LondonSkaters Speed Team - Speed Skating & Rollerblading Club in London

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Got my registration stuff through this week. The course is different from last year. It is now finishing at the same place as the start so I won't be leaving my stuff in the hotel but at the finish and have a shower there. Never mind. It also means there is a sort of down hill finish as you come off the bridge. Could be fun Very Happy

Gav · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 10:03 am Subject:

oh yeah! Wow, that could be a great finish!

darnit... And I could've been in that front pack maybe in this one Wink

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

Argh. Looks like an interesting forecast yet again
http://www.donnerwetter.de/region/region.hts?c+06+KOELN

Better take some pads with me then...and my GT85.

Gav · Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2004 2:01 pm Subject:

Good luck you guys... have a great race, stay upright, finish fast Smile

Rick · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 5914

About 20% less competitors this year. Same in the running marathon too. Not sure why. It was a great warm up for Berlin for me and the LIM as well for Alastair who set a PB by more than 10 minutes.
Alastair 506th (246 in class) time 1:41.53
Me 502nd (243) 1:41:47. Loads worse than last year in the placings (369/175) I guess I am a better rain skater but more likely it is because it was the 3rd of my 3 in a row and I was extremely fit (by my standards) when I did it last year. I was rubbish in my 1st of the 3. It was also my first marathon in my new skates and I used a set of frames I bought the day earlier but needed to get used to before Berling. I needed to tighten up my skates after about 7 km and then things got better and I started to remember what I was supposed to do.

I went off too fast this time in a line that was frequently changing speed but was maintaing a high average, They lost me when we went across some tram lines then up into a stiff wind. I had a bit of solo skating for the next few Km while my heart rate and back recovered to a point where I had enough in reserve to accellerate onto another line. That took a long time with the wind and I kept losing line after line until after the halfway point. Then I found a line that I could stick with until the end. I didn't see Alastair after the start until the end. He overtook me while I was doing up my skates. Just saw him as we came to the bridge at the end and overtook. The end is really nice now with the change of route. It is a 1km downhill followed by the bridge which is a short uphill then a fast downhill where you can get a lot of speed to carry to the line so lots of over taking at the end. I do love the downhills.

Alastair looks like he has a 1:30-1:35 in him now for Berlin jut needs a bit more skill in the lines but all that effort is paying dividends in terms of performance.

Winning mens time was 1:13:54 and winning womens time 1:25:27

Alastair · Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 9:16 pm Subject:

The weather was ideal - started off dull but cleared later. There were some strong winds (which always seemed to be at the point I was solo - from where it was impossible to join a line). I've learnt a bit from my mistakes, though - learning not to slow down but to speed up as the line gets nearer!

Really pleased with my time though - wasn't expecting it as I hadn't been feeling too fit recently. Really looking forward to Berlin now (but not looking forward to LIM quite as much!).