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

From Strava Art to the Chocathlon, muddy hills and Chocolate of course.

A month or so back the guys at Team OA posted a photo on Facebook of someone's Strava Art (using the gps line of a run or bike ride to create a picture) of a Giraffe. Along with the picture they posted a challenge, if anyone could create a Strava Art bunny they would win entry to this years Chocathlon. They also challenged anyone to create the Team OA logo and if they could do that they would win lifetime entry to the Chocathlon. So what do you think I did a couple of days later......yep that's right...

And yes I won lifetime entry, LIFETIME, I can't help but keep saying it, LIFETIME, how cool is that? A big thank you to the guys at Team OA for such a cool prize, I hope that I'll be running/walking the Chocathlon for many years as it is such a cool idea and run. For those of you that are wondering what the hell is a Chocathlon it is a 9km run around the hills of Marsden with 2 chocolate stations along the way. Like your normal water stations but these have chocolate treats for you to eat, chocolate biscuits and water as well so that you can manage the hills and trails of Marsden. Well that was a month or so ago and this past Easter weekend I actually got to use my prize.

This Easter Saturday it was Huddersfield parkrun's 4th birthday and their carrot relay after the run, plus after that it was the Chocathlon. So right from the off I knew this day was going to be exhausting, even if I took it easy at parkrun. I was running with Dexter and Flynn this week, Flynn even got dressed up for the celebrations. 

With the beautiful weather conditions we cruised to a 2015 PB for Dexter of 30.14mins then we hung around to take part in the carrot relay. The carrot relay is a race around the small loop (cafe part) of the parkrun course for teams of 3 people, which for #TeamPattison was SJ, Dexter and I. This year the was about 17 teams about double the number of teams from last year, which added a bit more competitiveness to the fun atmosphere. Everyone was eyeing up the competition but with great fun and friendliness that comes with any parkrun family. Dexter was running the first leg for #TeamPattison and on his own this year, followed by SJ and then myself on the final leg. Last year Dexter started crying because he was passed by too many people and thought he wouldn't win, but this year he understood that he would be passed and was determined to complete the lap without crying. This year unfortunately he cried again but this time it was because I distracted him cheering him on and he slipped in the mud and face planted on the floor, hurting his hand slightly in the process. I picked him up and carried him for a bit then he walked the final 100 metres until we handed the carrot off to SJ. She ran round with the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction, managing 3/4 of the way round before her trousers threatend to fall down, so she cut a corner and handed me the carrot before things got a bit x-rated! We were in second to last place and had no chance of gaining anything from this blantant bit of cheating and as I set off we had a huge gap to make up any way. I busted a gut to catch up but with no success as I finished just behind Team Brook still in second to last place. This wasn't a problem at all as like any parkrun event everyone was very supportive wherever you finished and we all clapped and cheered John Cottam as he crossed the line to finish the relay. Dexter was still a little upset at this point but a chocolate teacake from Simon Edwards at least silenced the cries and stopped the tears. Plus one of the guys from the winning team gave Dexter his Easter egg he got as part of his prize, which was really nice of him. So from here it was off to Grandmas for some breakfast and a rest before the Chocathlon and the Marsden hills.

As we arrived at the race HQ we were greeted by Simon Brass in his full bunny onesie and a big smile on his face, the boys really love Simon he makes them laugh so much, it's brilliant to see. Simon wasn't the only familiar face there, there was lots from parkrun or Stadium runners and other races too.

Parking up we unloaded the boys and as I was get the buggy out I managed to scrape my leg on a large bramble and this was before I had even started the race, what was going to happen then?

Once we were unloaded we gathered at the start and chatted with all our running friends and a few others too. We had selfies taken by the Pulse radio crew that was there and then we lined up at the start ready for the off.

We were set off by Ally Young and a starting pistol, it always adds a little extra race feel when your set off by a proper starters pistol, maybe it's the hidden athlete in us or does it just scare the crap out of us. Either way we were heading down the canal and at a fairly quick pace, but it wasn't long before the earlier runs were taking their toll and my legs were already feeling a little heavy. By the time we arrived at chocolate station 1 I couldn't face any chocolate so I just took a drink of water especially as all I could see from there onwards was a huge hill. There was two stages to this hill which weaved it's way upwards like an S and as we were going at a full on pace I ended up walking about half way up. Not for long though as I dug deep and yelled at myself to get my arse moving, and I ran the rest of the hill that just got steeper as you went. Luckily there were some friends (Mr and Mrs Edwards) at the top cheering us on, taking photos and just keeping our spirits up even if it was early in the race.

I was still blowing a bit as the roads levelled out and was heading towards the trail route part of the course. So much so I scared a pony that was being led up the road with a little girl on. A quick apology to her Dad and I descended down a trail path to a little wooden bridge and on with the race. It didn't take long on the trail part to realise that my choice of trail shoes over road shoes was a good decision as some bits were very muddy and slippy. The views were stunning but as the terrain was constantly changing I couldn't enjoy them as much as I wanted to, I needed to keep my focus on the route as I didn't want to misjudge something and go over on an ankle or worse. The course kept changing from trail to road as it traversed the hills above Marsden but eventually it headed back down and I was back on the streets of Marsden once more. Running parallel to the start line I could pick up the pace again until I came to the end of the street and station number 2 and more chocolate before heading back onto trail paths again. I came to a very thin and slippy set of steps down to a road and everyone had to slow down unless you wanted to fall on your backside. At the bottom of these steps I was overtaken by a lady dressed as a bee but I was determined not to lose her and I stuck with as we turned on to the canal and the final 2km of the run. At last I was on the flat and I headed back to the finish, but I forgot that at the locks there are small uphills that zap your stamina. I picked up the pace anyway and took back my place from the bee and as I did she congratulated me. It is always nice to hear encouragement from people but someone you're passing is awesome. You won't find that sort of sportsmanship in other sports like you do in running, and it's one of the reason why I love running so much at the moment. At this point I was also catching my friend Steve and if I pushed hard now I could of passed him, although the competitiveness in him wouldn't have liked that and I knew he would come back at me and push us both to the finish which probably would have killed us both.  (I may be being slightly melodramatic here!!) That desire to push it and catch him was wiped out by the final muddy hill off the canal and back on to the roads of Marsden.  I turned one final corner and I was on the finish straight and the final 100 metres, crossing the line just behind Steve was a great feeling and seeing him drop straight to the floor with exhaustion was evidence of how hard we pushed on the final section.

It wasn't long before we realised we had finish in 3rd and 4th which was amazing but at the same time we started to wonder what had happend to Jonny Cartwright( last years reigning champion) who was leading the last time we saw him. He wasn't at the finish and no one knew where he was, it turned out that someone had turned round a sign on the course sending us in different directions. Jonny knew the route and  went the right way, where as the rest of us went the the way the signs suggested which turned out to be a few hundred metres shorter. Still though Jonny didn't turn up until 8th place and about 10 mins behind us, so somewhere he had gone wrong too because of the signs. He ended up doing an extra mile and a bit on us some how, he seemed to be the only one that took that route. It was a shame as he would have won it again this year if everyone had all gone the right way, and someone hadn't messed with the signs on the course. We all had a great time anyway and there was lots of chocolate biscuits to eat at the finish too. 

Here's a link to a short video of the start of the Chocathlon....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=NqNH2UNExoQ

We hung around and cheered on a lot of the runners before we had to go and get ready for cousin Liam's 7th birthday party and probably more chocolate. All the chocolate did end up being a bit too much for Dexter and he threw up at Liam's party due to chocolate overload!!

It was a fantastic day and great fun and I can't wait to use my lifetime entry to the Chocathlon again next year. Thank you to Team OA for putting on another great event as always, the next one is the Huddersfield half/full marathon which is a beast and probably one of the toughest road marathons in the UK. You have to do it just to say you've done it, plus it is one of the most scenic runs around too.

Keep running everyone

2015 Vitality Liverpool Half Marathon race review with a cheeky PB

The final couple of hundred metres were filled with the sound of the Tribal drums, BOOM, BOOM BOOM.... BOOM, BOOM BOOM, which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

This Sunday the 29th of March 2015 I took part in my first Vitality Liverpool Half Marathon, along with 5100 others who braved the rain to take on a PB friendly course.

I headed over the night before thanks to my wonderful little sister who lives in Liverpool not far from the start. She picked me up from home and we drove over arriving around 8pm, so we went straight out to get a take away, the perfect race supper yeah? Then on the way back we stopped off to get some Irn-Bru and creme eggs just to finish off the race prep. To be honest I felt rather sick by the end of it all but I was too excited about the race in the morning to care. Jessie and her boyfriend Matty were great hosts and after a couple of hours discussing running, triathlons and Iron man races we all went to bed. It was really strange being away from SJ and the boys and my body clock was still on alert in case of a crying Flynn so the early morning seagulls woke me a few times. Luckily I still got a good nights sleep and was up and ready by about 7.15am and eating breakfast by 7.30am.

We all headed down to the docks as I wasn't sure where I was going but it wasn't long before we started seeing other runners and It was fairly obvious which way to go and soon we could hear all the commotion. Arriving at the starting area we had a little walk round to see what was going on and where I would pick up my t-shirt, medal and goodie bag etc. Then I said goodbye to Jessie and Matty and got in my position on the start line, I was hoping to finish around 1hr30m so I weaved my way past all the 1hr40 runners and stood looking slightly cold and nervous just behind the 1hr30 mark. There was a slight delay in starting as the police hadn't closed off the roads in time but luckily we were only stood for a few minutes, then finally we were off. 

The big rush and stop happend as it always does at big races as people think they are going and suddenly have to stop again as the people in front off them haven't moved as much as they had thought they were going to. It always makes me giggle a bit, we're off yeah, oh no were not and now I can see the hairs on the back of that mans neck I'm so close. We did eventually get going, scrambling across roads and curbs looking for the best position it wasn't until the end of the first mile that we all settled down to our rhythms. Now at this point you turn onto parliament street which according to the route guide goes from a slight incline over the first mile to a sharp incline for the next 400yds. So not being from Liverpool I was quite worried about this sharp incline but when we got to the infamous section I just giggled and powered up the hill and carried on. I giggled because being from Yorkshire the sharp incline was more like a slip way at the beach, it was nothing to worry about and It barely affected my pace time too. From this point on it was pretty much flat or slightly undulating apart from a dip and climb at the bottom of Princes park at the mile 3 marker. At this point you start to take on the more scenic part of the route taking in parts of Sefton Park and Otterspool Park before hitting the promenade at mile 9 and heading back towards Albert Docks. During this section there were some really good groups of spectators who braved the rain to come cheer everyone on, which was awesome and gave you a real boost. Plus the man who slipped on his bike in the mud near the promenade did give us a giggle (he was ok by the way just muddy). 

Once on the promenade we all started getting excited about the finish and there was a lot of jostling for position and people adjusting their pace to achieve their target times, which I was one of. As we hit mile 10 I knew if I wanted to creep just under 1hr30 I would have to complete a sub 20 5k so I picked up the pace or more specifically I kept it going rather than slowing in the final 3 miles like I did at the Brass Monkey back in January. With the weather being dull and rainy it made the final 3 miles down the Mersey quite dull, but if the weather had been sunny it would have been spectacular. As we got closer to the Albert Docks the rain got heavier and it became harder to mentally keep it going and the mile 12 marker felt like it was in the wrong place as the last mile seemed like a mile and a half. Finally we got within range of the tribal drums again and the beat still had that adrenaline pumping effect and it felt like they were playing the beat inline with my pace and they pushed me over the line. Big kudos to the drummers and the crowds at the finish they were brilliant and were a huge part in my finishing time of 1hr30m38s. I didn't manage to squeeze under the 1hr30 bar but I was absolutely buzzing at the time and more at my pacing, I managed to stay at a 4m18s/km or a 6.55m/mile give or take a second or two all the way round. I kept moving down the finish funnel until I received my finishers medal, goodie bag and t-shirt and then I went to try and find SJ, Jessie, Matty and the boys who had all come to see me finish.

I eventually found them or more likely they found me and we made our way back to Jessie's place to warm up, dry off and grab a snack to eat before we had to make our way back over to Huddersfield so Dexter could go to a birthday party. We had a great time at Jessie's even if it was brief and It was a lovely flat too, and I'm sure we will be back again soon, hopefully in some better weather.

I really enjoyed the course and it is definitely a PB friendly and enjoyable course, unlike some out and back courses that can be very mentally fatiguing and dull. I hope I can come back next year and improve on my PB hopefully under 1hr30m. A big thank you to Jessie for having me over the weekend and Matty for listening to my ramblings about my running. Plus a big thank you to SJ and the boys for coming over in the rain to see me cross the line and to walk back to Jessie's in the rain. 

Love you guys loads.

Keep running everyone.

100 days of running what started as a challenge ended more like aroutine

The 100 days of running challenge is now complete and even now after all those runs I'm unsurprisingly missing going out for a run today. Unsurprisingly? Yep!

The 100 day challenge started out just as it says a challenge but within 2/3 weeks it already becomes more of a routine. Doing it through the winter months probably helps to keep it more of a challenge, plus when the snow and hail come at you with force you have to be mentally ready for it. 

So don't try to stick to a set goal when it does, be flexible and have a reasonable minimum distance for a run. If I can pass on a bit of advice to anyone thinking of doing the 100 day challenge or any run streak, it would be variaty mixed with a few regular runs or distances. I did this by having a regular Monday and Saturday but then the rest of the week I mixed my distances, routes, times and pace. Well I say pace but most of the time I just went for it, I really enjoy running and if the conditions were right I would just go for it. Having said that I really would suggest varying your pace even if it's just slightly. 

My regular runs or days consisted of a Monday run down at Stadium runners, a running club I joined a couple of months before my challenge started. Then on the Saturday, I would as I have done for nearly 2 years now, taken part at my local parkrun, Huddersfield parkrun. 

Stadium runners has been such an important part of the challenge, the runs would always be about the same distance each week but the routes would change. Mixing up the routes keeps your runs a bit more interesting, there nothing more monotonous than doing the same route day after day. Plus the people I have met and run with at the club have been so friendly, helpful, encouraging and inspiring. It has been a pleasure getting to know them over the past 5 months and they've helped push me and improve my running tremendously. I've beaten PB's and increased the distances I can run all whilst running with friendly runners either training for runs or just striving to stay fit and healthy.

My other regular run is parkrun, which I can't advocate enough, it truly is the one thing that has had the biggest impact on my running. There are 2 sides to parkrun the running side where you can test yourself week in week out trying to improve your time. Then there is the social side where you can meet other runners, swap stories and talk about other runs/races they've entered. It's always good to have races as targets to train for as it gives you motivation and something to look forward to. 

Throughout the challenge I had a goal race that I had planned to enter, which was the Huddersfield half marathon. I had done it last year and my plan was to go back this year to try and beat my 2hr PB. I had also entered a few races that were during my challenge, these were good for tracking or testing my progress through the 100 days. parkrun is also a good event to track your fitness, I have beaten my parkrun PB about 4 times since day 1 and I feel like I have more in me too. Other PBs came and went as Stadium runners held a couple of 10k time trials and I even got a PB at the Brass Monkey half marathon over in York.

Here are my PB stats from my runs over the last 100 days.

parkrun before 21m02s, December 20m47s, January 19m56s, Febuary 19m28s

10k PB before, 45m03s December 43m05s, Febuary 41m05s, plus a hilly Huddersfield 10k PB of 43m40s

Brass Monkey Half marathon PB 1h37m14s

And those are just the official ones, I have manage to improve my times and increase my fitness over lots of distances, I was really surprised at how my legs kept responding as I kept pushing.

The past 3 weeks down at Stadium runners I have done the No Pain No Gain (NPNG) track session. With it being flat and on an athletics track I was able to push myself even further and have even managed an unofficial 5k PB 3 weeks running. A 19m24s, then a 18m43s and just this week on day 99 an amazing 17m56s which even though its unofficial it give you an amazing confidence boost.

So all that led me to day 100 and I was determined to finish it off with a bang, so I prepared a route and just went for it. So this is where my first ever marathon began, yep I wanted to go all out and push myself that little bit further. The furthest I'd run prior to this was 16 miles, so this was a huge jump in distance. The main worry I had was managing my pace, I knew I had to slow down to maintain my legs but would I be able to do it?

I set off from my mums house in Marsh as she was looking after Flynn and Clark whilst I tackled this final hurdle. The plan was to do a circuit of Huddersfield round to our house in Shepley then continuing round to be back at my mums ready to pick up the boys and then head back to pick up Dexter from School. So unlike a normal marathon I had a 4hr time limit otherwise there would be no one to pick up Dexter, motivation if ever I needed it. So off I went up through Marsh and Birchencliffe to Ainley top where I would run over the top and drop down through Fixby and Bradley completing the first 10k. It was now when the hills started with a big climb up to Kirkheaton and then down again to Waterloo. I was still feeling good and my pace was great, a little faster than I wanted to but I felt comfortable. From Waterloo I would then take the long drag of a hill up past Lepton towards Grange moor which seemed to go on forever, but on the plus side I gained a KOM Strava segment for my efforts. At the top of the final hill I turned off and headed for the Emley moor mast, but not before stopping to take a photo or 2 of the views. 

This was the worst thing I could have done, as my phone which I was using Strava on decide to crash. So after a couple of failed attempts to turn my phone back on I carried on hoping it might work in a bit. About a mile later down the road it decided to wake up which was a relief as  I wouldn't like to carry on blind so to speak. Once I was at the mast the downhills returned and with that the sight of home and a long awaited drink. Silly I know not to have had a drink upto now but I kept telling myself it was that far to my house. I was just past the 3 acres pub when I had a loss of motivation and questioned myself, whether I was actually going to be able to do this. I started to walk for a bit just to catch my breath and find my mojo again, which soon returned and I powered through until I reach Shelley and my mates house. I stopped to knock on his door for a drink of water a little chat as you do, then I was on my way to my house feeling refreshed and on it again. As I reached home I popped in to get another drink, a few haribos and my Garmin. I had to stop my phone and switch to my Garmin as I had about 20% battery left and it wouldn't last the last 10 miles.

Setting off again I felt good climbing Marsh lane out of Shepley heading for New Mill, I was slower but it was to be expected and I was still within my time limit. Passing through New Mill and Brockholes was a breeze but as I hit Honley I stopped for a drink from the garage and this I where my struggles started. With only 5 miles to go it was a mixture of mentally pushing myself and ignoring the small pains in my leg muscles and hips. I got to Lockwood before I needed another little walk but I was soon going again and with the finish just a few corners away I motivated myself for the last couple of miles. I reached the bottom of Paddock and Gledholt bank and the cramp in my calves was starting to win and I walked up the final hill until I reach the bottom of my mums road. I gave it one last push but then cramp in my quad cut me short by a couple of hundred metres. Walking the rest of the way I could regain my breath and my senses. So when I reached my mums house again I could revel in what I had just accomplished, what I had just push myself to do. There was no doubt I was knackered but I was pleasantly surprised at how unscathed I was. I couldn't quite musta it but I was smiling ear to ear on the inside, I had completed my first ever marathon in a time of 3h42m. I didn't have long to recover as I had to then go pick up Dexter from School still dressed in my sweaty running clothes, but like I said I was smiling ear to ear on the inside so I didn't care one bit.

That was it I had completed 100 days  of running and finished it with a marathon, how cool is that? I'm now taking a well earned rest or at least for a couple of days whilst the stiff legs recover but I'll be out there again soon. It has been such a cool past few months and I can't thank everyone that's helped me enough, be it running with me, helping with looking after the boys whilst I run or just giving me encouragement along the way.

Let's just hope I can keep this level of fitness up and smash some more PB's especially my Huddersfield half marathon PB in April.

Keep running everyone.

Huddersfield 10k third time's a charm plus 100 days of running update.

This past Sunday was the Huddersfield 10k and it was the 3rd time I had run this event. It was also the first 10k race I ever entered so it has all sorts of nostalgia embedded into it. The first year I did it I had no idea what I was in for and just gunned it. So when I came across an almighty hill I ran up it far to quick for my fitness and ended up throwing my guts up at the top of it. Which gave me a debut time of 58 mins which at the time I was delighted by. Last year I went into the race with a different mentality and just planning to get round without throwing up and hopefully no walking. However I got to the 2nd hill where the year previous I had thrown up at the top and I mentally psyched myself out. I ran up the hill at a steady pace and just got slower and slower until I gave up and walked the last 10/15 metres. At the top this time there was no surprise appearances from my breakfast and I was soon running again and on to the next hill. I crossed the finish line this time in 51mins knocking 7mins off my PB. I was over the moon with the time and my performance, I also felt a lot more comfortable the 2nd time as I knew a few more people and faces. The first time I took part I was like a lost deer just cautiously trotting about not knowing what to do. 

This years Huddersfield 10k was completely different, so much has changed and happened in the last 12 months. Well mainly in the last 3/4 months if I'm honest due to me taking my running a little bit more seriously and personal challenges I've set myself. Plus with SJ and I being heavily involved in parkrun and junior parkrun we have become friends with lots of other parkrunners. Also I recognise lots more faces from other runs/races throughout the year. This made the race feel a lot more comfortable from the start, but the overwhelming factor that made this years race more exciting than the previous one was the fact that I'm now a member of  Stadium runners, and was running in club colours. 

With my running going from strength to strength recently I was expecting a new PB but wasn't quite sure what it would be on such a tough course. I hadn't even set a goal time until Simon Brass inadvertently set me a challenge by telling me his PB from the previous year when he was in great shape. So I was hoping to be near Simon's PB of 45 mins, which seemed to be the common target of other runners as we congregated in the starting pen. Whilst we were still chatting away with each other the starting horn went and we were off and charging up the drive to the main road. As always the first 3km is a long hard stretch that gets progressively steeper until you reach Netherton where a huge crowd gathers to cheer everyone on. I'm sure the crowds get bigger every year and this year it helped push me that extra little bit up to the top of the climb. There was so many people there that I knew and they were great shouting me and others up the last few hundred metres of the hill before we headed off back down the other side. It's always a welcomed sight after such a long climb and it gives you a chance to catch your breath and pick up the pace again before the next climb. On the run down to the next hill you turn off the main road on to a side road and it was nice to see the Olives corner sign from parkrun so after a quick thank you Olive I was off the main road and preparing myself for the 2nd Hill. As I neared the bottom of the hill Jo King (A guy who lives near me and does training runs on the same hills as me, and I am always trying but failing to beat his Strava segments) past me and gave me a quick "well done Matthew" as he went past. It was great to know that I was running at the same pace as him, as he is fast, so it gave me a boost. So on the next hill I managed to pass him and got to the top of it without walking and without throwing up, which was a big mental achievement. Once at the top I was greeted by yet more friendly and familiar people who cheered me on again. I kicked on and it wasn't long before I was at the 3rd and last climb back up to Netherton. It was another long and steady uphill but this year I was ready for it and even managed to pass Matthew Kelly (a parkrunner who is faster than me and maybe my next target to aim for at parkrun) just as I reached the top. Here you are greeted again by the warm applause and loud cheering from people at Netherton, plus a few photographers.

Jo King was now passing me on the final hill section showing just why he has so many CR Strava segments around the Shelley/Shepley area. But that was the 3 major hills done and it was mainly down hill from here including a downhill that you have to hold yourself back on. It's that steep you could quite easily fall if you just let gravity do the work, so you have to ease off a little. By now a lot of people are starting to slow down as the hills have zapped their energy but this year I was still full of gusto and ready for the last quick section. 

After a little climb from Armitage Bridge up to the main road at Berry Brow it was now time to extend the legs again with only 2km to go. I tried to gradually pick up the pace so that by the finish straight I should be able to give it a sprint finish. I managed the last bit really well and as I reached the driveway to the Rugby ground and finish Mark Nicholson (parkrun ED) was there cheering me on which helped me find a little bit extra as well. I could hear a couple of guys behind me chasing me down so I said to myself 'not today fellas!' and gunned it to the line. I hadn't looked at my watch at all over the last 5km so I had no real idea what time I had got, so when I crossed the line and stopped my Garmin I was surprised at what I had just done. On my 3rd attempt I managed a 43.39min knocking nearly 8 minutes off my previous best, I was over the moon and the little kid in me just wanted to giggle for a while.

I came in 70th place and the 14th Stadium runner which was absolutely brilliant. 

My recent training and my challenge of running a 100 days in a row has definitely worked a treat as I just seem to be improving all the time. There was evidence of this just yesterday when I went down to Stadium Runners and took part in the No Pain No Gain (NPNG) track session, where we did speed work and gradually increased the work effort. Starting with a few laps of steady work, a ladder system, then finished off with a fast couple of 500m. After completing 13 400 metre laps which included 4 rest/recovery laps I managed a 5k PB of 19.24min. Plus after uploading my data at home I found out I had done a few other PBs, my 1 mile time, 2 mile time and a 400m time that could have rivalled my High school PB time.

So after a short run this morning I'm now 86 days into my 100 days of running challenge and only have 2 weeks left to go. I'm still really enjoying it and I'm going to miss it, I am really hoping I can keep my times up when I drop a couple of days from my training.  I'm really proud of the times I am producing at the moment.   Once the challenge has ended my races will have started so I'm sure that I will be trying to improve especially with all my half marathons this Easter.  There is the marathon training that will start in June leading up to the Yorkshire marathon in October. 

So after a great weekend all I can say is thank you, thank you to everyone who cheered me and the rest of the runners up those hills on the Huddersfield 10k. Plus a thank you to Stadium runners you have certainly help me improve since joining you in November.

Keep running everyone

100 days of running updated and PBs galore!!!!

Since completing the #marcothon challenge in December I've carried on running every day and have now completed the second 3rd of #100daysofrunning currently I am on day 73. Since the start of the year I've tried to take it easy on my legs and set a minimum run distance of 2km. This is for a few reasons, it's an easy distance for those days after long runs or if I'm struggling for time. Or if I really want an easy run I could run with Clark and Dexter at junior parkrun. Clark has been running at juniors now he's turned 4 and he loves it and he runs with Dexter, high 5-ing all the marshals as he goes round. 

This challenge has completely taken me by surprise and continues to everyday. Before starting the challenge I was worried how it was going to effect my legs and weather I could find time to run. So far my legs have felt great and my family have been brilliant and helped me make time to run by watching the boys a few times. Plus SJ has been very supportive letting me go for runs almost whenever I have wanted to, she's amazing like that.

As the days have gone on, the times of my runs have slowly come down and I've felt incredible at times. I've consistently managed to break my PB's and not just my times, I've pushed myself to run further too. Just this past Sunday I completed 16 miles which is the furthest I've ever run and whilst doing the distance I had my first proper run at a set pace for marathon training etc. I completed 13 miles at a pace of 9 minute miles and then for the last 3 miles/5 Km I just went for it at my own pace. I finished off the 16 miles with a 22 min 5k which shocked me considering that the last 5km of the brass monkey half marathon was a real struggle only 3 weeks ago. My parkrun times so far this year have just got better and better too with a couple of amazing runs where I managed to knock off a serious amount of time off my PB. My first fast run of the new year saw me smash my PB by 53s and taking me below 20mins for the first time ever, I thought this was going to be an impossible target 2 months ago. But here I was and the smile I had from that didn't shift for a while. Then this past Saturday I only went and knocked another 28s off that time, setting my 5km PB at 19.28. It's now 4 days later and I still can't believe it, I still smile when I think about it.

So this weekend has been superb, a parkrun PB Saturday, a 16 mile distance PB on Sunday, I couldn't have had a better weekend really. I was really expecting a big crash at some point, were my legs going to finally start to protest, or wake up with really sore feet and blisters? So when I woke up on Monday morning and all they were was a little stiff I was surprised. So at that point my head was already think about my next run, would I be up for the Stadium Runners 10k time trial or not. I decided to go and just see how the legs responded to the warm up, then I would know whether or not to go for it or just have steady run. As soon as I arrived I was already queuing for my number, I think the excitement of topping my weekend off with another PB was overriding my sensibleness. We headed up to the start for the warm up and after a couple of laps of the car park my legs where ready to go. As soon as the horn went for the start of the race I knew this was going to be tough. Although once I hit that first km mark and my time was sub 4 mins I was pumped and it gave me a helping burst as I started my assent up to the Fixby round-about. The training was paying off completely and it wasn't long before I was at the top of Bradley road and on my decent again towards Leeds Rd. Once I was on Leeds Rd I knew my time was good as long as I could keep my pace up on the last 3.5km. I dug deep and kept going, soon I turned on to the finish straight and I kept an eye on my Garmin as I crossed the line. Now when I did this run last time it was on day 1 of this challenge and that time I got a PB of 43.05mins for the 10k, 70 days later and I had smashed my PB by 2 minutes and 1 second. 41.04 was my officially recorded time and I was buzzing, my hands where shaking slightly I was that happy at what I had just done, or the adrenaline was still pumping. I was even more shocked because of the weekend I had put myself through too, with a PB at parkrun then 16 miles on Sunday to then smash a 10k was incredible. 

I have now set myself a few targets for the rest of my challenge which I hope will help me when It comes to the 7 weeks of half marathons I have signed up for. Which start just under 3 weeks after the 100 day challenge finishes, hopefully I will have a few rest days in that period. Although I am becoming very used to going out for a run everyday it will feel strange when I don't have to worry whether I will be able to make time for a run or not.

At the moment a lot of my running friends are either way into their marathon training plans or just starting them. So I would just like to say that you are all very inspirational and you are keeping me going through this challenge and easing my fears of starting my own training plan for my first marathon in October. Thank you to everyone who has helped me so far and it will soon be over and the Facebook posts will stop or at least for a while.

Keep running everyone

My December and 2014 review plus 2015 challenges

I've racked my brain on ways to start this blog post but it all keeps coming out like dribble and babble, so let's break this month down a bit.

All month I have been taking part in the Marcothon challenge which involves running at least 5k every day in December. Which is fairly simple to start with but becomes more difficult as the month progresses, however by the end of the month you're not sure what you're going to do when the challenge ends. The challenge couldn't have got off to a better start as I smashed my 10k PB at the stadium runners 10k time trial. The first week of the challenge flew by and I found running everyday really exciting and slightly naughty like I was doing something wrong. My 5k target on the first Sunday was split across several runs as it was the Huddersfield Santa dash, which is set over 1 mile. I completed the Santa dash in 5m30s and crossing the line as first finisher, which makes me the fastest Santa in Huddersfield in 2014. The field of runners isn't the same as a parkrun or a 10k but I will take the small victories whenever I can. 

As the days rolled on I found extra pace creeping into my training runs and when I ran an unofficial parkrun PB during the week I was amazed. This Marcothon challenge was really helping me and at the Xmas themed parkrun I managed to smash my parkrun PB by 15s and could now officially say I had a sub 21min PB. Yet there was still room for improvement as I was running in a Santa suit and there was a nasty headwind on the uphills. As I got closer to the end of the challenge I found that I was mixing the runs up a lot more to make sure things didn't get boring. I was trying a spot of pacing on some runs and on others I was starting slow and building my speed. Now that I am at the end of my Marcothon challenge, me and all the other people taking the challenge are all left with the feeling of what now, do we rest or do we carry on. 

For me it's the later as I had, at the start of December, decided to do 100 days of running.  I just started it with the Marcothon. So this December has been filled with running, but also with statistics and I loved watching and tracking them as I ran. For instance I ran a total of 135 miles this month and for the whole year I clocked up 643 miles. So I ran a fifth of my annual mileage in the last month of the year, it didn't feel like it though in fact the main thing I will take from the Marcothon is that as long as you don't go all out on each run and look after your legs you can easily run everyday.

My running wasn't the only thing that has made December a month to remember, although it is running based. Huddersfield juniors parkrun which has been a huge part of our family life along with all the juniors, volunteers and the rest of our juniors team it has been an amazing year. Sadly Simon our event director has decided to step down as ED due to work commitments, marathon training and missing races which is the one thing all runners look forward to. He won't be disappearing, he will still be helping and volunteering whenever he can, he just can't give it the focus that it needs. We always knew he was going to do this but just not so soon.  So from today (1/1/15) I can say proudly that I am the Event Director for Huddersfield Junior parkrun.  Simon has left a great team and I am really excited to see what 2015 holds for the junior event.

In 2014 I have had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with so many amazing people and I've also been witness to some brilliant moments. I've seen countless juniors smash their PBs, future parkrunning babies brought into the world and been witness to an awesome little girl complete a junior parkrun who couldn't walk 6 months previously. I've shed tears with fellow parkrunners over the loss of an amazing and spirited lady and I've made others weep just by highlighting how awesome they are and have others agree, 2014 has truly been one of those years that I won't forget in a hurry.

 

2015 is already looking like it will be an amazing year with a new PB yes another one, I knocked 5s off my PB at Pontefract parkrun. We were there as part of our New Year's Day parkrun double starting at Ponty then moving on to Nostell Priory. The whole of team Pattison was at Nostell Priory along with a lot of the friends we have made over the last year, the best thing about the day wasn't all the familiar faces and friends all running together.

No it was the enthusiasm for parkrun that I saw in Clark and the excitement about finally being able to take part in parkrun for the first time in 10 days time. He definitely has developed his own friendships within parkrun already, which will help when he's running around the park on a weekend.

2015 will also be a big year for me I terms of challenges with 4 half marathons and my first marathon already signed up to, and many more to come I'm sure. Then there is all the 10k's and other runs I will enter, not to mention that hopefully Dexter, SJ and I will all enter the 100 club at some point this year. Plus the Shepley 10k I will soon have to start planning and organising as well as the anniversary of our fabulous junior event.

So thank you to everyone who has been a part of my 2014 and let's make sure that 2015 is just as good if not better

Keep running everyone