Geoff's Tube 14 - 4th July 2011 (To the trains!)

Write-ups from those with over 21 full network challenge attempts
palkanetoijala31

Re: To the trains!

Post by palkanetoijala31 »

geofftech wrote:Oh for goodness sake ...

Andi, as Nigel astutely points out above - on the day, it can either all work, or the system breaks down and it doesn't, that's just pure luck of the day.

On our last three attempts with a solid route, something always went wrong with the tube - or, a better way of putting it might be that something went wrong in a section that we hadn't done yet. All we needed was a day when the tube didn't break down, and this past Wednesday - we got one!

So it's not a "hell of a target" to beat. We did run hard and fast to make connections.

As boastful as it sounds, sub 17-hours times are easily possible IF THE TUBE WORKS (as it should), and that record time is beatable. For us on Wednesday, making either a Circle line train (missed by 30 seconds, 10 minutes wait for the next one), or the C2C foul up (16 minutes wait for a train, should have been less than 5) put us back by two ten minute blocks. Making either one of those would have put us on the 16:27 last train. Make both of those, and 16:17 is possible. Make a well timed bus connection (as I mention above) and it's another whole train ahead and 16:07 is possible - but that would be amazingly lucky, I grant you. But not impossible.

So. It's still up for grabs people. COME ON!

(ps. Yes, you are welcome to our '@to_the_trains' twitter account. Oh, except that you're retired, so there's no point in telling you the password ... :-) )
Geoff i going to take a minute here to tell you to calm down and relax its well known that any time is physically possible even if someone had there own train drove it and just had 1 passenger on it say xmas day although i suspect Guinness wouldnt allow lol.I could moan on and on about the amount of times i had lost such and such time wish i had support person just for a few seconds that i dont have a lot of times when i did need for example!

My point is you have a lot of things in place 4 person support crew sometimes more technology and a good running speed and eh with your determination you probably get the record someday!Its impossible for absolutely every tube to statiscally run on time and not to break down when u want it sometimes it works for you sometimes it doesnt its swings and roundabouts.

Also you dont know the reasons why i have retired so until you know show a little respect for someone who has bust their arse off and completed it more times than you have attempts.
User avatar
snudge27
All Zones
Posts: 1508
Joined: 18 May 2006, 19:23

Re: To the trains!

Post by snudge27 »

Can we put the handbags away please?
User avatar
Sam
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 4240
Joined: 19 Jul 2005, 13:14
Location: Forest of Dean
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Sam »

Jeez, why is it everytime we try and have a sensible discussion it turns into a pathetic argument.

Andi your first post was just goading people to respond, why can you never have sensible conversation without coming across as being a complete and utter t*at!!

No one said the record was easy to beat and it never will be.
:D First and so far only female solo record holder!! :D

Ze forum's female train driver
User avatar
Going Underground
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 8793
Joined: 11 Apr 2006, 12:24
Location: Down in a tube station at midnight.
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Going Underground »

Having done several full networks and hundreds of hours route planning there is no advantage on most of the key runs in being a highly primed athelete... I have done this several times in teams wher the lead man or whoever has reached the station before me has not caught an earlier train...For the vast majority of these that is just the way the timetable works...
Twice former full network GWR holder and former Zone 1 Olympic and World Record holder with The Raven and Soupie
Tube personality of the year 2009
Twice Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
User avatar
Wanstead
Zone 4
Posts: 273
Joined: 25 Mar 2009, 14:03
Location: Sheffield/Nottingham
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Wanstead »

Going Underground wrote:Having done several full networks and hundreds of hours route planning there is no advantage on most of the key runs in being a highly primed athelete... I have done this several times in teams wher the lead man or whoever has reached the station before me has not caught an earlier train...For the vast majority of these that is just the way the timetable works...
Of course we're all at the mercy of the actual timings of the trains on any given day but if you can shave minutes off a long run because you're simply a faster runner I don't see how that can be anything other than advantageous. If you can afford to "waste" time on runs then doesn't that suggest the route could be tightened up?

I do defer to your experience however.
Full Network - Attempts: 1 | Completions: 1 (17h28m57s on 14/09/09)
User avatar
Going Underground
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 8793
Joined: 11 Apr 2006, 12:24
Location: Down in a tube station at midnight.
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Going Underground »

I try and tighten the routes up as much as possible to suit my running pace. Sometimes you have to compromise in areas to hit certain key points, ala MHE, Ken Oly, Hainault Loop... This may mean that somwhere during the day you can end up with the unavoidable situation of having 9 minutes to run N. Ealing :arrow: West Acton...
Of course it can be advantageous to get to your next station as swiftly as possible, but you have to balance that with your own stamina and fitness issues that may impact on energy drains and tiredness that could affect a much tighter run later in the day...
Another example is West Rusilip :arrow: Ickenham, where at most times during the day you have the same timings between arriving / departure and it would make no difference if you were able to cover the ground in 3 or 4 minutes...
My point is that speed is not the "be all and end all", if I gave Paula Radcliffe a week to plan a route without any help and she came back next Friday for a head-to-head race with Sam Cawley I know who my money would be on... :wink:
Twice former full network GWR holder and former Zone 1 Olympic and World Record holder with The Raven and Soupie
Tube personality of the year 2009
Twice Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
User avatar
Wanstead
Zone 4
Posts: 273
Joined: 25 Mar 2009, 14:03
Location: Sheffield/Nottingham
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Wanstead »

scrxisi wrote:Luck can also be engineered.
It's not luck then, is it? ;)
Full Network - Attempts: 1 | Completions: 1 (17h28m57s on 14/09/09)
User avatar
tubeguru
Site Administrator
Posts: 9100
Joined: 30 Jan 2005, 22:08
Location: The Twilight Zone
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by tubeguru »

scrxisi wrote:True, my train of thought carried me off track. I mean to say that by keeping your eye in the ball, bad luck can be avoided.
This post wins the Metaphor Rubbish of the Day award. Good work!
One thing only do I know, and that is that I know nothing - Socrates.

Champion of bugger all, 2004 to 2022
Member of sweet FA
User avatar
Starkey7
All Zones
Posts: 2382
Joined: 30 Aug 2005, 00:04
Location: Bath, Somerset

Re: To the trains!

Post by Starkey7 »

Going Underground wrote:Another example is West Rusilip :arrow: Ickenham, where at most times during the day you have the same timings between arriving / departure and it would make no difference if you were able to cover the ground in 3 or 4 minutes...
Sounds like New Cross to New Cross Gate in the olden days - albeit with the added advantage of a lovely organic toilet facility.
User avatar
Soup Dragon
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 3170
Joined: 22 May 2006, 22:15
Location: Worthing

Re: To the trains!

Post by Soup Dragon »

scrxisi wrote:True, my train of thought carried me off track. I mean to say that by keeping your eye in the ball, bad luck can be avoided.
Wise words you old sage. Did you get this out of a fortune cookie?
One day I shall return!
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

Andi, if you choose to publish your own personal life on a discussion forum then you cannot complain when people mention things which you yourself have inaugerated. Not that I see how discussing your "retirement" is in anyway encroaching on your personal life. Your posts themselves anyway are often nonsensical ramblings, with appalling spelling and grammar, plaguing people with questions, goading people on, and all of them seem to come back to your seemingly personal obsessive quest of "who is the greatest tube challenger" - none of which contributes to the forum in a healthy manner. Perhaps you would like to take a chill pill ...

Back to the proper discussion in hand - tubes running 100% perfect. Of course it's possible. It's possible for that to happen at the time that you are there, even if it doesn't happen across the whole network all day. It happened on Wednesday for us, and we were only let down by the c2c service, otherwise I suspect 16:17 would have been our final time.

And the running DOES help, my goodness, of course it does - this is so bloody obvious (@going underground), there is a point on our route where the trains are every 10 minutes. But the connection (a run) means that we have to make it in either 5 or 15 minutes. We can't run it in 5, we can only do it in 6/7 which means we are a 'train down'. If we were fitter and could run that faster, we would be a train and ten minutes up. What Marc Gawley did was sit down and work out what connections he could run in what time, and then time it perfectly to make them, and he's making some that the rest of us can't make because he's so much fitter. I would bet that his perfect time is probably 16:07 or thereabouts.

Sam would beat Paula Radcliffe now, but if you gave Paula a good route, then obviously she would win, no question. BEING FIT is now key people, if you want that record time. I cannot stress this enough, i've always thought it, and after Wednesday we proved it when our own fitness let us down on a connection that we battled (and battled well) to make up. At some points, we were so good/fast at making connections that we got the train ahead of the one that was scheduled. The only reason we then didn't gain from that is because we then hit the three shuttle 20 minute services where being 5 up doesn't help at that point.

But what I am am STILL really keen to see is an attempt from Sam & Matt where they go out and do it all on a good service day without all the running that we did, and see what time it can be done in. I'd even be prepared to help them in spirit, as Sam offered with us - because the true spirit of a forum like this is when people can get along even when they're "rivals" to each other, and not trying to score who's better all the time ...
User avatar
Sam
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 4240
Joined: 19 Jul 2005, 13:14
Location: Forest of Dean
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Sam »

Oh believe me, as soon as I get a midweek day off, I will be out...!
:D First and so far only female solo record holder!! :D

Ze forum's female train driver
User avatar
Going Underground
The Twilight Zone
Posts: 8793
Joined: 11 Apr 2006, 12:24
Location: Down in a tube station at midnight.
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by Going Underground »

geofftech wrote:What Marc Gawley did was sit down and work out what connections he could run in what time, and then time it perfectly to make them
Sure that would be the way that most of approach route planning nothing unusual there and if sensible they would go out and trial and time these runs before a full network attempt. Was certainly something my teams have done months before we set out on our 1st attempt and indeed on several other re-con days since then....
Twice former full network GWR holder and former Zone 1 Olympic and World Record holder with The Raven and Soupie
Tube personality of the year 2009
Twice Winter Olympic Biathlon Gold Medalist with The Beer Baron
2008 All Lines Olympic Gold
Nigel
Zone 5
Posts: 640
Joined: 06 Jan 2008, 19:04
Location: Woodford

Re: To the trains!

Post by Nigel »

Similarly, I can't wait to get out again. The recent attempts have spurred me on - I'm currently still trying to work out what is the first possible date I could make after the Circle Line resumes in August. But, if anyone else does want any support just PM me and I'll see what I can do.
geofftech
All Zones
Posts: 1102
Joined: 03 Feb 2005, 20:35
Contact:

Re: To the trains!

Post by geofftech »

Gosh, I made a video about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvCQte1jM1Q
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests