Hello to all the members on here.
The names Richard Thackeray*, & I'm a member of Featherstone Road Club
http://www.featherstoneroadclub.co.uk/news.php
Yes!, I'm a cyclist by background, & compete in all the runs I do in the Club colours/in their name.
So Why have I joined this forum?
I think I saw it as a link on the Bingley Harriers forum, whilst I was preparing for their 2009 edition of the 'Harriers verses Cyclists' & it looked to be very interesting and informative reading .
Now the boring bits, stay awake at the back there!!
So, where was I?, ah yes!!
Many years ago when I was young & foolish (now older & still foolish), I think I first joined 'FRC' back in about 1990(?), as back then I used to ride and race (not very successfully) Mountain Bikes & Cyclo-Cross.
I had a brief flirtation with road-racing, but by my own admission, wasn't overly keen on it.
Then due to various reasons, I packed in the racing in about 1996, but still rode a bit for a while, before stopping
Then about 2000/2001, I decided to try & get fit again.
Well, it was a friendly wager with someone at work, who was losing weight to run Marathons.
I got one of my bikes out again & started (in 3 months, I lost roughly 3stone, going from 12 to 9!!)
Sadly that all went' by-the-by' again after a couple of years (mainly due to 'small-child' appearing on the scene & work)
However, I got the same feeling again just around Easter 2007 (getting to be a theme to this???), thus the bike came out again
Then, come September 2007 (after gaining some initial fitness back & losing enough weight - now at just over 10stone), I bought another mountain bike (Trek 6000Disc) and entered the 'Silcoates Scramble' (my first cyclo-cross for 11 years, remember!?)
It was a hot day & grim.............
Still, I finished it and thus returned to competative cycling
The placings for that inaugural event??
54th/69 (overall)
39th/43 (Vet 40's) :?
Obviously, placings have improved since then. just
I've been riding Cyclo-Cross again even since that inauspicious return, but with a 'proper' cross-bike again (bought not long after that 'Silcoates' event)
'For The Record'
(you can all turn off & go to sleep now...)
I'm 44, work for the NHS (for the 'Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust')
I'm married to Joanne - who is a Nurse (by training) - but now is a 'Director in Health Provision Facility Design'.
We have one daughter, Amelia, who is almost 9.
As for my running background??
Well, there's not a lot to tell really
Joanne had 'got it into her head' that she was running (speed-walking/jogging) the London Marathon, & had a place for the 2008 event
She'd got up to 15 miles in training, staring the week after the 2007 event (in case she got an entry), but was getting fed-up of walking alone.
So............ 'muggins' said he'd buy some some shoes & come out with her - starting slowly, after all I was race-fit & knocking out 60-80 mile rides on the bike by that time
I suffered.......... greatly, at first, I couldn't even manage 1/2 a mile without stopping.
My original intent on starting was to be able to 'run' to to work, or my parents house, (both are equidistant) which was 4 miles in under 40 minutes
Without dwelling on the times/pain, I now hover at a 'summer PB' of 28:45 (in shorts/t-shirt), & a 'winter PB' of 28:56 (thermal jacket & 'Tracksters') - which I'm reasonably happy with.
By that time, Joanne was telling me I was good enough to compete, not that I wanted to (but I was curious....)
My first event was the 'Darrington 5-Mile', held in support of the 'Village Feast' on Saturday 21st June 2008
I finished in 36:53, which gave me a placing of 30th/152 finishers.
I was very happy with that for a 'virgin' run
Next was the '2008 Prince Of Wales Hospice 10K'
That wasn't as good a placing 'pro-rata', I finished in 45:18, and in 80th/268
Another 10K was the '2009 Wakefield City 10K; 44:46 (255th/1182)
Somehow, I got talked into a half-marathon.
Well - I talked myself into it, simply because of its location/uniqueness
It was the 'Cross-Bay Challenge', which started at Flookburgh (Cumbria), & headed over the sands of Morecambe Bay to Hest Bank (Morecambe)
I was told I was barmy for selecting it as a 'first half', as it was tough!
http://www.crossbayrun.org.uk/index.htm
I'd spent a lot of time in Morecambe as a kid, & had always wanted to do the guided walks onto the sands but my parents would never go on the walks
So, it 'killed two birds with one stone'
Sadly the river crossing (Kent channel, 300 yards wide, & crotch-deep!!), took a lot of time off me, as did the 25MPH head-wind for the last 6 miles
Still, I clocked up a (I'm given to understand) fairly respectable 1.42:52 (51st/237)
I guess I've kept up the running as 'cross-training' for the Cyclo-Cross, & to save money (being a 'parsimonious Yorkshireman', & not buy diesel simply for travelling to work & back(
Other interests; (just in case anyone else shares them, or indeed has managed to read this far!)
Land Rovers (on my 5th now)
TVR's (almost bought a Cerbera, instead of the 110 I own)
Art-Deco (architecture in particular)
Heavy-Haulage
Industrial Heritage/Architecture
Railways
American 'Muscle Cars'
World Rally Championship
Gretsch guitars (sadly I'm not allowed to have one)
The 'usual ones' too.... music/books (varied tastes, but know what I like)
I'm sorry to waffle on, but thought it best to give what may be relevant information in one go?
My limited 'Cross-Country'/'Fell-Running' will be covered in 'Part 2' of this (elongated) introduction (if anyone's still interested, that is?)
*No, for those 'in the know'
I'm not the (Bradford Olympic) Richard who was a regular member of the Great Britain Cyclo-Cross squad throughout the 90's & early 00's
Although I do know Richard, his brother (Robert), Phil & Nora (parents) very well
This did used to cause much confusion years ago, especially when I used to race Mountain Bikes, as I also rode a Pace Research at that time (he was sponsored by the Pace factory at Haworth!)
Robert runs fell-races now, under (I think?) the colours of Bradford Triathlon Club, Richard also 'dabbles'