Zone 1 Challenge: Test Run Results
Posted: 23 Feb 2005, 16:28
I tested my Zone 1 Challenge route today, alone. I found it was not as lonely as it could have been!
The route was a theoretical 2hrs 57mins.
The current "record", held by (EDIT) STEVE Paull (sorry Steve), stands at 2hrs 55mins 50sec.
My route took....
Drumroll please.........
Three hours, no minutes, and forty-one seconds.
That's 3:00:41. How close is that?!
Answer: Close, but not close enough. Close enough o put me in 4th place last year, had I run last year.
I was impressed (may I say so) with my route planning, in that I was never mor than 5 or 6 minutes ahead of or behind schedule. I'm going to draw a graph.
Jumping out of a train at Paddington, I slipped on the floor at the bottom of a staircase and nearly fell over - but I stayed up. I did, however, drop my pen. Someone shouted, "You've dropped your pen!" but I didn't quite hear them, and it didn't matter since I had a spare one. The ensuing run along the station concourse was one of my favourite parts of the journey.
I was delayed at Aldgate. The Metropolitan line was completely broken and not going anywhere, so I had to wait a good while for a Circle line train. Thanks Aldgate..... Thaldgate.
I was delayed at Bayswater. Nobody told me the southbound platform was closed!!!! More careful observation of "changes to your journey" is required, methinks. I had to doubleback at Paddington.
Other than that, changes were relatively good. I decided not to wait for a lift at one station, and was half-knackered reaching the top of the steps out of the station.
I had to wait for a lift at another station, which added about 3 minutes.
I foolishly used a lift at another station, when I could have used the stairs.
My Aldgate-Aldgate East run was not good. I used the underpass at the roundabout when I could have avoided that.
And to rub the nail on the head, so to speak, the announcer kindly announced that the next station was my finishing station RIGHT ON THE 3-HOUR MARK, to the second.
However, I was 5 to 6 minutes ahead of schedule during the first 40 minutes of the journey thanks to some reasonable changes (thanks, changes.... thanges). Therefore, I am confident that with another try, I can beat the current record.
I wore a dust mask which had only 2 days use, and after the challenge it had got noticeably more grey. I look forward to starting a brand new one on May 20th. In addition, I wore a white lab coat, making me look a bit like a ghost, I suppose.
My cheap trainers are holding up very well. Thanks, Decathlon.
Thecathlon.
I'll pencil in next Weds for a re-run, with amendments.
Could anyone enlighten me what proof Tubeguru wants, in order to have a "new record" time for the Zone 1 challenge put on the Tubechallenge site?
I wrote down some of the numbers on the fronts of the trains, but in some cases I had to write the carriage number (96840 or whatever). I also wrote the time at which each station was arrived at and departed from. I didn't get any pictures with datestamp - I'm not sure how to do that on my camera. I could figure it out for next time.
The route was a theoretical 2hrs 57mins.
The current "record", held by (EDIT) STEVE Paull (sorry Steve), stands at 2hrs 55mins 50sec.
My route took....
Drumroll please.........
Three hours, no minutes, and forty-one seconds.
That's 3:00:41. How close is that?!
Answer: Close, but not close enough. Close enough o put me in 4th place last year, had I run last year.
I was impressed (may I say so) with my route planning, in that I was never mor than 5 or 6 minutes ahead of or behind schedule. I'm going to draw a graph.
Jumping out of a train at Paddington, I slipped on the floor at the bottom of a staircase and nearly fell over - but I stayed up. I did, however, drop my pen. Someone shouted, "You've dropped your pen!" but I didn't quite hear them, and it didn't matter since I had a spare one. The ensuing run along the station concourse was one of my favourite parts of the journey.
I was delayed at Aldgate. The Metropolitan line was completely broken and not going anywhere, so I had to wait a good while for a Circle line train. Thanks Aldgate..... Thaldgate.
I was delayed at Bayswater. Nobody told me the southbound platform was closed!!!! More careful observation of "changes to your journey" is required, methinks. I had to doubleback at Paddington.
Other than that, changes were relatively good. I decided not to wait for a lift at one station, and was half-knackered reaching the top of the steps out of the station.
I had to wait for a lift at another station, which added about 3 minutes.
I foolishly used a lift at another station, when I could have used the stairs.
My Aldgate-Aldgate East run was not good. I used the underpass at the roundabout when I could have avoided that.
And to rub the nail on the head, so to speak, the announcer kindly announced that the next station was my finishing station RIGHT ON THE 3-HOUR MARK, to the second.
However, I was 5 to 6 minutes ahead of schedule during the first 40 minutes of the journey thanks to some reasonable changes (thanks, changes.... thanges). Therefore, I am confident that with another try, I can beat the current record.
I wore a dust mask which had only 2 days use, and after the challenge it had got noticeably more grey. I look forward to starting a brand new one on May 20th. In addition, I wore a white lab coat, making me look a bit like a ghost, I suppose.
My cheap trainers are holding up very well. Thanks, Decathlon.
Thecathlon.
I'll pencil in next Weds for a re-run, with amendments.
Could anyone enlighten me what proof Tubeguru wants, in order to have a "new record" time for the Zone 1 challenge put on the Tubechallenge site?
I wrote down some of the numbers on the fronts of the trains, but in some cases I had to write the carriage number (96840 or whatever). I also wrote the time at which each station was arrived at and departed from. I didn't get any pictures with datestamp - I'm not sure how to do that on my camera. I could figure it out for next time.
