Peaks and troughs

The week after the Haworth Hobble, I ran the Wrap up Warm 10k at Harewood House with a number of colleagues, clients and friends as part of Team Savvy and despite heavy legs and hilly course, I managed to start  at the front and hang on for 6th place in time of 39 minutes and 42 seconds with Matt finishing 12th.

 The next race wasn't so successful as I attempted to complete the 3 Peaks of Yorkshire race in under 4 hours. The first time I ran the 3 Peaks was in 2010 and despite getting severely de-hydrated coming down from the final peak, I finished in a respectable time of 4 hours 10 minutes.

So, two years later on a sunny (but still cold and windy) day I thought my chances were good. That was until I reached the bottom of Pen-y-Gent and a sudden stomach cramp meant an urgent sprint behind a farmer's wall was neccesary, along with the sacrifice of a compression sock.

I struggled on to the specatator point at the foot of Whernside but had to run straight past my mum and dad and into the portaloo. 10 minutes later and feeling sick as a dog, I set off again and crawled up Whernside but I wasn't in good shape and after hobbling down the other side and along to the final peak at Ingleborough, I was dead on my feet.

Mum and dad were there again to lend their support and I set off again but after another hundred yards I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to attempt the final climb in the state I was in so I reluctantly called it a day. It would be my first DNF (did not finish) and a low point in my running life so far.

Following the disappointment of the 3 Peaks Race, I had the chance to make amends two weeks later at the Leeds Half Marathon. Despite it being a warm day, I managed to maintain a good steady pace and got round in 1 hour and 22 minutes and 7 seconds, only 30 seconds outside my PB and in a respectable 28th place finish.

Hobbling along

The date of 10th March 2012 had been lurking in the back of my mind since I signed up for the Haworth Hobble just after Christmas. Having decided to run 20 events in 12 months to raise money for the MS Society: www.justgiving.com/20-12 with the highlight being the Lakeland 50 Ultramarathon in July, I thought it wise to get some big distance trail races in beforehand to get an idea of what that kind of mileage felt like.

The Haworth Hobble seemend perfectly timed, 32 miles (or 50k) traversing gritstone moors around Haworth, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. 4,400ft of ascent/descent sounded lot (it was actually 4,600ft) but I had no frame of reference and I had ran an off road trail marathon on similar terrain a couple of years back so felt like I could handle the terrain.

Due to being mentally busy at work, It was only really the day before that I started to think about the race and it dawned on me that I was attempting to run further than I had ever run up (and down) some pretty big hills having not running anything like that distance since last year's London marathon, 11 months previously.

There was also the gnawing worry of not knowing the route, so I hastily printed off some maps and roughly plotted where the check points were before seeking advice from Carla (an ultramarathon veteran) on what food and drink to take to get me through it. One shopping trip later I was fully stocked with Soreen (which I forgot to take), gels, cereal bars, cashew nuts and sports drinks and after a big bowl of pasta for tea, I got an early night ahead of the 6am start the next day.

After a breakfast of porridge with honey, banana and coconut water, I set of for Haworth but was running late so when a taxi driver slowed down to 20 miles an hour in Keighley, I nipped past, only to see a police van with speed camera on the other side of the road. Not the ideal preparation but I made it in time to collect my number and get to the start line outside the Black Bull pub.

Having no idea where I was going and the route being completely unmarked, I made my way to the front of the pack and settled into a steady rythmn, pausing briefly to take some snaps of the secenery and stretch out my worryingly tight calves. Sticking with a group of Bingley Harriers who seemed to know the route, we clocked seven miles an hour for the first two hours which by my calculations meant we would be done in four and a half hours and I was starting to wonder what all the fuss was about.

I nearly got lost at a checkpoint having stopped to fill my bottle up, the Bingley Harriers had dissappeared into the mist but luckily a couple of lads from Pudsey who were running as a pair and had recce'd the course recently were just behind so I tagged along with them for the next six miles are so, chatting along the way.

It wasn't until the 20 mile mark that the tiredness started to creep in and my left knee jarred on a downhill making it painful to fully extend my left leg. I was still hoping for a sub 5 hour finish when we reached a steep incline into Heptonstall that you could only walk up followed by a steep descent and another sharp incline that sucked the life out of my legs.

I reached the marathon point at 4 hours 10 but was with another massive incline that slowed me down to walking pace and I was now in the unknown distance of my first ultramarathon. At the summit around the 27 mile mark, I managed to get the legs going for one last push, fighting against my aching body's desire to stop and rest and after one last, horrible hill climb, it was downhill to the finish and the warmth of the race HQ at Haworth Primary School.

Time had gone out of the window now and I was happy just to finish in a respectable time of 5 hours and 5 mins (considering my lack of preparation) and didn't feel in bad shape as I woofed down a bowl of stew and bread, washed down by sweet tea and a fairy cake. Exhausted but happy, I set off home a night in with a pizza and beer with the buzz of having got my first ultramarathon under my belt (though the idea of doing another 18 miles on top is starting to fill me with dread...) http://connect.garmin.com/activity/156510822

Just in time

Having been cancelled first time round due to the snow flurry in late Feb, the Dewsbury 10k was re-arranged for a wet and windy sunday morning in early March. Having run the monstrously hilly Huddersfield 10k the week before, I was looking forward to running on a relatively flat course and having a crack at my PB of 37.23.

The race started pretty well and I worked my way towards the head of the field though annoyingly, I had to stop for a pee which cost me valuable seconds and broke my rythmn early on. I also had issues with my compression socks which I was racing in for thr first time. Rather than help the circulation, they were giving me pins and needles in my feet which wasn't a good sign so I again had to break my rythmn to roll them down (see dips in the pace chart: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/156510727 )

I felt off the pace at half way, turning round in just over 19 minutes but with the second leg all down hill to the finish, I decided to go for it and after a couple of mini races along the way, I came in at 37.16, more than the 36 I had been hoping for but still a slight PB on the day (will avoid the pre-race coffee next time!)

Huddersfield & Herzo

After 12 miles of sunny trails with Matt around Temple Newsam on Saturday, my 20 events in 12 months belatedly got under way with the Huddersfield 10k on Sunday 26th February. I had heard it was a hilly course but didn't appreciate how hilly it was with a mixture of steep inclines followed by nail-biting declines meaning it wasn't a race for the faint hearted.

Despite the undulating course and an annoying toilet break, I finished in a time of 39.14 in 18th place overall so not a bad start to the year's events.

On Monday afternoon, I travelled down to Exeter for an in-store running event

and had my footscans analysed and was pleased to find out my gait was pretty efficent with my foot strike following through from the heel to the middle of the forefoot to the toe off (see pic) which means I can now use trainers with neutral support as well as moderate support.

Then on Tuesday it was off to adidas HQ in Herzogenaurach with work which included driving on the autobahn, a trip to the outlet store for a pair of adizero Aegis, a brief on SS13 running and a quick lunchtime run around Herzo with Tom Siedel. Returning back to the UK on Thursday evening, two days' rest were in order ahead of the re-aaranged Dewsbury 10k on the Sunday.

Marathon weekend

With the Dewsbury 10k postponed until March 4th due to the snow, 20 events in 12 months is now more like 20 in 10, with the Huddersfield 10k now the first race next Sunday, 26th February, followed by 5 events in March.

After struggling with a chest infection last weekend, I needed to get a couple of decent training runs in this weekend. So on Saturday I hit the road with Matt for a 14 miler from West Park to Roundhay, round

the lake and back again.

Then on Sunday, I enjoyed a 12 mile trail run round Temple Newsam in the sunshine with plenty of hills in preparation for the Haworth Hobble (though 32 miles might not be so enjoyable!)

I also finished 'The Ghost Runner' over the weekend, a book about John Tarrant, one of the greatest distance runners the world has ever seen, who was banned from competing as an amateur after accepting £17 in expenses

for boxing as a teenager in the 50s. His ban from competing in Britain was eventually lifted after a long battle with the authorities but his ban from representing his country or competing in any events abroad was never lifted.

It is a remarkable and ultimately tragic story that takes Tarrant from a children's home in Kent during the 2nd World War to appartheid torn South Africa via two world records (for 40 and 100 miles). Well worth a read!

Back on track

After a slow start to 2012, I finally managed to drag myself to the Leeds Athletics Club at South Leeds with the aim of kick starting my training for the events ahead.

Finding out that my 37 minute 10k PB made me the slowest in the group didn't help with the confidence but after a track session of 15x 200m sprints with 200m recovery, I could see why. Definitely some serious athletes but managed to not disgrace myself and completed the sets - it could only get easier, I thought.

This turned out to not be the case as Tuesday's session consisted of 6x 600m sprints with 100m recovery then 300m sprint with 400m recovery which was even more brutal. It didn't help that the legs were heavy after 1 and a half laps of Otley Chevin with Matt H on Sunday plus Monday night football for Team Savvy (going back in goal from now on) but felt good when it was over.

A few more weeks of hard work should hopefully knock some time of the upcoming 10k races - if it doesn't kill me first!

20 in 12 - The Long List

To raise money for the MS Soicety in 2012, I have decided to attempt to complete 20 events in 12 months across running, cycling, swimming and triathlon. To sponsor me, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/20-12

Events confirmed so far are the Haworth Hobble (32 mile fell race) in March, the Lakeland 50 mile Ultramarathon in July and the Berlin Marathon in September (with the aim of a sub 2.55 personal best). The rest of the events will be made up from the following:

February:
Dewsbury 10km, 5th February

Huddersfield 10k, 26th Feb

March:

The Major at Bramham, 3rd March
Howarth Hobble (32 Miles), 10th March

Harewood House 10k, 18th March

Coniston 14, 31st March

April:
Guiseley Gallop 10k, 8th April
Hell on't Hills Duathlon, 15th April or Wakefield 10k
Yorkshire 3 Peaks Race, 28th April

May:
Leeds Half Marathon, 13th May
Kirklees 10k, 26th May

June:
Wharfedale Off Road Marathon, 2nd June
Scissett Triathlon, 10th June
Leeds 10km, 19th June

July:
Lakeland Trail Marathon, 1st July
Jane Tomlinson 10km, Leeds, 8th July
Lakeland 50 Mile Race, 28th July

August:
Jane Tomlinson 10km, York
Macclesfield Triathlon, 12th August

September:
Leeds Triathlon - 9th September
Berlin Marathon, 30th September, (with MS Society)

October:
Richmond Castle 10km, 14th October

November:
Hellvelyn Trail Race, 3rd November
Abbey Dash

December:
Chevin Chase - 26th December