Leeds Abbey Dash 10k 2013

Believe it or not, this was my third race in as many weeks. Two weeks ago I ran the Deepdale Dash 10k and last week it was the grueling Goathland Trail Marathon. I wasn't planning on making it a hat-trick of races but couldn't resist the temptation of a flat, fast and local10k race.  I just hoped that a week of rest after a marathon would be sufficient for my legs to recover enough to run a 10k.

So, once again, Zoe and I jumped in the car and set off for another race.  Two weeks ago it was a one hour drive south to Barton Upon Humber, last week it was a one hour drive north to Goathland and this time it was a one hour drive west to Leeds.  It's great to be able to travel around Yorkshire trying out races and seeing different parts of the county.  

With 10,000 runners, the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k turned out to be a big race.  I'm pleased to say that the organisation was fantastic and everything ran without a hitch.  We soon found ourselves on the starting area and feeling very excited. After missing my 10k PB by a matter of 7 seconds at the Deepdale Dash a couple of weeks earlier, I was hoping to snag one here as this was a much faster course. Just hoped the legs would hold out.  

Once under way, I soon found my form and clocked the miles off. My pace was good and the legs felt fine.  The course was indeed flat and perfect for a fast time.  It was basically an out and back along a river valley through the centre of the city.  I reached the 5k turn around point in 20mins 30secs.  I turned for home and focused on maintaining my form.  My legs were coping fine and my confidence began to grow.  The last mile arrived and my legs were finally reminding me that they had run a marathon only 8 days earlier but I demanded that they hang on.  Not long to go.  The finish line soon came and I crossed the line in 41mins 28secs. A PB by 40 seconds!  Elation flooded my mind and the pain was gone.

Zoe P ran a 42min 54sec time. Her second fasted 10k and felt pretty happy too.  This was a great 10k race. Flat and fast, well organised and an exciting atmosphere with 10,000 runners. We will be back in 2014 but with fresher legs next time! 

Hardmoors Goathland Trail Marathon 2013

The Goathland Marathon is part of a series of races based in the North Yorkshire Moors. The Hardmoors race series is comprised of distances ranging from 10k all the way up to 160 miles.  This race was just the 26.2 mile marathon distance, or so we thought!

The North Yorkshire Moors is a National Park in the north of England.  It's one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of 1,436 sq km (554 sq mi). The moors are made up of sweeping hills, dales, valleys and inland headlands. Much of the terrain is made up of peat bogs, bracken and standing water.  What better place to run a marathon!!

Zoe and I love a challenge, so we were looking forward to testing our metal in this race.  Being a Yorkshire lass, Zoe had some running and hiking experience on the moors but it was my first time.  I have lots of trail running experience under my belt from my time in Canada but the moors would offer a whole new challenge.  We knew that this would be tough but decided to just focus on trying to enjoy the experience and get to the finish.

Our hopes for dry weather were realised as we set off on the drive north. We were rewarded for the very early start with some stunning views as the dawn was breaking. The race began in Goathland, which was just a quiet village located in the moors until a TV series called Heartbeat came to town.  As a result, the village is now a popular tourist area, especially in late summer when the huge expanse of heather is showing its beautiful purple flowers.  We arrived at the race HQ at the village hall which was buzzing with runners and volunteers.  There were some very tough looking runners who looked like they were no stranger to the North Yorkshire Moors.  Veterans of the Hardmoors race series for sure.  We felt a little nervous of the challenge that lay ahead.  The weather was chilly but dry and not too windy. Relief!  

We readied ourselves on the start line at 9.00am along with 100 other runners.  Just before the start, one runner was given an award as this was going to be her 100th marathon, most of which were ultras! Another runner was recognised as this race would include his 1000th Hardmoors race mile.  We were in the company of greatness. Then we were off and running.  To say the pace was steady was an understatement.  Even the hardened vets were taking it easy. The first part of the race lead us out of the village and down into a river valley.  A nice easy start but I was feeling a sense of impeding doom for what was to come. 

Even before we reached the end of the first mile, we started to climb.  Soon we were into the open and rugged moorland and the terrain become difficult.  As well as the steep ups and downs, the ground under foot is constantly changing too.  One minute it is firm, then it's rutted and uneven, then it's soft and unstable and then it's wet and muddy bogs.  Add in the bracken, the large volumes of standing water and the many streams to cross, the moors offer extremely challenging and leg sapping terrain. We just took our time and tried to keep a steady pace going, walking when we were climbing up steep inclines and running the rest.  The views were amazing and we were taking a few snaps with Zoe's camera along the way.  The weather was constantly changing too. One minute the cold wind was blowing across the area and our hands hats and gloves were on, then we were running in a sheltered area and the hats and gloves were off.  They were on and off several times throughout the duration of the race!  

The aid stations were a blessing. Friendly faces offering coke, water, flapjacks, cookies and jelly babies. Apart from these wonderful volunteers and the occasional hikers, there weren't any other people on the course. We definitely saw more sheep than people in this race! The miles were coming and going with constantly changing terrain, views and climates.  Wet feet, dry feet. Hats on, hats off.  Climbing upwards, descending downwards.  Nothing remained the same.  Probably the hardest thing was inability to run in a straight line for more than a few metres at a time before having to step out of a rut, leap over a stream, avoid a deep puddle or pulling your foot out of peat bog.  

Finally we got to mile 20 and we were starting to feel like we were nearing to end.  Fatigue had set in and we were looking forward to the end.  However, we were feeling good.  Then we found ourselves climbing up the most boggy, water logged and rutty section of the whole race. And it went on for almost 3 miles.  It was horrendous, my legs turned to jelly and every step became painful.  It felt like we were on an SAS endurance test, could we survive and make it to the end? Just then, out of now where, this young girl ran past us, full of energy and far too cheerful, told us that the course was actually 27.5 miles instead of the usual marathon distance of 26.2 miles. Then she skipped off and proceeded to disappear in the distance at a super human speed. This was demoralising to say the least but we gritted our teeth and slogged on.  

After what seemed like an eternity, we could finally see Goathland in the distance.  It was now agony, I tried walking a little but this hurt more than running. So we kept running, slipping, stumbling and moving. We just had to keep moving! Then we were on the road heading towards the village hall. It felt strange to be back on a hard and flat surface again, our sore legs cried out but the end was near.  We reached the finish line in 5 hours 18 minutes.  It was sheer relief!  We stumbled into the village hall and were welcomed with a table laden with hot soup and home baked treats.  We found ourselves a couple of chairs near a warm radiator, sat down and ate.  We had made it, just! 

The Hardmoors races certainly offer an almighty challenge and are super well organised. Total respect to the people who complete the 110 and 160 mile versions, they are damn tough runners!  We will do another race in the future but next time with some training on the moors! 

Deepdale Dash 10k 2013

For me, running in some local races is an integral part of settling into my new life in the East Riding of Yorkshire.  This includes big races like the inaugural Yorkshire Marathon but also some smaller low key races put on by many of the local running clubs. One such race is the Deepdale Dash 10k organised by Barton and District AC.   

On a sunny but very windy Sunday morning, Zoe and I bundled ourselves into the car and drove the 40 minutes south and across the Humber bridge to Barton Upon Humber.  The race started and finished at a school in the middle of the town.  We quickly realised that there was a super friendly atmosphere and everything was very well organised.  Lots of smiling faces from volunteers and everything close to hand.  We noticed lots of racers there from other running clubs from near and far. 

After a good warm up, we were lining up to start along with 300 other runners.  The weather was chilly but dry and sunny.  However, the wind was very blustery and could come into play as we headed out of the town and into the dales. Then we were off and the first half a mile was down hill.  Zoe was ahead of me and we were galloping at a rather speedy pace, too fast but I knew it would soon settle down as the course turned uphill as we headed out of the town.  Zoe and I decided to run our own race this time but I knew she would give me a run for my money!

Once out of the town, we were running through the undulating countryside of the dales which might explain the race name. The rolling landscape allowed for fantastic views, beautiful English countryside in the Autumn sunshine. The first three miles of the course lead us up and down several hills with a strong side wind had been blowing across us. The noise of runners race bibs fluttering against our chests was the predominant sound. However, this cross wind wasn't affecting my pace and my legs felt strong. I had passed Zoe towards the end of the first mile but knew she would be hot on my heels. 

Then we turned a corner and hit a flatter section with the wind at our backs. It was a relief to be on an easier section but then another corner and a short but steep downhill. The four mile marker was the start of the longest climb of the race, over one mile of constant uphill and also into a strong headwind too! I gritted my teeth and dug in but my pace was slowing as I neared the top.  The five mile marker was the top of the killer hill and then it was downhill for the last mile and back into Barton Upon Humber.  I ran as hard as I could in an attempt to make up lost time on that last climb and headed for the finish.

The final few corners and roads lead us through the town and then back into the finishing area.  I crossed the line in 42mins 14 secs.  Although I missed my PB time by 7 seconds, it was a hard course and also a windy day too. So I was really pleased with my time.  I finished 47th overall and 12th in my age category.  Zoe crossed the line in 44mins 6secs bagging her 8th lady overall and 4th in her age category.  Impressive running indeed! 

The Deepdale Dash was a blast.  Great organisation, warm and friendly atmosphere, scenic course and a good challenge.  It's a keeper!

Yorkshire Marathon 2013

As I recently returned from Vancouver to live in Yorkshire, what better way to celebrate than to take part in the inaugural Yorkshire Marathon.  My girlfriend Zoe was doing it too, so it would be fun to run it together.  We also had our goods friends, Justin and Julia from Nottingham, coming to support us as well.

The race started and finished in the city of York with the majority of the course being routed through the villages located to the east of the city.  This provided rural and scenic vistas as we ran around the mainly flat county lanes. We had decided to run the race together and were hopeful of a good time. Our last long training run had gone well and we could support each other when the going got tough. It was a flat and fast course too.   

As it turned out, our legs were not as fresh as they should have been on the start line. We had gone Geo Caching with our friends the day before the race and got a little carried away, it gets very addictive trying to find one cache after the other. Before we knew it, we had walked for almost 4 hours. Would this come back to bite us in the latter stages of the race? 

The weather had been pretty wet and windy in the week leading up to the race but we were pleasantly surprised to be standing on the start line in calm and dry conditions. A sell out field of 4,000 runners lined up and there was a great atmosphere as we waited for the 9.30am start.

The first couple of miles were through the city centre and and past some great landmarks including York Minster. The atmosphere and support was fantastic and we were feeling very excited.  We were running well and our pace was good. We were hoping to run around 7min 25sec/mile pace. By the 5 mile marker, we were heading out into the rural countryside and the number of supporters thinned out dramatically, partly due to the fact that we were running on narrow country lanes.  Our pace was still on course but our legs were not feeling as energetic as they should at this stage of a marathon.  We just settled into running well and hoped for the best.

A little further on, Zoe started to feel some discomfort in her back and took a pain killer at the next water station.  She had been suffering from occasional lower back pain over recent months but had been OK in the weeks leading up to the race.  We reached the half way mark in 1 hour 38 mins which was just slightly down on our target for the race. However, Zoe's back pain was becoming more of an issue and our legs were starting to feel heavy.  We dug in.

At the 15 mile marker, our pace was beginning to slow and we had to stop for Zoe to stretch out her back.  I was starting to worry that Zoe might have to pull out as it was clear she was starting to really suffer.  However, Zoe has never had a DNF in a race and is one determined runner.  So we carried on and just focused on one mile at a time.  It was getting really tough from then on, our legs were very tired and Zoe was running with a lot of pain.  I was glad to be there to help and tow her along.  She tucked in behind me and we gritted our teeth, grinding out one mile after another.  

By the time we got to mile 21, we were doing the marathon shuffle and digging pretty damn deep to keep running.  Even though our pace had slowed a lot, we were still passing lots of runners that we're also finding it tough.  I had nothing but admiration that Zoe kept running in those last few miles and we saw the job through. Just the occasional stop to stretch her back and then carried on.  Finally we were in the last mile and we knew that the suffering was almost over.  As we approached the finish line, we saw Justin and Julia once again cheering us on which was a very welcome sight. We felt a surge of emotion as we crossed the line in 3 hours 31mins.  

Although the result was not what we had hoped for, we take great pride in the fact that we saw the race through to the end.  We had asked our resilience some serious questions and thankfully we came up with the goods.  I was blown away to see Zoe show such determination, putting mind over matter, and getting the job done. We DEFINITELY earned that post race beer!

2,830 Steps and 2,800 Feet..... The Grouse Grind!

The Grouse Grind is Vancouver's most used trail and is renowned for its challenge in requiring physical strength and endurance in order to make it to the top. In less than 2 miles, the trail climbs 2,800ft. Due to the large number of people that use this trail, primarily for exercise, maintenance workers have had to build wooden stairs on much of the path in order to prevent further erosion from overuse. 

Trail Facts 
Length: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles) 

Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)

Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet)

Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)

Total Stairs: 2,830

Annually, over 100,000 people hike the trail. 
On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike
Course Record: 23mins 48secs
Most Grinds in one day: 16 

The Grind is one hell of a work out.  I remember my first time thinking that it can't be that bad as I set off practically running up the first section. Pacing yourself on the Grind is key, get it wrong and you suffer big time.  Your legs turn to rubber and your lungs scream out in protest.  I still had 3/4 of the climb to go and I staggered up to the top in around 54 mins. It was awful.

There are many Vancouverites that love the Grind and do it as often as they can, several times a week or even every day. There are also a few lunatics that do it several times a day!  Depending on what day and the time of day, the Grind can be virtually empty or a constant procession of people from top to bottom.  As it's a pretty narrow trail, passing other people can be a little tricky.  Aside from the regulars who keep a good pace all the way up, there can be lots of first timers and visitors who just want to make it to the top.  They stop many times on the way up for a rest, get their breathe or to take on board food and drink.  

I used to do the Grind once a week last summer with my friends Monika and Carol. It's a great cross training work out and also quite sociable if you do it with friends too. Yearly membership is available and you can view your stats on line.  My times went from 54 mins down to 47 mins.  However, I wanted to break 45 minutes at some point.  After I decided to leave Vancouver at the end of this summer, it was time to up my game and try to achieve my goal.  

My times started to slowly come down and I knew it was within my grasp.  On my final attempt, I just missed it. 45 mins 15 secs.  Damn it, so close. I just couldn't leave it there, one more attempt was planned for 2 days later.  

I went with my friend Martin who was also trying to break the 45 min threshold for the first time too.  After a short warm up running around the car park at the bottom, I gritted my teeth and set off.  Steady now, not too fast on the first half but keep up a good pace.  Look for any way of missing a few steps by walking up the side.  Take two steps at a time where they're not too big. Take deep breaths using my diaphragm to get the most air into my lungs as possible. Focus my mind to keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing!

Passing the half way mark, my lungs were telling me that I hadn't overcooked it in the first half and I could still maintain the pace. The third quarter is the steepest, so if you have gone out too fast in the first half, you really start to struggle here and your pace slows.  The final quarter came and I knew the end was close. Keep pushing now David, every second counts. I reached the top with my lungs burning and my heart beating out of my chest in 44 mins 54 secs.  

Man it felt amazing to have pushed myself to the absolute limit and finally achieve the goal. If first you don't succeed.....  Martin finished in 46 mins but will get there sooner or later.  Hats off to my friends who have do it in much quicker times than mine.  For me, I can leave Vancouver and the Grind knowing that I gave it my all. 

Eastside 10k 2013

This was the inaugural running of this event and offered a great opportunity to race through the historic and colorful downtown east side of Vancouver.  The area was the city center at one time but has seen significant urban decay since then and has become synonymous with poverty, homelessness, drug use and the sex trade. Like I said, a very colorful part of the city and not one that I would normally choose to run through.

The race attracted a sell out field of 1,500 runners. All the usual suspects lined up at the front in the elites section. The weather was cool and perfect for running as we set off. The first kilometer was mainly downhill and a nice easy start but I knew that it was also the end to the race as well, so an uphill and not such an easy last kilometer finish.

Soon into the race there lots of interesting views and scenery along the way.  As well as some great vistas across the city and old historic buildings, there were some interesting spectators too.  It was great to see lots of support from the east side locals that we were running past on the streets, many of which were the down and outs. Smiling faces and cheers of support.

The hills were plentiful, not overly steep but were fairly long and I could see that my mile splits were slightly down on what I had hoped for, just a few seconds per mile.  However, I was pushing hard and I needed to leave enough in the tank for the latter stages of the race. Maybe I could make up a few seconds when there is a flat section without any hills. However, as it turned out, there really wasn't any flat sections of more than a few hundred meters at a time.

It was getting tough as I ran past the 8km marker but I knew that the end was close. However, the last big climb was still to come.  This is when the hill training would pay off.  As it turned out, I made short work of the last hill and the finishing line was only about a kilometer away and now in sight.  I gave it everything that I had left.  I was digging very deep when I saw my good friend Janette and her dad cheering me on (for the third time in the race - speedy supporters of the year award!) which helped to spur me on and I crossed the line in 42mins 27secs.  Not what I had hoped for but the course was not easy and I had given my all. The results showed that I had finished 8th in my age category and 100th overall out of 1,500.  Not too shabby!

To say that it was a brand new event, the race organizers did a great job.  The course was awesome, everything ran very smoothly and a really nice shirt and medal provided too. The Eastside 10k is here to stay!

Knee Knacker 2013

The Knee Knacker is a bit of a iconic race on the West Coast of Canada, especially amongst the trail running community. First run in 1989, it takes place on the Baden Powell trail which is one the most technical and challenging trails in Canada. Starting at Horseshoe Bay and finishing in Deep Cove, the race covers 30 miles and over 16,000ft of elevation change (hence the name of the race). The race has a 10 hour cut off for anyone struggling to finish but a surprisingly high finish rate of 97%. However, it's getting to the start line that proves more difficult as the attrition rate is quite high due to injury and illness.  Getting a start place is not that easy either, you have to put your name into a lottery and then hope that you name is picked out of the hat. I was lucky, I got in on the first time of trying. The race organizers do an amazing job and put together a schedule of training runs for the race participants in the weeks leading up to race day.  These vary in distance and take place on the the actual race course, so come race day you have covered all of the race course and know what to expect

The race started at 6.00am. I only managed to a couple of hours sleep the night before due to pre race nerves and also my noisy neighbors. However, I felt excited and raring to go as I chatted with my Pacific Road Runner buddies on the start line.  Not having run a Ultra Marathon before and also due to the nature of the course, my plan was to take it steady for the first half of the race and hopefully have some energy left in the tank for the second half.  Especially as the first part of the course was the biggest climb of the race, almost 4,000ft straight up Black Mountain. The weather was perfect, clear blue sky but nice and cool. As we set off I felt calm and confident. The climb up Black Mountain proved to be grueling and everyone was very relieved to get to the top.  I managed to get there in 1 hour 45 minutes.  A quick look back at the fantastic view of Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean and then on to the first check point at Cypress bowl.  Virtually all the snow has melted at the top of the mountain but there was some standing water and muddy areas which meant that there were mosquitoes galore.  I was swallowing lots of them but more annoyingly getting a few in my eyes.  As I entered the Cypress bowl aid station, I saw a few of my PRR buddies as they were volunteering at this station.  I clocked my time to be 1 hour 58mins.  A few chips (crisps), yams and a drink of some flat coke later, I was off running again.   

Some more climbing and then the first downhill section arrived down the Holyburn chute. Bliss after so much climbing, I could relax a little and cruise for a while. Not too much mind, there were lots of potential hazards like boulders, roots and logs just waiting for runners to trip over on their speedy descents.  I did have a few stumbles but no falls.  The course descended further and took us through a residential area called the British Properties in West Vancouver, some of the most expensive real estate in all of Canada. After navigating though the narrow paths and across a few streets, I arrived at Cleveland Dam which is the halfway point.  This was a major aid station and time to refill my hydration pack with water, grab some food and take in all the support from the volunteers and supporters.  My time was 3 hours 30 mins. The third quarter of the race starts with a steep climb up a road busy with traffic going to Grouse Mountain.  Some brave souls run up this hill but it was power hiking for me, not too much power either. It was hot too, not having the shelter from the sun that the trees offers on the trails.  Then it was back onto the trail and another difficult uphill and technical section to navigate.  However, I was on auto pilot by this stage, the biggest climb was over and now it was just digging in and getting it done, section by section.  I knew that at the top of this climb that there was a nice runnable section that leads toward Lynn Canyon which is also the three quarter mark and another aid station.

I was trying hard to manage my nutrition during the race. I decided to take gels/bars every 30 mins if possible. I wanted to avoid the peaks and troughs of energy that I had suffered on some of the longer training runs. I had managed it pretty well in the race so far but I was starting to get sick of the gels. I was feeling pretty good and passing a few runners along this stage, I could see that the course was taking it toll on a few people.  I caught and passed my PRR buddy Terry who was having a tough time.  I felt for him as there was still a long ways to go but he's a tough customer and I knew he would make it to the end.  However, he had bet me a beer that he would beat me to the finish, so I was pleased to win that bet.  The other guy in this wager was Bill, he was still ahead of me and so I was determined to do my best to catch him too.

Then I arrived at the Lynn Canyon aid station and the three quarter mark.  My time was 5 hours 20mins.  I could feel my some cramping in my legs as I approached this station, so I had took a salt tablet and I also stuffed a few yams dipped in salt into my mouth too.  Then it was off for the final quarter of the course. One last big climb up the Seymour grind and then it was mainly downhill to the finish at Deep Cove.  Normally the Seymour grind is not too bad but not today.  I was shattered and struggling big time. I decided to try and take my mind off it by eating an energy bar but I was so tired I could hardly chew.  I must have looked a right state, staggering up the climb with bits of half chewed energy bar falling out of my mouth!

Eventually I made it - just!. Then it was a long downhill section over loose stones. Suddenly my legs felt OK again, probably mentally more than physically, but I was running fast and passing a few more runners. As I got to the final aid station, I asked if they had seen Bill and was told that he was just a couple of minutes ahead. 

The last section of the course is mainly downhill but is very technical and has lots of extra little climbs and bridges to cross.  There are also lots of hikers with children and dogs making their way up the trail to a popular look out point.  So a tricky and sometimes frustrating section.  However, very close to the finish and the adrenaline was pumping through my veins, I was flying.  Suddenly I was jumping over rocks and leaping down the drop offs.  Then I could hear the sound of the finishing line commentator through the PA system.  People were stopping to move out of the way, clapping and shouting words of encouragement.  I could feel waves of emotion and a few tears were welling up.  A few more minutes as I was clear of the trees and out of the trail.

The sunlight hit me and I was on the road, a few steps and then the path that leads to the finish line. I could see the ocean and the people waiting as I sprinted toward the end. I crossed the line in a time of 7 hours 11 minutes.  It was an amazing feeling to complete such a huge physical and mental challenge.  I was elated and also relieved at the same time. No sooner had I crossed the line than I had grabbed by drop bag and gone straight down to the beach, stripped down to my shorts and waded in for a swim. Absolute heaven, a swim never felt so good! It turned out that Bill had finished 3 minutes ahead of me, so enjoyed a well earned beer later that day. What an amazing experience this race is. An incredible course, brilliant race organizers, wonderful volunteers and support and such a unity of amazing people.  So glad I had the chance to participate.  Thank you!