Smalley-Heanor 4 Mile
Conditions: Heavy Rain
Date: 15th June 2007
Run Type: Easy / Medium
Notes: With the hot weather last week a thing of the past, we were experiencing the subsequent down pour that always follows good weather. Rain however does not stop for races, as I found out in Edinburgh so it was not going to get in the way of my training run.
I left from home on a new four mile course during a severe storm but did not even care. In fact I actually enjoyed getting out in the rain as it kept me cool. As I left Kerry Drive along ‘Allsop’s’ I felt good, but I knew this would not be a super easy run as I have partied pretty hard since Edinburgh and time off through partying always takes it’s toll. However I deserved the time off, but in one week the intensity starts again.
As I passed the one mile marker at Adale Road and the next mile came and went but I remember thinking on the climb up through Broadway in Heanor that I thought I would be more tired up this climb but I felt good. I do remember my ankles aching slightly which may be the lifespan of my shoes coming to an end, which I will keep an eye on over the coming sessions. In all however I passed the two mile marker in high spirits and felling positive about the run, even with the rain still coming down heavy.
The third miles leads down through the drinking zone of Heanor and eventually back to ‘Smalley Hill’ which is the one major challenge of this easy four mile course. As I approached it I remembered my early training and breathing techniques and I felt good all the way up the hill, but remember feeling it slightly at the top.
A few hundred yards after the summit of the hill I passed mile three and really went for it for the final mile. I crossed the finish line a little slower for the final mile than I thought I had, and hoped to. I am putting this down to time off and loss of strength from Edinburgh.
I am getting back into my training now but I know I must train hard and not miss sessions like I did for Edinburgh, although my whole trip to New York will suffer and that is not an option. I also need to incorporate some strength work at the gym to enable the speed sessions to become effective.
Run time: 34.21
Pace: 8.36 / mile
Days to New York Marathon: 142
“Even if you fall flat on your face, at least you are moving forward.”
New York City
"Running 26 miles around this place.....I can think of nothing better"
The Five Boroughs
"There's more to this place than Manhattan"
Staten Island
"Only the first half mile is spent on Staten Island as you immediately leave across the Varrazano-Narrows bridge into Brooklyn"
Brooklyn
"Almost half the race is spent in Brooklyn, where many different neighbourhoods and cultural changes are passed through"
Queens
"The race enters Queens at exactly the half way point by crossing the Pulalski Bridge, over Newton creek, where you get your first amazing view of the City. The next 3 miles are spent here until crossing the challenging Queensboro Bridge over the East river."
Manhattan
"The first of two visits into Manhattan comes at mile 16 as you leave the Queensboro Bridge. Greeted by thousands of screaming spectators makes this one of the most memorable moments of the race, before the 4 mile stretch up First Avenue towards the Bronx"
Bronx
"At mile 20 you cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx where little over a mile is run before returning to Manhattan across the Madison Avenue Bridge, where you see the Yankee Stadium, which has to be the highlight of the short trip across the Harlem river"
Manhattan 2
"As you arrive back in Manhattan the course proceeds down Fifth Avenue for 3 miles before entering Central Park for the final push and that moment that will last forever."
Varrazano-Narrows (Staten Island-Brooklyn)
Pulalski Bridge (Brooklyn-Queens)
Queensboro Bridge (Queens-Manhattan)
Willis Avenue Bridge (Manhattan-Bronx)
Madison Avenue Bridge (Bronx-Manhattan)
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