Humber Bridge Half Marathon 2014

I have fond memories of this race as it was the first half marathon that I ever ran back in 2008 (1hr 39mins).  I also ran it again in 2009 (1hr 33mins).  It's a local race and also an unusual course, taking you over the Humber Bridge not one but twice.  The Humber Bridge is 1.37 Miles long and is the 7th longest suspension bridge in the world.

The course is tough as there are a few big uphill sections, the biggest one being a 1 mile climb at mile 8 known as 'Cardiac Hill'.  The second crossing of the Humber Bridge is also a long gradual climb, made tougher as it's situated just after finishing 'Cardiac Hill' and at the end of the race when your legs are pretty spent.  

Zoe was supposed to be running this one too but she was injured and had to just come to support me.  I had only just come back from injury myself after missing 4 weeks of running.  Therefore, my plan was to just get a solid 13 mile run under my belt and enjoy the race. 

The weather was cold and wet, so we took shelter under some trees by the start line as it was pouring with rain.  I was quite pleased it was raining as the weather was very hot and sunny on the two previous occasions that I ran this race.

It was good to get under way and even though I was wearing my Garmin, I decided not to look at it during the race.  I wanted to relax and just run on how I felt.  I also decided not to go out too fast as I knew that the big climbs came towards the end of the race.  I wanted to feel strong in the second half of the race, not slow down and struggle. Basically the pressure was off and I soon found a good pace and settled in.  

As I was just cruising, I was able to really take in the views as we crossed the Humber Bridge.  The rain eased off and I was really enjoying myself!  I began to slowly pick up the pace as we crossed the half way marker. My legs felt good and we were closing down on the infamous 'Cardiac Hill'.  As I started the climb, I gritted my teeth and attacked.  There is nothing more motivating than passing other runners and I was leaving them in my wake as I cruised up the hill.  I was pleasantly surprised how easy it felt as I soon reached the top.  Now the push for home.

The second crossing of the Humber Bridge, from Barton Upon Humber over to Hessle, is mainly uphill and once again I was feeling strong and passing lots of other runners.  Once across the bridge, it was just a few twists and turns to the finish line.  Zoe cheered me on as I passed her at the finish and I crossed the line in 1hr 40mins.  I felt pretty pleased to have run a decent time on a tough course, considering I was not pushing and felt relaxed and comfortable during the race.  Mission accomplished!

Hull 10k 2014

The Hull 10k is part of the Jane Tomlinson's Run For All race series.  The race is run around the city centre streets and takes in some landmark buildings as well as vistas across the waterfront. The race attracted over 5000 runners including Zoe and myself. We are always keen to do local races and both wanted to run a few more shorter races this year.

My race preparation was far from ideal.  After suffering a calf injury during the North Lincolnshire Half Marathon, I had only managed a couple of runs in the four weeks leading up to the race.  I had to resort to spinning classes twice a week in order to keep up my fitness levels. 

The race began at 9.30am but the sun was already beating down on us as we waited on the start.  We were glad it was only a 10k race as it was going to be a hot one. Due to my lack of training, we decided to run our own races as Zoe had been much faster than me in the couple of runs that I had managed in the week leading up to the race.

The race was soon underway and we were winding our way through the city streets.  I had no idea what pace to run at, having missed so much training.  So I decided to run on how I felt.  The first two miles went by at 6min 30sec/mile pace and it felt OK.  I was keeping up with Zoe and she was running well.  However, I decided to slow my pace after 3 miles as my legs were not happy at all. The lack of training was starting to tell.  I wasn't surprised and dug in for the second half of the race.  

Zoe was flying and feeling confident of a good time, maybe a PB.  I was now feeling it and trying to maintain a decent pace but slowing mile on mile.  Suddenly I saw Zoe ahead of me walking and then trying to stretch out her calf.  As I approached, I decided to stop and make sure she was OK. However, she started running again just before I reached her.  She was able to keep running and pick up the pace again after a short time.  So I never caught up but could see her in the distance as we neared the finish line. 

I crossed the line in 43mins 41secs.  Not great but I gave it my all.  I had lost my speed as a result of virtually no running for 4 weeks before the race.  Zoe finished in 43 mins 18secs bagging herself 4th woman (out of over 1,500 other female runners) and 2nd in her age category.  However, she missed a potential PB time due to having to walk and stop mid race because a calf injury. 

As it turns out, both Zoe and I have now both suffered calf injuries mid race in our last two races.  Bad luck indeed. 

North Lincolnshire Half Marathon 2014

My partner Zoe ran this race last year and had a great experience.  A super well organised event on a flat and fast course, snagging herself a PB time and 4th in her age category. The race was voted 6th best half marathon in the UK by Runners World for 2013.  So it was a no brainer for me to sign up for the event on 2014.  

Our friends Jon and Sian Morgan were also running it, so we car shared and headed to sunny Scunny (a local term used for Scunthorpe:) with high hopes.  The weather was perfect with cloud cover (not sunny Scunny today), cool and little wind.  Everything was set for a great race.

I was feeling quietly confident after a a good winter of training leading up to London Marathon.  I decided to to try to run at a controlled pace of approx 7 min per mile for the first few miles and see how I felt in the second half of the race. Hopefully pick up the pace if I felt good and push for a time close to 1hr 30min.  

Once underway, I kept checking my Garmin to ensure that I didn't go off too fast. Something that I am prone to doing. Not this time!  The first mile passed, 7.07. Second 7.05, third 7.05 and so it went on.  I was feeling good and running a disciplined race.  Everything was going well up to mile 9.  Then suddenly, without warning, my right calf tightened and pain ensued.  OK, don't panic, keep running and hopefully it will pass.  A few minutes passed and rather than subsiding, the pain increased and I started to struggle.  Shit!  At approx 9.5 miles, I was hobbling and in a lot of pain.  I had no choice but to stop and try to stretch out my calf to ease the pain.  I then carried on but it was still no good.

I struggled on and soon saw Zoe catching me up and I cheered her on.  Time to grit my teeth and I went into limp home mode.  I have never had a DNF and I pride myself on that fact.  Get to the end no matter what! The last 3 miles were painful, slow and rather unpleasant.  However, I got to the finish line on 1hr 42mins.  

On a more cheerful note, my three running companions all had a great race.  Hats off to Sian with a 1hr 31min PB and 1st in her age category. Jon ran 1hr 21mins and got 2nd in his age category.  Zoe ran 1hr 37min and bagged herself 2nd in her age category.  All received trophies and a podium place.  Huge congrats to them and a rather sore leg for me (which later proved to be a suspected pulled muscle and prevented me running for two weeks after).  Time to suck it up and move on #shithappens

Virgin Money London Marathon 2014

This was the second time that I took part in the London Marathon. Back in 2012, I was super excited to run in my first major city marathon, especially as it was in the lead up the London Olympic Games. However, I had a awful experience due to illness during the week before the race. So I wanted to do London again and try to put things right.

I had a very good training period with Zoe, my now fiance as well as training partner. She was flying in training and it looked like we were able to run the race together. Unfortunately she injured a hamstring and missed 3 weeks of training including several long runs. So we decided to run our own race.

I managed to get to the start line in good health this time. After what happened in 2012 when I caught a bug before the race, total paranoia kicked in this time. A bottle of hand sanitizer became my new best friend for the final weeks leading up to the race. My job takes me into doctors surgeries on a daily basis and I was in the danger zone!

The weather the day before the race was perfect for running. Light cloud cover, cool and dry.  However, come race morning, the cloud was gone leaving clear blue skies with sunshine. Perfect for spectating but not what I was hoping for.  I'm not great at running in heat and there had been no hot days in any of the training months leading up to the race.  The race started at 10am, so it was already feeling very warm as we made our way onto the start line.  I wished that London started the marathon earlier in the day like they do in Canada, often around 7 - 8am, and avoid running in the hottest part of the day.

After the slow start due to the mass of runners, I soon got into my stride.  Despite the weather forecast, I decided to run at my planned pace of 7min 15sec per mile and go for my target of 3hrs 10mins. Not sure if this was the right thing to do but the temperature was OK to begin with and I just hoped that it wouldn't get too hot in the latter stages.  I felt good and clocked the miles off and maintained the planned pace.  The crowds were incredible, thousands of the lining the streets and making so much noise.  

I crossed Tower Bridge and the half way marker bang on schedule at 1hr 34mins 50secs.  However, the heat was rising and it was getting tough.  I took water on board every two miles and ran in the shade whenever possible.  However, I feared that my pace would start to slow in the miles still to come. As I reached mile 16 it was clear that I was slowing.  Time to dig in and just get to the finish.  Maybe I should have started slower in anticipation of the heat rising towards the second half of the race. Maybe so, I just had to give it a go all the same after months of hard training.

The last 10 miles of the race were a struggle but I ran with a smile on my face all the same.  The atmosphere was fantastic and the support was overwhelming.  I passed a few people showing signs of heat exhaustion and some that were being attended to by first aiders.  The last few miles were past some of the most famous landmarks and the noise levels seem to reach fever pitch.  The last mile came and I was relieved. Then one of the celebrities passed me, a guy called Tony who plays a part in the TV series Emmerdale. I remember he passed Zoe and I in the Yorkshire Marathon last year.  But to add insult to injury this time, he was sporting a huge plastic false bottom.  That was it, I gritted my teeth and picked up the pace and passed him.  Take that Tony! I beat him to the finish which was a very welcome sight. I crossed the line in 3hrs 26mins.  

Zoe finished in 3hrs 41mins and also had a tough race.  Running in such a huge race is quite an experience.  Both times have not gone to plan for me but I feel lucky to have done it twice.  Zoe has now done it 8 times! Time for a change and some new challenges.

East Hull 20 2014

This race was another build up for London Marathon and one to be just used as a training run, not to be raced. Zoe and I have been training hard and were planning on running it together. However, Zoe suffered an injury to her hamstring in the final week before the race, so was unable to do it. She still came to support and watch though. Team Boofee!

The weather was warm and sunny but also quite windy too.  The race course was mainly flat and through country lanes.  I planned on averaging 7min 45secs per mile pace for the 20 miles and bag myself a good long run in preparation for London.

Once underway, I soon settled into my rhythm and clocked the miles off but my pace was more like 7min 30secs but it felt easy.  The wind was at our backs and I decided to go with it. I reached the 10 mile mark and I was feeling good. The wind proved to be great as it was cooling the runners in the warm conditions. However, once we turned back towards the direction we had come from, it became a headwind which made the going much tougher.

The effort level increased to maintain the pace and it became hard work. After a few more miles, my pace was slowing.  I dug in and decided to just focus on each mile and get to the finish.  Tiredness crept in and the last 5 miles were tough.  My legs were now reminding me that I had not tapered for the race. A 19 mile run the week before and speed training during the week, my legs were not happy. I was pleased to finally see the finishing line and Zoe's smiling face. No usual sprint finish today, just cruised over the line in a time of 2 hours 37 mins. Slightly slower than I had hoped for at 7min 51sec per mile pace but OK in the circumstances. 

That's it, just 5 weeks until London.  Time to focus, stay healthy and train hard. I really hope Zoe's hamstring gets better soon and she can continue training too.  Fingers crossed!

Brass Monkey Half Marathon 2014

The Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York is a very popular race.  The 1700 start places sell out in a matter of minutes. Zoe and I were lucky to get in as the website was overloaded and kept crashing.

After a very festive December and limited number of training miles during January, it was decided that we were not in the best shape. Therefore, we would not be racing this one, rather just use it as a good training run in our build up for the London Marathon in April.

My lucky weather streak in never having run a race in the rain came to an abrupt end. We huddled together to keep warm as the cold fat rain fell upon us as we lined up at the York racecourse start area . We purposely positioned ourselves towards the back as we intended to start off at a steady pace and ease into the race. A negative split was the order of the day. It was clear to see there was a large number club runners from far and wide in the north of England. Large groups of runners from each club standing together in their club shirts.

We were happy to start running once the race begun, a chance to warm up and get our cold muscles working.  We soon got into a steady rhythm and our pace was averaging 7min 20sec per mile.  That seemed fine and we headed out into the country roads towards the south east of the city.  The race course was mostly flat and rural.  We were constantly passing runners and keeping a solid pace going. The plan was coming together nicely.

After the first few miles, the rain eased off.  We clocked our halfway time at approx 48mins and we were feeling good. We started to slowly pick up the pace and headed for home.  Zoe was running really well but I was starting to feel fatigue creeping in. I dug in behind Zoe and ground out the last few miles.

We crossed the line together in 1hr 36mins and felt very happy as we had stuck to the plan and ran a solid time. I was really impressed with Zoe's performance and am confident that she will have a stellar year and PB's galore.  As for me, a decent race to kick the year off and now time to knuckle down to some hard training as London Marathon will soon be here. I so want to put things right this time after the huge disappointment I suffered at the same race in 2012. All roads lead to London!!

Edwinstowe 10k Trail Race 2013

This decision to run this race was a spontaneous one, like many of my races.  We made it with our good friends Justin and Julia. It looked like a scenic course through some of the trails of Sherwood Forest at Edwinstowe near Nottingham.  Julia was brought up in Edwinstowe and her parents still live there, so we decided to stay over and make a weekend of it.

We woke up on race morning to blue skies and frost on the ground.  After a leisurely breakfast, we headed out for the start which was just a short walk through the village. As it turned out, the race had sold out with 500 runners signing up, making for a great atmosphere.  Justin and Julia hadn't had chance to train much and Zoe and myself had only managed one run in two weeks as we had both been suffering colds.  Hence, a group decision was made to just relax and enjoy the occasion.  

The course was undulating but the trails were dry and firm.  We were soon running into Sherwood Forest and enjoying the best that mother nature has to offer.  The hills came and went, the trails twisted and turned, the air was crisp and cool, we all had a blast.

I crossed the line in 44mins 33secs, Zoe then finished in 46mins 07secs, with Justin and Julia coming in at 58mins - holding hands and smiling faces.  This was a really enjoyable race and one that might well become a yearly event.

That wraps up my race calender for 2013.  I've had a brilliant year with many amazing memories including my first ultra marathon. I've managed to stay injury free and have run more mileage than ever before. I will miss running with my Canadian friends now that I am living in the UK but have found myself the best running partner ever in Zoe:)  I'm already planning many races for 2014 and hope for a few more PB's and many more adventures.  I can't wait!