W - White Peak marathon completed YEAH

Jo and I traveled to the Peak district early on Friday morning leaving at 7 am, so that we could go for a walk on Friday before running the marathon on Saturday, then traveling back home on Saturday so I could work on Sunday and Jo could do some work on her master's project which is due in at the end of May.

Jo and I on our walk

The morning of the run normally very happy to wake at 7 am with the sun shinning but when running a marathon it is slightly worrying, it was going to be a very hot run. 

Taken before the marathon, it was a stile that we thought we would have to get over at 26 miles but luckily they had opened a gate by the side of the stile (that is normally locked) which was much appreciated.

The high peak trail which was the trail we ran the second half of the marathon on. The first half was run on the tisington trail

                           
This was the bridge that we turned right at to go over the stile or as it happened through the gate

The only picture taken of the actual ran. forgot camera and Jo's phone had little to no charge, and it was also my Dad's birthday so we had to make sure we had enough charge to text him a Happy Birthday. You can see my knee has a support on it. About one week before the run I went for a run and after 3 miles my knee swelled up and I had to stop running. So I had been taken lots of anti swelling tablets and using gels all week but I was still unsure if I would be able to complete the run, but I had to run as not running would put completing my A-Z in 2017 in danger. 

As I have  mentioned in previous posts Jo is amazing and is the most amazing person in the world. Due to my Knee problem she said she would run with me, she is running much better than me and would be about 20 minutes or so quicker than me which translates to nearly 1 minute a mile over the 26 miles. I can not say how much I appreciated Jo running with me. It made the run so much more enjoyable and it really feels a privilege to be able  run 26 miles with some one you love.

It was funny at the end as Jo was slightly ahead and got to the right hand turn by the bridge in the photo above and stopped to wait for me, but there were supports there shouting her to go on only 200 meters to go, I could see her saying she was waiting for me but they were saying he is OK forget about him, so she had to run to the finish. It was not until later that we looked at the results and Jo finished in 3 hours 59 mins and 56 seconds, while I finished in 4 hours and 11 seconds. I was just chuffed to finish as one week earlier I really thought I would not be running at all.

So W completed, J - Jersey next in October

Yorkshire Holiday and Compton 20 mile run

Norber Erratics

Jo and I went to Yorkshire for my Grandads 100th Birthday, as it is a long way and a beautiful place Jo and I rented a cottage and had a few days away. We not only walked in the Yorkshire Dales but also cycled into the Lake district, both stunning places.

Compton 20 mile run only 2 miles in Jo has already run ahead, she finished 2nd Lady running 1 minute a mile quicker than me. She is absolutely amazing and running so well, winning prizes in nearly all the runs she enters. It was great training for the White Peak marathon on the 17th May.  

Long over due update

Both marathons entered for this year White Peak and Jersey. I have found running hard this year, we have been fairly lucky with flooding but the mud has been annoying. Jo and I completed the terminator a 12 mile off road run in Pewsey, and the Steyning Stinger an off road half marathon picture below

I am still finding the motivation hard. I am hoping that I start to feel more motivated soon. As first marathon is in May which will come round very soon. 

Jo and I Ran the 58th park run in Woodley

Park run is an amazing organisation, there are free 5k runs all over the country and in a number of other countries. We have 2 near us in Reading and Woodley, Jo and I always say we are going to run them more regularly but have not managed as many as we would have liked.

Jo and I did run the last park run in Woodley, as readers of this blog will be aware Jo is a much better runner than me and is incredible, but at this park run I felt really good and Jo was never that far ahead and nearing the end of the run we were overtaking a runner which confused things and I ended up ahead of Jo and finished 2 seconds ahead of Jo, it was a PB for both Jo and I but Jo was not happy saying I had used her for her pacing, I defended myself to no avail, the same thing has happened once before but I tried to say it was different this time but Jo was not having of it. Jo did finish first lady.

The park run is run by a fantastic group of volunteers and one writes a piece about each weekly run which goes on the website. Jo and I's finish did make the news, with a picture of Jo included. there is a link below to the article.

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/woodley/news/

Some Photos of the Langley 7 (mentioned in previous post)

                                       Determined to catch Jo

                                       Not at that speed

Today Jo and I took part in the first of the year cross country championship for Finch Coasters. It was a great turn out for the club. Enjoyed the run but the food afterwards was fantastic. We also payed for a bit extra on the parking so managed to get some christmas shopping done in Windsor bonus.  

Training update

Halloween run

Jo and I attended our club Halloween night run, Jo spent ages making the costumes the night before and then finishing them off on the evening we arrived 4 minutes late and they left 1 minute before we arrived. So we went for our own run we did get a few comments and there was one youngester maybe 3 years old who loved our outfits. I had cut up a reflective vest and put some of it on the bones, the first picture is without the flash. We then met the other runners after the run.

Jo is spending a week in Manchester so we both spent the weekend there. Jo noticed there was a 7 mile road race in Langley, so we both ran. It was a great event, it was basically running up a big hill and coming down the other side, it was raining on the way there but the event itself was dry. We did not have our phones or camera with us.

Jo and I's Holiday in Croatia

 Lots of steps on arrival to Dubrovnik which is not what you want when you have recently run a Marathon

We were planning on swimming but the sea was a bit rough

Jo in one of the turrets on the walls of the old town in Dubrovnik 

A view of Dubrovnik old town

The weather on our first three days was not great

A view of part of the national park in Mljet

Jo listening to the Sea Organ in Zadar, the sea organ  is a natural musical instrument, seventy meters long with thirty-five organ pipes built under the concrete. The musical pipes are located so that the sea water and wind movements produce musical sounds that are heard by passers by.

A video of the sound the Sea organ made

This is a picture of the Sun salutation at night in Zadar, the The Sun Salutation, located near the Sea Organ, uses the sun's energy to create a light show that displays from evening till morning. Both the Sea Organ and the Sun Salutation were created by the same architect, and the Sun Salutation uses the rhythm of the waves to produce its colorful series of light pulses. 

Jo and I on the  Sun Salutation

One of the many water falls in the Pitvice national park

The series of water falls in the Krka national park

A video of the above falls 

Where Jo and I went swimming at the foot of the falls in the Krka national park. 

A video of our penultimate night in Croatia which we spent in Split listening to music in the old town.   

Jo and I had a great time in Croatia so much so that I have decided to change my marathon for letter Z to Zagreb.