Challenge 48 - Brampton to Carlisle 10 - November 2014

On Sunday 16th November I ran in the 63rd Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race. This is the oldest 10 mile race in the country. 

This was my third time running this race and I was desperate to get a PB.

Thankfully it wasn't an early race so I still got to have a slight lie in getting up at 8.30am.

On opening the curtains the weather conditions looked clear, bright and perfect for running. 

After getting dressed in my running gear and having my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge and a banana we left our home town of Kendal at 9.40am to travel the 52 miles to the Race HQ at William Howard School in Brampton.

We hadn't travelled far out of Kendal when we hit dense fog on the motorway and the temperature dropped dramatically.  I started to stress that I hadn't dressed appropriately as I was only wearing three-quarter running tights and a T Shirt.

Luckily the fog didn't linger for too long and when we arrived in Brampton at around 10.50am the weather was clear again.

We got parked in the school car park easily and went inside to collect my race number.  
There was a long queue to collect numbers but it seemed to go down fairly quickly. 

By the time I had visited the facilities and got myself sorted attaching my number and discarding my many outer layers it was time to head to the start line for the 11.30am start.

 Each year this race seems to attract very fast serious runners and a lot of club runners. Despite this being the third time I have run this race I still felt slightly intimidated by the competitive feel of the field!

As this wasn't a chipped event I had planned on starting as near to the front as possible to get an accurate time but this plan was foiled by the masses of others with the same plan!

I ended up in a very congested area in the middle of the pack, and when the starting gun fired we momentarily didn't move.  It seemed much busier and more congested this year than previous years! 

Despite the race starting downhill I could only shuffle my way along and came to a walk after a very short distance whilst trying to navigate a sharp right turn that was blocked with runners.

After a brief run though Brampton we hit the A689 fairly quickly. Once out onto the main road the field started to spread out and I just had to negotiate getting past those exceptionally slow runners and walkers who had started at the front, as well as big groups of club runners who were intent on sticking together causing major congestion.

Once I got past these initial obstacles life was good and I could get into my stride and set my own pace.

Despite the congested start I still managed to do a 7.53 minute mile for the first mile, followed by a 7.35 minute mile for mile 2.  

This race is advertised as being flat and fast but there is definitely a few hills dotted around, the first being a long slow drag upwards at around the 2 and a half mile mark, but I still managed mile 3 at a 8 minute mile.

Just after this hill the race turns off the main road to go round via Ruleholme and Crosby on Eden where we came across the first water station serving bottled water.  On this road the traffic was fairly busy with lots of runners shouting "CAR" to warn runners up ahead! There were a fair few cars weaving in and out between runners so it was a case of being extra vigilant at times! There was even a brave (stupid?) woman riding a horse through the masses which made me slightly nervous. 

I continued keeping a fairly consistent pace with 8.03, 8.04. 8.17, 8.32 before heading back onto the A689 at around the 7 mile mark. Not long after this there was another water station. 

From here it was straight run to Carlisle where there was a long drag upwards at around mile 8. 

The race offered a good fast paced finish as on the approach to the finish line situated at The Sands Centre, there was a stretch of about 400m where it was all downhill.

I managed mile 8 in a 8.29 minute mile, followed by mile 9 at a 8.39 minute mile finishing with a 8.41 minute mile. 

I crossed the finish line and stopped my Garmin and was delighted to see that I had got a PB coming in at 1:22:16! I had knocked 4 minutes off my previous best time for this course! You can view the route here.


Once over the line I received a goody bag which contained an energy gel, 2 pairs of socks and a running diary! 

All in all an enjoyable well organised race, with friendly encouraging marshalls.


The only thing that would make it better would be having it as a chip timed event.

After saying this my official time wasn't much slower than my Garmin time and I was delighted that it was confirmed at 1:22:25. 

I came 23rd in my category and was 473rd out of 647 finishers. 

You can view the full results here.

Challenge 49 - Guys 10 - 7th December 2014

On Sunday 7th December 2014 I took part in the Guys 10 which is a 10 mile road race at Guys Thatched Hamlet, near Garstang.

This was my final race of the year and also meant I had achieved my 2014 goal of running at least one race every month!

I must admit I wasn't feeling overly keen when my alarm clock went off at 7.15am.  It felt cold and I felt tired.

However, I forced myself to get up and into my running gear!  I opted my long running tights, long sleeved top and gloves for the first time this winter!  I had my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge, a banana and a coffee before setting off at around 8.15am on the 37 mile journey to the start line.

Not only was I tired and cold, but the weather was also making things worse - it was raining torrentially for the entire journey!  If  I hadn't set my "12 in 12" challenge at the beginning of the year I might actually of wussed out!  But I knew I had to do this race to complete my challenge!

The journey went smoothly despite the rain and we got parked easily in the large car park.

We arrived at the race HQ at around 9am in plenty of time to collect my race number and visit the loo!  Amazingly there was no queuing involved for either of these and we were back in the car by 9.15am trying to keep dry and warm ahead of the 10am start!

I felt daunted at the thought of running 10 miles in such cold wet and windy conditions!  My thoughts were "Why wasn't it just a 10K" .

However, someone must have been feeling sorry for me as at around 9.45am the rain finally stopped and blue skies emerged! 

With only10 minutes to go I forced myself to get out of the car and to strip off my many outer layers!  At the last possible minute I removed my coat and headed to the start!

I was amazed to see plenty of runners sporting vests and shorts despite the cold - obviously much hardier than me!

Unfortunately due to the severity of the rain there was huge puddles everywhere which I attempted to tiptoe around to keep my feet dry!

I needn't of bothered!  On getting to the start it became blindingly obvious that the start of the race was going to go directly through the biggest puddle in the entire car park!

This wasn't a chipped event so I positioned myself in the middle of the pack to give myself the best possible chance of a PB without getting flattened by the fast runners!

After the race director had done the usual safety briefing and the not so usual "Yes it's a puddle, yes your feet are going get wet ... get over it!" we were off!

Within seconds of starting I was splooshing through a puddle and immediately had wet feet!  Not the best start to a race I have ever experienced but I tried not to let it bother me!

It was a very busy race start and I struggled to keep an even pace initially but after a couple of minutes running the field opened up I felt more comfortable.

 As I already had wet feet there was little point in avoiding future puddles so I just ran through them!

The race left the car park and went straight up a fairly steep hill to the main road.  The rain thankfully stayed away but there was a fairly strong breeze that kept reminding me of it's presence! 

Although this was a fairly flat route I found it hard work and had to dig deep to push myself!  Despite this I enjoyed the course which was on quiet country roads with some nice views to savour!

I was keen to finish the year with a PB and kept my eye on my Garmin!  Not long after starting I managed to find a couple of runners who appeared to be running at my desired pace and I decided to try and stick with them to give me a focus.  I soon realised that the male runner was actually being a pacer for his female companion and I was desperate to know what her goal finish time was but thought it would be cheeky to ask!

I started with a 7:59 minute mile, followed by 8.04, 8.16, 8.22, 8.09, 8.21 minute miles and I was still on track to get a PB at this point.

There was 2 water stations at around 4 miles and 7 miles (I think) serving water in cups, which to save throwing it all down myself I stopped momentarily to drink! My pacers didn't stop so I had to speed up slightly each time to catch them back up!  I was determined that they weren't going to get away!

By mile 7 I was beginning to struggle and my pacers made a break for it!  The wind seemed to come in gusts making me feel exceptionally cold, but then the sun was also beating down so in the lulls from the wind I felt too hot! 

I completed mile 7 in a much slower 8:53 minute mile and on seeing this I made a concerted effort to catch my pacers up who I could still see in the distance. 

During mile 8 I managed to close the gap running a slightly faster 8.33 pace but I couldn't maintain this and sometime during mile 9 I totally lost sight of them!  I realised by this point that I was too slow for a PB but wanted to finish in the best possible time I could and tried to keep pushing despite my legs not cooperating with me!

I finished mile 9 in 8.45 and mile 10 in 8.52! I was pleased that my pace hadn't slowed to over 9 minute miles!

On re-entering the car park and heading to the finish line I appeared to be on my own!  I didn't have any runners ahead of me to follow and I felt slightly disorientated and wasn't really confident I was going the right way!

I was relieved to see the big finishing arch and for some strange reason I decided to skirt around the big puddle instead of ploughing though it like I did at the start!  What was the point of that when I was finished and it really didn't matter if I got wet feet again?!

 I stopped my Garmin and read 1:24:30.  2 Minutes slower than my 10 mile PB but I was pleased that despite struggling in the later stages I managed to still come in under 1:25!  You can view the route here!

Once through the finished channel we were guided through to a water station and then to collect the race momentum ... CHEESE!

Slightly different to the usual race bling and T Shirt and a first for me!

It was too cold to hang around and we were soon back in the warm car heading home!  I couldn't believe how lucky I was when within minutes of us setting off the rain returned!

All in all an enjoyable race that I would recommend and will I probably enter it again next year - If I can block out the cold wind from my memory! It was a well organised event with friendly and encouraging marshalls.

Later that evening the official results came out and I was amazed that my Garmin time was spot on - 1:24:30 - its not often that happens!

You can view the official results here!

Challenge 47 - Windmill 10K

On Remembrance Sunday, the 9th November 2014 I ran in The Windmill 10K which took place in Lytham and was a sell-out race!

I set my alarm for a 8am get-up and had my usual pre-race breakfast of porridge and a banana.

Luckily the weather was clear and dry although rather chilly.

We left our home town of Kendal at 9am to travel the 55 miles to the event headquarters which was situated at the Lytham Windmill on the coastal road through Lytham. 

We arrived in Lytham just after 10am and got parked on one of the side streets close to the start line.  I collected my race number without queuing and I was amazed that there was just a short queue for the toilet too!

At around 10.50am I headed to the start line for the 11.05am start!

It wasn't a chip timed event so I tried to start as close to the front as possible, to get as accurate a time as possible, without getting in the way of faster runners - it is a very fine balancing act!

It was a very memorable day with a respectful 2 minutes silence before the start, along with a reading of a very moving poem and the last post.

When the race started my legs struggled to get going as they had gone numb with cold due to the inactivity during the ceremony! 

I was slightly worried that I was going pull a muscle or worse and tried to take it easy until the circulation returned to my muscles!

 We set off from the Windmill along the coastal path towards the town.  In the early stages of the race there was plenty of spectator support cheering us on.  It was a very chilly morning with a cheeky little sea breeze making its presence known!

As this was advertised as a fast and flat course I had my eye on a PB.  Despite feeling stiff and cold I ran the first mile in a 7.41 minute mile which I knew I couldn't sustain, mile 2 was slighter slower at a 7.55 minute mile and mile 3 was at a 8.08 minute mile.

At around the halfway point there was a water station with bottled water.  I took a bottle and had several swift gulps before discarding the bottle and continuing on my way around the Fairhaven Lake then back towards Lytham Windmill. 

During this return section the wind seemed to get stronger and I felt like I was battling it more as I headed towards the finish!  I ran mile 4 much slower in 8.28, then mile 5 in 8.34 and the final mile in 8.35.  Glancing at my Garmin I knew I was on schedule for a 10K PB but by now I was chasing a new goal of a sub 50 minute 10K which I had been dreaming of for a while.

 I found this final mile endless as I could see other runners looping back towards the finish whilst I was desperately still battling onwards into the wind.  Once I looped back I was running on grass which made keeping a faster pace more difficult.

I pushed as hard as I could as I headed to the finish looking to the big clock above the finish for confirmation of my time but it just showed a line of zero's! I was dismayed to see it wasn't working.

The route heading towards the finish line was lined with spectators cheering which encouraged me to keep pushing despite not knowing the time!  As I crossed the line the big clock changed from the zero's and flashed up as 50.00!  Would my time have been recorded despite this malfunction?

I stopped my Garmin and was amazed to see not only a PB but a sub 50 minute time too! 

My Garmin stated a time of 49.38, now I just needed to wait with  fingers crossed for the official time to confirm I had done it!  

I was handed a medal, a bottle of water, a banana and a Wagon Wheel once I had finished.

All in all an excellent race and very well organised with fantastic bling!

One I would definitely recommend to others and one I would run again myself!

My Official time was confirmed as 49.36 - I am delighted with this!

I had managed to knock 3 minutes 16 seconds off my previous best 10K time and got a sub 50 minute time too! 

You can view the route here!

Challenge 39 - The Great North Swim

On Saturday 14th June 2014 I took part in the hardest challenge I have undertaken so far! The Great North Swim 1 mile event!

Although I can easily swim 1 mile in a pool, I had only managed to swim 3/4 of a mile in the lake during training and this had absolutely exhausted me. 

 The thought of having to swim a further 1/4 of a mile was really praying on my mind and I truly didn't know whether I would be able to do it! The last thing I wanted was to be hauled out the water by a safety Kayak and get a DNF against my name!

My alarm went off at 7am, although I was already wide awake anticipating the daunting task ahead! I was feeling extremely nervous and hadn't slept well. The night before I read a news report about a swimmer who had sadly died during the event earlier in the day which did nothing to calm my already highly anxious state!

I got up and had some porridge for my breakfast, which I was also nervous about! Before running I always have porridge for breakfast but as I have never swam in the morning I was unsure whether this was a good breakfast to swim on, but hey ho it was time to find out!

I was delighted that the weather forecast had indeed been correct and it was a lovely warm and sunny morning with thankfully NO wind!

My swim time was 9.30am, but I had to check-in at 9am.

Being aware of the lack of parking at the event we left home early at 7:40am for the 11 mile journey to Windermere arriving at around 8am to secure one of the last parking spaces in the car park at Brockhole! 

It was a 3/4 mile walk from Brockhole to the starting village at the Low Wood Watersports Centre.

Being local we knew the way to go but even if you didn't you could just follow the many other people walking in the same direction carrying wetsuits and towels!!

We arrived at the start village at around 8:20am and it was already bustling with activity! 

This being my first Great North Swim I wasn't sure of the setup so we had a wander around locating the changing rooms, the check-in point and acclimatisation area, and most importantly the start and finish lines! 

 I bumped into a friend who was swimming the 1/2 mile route and stood and had a good chat with her too. We also spotted Rebecca Adlington (Olympic medal winner) who was starting some of the swimming waves as well as swimming it herself! I was surprised to discover that an elite swimmer was also nervous of swimming in open water! 

What hope is there for the rest of us?

Rebecca Adlington in the centre!

Once I was happy about the location of things I headed back to the changing marquee to struggle into my wetsuit! 

It was a very warm morning and I was wearing my Trisuit under my wetsuit so I just pulled my wetsuit up to my waist as I didn't want to cook prior to getting into the water! 

 Most of the swimmers getting changed were all in the same highly nervous state and there was lots of friendly banter with everyone sharing advice and support and offering comforting words of encouragement! There was a wide mix of people all with varying amounts of experience ... and confidence.

Once changed and ready to go I donned my water shoes and ensured my timing chip was secure on my ankle and made my way to the check-in area.

I arrived just as the first wave of swimmers doing the 1/2 mile route were warming up, so we watched them start to see if I could pick up any last minute tips! Once this wave had started my check-in opened!
                                

At this point I put my wetsuit on properly and wrestled with my swimming cap to get it on straight and securely! 

 I went through the check-in point where my race number was written on my hand in black pen (I assume this was in case my cap came off and I needed rescued then they would still know who I was).

My timing chip was checked to make sure it was working properly and they also checked I was who the computer said I was!

I was glad I had put my water shoes on because it was very gravelly on the walkways and it would have been very uncomfortable walking in bare feet, however once I was in the starting area the ground had mesh flooring covering it so I handed my shoes over the barrier to my husband and said farewell!

We were led down to the acclimatisation area where we were told to completely submerge ourselves under the water and swim a lap of the area to get used to the water temperature! The water was actually very warm at 17.5C compared with the first time I went in 4 weeks ago when it was only 13C! 

Going into the acclimatisation area

In the acclimatisation area

Next we all accumulated in the warm-up area where we were given a safety briefing and the route was explained to us! 

An instructor then put us through a few gentle warm up exercises & stretches. Even hanging around wet I didn't feel cold at any point, although I think on a cool day this would have been unpleasant.

With the acclimatisation and warm up done the next decision was where to position myself in the gaggle of swimmers at the start. All the fun swimmers, slow swimmers, breaststrokers, etc put themselves at the back with the ‘elite’ swimmers going to the front. 

After shuffling right to the back I got a little more confident and weaved closer to the front stopping at around the halfway point! 

I didn't want to get caught up in a mass of swimmers and be totally swam over but neither did I want stuck behind the breaststroke parade!

Just after 9.30am, we all joined in with a countdown, the horn sounded and we were off!

I could see the people at the front running down the jetty into the lake, however by the time it was my turn due to the congestion it had turned more into a slow shuffle! 

I entered the water and after a few steps delved in! 

I got jostled a little but tried to remain calm and relax into my stroke. “Just swim your own race”, I said to myself as I headed for the first marker. I manoeuvred out to the side to get away from the main throng of swimmers but this meant I was very wide on the first buoy meaning I was swimming more than I needed to! 

I concentrated on my breathing with the mantra "Bubble bubble breath, bubble breath", doing the two-one, two-one breathing pattern really helped calm me and enabled me to get extra air into my lungs!

There was a bit of a sticky moment when I kept feeling something tickling my ankle! I kicked my leg out to the side to try and shake it off but it stayed firmly attached! I bravely put my hand down to feel what it was and felt rather stupid but also relieved to find that it was only the end of the timing chip strap wafting against my skin! 

I had a few panicky breaths and did some breast stroke, but actually, after this little upset, I was relatively calm and swam well and fairly consistently. 

I was surprised how well I managed to sight as this is something I struggle with when we are practising in the pool! However there were lots of other swimmers who were appalling at sighting and were veering in big zigzag's in front of people causing mayhem! I learnt to keep an eye out for these, and used diversion tactics to avoid! At one point one bloke was swimming across the lake in the totally wrong direction and a safety kayak had to go chasing after him!

By the time I reached the half mile marker buoy I had settled into my rhythm and stroke and realised I wasn't as tired as I thought I’d be so I was able to give it a good go on the return. thankfully by this point I had left the "zig zaggers" behind (probably because they were exhausted after swimming double the required distance!) which made it more relaxing! I attempted to draft behind and alongside other swimmers but didn't like the hemmed in feeling this gave me and preferred swimming in my own space even if it meant having to work harder to cover the same distance!

I could locate the big yellow buoys marking the course whilst swimming fairly successfully but really struggled sighting the small orange ones marking the finish line! 

Unfortunately I had lost sight of all the swimmers in front of me so I was leading the second pack to the finish line! I did think about slowing to allow someone in front of me so I could follow them but this goes against my competitive nature so I just kept having extra looks to ensure I was heading home! My sole goal pre-race was just to finish and here I was thinking about the time! 

Before I knew it I was swimming underneath the finishing board and was getting out the water on wobbly legs! Luckily there was people helping swimmers out until they were steady enough to go towards the finishing timing mat unaided!

As I headed up the ramp I was clapped and cheered by the spectators! I felt quite a celebrity especially when I was stopped at the top and had a microphone stuck in front of my face to be interviewed! 

I have no recollection of what I said as I was so elated at being finished, although I do remember being told I had finished in 40:40!

I then staggered to collect my finishers bag and got my well deserved medal! 

At this point I was reunited with my husband! I headed to the changing marquee to get into some dry clothes and after getting a well earned ice cream we went to cheer some other swimmers over the finish before heading off home.

Walking back to the car park there was still a steady stream of swimmers arriving for their swim wave. I was amazed at the amount of traffic trying to get past the event through to Ambleside. The traffic was at a complete standstill and was tailed back for miles! I hope there wasn't anyone who was swimming stuck in it as they wouldn't have made it in time!


I was delighted that we were going in the opposite direction!

All in all I feel a huge sense of achievement at actually facing my fears and going through with it! It would have been very easy for me to back out at the last minute as I was absolutely terrified!

I was surprised when I viewed my Garmin that it seems like I swam in a relatively straight line and I didn't swim much further than the 1 mile! You can view it here!

Now that I have done it once ... I am eager to enter again ...perhaps the 2 mile one next time ... or the 5k? Who knows?!

Challenge 40 - Color Me Rad 5K Run - June 2014

On Saturday 21st June I ran in my first ever Colour Run! 

I have always wanted to do a Color Run and yesterday I ticked it off! 

The only challenge involved in this "Challenge" was who would end up being the most colourful!

We fully embraced the colour, the excitement and the adrenaline of Color Me Rad in Manchester!

This is one of those races that to fully appreciate the experience you must run with a group of friends!  I had roped my non running work colleagues into it, and after partially following the couch to 5K training plan they were ready to take on the challenge! 

There was a group of 10 of us and we were travelling the 70 mile journey from our home town of Kendal to Heaton Park in Manchester in a three vehicle convoy!


The only downside to this race was leaving home at 7am on a Saturday morning!  

We had already received our race pack through the post containing our race number, colourful sunglasses, a RAD tattoo and a finishers T Shirt! 

I would recommend anyone considering entering this race to opt for a larger size T shirt as they are a little on the small side! As a size 10 I ordered a medium and it is rather snug!

We arrived at the Manchester Color Me Rad event at Heaton Park at around 8.15am after a good journey down and easily got parked in the free car park.


After spending time attaching our race numbers and putting the tattoo on we were ready to go!

We walked the short distance to the start line which took us about 10 minutes, and arrived just as the first wave of runners were warming up!

Before we knew it it was our turn to get to the start!  We were surrounded by a sea of white - perfect for a washing powder advert!

After a countdown we were off!  

We were keen to stick together as a group and desperately tried to keep tabs on each other in the early stages when it was very congested.  

In no time at all the runners had all disappeared and just the slow joggers and walkers were left!  I must admit at this stage of the race I was itching to race but held myself back to stay with my team who weren't running it due to various injuries and ailments!

After the first Kilometre we came across our first colour station!  I didn't know what to expect as I entered and was caught unawares when a load of pink paint powder was thrown in my face! I very quickly discovered that it was imperative that you kept your mouth shut!  As well as the Marshall's throwing powder at the runners there were also boxes of powder for runners to throw at each other! It was like a giant food fight but with paint powder!  It was very funny seeing which member of your team could get the most coloured!

We were soon back on the track laughing and joking our way to the next colour station where the same fight was reenacted each time but with a different colour!  Yellow, purple, blue, green and orange followed!!  

The 4KM green colour station took us by surprise however, and instead of having paint powder thrown at us we were pelted with COLD liquid paint sprayed out of a pressure washer type machine! There was no opportunity to "fight" with each other at this station, the aim was to get out of there as quickly as possible away from the cold spray!

It was back to powder at the finish line as well as all runners being given packets of powder to throw at each other to celebrate finishing!

It was a well organised event, the atmosphere was incredible and the weather was perfect!

As a runner 5k for me isn’t a particularly long distance, but this event isn’t about the race, the time, the distance or about setting a PB. It’s about  running in a beautiful setting having fun whilst being pelted with colour and liquid paint having a good time with friends - and laughing non-stop! 

To be honest it's the most I have ever laughed during a race and the least I have run!  I cannot recommend it enough. It doesn’t matter if you can’t run, most people just walk and laugh their way around the course. 

It took us 1:14:47 to laugh our way around the 5K route - that's how much fun we had!  I think this could probably break the record for the slowest 5K ever!




After all the laughter had died down we wearily made our way back to the cars to get our picnic Brunch out!  

We set out our picnic rugs on the grass and settled down to relive the experience causing us more hilarity!

This event is billed as the Happiest 5k on the planet - and I totally agree with this description!!

I would definitely recommend doing a colour run and look forward to doing another sometime in the future!