Happy TT!

Happy TT everyone!

I am writing this whilst the majority of those competing in the 2017 Manx Telecom Parish Walk will be tucked up in bed. I started another set of nights on Friday which will see me working the early hours until next Saturday morning. Nights are always double edged and although they mean I can train most evenings and maybe fit one or two extra walks in during the days they also prevent me from attending any social get togethers, or at least being able to drink if I do. With it being TT week  it’s even more frustrating that the evening entertainment, put on at places such as the Bushy’s beer tent and my local pubs in Peel, will have to be missed in favour of tipping up here at 2300hrs each evening for the night shift.

Training over the last week has been ok. I managed to get out Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and also went straight from finishing here yesterday morning to the NSC to meet up with Andy, Rich and Ray for a stroll. The group put a good session in last weekend around Glen Roy, which I missed due to work, this weekend we headed out again on one of the regular training loops started by heading out through Strang to Crosby before crossing the main Douglas to Peel road and heading up the steep School Hill past Ellerslie. From here we continued out as far as Garth crossroads before turning towards The Braid and picking up the Parish route through to Santon before turning left at the end of the Oatlands road and heading back in over Marine Drive to finish as always outside The Caff. The weather started quite overcast first thing but soon warmed up once the sun broke through which made for a warm end to the walk. My watch had recorded just over 16 miles at the end as we took in the sunshine with an outside table to enjoy breakfast. The pace wasn't too bad for a quite hilly route but the legs were starting to feel it a little towards the end.

Unfortunately for the fans over for the racing it has been a poor start to the festival weather wise, however, when the weather has been good it has been really good so they have not had it all bad. Hopefully the weather will stick around for the planned racing Today, Monday and Tuesday although early reports suggest it will break again Monday. Walking this morning for the first couple of hours would be perfect conditions for me on the Parish in 13 days’ time but I guess anything is better than wet and windy. Marine Drive was a popular place this morning with a few people out getting the last few miles in the legs before tapering off towards the event to allow the legs a little bit of rest before the off.

Steve Taylor posted this week that the National 50k Championships will be held on the Island early in September, a fortnight before the End to End Walk. Early chatter amongst the group is most are going to give it a go. The distance is the same as the Firefighters Memorial Walk back in April but differs in that it is being held on a completely flat course around a 1km loop of the National Sports Centre and will be judged under Cat A rules unlike the Parish, End to End and Firefighters which are judged to Cat B rules regarding technique as follows

Rule 230 Definition of Race Walking: Race walking is a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground, so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs. The advancing leg shall be straightened (i.e. not bent at the knee) from the moment of first contact with the ground until the vertical upright position.

The event is held with a Race Walking Association Category B permit which allows the judging rules to be relaxed with only the contact part of IAAF rule 230 being applied.

It would be great to see the event well supported and for those that have only this year got into walking, in preparation for the parish, this gives another event to continue with the solid training over the summer months you have already put in. As stated in my early posts, Race Walking coaching is available on a Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night at the NSC and on a Saturday in Peel for those that want to take part, once back from holiday, I will be spending more time with Bridget Kaneen to prepare for the event. The two week gap between the 50K and the 2017 Ramsey Bakery End to End and then only another 4 weeks there after until the South African Centurion in Cape Town means a busy couple of months, walking wise, to look forward to once the 2017 Manx Telecom Parish Walk is (hopefully) completed for another year.