Here we go again, I am determined to get this up to date.
On 24/06/09. I got a lift with friends to Harrogate to take part in the Race For Life, a 5k run which happens all over the country, its only for women and the money raised goes to cancer, you can run, jog or walk. The course is undulating and mixed terrain.
Time 27 min 18 sec
Rainton 10k, 28/06/09another in the Black Sheep Series, mixed terrain and undulating. Weather was fine.
Time 58 min 51 sec
Now for the biggy. The 2nd long run in the Black Sheep Series, The Burn Valley Half Marathon, 05/07/09 ,1pm on a Sunday afternoon from Masham market square, hot and hilly undulating doesn’t do this course justice, the views were beautiful, I knew I couldn’t run it all but I set myself to run the hilly 3 miles to the 1st steep hill and from then on to run the downs and walk the biggest of the hills.
Time 2 hr 20 mins 20 sec
12/07/09 Great North 10k in Sunderland a BUPA run so there were thousands there including elites.
Time 57min 42 sec
14/07/09 The finale of the Harrogate and district summer road running league, the Ripon Handicap. All your points from the league are added up and then runners set off slowest first and fastest last with the aim of everyone finishing within 5-10 mins of each other. When it was my turn, I set off on the 5 mile off road course, it was ok until about 1 mile to go on a narrow part I heard thundering behind me and the faster runners were catching me up, I stood aside and let them pass, I found it terrifying and intimidating. Next year I will marshall.
Time 57min 42 sec
19/07/09 Burton Leonard 10k, a Black Sheep Race. This is the village where I grew up, it was a hot Sunday afternoon with a very tough course,
Time 63 min 01 sec
On the 26/07/09 I woke up feeling sick, I struggled to eat my breakfeast and fleetingly it crossed my mind to not go to Harrogate and run their undulating 10k, It didn’t last though, so I met my running buddies and off we went. I thought that I would vomit on the 13 mile journey in the car, but I didn’t, I felt awful but still I collected my number and lined up for the start. Race plan, complete the first of the 2 laps without being lapped and then as long as I could see my running partner I could walk.
Time 59min 49 sec.
The next weekend I didn’t book any races as I was taking part in Ripon’s annual Saints day parade, St Wilfreds day, With the Youth drama group where I am a volunteer youth worker.
08/08/09 Darlington 10k, 2 laps flatish course. I set off really positive on this one but I could’t get my breath, and was struggling by 2 miles, but I struggled on and it seriously crossed my mind for the first time ever to drop out, then just before the end of the 1st lap I was lapped, I couldn’t give up now, people might think it was because I was lapped so I struggled on.
Time 63 min 01 sec the same as Burton Leonard.
The next day I went to the doctors, he said I had a chest infection and that I had to rest.
16/08/09 Ben Nevis. I was on holiday in Scotland and on a dreary cold rainy day, I climbed the highest mountain in Britain, it was tough and rough underfoot, at points visibility was so low you could only see a few feet ahead and it was so cold, but I did it, it was amazing how all the discomfort was forgotton once I knew that I was on the top. Amazing.
Time 5 hr 26 min
06/09/09 The Great Yorkshire run. This was the 10k that started it all a year ago. Another BUPA run with thousands of entrants and elite runners. It was nice to run a course that I was familier with and that was a definite advantage for pacing.
Time 59min 32 sec a massive improvement on last year.
13/09/09 Wetherby 10k, the last in the Black Sheep Series, a notoriously fast course.
I didn’t find it an easy course but when it was over it was a great sense of achievement I had completed all 8 races in a race series.
Time 59 min 15 sec
The BUPA Great North Run on 20/09/09, the biggest half marathon in the country with afield of about 40 thousand runners including elites.
This was a log day with the coach leaving Ripon for Gateshead at 6 in the morning.
When we got there it was a bit frosty but the day soon warmed up. I was in a pink pen the penultimate pen. It took 20 mins for my pen to reach the start line and within 100 yards I had to avoid a queue for portaloos, it wasd so conjested it was hard to get running as people kept stopping to walk right in front of me within the first mile. I found it very stressful zig zagging through the crowds I was swearing in my head, and at water stops avoiding all the discarded bottles. I held onto my bottle and swapped it at each water station. At 9 miles my knee popped, I hop skip and jumped for the next mile until I could put the pain to the back of my mind. At 11 miles I was feeling confident, Id never run this far without stopping before, then I got stomach cramp, I slowed right down as I went up a short incline, but I was nearly there. As I arrived on the seafront for the last mile the Red Arrows flew above, What an amazing feeling but I still could not relax and enjoy the run as people were still stopping to walk in front of me so I zig zagged my way to the finish line, what a feeling, my stomach hurt, my knee hurt but I had completed the Great North Run.
Time 2hr 19 min 51 sec a pb
6 days later I took on the John O’Gaunt challenge a 25 mile walk/run which you have to navigate but have check points. This was probably a mistake so close to the Great North Run, the first 10 mile was ok but then it got tougher, at 16 mile I got my partner and I lost, we ended up doing an extra mile, but we struggled on and completed it, complete with blisters thorn scratches and sun burn.
Time 8 hr 23 min and we weren’t last.
Back in April I had entered the ballot for a place in the 2010 London Marathon and I got the news that I was unsuccessful. I looked into a charity place but they all wanted a guaranteed amount of money raising and the least amount was £1250.00 I couldn’t manage that so entered the Edinburgh Marathon on 23/05/10 instead and got in.
04/10/09 the presentation dinner for the Black Sheep Series, I received a medal for the series plus a t shirt for completing all 8 races. I finished 7 (last) lady over 40 and 93 out of the 102 who finished the series, 161 had started it.
11/10/09 The Shaun Johnstone 10 mile trail race. This race is organised in memory of the Son of one of the members of Ripon Runners, Shaun was also a member of ripon Runners and died of a brain tumour aged 16, this race raises money for his charity.
A tough race.
Time 1 hr 41 min 21 sec pb
My birthday saw me travelling to Bridlington on the east coast to take part in the Bridlington half marathon, undulating mainly on road, a sunny Breezy day.
Time 2hr 7min 38sec pb
A month off, then on 22/11/09 The abbey Dash in Leeds, A notoriously fast flat race. I was pulled on by the girl that I had gone to the race.
Time 54min 32 sec pb
A week later 29/11/09, was the chance for a pb over 10 mile at Thirsk, Last year this was my first ever 10 mile. It was a cold morning and it had rained for days, so the first three miles was a bit of a paddle through the puddles, A member of Ripon Runners pushed me on to a new pb.
Time 1hr 30min 37sec pb
06/12/09 was the Percy Pud 10k near Leeds downhill start uphill finish flat in between. The race start was delayed as we had had a lot of rain and it was still raining and part of the course was under water. Half an hour later the course was clear and the race started.
Time 55min 18sec
20/12/09, the Sunday before Christmas was the Travellers 6, a 10k near Wakefield. My running buddies and I dressed up for this one in Santa dresses and fish net tights. It raised a few smiles as as we ran through blizzards.
Time 58min 01sec
28/12/09 The last race of the year was the Ripon runners jolly Holly Jog. We had had snow and freezing temperatures for 3 weeks now so the course was a skating rink, Runners were advised that they ran at their own risk. But lots of us chose to go ahead. It was tough there were places where you just couldn’t get a grip at all, I fell on my bottom once.
Time 1 hr 8 min 51 sec
So ended 2009 a year of 32 races over 232 miles.
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