Spires & Steeples Marathon

Spires & Steeples Marathon was a last minute entry for me. It was a race I wanted to do but I wanted to see how I felt after Equinox before I signed up. After signing up I was quite looking forward to this event as it finished in my home town and it was a route I have wanted to run for a while. This was an event that I didn't want to race but to just enjoy and take in the Lincolnshire scenery.


As this was starting at Lincoln you could get a seat on the bus which would transfer you from Sleaford to Lincoln, which was perfect for me as I didn't have to worry about the car.

This was a marathon that had no chip timing, so you had to time it yourself if you wanted to know how well you got on. For an end of season I was not bothered with what time I got but I just wanted to enjoy the run, the distance and of course the amount of food that I would be able to eat afterwards.

The race gets going and it wasn't long till we were heading down what is known as Steep Hill in Lincoln and the cobbles were slippery so had to be carful. It wasn't long till I was out of the city and running along the river Witham heading towards Washingbrough.

We had 5 checkpoints to pass through and we had 5 wristbands that we had  to hand in at each checkpoint. At the checkpoints there was water to stay hydrated and it was also a place for family, friends or locals to gather a support and cheer us on.

The route was quite challenging and luckily we hadn't had much rain or running through the fields would have been tough. I think I chose the wrong trainers to run in. I don't like my trail running trainers that I have as I end up getting blisters all the time, so I decided to use my running trainers which probably had done over 600 miles and it didn't take long for my knee to start hurting. I thought it was just the terrain that was causing me pain, but after a few runs after the event and trying different trainers it was actually my trainers causing me problems. Now I have got myself a decent
pair of trail trainers and knee problem has gone away.

Last few miles became quite tough and I was happy to complete the race in 4 hours 11 mins. Not my fastest marathon but considering it was a trail marathon and that I had to walk some of it due to my knee I was quite happy with my time.



This was the first time I was able to use my Camelbak Ultra 10 hydration pack. I wanted to run this marathon with me carrying all my gear as next year I hope to a few more trail running events. The pack is very comfortable to wear and it has loads of storage for pretty much everything that you could possibly need for a day on the trails.
http://www.camelbak.com/en/International/Sports-Recreation/Packs/Ultra-10.aspx

 

It was also a good starting point for my training for London Marathon next year. Now I have no more events planned for 2015 and its time for me to have a rest and enjoy my training. Come January my training will intensify again trying to get myself in the best possible shape ready for London Marathon.

Sleaford 10km

So we all love taking part in our local events no matter how big or small they are. It's the idea of winning your home race, which for me will never happen but I still like to go out and give it my all. There is bragging rights up for grabs and the possibility of getting a PB on your local course.

This year was a little different for me as I had competed and completed my first Outlaw Triathlon of 140.6 miles. So I knew my legs were still recovering and I was looking forward to this event for different reasons. It would be my first race after my main event of the year so it would be a good gauge of my fitness and it was also the first time I would be running for the running club I have just joined. Sleaford Striders is the running club I joined and they are also the organisers of the Sleaford 10km race. So this was a good opportunity to meet more of the Sleaford Striders team and enjoy the race.

The course is easy to navigate and is fairly flat, but there is a couple of small climbs that can take it out of you and can mess around with your pacing. The course is all on roads which are quiet. Unfortunately there had been a car accident on a near by road so the traffic was diverted on to the course. Which was no issue as the roads were well signposted saying there was a running event on.

 

So with every race I take part in I always seem to start off too fast and this race was no different, but I didn't take long to get in to my stride. I tried to keep up with someone I knew and I was doing alight he wasn't getting away but by Km3 I was feeling it. I had not done any speed work for a while as I was training for the Outlaw Triathlon. I had to slow down and get in to my own pace that I was comfortable with. This race for me wasn't about getting and PB or a really good time but it was about just getting out and running and enjoying it.

 

What the hell happened at the 4km mark?

No idea what was going on with my ankle it did not feel good at all. I didn't roll on it or do anything with it but just had a really bad pain. Thought I would see how it went for another km. If it got worse I said to myself I would pull out and rest up.

 

I get to the 5km mark and I just kept on running. I am really stubborn when running, which is probably not a good thing. If I feel pain I tend to just keep going and worry about it at the end, which is exactly what I did again.



 

 

At the end of the race I could feel my ankle hurting quite a bit and was limping a little bit. I was really pleased with my time of 41:00mins. Not a PB, but considering that my body was still recovering from Outlaw I was pleased with my result finishing 24 out of 184 runners.

As soon as I got my medal I went to the massage table to get my ankle quickly looked at. Ended up getting my ankle taped up and was told to rest up and see how it goes. The next day no pain in my ankle and walking fine and managed to go running again two days later.

Love the race as it's my local race and the fact that I know many of the marshal's so also nice hearing your name being cheered as you run past them. I look forward to representing the Sleaford Striders in other running events.

 

 



Woodhall Sprint Triathlon

14th June I took part in a local sprint triathlon at Woodhall Hall Spa. I was really looking forward to this course as I knew the course was flat and fast and I was hoping to get a good result at this race. The morning of the race for once I didn't have to get up too early as to thanks to my swimming going really well I put in a fast swim time which gave me a late start.

After waiting for a while to be aloud in to transition It doesn't take me long to get set up in transition and one thing I have learnt is not to over think it when setting your bike and gear up. Get in set up bike in transition and running kit then walk away and leave it and not worry about it.

My race gets going and I'm straight away on to a friends feet tapping away, second length in I pushed as hard as I could and got by him. He is a quicker swimmer than me when we train together but I felt good and nothing was going to stop me today. A few more lengths in to the 400m swim I start to feel my timing chip working itself loose. I get to the end of the swim in just over 7 mins, not my quickest 400m but I know I pushed it too hard at the start.

In to T1 and in less than a minute I'm already on my bike and got going really well. My plan was to get round the first corner and put my feet in my shoes and crack on with the bike section. For some reason I could not get my feet in my shoes. I started flapping around and losing all the speed I had picked up. Finally I get my feet in my shoes and I quickly get in to a good rhythm. I catch up with the people that over took me whilst whilst I was messing around with my shoes and one of them tells me my race number is about to come, so quickly I tuck it in to my race belt. Approx 1 mile later I can feel my race chip getting loose on my ankle, I reach down and try and reattach the strap. Another mile in timing chip works itself loose and this time as I reach down the strap comes off and I grab it just in time. With out thinking I put the timing chip down my tri suit and try and concentrate back on the task at hand. I get the bike done in 45:32 and I knew I was behind my plan thanks to my feet not working and my timing chip causing me a few issues.

In to T2 and my bike is racked I quickly grab my timing chip and sling it back round my ankle to make sure my time is registered. The run is my favourite discipline, if I was to gain some time back it would be on the run. I soon get in to a strong running pace and straight away I'm feeling happy again. my plan was too push as hard as I can for the last 1km and see what happens. When I picked up the pace in the last Km I feel my timing chip coming loose and not wanting to have to stop and grab the chip, I ease of the pace and  I managed to do the run in 18:54.

I for some reason finished the race feeling a little disappointed with how the race went, but overall I was pleased that I was able to handle the small issues that I had and was still able to enjoy the race. The one thing I took from the race was to put a safety pin on my timing chip to make sure that it is secured so wont have a chance of losing it in the future.

Woodhall Spa Triathlon is a great local race and is a very popular event that is organised by One Step Beyond. It is very well organised and the bike course is clearly marked and well marshalled.