Shepley 10k 2015 - New course record and lots of amazing times

The Shepley 10k returned again a couple of Sunday's ago, (Sept 13th) for its 3rd year and again we had an amazing day and turnout.

This year we were again graciously hosted by the Cricket Club and they were once again having their family fun day with stalls and games to play, along with a BBQ and some music. The local Beaver scout group also had some activities going on as well as crafts and glitter tattoos, the kids really enjoy it. The cricket club hosted the kids fun run again this year and were amazed by the turnout, so much so that they introduced age categories..

On the morning of the race I was up early to send the boys and SJ off to Huddersfield junior parkrun whilst I went to set up the course with Km markers, arrows and other signage. The weather was glorious and a complete change from the day before where it decided to rain pretty much all day, there was now barely a cloud in the sky and no hint of wind which is unusual for Shepley. I finished off the course and ended up back at the Cricket Club to make sure things at the start were in order. I organised the back of my car so I could use it as a registration base made sure I had all the goody bags, t-shirts and water. I had everything but a course map and as people started to arrive it was clear I really needed one, luckily SJ had arrived which gave me the opportunity to pop home and print one off and as I returned things were starting to build up nicely. My volunteers were arriving and quite a few on the day entrants had also turned up easing my nerves about breaking even on the costs.

As the start time was approaching I was getting more excited, more excited than last year and most other events I'd been to. I wonder if this will happen every year, whether it will get more exciting each year or not, I hope so. Next year there is the possibility of the Shepley 10k being on the Stadium runners championship calendar which would mean more runners, more excitement and more money for the Cricket Club. I don't want to think too far ahead but the Shepley 10k could be a really good event and I can't wait to see how it develops.

We all gathered at the start line and I gave a brief safety announcement and then left the countdown to SJ, 3,2,1 and we were off, I still didn't know at what pace I was going to run, fast, slow to watch people go by or with Jessie. Like last year it wasn't until I hit the road outside the club that I made up my mind, and as last year and pretty much most races I went for it, I enjoy going fast just too much. I headed down Marsh lane towards the co-op and made a left on to station road and then again on to Jos lane where I made up a few places on the long flat section of the course. The race director in me was still worrying whether the people in front of me were going the right way but as I went past marshals they reassured my fears as they all seemed happy that every was going the right way. This meant that I could just enjoy the race, the hills and the picturesque scenery on this glorious day.

The hills as big as they are flew by and I was soon up at Snowgate and heading out towards the main road and the final small climb before the long fast finish down Marsh Ln back to the Cricket Club and the finish. I crossed the line in 6th place knocking 8 seconds of my PB which is awesome considering some of the times that people managed on the day. There was some amazing times across the board and even our last place finisher did the route in a brilliant time considering the hills and his return from a slight injury. 1st place was taken in a new record time of 36m10s knocking 4 minutes of last years record, he ran round the course that fast that our announcer missed him crossing the line. Well done Tom and I hope you return next year to defend your title....

 Whilst the race was happening the cricket club was organizing the fun run for the kids and they did a great job, the numbers were great too. They had about 40 juniors on the day, so many that they separated them into age categories which made it a lot more fun for the smaller ones as it gave them a chance to win a medal. There was 3 different age groups and it worked really well and the kids all got a sweetie goody bag at the end, I think sweets at the end would've been enough for all of them anyway, so the medals for the top 3 was a nice bonus.

The family fun day was great again with BBQ, bouncy castle, stalls and music. With the sun shining everyone had a amazing time and the kids were running between stalls and activities making sure they got as many goes as possible. It was a great event for the Cricket Club but it could be better and hopefully next year with the race growing in popularity and it being added to the Stadium Runners club calendar it will bring extra people to the club. In all honesty the race could have been better too, as I think both Cricket Club and myself could have advertised the day a lot better and should have spread the word a lot more too. So considering we hadn't done the best we could the outcome we got was truly awesome and so encouraging. 

I might have some other news about the Shepley 10k and my new race The Windmill 6 coming soon so keep reading and keep running everyone.

First time Run Director and Huddersfield Half marathon what a weekend

After 9 months of parkrunning and trying to sprint to my 50th (not far off I'm on 41) I paused for a bit so I could make my debut as Huddersfield parkruns run director for the morning. I arrived a little nervous at 8am and was pleased to know I wasn't first to arrive but at the same time I didn't really know what I was doing or what I was supposed to do at this point. As more of the regular core team turned up the more my nerves eased and we were soon up and running and we were set up and awaiting the rest of our volunteers. As more and more people turned up I think I looked more and more lost which at least helped people to spot me. It didn't take long for all the volunteers and spots to be filled and it was then over to Louise for the first timers brief. Once this was done it was my turn to do the run brief at the start line.  Last Simon and Mark started doing the run brief from the top of the skate park so more people can hear them, so I did the same. It does put you on a kind of stage and everyone can see you, which for me was a little nerve wracking but I managed to give the run brief without too much trouble. Then they were off and for the first time I actually watched a start it was very weird not starting with them but fascinating at the same time.  As they came round after the first little lap, the runners were pretty much all still together so it was hard to pick out individuals and it was easier to give group cheers. These are all things you don't quite understand when it's the other way round, things seem a lot slower but this side the event flies by in a blink. It wasn't long before I had clapped every single runner across the line and it was on to result processing and the final bit of practise and learning for me before the test event for our Junior parkrun on the 11th. Next week it's Louise's turn at RD, Louise is a fellow Huddersfield Juniors parkrun run director like SJ and myself as well as our event director Simon Edwards, we are all very excited for our event starting soon. We all know what we are doing but until we get a couple of events done we won't be able to understand exactly what will be needed every week.

Well that was Saturday (parkrunday) of my awesome weekend and Sunday was more of an unknown than my first attempt at being a run director.

Sunday was the day of the Huddersfield Marathon and the first marathon in Huddersfield for more than 20 years. It was a 2 lap course which gave me the chance to take the half marathon option, and not only because I didn't fancy the full 26.2 but because the route looked very scary when I signed up. 

There was quite a few familiar faces also doing the half option and as we lined up at the start there was an excitement in the air mixed with a feeling of what have we done. We all knew this route was hilly but until we hit them we didn't quite understand what it would take out of our legs. After a run brief from Matthew Kelly (not the famous one!!!) we were set off and immediately we all ran the wrong way as the company who was closing the road wasn't ready and after 50 metres we all had to turn round, which to many of us was funny but the more serious runners were a little annoyed. It didn't take long for us to get back on track and getting into our running paces, and soon we were on our first down hill. After 1.5km we were heading down towards our first challenge but the views that we had were breath taking, and then at 2.5km we hit the bottom and from here for the next 2.5km there was only one way we were going. Uphill. This was a steady uphill too and it certainly warmed the legs up for the rest of the route, at the top of the hill there was a welcomed sight of some water from one the feed stations they had on course. After a brief flat section we were again on our way downhill and this was a fairly steep downhill making it hard to go too fast so your quads got a serious workout slowing you down. 

By the time you get used to the downhill you realise that at the bottom of the hill was the big one, the beast, the hill that was going to break the best of runners. I had already agreed with myself that I was going to give it a go but I wasn't going to push it as I had no idea what was ahead and still to come. 

Route maps are good but they don't give you a true perspective on the elevations, so I was always going to walk a bit of this section as I have driven this road before and knew of its gradient. I managed about 300 metres before I first walked the hill but after a quick walk I ran a bit more, it didn't last long and I was walking yet again but I could see the top of the hill and was soon there, greeted by a sign saying nearly there!

So yes there was more up hills to do but not so steep this time, and at 9km we finally reached the top and another water station and a familiar face cheering us on, which was nice. 

From this point on it was fairly flat in comparison until a short but steep hill down to a path which ran along side the M62 motorway. 

The noise from the motorway was increadable and as we were running about 6ft below it we couldn't see it but could hear everything which was slightly unnerving but you felt very naughty like you shouldn't be there and you were trespassing or something. 

After nearly a Km we run underneath the M62 and start to climb again upto Pole Moor and about half way up I was walking again but not for long at least. There was a small crowd of people at the top cheering people as they get there, and that help me not to stop again, this was also the last hill for a while. This gave my legs time to recover and after about 500 metres I could start to up my pace again. 

As we crossed the tops of the hills to drop down into Golcar I ran past Simon Edwards who gave me a great cheer and a high five which was an added boost to my run with only 4 miles to go. It wasn't long before we were heading downhill for the last time but a long quad burning downhill, but to help there was lots of friendly people cheering us on and even the odd head out of a house window cheer. As you reach the bottom again you're greeted by another uphill, a short but fairly steep hill with a sharp corner at the top all done very slowly as my legs are still in shock from the long downhill. The next Km is a gradual up hill followed by the start of a final steep hill back up towards the main road and the final 300 metres to the finish line. 

It is at this point you give respect to the runners who are doing the marathon and have to do another lap of the beautiful but devilish hills of Huddersfield. At the drive to the YMCA where we started from was a group of people cheering both the finishers and the runners starting their second lap. They had Simon Brass from parkrun at the entrance to the drive directing runners with the same gusto he shows at parkrun and having a friendly face when your legs are dying is great to help to get you over the line. 

With the finish line in sight a great feeling of accomplishment over whelms you and the marshals at the finish line knowing your name and cheering you across the line is awesome. Plus hearing you have finished the tough half marathon almost bang on target is brilliant, I had set myself a target of 2 hours and I completed it in 2hr01min. Amazing is all I could say for the next couple of seconds whilst I came to terms with the fact I had completed my first half marathon and In a great time too. SJ and the boys where there to greet me which was lovely and Dexters little proud face was awesome, and topped off an amazing morning. 

There was lots of social media talk about the Huddersfield Marathon being the toughest in the UK, but even with nothing to compare it to I can easily see how it can be called the toughest. I couldn't recomend it enough though to anyone who is up to the challenge, it's definiatly 1 to cross off the list. Depending on what my next year of running holds will determine which option I decide to do next year, but I'm going to do one of them for sure.

Thanks for reading and Keep running everyone

Thanks to plodding hippo on flicker for the photos of the scenery and course and thanks to Kev Ball and Nozza Wales for the photos of me.

New route and a new 10k

For the past couple of weeks we (Sarah-Jane and I) have been mainly focused on baby names after discovering that we are having another boy. 

I think we have come to the decision that boy number 3 will be called Flynn Richard ______ Pattison. The 2nd middle name is still under discussion and we are back and forth over 2 names, Bishop and Darwin. 

Also I've been busy turning the cogs in my rusty brain trying to find a job and plan my next event. The job front isn't going to well but the organisational skills I gain from organising these fun runs should hopefully help. 

The St Paul's church in Shepley is in need of money to match a grant they have been given to refurbish their facilities and if they don't raise the money they lose the grant. So I offered to set up a fun run for them to help raise some of the money they need. And so I was straight onto the contacts I gained from doing the Shepley First School Fun Run, and was planning routes out in my head. I came up with a couple, a short one around 6k and a longer 10k one too but I wasn't sure which was best so over the next few days I ran them both. They both followed a similar route but the 10k took a few extra roads in along the way. After completing them both I decided to go with the 10k mainly because it was more of a challenge but I felt a bigger sense of accomplishment after finishing. I still have to sort a few things out with the Shepley cricket club and set a date and time but as far as permission goes the SHEPLEY 10K is born. 

The route has slightly changed from this picture. You get a great sense of scale from it and every time I look at it I can't believe its only 10k it looks huge. I'm very excited about this run and with it being a possible July date should be a very nice day for everyone who will be involved. As the church host a lot of community clubs I.e dance classes, guides etc. I'm very optimistic that we should be able to get the word out quickly and to a wider audience than we did for the school plus I hope we will get a few more volunteers for Marshals too. 

As always I will keep you informed as to my progress and my runs, and keep running everyone.