Welcome to my last blog of 2022. I’ve managed to cover everything from my first race in 2006, through to my first marathon, my marathon retirements (!!), my first ultra, my first multi race challenge and more in this year. This is my final blog covering 2016. In the New Year when I start looking at 2017 onwards I will spend more time on races. They are more fresh in my memory and I need to slow it down a bit as I’m only halfway to the 100 marathons so need to keep some material for these blogs. Hopefully however in 2023 I will hit the 100 miles which is one of the 2 main targets as I Iook to hit 100m.
In the last blog I was very specific about saying that this blog had to start on 16th October 2016 which turned out to be a very special day for me. My first time meeting a celebrity who is an exceptional marathon runner. It also made a few people I know pretty envious!
Quick recap before we get to that! So, I had sworn off marathons (again) after Chester 2015. Although I’d still entered the London marathon ballot! 20016 so far had seen me do a number of 10K races for the first time as well as some other distances not often ran (8.5 miles, 5 miles). I’d done my favourite race, GNR and the local run, Birmingham half was left to do.
One of the things that was also strange to me and I’m sure countless other runners was that Birmingham didn’t have a big race. The half marathon, then sponsored by EDF Energy was started in 2008. Remember that inaugural race? Started on the A34 near the Alexandra Stadium and into town? Then the following year Summer Row became the start point with Broad Street as the finish and the NIA as the bag drop? Then when Summer Row became off limits due to construction work in the city Aston Uni campus became the start and finish. The route constantly changes but Canon Hill Park, the Cadbury factory and Digbeth remain part of the route!
Anyway, I mentioned it in the last blog but in 2016 it was announced that there would be a Birmingham marathon in 2017. It was big news for the people of the West Midlands. This area is a real hotbed of running and a marathon in the second city was what all of us (runners anyway) wanted to see.
So, yes I came out of marathon retirement once more. There was no way I was going to miss out on a local marathon. Who knew? Maybe my wife would finally meet me at the finishing line of a race! And the big thing was that people I knew who had done half marathons were now very interested in doing a full marathon that was so close to home. London is of course the marathon everyone dreams of doing. Well those that want to run 26.2 miles that is. But the reality is any marathon you do is a big challenge. There is no denying that London marathon has the most incredible atmosphere a runner can experience but running that distance is a huge challenge. And a marathon in Birmingham opened up the distance to people all around the country.
I’m a bit hazy on how it came about but I was contacted by the media company that were behind the Birmingham half. Or was I contacted directly by Great Run? I cannot remember exactly but I do know that a top bloke called John Simpson reached out to me and got me involved. We’ve stayed in touch ever since and he has been really good in supporting me. Not just that but he ran his first marathon in 2017 at Birmingham!
He would in 2017 put me in tough with another John, Bray, who made a brilliant little video of me at the Birmingham marathon. That is all for another blog!
Let’s get back to Sunday 16th in Birmingham. I was asked if I would be interested in coming to the start line 30 minutes before the start to meet someone who was going to help launch the Birmingham marathon and was also running the half that day. I said sure, why not. I was asked to be discreet about who I was meeting and I remember on the day bumping into a few running friends and telling them I couldn’t chat as I needed to go to the start line. Some of them were bemused wondering why I was starting so far forward! Anyway I met, chatted to and had some photos taken with Nell McAndrew! I’ll be honest she does the Bolt pose better but she is a very good runner. A sub 3 hour marathon runner and a PB of 85 minutes in the half. Meeting her was the highlight of the day. We’ve remained in touch since and she has been known to give me the odd retweet when I take on a new running challenge.
A start line selfie with Nell McAndrew
So, photos, interviews and selfies done I made my way back to my start wave and had an OK run. This was my 7th time running Birmingham half and I stopped a few times to chat to friends around the course, get a photo with the Wolverhampton bobsled team and have a chat with a few runners I knew; some were first timer half marathon runners. I came in with a time I was quite pleased with knowing that I had probably spent between 5 to 10 minutes stopped on the route.
On the course with the Bobsled TeamFully Focussed on the Finish Line
In the run upto the Birmingham half, the London marathon ballot results had come out and I had not got a place via the ballot. I was however offered a place in the race by The Stroke Association and so I decided that 2017 would see me return to more than 1 marathon and finish with the Birmingham marathon in October. When I had done my 20 race challenge in 2014, the last race had been quite a small affair and when I crossed the line on that day I felt a bit flat as there was no one to celebrate the 20th and final race with. So it made sense that the 2017 challenge would finish with a big race, close to home.
Caught up with Lucy a former work colleague running her first ever half.
10 Full marathons, 10 half marathons and 10 10Ks. That was the aim for 2017. In November I got ‘persuaded’ by a good friend, Harshad Patel, to enter Equinox24. This is a 24 hour running event held in the grounds of Belvoir Castle. There is a 10k lap of the grounds and the aim is to do as many laps in 24 hours as possible. As a solo runner or as part of team of 2 to 8. Of course, I entered as a solo runner! My target was to try to do 10 laps. Again, you’ll have to wait to see how I got on. A lot of ground, quite literally, to cover before then.
So the last race of 2017 would be Birmingham in October but the first race wasn’t finalized until January 2017. I wanted to get the 10 marathons booked up first, knowing that half marathons and certainly 10Ks were easier to find and book. By the end of 2016, London, Groundhog, Liverpool Rock and Roll, Vancouver, Brighton, Manchester, and Birmingham were the definite marathons. GNR, Stafford, Shrewsbury and Derby were the half marathons fixed in but at this point no 10Ks!
So, I had a challenge for 2017. I was getting my running mojo back. Marathon running was back in my life and it has never left since I’m glad to say. I was running for a cause that was very personal to me (my father had a Stroke in 1992 which changed his life and ours from that point on).
In November I ramped up the miles and got in over 120 miles for the month to add to the 112 in October. My highest milage month prior to these 2 was August 2016 with 90 miles. In December we went out to India for 2 weeks. Not a great place to try and run. Roads are far too dangerous to run on. If it’s not vehicles it’s stray dogs that will get you! I returned to England in time for the Wheaton Aston 10K. This had been my first 10K the previous year and this was my 9th one for the year.
My time was 1 second quicker than the previous year! Pretty good consistent running if I do say so. It was really icy that day so caution was needed and thankfully I got past a flock of sheep that blocked off the road for runners behind me! They got through eventually. Again, another big ARC turnout for this race.
So, 2016 done and there will be about 3 to 4 weeks before we start looking at 2017 onwards. On the 1st of Jan 2023 I will hopefully get a 20 mile run in as I start my next challenge. Attempting to run 4,602 miles in 2023 for MS Society.
Links to sponsor below.
Thanks for reading my blogs. Always happy to answer any questions anyone has especially on how to get into running. And in 2023 I’m happy to run with you. Dependent on location and pace! Needs to be a chatty run, the best kind of running.
Welcome back to my blog series covering my journey to 100 (M). The M represents my aim to get to 100 official marathons (hit the 50 this year) and a 100 mile run in 24 hours (Equinox24 in Sept 2023 will be the next attempt).
This one covers the 2nd part of 2016. I’m going to take this up to Saturday 15th October. I know that is really specific! The 16th of Oct 2016 was the day of the Birmingham half for that year and before the race I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet someone who was their to promote the Birmingham marathon that had been announced for 2017.
That will have to wait until the next blog! In my last blog I covered 2 10Ks I did within 4 days of each other, Birmingham 10k and DK 10K in early May. For the rest of May and June it was back to Parkruns, club night runs and the occasional other runs just to keep myself going.
My next race in club colours came on the 5th June and it was another race distance that you don’t really see that often. I’d started the year with the 7.5 mile Not the Roman X and in June I did the Great Midlands Fun Run which is 8.5 miles. Starting and finishing in Sutton Coldfield centre with a run through Sutton Park and up ‘Cardiac Hill’ it’s a challenging run. AS soon as you start, it’s uphill! It was (at that point) the closest run I did to home and the race was pleasant with lots of familiar faces running. The race encourages people to run for good causes and some runners use it as a chance to run in fancy dress (Harshad Patel as Banananman being the stand out memory).
Before the Great Midlands Fun Run!!
The rest of June I started getting back into running a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday pattern albeit neither of the weekend days were for long runs. There was no need. A half marathon was all I needed to train for! Oh, how quickly that would change.
Another great photo by Ron Reynolds during the Fun Run.
In July there was another race distance I had never done before. A 5 mile race called Staffs Knot which takes place around Cannock Chase. The Chase is very popular with runners (it’s got some great trails) and cyclists. It’s also a bit infamous for something else Stan Collymore once talked about, but we won’t dwell on that. I only go there to run! This was another midweek run and a lovely evening for a run, topped off by samosas at the finish line, courtesy of that man again, Harshad Patel!
Before the Staffs Knot 5. Samosas at he finish line!
In August I cranked up the miles and almost got back to doing a 100 mile month. The month ended with me using the Bank Holiday to get a 12 mile run in ready for GNR. So I actually did take that half quite seriously! Well, I put in the miles at least. At some point in those summer months the announcement was made that Birmingham would have a full marathon in 2017. It would be in October on the same day as the half and would see a marathon in the 2nd city for the first time since the early 1980s.
You know what’s coming! I decided I would do ‘1 more marathon’ seeing as it was so local to me! As we moved into September though a plan started to formulate in my head. Another multi race challenge over the course of 2017 finishing with the inaugural Birmingham marathon. It had to be bigger than 2014 (6 fulls and 14 halfs in 8 months) so I worked on a few ideas. More to follow on that.
Into September 2016 and the week before the GNR another 5-mile race. Little Aston 5 miler. It was a useful little outing on a route I was familiar with as we did some of our club runs around these roads. What was really good about it was that it was all quiet country roads. A neat trick when you live in such a big conurbation. I remember that there were so many ARC runners in the race a number of our club picked up age category awards.
A week later and it was back to the North East for my 7th GNR, this time in the colours of ARC. There was thing that stands out about that particular race. It was really warm. A lot warmer than any of the previous GNR’s I had done and by the finish, which for me was close to 1pm it had really warmed up. Looking back the time I ran reflects where I was with my running. It was just about getting around. Time wasn’t a factor for me. Well not to a large degree. I wanted decent time which at that time meant sub 2:30. It’s something I couldn’t achieve at GNR or Brum the following month and I realized I needed to set myself another challenge.
Another GNR ticked off
At that time I just couldn’t seem to focus on running unless I was attempting a challenge which involved running for a good cause. So by the end of September I was clear in my mind. I was going to run for the Stroke Association. When I was 16 my father suffered a stroke from which he almost died. Thankfully he survived and the impact has lasted ever since. He was told he could never work again and walks with a limp due to his right side having been paralysed initially. But he survived and 2017 would mark 25 years of him having survived that near death experience. So it was a big deal for me to run for The Stroke Association.
So now it was just a case of what the challenge would be. I fixed in on the number of 10. I’m not exactly sure why but I decided I would run 10 full and 10 half marathons in 2017, but 20 races did not seem enough! So, I added in 10 10Ks as well to make it 30 races. The advantage of having 10Ks in there meant doing 2 in 1 weekend. The last thing I wanted, and something that would have definitely pissed off my wife, was if I booked up 30 weekends! So I got creative for 2017 and there were some busy weekends.
I contacted the charity with my plans and got offered a charity place for London, which I would not take if I got a ballot place. The latter didn’t happen so I got the charity place. I knew some of the races I would do. London, GNR, Coventry, Manchester, Groundhog marathon and finishing with Birmingham marathon, home run in effect.
The next few months would involve looking at race options. 10Ks and to a degree half marathons would not be an issue. Spreading out fulls would be the challenge.
Before the Walsall 10K
Anyway, I’ll come back to that next time. In terms of 2016 with GNR done on the 25th September I did the most local race to me; the Walsall 10K. I knew most of the route and it was a good workout followed the week after by the Bourneville 10K. Two things about this second race. Best goodie bag ever in terms of value for money! And the medals were made of wood and in the shape of a specific leaf. The design changes every year. The race is tough one. 2 laps won multi terrain, but it worked out well.
Bourneville 10K
The following weekend saw me do another 2 10Ks! On Saturday 8th the Birchfield Poppy Run in Aldridge which was on grass and trail and a lovely run. Again, lots of familiar faces at that one. The very next day another 10K at Shugborough for St Katherines Hospice. It was a tough little run which is what most 10Ks seem to be to me! That double header made me realise 30 races in a year wouldn’t be an issue if found the right races and had a couple of weekend doubles.
Near the end of the Poppy Run
And that brings us to Sunday 16th October 2016 and the day of the Birmingham half. The race was used to promote the fact that their would be full marathon the following year and it gave me the chance to get one of my most treasured race day photos as I was asked to promote the marathon and of course I’d settled on my challenge for 2017 so I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to talk about it.
Those that know, know who the photo was with! If you don’t? I’ll finish off the journey through 2016 next week.
I look back at my running in 2016 with interest. I mentioned it towards the end of my last blog that a little bit of a spark, a little bit of passion and enthusiasm and a desire to push myself disappeared after the ultra I did in 2015. I fulfilled my race commitments in 2015 but I needed someway of resetting my running.
I did my first 10 mile race and first 10K in December 2015 in the club colours of Aldridge Running Club and that was the spark I needed. Doing distances I hadn’t done in races but I had done in training for longer race distances. Going to local (ish) races and seeing lots of familiar faces. Whether they were fellow ARC runners, people I saw at my local Walsall Parkrun or other club runners that I got used to seeing on the running circuit.
In 2016 I did one race for charity which was part of a collective, so it was a team effort with fundraising. Aside from that my now regular races of GNR and Birmingham half were scheduled in but after the Chester marathon 2015 I had sworn off marathons! Again! We all know that didn’t last but it took a very special challenge to really get me back into marathon running.
So, 2016 blogs aren’t going to be too detailed but the theme is that I was doing regular races throughout the year that kept me maintaining some sort of fitness. I still did my Parkruns and there were club nights where we formed a lovely little chatty group on the 6-mile route. So 2016 was the year that being part of ARC really helped me a lot. If I hadn’t been part of the club I think I would have gone back to just training for a race, doing it and then stopping running; or only doing Parkrun.
My first race of 2016 came on the 17th Jan at race called Not the Roman IX. Hosted by Stratford-Upon-Avon Athletic Club the official distance was 12Km. So definitely a bit of a niche distance. A lovely countryside run and I remember having a decent run. One amusing thing I remember from this race. It had a start time of 11am which I found refreshing given it was out in the sticks. I got there just after 10.15 as I remember and I saw another ARC runner there, Leigh Ally. It turned out Leigh had thought the start time was 9am and got there before the start/finish area had even been setup. To his credit he helped the organisers set up.
February saw me take part in my 3rd cross country race of that season. I’d not been able to do the January one, so I headed to Gloucester on a very rainy day to run on route that had to be adjusted as some of it was to waterlogged for cross country running!! This race was a lot flatter than the other 2 I had done but it was very heavy going due to the amount of rain that had fallen that week. My time was decent and I was only about 15 to 20 seconds behind the runner in front of me as I collected my 3rd wooden spoon! I didn’t return to cross country running for 3 years but I glad I did eventually go back.
I ended February with the first of 3 half marathons I did that year. Coventry half on the 28th Feb. Similar to the previous year I ran this race as part of a team of runners that Haroon Mota, who many runners will be familiar with due to his amazing fundraising abilities, for a charity called Penny Appeal. Again we did a couple of training sessions for all the team especially those new to running and held a Q&A over lunch in Coventry a couple of weeks before the race. I remember on the day that I saw a whole load of runners running for Penny Appeal and during the race I went past a few. At about 5 miles I caught up one of the team, Yas, and ran the rest of the race with him. I paced him round to help get to his target time and it felt good just to run with no pressure and help someone achieve their goal.
Before Coventry Half
A couple of weeks later I did my 2nd 10K race. I’d enjoyed Wheaton Aston in December and the Fradley 10K (which I will be returning to in 2023) was my 2nd race surrounded by a lot of ARC runners and lots of other familiar faces.
Before the start of Fradley 10K
Fradley was a pleasant 2 lap course and what I enjoyed was trying to ‘race’ other runners. It wasn’t aggressive or too competitive but a bit of fun and I knew that with 200m to go the one thing I did have in my locker was a sprint finish! Which I remember putting to good use at the end of Fradley 10K. Handing out the medals that day was British 400m hurdler and 400m relay runner Meghan Beesley. She did a bit of a double take with the name but then quickly got it!
With Meghan Beesley at Fradley finish
I also managed to PB! OK, it was only my second 10K but I knocked 2 seconds off my Wheaton Aston time. That’s right 2 seconds! At this distance and Parkruns you do what you can to shave off a few seconds where you can.
I’m going to keep this blog and the others for 2016 quite short and snappy so I’ll finish with my next 10K which was on 1st May. The Birmingham 10K. A run to Edgbaston cricket ground, a lap around the outside of the stadium and back into the city. It was a decent run and I managed to knock 3 minutes off my PB. I think I got my tactics better. I went as hard as I could over each mile and it proved to be my best 10K time of the year ( I did 8 10K’s in 2016).
With A Crook at end of Birmingham 10K!!
Three days later on the Wednesday evening I took part in the DK 10K (Dudley Kingswinford). It was my first evening race and an enjoyable outing with lots of friendly faces. I was 4 minutes slower than the Birmingham 10K but that wasn’t a concern. It felt good to get another race in, with no pressure.
Finish of DK10K.
So, I was happy with my running. I wasn’t thinking about marathons. I was still doing a few halfs and I’d got into 10K running. In 2016 that is exactly what I needed. I wasn’t putting any pressure on myself, I was getting some enjoyment back into my running and taking part in Grand Prix races for the club was encouraging me just to race a little bit harder in these shorter races. I’d gotten into volunteering at Parkrun and it was good.
Finishing the DK 10K
But. I did miss marathon running. I entered the London marathon in April ballot yet again! However I didn’t miss it enough to want to enter another marathon in it’s own right.
Hi. The time since my last blog has been longer than I thought. Since that last blog I have ran my 50th official marathon at Yorkshire and have also announced my running challenge for 2023! SO in 2023 I will be running for MS Society, https://www.mssociety.org.uk/. The challenge is to attempt to run 4,602 miles in the calendar year. I know! A very specific distance. Oh, you meant that’s a lot of miles. It is a big distance to attempt, double my highest milage in one year (2021). This is the distance from my house to my cousins house near Vancouver, Canada. He’s younger than me and was diagnosed with MS about 5 years ago and it’s had a big impact on his mobility and other motor skills. So in 2023 I want to move for MS, grateful that I can do something I love so much.
We’ll come to that another time, and I’ll set up a page for the challenge as well as trying to sex up my website. It’s a bit plain, isn’t it?
So, let’s finish off the year 2015. Quick recap then as it’s taken longer to cover than planned. I ran for 3 charities, did my first ultra, ran a mile with Chris Evans and retired from marathon running again! This was the last time I said no more marathons for me. My next marathon wouldn’t be until 2017 so that is a few blogs away.
The rest of 2015, having decided marathons were done for me, I felt a bit directionless. This was different to all the previous times I had ‘quit’ marathons as I was happy with running in general. I was loving going to Parkruns and doing the odd run by myself. The big difference though was being part of a running club. I had joined Aldridge Running Club at the back end of 2013 but all of 2014 I spent running for Macmillans and then the 3 charities in 2015 upto the end of October.
After the Birmingham half my regular nights became club nights on Tuesdays. Getting to know more people, running regular routes and it felt good. Off the back of doing more club runs towards the end of 2015 I took on 2 distances I had never raced over and I had also decided to give Cross Country a go. Now my only cross country memory was as 14 and 15 year old at secondary school and as I have admitted I cheated and took short cuts to not have to do it. Our cross country at school was not that muddy but it’s fair to say my first cross country race as an adult was the complete opposite!
So the first Saturday of November 2015 I headed to Leamington Spa for my first race in the colours of ARC and my first cross country race. There were 4 races in the division we were in, monthly and I missed the January one but did 3 of them. All 3 were very different types of routes but they were all mud fests. That I do remember.
I had been ‘advised’ that Leamington Spa was a tough one. I was also told about ‘the ditch.’ Which you had to run through 3 times. As I remember it, there were 4 divisions in the league we were in and each division would race at different venues. Except for the first race all divisions ran at the same place. And we ran after the ladies’ races. So it was an absolute mud fest by the time we ran as it had rained most of the week. Course it had!
I’m not going to lie. I found it very tough. I had done some training at Aldridge playing fields with some friends, but this was something else. It was also technically my first official 10K race thinking about it. My first proper 10K race was in December 2015; we’ll come to that. So, Leamington Spa was very tough. That ditch? It was pretty fun. I just jumped into the water each time, and then dragged myself out of it. I saw a few runners lose a trainer in it. One couldn’t be bothered to try and find his so carried on running with just one shoe. He found it on the next lap! I had invested in spikes for cross country, and they were good but even they struggled to keep me upright in this race.
3rd and Final Time into the Ditch!
As much as people had warned me about the ditch no one told me about the bloody hill in this race. Afterwards I was told it wasn’t mentioned as you only had to run it twice. I’m not going to lie I walked up it the second time. I was spent. I was lapped by a good chunk of runners before I had even got halfway but credit to all those runners as they flew past me they all encouraged me to keep going.
1st Time into the Ditch, maybe the 2nd.
One thing I remember about that race was on the 3rd lap I was way behind the rest and most people had left that had been watching. A fellow ARC runner who had finished decided to run round until he found me and ran most of the 3rd lap with me. He encouraged me on, gave me some tips on how to approach the muddier parts and to focus on stride length. I’ve not seen him for a while but a big shoutout to Lloyd Mardenborough for coming to help me round. It gave me such a boost and showed the wonderful spirit that existed in club running, cross country and within ARC. And the ARC team were there to cheer me over the line. So I crossed the line last, like I would do for the other 2 I did; but I’ll admit it; it felt good. I felt like I’d ran a half and my legs were like jelly but there was a real buzz to do something different.
Combined Team at Leamington XC
Fast forward a month and the location of the 2nd cross country race of our season was the Aldridge Playing Fields. Also knows as Aldridge Airport. It’s not an airport. Maybe once a upon a time it was? Not sure. Anyway, a home race. I’d practiced here so it was not a shock to me, but it was raining on the day! This time it was just our division running so it wasn’t all mud. There were grassy bits to run on. No ditches to contend with although there was an incline but nothing as bad as Leamington. Last across the line again but this time I could see the 3 runners in front of me! Progress! The next cross country race I did was in Feb 2016, so we’ll come to that then.
The Team at Aldridge Airport XC
The following weekend I ran another distance I had never run before. Bear in mind that since my first race n 2006 I had by this time ran 30 half marathons, 14 full marathons and 1 ultra. But on the 13th December 2015 I ran my first 10 mile race and then on 27th December I ran my first 10K race! I’d worked my way down from the longer distances and not up to them!
So on the 13th I ran in Sneyd Striders Pudding Run; a 10 mile race (a 5 mile option was also available) and this was where I experienced what club running was all about. The vast majority of runners on the day were wearing the colours of their running club. Sneyd was one of our neighbouring running clubs so they weren’t running but there were lots of ARC tops, Birchfield Harriers, West Brom Harriers, Tipton, Lichfield and plenty more. I was aware of all the local races which occurred from club announcements but being at a race that was so local (ironically 10 miles from my house), felt really good. No travelling anywhere, staying the night. Wake up, breakfast, and then make my way to the race, knowing I’d be home at a sensible time! Even the wife couldn’t complain.
A fine looking bunch! Before the Sneyd Pudding Run
I had no real time target for the race. It was just about getting the miles in and I was comfortably under 2 hours by the time I finished. And there was something special about finishing a race and seeing lots of people you knew there. It’s why local races, especially those organized by running clubs have such a good vibe. You will see plenty of people you know. It makes for great experience especially if you are getting into running.
Two weeks later and it was my first ever official 10K race. 9 years after I started running, racing whatever you want to call it. The Wheaton Aston 10K. A popular race that I just about managed to get a place for and if the number of ARC colours at Sneyd’s run had been impressive the turnout for ARC at this race was incredible. I remember running the first half in a small group with a couple of other ARC runners but in the second half I put my foot down. I had set 66 minutes as my target time but flagged a bit and came in just over 68 minutes. Again, though I loved the finish. Such a buzz when so many people you know are there.
Sprint finish at Wheaton Aston 10K. Honest!
I would do 9 10Ks in 2016 and 11 in 2017 (as part of my charity challenge). And then I just stopped enjoying that distance. I haven’t ran a 10K since December 2019 but in 2023 I will be returning to the distance but in my own way! To get the miles in for the challenge I have set myself I plan to run to 10K races, run the race and then run home! So basically not try to run 10K flat out. I just struggle to do that although I do hope to still crack 50 minutes at the distance.
So that wraps up 2015. An eventful year and it setup 2016 nicely for me which would be dominated by running in club colours. I think 2016 was the key year for me. If I had not been part of a club and had regular runs to look forward to I may have just dropped off running a lot more. But doing Grand Prix races for the club made a massive difference and it set me up for wanting to challenge myself in 2017.
So, I’ll leave with this. There absolutely IS a running club out there for everyone. I used to be put off as I thought you would be left behind if you couldn’t run a certain pace. That may be the case with some clubs but it’s not the case with all clubs and I found the perfect one for me. I loved being part of ARC and I continue to enjoy seeing how their runners are getting on. I’m now with a virtual club because that suits me better at this time in my running life. That could change of course, and I may decide at some point I need to be part of a local club. I know where I’ll be headed if I do. Don’t be afraid of joining a club. You will find within each club that every runner will inspire you. Most importantly you’ll find that you can relate to someone at these clubs.
Stay tuned to my socials for updates on the 2023 challenge! It’s going to epic and I’m more than happy for as much company as possible. I need to average 12.6 miles a day! I don’t run every day and at some point in 2023 I’ll be going on holiday where I may not run at all!
Hi and welcome back as I continue my journey with the next part of 2015. My initial plan for 2015 had been about fundraising for one charity and the focus was the ultra I attempted and painfully completed, as discussed in previous blog. The double header in early 2015 for Teenage Cancer Trust came about after talking to Haroon Mota.
As was becoming tradition I was signed up to do GNR in Sept 2015 and also the Birmingham half the following month. The initial plan was that they would be in the club colours of Aldridge Running Club. I had also entered the Chester marathon. I’d loved running it in 2014 as part of my 20-race challenge and wanted to go to it and run it hard and see if I could crack the 5-hour mark for the first time there.
It’s not how things worked out, but I would 3 years later, crack a landmark time there. So, Autumn 2015 was a 3 race plan but it quickly became a 4 race plan. The vast majority of my running has been for good causes, and I have run for causes on behalf of friends who assisted with fundraising. I have family in Vancouver and in 2015 one of my cousins shared the news that his daughter who was 7 at the time had Leukaemia.
We all know the statistics of how at some point cancer will touch all of our lives in some way. We all know people that have cancer, have had it, or lost their battle to it. I’m going to refer to her as my niece in this blog as in our culture we don’t actually have a word for cousin. True story. We call our cousins brother or sister. So those phrases, “brother from another mother,” and “sister from another mister?” In most Indian cultures that’s been the case for centuries!
I had met my niece when she had just been born in 2008 on a visit to Canada and couldn’t imagine what my cousin, his wife and all the family were going through. It spurred on another one of our cousins to sign up to do the Windsor half marathon in September 2015 for Bloodwise, who had just changed their name from Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. They are now known as Blood Cancer UK, but in 2015 I decided to run my races that Autumn for Bloodwise.
I managed to get a place in the Windsor half as well and agreed to run with our cousin, Amrita on the day. As we live over 100 miles apart training together was out, so I was giving advice where needed from afar.
Picking up from June then and my recovery from Race The Wall, looking at my July mileage of that year, it was pretty piss poor. Or was it? My spirit had been broken and the thought of running anything above 4 miles in July 2015 was not happening. So maybe I did the right thing only doing the handful of runs I did? July 2015 saw me run 3 Parkruns and 2 club runs for a total of just under 22 miles for the month. My weight went up. This is an ongoing battle I have had for a few years. At one point my running weight was just over 100Kg. At my best (Boston marathon 2021), I weighed in at 74Kg. Generally, I float around in the 80 to 85kg weight. Light Heavweight?
In August when I probably should have looked at doing longer runs of 16 to 20 miles with Chester marathon on the horizon, I just couldn’t get into it. I did do a couple of longer runs ending with an 11 miler to end the month and a total of 52 miles for the month. Better than July but not quite the plan if I wanted to go to Chester and run hard. It’s fair to say by this point that was no longer the plan!
So, into September we went and after a couple of short runs it was back off to the Northeast. For some reason I ran all 4 races with a Jamaican Beanie hat over my bandana. I was inspired by my good friends of the Wolverhampton Bobsled team, my fellow ‘Jamaicans.’ At the GNR, I was wearing the older T-short of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research to run in and the Bloodwise top would get to me in time for the other 3 races.
With my brother -in-law who was running his first half!
My most distinct memory of the 2015 GNR was that it was warmer than the previous ones I had done. From the offset the sun was out, and it got hotter! This was my 6th one and where the previous ones started off cool, a couple had rain which was welcome and then warmed up; 2015 started off like a late summers day and kept getting hotter.
My finish time of 2:38 was only 2 minutes slower than the Derby half of June where I had been in the mind frame of trying to get my pacing right for an ultra. The GNR was a chance to just go round and have a bit of a blast and get some miles in the legs and thankfully I came through unscathed. It gave me a little bit of a boost. I felt like I was over how badly the ultra-marathon had battered my body, especially my feet and legs.
Looking at the 5K splits it was pretty consistent running with a slowdown in the 4th sector which does contain the hardest section, in my opinion anyway! The rule at GNR is when you see Elvis, you know the hardest part of the race is almost done! Honestly, it’s true.
So, from GNR to Windsor half there was a week gap in which I really needed to get a long run done ready for Chester full. Did I do it? Nope. I did a handful of 3 and 4 mile runs and then it was Windsor next. I had been pre-warned that Windsor half was tougher than GNR in terms of course profile. The first mile was all uphill apparently. Turned out to be true. On the other side though it meant the last mile was all downhill so swings and roundabouts.
This race had a later start. 1pm. It was a warm day again and of course with such a late start we were going to run in the warmest part of the day. I got there about 90 minutes ahead of the start and met up with Amrita, who was being supported on the day by her parents and younger sister. Must be nice to have people come with you on race days to support you! 2017, before my wife did it! Story for another time.
Unbeknown to me the Radio 2 breakfast team, led by Chris Evans was running that day. At the time I was more of a Kerrang Radio listener, slowly moving across to Absolute Radio. So, we’re stood there, I’m asking how Amrita is and how the training has gone; she was understandably nervous, and the training had been OK, but she’d felt a couple of twinges but felt confident of getting round. That was the target. Running for our niece was the main objective of that race, so getting round would be fine. Sub 3 hours was the main target.
Anyway, I digress. We’re stood chatting and all of a sudden, I see Chris Evans. Now I grew up watching the Big Breakfast in the early 90s and then in my uni days devouring TFI Fridays on Channel 4. I’d listened to Radio 1 when he was on there and seeing him there was surreal. I wasn’t sure if it was OK to go over and say hello. He was the first famous person I’d seen before a race. I’d passed Carol Vorderman at my debut GNR and remember running past “screaming” Jonathon Pierce the BBC commentator at a London marathon, but this was next level. Anyway, I went over said hello and got a pic. Bit deflating when Amrita said she wasn’t sure who he was!!
Cousin Amrita, me and Chris Evans.
Vassos, who most runners know, was also there with some other members of the team from Radio 2. They all started at the back of the pack, although Vassos went rapidly past us very quickly. About a mile in Chris Evans jogged past us, acknowledging us and with a smile on his face as I think it was whilst running, he registered my running name! I’m not going to lie, I ran about 1K with him. Bit of polite chat and then I realised that the person I should have been running with was struggling with the pace we were going at! I dropped back and supported Amrita all the way round. Windsor, as I had been warned is deceptive as route. There is a lot of uphill! The grounds are stunning but on a warm sunny day it’s not really something you can appreciate. This was the first time I had ran all of a half marathon with someone I knew, and it felt good just to run when we could and ease off and walk when required. As we started the downhill finish, we saw Chris Evans stop and applaud us on; he’d already finished!
Finishing Pose.
Job done at Windsor. We sneaked in under 3 hours (2:58:48) and Amrita had done her first half marathon, had raised a lot of money for Bloodwise and assured me she would pick an easier half marathon for her next one. FYI, she’s not ran a half since!
A week later and it was Chester marathon for me. I did zero running in that week between the 2 races. My aim was to get round Chester. No PB attempt. Keep it simple and try to come in under 5:43 which I had ran at Manchester earlier that year. That dream of breaking 5 hours was not a reality anymore.
One of things that really helped me at Chester that year was the Aldridge Running Club turnout. I don’t know if they do it now, but Chester marathon gave any club that had at least 10 runners taking part a VIP spot to setup in with refreshments provided; water and energy and drinks; as well as exclusive use of our own portaloos. Trust me that last one is such a game changer. We were also located close to the finish line so those that finished first could get the best spot to cheer the others home.
It felt good to see some of the others there including Jo Yarnall (yes, her again!), still working her way to 100 marathons, Coach Reeves and Alex Crook who had become on of the first good friends I made at the club. Also, in attendance that day, supporting a friend, was Ewan ‘Forrest’ Gordon, who I had come to know and who provided a lot of great advice for my JOGLE attempt a few years later.
Team ARC. A fine looking bunch of ‘athletes!’
I don’t remember the weather for this one! What I do remember and the splits breakdown backs this up was that it was a hard race. I think I may have blistered again towards the end but when I finished, I remember swearing off marathons. I know. Again. Serious déjà vu! It would be March 2017 before I did one again. My halfway time was OK. In line with my half time at the GNR but the time from 30k to 40K illustrates that found it a real struggle. I’m not surprised, and it served me right.
With Ewan Forrest Gordon.
I knew from Manchester 2014 that if I put in the hard work how well I could run. This would be the last time that I was so underprepared for a marathon. It was my 14th one and when I returned to the distance, in the subsequent ones I’ve done since, only 4 have been lightly slower than Chester 2015. And for those ones there was a good reason why they were slower; very hot weather, JOGLE training etc. I was so glad to see some friendly faces at the end as I remember thinking I’m not sure if I can be arsed with Birmingham half, which was 2 weeks later.
I was grateful to finish this one and I knew I’d bounce back for Birmingham half, after which I planned to revert to half marathons only! Birmingham half went OK. Timewise, not too different from GNR and Derby half and it gave a little boost knowing that with halfs I could pace myself quite well. Marathons, not so much. I was admittedly running almost 2 minutes a mile slower than my PB times but just running was good enough for me and times were a secondary, even tertiary concern.
Anyway, job done. Fundraising for my 3rd charity that year done. The good news is that my niece overcame Leukaemia. She has had a few ups and downs since but thankfully is in good health now and made her first visit to England earlier this year. Should have taken her for a run round Windsor!
That wraps up most of 2015, but later in the year I would finally run a 10K. I know. 9 years after my first race, I finally took on a 10K. And the less spotted 10-mile race. As well as cross country! I’d got race fatigue and fundraising fatigue. The energy required to fundraise is often underestimated and I needed a break from them.
Haroon (1722), Super Singh (7362) and a few other of the Penny Appeal crew from Cov.
I did do little fundraising in 2016 but that was part of a team, so I didn’t feel so pressured. The end of 2015 and most of 2016 was about running in club colours, doing some of the more local races, especially over 10K and trying to re-ignite my passion for running. Running for a club helped and I’ll be back in 2 weeks discussing the end of 2015 and the huge benefit it was for at the time to be part of such a great running club.
Next week (16th October), I’ll be running my 50th official marathon. This landmark would have happened in 2020 but of course life changed for the world so much and to be able to still enjoy running now is a big thing for me.
I look back at this race, my first ultra with a few mixed feelings. It involved a lot of pain! I was absolutely shattered by the end of it. Walking for almost a week was a nightmare. Don’t get me started on stairs! Did I mention it was very painful? However, it showed I could tolerate a lot of pain! I found I could really dig deep when I needed to. And boy did I need to for the last 7 miles. Although the recovery from this ultra took quite a while it was probably the race that gave me the confidence that I could, within reason, take on almost any running challenge.
I did have a wobble after this race. Although I had a few more races to do for another cause in Autumn the desire to train completely went. I mean you will have noted lack of training has been a feature of the majority of my blogs, but after this ultra it really disappeared. I’m not sure what kept me going for the 18 months after this ultra. Maybe an expectation from others and myself to keep running for good causes or the desire to see if I could go even bigger!
So, lets head back to the Saturday morning when I started on this epic journey, nay adventure. Running for Khalsa Aid. I had been kept up most of the Friday night by lots of noise outside my hotel in Carlise, should have really not stayed so central, followed by the noises of threesome in the room next door to me. Yes, really. The race starts at 7am so I was up at 5am and fuelling myself and doing kit checks.
Ravi Singh, CEO of Khalsa Aid. An inspiration
I think things have changed a bit now but in the 2015 version there was no GPS tracking. Thankfully a map was not required either as there was markers along the route, mainly where we had to change direction and we did have written instructions on key parts of the course. There were 4 checkpoints from what I remember. Looking up the race now there are 5 and there is GPS tracking.
Due to the time required to take down the finish area which is on the Gateshead side of the Millenium bridge we 26 hours to finish. There were cut off points to reach and leave each checkpoint; none of which concerned me as I knew fast walkers who had done the route comfortably. Like all ultras and especially a 24 hour one there was mandatory kit we had to carry, which meant running with a rucksack. Now most sensible people and / or those with quite a bit of running experience would have trained with a backpack. I consider myself quite sensible (maybe not where running is concerned!) and I was quite experienced by this time as a runner, but I didn’t train with a backpack once. Stupid really. Although it was not a massive issue.
Bit of a bottleneck running through there!
Weather wise there had been some light rain overnight so there was a nice fresh feel to the morning, but the forecast was that the day would get considerably warmer. So, the plan amongst most runners was to take advantage of the cool weather to make headway into the course. As well as carrying a rucksack with the essentials, as well as food and fluid we could pack another bag that would be taken to the second checkpoint for us. This was the location of an old Roman site called Vindalonda. Did you start singing Vindaloo? I do every time I think about that checkpoint!
Our third bag would be taken straight back to Gateshead International Stadium for us to collect at the end. Really well organised and it meant that I could split my supplies between 2 bags and try to minimise how much weight I was carrying.
At the Start Line
7am and off we go! It was drizzling. Or maybe it was raining. Either way the first section of 15 miles to checkpoint 1 was all road so nothing to worry me and it was flat compared with what I knew was to come later. I kept it sensible paced. A few hellos, how you doings and why are we doing this were exchanged with other runners and by the time we got to Lanercost Priory, the first checkpoint, the rain had eased off. Between the checkpoints were little pitstops where we had to check in and they had some basic supplies, mainly water and sweets. The first pitstop I’d just carried on past.
The checkpoints were amazing in terms of food and drink available. I had my own supplies of course but I remember having a cheese sandwich, a cuppa soup some chocolate. I wasn’t hungry, even though I’d covered the 15 miles in 3 hours but I knew that getting hungry on this run was not an option. In a half I could tolerate it, the back end of a marathon it’s inevitable but when you know that you’re going to be on the move for the best part of a day, I followed the advice I’d been given. Eat, eat and eat. Don’t overdo it of course but keep yourself topped up.
Checkpoint 1 – Lanercost Priory
There was an immediate noticeable change when we left Lanercost. It was more uphill! We were also for the first time close to parts of Hadrian’s Wall and the sun was breaking out. Little groups had started to form. There were some people running together but there were also a lot of solo runners. I chatted briefly to a guy from Scotland called Craig and we pretty much did the whole of the stretch to Checkpoint 2 together. There wasn’t a lot of talking but we’d match the others pace and there was a mutual understanding that it would be good to have company for later in the course.
Change in Terrain.
There were times we went off road and up some fields and some craggy hillsides but there was nothing too taxing and as the sun came out and it warmed up the scenery really was quite something. We forget how scenic this green and pleasant land we live in really is. And this race had some glorious stretches.
Craig, who I did a good chunk of the route with.
There was another pitstop at a quarry which I used to top up my water and have some more chocolate and then it was onto checkpoint 2 at Vindalonda. This was approximately 32 miles in, and I remember they had a guy on the back of a pickup playing music for us! I had made a decision to change my shoes and socks here. I switched to trail shoes. Looking back, I’m not sure it was really needed but they were very useful in the dead of night when I couldn’t see my way properly! The selection of food here was very welcome. Lots of fruit, cakes, sandwiches, crisps and more. Hot drinks and cold drinks. Craig and I sat down and ate together and had a chat and decided to keep each other company as we knew the next section would be tougher. More uphill, mainly off road and heading into the night.
Checkpoint 2 – Vindalonda.
After a good little rest and with plenty of time before the cut-off we headed off. Initially we were on road and chatting away to each other. We then started going up a hill and then down and reached a main road. At this point we realised we had missed a turn! We shouldn’t have been near this main road! We check the route instructions and head back up a hill and then looked to our left and saw a couple of people walking across a field. We then found the sign we had missed to originally turn onto the field. It was partially hidden by a vehicle, but we probably should have seen it! We’d added over a mile to our route, but time was not an issue so off we went.
At this point we hooked up with a husband and wife from Yorkshire called Natalie and Ian. They hadn’t missed the sign! We then walked most of the main hill that was part of the route that got us to 42 miles. The sun was disappearing, and the focus was to keep our spirits up as we approached the next checkpoint. Our band of 4 became 5 at some point as we were joined by another Scottish runner, Emma. I think being part of this little group was one of the key reasons I was able to keep pushing on. The chat was kept positive and as is the case when runners join together, we compared races we had done and what was interesting was that this was the first time any of us had attempted Race the Wall.
As it started to get darker, we ran through a park as we approached Hexham and received some strange looks but also lots of encouragement. That third checkpoint was much needed. Hexham. About 46 miles in, although for Craig and me, more like 46.5! It was only when I sat down that I realised how much my feet hurt and then had at least 2 blisters. My fuel intake at this checkpoint was a tad bizarre. Maybe it was tiredness, a little bit of hunger or just a desire to want to take on all food types. I downed a can of red bull. Had a cheese pasty. Then some chocolates and cake washed down with milk. Some crisps followed by another can of Red Bull! And then a sandwich to finish it all off! I may have had a cup of tea! It’s a blur. Did I try and store food in my beard? Probably!
Checkpoint 3. Much needed.
Again, there was no time pressure on us, so we all managed our aches and pains and then headed off. We went past a pub where people were milling around outside and received some cheers, and a few bits of good-natured banter mainly around were we lost and that we had no chance of winning. Although it was now dark the temperature had not noticeably dropped so it was quite warm and none of us felt the need to add any layers on. I wouldn’t have anyway but there you have it.
I’m not going to lie. It started to get harder. My legs were aching and both feet were blistering. Once we’d moved on from Hexham it became very rural and quiet, and I was glad for the company. At about 50 miles; I know this because there was a marker; our little group started to break up slightly. Emma and Craig had got ahead; not by much but me, Natalie and Ian were losing them. We could hear them chatting away. I then lost Natalie and Ian as I started to really ache. My head dropped and being alone in the dark in the middle of nowhere was starting to get to me.
I knew that I did not want to get lost so I had a good read of where the turns would be coming, and I could still see the others head. I was also aware I was being caught by people still behind me which was no bad thing. At least I knew I was heading in the right direction. There were some very bizarre parts of the route that I ended up doing on my own. I remember going through a caravan park or holiday home place and then thinking I’d reached a dead end only to realise there was tiny path near the last home / caravan that went into a copse and into complete darkness. This was where the headtorch was finally needed.
The next bizarre thing which by my calculations at this point had me at 57 miles was walking past a pub, down a tight turn, close to a building site or some sort of factory maybe, which was all cordoned off. Then I climbed about 80 steps. In reality it was probably half this, but it seemed like a lot of steps. Then I turned left as per my instructions and found myself on the other side of the bloody pub!!! What should have been a 50-metre walk was longer. I’m sure they did it for a laugh! Let’s put some stairs in!
After this little annoyance it was a very hard slog to the 4th and final checkpoint which was approximately 61.5 miles in. Newburn. When I got there, I just sat down with relief. I’d arrived there with about 45 minutes to spare before the cut off and could afford to stay there for about an hour and 45 before the cut off to leave. I decided an hour was required but no more than that as I knew the last 7 miles or so were going to be slow going and would require digging into whatever I had left in the tank. Arriving at Newburn that wasn’t an awful lot. So, fuelling here was touch more sensible. I realised that the 2 cans of Red Bull had not helped at Hexham. They’d given me a bit of a kick but once the effect wore off, I dipped big time. So I went for soup, sandwiches, a cup of tea, cake, fruit, chocolate, a cup of tea and mini cheddars. Not in that order maybe but I really did eat a bit.
One thing I noticed at this checkpoint was how many other runners were here. I expected to see maybe 4 or 5 but there was over 20 and most had been there awhile trying to recharge to go again. The Bennetts were there but sadly they had called it a day. Both were struggling, one more than the other and they decided that almost 62 miles was still a bloody good effort. Couldn’t disagree with that. Others had been therefore almost 3 hours but despite their efforts to rest up to go again, they weren’t able to.
I wanted to remove my shoes to check my feet but decided not to. I knew I had to grin and bear it. So, I had blisters on both feet, my knees, especially my left one, were painful and my legs were crying in agony with every step. My back wasn’t too happy either. I probably could have carried a lot less in it given the waterproofs weren’t required and water was in plentiful supply along the route as well as lots of food but best to be prepared, I guess.
Eventually I was ready as I could be to take on the last 7.4 miles or so. That’s what one of the volunteers told me! I knew I wasn’t going to come in under the 24 hours, but I was past caring at this point. I was determined to finish this off. There was maybe a little bit of temptation to call it quits there. I would still get the medal for doing 62 miles but I’m a stubborn git, so I was going to carry on. Most of the last stretch was along the River Tyne so pretty flat. I think the course profile meant elevation of 1300 metres was done! Thankfully apart from one little uphill none of that was in the last 7 miles or so. I look back and I shuffled to the finish. I saw a few people along the way. There were part of the team cycling along the last bit checking in on me and encouraging me.
One chap approached me and said his wife had been the last person to leave the last checkpoint. Everyone else had called it quits. On I went. The 5 miles to go sign, cross the A1, then the 4 miles to go sign, then 3. Is it me or are they getting further apart? Nope, just me feeling shattered. Then in the distance I see the Tyne Bridge. It looks so close! Nope it disappears out of view and there are still 2 miles to go. Then I’m walking along the quayside and people are out running, like proper running like I must have been 24 hours earlier! I got a lot of strange looks! I’m not surprised.
Under the Redheugh Bridge I went, then the ones the trains go across, the High Level? Then I’m past the Swing Bridge and under the Tyne Bridge and in front of me is the Millenium Bridge and on the other side I can see the finish sign is still up! For a split second as I stepped on the Bridge, I considered a sprint finish! That ended as soon as I tried to walk quicker! The photo below shows the relief of crossing the line. Mixed in is a fair bit of pain and agony, pride; it was emotional. But I had done it. I was an ultra-marathon runner. Thanks to missing a turn I’d done over 70 miles of the 69 mile route!
Crossing the Finish Line. How Knackered do I look!!
One final thing worth mentioning is the how long that last 7 and a bit miles took me. I had done the Derby half earlier in the month in 2 hrs 35. This last part of the ultra which was almost half the distance took me about 2 hrs 40! It was the most painful and tiring journey on foot I have ever done bar none. Not even parts of my JOGLE attempt in 2019 were as bad as those 7 miles. The irony was that even though I knew I could take on anything as I could deal with the pain for the next 18 months I lost my mojo and in 2017 I finally surpassed this ultra. A story for another time.
I did it!!!
I remember being given a Curly Wurly! Then I posed for the finishing picture. I was asked if I was OK waiting for the last finisher before heading to Gateshead Stadium to collect my bags and to get my cousin to come and pick me up. I had time to kill. Gave my cousin a quick call, agreed a time and then cheered in the remaining runner that completed the course.
I’d been OK for 40 miles I’d say and after that it became tough to take. I would over 2 years later surpass the 70 miles in 24 hours, and I think this experience set me up to be able to do that. So, I wearily made it back to the stadium and hydrated, ate some food I had and once my cousin arrived, I shuffled quite painfully into his car.
The last final challenge was to come! My cousin who lives in Consett had a town house. Kitchen on the ground floor and the spare rooms on the 2nd floor! I had the house to myself as they were all going to a wedding and I remember eating more chocolate, showering and then falling asleep. I thought I’d had a long, restful sleep but I only got about 4 hours sleep. I was woken by a very hungry stomach.
Never have I worked so hard for bling!
Before I headed down, I applied all the blister plasters I had to my feet which were very tender. Where there weren’t blisters, my feet were sensitive to the touch. Knees still ached and my lower back wasn’t happy either!
After a decent night’s sleep, a good breakfast on the Monday and lunch in Durham it was back on the train to the Midlands. I remember getting off the train early afternoon and making a very slow and painful walk to the bus stop. Really should have just jumped on the train from New St to Walsall.
Tuesday was spent literally with my feet up as putting my feet in water to try and ease the pain and tenderness. Not surprisingly I didn’t run Parkrun that weekend! I did gather some more money in sponsorship as the run director that day, may have been Peter D or Anne, announced I was marshalling and had completed a 70 mile ultra. In the end I raised almost £2k for Khalsa Aid, and that softened the pain.
Blisters on both feet in identical position!
Surprisingly I ran 9 days after completing the ultra so I can only assume my blisters quickly healed. So, there we have it. My first ultra! At this point it’s worth mentioning my first ultra came after I’d done 27 half marathons and 13 fulls since 2006. I still hadn’t done a 10K. At that time, it never appealed to me. For a short time, it did and now it doesn’t anymore again!
Next time I’ll cover the next fundraising I did which wasn’t originally planned but covered 3 halfs and 1 full in a 6-week period. I was lucky enough to run a mile or so with a celeb. 2015 was the last time I ‘retired’ from marathon running.
A week later than planned with the next instalment. I’ve been doing what I love doing for the last 2 weeks. Doing races. On Sunday 4th I ran the Big Half in London and last week, the 11th I did my 11th Great North Run. Both races were for Children’s Cancer North, and I Have one more race for them, my 50th marathon in October. This would be a good place to share my sponsorship page if you are able to spare a few quid : https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/usinghccn2022.
Initially I was going to skim over the races and training I did to prepare for my first ultra but have decided, just like my first ultra, I’m in no rush! So, a quick refresh. The first blog that covered 2015 was about the 2 half marathons for Teenage Cancer Trust. The second one, at Silverstone, done in just over 2 hrs. 19, which gave me a belief that I could go to Manchester marathon in April and get close to my previous years PB of 5 hrs. 3.
All I had to do was get a long run. And ye of little faith. I did actually do a 17.5 mile run in readiness for Manchester. I did it on Good Friday and then the next day went and did a quite speedy Parkrun (speedy for me at that time). The long run was done in 4 hours, and it was a good workout on the back of 2 half marathons with 2 weeks to go to the Manchester marathon.
It will come as no surprise to most of you that have read most of my blogs that the race didn’t go to plan! I arrived with a plan to follow the 5-hour pacer, much like the year before and stick with him for as long as possible, hopefully for the whole race.
Pre Manceshter marathon with Jo and Daz Redmond. SHABBA!
Prior to the race I met a few familiar faces. Jo Yarnell who you have heard me mention before, an old work colleague; well in fairness a former manager, Kaz who was doing the marathon as a relay with her sister of half each. And one of the Shabba runners I had got to know, Daz Redmond. I know. Shabba. What a great name for a running club. It does actually stand for the areas the team are from, but I’ll let you all go and look it up. Members of the Shabba’s have always given me great support and in 2017 they were there to really encourage me for my 2nd ultra-effort!
A good friend. Karen Crowley.
I know I haven’t even got to my first ultra yet but there have been further ones and I don’t think that will surprise many of you! So, a few pre-race photos and then it was time to have a go at trying to match that run of 2014. It started off quite well but as early as the 5th mile I realized I wasn’t in the shape to run close my PB. So, I went to plan B which was to just keep a consistent pace and spend time on feet. When you’re training for a near 70 mile ultra you have to be prepared to do some long hard slogs. Of course, I realized this after the ultra, not before!
Another marathon chalked off.
The graphic below shows my race splits. Not the usual distances for timing mats but it’s clear that the first half went pretty well but the second half was like most marathons I had done, a bit of a mission. Job done though. And I there are quite a few smiley photos of me crossing the line, so I hadn’t let the time affect me too much. Like anything it was all about the long-term plan which was the ultra. I had 62 days to go Race the Wall after completing this marathon.
Manchester Marathon breakdown
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. An expression we are all familiar with and one I think all runners come to appreciate and believe in more. Certainly, I did. Yet, there were so many times when hindsight came and gave me a kick in the nackers, I still wasn’t really learning from it! Ideally, I should have done an ultra at some point in the 30 to 40 days left period. Even a 31 to 36 miler would have been hugely beneficial for me. Alas, I did a half marathon and a Wolf Run!
In May 2015, when I could have done with getting some long runs in if I wasn’t going to do an ultra in readiness for the bug ultra, I did a total of 57 miles! The longest run was 10 miles and I’m pretty sure my philosophy and misguided belief was that it was best not do too many miles so that I would be as ready as possible for the ultra. Now I look at that and chuckle at that decision! Last year to try and break 4 hrs. 30 for a marathon I ran 400 miles in 30 days, which might seem over the top, but I broke my PB by 12 minutes and ran a 4 hr. 23 marathon. Moral of my story. Taking it easy before a big challenge doesn’t work for me. Going hard, going big and risking injury and form is the way that pays dividends for me.
At the end of May I was lucky enough to meet Ravi Singh, CEO of Khalsa Aid, the charity I was running Race the Wall for. An absolutely incredible man. A man who risks his life to get aid to where it’s needed most.
With Ravi Singh, CEO of Khalsa Aid
Into June we come and the date of the ultra, 20th, was not that far off. Sunday 7th June, I took part in Ramathon, also known as the Derby half for the first time. I’m not really sure what my plan was with this race. I ran it in 2 hrs. 35. Probably about right as I had done the reverse of what I should have by taking it so easy. Instead of getting leaner and fitter I’d put weight on and that probably was a factor in some of the pain that came my way 2 weeks later.
Now Ramathon wasn’t where I left it. On Saturday 13th June, a week prior to the ultra I took what at the time I knew was a big risk. I did Wolf Run! Now it was a lot of fun. But with all the different obstacles and whole lot of mud the chance of getting injured was quite high compared to my usual plodding runs.
Before Wolfrun
Thankfully, I got round in one piece. I was a little bruised after a couple of falls and it demonstrated what I knew. My upper body strength was not all that! Still isn’t in fairness. There was a group of approx. 30 of us, entered as the Walsall Arboretum Parkrunners and we had a blast.
During Wolfrun. I know I haven’t paid for the pic!!
It took well over 2 hours for us all to get round an obstacle filled 10k course. I’m glad I did it, but I wouldn’t do one again! I loved it as when I grew up there was a programme called The Krypton Factor and I used to love the assault course in it. Alas I was too young to be on that show, but Wolf Run helped tick that box.
After Wolfrun!
The next day, I’m not sure why and how, I did a 10-mile run! My last one before the ultra. It took 2 hrs. 50 so there would have been some walking and that was my final prep for the ultra.
I remember taking the train up to Durham on the Thursday to stay with family. Lunch with my cousin in Durham and then on Friday via Newcastle the train to Carlisle. I remember that train ride very well as about 80% of the passengers were going to do Race the Wall as well. I spoke to those that had done it before. Some who had dropped out the previous year due to the heat and others who had done it more than once.
I was staying very central in Carlisle, which proved to be a mistake as Carlisle on a Friday night is bloody noisy, I can tell you. On the Friday I took a walk to the castle to pick up my number and other bits and pieces before going back to my room via a pizza place for a good night’s rest.
Evening before 1st Ultra
That didn’t work out too well! It was noisy until 2am with revellers outside and then from 2 til 3 I could hear the people in the room next door to me going at it! My sleep was on and off and it took a while to realise that I could hear 3 voices crying out with pleasure from the room. Some bloke had got lucky! Me? Worst night sleep possible the day before an ultra. I woke up, showered, ate a lot and I mean a lot and then headed to Carlisle castle.
I will leave it here. Next week will be a bit more of a bumper blog. Only fair for an ultra for what was an incredible, if somewhat very painful experience!
Welcome to 2015! Similar to 2014 this will be broken down into a few blogs to cover what I got up to in the year. Looking at the races I did, the times I did them in it was a year that I really had to dig deep in races to get round. I came off 2014 buzzing, which is no surprise given the number of races I did approx. 8 months and the money raised for a worthy cause. I’d got a really good marathon time (at last), become consistent with my half times but still hadn’t attempted a 10K! Parkruns were a part of my training as were club nights.
Looking back 2015 gives a great illustration of what running is all about. I probably made the mistake of taking the successes of 2014 too much for granted. Possibly with a little bit of an attitude that I could just turn up and race with little training, the way I had with those first couple of marathons. When I needed to train a bit harder, I don’t think I did yet when I really needed to dig deep and run through the pain barrier, I was able to. So although I wasn’t in great physical shape by the end of 2015, mentally it was the year that I really did believe I could take anything on. think it’s fair to say that by the end of 2015 I hit a bit of a lull and a disappointing run at Chester marathon put me off wanting to run that distance. Yes, I know. You’ve heard me say this before! The end of 2015 saw me try something different with my running. I took myself out my comfort zone to try and re-ignite a passion for running but it was hard work. It would take until 2017 to really rekindle the passion for running.
Anyway, I’ve jumped a few blogs ahead. Lots get back to the first 3 months of 2015. Many of you will know Haroon Mota, the marathon man, from Coventry. An amazing guy with a real passion not just for running but to get people from all backgrounds out running and / or walking in the great outdoors.
My first of 3 fundraising challenges for 2015 was to run for Teenage Cancer Trust for whom Haroon worked for at the time. It was also inspired by the incredible Stephen Sutton. An incredible young man – https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/information-about-cancer/cancer-stories/stephen-sutton-mbe. This is just one of many links you can read about him. His mum Jane will be well known to many as she has ran many races with the Wolverhampton Bobsled team in recent years.
Before I get into the 2 races, I did for TCT I should mention what was an unexpected but much welcomed little prize I won. Parkrun. Something I’ll talk about in more detail another time as I think it is the most amazing event. Back in 2014 into 2015 Sweatshop used to be one of the main backers of Parkrun. Parkruns at the time could pick their runner of the month. The winner would get a voucher to use in Sweatshop to get a free pair of trainers! I apologise if this is incorrect in anyway. This is how I remember it. The lovely volunteer team at Walsall Arboretum Parkrun picked me for January 2015. A new pair of trainers was high on my want list and not surprisingly I got a new pair of Adidas with my voucher. I also invested in moulded soles for my feet which were very useful that year.
Courtest of Walsall Arboretum Parkrun. Don’t ask about the Zorro outfit!!
So back to the races for TCT. I’d met Haroon at the Coventry Half of 2014 when we were both featured in their race promotion. We’d seen each other at a number of races in 2014 and kept in touch so when Haroon put on social media that he had places for Coventry half available for anyone wishing to fundraise for TCT I went for it. This was the first of 2 years that I joined him in this endeavour and in this first year I helped with a couple of training runs in Birmingham he arranged, around Edgbaston reservoir, for runners taking on their first half marathon.
I decided to make it a double half and added Silverstone to my fundraising for TCT. At Coventry half we ran in black T-shirts provided by the company that was sponsoring all of Haroons team, Mesmereyez. For some reason I decided to run Coventry half sporting the green afro that I had worn for the 20 races of 2014. Now running in the green of Macmillan’s, the afro made sense. In 2015 though it didn’t really make sense! It was the last time I wore it, although not the last time I would sport an afro in a race! Later in 2015 I would go for a much more different look!
The 2 half marathons fell just 2 weeks apart which worked out well for me as I had Manchester marathon on 19th April. Coventry fell on 1st March and Silverstone on the 15th. I had achieved a PB at Coventry the year before and initially the target was to try and get close to it. However being part of a big fundraising group with a lot of first time half marathon runners; the plan changed.
The focus became to encourage other runners that were part of the team. Not necessarily run the whole race with them, but at least encourage them. I started a bit further back than needed but that was because I knew a lot of the team would make the mistake, we all make in our first race where there are no defined waves. Start too far forward!
Every time I saw a Team Mesmereyez runner in black, I’d run a short while with them, check to see how they were feeling, answer any questions they had (mainly asking when the next water stop was) and just giving a few words to encourage them. The further the race progressed the easier it was to encourage them. I came in with another member of the team. From mile 10 he latched onto me and just focussed on sticking to a consistent pace with me. I came in at 2 hrs 30 and a few seconds. It was a comfortable run, but my running wasn’t over.
One member of the team, Daya, had been concerned about running the race and Haroon who had already finished was by this time on his bike, I think! Anyway I’m not sure how it transpired but I started running back the way I had come! The last mile or so of the half at that time was coming in! way you had ran out. So I started making my way out, occasionally walking when I saw other runners coming in.
I got to the 11-mile marker when I spotted Daya coming in and I then ran back in with him encouraging him as much as possible. In the lead up to the run he wasn’t sure if he had what it took to do a half marathon, so it was important to just do whatever it took to get him to that finish line. Haroon soon joined us as did a couple of other runners and some cheer leaders and with about 200 metres to go we all stopped and let Daya have his moment of glory crossing the finish line.
Some of the team. Daya wearing 181
A good race with a different focus. Helping and encouraging others round. Something I would be doing later in the year again although I didn’t know it at the time.
In the 2 weeks between Coventry and Silverstone I did an 8.5 mile run and a Parkrun. As it turned out, it was the smart thing to do. Silverstone I sported the TCT running top but had to right Usingh Bolt on it by hand as I didn’t have time to get it personalised!
Improvised personalising the top.
This was my 4th and final time running this version of Silverstone. This spring version doesn’t exist anymore, and it was also backed by Adidas. Now, it’s an autumn race done by another company. I don’t remember too much of this race except that in keeping with the previous 3 versions there was a little bit of rain, it got windy at times and there was a surprise musical act on the day. Punjabi dholi (Indian drum), the one and only Gurcharan Mall. Due to the nature of the course, I ran past him 3 times and then the 4th time he approached the part of the route we were on to support us. He had another 2 or 3 members of his band with him but it felt good to hear some Bhangra beats on the course.
The best Dhol player around, Gurcharan Mall. Great Support at Silverstone Half 2015.
I came in with a time of 2 hrs 19. 5 minutes slower than my effort the previous year but I wasn’t quite in the shape I had been in 2014 so was pretty pleased with how it went. So, two races done and fundraising for TCT done.
This was the appetiser before the main course though. The main course being Race the Wall in June. My first ultra. 69 miles! 24 hours to complete it in. I think I decided on that ultra at the end of 2014 or at the beginning of 2015 as when I went to Manchester, I went with my won designed T-shirt.
The rest of March was Parkruns with a mile or so extra, club runs and a couple of other smaller runs. I used Easter weekend to get in a long run before Manchester. After the massive PB at Manchester marathon the year before I was looking to crack 5 hours. I was quite confident going into it, but we’ll talk more about that and my other race prior to the ultra, next time.
After the successful completion of the challenge in 2014 and realizing that multiple races in a short period of time was possible as long as one was sensible and prepared to work hard, what were my plans for 2015? Initially after that last half in November 2014, the only races that I knew I definitely planned to do in 2015 were the Manchester marathon after the big PB there and quite enjoying the route; GNR of course, Birmingham half and Chester marathon. 1 race in Spring and the other 3 in Autumn so I decided to balance it out with another spring race: Coventry half.
My total mileage for 2014 was just over 1000 miles, with which I was pleased. As soon as the 20th race was done my November was taken up with Parkrun, club run on a Tuesday and 1 other run in the week to get about 15 miles done. This kept me ticking over. I was running regularly and making myself run even when I wasn’t feeling too keen to do so. The trick I have found over the years for these types of runs is not to worry about pace or distance but to just be happy to have gone out and done something.
My mileage in 2015 would take a big drop but we’ll come to that in a few weeks. 2015 will also a year of firsts for me. I took on a race distance I had as yet not taken on. Ironically, it’s the distance that is very popular after a half marathon and a distance that has huge benefit to doing when working on speed. I just don’t enjoy it though! Again, that will come later as it was December before I did it!
I quickly added Silverstone half to my races to do. 2015 would see me run for 3 different charities. One as part of a big team, one in a big distance and one for a cause that became very important to me due to someone in my close family becoming ill.
I’m going to keep this week’s blog short but will cover 2015 in 3 different blogs to concentrate the 3 phases that the year ended up being split into with the different causes.
First up the Coventry and Silverstone half marathons were run for Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT). Haroon Mota who I mentioned in a couple of the blogs from 2014 and I had stayed in contact and so I joined his team, primarily for the Coventry half. The beauty of what Haroon did in 2014 and continues to do is to get people from ethnic backgrounds to get into running or at least to get active.
He had a team of about 30 runners that agreed to do Coventry half, a lot of them first time runners. I assisted with helping to give advice to some of the newer runners and advising on pacing, hydration but not of course, stretching. I left that for Haroon. Back then Haroon worked for TCT and that was the reason for running for them.
Team Mesmereyez led by Haroon Mota running for Teenage Cancer Trust
Being part of a team meant there was less pressure for me to worry about the fundraising side especially so soon after the 2014 challenge. It’s not fair or reasonable to always expect the same people to keep on supporting you. In 2014 I had started work for a new company, so I had new people to aim for! In 2015, I changed jobs again, so I had more people to reach to. I assure you changing jobs is not part of my fundraising strategy!
The second phase of 2015 (am I sounding like the Marvel Universe with these different stages?), was focusing on my first ultra. With hindsight I should have picked an ultra that was between 30 to 40 miles; 50 miles at a push. Maybe it was over-confidence (not for the first time) that made me decide to go big. Part of it in fairness was picking a race that meant having somewhere to stay without any cost! So, I entered the ultra called Race The Wall. A 69-mile journey from Carlisle Castle to quayside in Gateshead.
Manchester Marathon 2015 completed
Another part of me had decided I was only going to do 1 ultra so why not go big!! In fairness, although I call myself an endurance runner, I’ve only done 4 official ultra distance runs to date. Admittedly though I’ve done a number of runs that class as ultra distance outside of that!
As part of my build up to running this ultra I entered Manchester marathon and also entered Derby half aka Ramathon as I had heard good things about it and fancied trying for a quick time there. That didn’t go according to plan! I was running the ultra for Khalsa Aid, an amazing charity, the vision of one man, Ravi Singh based on key parts of the Sikh faith. He is a gem of a man, and I was lucky enough to meet him in May 2015, a few weeks before the run. (https://www.khalsaaid.org/)
With Ravi Singh of Khalsa Aid
And finally, the autumn races. And a late edition to my races was Windson half. GNR was now a regular race for me as was Birmingham half and of course I’d loved Chester marathon in 2014 so wanted to go back again. There was a personal reason for doing Windsor and it was the first time I ran the whole length of a race with someone I knew. My cousin was running her first half and the target was to just get her round! I did run for half a mile with a very famous celebrity which was pretty special.
As well as Windsor I did the other 3 races as well for a charity called Bloodwise, now known as Blood Cancer UK. For some reason I went with a Jamaican beanie hat, possibly inspired by my new running friends and fellow ‘Jamaicans,’ the Wolverhampton bobsled team!
Team ARC at Chester Marathon 2015
Once these 3 stages were complete, to keep some sort of running momentum going as I had lost my running mojo, I turned to more club running towards the end of 2015 and into 2016.
That’s it for this week. Short and sweet. After the big success of the 2014 challenge, 2015 would prove to be its own kind of special challenge and would see me quit marathon running again! Albeit this was the last time I quit from the 26.2 miles.
This week I complete my look at 2014. The year I raised the bar with my running. I look back at it now and I laid the platform for future challenges I set myself. In a way the vast array or races in 2014 from big city ones, rural races, small fields, large fields, canal running, heatwave running etc. meant that I gave myself races to look back on inspire me to keep digging in when the going got tough.
The last 5 races I’m covering today were part of a sequence of a race every weekend for 9 weeks. I stopped doing any mid-week runs and Parkruns in this time. It was race, recover, race, recover and repeat.
16
05/10/2014
Chester Marathon
17
12/12/2014
Oxford Half
18
19/12/2014
Birmingham Half
19
26/12/2014
Leicester Full
20
02/11/2014
Droitwich Half
So, a week after Nottingham marathon in which I had a real struggle, both mental and physical I faced upto another marathon. I wasn’t sure going into Chester marathon how it would go. I didn’t feel fully recovered from the week before and although I had done halfs on successive weekends and even 2 in the same weekend a second full in succession now felt like a huge gamble.
However, I knew if I could get through it, even if my time was back to the 6 hours plus of my first few ones, it didn’t matter. The focus was to finish and then look at using the next 2 races, both halfs just to re-focus before the final marathon.
Chester marathon is one of my favourite races. It’s a race I would highly recommend to anyone looking to do a marathon. Whether your first one, an autumn one or just another one to tick off, Chester is up there as one of my favourite places to run; and you know I’ve ran in a lot of places! I have ran it 3 times and I would have ran it more but clashes with other races, a running holiday to Malawi and a pandemic amongst other things meant it hasn’t worked out for me. 2023 will be next time running it and hopefully I’ll be at approx. 60 official marathons when that happens.
The race is very well organized, it’s easy to get to the start, parking is not a problem, and everyone is so friendly. The organisers, the volunteers, the people cheering you on and fellow runners. It’s a lovely race and the unique thing about it is the 2nd race that happens on the day. The metric marathon, 26.2km which starts about an hour after the full goes off. It’s further than a half and really gives you an idea if you’re looking build to a full what it feels like to run further than a half marathon.
Another unique aspect of the race is that you run in 2 countries! You start and finish in England, but you do cross into Wales which is kinda cool. So, the race itself starts on the racecourse, or it did back then. A bit of running on grass then out onto the streets and then into Chester before heading out into the sticks. You run through some lovely places and take in some old churches, a village green where a game of cricket is usually taking place and there are about 3 uphill sections; the toughest of which is at about 24 miles!
Otherwise, it’s quite flat and with the sun out, it is an ideal place to run. Enough other runners taking part so you don’t feel alone like you can do at Stratford, but not busy that you can’t find your pace and stick to it without worrying about tripping someone up, like London! And as it turned out once I got into my stride and being sensible for about 5 miles i.e., easing my way in; I managed to run a strong race coming home in 5 hrs. 25. This was significant as it was only Manchester, I had run quicker at but given how I had done the half marathons in September this was the sort of time I realistically could expect to run. And it was a huge boost to finish it pain free, in the company of another 5 runners, after we created a little group with a ‘Parkrun’ to go! One other thing at the finish that I love about Chester. The 2 organisers, Chris and Andy are there to greet every finisher. That is dedication and respect to them both.
A much better marathon experience than the previous week.
A good day’s work and the following week it was onto Oxford Half. Now the 2014 version of this race was very different to the Oxford half that exists now and that I did in 2017. When I did it in 2014, it started and finished at the Kassam Stadium, home of Oxford United. It was a weird race. The 1-mile marker was at 1km. The 2-mile marker was at about 1.5 miles it was mile 5 where the marker was at the right place and then mile 6 was at mile 6.5! The strangest part of the route was running next to or through the Mini factory, which was next to busy main road. We used a Subway (under the main road, not the sandwich shop!) to pass onto the other side of the main road. Now I’ve done MK marathon where wide underpasses are used. This was a proper narrow subway! Runing 2 abreast, if that. Most bizarre.
Another thing that was notable at Oxford Half 2014 was the fact it was started by the legend Sir Roger Bannister to mark 60 years of having broken the 4-minute mark the mile. As part of the route, we ran on a track near the university and that 1 mile was marked as the Bannister mile which I did in just over 10 minutes! The live music around the route was also noticeable, with runners asked to vote for the best live act. The finish was really good, in front of the main stand in the football stadium. The time of 2 hrs. 18 wasn’t too shabby either. The 4th best time of the 14 halfs that year and I found that after back-to-back fulls my stamina was very good so even though I felt tired at mile 10, my pace never dropped as my body was up for it. The picture below was taken by a fellow runner who has since become a friend and who has done many running adventures. Ewan “Forrest Gump” Gordon. A top bloke and one of the people who inspired me to attempt JOGLE after he showed it can be done.
Photo courtesy of Ewn Gordon aka Forrest Gump
The following week it was the ‘home’ race. My 5th Birmingham half. If I hadn’t added the 4 extra races and changed 1 of my marathon options, then this would have been my last race. Finishing the challenge at a big race made more sense and taking nothing away from the 2 races I still had to do, I wish I had made it the last one. As it was, I saw many familiar faces around the route. It was still a Broad Street finish at this time so that flat finish helped. I Saw many friends from my new running club, Aldridge, regulars from my Parkrun, some of the Shabba runners who I had gotten to know and a few other familiar faces, including one Haroon Mota!
Should have been the last race. Oh well!
Quite a few runners in the Midlands had got used to seeing the afro at a number of races and the thing about this race is the 2-way section into Stirchley where you get to see so many people you know. It was running through this stretch that I saw a familiar face shouting encouragement. One of friends from my university days, one Tony Lowe. Not a bad left foot when it came to playing football and probably the biggest Friends fan, I knew back in the day. We high fived and started chatting until Tony reminded me, I had a race to run!
I got round in 2:21, so another solid run and it was 18 down with a full and a half to go. This led to the Leicester the following week and for the first time I had people supporting me at the start and the finish! My sister lives in Leicester so she and my 2 nieces made our way to Victoria Park for the Leicester marathon. Guess who I bumped into? Yep, Haroon Mota. I was seeing my Muslim brother everywhere now. I think this was the 5th race our paths crossed and we have remained good friends since.
My niece Maisie is in that pram. I had a cheer squad!
Leicester, like Stratford and Nottingham, saw full and half marathon runners go off together. At some point the routes split. The marathon went off one way and eventually came back to the point where the 2 races split to pick up the last few miles that the half covered. From memory it was a pleasant route. Bit of suburbia, countryside, some very weird cut throughs of new housing estates! Reading my social media post of the race it seems like the race went well upto mile 9 at which point both my knees gave me a lot of grief. I jeffed at 13-minute mile pace and then at some point I found running was less painful! There was an uphill finish to the race through the city centre and I got a lot of stares from people shopping or enjoying a coffee as I slowly ran towards the finish.
I remember my sister and niece running out of a shop with a tray of cupcakes!!! I’m pretty sure a couple of those got smashed at the finish! I came home in 5 hrs. 43 and given the pain I was relieved and quite happy as it was 6 marathons done in 1 year, mixed with halfs and I’d pretty much survived. Being in Leicester I was treated to some fine Indian food before I drove home looking forward to the fact it was almost over!
Those knees were not bending!!! Not a podium for that pose!
And so, to the final race. The Droitwich half marathon. I think this race had been postponed from earlier in the year and I found it by chance. The start and finish were near a golf club but as they had no parking we parked in the town and then got a minibus to the race start. It worked out quite nicely and the other thing was that it was a midday start. A lie in before a race! It was overcast and it did rain during the race, but it felt refreshing.
Now, whilst running, again a rural route, I had a strong sense of déjà vu. I thought I had run some of this route before, but this was my first time doing the race. Afterwards I realized that I had run part of the route during the Worcester City half earlier in the year. I found it quite an undulating course, but others felt it was flat! Maybe having done so many races in quick succession made it feel tougher, but I finished in 2 hrs. 31. When I finished, I knew I had achieved something special but there was no one there who knew what that finish meant to me! A 16-race plan that became 20 as in the space of 8 months I doubled my race tally.
Smiling as it’s over! A good years running.
I was now a 12-time marathon runner with 24 halfs to add to that list. Not bad for someone who only wanted to do 1 of each and then ‘quit’ marathon running for 2 years! There were only 5 runners behind me in a field of approx. 270 runners so you can see what I mean about a low-key finish. My fundraising had gone well. Whenever it slowed down another race came along, I’d get some local media coverage and it would give me a little boost. Looking back, it may have helped to contact more local press in the more local races, but I was happy enough raising almost £4k for Macmillan’s and I’d toughed it out.
One final observation. I wore the same blue Adidas trainers in all the races and additional runs I did in training, which decreased as the year went on. Off the top of my head I think they were Supernovas but entirely certain. They looked after me though! 850 miles I did in those!
This is my post from that last race (which was the day after I turned 39)!
“20 races in 8 months complete. 14 half and 6 full marathons done. Been an amazing journey. Painful, emotional, tough, good, hard so many words to describe it. I’m glad it’s done, but also a bit sad. Not sure what to do with my weekends now. Thanks for everyone’s support. If I were asked to do it again, you know what, I actually think I would!!”
And I did do it all again! On a bigger scale, but that was in 2017 so we’ll eventually come to that. So what would I do in 2015? Initially, I had no fixed plans. I knew I would do GNR and Birmingham halfs again and after the success at Manchester marathon I definitely wanted to do that race again. But then I came up with another challenge. Quite an ultra one! Find out more in 2 weeks.
Usingh Bolt - Endurance Runner 