My 50th parkrun!

It was drizzling when we left the house on Saturday to head to parkrun, but that wasn't going to put us off! I made a mad dash back into the house to fetch caps and a raincoat for William just in case. The rain had cleared by the time we got to the park and no sign of it as we got to the bandstand. I dropped the bag of cakes off there before we started.

We'd had the offer from friends to run with William instead so that I could have a run on my own, but William decided he wanted to do my 50th run with me so that's what we did. Andy and Sam were on spectator and camera duty, something decided a little last minute as Sam hadn't had a particularly good week (permanent teeth coming in) and didn't look in the mood for running.

We did our usual jogging/walking/playing games round most of the course and a friend came to run with us on our last 1/2 lap. I had the pleasure of arriving at the finish line in last place (although 3rd in my age category as I later found out!) with William a second ahead. Having scanned our barcodes it was then time for the most important part of a 50th parkrun....cake!!

Andy had very kindly made me a parkrun cake and also a batch each of brownies and welsh cakes. Although still chilly, the sun had come out and was shining down on the cafe!  Looking around me it was lovely to see so many friends to share that special morning with. Thank you all for your encouragement and support since running my first parkrun back on the 2nd March 2013! It's been wonderful getting to know you all and seeing the parkrun 'family' every Saturday.

Photo by Darren McSweeney

Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile

The boys and I dropped Andy off in Ulverston early Sunday morning so he could head up to the north of the county for the 63rd Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race. It was the longest distance that Andy had signed up for (since about 1989!) and he'd not had much chance to train so was a bit nervous. Seeing as this race was not an 'out and back' run, we thought we'd let Andy have a day to himself so he joined up with the Hoad Hill Harriers on the coach they had arranged.

The coach set off at 8am, and stopped for a short while at Tebay services on the way to the finish at Carlisle. Once at Carlisle it dropped off shoppers and the runners were able to drop bags off and secure them in lockers at the sports centre before heading back to the start at Brampton.

At 11.30am, over 600 runners headed off towards Carlisle. The weather was overcast and cool but not wet or windy which made for good running conditions. Andy said he felt quite good during the run. The run itself was fairly flat with a few little hills, one in particular seemed to go on for quite a bit toward the end (or at least seemed to in his head he said!).

He was hoping to finish in 1 hour and 40 minutes but in fact managed it in a fab 1.30.48! Really proud of him. Not sure the race memento was something people were expecting though, a 2015 running/cycling diary and 2 pairs of running socks!! Not quite something you can hang on a medal holder, but very handy nevertheless!

After the run, Andy joined fellow local runners at the local pub for a meal and drink before the coach brought them back to Ulverston.

Whilst Andy was headed up north, the boys and I certainly didn't slack. We joined the Wind Cheetahs for the 3 mile Sunday morning run cubs run from the Abbey Mill coffee shop. It was a lovely, mild morning for a run out (especially for November!). The boys even ended up in short sleeves! Think William started finding it a little cold eventually when having a double Thunder and Lightning ice cream cone back at the Abbey Mill!!    

Windmill 10k

On Remembrance Sunday we ventured out to Lytham St. Annes so that I could run the Windmill 10k, organised by Fylde Coast Running. We arrived in Lytham at about 9.30am and headed towards the iconic Windmill landmark where race HQ was set up. After picking up my running number there was plenty of time for some pics with the Windmill and to spot the other Wind Cheetahs who were also turning up to take part. It was a lovely sunny morning, although very cold! I kept my jogging bottoms on over my shorts and my hoody on till it was time to head over to the start.

We were all called to the starting funnel at about 10.45am where we listened to the reading of a poem, 'Why do I wear a Poppy?', followed by the customary 2 minutes silence at 11am. Once the bugler had finished we all set off. It was a very fast start with everyone bunched up quite close together. I knew Andy would be waiting with the boys on Lytham Green for me to pass so I made my way carefully over to the right hand side of the path, ready to wave and be waved at! He spotted me just in time for a photo! 

I managed to keep up with the majority of runners until we got to Fairhaven Lake, near the halfway mark. Here, the runners seemed to spread out a bit more. I had a real boost though as the path looped back on itself for a tiny distance and I spotted two fellow Wind Cheetahs ahead of me. They gave me a wave and cheer and I didn't feel too far behind at that point. Once we'd gone round the lake, we headed back towards the Windmill via the prom. I really enjoy running by the sea, it's hard work and yet relaxing at the same time! 

I still don't know how I did it but I managed to get back to the Windmill at more or less the same pace I'd gone out at. The only mentally torturous bit of the race was running past and in full view of the finish line at the 9km marker, knowing I had to run .5k out then loop back again to the finish! But I did it. I was cheered in by Andy, the boys and the WWC and set myself a new 10k PB in the process.... 1.05.04... far better than I had ever expected! 

This was a very well organised event and the medal is probably the loveliest one in my collection. The marshals were friendly and encouraging. The only downside was that my finishers Wagon Wheel was snatched away and devoured by my sneaky, chocoholic sons before I could get my breath back! Must remember to hide it next time!  

 

Beat the Reaper 10k

We were up and out early today for a race for the first time in almost a month! (I know, shock horror!) Andy took part in the Beat the Reaper 10k, a Pool Runnings event held at Croxteth Country Park in Liverpool.  We arrived in Liverpool in time for the opening of registration (and very pleased we didn't get too lost on the way).

Autumn was in full swing in the park, with leaves all over the place and floating down everywhere, much to Sam's amusement. He loves sprinkling them and puts him in a happy mood. The sun was out and the weather was warm for October at about 16 Celsius but very breezy! There was a large playground on the site near to the race HQ which was perfect for keeping the boys amused until the start of the race. Crowds of runners began turning up, some in Halloween fancy dress which was brilliant. Skeletons, vampires, witches, zombies and even a werewolf showed up this morning! The idea of this run is that along the way you may find a Grim Reaper (or 14 of them) chasing you for a bit or jumping out from behind a tree!

Just before 11am, the runners headed for the start on the lawn in front of Croxteth Hall. The stereo was blaring ACDC's 'Highway to Hell' as they all set off. After a short loop around the hall we spotted Andy again at the 1 km marker then he was off! The nice thing for spectators at this event was that the race consisted of 2 laps of a 5km course, so we got to see Andy in the middle of the run as well.

We managed to station ourselves at the finish just as the first few runners had come through. The crowd at the finish was fantastic, applauding everyone who came through with lots of friendly banter and encouragement from the man on the microphone!

Andy finished the race in 54.41 so just 39 seconds short of a PB today but he still did fantastic! He came in 96th out of 331 runners and 11th in his age category. Fantastic new medal and tech t-shirt for rewards (the bag of Haribo was pounced on by William).

Andy said the run was really well marshaled, and although he got a small fright from one of the reapers who was stood hiding just around the last corner, he really enjoyed that part of the race. Well organised race in a brilliant setting. Great day out!

Lancaster Castle 10k and Fun Run

It was another very early start for us this morning. At 7am we left for Lancaster so Andy could take part in the Lancaster Castle 10k. We thought this would be a fab location to do a run as the finish was in the castle grounds. Luckily there was a fun run for the kids to do as well.

After worrying a bit about diversions and road closures in Lancaster we sailed round the one way system and thought we'd take a cheeky drive up round the castle to see if there was any space to park nearby. We were gobsmacked to find a space directly outside the castle! Of course we were very early at this point but we went and registered myself and the boys for the fun run and Andy collected his race number as he had booked his place online. Race registration was in the old prison itself which was an interesting location to say the least!

We had a peek in the cafe/shop and the boys played around with their balloons from the Galloway's stand for awhile. We met up with two more Wind Cheetahs who were taking part as well. We got our running numbers on and soon enough it was time to head for the start. We all headed out of the castle and downhill, over the train station and down onto a playing field. We said our goodbyes to the 10k runners (and half marathon runners as that event was taking place too).

The Mayor of Lancaster set us fun runners off with a bull horn and we were off. Once round the field and then back out and up the hill to the castle. I kept hold of Sam's hand the whole way round and he did really well to keep going. William only stopped briefly for a drink of his water then carried on running. By the time I got back into the castle with Sam, William was already posing for photos with his t-shirt prize!

Fab pic of William taken by Sprint Finish Photography

Me and Sam! Photo by Sprint Finish Photography

We nipped to the car briefly to pick up our snack bag and Andy's jacket for when he finished then headed back to the castle to wait for the Cheetahs to return. Andy came in just as William spotted him and dashed over for a high five.

What a great atmosphere there was in the castle grounds and Sam loved watching everyone run in! Everyone was agreeing that it was an excellent finish location (apart from the little matter of the hill leading up to it!). Andy was the 50th to finish in a field of 121 and got a new 10k PB of 54.16 (and a new medal for the collection)! It turned out to be an all round excellent morning and definitely worth the early start!

Preston parkrun and Pilling 10k

This morning we woke up very early and met up with some of the Wind Cheetahs to go to Preston parkrun. Our own parkrun at Barrow was cancelled due to another event going on in the park. It was good to take the opportunity to try another parkrun elsewhere and see what goes on there. I'd heard good reports about Preston parkrun before so was very happy to give this one a go.

We were not disappointed! Beautiful parks (Preston parkrun takes in both Avenham Park and Miller Park), friendly runners and well organised, cheery volunteers meant we had a good morning.

Unfortunately William managed to fall at the start of the second lap. After establishing that nothing was bleeding/broken he kept going, although his hands were hurting (and later his nose, apparently!). Andy and Sam had overtaken us at this point so were well ahead. Sam seemed to be enjoying the run and surroundings immensely. William began running properly again for the last half of the third lap and managed a little sprint into the finish. He really enjoyed the railway bridges, both for watching the trains going over the top and for the echoes underneath! I was also very appreciative of the other parkrunners who shouted out words of encouragement to the boys as they ran past. Had a good chat with the backmarker too.

More brilliant pics from Preston parkrun can be found on the group flickr page! Spot the Cheetahs!

I'd quite like to give this course another go one day. We couldn't stop for post parkrun refreshments unfortunately as we needed to get ourselves to Pilling for the Pilling 10k and had one hour in which to do it! After spending what seemed like ages getting out of Preston, we got out on the road only to be stuck behind tractors, lorries and a herd of cows crossing a busy main road!

We managed to pull into the car park of the Elletson Arms Pub in Pilling (Race HQ) at 10.55am for an 11am start! I grabbed my water bottle and a cap as it was raining by this point and dashed into the pub to find I wasn't too late to enter. After grabbing my number and a quick stop in the loo, I ran out of the pub to find everyone heading to the start line down the road.

This has got to be one of the flattest courses I have ever done so I was very confused to find it quite hard going. I ran with a WWC friend for the first half and did as well as I had in the past but struggled with the second half. Just couldn't keep up with the pace. Whether that had to do with finishing running a 5km course an hour earlier I'm not sure! I didn't get a PB for this one but was only a few minutes off so wasn't too disappointed either. I can't believe I'm actually saying this but I think I prefer a more undulating course! Very happy of course with my new medal too. Also well done to our 3 Cheetah ladies who won prizes!

We're off on another early start to Lancaster tomorrow so Andy can take part in the Lancaster Castle 10k and hopefully I'll do the fun run with the boys. More on that tomorrow!

Hawkshead Esthwaite 10k and Fun Run

Well today was another fab day out with the family and the Wind Cheetahs at the Hawkshead Esthwaite 10k and Fun Run.

The fun run was held at 11am on the recreation ground at Hawkshead and seeing as it was held a full hour before the main 10k event, I was able to watch the boys take part. It was a brilliant setting for them to run, and 3 laps around the field. As this was a safe course, William took part unaccompanied and Andy ran round with Sam.

William flew round and didn't stop once on his three laps. It was great to watch him and cheer him on. Sam needed some help to stay on task and tried to finish one lap early but was guided back onto the course by Andy. All the children finished to loud cheers from the whole crowd of parents and other runners. The boys received a fab medal each and got to pick a sweet from the box. It was a well organised fun run and all the children clearly had a brilliant time!

After the fun run, the children went to play on the playground and I headed to the start with a few cheetah friends. We weren't sure of where it was starting from but managed to tag along with some friendly marshals who were headed there themselves. We were set off by Cedric Robinson, the Queen's Guide to the Sands who had also set off the fun runners too.

Andy, Sam and William were waiting on the road opposite the playground as we came past and got photos and cheered us on. After that we were headed out of Hawkshead on a very undulating road down the western side of Esthwaite Water. We then turned and headed up the east side. Once I'd got to about 6.5/7km a lovely marshal said it was all downhill from there and it pretty much was! I was able to gain a bit of speed back and got to the finish with a time of 1.07.55 which is a new 10k PB for me. I had been aiming to beat my last hilly 10k (Herdwick 10k at Great Langdale) but actually managed to beat my flat 10k time from Ulverston last month! To say I was pleased was an understatement! I was also thrilled with the fact that I didn't stop the entire way round.

Once the group had all finished and had watched the prize giving, we whipped out the picnic blankets and had another fab group picnic. It doesn't get better than that! After a little stroll around Hawkshead we packed up and set off home, tired but very happy.