Thursday 31 March 2011

Another Yorkshire weekend ahead . .

I'll be back up at the correct end of the M1 this weekend . . hopefully I'll be at Hull parkrun's 53rd event, which is to be their 1st birthday party, on Saturday morning . .


On Sunday I'll be up the other side of Knaresborough, revisiting the Arkendale 10k, where I had great fun last year as the sheep dodged the runners as they ran over Arkendale Moor. Or maybe it was the runners doing the dodging?


And I've just had confirmed this week that on Easter Day I'll be back north of York once again to take photos of the Black Horse Helmsley 10k. I'm especially looking forward to that event as Helmsley has a special place in my family's background, as you'll find out if you click here . .


Keep in touch with my photos at theracephotographer.com . .

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Milton Keynes . . and Carterton . .

A quiet running weekend, really, spent at the Milton Keynes parkrun on Saturday morning and the Carterton 10k on Sunday . .


Despite having run every day since sometime in the mid-60's British running legend (the first Brit to run a sub-2.10 marathon) had never run a parkrun before so it was great for the 192 others of us at MK on Saturday to rub shoulders with him on his parkrun debut (although I doubt if the 6 year old girl who beat me again was too bothered!) . . I expect he was waiting to see if parkrun would catch on! My own shoulders lagged a long way behind RH but I managed to finish with a smile of course . .


The Carterton 10k took in two laps of the town and was a flurry of activity for a couple of hours and then all returned to normality in the Oxfordshire town that's a close neighbour of Brize Norton . .


I had a good friend who was home from Denmark for the weekend for company and he and I lined up my position for some excellent shots of the runners . .


Except we were in the wrong place and had to move . . and so missed around the first 20 runners on their first lap. I can draw maps for a living but I can't read them! Had a great morning and lunch at the Jolly Boatman wasn't so bad either!


The early part of the week here in Aylesbury has been quite sunny and the Butterflies are coming out for the new season . . there's a footpath alongside a stream close to work and I've often looked for Butterflies along there in the past 2 years . . but this was the first time I'd seen a Comma there . .

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Back to normal now . .

After a lovely week in Hull and York with close friends and family it's good to be back in a routine now. I managed to run Hull parkrun last Saturday in a second under 35 minutes - my fastest time since October last year . .


The culmination of the week was Mum's 80th birthday, and the party in the Corner Cupboard in Birdforth in North Yorkshire, was great fun . .



The building itself is in the village's old school building, which is in the shadow of Kilburn White Horse . .

 



I'll be back to taking running photographs this weekend . . at the Carterton 10k in Oxfordshire . .

Sunday 13 March 2011

back to Bedfont Lakes . .

No photos from me this weekend as it's a family occasion. Saturday began for me at 4.30am, when I got up to go to Heathrow to meet my brother and niece who were due in at 5.25 from Melbourne . . I walked into the Terminal 3 arrivals hall at 6am and Phil and Amanda came through less than 5 minutes later . . almost perfect timing . .

A quick chat and a coffee later, and Phil and Amanda were off into London, where Amanda is spending a couple of days sight and show seeing . . whilst I lugged their luggage to my car. Phil wanted to see that Amanda got settled into her hotel properly, and so I was going to return to Bedfont Lakes parkrun to see my friends there for the first time since I ran dressed as a clown on October 30th last year . .

It was lovely to see so many old friends, a reminder of the times when I was a regular down there, and gratifying and flattering that they were so pleased to see me . .


This was my third parkrun in 3 weeks and it's the only running I've done in that time. Of the three courses (Hull, Milton Keynes and Bedfont Lakes) this is the slowest, being all off road, with a few slopes to contend with . .

Despite that I managed to post my fastest time this year . . and faster than my previous two visits to Bedfont Lakes . . still nowhere near the times I want to be doing but it's the right kind of progress . .



Soon after finishing I was changed, had made my farewells with promises to be back as soon as possible, and was off to Hatton Cross tube station where Phil was waiting for me . .

And 4 hours later, we were here in York, with our parents . .

Thanks to Kath for the two photos . . the first taken on the first lap . . the second just a few paces from the finish . .

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Hanging around at a crossroads . .

So there I was, on Sunday, hanging around at a crossroads, as you do (and what a splendid sign this is, by the way) . .


Taking photos of wild flowers, again, as you do . .


When a marshal called out . .


"Photographer, there's a runner coming" . . well, actually, it turned out that there was more than one . . these are just the first three . .


With the first lady not far behind . .


It was desperately cold standing round pushing a little button and calling out encouragement, don't think I've been so cold all winter . . so goodness knows how some of the runners felt . . but many of them managed to wave and seemed pleased to see me . .


Another lovely morning out with my running friends . . and you can see lots more photos here . .

Friday 4 March 2011

10k's are the future . .

All of a sudden the future is 10k-tastic (sorry!) . .

This Sunday I'll be at the Leighton 10k. This is a new event down the road from here at Leighton Buzzard, and as it's new, I can't illustrate it! It'll be interesting to see how many runners it attracts as it faces competition from the well-established Berkhamstead Half, which also has a 5 mile race attached to it . .

Then I've got the following 2 weekends off (sorry again!) because there's a significant family birthday in the middle of the month, so significant in fact that my brother and niece are coming over from Australia to take part in the celebrations . .

But as soon as they're gone I'll be back out, on the 27th, at the Carterton 10k, which is over near RAF Brize Norton. I've never been there before so I can't yet illustrate that event either!

The following weekend it's Mothering Sunday and where else would I be but up in York, at Mother's. And, of course, at the Arkendale 10k in North Yorkshire, which is a race I covered last year, so here's a photo of the runners shortly after the start . .


Here's a shot of the Arkendale Formation Sheep Team, who kept whizzing over the moor as the runners ran across towards me . .


The following weekend I'm returning to another event that I covered last year, the Darent Valley 10k down in Kent . . where last year I was very naughty and took photos at the top of this evil hill in the 7th or 8th kilometre. I've promised to go somewhere different this time!


That's enough 10k's for now although there are more to tell you about, and I'll do that over the coming weeks . . and remember that you can see all my photos of these races here . . have a good weekend . .

Tuesday 1 March 2011

parkrun . . I made it!

 . . another weekend with no cameras in my hands (we're back to normal this coming weekend, don't worry!) . .

Hull parkrun was flat, as it is every week, and I was grateful for that as I lugged my groaning self around 5k for the first time since I ran at the Bedfont Lakes parkrun on October 30th. Remarkably, I was less than a minute slower than I had been on that occasion. Goodness knows what I'd stuffed down my top before the run - I don't remember doing it but no wonder it takes me so long to get round! As always it was good to see the people I know at East Park, and Di had a good run, within a minute of her pb. Thanks to Dave Gowans for the photo below . .

 

That evening we went to the Grand Opera House in York, a lovely little theatre, and enjoyed a really good performance by 10CC. I'd forgotten many of their songs and enjoyed hearing them again. They'd clearly rehearsed long and hard for the tour as the harmonies were astonishing and the whole show was spot on . .


Thanks to Di for this photo, taken with her phone, and for the one below of me beside the untroubled water of York's River Ouse on Sunday morning ..


 . . better go now as my website's not working . . *sigh* . . isn't the internet wonderful! But when it is working, you'll find it here . . Happy March!!