New Kayak

After Jo and I's adventure race we both enjoyed the Kayaking so we bought an inflatable Kayak and yesterday we went to Guildford and tried it out on the River Wey. We got the information about where to get in and the route from gocanoeing.org.uk which is a website that I can highly recommend. It was a 7 mile route, with one bit through a natural river with fallen trees and debri to negotiate. We completed it in just under the advised 3 hour time. It was a great experience and Jo and I will be hoping to get out on the river a few more times over the summer and plan to take the kayak to Jersey when we go there for the marathon.    

Training progress

Jo and I had entered an Audax organised 70 mile bike ride, we had both not managed to get complete much training for it, but both cycle to work, so thought we would be ok for it. The ride was very hilly with one 17% climb, when at home watching the Tour de France the commentator was saying that the riders were climbing an 18% hill and how that was tough, and I was thinking we had just climbed a 17% hill. 

Both Jo and I really enjoyed the ride and find Audax events are always well organised, low key and extremely friendly, we did remember to take one photograph  while on the ride.

Jo and I also completed our first adventure race recently. The adventure race we took part in was a 5 hour event with Kayaking, Mountain biking, Running and a form of Orienteering. We came 26th out of 75 teams which we were chuffed with. We defiantly want to try and do some more adventure racing in the future. 

I have been struggling with swelling of the left knee when I run for a while now. I have not been able to run without pain killers, I was advised to get a foam roller to stretch out my IT band, and it has worked a treat. Jo and I went to running club for the first time for ages and I was able to complete the run without to much pain.

My work has not enabled me to go to running club, but I have managed to change my shift on a Thursday so I finish an hour earlier which means I will be able to attend running club. So with my new foam roller and being able to attend running club once a week my training for Jersey in October should be able to start to gain momentum.

Jo and I have entered two races Maidenhead Half in September which will be training for the marathon. We have also entered the Christmas Cracker in Weston Super-Mare  which is in December but sells out fast. 

2014 Endure 24 hour run

Jo and are were part of one of two teams that entered the 2014 Endure 24 A 24 hour off road running event. To be a mixed team you had to have at least 2 female runners, Jo was the only female in our team so we were classed as a male team, the other Finch coasters team were in the mixed category. It was a 5 mile off road run, continuous running for 24 hours.

 Simon about to start for the mixed team and Rhodri starting for the the Mens team

 

Start of Endure 24

Group of runners sheltering from the rain

Andy S had kindly brought a massive shelter which was very useful, especially with all the rain.

Rhodri handing the yellow band over to Jo 

Andy Y after one of his legs. 

The sun did come out eventually

It rained over night which made the course very muddy.

Group of runners waiting for the change over.

Andy S handing over the yellow band after his five mile lap.

Paul nearing the finish of our penultimate lap after the teams had been running for 23 hours & 50 mins 

Paul handing over to Rhodri for the last of our laps

The final countdown of the 2014 Endure 24

Rhodri nearing the end.

Rhodri finishing the final leg for the Finch coasters mens team

Emer finishing the final leg for the Finch coasters mixed team

Jo and Rachel with their well deserved medals

Me showing of my medal

From left to right, Back row, Jo, Simon, Andy, Paul, Front row, Rhodri, Me, Emer and Claire, members of both Finch coasters teams who had stayed to very end to cheer our final runners home.

Both Finch teams did amazing. The Mens team finishing 9th out of 25 teams, completing 35 five mile laps in 24 hours. The mixed team finished 62nd out of  125 teams, completing 29 five mile laps in 24 hours.

The night shifts were the hardest, running through woods in the dark ,with the rain which caused lots of lovely mud was very hard and energy sapping. My last lap which like most of our runners was my fifth lap was very painful and I had to give every bit of energy I had to get around the course.

Endure 24 is an amazing event, with something like 2000 runners taking part in the event. 

The winners of the event Achilles Heel have put a you tube video up which is worth a look 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBtC7nbhlYw 

V - Vienna marathon entered for April 2015

I always look to see if marathons can be entered as soon as they have been run the year before. After looking at the Vienna marathon, which I run in April 2015, I was amazed at how big it was with 42,000 runners. So I have now entered the marathon and Jo has entered the half marathon, which has 11,000 runners. We also have tickets for the friendship party (pasta & pancakes), it looks very interesting on the video below. I am not very good with technology, I could not work out how to put the video below, but if you cut and paste the below into Google, it will take you straight to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=75CNY9TxTI0

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.