Walk Sancho, walk!

Having signed up to take part in this years Oxfam Trailtrekk event, it was only a matter of time that Team Llamas Not Included pulled on our walking shoes and did some training.  We had already been for an ill-fated night time expedition from Woodlesford to Leeds along the River Aire to test our head torches, but we needed to get some serious miles under our belts.

The idea was a simple one.  We would get up bright and early, make our way to Skipton, and walk to Horton in Ribblesdale following the Pennine Way.  We forgot, of course that this was the weekend that the clocks went forward, robbing us of an important hour of sleep before taking on the 40k walk.

Having left a car in Horton for the journey home, we set off from Skipton at 8:30am* along the Leeds and Liverpool canal towards Gargrave.  The rain had already started falling but, as Debs pointed out, "things can only get better".  I had a strong suspicion that she was going to be wrong and that things would get a lot worse, but we cracked on at a decent pace never the less, making a note to bring binoculars and a bird spotting guide when we take on the route again in August.

Gargrave came quickly and we were soon onto Stage 2 of the walk.  The Pennine Way was going to be our companion for the next eight and a half hours, although at the time we thought it would be closer to seven.  It wasn't long after leaving Gargrave that the rain got heavier.  This wasn't a problem to start with, but once we had cleared the tree lined farm track we also noticed that the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped.  At least the route was easy to follow.  Crossing a couple of fields we found the River Aire, which was much smaller than we are used to, and followed it faithfully.

In hindsight we should have listened to the warning from the group that we passed about the state of the path to come.  We laughed off thoughts of difficult terrain, things could only get better after all.  We were of course wrong.  Not long after Airton we came across a quagmire that left three of us with sodden feet.  The icy mud flowing into shoes that still had 25k to cover was not welcome, but the first sight of Malham cove was, as it heralded the end of the second section.

I was in two minds about changing my sodden footwear as we stopped at Malham for lunch, in the end I chose to keep my wet but comfortable trail shoes on, saving a dry pair for the drive home.  I'm sure that this was the right thing to do as my feet would only get wet again later on, it did mean that my decision to use a 60 litre backpack instead of at 15 litre one was hugely flawed.  A lighter bag would have been welcome, but we live and learn.

We pushed on through Malham and set off towards Malham Tarn.  The higher we got the worse the weather became.  By the time we had reached the Tarn the wind was whipping up waves you could have surfed on and for the first time, we walked in silence, protecting our faces from the stinging rain, only glancing around to make sure we were all still together.

The trees at the Eastern edge of the Tarn brought welcome relief from the elements, as did the driveway up to the Malham Tarn Field Centre, but we were soon back out in the open.  My gloves were now as sodden as my shoes, but the wind was so biting that taking them off actually made me more uncomfortable.  My hands were either hot with pain or cold and wet.

Morale was sapping away as we climbed the barren Fountains Fell and again we walked in silence for what felt like hours.  The only conversation was about where we were and how far we still had to go which, as anybody with a 4 year old will tell you, is not a barrel of laughs.  Even the sight of snow failed to make me smile.  Normally I'm like a kid in a sweet shop whenever I see snow, but this just acted as a reminder of how cold and remote we were.

As we reached the summit of Fountains Fell two things struck me.  The first was that in front of me lay Pen-y-ghent, I knew that we only had to get to the other side of the ridge and we'd be in Horton and we would have completed the day's walking.  The second thing that struck me was the wind, like a hammer to the chest!  It had been bad on the way up, but the hill had been protecting us from the worst of the weather.  Halfway down, while battling the wind and the sodden path, the rain returned.  The rain soon changed to hail and I swore at the world.  I took some macabre solace at the though that I had been right about the worsening conditions earlier in the day.  The weather could have been worse, and now it was.

We crossed the official end of section 3 and pushed on without stopping, or recording our time, to the finish at Horton in Ribblesdale.  Having climbed Pen-y-ghent last year I knew the way from here and that offered some relief, we were tantalisingly close to the end.  We said farewell to the Pennine Way and crossed onto the bridle way that would take us down to Horton, or at least we tried.  The wind we had pushed against coming down from Fountains Fell decided to have one last dig, a final turn of the knife.  We already knew that we had been on our feet all day but walking down hill should not be more difficult than going up.

We finally made it into Horton in Ribblesdale 5 hours after we had left Malham and, to add insult to injury, the public toilets were locked.  We had taken much longer than anticipated but I'm putting that down to the weather.  Importantly we had made it to Horton before the sun dipped behind Ingleborough and within the cutoff time for continuing with the Trekk.  We were cold, wet, and tired, but we had completed the first 4 stages.

If it had been the actual TrailTrekk weekend we may well have called it a day at that point, such was the level of discomfort, but the weather in August should be much better and we won't need to carry so much thanks to the support of our crew and the Oxfam volunteers.  Which reminds me, we are undertaking the TrailTrekk to raise money for Oxfam, a very worthy cause.  Deborah, Dalia, Jonathan and I will be fund-raising up until the event but if you would like to help us rediscover some of our lost morale you can donate on our JustGiving page.

I think our next team building session will be in a pub.  A warm cosy pub, with a roaring real fire, and only a short walk between stages, not stages, pints.  I think we've earned it for now.

*all times are approximate

Me, me, me!

I've set my stall out a couple of times for 2015.  Both here on Run Sancho Run and in public I have told people that I will not be entering and running any half marathons this year.  Instead I have entered a lot of 10ks, the 100k Trailtrekk Challenge and my first marathon, the York Marathon to be precise.

Over the last few months I have managed to get back to comfortably running 10k, but because the marathon isn't until October I've not bothered pushing myself to longer distance runs.  Instead I have focused most of my spare running time on leading South Leeds Lakers, either planning routes, running slower than I normally would or marshalling runs to make sure that nobody got lost on streets they didn't know.

This week I led 32 people on a route we are now calling The Beeston Rollercoaster, a 5k route made up entirely of hills.  Everybody managed two laps of the hill section, some people managed three sets, but I only ran the hills once as I was making sure nobody got lost on the first loop.  Marshalling, cheering people on, and making sure everyone is OK is, to my mind, more important than me pushing myself and ignoring everyone else.

But while everyone else has seen improvements in their running over the last 6 weeks, I have at best maintained form.  I'm really happy for everyone who is benefiting from the Lakers sessions.  PBs at parkrun are falling left right and centre and people are signing up for races that a month ago they would have run away from.

My problem is that while all of this gives me an sense of enormous well being*,  I'm not seeing any of the benefits.  My recent parkrun times are still a minute slower than my PB, a time I set last year.  As I pointed out earlier I've not pushed past 10k on my long slow runs yet.  All of this was brought home to me on Tuesday night after the group session.  I opened up my in-box to find an email from Run for All, subject: Time to check your details for the Leeds Half Marathon.

13.1 miles completed in 1:51:48

It turns out that the day after last years Leeds half, I signed up for this year, then promptly forgot about it.  After all that I have said I am running a half marathon this year and it's in 8 weeks! I trained for months and months through rain, wind, and snow last year to get around the 13.1 mile route of the Leeds Half, this year I've, well, this year I'm not even close.  I had already started to feel the urge to do more running for me and less for the group but this settles it.

I am no longer the kind of runner who is happy to just finish a race, I need to finish with my head held high knowing that I did my best, preferably better than last time out.  That's not to say that I'll be neglecting South Leeds Lakers.  It's a fantastic group, and one that I am proud to be part of, but I need to make sure that I make time for me as well, after all I have a PB to beat.

*Parklife!

Harewood 10k 2015 - Race Review

The 2014 Harewood 10k was given the accolade of Race of the Year*, so it was little wonder that I was really looking forward to Sunday's 2015 race around the grounds of Harewood House.  Last year the race was a slight diversion from my half marathon training, this year however I'd not been putting in anywhere near the same miles so I didn't really know how the day would pan out.

I had missed a load of long runs in the weeks before the race and my involvement in South Leeds Lakers and helping out at Farsley Flyers has meant that my midweek runs have been shorter, and slower than they should have been, but none of this dampened my spirits.

You see, this is not a PB course.  It's not fast and flat, far from it.  The appeal of the Harewood 10k is its setting.  I do all of my running in town, the closest I get to running off road or in the countryside is the canal tow path as it meanders through an industrial landscape.  Harewood is literally a breath of fresh air.

I set off early with my cheerleaders, well aware that the road to Harewood can snarl up at the drop of a hat, and made it in plenty of time to hear the tannoy guy wish good luck to the South Leeds Lakers.  If I wasn't already in a good mood that unexpected announcement really gave me a lift.  I met up with Gavin and John, two more of the Lakers and chose to ignore the group warm up.

There was then a 15 minute delay to the start of the race.  I assume this is because of people still trying to get onto the grounds but with nobody telling us what was going on it's only speculation.  When we finally got underway I settled into a comfortable pace.  For the first time ever I didn't go out all guns blazing, but was running comfortably under 5 minutes per kilometre.  By the time I was at the top of the first hill at 4k I was a minute under my predicted time.

I stopped pushing and tried to steady my pace at 5 minutes, well aware of what was coming up at the end of the race.  I took the time to look at the scenery which is not something you would choose to do at the Leeds 10k.  In no time at all I passed the 7k marker and braced myself for "The Hill".

I had started the day with two targets.  The first, last years time 54:10, the second, The Hill.  I was determined to get up the 1k long climb without breaking to a walk.  Last year it had defeated me early on, this year I kept going, kept moving my arms, kept my head up and shoulders back, kept running.  I made it to the top and pushed on past the 9k marker.

Rounding the final turns of the course I knew that The Hill had done its job and robbed me of running under 50 minutes but I still had time in the bank to better my previous time.  As I hit the home straight my ears erupted as friends and family started yelling my name.  I found one last burst of energy and crossed the line in 50:10, over 4 minutes faster than last year.

I love the Harewood 10k.  There were issues at the end with emptying the car park.  We were sat for around an hour in stationary traffic, but frankly if taking a bit of time to go home "ruins" your day and you believe that Age UK have "a trust mountain to rebuild" before entering one of their races again, I think that says more about you than them.

The Harewood 10k is already the first run on my list for 2016 but for the first time I will train specifically for it, more hills, more miles, and the prospect of a sub 50 run.

*by me.

Pop up Running Event hits Trinity Leeds

This Sunday, the 8th March, is International Women’s Day.  It will see Trinity Leeds and Leeds City Council come together, alongside Run Leeds and This Girl Can to host a special first time running event.  People in the city centre can expect to find a wide range of running based activities, from a Trinity fit trail, guided runs and a magic mile.

There will also be an event expo which will offer a number of information points sharing advice and assistance on how people can get active in Leeds. Including Leeds let’s get active, parkrun, the Veggie Runners, and information on the city's new running groups including South Leeds Lakers. 

This event will be like nothing before it, as it promises to show off not only Trinity, but most of the city, including the water-front.

When asked what people might see on the day, Ben Fraser one of the head organisers said: ‘To be kept on their toes, literally! Expect surprises and excitement!’  After the activities have finished, Neil Jones, Sports Development officer, and other head organiser, has promised: ‘A fantastic post event pasta party, with a very special guest.’ 

I'll be heading down to Trinity after finishing the Harewood 10k to see what all of the fuss is about and to promote the Lakers.  Hope to see some of you  there.

Wrap up and Run - Harewood 10k 2014

This time last year I was well into training for the Leeds Half Marathon.  The Leeds 10k and the Abbey Dash were behind me and I decided to mix up my training plan and enter an extra 10k race.  The AgeUK Wrap Up and Run Harewood House 10k to be precise.

I'd been training hard for months and in my head a 10k run was going to be a walk in the park.  My running schedule already included two runs over 10k every week, along with three shorter runs, so the distance was no issue.  I was also running up Churwell Hill a couple of times a week which was good as I had been told that there was a steep incline at around 7k of the Harewood course.

I did a bit more research into the route through the grounds of Harewood House.  It was meant to be paths and tracks but with a good chance of mud, so I decided to wear the trail shoes that I had bought to tackle the Somme like conditions of the Kirkstall to Rodley section of the canal tow path.

My race prep was going to plan.  I tapered my training so that my legs would be fresh and then I went out on an all day Street Food and drinking bender the day before the race.  Let me let you in on a little secret, stuffing yourself with tapas and curry then drinking beer and whisky while playing darts is NOT good race prep.

I had no right making it to the start line on time but I did.  Sadly I was there in plenty of time to endure the mass-humiliation of the group warm up.  Shimmying while marching on the spot was not doing my hangover any favours.  At least I had moral support from running buddy Diane who, like me, is also not a fan of the pre-race aerobics class.

The race finally got under way through a tight start/finish funnel.  It took some time to get over the start line but the pack soon spread out once we were passed the barriers.  Sadly we were bunched back together again almost straight away as the route took us through a five bar gate.  I know now that having to walk through the gate didn't have much of an affect on my finishing time but right then I felt like I had ground to make up.

We passed the front door of Harewood house and headed out to the back of the estate.  The narrow path through the trees was beset on all sides by muddy puddles and I was pleased as punch with my choice of foot ware.  Most people were sticking to the raised middle of the track but I could happily pass on the outside, accepting that muddy was going to be the way I finished the race.

At 3.5k the path opened up and we could look back across the estate at the house.  This was the moment that cemented the Harewood 10k as the best race I have ever taken part in.  Running through the countryside with birds of prey circling above me.  No traffic noise, just the rolling beauty of the Vale of York around us.  We dropped back into the valley and I started to think about what was coming next.  I knew that around one of these corners was "the hill".

There are a number of things that will stick in my mind from the hill.  The first was the disembodied voice of another runner who commented that they had never seen so many people walking part of a race.  I had thought that it was just me who had slowed to a walk but I was in the majority, a fact which helped me feel better about my failure to run the entire course.

The second memory that will stay with me long after I have hung up my running shoes, was a lad who had to stop and walk back down the hill to retrieve one of his trainers. The trainer in question had come off in a puddle of mud the like of which I've not seen since Artax was lost in the Swamp of Sadness.

The hill levelled off and I picked my pace back up again, covering the final kilometre at something like my usual pace.  I finished in 54:10 which was a couple of minutes slower than I had anticipated, but then it was faster than the time I had set for the Abbey Dash.  Even walking up the hill had resulted in me getting a new 10k PB.

This year's Harewood 10k is now only a couple of weeks away and I can't wait.  This year I will be sober and I am determined beat that hill.  I have two time targets to beat too, 54:10 for the course and 49:52* for the distance.  Anywhere between the two and I'll be happy, that said, I'm going to be happy getting to re-run my favourite race of 2014.

*time set at the Leeds 10k 2014

Book them, they will run!

If you're reading this and have ever entered a race or fun run, regardless of your ability, I'm sure you will know all about pre-race nerves.  Booked months in advance, the big day quickly comes around.  You have done the training but the voice in the back of your head tells you that you should have done more.  Your nerves grow as you stand in the starting area ages before the start of the race and there doesn't seem to be anyone else around.

You start to doubt yourself.  "What was I thinking entering a 10k?  I'm not fit enough. I'll probably come last anyway".  You realise that if you just set off running you could be at the end long before the gathering crowds have even started their humiliating mass warm-up.

Last night I went through all of that and more! It was the inaugural run for South Leeds Lakers.  I had printed off registration forms and route maps, dug out all of my spare hi-vis running gear in case any stealth runners turned up, advertised the group on Facebook, Twitter, and at Cross Flatts Parkrun.  I had even done the training for group leaders, but was I ready enough?

I stood alone in the car park of Beeston Co-op, waiting.  As with race days I was early, but I had to be first one there, just in case somebody arrived early, thought that they had been stood up and decided to go home!  What on Earth was I doing there?  Who was I to think that I could be a running group leader?  I should just go for a run, after all nobody would turn up.  In two years of running around Beeston I could count on one hand the number of other runners I had passed on any single run.

But then, out of the darkness they came.  One or two at first, fluorescent t-shirts visible long before I could identify their faces.  It wasn't too long before there were enough people to describe us as a group.  I had envisaged five or six people setting off around Beeston but to get almost twenty people turn up on the first night was fantastic.  Nineteen of us set off into the night, passing the Tommy Wass, running down Dewsbury Road and back up Beeston Road to finish outside Snipper Clarke's at the end of South Leeds Lakers' first 5k run.

Before we started running I laid out my stall.  I want South Leeds Lakers to be a social running group.  People coming together to run because they love it, but also to encourage others to take up the activity that, for some reason or another, had managed to get nineteen people to come out and join a stranger on a freezing cold February night.  The run should be at a pace comfortable enough to talk through, that way we can share our stories of running highs and running lows, and pass on any hints and tips on how to run better, or avoid injury.

Photo courtesy of South Leeds Life

Last night we did just that.  The group did spread out, but it was still running together and people were talking all the way round.  Importantly strangers helped each other around the route, up the unforgiving Beeston Hill, and cheered each other over the finish line.

My nerves had vanished and they had been replaced by an overwhelming sense of joy and achievement.  On the one hand I had been out for a bit of a run, nothing new there.  On the other hand I had got people together to run.  A diverse mixture of people and abilities coming together to run because I had given them permission to do so.

Had they enjoyed it? Yes.  Did they want to do the same thing next week? Yes!  Did I feel like I had just set a new 10k PB? YES!  We are already looking forward to next week's run and I know that those original nineteen runners are already spreading the news of the group to their friends.  At 6:55pm last night we were runners but now we are South Leeds Lakers!

South Leeds Lakers

Back in December I wrote about an opportunity that had come my way.  I had been asked if I wanted to undertake training to become a run leader.  I'll be honest, even as I was writing that blog post I knew my mind was made up.  I'm a solitary runner.  Pulling on my trainers and going out for a run on my own is where I find my peace.  Joining others just didn't appeal that much.  But then, over the Christmas Holidays, something changed.

A good friend, Kat, was pondering going for a run on Facebook and managed to talk herself out of it.  I suggested that we could meet up bright and early the following morning and I would take her out for the run that she had missed.  She was wary as she was only just getting back into running after injury.  She wasn't mad keen on a chilly run along the canal first thing in the morning either but that is exactly what we did.

That 10.6km run was on the 1st January 2015, my first run of the year.  We were both a little hungover from New Years Eve festivities, but we talked each other around.  It was this run that made me rethink the idea of becoming a run leader.  I knew that Kat wanted to run but just needed a little gentle encouragement to get through the door.  We both had a good time with no pressure for PBs and, selfishly, I felt great knowing that I had helped her get on her feet.

A couple of weekends ago I attended Leadership in Running Fitness, last week a handful of us had a meeting on the streets of Beeston, discussing a new running group for the area, and tomorrow (Tuesday 10th February 2015) I will lead out a group of runners for the first time.  I'm both excited and nervous.  What if nobody turns up?  What if there are too many people?  What happens if a hardcore runner turns up and expects drills?  Only time will tell I guess.

Two years ago I wasn't a runner.  Just a couple of months ago I was a dyed in the wool solo runner.  As of tomorrow I will be Run Leader for South Leeds Lakers, a mixed ability and mixed gender running group.  We'll be keeping it simple and friendly with the focus on the social side of running and having fun, not on races.  If you fancy joining me for a gentle run please feel free, we're meeting up at 7pm outside Beeston Co-op on Old Lane.  Hope you can come along.