Flitwick 10k, April 2011

Overall Position : 8th out of 821
Overall Time : 35:48

In a busy weekend of sport that included the Grand National, I ended up running in the Flitwick 10k. I managed to run a PB on the course and distance of 35:48. In my first race over the distance, I finished a superb 8th overall out of more than 800 competitors in what is just the beginning of a series of 10k events that I’ll be entering over the coming weeks and months, including races in Manchester and Hatfield. The weather was fantastic and I managed to run at a pace that was comftable for me, the terrain was hilly and not flat but I enjoyed the odd hill. I was joined by the family and Beca and Catrin enjoyed their breakfast of Candy Floss !

We started our trip to Worthing with a extra hour stuck on the M25. When we arrived at Worthing we did a quick investigation of the area. As I had already booked a table at fishworks for 7pm I registered early to enable me to get another valued 20 mins in bed on Sunday morning. our meal was fantastic and Delyth and I shared a fish platter that was great value for money. The children also had fish although Catrin preferred her potatoes.

The race morning was an early Sunday morning start at 6:30am so I had to get out by 5:15am to rack my bike and have the usual toilet stop. The race started with a run into the sea followed by a dive. I got to the first buoy in good time and then lost my way a bit and even had to do some breast stroke as I took a huge gulp of water. Luckily the sea was calmer than on Saturday where the coast experienced 30 mph winds. The exit was a relief and the added bonus of chants of “c’mon daddy” from Catrin and Beca.

The bike got off to a slow start as I decided to build into the course as I was aware it was tough. Some good fast sections exist on the course as it uses sections that are regularly used for a time trialing course but also some challenging gradients. The route follows the A280 and the A24 that were pleasantly quiet in the morning. The end was a added bonus of overtaking 3 people at the dismount so that training and preparation paid off. Although my transition time lost 15 seconds with my poor identification of my transition area.

The run was on the promenade and was one of the most enjoyable flat courses with some wind. I really enjoy flat courses and can relate them to the track. The overall result was satisfying with what appears an improvement on past races. 40th overall and 8th in my age group.

Overall Time : 02:12:50
Swim : 00:22:59
T1 : 00:00:54
Bike : 01:10:24
T2 : 00:00:44
Run : 00:37:46

The performance also helped with my rankins on the BTF National Rankings Series. My latest age group position is below:

Age Group : MF
Total Points : 215.13
Place : 8
Little Beaver : 106.02
Shropshire : 0.00
Worthing : 109.11

Well the first triathlon of the season and a very cold start. The weather was 10 degrees celcius but apparently the water was 14 degrees – what a bonus. The swim was not the best and although I picked a good line I got beaten up a bit and didn’t swim to plan. My stroke was a bit of a mess, the exit was good and I managed a quick change and run to the bike. Here again I wasn’t comftable and it’s obvious where I need to improve. The cycle was tough but I felt quite good and managed  a good leg. I was supported by Del, Beca and Catrin and they tried to hide away but came out to support me on the run.

Beca and Catrin In the flowers.

The final section was a run and by then my feet felt like two chunks of Ice. I even struggled to get into my shoes. But this time the run was easy and I managed to run without any issues. I was greeted by the family at the end and it was a cuddle worth waiting for !!!

Final push to the line at Grendon Sprint Triathlon.

My provisional results are below. For full results go to Just Racing Website:

Position : 46

Overall Time : 01:12:52

Swim : 00:12:48

T1 : 00:00:48

Run : 00:39:32

T2 : 0:00:57

Run : 00:18:45

Sunday the 11th of April 2010 can be remembered as the day Catrin Gwen Ford was baptised at St Mary Church in Walkern. The day was fantasitic and we were lucky with the weather as the children could play in the sun.  The morning started with my first duathlon race of the season – The Big Cow Emberton Duathlon 2010. An early start as I had to leave the house by 6am to arrive the event and was lucky enough to be able to pay on the day. My performance on the day was mixed.

It was a bit wet but why am I holding the handle bars !

The run was exceptional and I felt very controlled in 36:30 for 10k, however, the bike was a different story as I suffered cramp at around the 30k mark. This caused me to slow to strech and then ride in a lower gear with a higher cadance. The final run was controlled as I didn’t want a re-occurance of the cramp. But that also didn’t stop a little sprint finish, just a shame that the other competitor had a 2 min lead as he started in the next wave. Below are my results for the day

We’ve been using gallery on our iMac for a while. But now I’ve decided to publish some images to Mobile Me as it makes financial sense and I also have overall control. You can access here :

Steffan Ford Mobile Me Gallery

Delyth Ford Mobile Me Gallery

To access the library use

Username : family

Password : The street where we live without the number and space in lowercase. If you can’t figure that out email me !

We had an interesting day with Beca where she wanted to put on all of her outfits, from Batman to Fairies. But my favourite was Beca in my FVS trisuit, helmet and sun glassed. Does she look like the real deal ?

What better way to celebrate the new year than a game of bowling with the girls. I managed to win being the class act and Beca was beaten by Catrin that made her very upset. I think she follows after me with her competitiveness. I asked if she enjoyed and she replied I would have had I won !!!!

Well how better to get over Christmas Day than spending it running. The race was sponsored by Buff and Beca got one as soon as she picked it her number. It was Beca first ever race and receiving the buff made her day. Beca was racing in the under 5 race and I started my race as she was racing so i missed her. Looking at the pictures and chatting to del it appears that she loved her race. It was funny as she pointed out who she passed at the end.

I managed to come 11th in the race but was beaten in the sprint finish by fellow team member, Dill.

When the summer comes what better opportunity than to get the girls out on the bikes.  Hopefully they’ll grow to love the bikes and compete like their Dad. I can only hope !!! We do a local loop of the area , approx 8km but i’ve never measured it on the Garmin (okay just don’t tell Del).  Beca loves cycling but not downhill anymore after a small crash (me driving like a nutter after Del called to say beca crashed into a bridge).

For the summer we decided to go to pembrokshire for a holiday. We stay at my mothers family farm in St Davids. It provided a perfect camp for pembrokshire triathlon. I managed a few session and got use to the sea with the girls. Below is a picture of me and Beca.

I particularly enjoyed the training as I spent hours in the Abereiddi Blue Lagoon. This spectacular coastal feature, popular with coasteerers and divers, is actually a flooded former slate quarry working with a tidal channel to sea. I managed to use it for some swimming practice and can confirm even in the summer that it’s cold. One of my favorite areas in Pembrokshire is Porthgain (meaning fair or beautiful port). We enjoyed several meals in the sloop inn and always enjoy a warm welcome (mae’r bwyd yn rhagorol).