Brathay Windermere marathon 2012

I joined the Striders in August 2005 with the mindset that at the ripe old age of 54, it was far too late to start running marathons. This resistance lasted just over a year until the Autumn of 2006 when someone sent round an email about a new marathon round Windermere. I was very tempted, so I thought that if I was going to do one marathon, what could be more scenic than running round Windermere. Anyway May seemed a very long way away...

So I entered, did some training and in May 2007 turned up at the lovely Brathay Hall next to the lake. It was a lovely location, the organisation was great and there was a great atmosphere. My children came and watched their Dad do his one marathon. Everything went fine until 21m, I was enjoying it, but soon after I was hit by cramp and my training was shown to be inadequate. The last few miles were tough. Still it had been a lovely day and I had completed a marathon and there was no way I was going to do another one. My daughter reminds me of this frequently.

Six months later the pain had receded in my memory and I entered Windermere again and more marathons and ultras after that. In 2011 I went slightly mad and completed thirty marathons or ultras in my sixtieth year. This year I am going to take it easier, but running the Windermere marathon has always been on my list, so I was back for my sixth time round the lake and my sixty fourth marathon/ultra.

The event is always preceded by truly amazing people who run the course ten times in ten days with the final day on the day of the marathon. As usual I went over early on day 9 to see the runners on the route, a few of whom I know. One of them was doing the event for the fourth time, that is forty times round the lake ! Melanie came with me and we found it pretty cold on the Saturday. There were eighteen runners doing the ten in ten this year and they all finished, but it was very hard work for some of them. Some of them were out there for eight hours on some days, which does not leave much time to recover before the next day. I have been tempted by this event especially before they set off for the final day, but once I am out there on the course, my enthusiasm evaporates. It is a very scenic but it is a hilly course and the thought of doing that route every day, well not for me.

The weather on the day of the marathon was much warmer, sunny and no wind. I saw the ten in ten runners off, they start an hour before the main event, and chatted to other marathon runners who I have met at other events around the country. There was a rolling start which was new for this year. The runners were led down to the start and as soon as the first ones got there, the gun was fired. It was chip timed so that was fine

The first half down to Newby Bridge went fine, though it was a little warm. Fortunately, the clouds came over at that point and that made it easier. The third quarter of the race I always find hard. There is a 4m stretch of tough undulations on the way to Bowness. These took a toll on me and it slowed my pace. I got back in 4hr 39min, my slowest time there, but I know I am not in the best shape at the moment, probably too many races. I had a bottle of specially brewed ten in ten beer at the end, the nearest I will come to doing that event !

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/x2ymksitT9t28Vo87

2011 blog : Lisrun: Brathay Windermere marathon 2011

Marathon of the North 2012

Well this weekend could not have been much better  

Saturday: We were up early to go back to Middlesbrough Albert Park parkrun where my parkrunning began. It was my 17th run there and it was great to be back on what is still the fastest NE parkrun course that I have done. We took it easy, but speeded up a bit towards the end  Afterwards we had coffee and a toastie in the cafe in the visitor centre 

Sunday: Sunderland marathon. Up ever earlier and met up with lots of clubmates who were doing this event or the 10K. I think there were 17 clubmates doing the marathon and about another 10 doing the 10K. Our club captain, alisterrobson, was leading a 10 and half minute mile pacing group for several club members who were doing their first marathon. I had thought of going a little quicker, but as I wasn't feeling too sharp, I thought I would tag along and enjoy their company. It was great, the course has many sections where you see the runners ahead of you and we were cheering on other runners we know and especially other clubmates.

We stuck together until about 15m when we lost one runner off the back and about a mile later two runners went off the front. Then without really noticing me and G went off the front. We were going a little faster, but not much. At 18m we went past the Stadium of Light (start and finish) and it was hard seeing other runners finish as we had another 8m to go ! The weather was much warmer than forecast and I was slightly overdressed which didn't help. Soon after 18m G dropped behind and I was on my own on the way out to the coast. When I got there I realised that I was coming back the same way but that the back leg would have some hills and be into the wind, so I tried to go as fast as I could (given this was about 22m in !) on the outward leg. The return leg along the coast was tough, but I kept going resisting the temptation to walk. My splits did go over 11 for a couple of miles here, but the rest has been in the 10s, so I was very happy to finish in 4h 36min, pretty much 10 and half minute pace overall.

The route had more hills than I expected and it was warmer than forecast, but there few organisational difficulties for a new event. The support from clubmates and Fetchies out on the course was just great 

Monday: Tees Barrage 10K. I like this race, it is a flat scenic route along the river Tees, the only hills being the bridges you have to cross. I hadn't really intended to enter, but there was a mixup (see MelanieLH's blog) and I was in, so I thought I would take it very gently. I started this race slowly as my legs felt very heavy, but after about 1K they felt fine and we were able to speed up. We finished in 53min 21sec. Not quite the gentle run we had planned. It was great to see Muddyidiot and Lisa_T again, I haven't seen them for ages.

MelanieLH ran the parkrun and the Tees barrage with me and also the 10K at Sunderland. It is the first time she has run three days in a row and she did fantastic, it is easy to forget that she was having daily radiotherapy just over two months ago

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/jQ3tngTHmFSX1vwQ6

Bath Beat 2012

Last summer I decided it might be a good idea to contact an old schoolfriend. Through the wonders of Facebook, I found him and and we exchanged a few messages and he invited me down to Bath, where he now lives (we had been at school in St Albans). That sounded a good idea, but just a little scary. I hadn't been in contact with him for forty one years, would we still get on ? Would we still have things in common ??

I thought it might be a good idea to combine the visit with a race and looked around for a marathon in Bath and I found what sounded a lovely Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) event, the Bath Beat. So last Friday I headed down to Bath by train. I had visited the city previously for work reasons but never had the time to look around. I decided to do the tourist thing and go on open topped bus tour - my friend was not getting home until 6 so I had a bit of time to kill. The tour was good and also took me past the start of the race so it was enjoyable and useful.

Then to meet my friend.... I needn't have worried, we got on just as well as we did forty one years ago. We each reminded each other of events that had receded deep into our memories. When the other one of us mentioned them the memory popped up in the other. A very enjoyable evening.

The race itself was typical LDWA. Start anytime between 7.30 and 9.30 and they recorded your time as you left. I left on my own at about 8.40. No flags or signs on the route, just a route description and a gpx track which I had downloaded to my Garmin. I would have liked to have just followed that, but I had to use the route description as well because some of the checkpoints were unmanned and unmarked out there on the ground, so you had to be aware of where you were on the route description so that you could identify the checkpoint. How did they know you had visited the checkpoint ? Well you had to answer questions about it - for example, what is the number on the lampost, who is the bench dedicated to?

Lots of friendly walkers to pass on this event, but you couldn't rely on following them as there were four different distances and the routes were diverging and merging. If you have been to Bath, you will know its hilly and this route certainly covered some hills, even the fastest runner took over 4 hours to complete the course. We passed through some lovely countryside, attractive villages and very well stocked checkpoints, a great selection of food.

My legs weren't in the best shape after the Hull marathon six days earlier, so I took it easy, walking up anything that was going upwards. About three miles from the end I realised I could possibly get under 6 hours and I had over thirty minutes to do it in. Just keep plodding along and I would do it. However, there was a long killer hill near the end and that put paid to sub 6. A very enjoyable run :-)

I was planning to get the bus back into Bath but one of the organisers very kindly gave me a lift back Very impressed with that !

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/F5MSZXDcQiGvr2m27

Hull marathon 2012

Melanie and I travelled down on the Saturday as the race started at 8 and we certainly did not fancy getting up very early on Sunday morning, driving down and registering. There was a four hour window to collect numbers between 10 and 2 on Saturday, which wasn't the best times they could have chosen. This was the first running of this event and there were bound to be teething problems, but there did seem to be a lot. The route was hard to follow on the maps on the website, there was confusion about the start time, they used the wrong postcode for the start in one email, the leading runners were apparently directed the wrong way and ended up 3 miles short and one Fetchie missed out a four mile loop and no marshall spotted it ! The organisers need to polish things quite a bit of they are going to do it again. Having said all that, I enjoyed the race as those issues didn't affect my race. 

After collecting my number (and bumping into TripletDad who went on to run a great pb the following day 😀 we went for lunch in the Ferens gallery and looked around and then went on a museum tour. I lived in Hull for four years and have a lot of affection for the place, but it is thirty two years since I left and there were some bits I just didn't recognise. There lots of new bits for me such as the marina, the Deep and the promenade along the estuary (more of this later).

We were staying at the city Centre Premier Inn which was built on top of car park, so reception and the restaurant were on floor 7 with a view of the estuary and the tidal barrier on the river Hull 😀 Our room was on floor 12 and faced the same way 😀 So we ate in the restaurant and enjoyed the views. They also started breakfast early at 6.30 because of the marathon 😀

After breakfast, where I bumped into Plodding Hippo (it was the sort of event which attracted lots of familiar faces 😀) we went to the start and met up with my clubmate Andy80 and to our surprise another one, Y arrived and it was his first marathon. I think he only got the number at short notice, but Y seems to be able to adapt to most events and put in a great performance for a first marathon 😀 It turns out he has never run more than 14m before, amazing.

I started nearer the from than I would have liked so I hung back a bit and took it nice and easy. After a loop we returned to the start where I stopped next to M to get my base layer off and put back on my long sleeved Fetch shirt. I had thought it would be colder than it was, but I was already warming up and I knew I would not be seeing M again until about 20m.

After a fairly dull section on a road out of the city we turned to do a loop of the KC stadium grounds and I could see I was catching Y and it turned out he was sticking with the 4hr 30min pacer. I didn't have any ambitions for this race, though under 4ht 30min would be great outcome for me. So I decided to stick the pacer as well. It worked fantastically and there was a group of of about nine of us who stayed with him until about 18m. Then Y disappeared ahead into the distance, I stuck with him and everbody else had dropped off the back. It was great to let somebody else be in charge and to run in a group, not to surge ahead as I was tempted to. I kept a check on progress and it was good.

In the meantime, we had a bit of climb up the road leading to the road leading to the Humber Bridge and then onto the Bridge itself. It was pretty misty, we could hardly see the other side and the bridge is certainly not flat ! We reached the other side and returned on the other walkway. The pacer was keeping a steady pas as far as I could see, no change on the uphills or downhills. I realised before the start that I had left my S-caps at home so I was going to have to rely on shot blocks and I decided a disciplined approach was in order, one every twenty minutes after forty minutes. Again this worked well. In the first few miles my calves felt tight and I was concerned that they might tweak as they had done at the end of Kielder two weeks ago, but I got through with no problems.

We went into Pearson Park and did a loop there. This was almost offroad and was a welcome relief. Then came the worst bit a seemingly endless loop through an industrial estate. Finally we made it to the attractive marina at about 20m where M was waiting and it was great to see her and know there was not far to go. 

Soon after that to my surprise the pacer ripped off his pacer badge on his back and seemed to stop. I guess he must have developed an injury, but it was a bit of surprise and I had to wake up and take responsibility for my own time. First thought was, well I have run this far at the correct pace, I am not going to let it slip now, so determination drove me on.

At about this point we had a long out and back section along the estuary promenade. It was great to see other runners and some familiar faces coming back the other way. It didn't take me long to realise that they were suffering because they had wind in their faces.... So I needed to make all I could of the wind behind me before coming to the turning point. I had a lovely surprise when I got there. I heard shouts of Come on Fetchie long before I got there and the marshall turned out to be SodIron ! It was great to exchange a few words before heading back into the wind.

We finally turned off the promenade and headed back into the sheltered streets of the town. I tried to avoid looking at the distance on my Garmin and when we were running on a parallel street to the finish, I thought we might nearly be there. Sadly not, there was a loop to be done before we finally reached the finish. I came home in 4hr 24min 41sec and I was very happy with that 😀

Would I do it again ? Not sure yet, its too early to say

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/B5U4bEXnMyeCdudz5

Kielder Lakeside Way marathon 2012

My sixth time round Kielder and my third time at this low key and free marathon for members of the North East Marathon Club (membership is just £8 !). Thirty runners including five Striders - Will, John Hutchinson, Angela, Sue and me. I was also my first handicap marathon, which I was looking forward to. We had to predict our time in 15 minute intervals and we would be set off with the aim of all of us finishing at 3pm.

Melanie and I drove up on the morning to get to my scheduled start at 10. The mist was very thick in places and it didn't look like we were going to be able to see very much when running. However, the mist lifted about two miles from the dam and it was clear that this would be a hot day.

Melanie was going to cycle round the Lakeside Way in the opposite direction to the runners and take some pictures, so we unloaded the bike and got ourselves ready. There were four other runners starting at 10 and some of them I knew were a lot quicker than me. Three of them shot off and the fourth one, Tim, and I stuck together and chatted for fourteen miles. It certainly made those miles easier, but I probably ran them slightly faster than I should have done

After 30 minutes I started to walk the hills and there are lots of them at Kielder. After 14m I met Melanie coming the other way, she had stopped to take photos in many places and so was a bit behind her schedule. Tim ran on while I chatted to Melanie for a bit.

I almost caught Tim when he was running with Angela and Sue, but then he and Angela disappeared into the distance and Angela put in her now customary storming finish to a long run.

It was getting very warm and I was starting to struggle. I got to 19m and then I was really struggling, lots of walking breaks. Plodded on overtaking the odd runner or so and being overtaken by others as the handicap started to unwind. A couple of calf spasms were a bit worrying. I perked up a bit in the final mile and made it home in 4hr 54min. Before the start I said I would be happy with sub 5 and I was, but it should not have been that hard. It is all down to my lack of training, but hopefully this will make Hull in two weeks a bit easier.

John estimated it would take him 4hr 15min and he came in with 4hr 14min, so excellent pacing in the heat. Sue came in shortly afterwards in a great time on this course. Will was in the last group to start and was starting to slow down, so he pulled out at 17m to preserve his legs for a higher profile race coming up soon.

It is a beautiful but hilly route, almost all on very good, purpose built trail. Road shoes are fine on this surface. A meal in the pub and chats with other runners before we made our way

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/wnbo7vhT7YauBiYE9

Belvoir Challenge 26m 2012

It has been a while, the middle of November was the last time I did a long race. My training since then has been poor, just one long run and that was 15m, so not great preparation for a marathon. I felt that I had to rely on my legs remembering that they had carried me round lots of marathons/ultras last year.

I have done the Belvoir Challenge twice before. In 2009 the ground was firm, but in 2010 it was a mudfest, so I wasn't sure how it would be this year (it turned out to be very firm). I like the event because of the great atmosphere, the route seems to change significantly each year and the checkpoints are usually laden with food. It is also well marked so I didn't use the map for navigation

I drove down to Grantham on Friday night after a very busy week and I was up at seven getting ready. Even so I had to park a fair way from the Race HQ in Harby village. It was good to catch up with about half a dozen runners from fetcheveryone.com who I haven't seen for a while.

I started very slowly on a flat and new section for me up to Granby. At about 10m the shorter route headed back and the 26m runners headed up towards Belvoir Castle. Down to the second checkpoint which I had visited in previous years and then the first big climb out of there. It was quite a warm day and I had overestimated how many clothes I should wear, so I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. The third checkpoint was also familiar and then the slog to the fourth one started. I had done this section before and remembered it well. Parts of it are okay, but it is dull in places. It ends with a big climb up to the village containing the fourth and final checkpoint. It was going to be 8m from there to the finish, so I took on lots of drink and selected from the usual flapjack, scones, brownies, and sandwiches

My legs were now feeling very heavy and the last 8m contained some climbs. It also contained the rusty ladder which goes down a particularly steep bit and then a new very steep descent. Luckily it was only short. There were lots of stiles to climb over in the last 16m, somebody counted thirty and I can well believe that. There was also the odd locked gate and fence to scale.

We got to the top of the Belvoir Escarpment to be greeted by a lovely view across the Vale of Belvoir and Harby, and the finish. However, it had got a bit windy so going across the top was getting harder. The descent was lovely but there was hardly anything left in my legs, my lack of recent long distances was now revealing itself.

I was very pleased to finish, 5hr 23min, and have the free soup and fruit pudding with custard. Then the long drive home and on to the Striders Christmas party which was a great success !

2009 blog : Lisrun: Belvoir Challenge 26m 2009

2010 blog : Lisrun: Belvoir Challenge 2010

Rosedale Ultra 30m 2011

I was up at 4.30, had breakfast and headed off in the dark to Hetton-le-Hole. I got there in plenty of time (I could have slept longer !) and registered. I only knew one other runner to talk to, but there were about three or four familiar faces. There were three distances available 40m, 30m and 13m setting off at half hour intervals. My start was at 8.00 and the mist had not burned off so we set off over the moor with about 75 yards visibility. We hit a small road and followed that to the top of Chimney Bank above Rosedale. There we turned north along the old railway line. Although we were gently climbing all the way, I felt good and it all seemed to be going well. The first checkpoint was at 7m and they only had water as advertised. The sun then came out for a short while and we could see down onto the mist in the valley. Then we were suddenly back in the mist with visibility down to 50 yards and it started to get chilly. We followed the railway line all the way round the head of the valley, but at times the line was just a bog so we ran alongside or up embankments. We came down one of these and it was a bit muddy. I was running in my Hoka's and I had suspected they weren't good in very wet mud. This was confirmed as my feet went from under me and I landed in the mud Three more falls were to come.

After a while we pulled up a large hill, crossed a road and then turned a sharp right into a very tough 2.5m section, which felt much much longer. It was basically a bog initially, then it turned into a mud bath. You would put your foot down and have very little idea how far it would go in - sometimes it would be up my calf, a couple of times it was over my knee. I know I had the wrong shoes on, but even my mudclaws wouldn't have coped with that, however they would have given me more confidence. I was so pleased when that bit was over and the second checkpoint at the end of it was well stocked with food and tea - sadly the remaining ones were just people in cars and large cartons of water on the verge.

We went into Dalby Forest where we were on good trails most of the time. While there some faster runners on the 30m route came by. They had apparently made a major navigational error and added 7m. Out of the forest and back to the moors before the major climb out of Rosedale and up Chimney Bank via a muddy trail. Then it was a lovely run down to Lastingham and then 2m back to Hetton-le-Hole, where a meal was provided. There were 26 runners doing the 30m race and I asked what position I was in when I came in. I had been passing runners, but I was astonished that I was 8th in a time of 6hr 38min What had happened was that a large number of the faster runners had added 7m to their run, which had promoted me way beyond my usual position. A tough run, but an enjoyable one and it will be my last marathon/ultra for 2011.