Salford Ladies 5.25 mile race today!

Quiet before the start
Warm-up and wave to the camera

It's chilly with the rain

Off we go!

Near the lead but slowly settling into my pace

Leaders not going off too fast - slippery downhill

Settling in behind other club runners

Still all smiles!

Bye for now

Winner of the race!

Leading lady again

2nd Lady

3rd Lady

4th lady
Wave to hubby, nearly there!

Concentrating up the hill to the finish

Happy with my race today in Salford: we think a top 20 position (or there abouts) and 40'33" over 8.45km (on my Garmin). Happy with that as done no running this week and under awful conditions: rain and windy. Enjoyed the undulating (hilly we would say in Belgium) course and it was nice again to take part in a ladies only race. Will certainly be back next year!!

Some more photos of the new bike after today's ride!

Very nice 27 mile ride today and luckily the weather stayed dry for most of the ride! Bike needs a clean now though!!

Training update: enjoying running & cycling

Early arrival of my Xmas present - need to wait to wear them:-(

I've now joined the Chester Triathlon Club but think I need to wait until January 2010 to be officially a member, as it's not worth it paying the 2009 fee now being end November.

Really enjoy the interval sessions on Wednesdays, even if they take a lot out of me. Realised that maybe I can move up to a faster group, but rather not do so as 'real' speed is not the aim, certainly not for the first part of 2010 with the Tokyo & Paris marathons.

However, as I really enjoy my cycling again, I've checked the club's website and decided if possible, to enter the following 'members only' events:

6th December club duathlon
27th December 9 mile club bike TT
17th Jan 4 villages half marathon
24th January 16 mile club bike TT
21st February club duathlon
7th March Farndon 10k

I have entered the 4 Villages 1/2 marathon already anyway and will also do Farndon if my legs are ok a week after Tokyo. I did that race for the first time this year and thoroughly enjoyed it!

It will be interesting to see how I do in the cycling, but not really worried about coming in last, it's all about enjoyment for me and getting back into it! Not doing any of the swim events yet as my front crawl is bad. Need to get some lesson on technique, but want to wait until after Tokyo for that.

So far this week I've done a 10km run on my own, interval with the club and an hour's bike ride today. Tomorrow we're (weather permitting) cycling 27 miles and a flatter route than last Sunday. In the evening I'm hoping to do a slow 10km again, so I've done at least 3 runs this week. From next week onwards I am hoping to increase the mileage and do a 10 mile run maybe on Monday. It will be a juggling act, as I'm out on Thursday and Friday evening but one has to have some fun too!

Until the next posting!

Nieuwe fiets: Trek 1.2 WSD

Deze week een nieuwe koersfiets aangeschaft: de Trek 1.2 WSD, een model speciaal voor vrouwen ontworpen. Heb vroeger nog de Trek 1000 gehad, maar die jammer genoeg dan verkocht op Ebay omdat de interesse wat weg was. Heb ook nog mijn Eddy Merckx Flyer, maar die gebruik ik liever niet als trainingsfiets, 't is mijn 'pride & joy' in de kleuren van de Belgische vlag, met mijn naam erop, en op maat gemaakt. Eens zien of ik er een foto van heb, waarschijnlijk wel maar 't was denk ik voor 'the digital age'!

Morgen voor de tweede keer gaan fietsen met de Chester Triathlon Club en hopelijk gaat het stukken beter dan vorige zondag, toen ik meereed op mijn hybrid en iedereen een koersfiets had. Echt afgezien op de heuvels van Noord-Wales, maar zoals ze zeggen: 'no pain no gain'!

Picked up the training again!

After a relatively quiet two weeks on the training front (apart from a 19km session in Belgium on 26th October and a short run later that week), I've picked up the pace again and started with what will hopefully turn into a routine of 4 running sessions a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

I have also decided to join Chester Triathlon Club. The immediate plan is not to compete in triathlons, but it's certainly something I want to do in the long-term future, as I've done some short ones in my younger years!

Reasons for joining the Chester Tri club are:
- enjoy the interval sessions on the track on Wednesdays
- want to start cycling more again and will join their shorter sessions on Sundays when I'm not racing!

This week I did a 10K run on my own which went fine, interval yesterday on the track (3 x 600-600- 400m), another 10K tomorrow and 28 mile bike ride on Sunday with hopefully a 5-6K run in the evening.

Will see how this goes, as need to start stepping up the kilometres again, with the Tokyo marathon in February 2010.

3 more races planned this year:
- 29/11: Salford Ladies only 5.25miles
- 6/12: Alexandra Park 5K
- 26/12: Round the Walls race in Chester

Will try and post more regular updates and some race photos!

Ciao - Nathalie

Running Programme 2010!

Hier is dan mijn race planning voor 2010, in theorie alvast, en hopelijk willen de beentjes ook om dit allemaal tot een goed einde te brengen:)

Sunday 17th January 2010: Shell Four Villages 1/2 Marathon, Helsby, England, UK
Sunday 28th February: Tokyo Marathon, Tokyo, Japan
Saturday 20th March: 'Beauty & Beast' Ultimate Cartmel Trail Race, 18km, Cartmel, Lake District, England, UK
Sunday 28th March: Asics Wilmslow 1/2 marathon, Wilmslow, England, UK
Sunday 11th April: Paris Marathon, Paris, France
Sunday 16th May: Shell Chester 1/2 marathon, Chester, England, UK
Saturday 24th July: 35th International Snowdon Race, 10 miles, Llanberis, Wales, UK
Sunday 12th September: Trail Cote d'Opale, 33km, Wissant, France
Friday 1st October: Rapper dan een ezel 1/2 marathon, Kuurne, Belgium
Saturday 30th October: Snowdonia Marathon, Llanberis, Wales, UK

Dit zijn dus mijn voornaamste wedstrijden voor 2010, met einde mei/begin juni zeker nog 1 of 2 kortere wedstrijden in Belgie en dit ook in augustus als we daar op vakantie zijn. Misschien ook nog enkele kortere (5-10km) races in Liverpool die ik jaarlijks meedoe, want zo graag mijn tijden op de 5 & 10km nog wat scherper stellen:)

Mijn doelen voor PBs zijn Tokyo voor de marathon en Rapper dan een ezel voor de 1/2 marathon. De 2 races in Snowdonia en de Trail Cote d'Opale wil ik gewoon meedoen voor de ervaring en uitlopen!

Ben content met de planning en we zien dus wel of we dit allemaal goed kunnen afwerken of hier en daar wat zullen moeten bijstellen.

Morgen nog een trainingsupdate en wedstrijdplanning voor de rest van 2009.

Ciao Nathalie