Yorkshire (Sheffield) Half Marathon great event even with the windy ascent!!

It was now time to start my Half Marathon challenges to raise money for Dexter's school (Shepley First School) and first up was the Yorkshire Half Marathon. There were three of us from the school taking on this half marathon and I don't think any of us were quite ready for the challenge that unfolded, but each one us completed it with satisfying times and/or performances.

The day started bright and early with a stop over at Skelmanthorpe to pick up my friend Steve before picking up a couple of other parents from the School. Emma and Andy were also raising money for the School by running the Yorkshire Half Marathon with me. They had chosen the Yorkshire half over the Huddersfield and Leeds halves for different reasons but all 3 of us were still a little apprehensive about what was only an hour away. As we arrived at the edge of the city we all suddenly felt the nerves kick in and the excitement start to build. So when we finally parked up we were just itching to get up to our assembly points and soak up the atmosphere. We arranged a meet up point for afterwards, wished each other good luck and joined our different starting points, things were now getting serious. Steve joined the blue group, Emma and Andy in the green group with myself in the red group, or at least I was suppose to. Whilst I was walking down the road to find the start of the red group I noticed a pacer with a 1hr45 banner amongst the blue group so I just jumped in there. Even then I thought I was still to far back, so when I saw another friend and fellow stadium runner Steve Taylor we moved further up the group together. I was now just behind the 1hr35 pacer and it felt about right, there was still a lot of people in front of me which just showed how popular the event was. There was music blaring and as the mass warm up started it got louder and almost everyone started jumping up and down whether they wanted to or not, the atmosphere just got to them. After the warm up there was a couple of interviews at the start line, Kell Brook the world champion boxer followed by Harry Gration the legendary News reporter. There was a short delay whilst they closed off the roads and then they set us off and the Yorkshire Half Marathon was under way.

As always there was the runners false start (when runners start running too soon and the runners in front of them haven't so there is an abrupt stop followed by a woohhoo) which always makes me chuckle. We did manage to get going the second time and as the roads widened I could start to get up to pace and weave my way through all the slower runners that had wrongly positioned themselves at the start (always happens too). There was great support roadside from hundreds if not thousands of people who came to cheer and clap the runners along and it really helped and was a big difference from the rain hit Liverpool half a couple of weeks ago. There didn't seem to be a gap in the crowds for at least a couple of miles and even then it was because of road junctions etc. This was also the first year with the new course and after last years water fiasco I think a lot of people had just come to see that things went OK this year. 

After leaving the music of the start area behind you could hear the cheers from the crowd a lot more as you made your way towards what we all knew was coming. After the first mile the route then took an uphill direction, and for the next 4 miles as well, which was ok being from Yorkshire I'm use to it. However there was a strong wind on the day and it was only going to get stronger as we climbed the hill straight into it. This section was made a little easier by the fantastic people of Sheffield, everyone was waving their plastic batons, smashing them together or ringing cow bells. I was really taken aback by the music coming from shops, people's houses and the various groups on the street, there was at least two brass bands some bagpipers and a choir. They were all at different points on the climb so each of them had its own effect on me, helping me keep a positive attitude and keeping my pace up all the way to the top. At mile 4 there was a King of the Hill timed section over the next mile and it was also where the wind felt at its strongest. It was rather funny to watch all the runners strewn across the road start to tuck in behind each other to shelter from the wind hoping that they could draft off the person in front. If the race hadn't of been so large it could have quite easily been single file up that final climb. At the top was a water and jelly baby feed station and greatly appreciated too before the route took a left on to a much flatter part of the course. Mile 6 came quite quickly and so did the downhill it started steady at first past some photographers and then after a left turn the downhill got steeper and the wind was now behind me. I was able to try and gain back some of the time the uphill had stolen, I also saw a familiar face, I had managed to close up on my friend Steve and was gaining pretty quickly too. I think I should now tell you that prior to the race I had put out a post on Facebook asking for sponsors and I had a couple which was great, but then Steve said put him down for £10. I said thanks Steve that's great to which he replied and I'll double it if you beat me on the Yorkshire Half. Now he usually is faster than me by a couple of minutes so the chances of me beating him was slim, but Steve was struggling with an ankle injury so wasn't as fast as usual. So this was my only chance of actually finishing before him and as I came shoulder to shoulder with him I asked how he was doing, before sailing past him still increasing the speed. It was a good feeling even if he wasn't 100%, a less than 100% Steve is still a very fast Steve, so I kept my speed up and tried to focus to keep attention on the race and not Steve trying to keep up with me. At this point there was another timed section, this one was the final 10k section and just before it started there was another water station with more Jelly babies too great for that extra bit of energy. As I reached a little village on the way back down to the city centre the route levelled out for a bit and the crowds grew again helping me to keep pushing. I was also running with a guy who was trying to rev up the crowds by waving in a Mexican wave type of way, it worked and the crowds got louder as we came through, it was awesome, hair standing on end and things like that. It really made me feel a bit special until I turned a corner and was faced with a little uphill out of nowhere. It was only small but it took a lot out of me as I tried to keep my pace going at the same as I was on the downhill, silly I know but I'd just been pumped up by the crowds and felt full of adrenalin. Luckily it was only small and I was soon facing another downhill and flat section, before I rejoined the main road we had used to go up the first hill. The crowds were still there cheering every single person on, which was even neccessary at this point as the legs were starting to get heavy and I was finding it harder to keep my pace up. Even counting down the Km and Mile markers wasn't helping keep my mind focused, so the cheers and shouts of come on Matt meant so much. The downhill finished with about a mile and a half to go and it was now all down to grit and determination to finish strong, plus the crowds were thinning and there was even an empty part of the course as they were all gathering at the finish. I kept it together and pushed for the final mile with help from some excellent marshals cheering me on up a final hill before turning down towards to the finish and huge crowds 5/6 deep lining the final 100m sprint. I crossed the line in a time of 1hr34m10s and considering the hills and wind I was really pleased with the time, but I was more pleased with the fact that I finished just behind Kell Brook.

I hadn't realised he was running too and from behind I hadn't realised it was him at all until the media pulled him to one side to interview him. So I must have walked past him being interviewed looking rather gormless until it clicked who it was and then a look of realisation replaced the gormless look. That must have been great TV having my silly mug in the background, still I finished just behind a world class professional sportsman. More importantly I finished in front of Steve and an extra £10 for the School, I waited for Steve just after getting my goody bag, t-shirt and Medal and he was only a couple of mins behind me at the end.

His ankle was clearly hurting him as he hobbled towards me and we congratulated each other on our performances, 1hr36m with a dodgy ankle was brilliant so Steve was happy. We weren't quite sure when Emma and Andy would finish so we decided to go back to the car and get some stuff before returning to our meeting place. When we returned Emma and Andy were there waiting with Andy's wife Penny and their kids Ellie and Ethan. They looked happy as we approached, I was hoping they would be and not ready to lynch me for convincing them to take part in such a horrible race. They were very happy and pleased they had done it, Emma had completed it in a Superb 1hr48m which she was very happy with and Andy finished it in an Amazing 1hr43m which seemed to be a complete surprise to him. They did excellent especially as they were joking before the race about just finishing just under 2hrs, they did themselves proud and they've raised money the School in the process. Let's just hope they remember the good feelings when I come calling on them to run for the school next year too. We had a quick chat about how good the race and atmosphere was before we headed back to car and home to have a well deserved bath and some food.

Next up is the Huddersfield Half Marathon this weekend and another set of brave and awesome parents from the school. The Huddersfield half/full marathon is one of if not the hardest road marathon in the UK so anyone who completes this race is worthy of a massive pat on the back and great praise. So no pressure, Lisa Parry, Emma Jagger, Andy Munro, Mike Makinson, Philip Thwaite and myself, let's just hope the winds aren't as strong as they were at the Yorkshire Half.

Good luck to everyone running the Huddersfield Half or Full Marathon this weekend

Keep running everyone

Shepley First School Fun Run

Finally the day of the Fun Run arrived and after quick breakfast I was itching to get up there and set it up. Dexter was also very excited to help set up, so Dexter and I went up with signs piled up on Dexters lap. We were up at the Windmill nursery and Coffee shop at 8.30 and to no surprise the gates were shut. It wasn't necessary that the gates were open so we headed off on the route with my running app going. This was to let us know what distance we were at, so we could place the distance markers in the right place. In certain places I had signs to warn drivers and other traffic that there was a fun run taking place. When we arrived at the 4km mark I had some arrows to show runners the way as this was the first big turning on the route. This was also the place where Dean our first Marshal will be for added safety and help. Then a bit further along the route was a smaller and easier turning to miss, so this is where Katherine was our second Marshal. From this point on it was just signs to show the route as it was fairly obvious which way we would have to go. At 7km we had a water station which being managed by my mum, this was also the turning point for the 5k runners who were running the opposite way round to the 10k runners. Dexter and I arrived back at the coffee shop just after 9am so I decide to take him home and get changed before coming back up to finish off setting things up. As we pulled in at home my Dad and Janice had arrived to help and not long later my sister Jodie and her son Liam turned up. So I left them all catching up and set off back up to the start to carry on with setting up. I reached the start at 9.50 and people were already turning up so I had to quickly park up and get sign up sheets out followed by their numbers. As my Marshals and family turned up things got sorted a lot quicker, so I could start getting ready for the run myself. I sent Dean and Katherine off to there spots and my mum to her water station and as everyone turned up it was clear that it was going to be a good morning.

There were a few runners that couldn't be there for various reasons like injuries/illness and other commitments, but the silliest reason had to be my failure to ring Luke at 9.00am to wake him up. He had been out on the lash with other friends the night before (his fault) but I had known about this and agreed to ring him to make sure he got up in time. I had only remembered this promise at 10.20am ten minutes before the start of the run. The atmosphere was building at this point and with everyone doing their warm ups and getting good luck hugs from family it was clearly time to get everyone to the start.

 The time came to start the run so we all went out onto the road where the start line was and we gathered facing the correct direction for the distances we were running. We had also a couple of late changes which meant we had 3 people doing the 10k on bikes. After a last bit of route info from me, Sarah-Jane gave the 5 second countdown 5.4.3.2.1 and we were off.

We set off down the hill towards the first corner and the first killer of a hill up to the viewing point. At the top we turned left onto the 2.5km steady downhill, this meant my split times were great in the mid 4mins. From 3km to 5km is a steady uphill which drained the stamina of most of the runners and possibly even a couple of the bikers. 5-7km is a nice stretch of little ups and downs to keep you on your toes, but it was here when my knee started to feel a little sore. My times were still not too bad in the mid 5mins but I ruined that by stopping at the water station to talk to my mum. I told her off a little which was a bit of a role reversal, as she was in the wrong place. She was, as well as a water station the turn around point for the 5km runners, and as she was in the wrong place the 5km run turned into a 6km run. There was only 2, 5km runners in the end and as I found out later they didn't mind too much. I got going again and the little rest actually helped my sore knee and I felt good and was ready to tackle the final hill. It's not a very big hill but its about 1km long and then when you finally reach the top and turn a slight corner you can see how long you've got left to go. There is about 1.5km till the finish and its lined by 100ft tall windmills and its mainly downhill until the finish. It's a great finish straight or at least I think so, even if after 9km I landed funny on my left and my knee gave in. I managed to run another 100m before I had to walk, then as I got closer to the finish I could hear people cheering runners across the line. This gave me a boost and I pushed through the initial pain and was running again. As I got to the finish everyone cheered me across the line which was a great feeling and a very nice finish to a great run bad knee and all. As you crossed the line there was Dexter Liam, Clark and Phoebe handing out the bottles of water wrapped in a T-Shirt and medal for taking part.

 

 The Kids loved being involved and some of the other kids were running the last 10m-20m in with the runners. I was about 15th of the 31 people doing the 10k or at least I think I was, we should have taken note of who came where just for personal reference, as its a fun run not a race. A few of us kept our own times because we like to know what we've done but it would be another thing we could do for next time for everyone.

A few people had other things to do and got off soon after finishing the run which is understandable the rest of us stayed to welcome everyone across the finish line. The last of which was Rachael Briody but she new she would be as her training hadn't gone to plan and was almost considering doing the 5km. She got a big cheer as she crossed the line and was clearly pleased with herself and so she should be. Now all the runners had finished we had a photo to commemorate the day as some people had left they missed out on the photo.

 I gave Dean and Katherine a T-Shirt and medal for helping out before they left and I also thanked the Windmill Nursery and coffee shop for letting us use their car park and facilities. Everyone was happy with the Fun Run and I got lots of thanks for a well organising event, which was nice and finished off a great day. We were all done and on our way home by 11.50am, but 1 thing occurred to me as I was packing up. Where were the St John Ambulance first aiders we had organised, I asked Sarah-Jane if she had seen anyone but nothing. It was a good job no one was in need of first aid and I hope I don't have to pay for them still. The day went well no one was hurt and everyone had a great time so it was a success and will hopefully be the first of many. The attention now goes to the sponsor money and how much we've raised for the school. Early indication is that this is going to raise a lot of money and it will surprise some people how much.

A big thanks has to go to Shepley Spring for supplying the water and the T-Shirts as they made the Fun Run a little more special

I will update this post with more photos if/when people send me some of theirs that they took on the day, but until then keep running everyone.

Yorkshire Warrior and Great North Run

Yesterday was a really good day for my fitness regime and targets for the year. I arrived home from picking Dexter up from school and checked my phone as I had received email on the way home. I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised, I wasn't expecting any news on this until today. I got a email from Bupa congratulating me on entry into the great north run on 15th Sept 2013. I was really happy and instantly put a photo on Facebook to share with friends and family. It was only then that it occurred to me I was gonna have to get there and early so might have to sort out a hotel for the night before travel to the race in the morning and probably a whole lot if stuff I don't even realise yet. I'm still excited thou and that carried on through to my run last night.

I was due to run with Rob but he was stuck at work, so I was in my own. I was running with an extra spring in my step because of the news of the great north run and probably because I had remembered to eat something too. When I normally run I find that around 8km I hit a wall and have to dig in for a bit. This time however my App told me I had completed 9km and it was only then that I realised I hadn't hit my usual wall. This also gave me a boost and I started running with an added vigour, and before I new it I was at 12km still feeling great. With my Endomondo App friends of mine can send me messages or pep talks as I'm running which is a really cool feature. As I completed lap 5 and 14km I got a message from Sarah-Jane asking if I was coming home. As I had past my previous best of 14km I was feeling ace and still wasn't feeling the run too much, so I took her message as a joke. I soon realised that I had been running a while and that she was probably being serious. So I decided that even if I was on a brilliant run I was gonna complete 1 more lap and 16km then go home. I wanted to complete 16km or 10 miles as this was the distance of the Yorkshire Warrior run that were signed up for in April. I managed it in a respectable 1hr30 and was in slight pain but nothing unusual after a long run. I kept thinking to myself that I could quite easily do another 5km to make it a half marathon. Not this time but I think I could do it if I had the time another day. I was glad I had done a Yorkshire Warrior distance now with plenty of time to the run as I now have time to prepare for the obstacles that I will have to do as well as the distance. All I have to do now is help Rob to that distance and we'll probably have to drag Luke to that distance. Luke is gonna have to pull his finger out and start running again soon or he won't make the 10k Shepley First School fun run.






































I gained another confirmed runner yesterday too and I'm getting close to the magical 30 mark. I say that but I would have been happy if only 10 ran, its going to be brilliant whatever happens.

Keep Running everyone

Practise run of the 10k route

I had been trying to get this practise run done for about a month now, but things kept getting in the way or taking priority. I had put it on Facebook that I was thinking about doing it this weekend but no one seemed interested in running it with me. This was until I sent a group email out to all the runners of the Shepley First School Fun Run. I sent them all the new route map as we have changed the Start/Finish line location. Then I got a reply from Andrew Jagger asking if I was running the route soon. Now I would have told him that I was planning on running it this Sunday, but as things always seem to come up and I didn't know him too well I didn't want to agree to run with him only to let him down if things changed. As things turned out, I did manage to run the 10k route this past Sunday. Since we had to say goodbye to Sarah-Janes horse FeeBee, Dexter and Clarks ponies have been up at stables so we all jumped in the van and head up to stables around 10am. As the 10k route is nearby I jumped out to run it and Sarah-Jane took the boys to see the ponies at stables.

I didn't start the route from the new Start/Finish line but from the turning point of the new 5k route. I did this as it was the easiest and closest point to stables and so I could check the distance of the 5k route whilst running the 10k route. The idea of the practise run was to make sure the distances were about right and that the places I had in mind for the Marshals were ok and had space for the Marshals to park a car too. So they have somewhere to wait and so the can get off as soon as they last runner has passed them safely, without having to walk back to the start/finish line.

The weather was a bit drizzly and windy but not too cold, it's the kind of weather we might get on the day of the fun run in a worse case scenario (praying that it doesn't snow). This gave me an opportunity to wear my new running coat that Sarah-Jane bought me for Christmas. I set off on the run heading towards the Windmill Nursery cafe (Start/Finish line) and as usual when I run on my own set off too quick and had done 2km in just over 9 mins. Way too quick for my usual pace and this early in the run. I passed the windmills and their buzzing noise they give off is slightly off putting but it is a spectacular sight. As I reached the Windmill Nursery Cafe I stopped to check on my Endomondo App that the distance of the 5k route was ok. It was 2.7km from where I had started and from where I think the turn around point was gonna be. 2.7km wasn't too bad at all, I could put the turn around a bit closer so it is exactly 5km but at 2.7km is a very good place for a water station. I also took a couple of photos whilst I was stopped, they aren't the best photos because of the drizzly weather but you can just make out the windmills. I stood around too long messing about with my App and photos which lead to my calf cramping up and I had to stretch it out before I could carry on. Once I got running again I came to the bottom of the hill and was faced with the steep hill back up to the viewing point at the southern end of the run. It's quite daunting as you reach the bottom of the hill as you can see the road back up, it seems to get bigger and steeper as you get there. Once your on it if you keep your head down and just push on you don't notice it too much and before you know it your at the top. From this point I was thinking I would be a steady downhill and by the time I came to the next uphill I could take it at a nice steady pace. As always I'm so wrong or miss judge other factors. For instance the wind, I was running head first into the wind which made it hard on the flats. This zapped my energy and when it came to the uphill up to windmill lane, my legs felt twice as heavy. It was at that point that I thought we should have a second water station at the bottom of the hill. By the time I had reached the junction to windmill lane I was really struggling with my pace, and I still had 2.5km to go. As I hit 8km I was again on a steady downhill on the final part of the run, this part winds down a road that is very quite and has about 4 homes on it which must be about 3/4 million each. My envy was blown away and as was I nearly by the big gusts of wind that were trying to cram themselves down my throat. It wasn't until I reached the end of Birds nest rd that the winds let up. I rounded the corner and hit 9km still on a bad pace of 6+ mins, but at this point I didn't care I just wanted to finish the run. I trundled on and completed the run which overall was good but harder than I remember from last year when I ran it with FeeBee (and Sarah-Jane). From there I ran down the road to stables to meet back up with Sarah-Jane and the boys, but I almost didn't make it as I had to climb over the gate to stables and almost didn't have the energy. I manage it and completed 10.79k in 1hr a bit slow but worth it.

I know why I was so tired and my legs were heavy, this is because and I know it obvious but I had no breakfast. I'm so used to not having breakfast that when I need to have breakfast I tend to forget and only remember when it's too late. I'll have to get back in to the routine of having breakfast if I'm gonna do more morning runs especially for the Fun Run. Overall thou the run was good and a challenge, we don't want it to be easy now do we. I checked out everything I wanted to and everything seem good. The water stations will be in good places, the Marshal will be situated alright with enough space for parking etc. The surrounding views and windmills are all spectacular and as the Fun Run will be as spring will be kicking in, it should make it more picturesque.

We now have 27 confirmed runners with a few still to hand in their forms. It's looking good for my first attempt at an organised run, and should be a great day what ever happens.

I paused for a while whilst writing this so I could go out for another run with Rob even if it was raining a little. It just shows how far I've come in my running and fitness, 2 runs in 2 days is a new experience for me and its amazing that my body and I were fine with it. What my body wasn't ready for was the rain to change to snow and then back to rain and then to hail and really strong gusts of really cold wind. This was all topped by the thunder and lighting crashing and bashing around us and at 1 point was directly above us. We were both surprised at how well we were doing considering we had both been busy this weekend, I had done obviously done the run yesterday and today whilst Rob had done his first bike ride of the year, 35 miles over the hills and back. As well as crashing his bike won't tell you how its a bit embarrassing, you'll have to ask him yourself.

We did a lap of Shelley park and a lap of Shepley so we did 7.64km by the end of the run and if the weather wasn't so bad we probably would have done another lap and completed a 10km run. We were both pleased with what we had done so we finished on a high, which is always good.

Keep running everyone

After a bad run I had to comeback stronger

On Friday I had a BAD run if there is such a thing when you don't get injured. I set off from stables and was running home and it was getting dark very quickly. I was feeling good and was on a steady pace around the 5 minute mark and I managed to get to roads lit by streetlights before it got too dark. I hit the 5k mark in just under 25 mins which is a good time but that doesn't explain what happen next. I ran past the farmers boy and I knew I had a km to go before i was home but I also thought I could go a bit further and do 8km instead of the 6.5km to home. I was planning which route to take to add on the extra distance, when my legs just gave out. I don't mean they buckled they just had nothing left in the tank and I struggled to get them home. I was only a couple of hundred metres from home and then I got pins and needles in my feet which was weird. I'm being a bit over dramatic as I still could dig deep and run the last 50m up hill to home, but when I stopped they felt like jelly and after only 6.5km it was slightly disheartening.

But that was Friday and yesterday I ran again and I came back stronger and more determined than ever. It was our usual Monday run but Rob was unavailable and Luke bailed at the last minute so I had to do it alone. Whenever I run on my own I always set off to quickly and that hinders me later on in the run, so I tried to keep it slow this time at the beginning.
FAIL or maybe that low 5mins or later 4mins is just my pace and I have to work with it to improve my cardio. So after a couple of laps around that pace I was in a rhythm and halfway round the third I was still ok, the second half was a different story. My legs started to feel heavy and my right knee was getting really warm, bizarrely because I was thinking about my legs my breathing settled down and I caught my breath. This set me up for another lap, with 3 down (7.5km) all I had to do was push through the wall and make my legs do the last lap. The ninth km was my slowest but it was all about getting my legs up the last climb to the farmers boy. From there they started to feel less tired but sore instead but my knee was feeling ok now which I was more happy about as a knee injury would be awful. I still pushed forward as I knew I was about 1.5km from home now and I knew I had to keep going I had to push that little bit more and that if I did I would feel so much better for it too. I passed 10km and had a little over 100 metres to go, passing 10km really cheered me up and do much that I went for it on the last 100 and sprinted and up hill as well. Hitting the top of the hill I stopped my Endomondo app and just smiled, I was so pleased I had pushed through the mild pain and even finished with a sprint.

Now that I've push my self back upto 10k I feel more positive and can take that into the meeting this Wednesday at Dexters school. This is the meeting that will decide weather or not we will be fund raising for his school on our next run to Cannon Hall Farm. They have concerns about how much organising it will take to do, but me and Rob don't think it will take much. So come Thursday we will either be running it and fund raising or just running it on our own. Either way we are running it so I hope tomorrow goes well.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter too just click here

Thank you and keep running everyone

Final preparations for the 10k, 10 days and counting

With time running short and the number of training runs dropping Rob and I agreed that we would have to push hard over the next week. We met up yesterday at 5.30pm and for a change we could run in daylight or at least for a bit, so we decide to run round the station where we normally can't see as there are no street lights. From there we planned to run our Monday route backwards and then when we reached the farmers boy we would run up Marsh lane instead and turn onto Row Gate and then onto Holmfirth Rd. As we reach the top neither of us could talk for about 20 seconds as we were trying to get our breath back, it's a very deceptively steep climb Row Gate and as I've only run down it I/we weren't ready for it. We carried on towards The Sovereign and when I got my breath back I started to tell Rob about a 10k obstacle run I found. It was in Manchester around the Etihad stadium and 1 of the obstacles was running up the Spiral walkways at the Etihad. The only shame was, it was only a couple of weeks off an that meant no time to prepare or sign up etc. these types of runs seem to be springing up out of nowhere or is it just we didn't look for them before. It like when you get a car that you think isn't common but you end up seeing 5 on your way home from the dealers after buying it.
Anyway I was discussing this with Rob as we were on our decent back into Shepley which was a nice rest for the lungs but our knees were getting a pounding from the downhill. We turn left past Cliffe House and at the end of the road came out not far from the Farmers Boy. As we were there we went back down our Monday route heading back home as we had already done 5km and felt that by the time we were home we would've done a significant distance. As we ran down station road we still had quite a lot of daylight so we carried on running past the station and down towards Shelley. At the bottom we rounded the bend and headed back up to Robs house knowing that by the time we got there we would've run 8km or 5 miles which ever sounds best. I left Rob at his house having done 8km in 44.40mins which isn't a bad pace at all. I carried on running and at the railway bridge decided that I was gonna carry on and do 10km, so I turned onto the Knowle and ran round until Knowle park ave, I ran up and round the back streets and then up to Dexters School hitting 9km on the way. As I reached Dexters school I turned right and headed back to the main road, and then onto Lea drive. I was almost back to Knowle park ave and was still 400 metres short so went round the block again this time as I reached the Knowle again I completed the 10km in 56.38mins. I was happy with that and not too tired, I seem to be able to go from 5 miles to 10km without too much trouble which is very positive. With 10 days to go this is about right too, another big run on Monday and we'll be ready. Rob knows that we're gonna have to do at least 10km on Monday and he only stopped at 8km yesterday as we were by his house and he hadn't run for over a week. Plus he had been pigging out all weekend too, over indulged in take aways he said.

 

 

We have a big friends reunion on Saturday all the boys we grew up with are getting together as over the past 10 or more years we fragmented a bit and don't see each other as much. Not gonna binge too much but should be a good night anyway.

Back running Monday for a big last push before the run to Cannon Hall Farm. The weather looks a bit hit or miss for it but let's hope for the family that's meeting us there it will be dry at least. I hope it all goes well as I want to do it again in the Spring and raise some money for Dexters school. I'm hoping that we can get a few more people running with us and because the distance isn't the easiest for everyone that we could have others on bikes, that way we might get more support and raise a bit more money too.

Thanks for reading my Blog and keep running everyone.

5 mile run and an addition to the Group and a new Challenge

Monday again so Facebook was full of people moaning its Monday, but I was excited because it was Run day. Rob was running and we had the addition of Luke too finally, he had been saying for a couple of weeks now that he would join us. He finally did but almost didn't because he forgot and organised to go to the Gym with a friend. Rob was running a little late so we decide to meet up a 7 that meant we all could run.

It is nice to run on your own and listen to your own music, but running with friends is so much better. You can have a catch up chat, or pace yourself again each other and it just makes the run go a lot smoother and more enjoyable.

We met at my house and headed off up the road into Shepley and then up to the farmers boy to do our usual route when it's dark. Rob and I chose this route because its a good distance and has so good ups and downs as well as being lit by streetlights all the way round.

After my last run and the rubbish GPS problems with my Endomondo app I decided to give the Nike app a try. I attached the sensor to my shoe before we met up, and set up the App on my iPhone. The only difference on set up between the Apps is you can't change the distances from Miles to Km on the Nike App like you can on the Endomondo App. So today for the first time in a while we were running in miles and not Km.

Lap 1 went fairly smoothly we didn't have any issues and Luke Knee was hold out. This was the First Road run for Luke in 15 months since snapping ligaments in his knee. So even thou its healed and the Doctors said its as good as new we all were a bit cautions to start with, by lap 2 we were just focused on the distance we were running. Half way round the 2nd lap we had done 2.5 miles and it was then that we all kind said that if we finished the 3rd lap we should have done 5 miles. Last week Rob and I only did 2 laps so this was gonna be new territory for use. I had already done 5 miles a month or so back but this was gonna be Robs personal best and Luke was happy that his first run in 15 months would be 5 miles long. When we were halfway round lap 3 Rob and Luke were starting to discuss tight muscles and where they were starting to feel it a bit, so I knew that this would be the last lap. As we reached my house at the end of lap 3 we were .2 of a mile short of 5 so we went round the Knowle until we hit 5 and then walk back to my house. We did 5 miles in 46 mins which is not a bad pace for us, I do think we could do it fast but that isn't the aim, the goal is to increase our distances first. When we arrived back to my house we stopped in the drive to have a little breather and reflect on our run. We all felt good after the run for different reasons, Rob for his PB, Luke because he survived and I felt like I could have gone another lap or 2. The little rest also gave me a chance to evaluate the Nike App, I had paused the workout when we reached 5 miles so I could now stop it. When I did it asked me to rate my run on how I felt and then gave me a chance to name the shoes I ran in. The run went well so I put that I felt great and the naming of the shoes was the easier bit. They are my NEW SHOES of course and they always will be, even if I end up getting a new pair they will always be NEW SHOES. Read my early blogs to see why, if you don't get it. The GPS on the Nike App worked well but so did the Endomondo App on the same run last week. It's a bit early to say which I prefer but I'll keep testing. The Endomondo App does have an advantage of having lots of sports to track rather than the Nike App which is specifically for running.

During the run we were talking about the 10km run that Rob and I are doing to cannon hall, we ask Luke if he wanted to join us too. Luke was up for it and that meant there would now be 4 of us running it, Luke, Rob, Matty and Me. Luke has also ask me if I wanted to do the great north run next year for a charity his mum is involved in, and as I was planning on doing it anyway it was an easy decision. So the Running calendar now looks like this, a 10km tester run this November 4th, then if that goes well another 10km around March 28th. It's then full on training for the Yorkshire warrior on April 20th, then it's the Great North Run in September. I said that in 2014 I'll do a Marathon either London or New York and my little sis Jessie said New York. We will have to wait and see.

Personal best with only 3 days till Charity 5k Run

Rob and I couldn't manage to do 1 last run together, we were planning on meeting up on Thursday evening. I was unable to do this now as Sarah had a parents evening at school and wouldn't be home till gone 8.30 and it would be too dark by then. So I ran yesterday which of course Rob couldn't, he was off to watch the mighty Huddersfield Town destroy Sheffield Wednesday by 3 goals to 1. Well done Town, local derby you did us proud keep it up now through out the season.

So I went up to stables with Sarah and the boys and we sorted Feebee out, then Dexter decided he was running with back with me. I told him he could run to the end of the access road again and meet mummy there. He always acts like I'm giving him a raw deal, but when we reach the end of the access road he's knackered and can't wait to get in the car. I almost joined him this time as my hip was a bit sore, but I knew this was my last chance of a run before Sunday. Plus I knew that as soon as I was up and running my hip would be alright and the adrenaline helps too.

I didn't start my App till I had dropped Dexter off as I wanted to do a fair assessment of how I was doing. As I reached 1km Endomondo told me I had done that in 4.55 and most of that was up hill. It was then that I decided that I was gonna try and keep all my km under 5min and as my hip pain had gone I was up for the challenge. At the next 2 km markers I was still within 5mins I had now come to the top of Marsh lane and was feeling ok. I knew that this was all done hill now so i changed the route to go along Jenkins lane the opposite way to Rob and I the other night because this was much more of a flat. As I turned onto Jenkins lane the 4km marker told me I was still under 5mins I was also on pace to beat my 5km PB but could for the life of me remember what that was, I just knew I was close. As I was running along Jos lane I could feel myself slowing it was hard work and I think I was still tired from the last run. I dropped down onto Jos way reached my 5km mark, I had done the last km in 4.54, yes I had done it. I was really pleased and punched the air again not caring if people see me and think I'm weird. I completed 5km in 24.05mins which I knew was a PB but had no idea by how much but I'd check that when I got home. I carried on home and reach it in 27.04mins completing 5.58km I was thrilled to bits. It had been a hard run and was quite happy to stand out side in the cold for a few minutes until I had cooled down and had a rest. I was looking through the history on my Endomondo app to figure out how much I had taken off my PB and was pleased to find out that I had shaved almost a full minute off it, 0.59mins better.

It's now the morning after and I am quite glad I have 3 days rest till the run as I'm very sore and stiff. My hip feels like its asleep constantly my back is a bit stiff and my shoulders are sore, not sure why could have been the air punching I did but I don't care cos I feel great overall. I just have to sit back and relax now till Sunday and the Run, knowing that can do 5km in under 25mins. I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy my running this much a few months back. I will post again after the Run so wish me well and thanks for reading and for sponsoring me if you have cheers.