New girl on the block!

I totally forgot that after my weekend away I wouldn't be at Monday's club night due to having bought tickets to go to Immanuel College's Summer Concert.  With Marc drumming in the band I could hardly contain myself.  Each and every performance I watch him in fills me with pride.  I can't imagine what I'll be like when he eventually does hit the big time!! I'd hazard a guess at a Justin Bieber groupie or something, well he does have a similar hair style!


Back to it on Wednesday I felt like the new girl in school.   It felt like I had been away for months! I soon got back into my stride though and after conducting the warm up for the group we set off into the wild and wonderful woodland around Apperley Bridge heading towards Calverley.

 I opted for the shortest of the three distances options of 6.5, 8 or 11 miles, having not run for a while I thought I better ease back in gently! It is so much nicer though being able to take in the surroundings of an off road run as opposed to careering round the woodland of the YVAA or Peco races. Having no sense of direction when we are running on the roads - I'm even worse when it's off-road.  Thankfully the fact that we meet at key points means no getting lost.  After about the third occasion though I heard someone say we would meet next at Shell Lane, a while later we happened upon a right turn, none of the group I was with knew whether we were supposed to take the turn or not, it didn't have a sign saying what road it was so we opted to carry straight ahead.  Meeting a car on the narrow road we stepped aside to let it pass and the gentleman spoke to us, we asked if he had seen any runners, he said he hadn't so we decided to turn around and take the right turn.  Some minutes later we came upon the group and to my surprise we were in the village of Calverley! Back in familiar surroundings we crossed the busy main road and went back into the woodland to make our way back down to Apperley Bridge.  What an uplifting return it had been and I'm now looking forward to tonight's run which is the route of a popular local race, Idle Trail Race which takes place in a few weeks time.  Despite having run the race two or three times before I don't have much of a clue as to all of the the route so it will be good to take it all in slowly and maybe pick up one or two tips for race day!

Headlong into F50

It's been a really busy week but I managed to get across to Greetland for the Helen Windsor 10k.  My first run since the Three Peaks Challenge.  I felt rested and my aches and pains had subsided, or so I thought. The race got under way and I felt ok although it was very hot.  Marc who is now stepping up to a few longer distances since entering the Great North Run was also running, he was though, full of cold and after the first lap I caught up with him, I immediately knew something must be wrong otherwise he would have been way ahead of me.  He explained he was having trouble breathing and felt awful so he said he was going to give up and I directed him back to the start area and carried on down the hill. It's not an easy decision and one that thankfully I haven't yet had to make.  It soon became clear that I had not recovered sufficiently from our mammoth walk as my glutes screamed out and continued to do so with each downhill stretch. I was pleased to finish several minutes quicker than last year but was relieved when it was all over. It's amazing how different areas/muscles ache after walking as opposed to running.

I've now completed my first race in the F50 category following my birthday on Saturday 7th July - but I'm not making any comparisons to previous 10k's since it took place the morning after the night before, 60 friends and family joined me for a birthday meal at the Blue Sky cantonese restaurant where I had a ball, I think the restaurant owners are still in shock but I have to say they looked after us very well!  I had agreed with Kim, daughter-in-law of our dear late friend Arthur, that I would take his Jane Tomlinson, Leeds 10k number since she had entered him and herself months before he suddenly passed away, not realising at the time that it was the day after my birthday.  I hope he would have been proud as I (and club mate Lisa) accompanied fellow club member Vanessa around her first ever 10k race, since he was all about encouraging and inspiring people to run I'm sure he would have been. It was, after all, just what I needed when Lisa suggested at my birthday meal that we run together as she had already arranged to run with Vanessa.  We had a lovely run and just ahead of us was Kim and returning to running following her fall some months ago was Gill.  Liz, Derek and Mick completed the Eccleshill line up.  It was a lovely sunny day and I couldn't help thinking Arthur had arranged it again - we thought the same at the John Carr and parkrun tribute runs we did.

Monday's speed and hills was the Co-op pyramid and I'm pleased to say I completed it with gusto - finally recovered from the epic climbs and descents. I intend to make fully sure as I inadvertently have quite a few days rest from running due to the continuation of celebrations - first for our wedding anniversary and then a weekend away in Whitby for a friend's hen do.

Back soon........

Challenging Peaks

Ever since the idea was fielded at one of our monthly Committee meetings I've been excited at the prospect of taking on the Three Peaks Challenge.  Not one for hiking and walking the nearest I've come to walking such is a distance is the yearly British Heart Foundation Skipton to Leeds canal walk which Martin and I did several years in succession with differing family members from adults to our own children, Martin even completed it one year with our then youngest, Tom aged 9 months in a papoose baby carrier on his back, the two younger ones walking beside us! We didn't put them off too much as Tom, Marc, Craig and his partner Becky accompanied us on the final one we did which I think was at least 5 or 6 years ago, before our annual event became the Great North Run.

Taking on the challenge on Sunday 1st July 2012 were Alison, Kerrie, Gillian, Janice, Tricia, Neil, Taylor, Robert, Dan, Brian, Paul, Martin, Marc & Myself along with two chaps from Hughes and Julie (Alison's colleague and friend)

Arrival at Horton-in-Ribblesdale in the rain!

So the Three Peaks.... I read up about it on the internet, got tips off various people of what to do, what to wear, what to carry with us, but nothing, but nothing could prepare us for what was in store.  We met fellow Eccleshill 'runners' at Morrisons and set off to meet our guides (two chaps who work with Alison at their Hughes Family Bakery) at Macdonalds in Keighley.   Off we set to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire.  As we neared the village the weather gradually got worse, by now it was teaming it down with rain, parking up our cars we walked to a small cafe where walkers can 'clock in' just like turning up for work! You clock out again on your return and this gives you your total time for the challenge. We were advised that we were going to walk the peaks the opposite way round to the 'normal' way due to the amount of rain which had fallen. Off we set to Pen-y-Ghent, shrouded in mist we could only see the very base of it.  It was a fairly tough but steady climb up, but in what seemed no time at all we were at the summit.  A brief pause in readiness for the descent and we were off, going down was made all the more tricky with gusting wind and driving rain, a little spoilt really as it made it necessary for me to pull my hood over my face as a shield.  Once down though, the first part of the challenge completed, it was a great feeling! Marred though by the words of my brother-in-law Neil 'I'm dropping out', and the reason became apparent, he was holding the sole of one of his boots in his hand! Blood was dripping from his fingers, he'd fallen several times. My Sister-in-law (Neil's wife) Tricia appeared behind us with one of the guides and upon learning of Neil's mishap she promptly agreed to retire with him.

Whernside was to be the next challenge, to reach it though we had a long trek to Ribblehead, to our surprise Tricia and Neil were there in the car, they'd decided to see if they could catch us and give Taylor Neil's jacket which was more substantial than the one he was wearing, after much deliberation we decided to attempt to reach the start by going over the moors rather than add two miles to the journey by going round following the railway line.  Once again most of us were totally oblivious to what was in store despite being warned that it would be boggy.  As we negotiated the treacherous terrain it felt like we were in a wilderness, no idea where we were going to end up, along the way people lost their shoes, got their walking poles stuck in bogs, screeched as they sunk, it was fabulous! Such an adventure. We finally arrived at the start of the upward climb and the weather turned windy and raining again, the weather, the terrain and our surrounding changed so quickly it was difficult to take it all in.  This was the point where we seemed to get separated into small groups, some into singles as it turned out, the climb became steeper and steeper and the weather got worse and worse,  I can only liken it to what I imagine it would be like being in the abyss, we couldn't see anything around us, we were now above the mist. It was very surreal. I ended up being with Janice, we arrived at the summit to see a young couple sheltering, they informed us we were at the top and a group of chaps had gone on straight forward so we decided to take our chances and carry on, by now the wind was bitter and we didn't want to stand around getting cold, so off we went. The descent was rather precarious at times, almost vertical and I wondered more than once if I was going to be blown off the side and end up rolling down and landing in a heap at the bottom, I tried not to dwell on that though!  By now my legs were very tired and aching and I did start to wonder whether I was going to be able to take on the final peak, Ingleborough.  Janice and I found our way to a small cafe the guides had told us about which promised a toilet and a warm drink.  Relief wasn't the word.  Rob, Dan, Paul and Brian were already there, we had a lovely cup of coffee and a sit down in the basic facilities which were actually a caravan at the side of a barn which housed a few tables and the very welcome toilet! Soon after the others started to arrive, once we were all refreshed and ready for off we began our journey to Ingleborough.

The weather had brightened up and we had a very pleasant walk over green fields to the base of the 'hill'. Although attempts had been made at making steps up, it looked vertical! I squealed with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. We started the climb, Janice was way out in front and in no time at all she looked like a small ant in front of us, to our surprise the weather didn't deteriorate this time and we were able to periodically stop, turn round and admire the views, it was absolutely magnificent.  I felt alive, it was breathtaking! We carried on climbing until finally we reached the summit, touched the famous stone structure which marks the spot, took photos, stood a while to admire the sprinkling of fell runners and began our descent. It was a much easier descent than the other two had been apart from a section of limestone groupings which were tough on the feet but it turned out to be a very long journey back to the village where we found the cafe closed so we were unable to clock back in.  They had however, left a sign in the window instructing us to complete a form with the time we finished, our names and email addresses so we are waiting for them to get in touch now, and hoping they allow us to purchase memorabilia to mark our achievements.

on the way up Ingleborough

We did it!

I feel proud of each and every one of us for taking on and completing the challenge and even more so of the two youngsters Marc and Taylor. The icing on the proverbial cake is that I can say 'I did it before I'm 50'! Marc did turn to me at one point and say 'what a way to spend your last weekend of being this side of 50' but actually I can't think of a better way! Tricia and Neil I'm sure will take it on again and this time succeed...... It just has to be done!

Torch excitement

The inclement weather got in the way of our run on Friday as gusts of wind blew the heavy rain down hard.  An off road route was on the cards but I knew even if anyone other than me was daft enough to turn up we wouldn't be able to follow it.  Helen - our leader for the evening - was already down at Rawdon Meadows when I arrived.  Having just returned from the hot climes of Cyprus I felt for her - at least we haven't had much different weather since she had been away.  One other hardy soul turned up but by this time Helen and I had agreed if no one else turned up we would be going back home.  As Mark insisted he was going to run, saying he had 'bypassed the sofa' to get himself out and been changed and ready since 5pm he was going to run at all costs! Not surprisingly no one else did turn up so we bade Mark farewell and went back home.

The nearest I got to a torchbearer!

City Park

I can't let the subject of the Olympic torch relay pass me by without a mention.  I have to say I got rather excited about the prospect of seeing the torch being brought into Bradford yesterday and I don't mind admitting I've fantasised what it must be like to be given the opportunity to carry it.  Arriving down in Centenary Square where we had ascertained would be the best place to go - lots going on and all that, not - it was absolutely overflowing with people, not a chance of getting near any of the barriers to see anything. I did manage to stand on the far edge of the newly installed 'City Park' which was about four or five people deep all the way round, and see the first torchbearer run down by the side of City Hall and around the edge of City Park and perform the 'kiss', the lighting of one torch with the other for the swap over (alas the torches were all I could see), even though my view was extremely limited it was still a very proud moment and one I can say 'I was there' to my grandchildren - the two eldest of which I offered to take with us but they refused - I'm sure they'll understand  better when they are older.

The week ahead promises to be another busy one.  Kicking off with those pesky blood tests, I hope they don't test for alcohol as I consumed my fair share watching England crash out of Euro 2012. Fitness First pyramid is the club's speed and hills session for tonight which should stand us in good stead for the next YVAA race at Meanwood tomorrow, another hilly one I'm told.  Hopefully the weather will be kinder to us for the next few days and allow us to carry out our training and racing a little drier at least!

PB Surprise!

working hard at the Otley 10 mile

Arriving in the lovely village of Otley for the annual 10 mile race I felt slightly apprehensive.  I hadn't looked at my previous 10 mile race times but, as you do, had an idea of what my pb was.  The evening was a little drizzly and very overcast, perfect for running really.  I got my number, pinned it on and off for a last toilet stop and a warm up.  I met expectant mum and club mate Sophie and Lisa coming into the registration area, I was really pleased to see them.  It's always a boost when you know people are out and about supporting a race.  It turned out there were just four Eccleshill runners in the race, not surprising really since the Pudsey vets had taken place just the evening before.  Assembled in the start area, off went the funny sounding klaxon and off we set.  A flat just over 4 miles gives runners a chance to get into their pace before the climbing begins and then the climbs are offset by the immense downhills allowing runners such as me, to make up valuable time they almost certainly lose on the uphills! Not until next day though did I realise I had done much better than I could have imagined.  Having the run the hilly vets race the previous evening I thought it would almost certainly be a disadvantage. The times came out and I logged onto Fetcheveryone.com to compare times.  I was under the impression that Otley 2011 was my pb 10 mile race when in fact it was Guy Fawkes 10 mile and I had in fact taken four minutes off my previous Otley time and nearly 2 minutes off my previous pb, I was extremely pleased.

Resting on Thursday I then went to club as usual on Friday.  A hilly run up towards Leeds/Bradford airport was on the menu.  Just what is it with hills this week?  Despite the pouring rain I enjoyed the run with club mates. Undeterred by even more rain on Saturday morning I went to Bradford parkrun (spurred on by the fact I had some pictures to deliver to a regular parkrunner if I'm honest!). I'll just jog round was my thought.  Off we set charging towards Cartwright Hall. I felt quite good after the first lap and Linda's (parkrun director) dad caught me up and chatted.  Off he went, off I went.  It turned into bit of a game of cat and mouse, he'd be in front, I'd overtake him, he'd overtake me and so on.  I knew he must be taking it easy as he is much faster than me normally and eventually he finished about three people ahead of me but I knew I must have done at least a little better than my previous Bradford parkrun times.  Off I went home to shower and look forward to lunch with the girlies at Don't Tell Titus in Saltaire.  Whilst lunching I got the text from parkrun with my time 26:31 and 2nd lady in my category to boot! Turned out I was 1 minute 38 seconds faster than my previous Bradford time and only 2 seconds outside my all time 5k pb so I was elated once again!

I'm hoping that my current spate of good running lasts since it's only a couple of months ago I felt I was going 'downhill' though not literally it actually felt like an uphill struggle, I had a distinct lack of energy on encountering even the smallest of inclines. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong or explain how I felt but then I had an unpleasant scare with nearly passing out and feeling really ill whilst watching Marc play football one Sunday and this prompted me (at least my husband did) to visit my GP.  Following lots of tests they discovered I was severely anaemic and calcium deficient.  Since taking regular iron and calcium tablets I started to feel much better and in particular in my running. It just goes to show that we can sometimes overlook things, I genuinely thought it was a natural progression I am getting to another big birthday number in a few weeks and so I thought it was only to be expected. Hopefully when I go for further tests in a couple of weeks they will show a marked improvement and prevent even further tests.

Now I'm looking forward to my monthly sports massage with Peter May tomorrow which is a week late due to putting it off for a race to help keep my legs in tip top condition in readiness for the next bout of racing!

Mud glorious mud!

The football match on Sunday totally turned into a fun affair, the weather was absolutely glorious and just put the icing on the cake.  For the last few years that we've joined in the fun with Marc's football team we've had pouring rain, someone was looking down on our last encounter and was kind to us! Although for the first time I was on the losing team for the ladies match I did manage to score 8 goals - still ran round like a headless chicken but hey, it was such fun! The Dad's didn't fair any better than in previous years losing 3 - 1 to their much younger rivals, keeping up the tradition of' talking the talk' but not 'walking the walk'!

Having being kicked in the shin by the opposing goal keeper and suffering the worst case of DOMS I went to club on Monday with low expectations.  Peel Park fartleks was on the agenda but I knew I wouldn't be playing with much speed! After the jog down to the park I managed four laps of the park and the jog back to Pulse Gym which was above and beyond all my expectations and I actually felt much better and had less aches and pains afterwards. Woe is me and the pain in my quads was back with a vengeance on Tuesday morning.  The next scheduled race in the YVAA series that evening at Pudsey didn't seem appealing at all. After all Pudsey = hills everyone knows that! The previous days of rain left the course resembling a mud wrestling venue, I probably would have fared better at that activity! However, I actually enjoyed the race, managed to stay on my feet and come in first of our ladies and I'm still puzzling how you can go into a run aching like mad and not feel a thing when you actually run? Answers on a postcard please.

Otley 10 mile race entry tonight seems like a suicidal decision.........

Flasks, first & football

After running four out of five days last week, two club runs and two races, I was really looking forward to the long Bank Holiday weekend. I even gave parkrun a miss! The YVAA race at Bingley on Tuesday had been a particularly tough one but was made so much better with the pie and peas in the club house afterwards.  So tough was it that we had to go looking for a friend from another club who we normally stick around and cheer in. It was nearly 9pm by the time we got back over to discover whether there was indeed, anything left.  To my delight there was! It also meant we didn't have to rush home and start rummaging around for something quick to pacify our hunger at going on for10pm as we had done the previous week following the YVAA Kirkstall race. The Apperley Bridge Canter on Thursday was much more enjoyable, and although quite a lot off road and a little muddy in places after the afternoon's rain, about half way it turns into a pleasant downhill to the canal and then flat all the way back to race HQ before battling it out around the school field to the finish. I felt exhilarated afterwards and although I still class myself as a plodder I was elated to take nearly 3 minutes off last year's time (thanks to club mate Lindsey for pacing me from half way) and being rewarded with a 'cup come flask' embellished with the race name on was the icing on the cake.  I'm easily pleased and love it when race organisers step outside the box and provide something a little different to a tee shirt as a memento.

Talking of tee shirts I decided to spend some of the Bank Holiday de-cluttering parts of our house - I wouldn't say I'm a hoarder - more of a sentimentalist! Hanging onto personal possessions belonging to my late mother who passed away 12 years ago has been something I've tried to deal with on several occasions and failed miserably.  This time was going to be different I told myself and after a few tears I managed to part with quite a lot of things I really needed to let go of.  Unrelated to my mother's things though I also made a decision to recycle a lot of my running tee shirts, another difficult task as we quite often look at them and relive the race we earned them from, some have happy memories, some we are far more willing to forget.  Anyway all in all I parted with over forty of them! I now have a much more light and airy bedroom - not yet totally clutter free but it's getting there. Like many things in life I've taken the first steps and so I will continue.  I recount the story of joining Eccleshill many times - how I visited the club's website  many times, even completing the 'contact' form on more than one occasion but never actually having the guts to press 'send'.  Not until I spotted an advert in my local paper for a new family group did I encourage my youngest son Marc to accompany me and we made the first tentative steps to joining a running club and we haven't looked back, that was nearly 5 years ago, Marc was just 12 and is now 'coming of age' and stepping up to his first half marathon this year. After years of taking part in the Junior Great North run he's going to be standing on the start line of the worlds biggest mass participation half marathon on 16th September - a day he'll never forget I'm sure!

My first ever 'First'

This week culminated in a member meeting taking the place of our usual Friday club run.  Giving members a chance to air their views on training issues, how the club is run etc and the all important  presentation of the 2011/12 Winter championship trophies. At last I've got my hands on the First place trophy!

Alas, it's another busy week ahead with the next race in the YVAA series on Tuesday at Pudsey and the Otley 10 mile on Wednesday I'm looking forward to another couple of tough challenges! Before all that though we have some cross training in the form of a football match tomorrow. Marc has played his last season with the team he's played for for a number of years, Undercliffe Celtic, so this year will be our last annual Lads v Dad's match and Ladies match.  The dad's have yet to beat the lads but maybe this will be their year, who knows?! Us Mum's provide the entertainment as we run around the pitch like headless chickens without the slightest clue about 'corners', 'free kicks' or 'throw ins'!! It's all in good fun!