Go Veggie News: February 2014

Parkrun Prep

As the 'racing season proper' for many GO VEGGIES is just around the corner there was quite a bit of parkrun activity this weekend.

We again publicly applaud the parkrun innovation. The events are fantastic on so many levels and amongst many other things are an excellent way - if you are race-inclined - to sharpen up with high-end efforts.

Mick W and Rosie Wigg were in action at Pontefract where Mick put his ever-so-slightly unhealthy relationship with technology to the test in an attempt to pace Rose to a course PB. It didn't quite work out but they only missed their target by 8 seconds, finishing well up the field in the process with Rose taking 4th female overall. The lead-out train looks impressive (pic) and features a most excellent trying-hard face from the normally sublime Rose.

Steve W meanwhile ran at Locke Park and in spite of being unable to understand anything the deeply Barnsley-accented pre-race commentator said, followed some genuinely fast runners round the 3-lap up-and-down-twisty-turny grueller to a 9th overall.

Two cani-X teams were out too. Emma Smith ran with Stuart at Pontefract and is one of the few people to ever claim that running with a whippet makes you slower. In reality, Emma was intentionally having a steady recovery effort.

On the contrary, Steve C blistered round South Manchester with Len to a 49/308 position in a new venue (and recent seasons') best of 21:29. The 'power of the vest' continues! Though the fully harnessed Steve / Len duo created a massive stir amongst fellow parkrunners Len insisted on being a bit of a diva afterwards and nonchalantly created his own fun playing with sticks leaving Steve to deal solely with the PR duties.

New Member Welcome

We are delighted to be joined by Rob Dickinson and Jon Zigmond.

Rob is an elite time-traillist with a specialism in tough sporting and hilly courses. He's also a mean runner and is capable of knocking out fast 5-10K times. Unsurprisingly he performs well in the occasional duathlon / triathlon to boot.

Jon is a genuine Ironman and has competed many times over the long course distances which for those who aren't sure consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike followed by the small matter of a full marathon run of 26.2-mile (42.2 km). Truly awesome stuff. He is also a prolific age-group and series winner over shorter triathlon distances. Impressive as this is, he is a man of many layers and has a background in world-wide mountaineering; mountaineering of the kind that has you hanging on to every word, mouth genuinely agape, as Jon casually tells the tale...

A steady weekend Len and Steve style

The resident ultra endurance GO VEGGIE machine of Steve and Len have been at it again.

A swim on Friday (Len swims too in a special canine pool) followed by a parkrun age group win on Saturday - and then a 'gentle' 20K effort on Sunday taking in the Calders, Bram Rigg and The Calf (639m): oh, and then a 'jog' down the Dales way - were deemed to have been enough of an effort for the inseparable duo to celebrate with a veggie burger, chips and beer.

We understand veggie dog Len allowed veggie food procurer Steve a few chips, and all the beer...

Steve confirmed for Euro AG Championships

Steve W is confirmed as a team member of the GB Age Group squad for this year's European Sprint Triathlon championships to be held in Kitzbuhel, Austria in June.

Steve competed in last year's Euro Sprint Tri championships in Alanya, Turkey where, in spite of numerous excuses ranging from the blistering heat to a choppy sea swim, still managed to take a silver medal.

The course in Kitzbuhel is every bit as mountainous as the course in Alanya was flat; we await the excuses with interest...

Rose leading Grand Prix

Rosie Wigg's 1st claim running club, Ackworth Road Runners, runs a year-long series in which competitors have to race in a minimum number of selected events chosen from a pick list. Competition is always fierce and at the moment we are stoked that Rose is heading the women's league. There's a long way to go but we have faith...

5K Age Group Wins

GO VEGGIE were out in force today at Temple Newsam parkrun. Steve W returned from an enforced 8 week lay-off to finish 5th overall while Rosie W clocked a nicely co-ordinated 5th female overall. Emma S - complete with beanie-based pony-tail holster - did her first run at this location and managed a 12th female overall in spite of aching legs from a big bike session just yesterday.

Temple Newsam is a really nice location for a parkrun and is a tough course; ideal for hard training efforts: highly recommended.

I think I'll run up Snowdon...

It might seem like an extreme thing to do for mere mortals - especially in the middle of winter - but it's the kind of thing that ultra-eventer Steve Coote, and cani-crosser Len - do on a ridiculously frequent basis. To ease any confusion, Len is half ridgeback and half Steve's best mate; Steve is half endurance robot, and half Len's best mate.They are both veggie and both compete in all manner of competitions.

The trip up Snowdon was necessarily called off just shy of the summit as the blizzard conditions were literally blowing Len about, and he isn't small. In spite of being denied the summit, it was still a good day's training for both - see pic.

Amongst the upcoming events, both will be in action in caniX this season and Steve has some typically bonkers aims like the Hell on The Humber 24 where, for 24 hours straight, competitors run interminably back and forth over the Humber bridge; yes, really...

10K PB for Rose

Rosie Wigg continued the recent theme and benefited from 'the power of the vest' in Sunday's Dewsbury 10K road race. In spite of a fellow-competitor-baulked first few hundred metres, and a less than favourable wind, Rose still clicked off a 48.10. We are sure that all things being equal she has a sub 45min 10K in her legs.

No pressure or anything...