pain is still present so it's a trip to the physio at the track tomorrow and possibly a lay off whilst it settles down and is rehabilitated. Never mind, it's been a great month of running and racing. so whilst painful (literally!) a short recovery period isn't a problem and I'm sure there will be plenty more good running before the summer is out.

Weekly mileage 23.
Annual mileage 542

"Go On Dad Go On!"

As it's a busy week of racing again I am dropping in a midweek update to report on yesterday's Shutlingsloe Fell Race which was run as part of the Wildboarclough Rose Queen Fete. This traditional villlage event for once had the benefit of great weather to attract the Bank Holiday Monday crowds, whilst the race itself with its field of over 130 runners was the biggest for many years.

Although the race is only just over 3k in length it is run from Crag Hall, the home of Lord Derby and rises over 1300ft straight up Shutlingsloe, known locally as "The Matterhorn of Cheshire" and then straight back down again! Having run this race most years for the last thirty I know the course pretty well but it never gets any easier!

It starts with a fast start dropping straight into the valley followed by a river crossing, hands on knees for the next few minutes, then jog/walk/ rock climb for the next ten. I reached the summit as seen in the photo (with the Hall in the distance below across the valley) in just under 16 minutes (this years winning time by the current record holder was 15.25 and that includes going back down!). After a rapid descent including an almost sheer 50 metre "bottom slide" through Bluebell Wood you are faced with the same knee deep river crossing followed by the last quarter of a mile back up to the finish in the full view of the crowd cheering on from the wall (the finish line) above. This has to probably be one of THE most lung bursting three minutes of the whole year, in a time of 26.46. Far from my quickest ever time & a minute slower than last year but I did beat my local rival by 20 seconds which is really all that matters!

All in all a great afternoon both of running and of celebrating a traditional english country fete. Hopefully I have captured some of the flavour on the video and the encouragement as I climb to the finish is my daughter Sarah!

"Round Table Ramblings"

After a three race week and a block of good solid training this has been a much quieter week with only 3 runs to log. After the White Peak Half it took a couple of easy runs to get the stiffness out of my legs (I'm fifty in six weeks so what do I expect!) However I returned to some speedwork on Wednesday with a sharpish 15 x 300m (30 sec recovery) which was a real shock to the system after a period of more steady running! The latter half of the week has been dominated by work, but tomorrow I return to the fells with my annual visit to the Wildboarclough Village Fete and the Shutlinsloe fell race which I first ran thirty years ago and which rises and falls 505m in just over 3K. So a few days off beforehand is no bad thing. Weekly mileage 14. Annual mileage 519

The highlight of the week however was again not a run but a chance to relive with everyone the White Peak Half on the "Runners Round Table" http://runnersroundtable.com/ . Having only previously been in the "chatroom" for the show rather than calling in, I was rather nervous but it was great to chat to Steve, Gary, Petra, Toni and Phil again and hear how much everyone had enjoyed themselves. Hoefully there will be the opportunity to meet up again at some stage in the future, possibly the weekend of the World Wide Festival of Races in October. To register for this event and become involved go to -

http://worldwidefestivalofraces.com/cgi-bin/home

It's been a glorious sunny Bank Holiday (for once) and after working in the garden I decided to relax with a glass of wine. Hearing everyone talking about PB's the other evening led to me digging out my old log books and compiling a list of my own PB's from down the years. Whilst many of the distances are familiar many runs will mean nothing to anyone but myself! So here goes -

100m - 13.5 secs 17th July 2006 Macclesfield Harriers Club Championships

200m - 25.1 secs 17th July 2006 " " " " (Club Vets record)

400m - 61.0 secs 19th June 2001 Cheshire Track & Field Relays

800m - 2.23.9 9th July 2000 MHAC Club Champs

100m - 3.20.0 MHAC track

1500m- 5.05.3 12th May 2001 Cheshire County Track & Field Championships Warrington

3000m - 10.49 MHAC track

5000m (track) - 20.28.9 July 2003 Oldham

5000m (road) - 18.58 (6.04 miling) 28th April 1999 Timperley

4 miles - 24.40 (6.10 miling) 27th May 1998 Timperley

5 miles - 32.30 3rd September 1997 Altringham

10k - 39.37 22nd August 1998 Birchwood Warrington

10 miles - 68.33 10th December 2001 Stockport

Half Marathon - 86.17 28th March 1999 Wilmslow

20 miles - 2.19.36 8th March 1998 Stafford

Marathon - 3.14 26th April 1998 London

High Jump - 1m 42 18th September 2005 Oldham (Club Vets record)

Long Jump - 4m 43 18th June 2006 MHAC track

Shutlinsloe Fell race (Crag Hall) - 22.35 25th May 1998

Kerridge Climb - 12.58 19th June 1999

Home / Bollington (figure of 8) - 24.51 8th April 2000

Macclesfield Leisure Centre 3 - 18.02 30th July 1999

Town Hall / Lyme Green / Canal / Buxton Road - 28.24 14th July 1999

The Hollins (normal)- 37.05 27th September 1999

The Hollins (reverse) - 37.50 4th April 1997

Home / Middlewood Way / Tesco / Higher Hurdsfield / Canal / MW - 29.46 10th April 1999

Town Hall / Bollington / Adelphi / Canal / Buxton road (figure of 8) - 44.09 15th Nov 2000

Cooper 12 minute endurance test - 2985m 20th February 2007

Reviewing the above I really wish it was 1999 again and not 2009! Or maybe just that I was as fit now as I was then!