Port Sunlight 5k, 10k and 1k Fun Run

We were up before the crack of dawn yesterday to make our way down to Port Sunlight Village for the BTR Liverpool Port Sunlight 5k, 10k and 1k races. We made excellent time getting down there, a little too excellent in fact as we were there by 8.30am (and that was with getting lost once!). The sun was shining but it was a breezy and brisk walk to the centre of Port Sunlight where the action would start a bit later. We registered the boys for the children's 1k race at the school and then made our way to the t-shirt tent where we collected our tech t-shirts and goody bags!

The 5k was the first race, setting off at 10am. I headed to the start with my friend who was taking part in her first 5k race. I was frozen in the starting line, having decided on a short sleeve tee and vest combo  like a fool. Bitterly regretting my lack of sleeves, we set off...sort of. Took about 30 seconds to cross the start line and I could hear the beep signalling the timing chips activating. This was the first time I'd ever taken part in a chip-timed race. I tried to run as hard as I had done at parkrun the previous week, and was hoping I'd finish somewhere around the same time of 32 minutes or faster if possible. The sun was out and the village was lovely, lots of spectators clapping and cheering. I saw Andy, the boys and our friends part way round the course and gained some good advice from William who was screaming 'keep running mummy' over and over again.

 I knew I had finished in under 32 minutes which was what I had wanted, but was thrilled when I received the chip timed results via text message later in the day and found I had a new PB of 30.55! And a brilliant new medal for the collection.

We had a quick change over and recycling of safety pins from myself to Andy as he put his number on, then he headed to the start for 11am to run the 10k. We watched the 10k runners set off, and it seemed to take ages for Andy to come through, but then again there were over 1000 people taking part! We got ice creams for the children then walked a little ways to find a good spot to watch from.

 The 10k runners completed two loops of the 5k course. Andy was still looking quite fresh and smiley when at about 8km he threw over his sweaty gloves for us to hold for him. Sam was quite easy to please for this race as well, as there were plenty of runners to see and flap at in all directions. We couldn't get a decent spot to clap at the finish line due to the sheer number of spectators already lining the finishing funnel, but Andy managed to get across the line in a time of 53.26, a new 10k PB for him!

The children's 1k fun run was the last race of the day. Andy was running with Sam and William ran with my friend and her son, who he adores. I was on cheering and photo taking duties. There was a bit of a confusing false start and then a slight delay and cheer as the last of the 10k runners came through. Then they were off though. I have never seen so many children running so fast! It took no time at all for the first of the runners to come back to the finish. The boys got across the finish line then headed round to collect their medals and goody bags filled with sweet treats! Sam had a bit of a cuddle with the mascot there as well, he probably couldn't resist!

After the day's running, we headed to our friend's house for a delicious lunch before the long drive back up north. All in all, a very long but brilliant day out for all of us.

2015 Challenge - February Update

Well, it's the last day of February today so time for another update for our 2015 miles in 2015 challenge! We did our virtual run, night run, parkruns and Wind Cheetah runs in February totalling 102 miles for the month. We now have 1818 miles to go!

Coming up in March we've got a few organised runs to do. I'm running the Jacobs Leg It 10k in Ormskirk which benefits the National Autistic Society. There is a 1.5k kids fun run on the day too, so the boys can also have a run. And tomorrow we have the Port Sunlight 10k/5k/1k fun run to take part in so will be an early start for us!

Due to Sam not wanting to run a few weeks ago, we didn't make it to his and Andy's 50th parkrun in February, but hopefully if he's in the right mood for a run next Saturday we'll be celebrating then instead! That's the beauty of parkrun - there's always next week! He did however manage his 49th run today in 49.06. He hasn't gone sub-50 since last September so he was definitely on a roll this morning!

5k Virtual 'Run with Jo' for the Epilepsy Society

Last month we signed up for our first 5k virtual run. It's a charity run for the Epilepsy Society and was to be done in the month of February as St Valentine is the patron saint of Epilepsy. We have a number of friends who have children with epilepsy so the cause has meaning for us as well.

We decided to do the run on our usual Sunday morning run with the Walney Wind Cheetahs. It was a cold morning, but there was no wind to speak of so it felt a little warmer than it was. It was however very foggy, although that was a bonus for the boys as they liked the idea of running through the mist! 

I guess the foggy, cold weather may have put off the other cubs that morning as our two were the only children who came along meaning it was a very exlusive run! We set off along the path from the Abbey Mill cafe. Sam did his usual stop/start routine but William ran really well, and looped back for us all when he reached each set of gates. We got to the end of the path and stopped briefly for a photo, before heading back via a journey round the 'secret path' (the off road path that runs parallel to the paved path). 

We got back to the cafe having done 5.1km each, completing our task! Then it was time for teacakes and hot drinks of course. 

We returned the following week and our medals had arrived! We received them at the end of the run that morning in lovely sunshine and with the others who had taken part in the virtual run that day. Sam loved his medal and was very happy to show it off! 

There's still a bit of time left in February, so if you'd like to take part in Jo's run you can register by going to her website here! 

Petzl Night Runner - Grizedale 10k and 1k Kids Trail Run

Saturday was a bit of a busy day for running. We went to parkrun in the morning. It was a beautiful morning for it, sunny and the wind had completely dropped so it felt warmer than the 1 degree it actually was! Sam ended up not wanting to join in so he and Andy watched whilst William and I ran the course. Then we all went along to the cafe afterwards for hot chocolate, cake and in the boys' case, ice cream (as you do in February!).

We had a break then for the afternoon and headed out again at 4pm to Grizedale Forest for a night trail run, organised by Epic Events. The sun was just beginning to get low as we arrived and it was feeling very cold. We registered the boys for the free 1k trail fun run and Andy got his running number. He must have been eager to sign up for this one as he got number 1! The boys were given special glow necklaces to wear on the run. We'd already dressed them in hi-vis jackets so we could keep an eye on them round the play area which worked a treat!

The next hour was spent watching the kids play, sorting out head torches and pinning numbers/putting timing anklets on.

We were then called over to the start line with the boys as the fun run was half an hour ahead of the main run, meaning parents could join in with their kids which was great. We were treated to a warm up song with dance moves provided by Mr Fox who then made a hasty retreat when the kids were set off running after him!

Keeping an eye out for Mr Fox at the finish!

William loved the dancing and set off at a great pace, hoping to catch that fox! He set off so fast in fact that I was struggling to keep up with him and ended up with my foot in a huge puddle! Sam giggled his way around the course, and got 2 big hugs off Mr Fox so he was a happy boy.  Both boys received a fab medal with Trail Kidz Finisher engraved on it. William is very proud and has been showing it off ever since.

Just after the children finished their run, the 10k runners were called to the start line.

Head torches were lit and they were soon off. Andy described it as tough going, quite hilly in the first half but he thoroughly enjoyed it. He sprinted through the finish with our friend who he'd run with. His finish time was 1.09.21 and he came in 214th out of a field of 263. He has a new medal and a new tech t-shirt to add to his collection!

 

Definitely a run to remember! I'm so glad we took part. Both the 10k and children's race were well organised and a brilliant experience.

2015 Challenge - January Update

Well, we're one month into our 2015 challenge and it's all going well so far! We've clocked up 95 miles this month as a family so that means there are 1920 miles to go. That's mainly including parkruns and a few midweek runs too. I'm hoping the weather becomes milder soon as William is not very keen on going out to run in the freezing temperatures we've had!

As we head into February we've got a few runs lined up on top of 'the usual'. Andy is taking on a 10k night trail run at Grizedale Forest next weekend with a fun run for the boys to take part in. We're also trying our first 5k virtual run which will benefit the Epilepsy Society. I love the idea of this virtual run, one that can be undertaken at your own convenience at some point during the month... and you get a medal for taking part! Also with a bit of luck, the last day of February should be Andy and Sam's 50th parkruns so there is a lot to look forward to!

William's 50th parkrun!

It was an exciting morning yesterday as William joined the parkrun 50 club!

We were umming and ahhing beforehand about whether or not to go ahead on Saturday due to the horrible weather forecast. I checked it every day last week and saw no improvement to the 30+ mph winds and rain showers predicted. We explained about the weather to William and amazingly he wasn't put off. Andy baked the traditional milestone cake along with brownies and welsh cakes so we were really hoping that William would manage to get round the course.

We heard the wind howling outside first thing Saturday morning but the rain seemed to have died down. Checked the forecast one last time which was now showing no rain so we headed off to the park. William was very excited and told several people it was his 50th as soon as we arrived at the bandstand. He got called up to the front during the usual pre-run announcements and received a huge cheer from the crowd. Couldn't have been prouder..... but he still had to complete the run!

We set off at a brilliant pace for William, in fact I had to work quite hard to keep up with him climbing the hill to the cenotaph! He ran the first lap brilliantly, the second a little slower, but still with determination. On the last half lap we were joined by some of our cheetah friends at different stages and William soon had a bit of an entourage with him! They ran with him till the start of the finishing straight and then it was down to him. He finished in 47.04, so 3 minutes off the PB he had wanted but in that wind I think he did extremely well!

Heading to the finish!

Sam also had a good run (his fastest since September), and he was a happy boy the whole way round, especially in the areas with high winds!

After the run we took our cakes down to the cafe to share. William looked so proud and happy.

Thank you to everyone who has supported him, not just today but at every parkrun since he started 14 months ago.  I was amazed when he joined the 10 club and I'm even more astounded that he's come this far, especially considering he's only 5 years old! Here's to the next 50!

New and improved countdown, now with Skylanders!

New Year Plans

We've had a great New Year so far. We took part in the New Year's Day parkrun here in Barrow which was very damp indeed! Today's parkrun (only 2 days later!) has also been ticked off. Next week we're hoping the weather doesn't get too cold as it will be William's 50th parkrun. He's done tremendously well since starting in November 2013 and he's very excited!

Andy and I had a good chat about what might challenge us in 2015. Andy's already signed up for his first sprint triathlon, half marathon and Total Warrior. I'm currently signed up for a few 10k and 5k runs, and the boys are excited for more fun running and medals this year!

We thought it might be good to set a goal as a family. So we're going to attempt to run or cycle 2015 miles by the end of the year. With the two parkruns we've done so far that's already 24 miles between us knocked off! I will post updates regularly about how we're getting on but we're very determined to complete the challenge!