(Amazingly) Delayed Yorkshire Marathon 2017 Recap

In Which I’m Not Even Joking, It’s Almost Time For 2018 Yorkshire Marathon It’s THAT Delayed

Good evening! (I’m guessing. Evening here, but I don’t know where you are. Or when you’ll read this. Or IF! Oh my.)

Finally got around to writing my race recap for York Marathon 2017 (as written in the title. So this sentence is pretty much just filler. I’d skip it if I were you.)

We (myself and Hayley) drove down from lovely Edinburgh to equally lovely York on the Saturday morning. We arrived at an Airbnb (how modern of us) at around 3pm after a 4hr car journey. (Making sure you know it’s a car we drove and not a train.)

The host of the Airbnb had been in touch to tell us that she wouldn’t be there and had left details on where the keys to the house were, which meant that instead of just a room for the night we had access to a whole house the the bargain price of £35. It was a lovely house too, but I’m not telling you where because even after I left a 5* review and we left the house as we found it, the host didn’t leave me ANY review and yeah, I’m THAT petty sometimes.

We were planning on doing a Ghost Walk around York (theres a few that go on every night but the one you want starts from outside the front of the Minster. Best one.) But as it was a Saturday night York was heaving with Stag and Hen parties so didn’t fancy being heckled from people more interested in spirits rather than spirits.

Instead we had a bit of a wander around by ourselves (I think? Wooooooooo…..) and then made our way back to the house. We ordered take-away (carbs for the next mornings marathon.) I can’t remember what I ordered (Chips? Rice?) but Hayley ordered a Viking Pizza and it arrived like this and OHMYLIFE was it good!

And then, to bed!

Before too long my alarm was going off and it was time to get up and at ’em.

The start of the marathon was (as is always) up at York university. You can pay on a transfer bus that takes you from York train station to the start, and back again at the end. As the uni is a few miles out, it always makes sense.

The marathon then makes its way from the Uni into York city centre (just before mile 2 on the handy map below) and then out towards little towns and villages dotted around the place. We had a chat and it made more sense for Hayley to cheer on from the city centre then make her way to the University for the end, rather than be stuck at the Uni all day. (Handily gave herself an extra hour in bed there. Convenient!)

Breakfast was the standard coffee and a crappy microwave burger. (It works for me!) Then I was off on my way for the bus which was around a 30 minute walk. (Nice warm up.)

Huge queue to get on but they put on loadsa buses so didn’t have to wait long.

Arriving at the start I messaged Paul to see where he was at. It was his first marathon today and so I said I’d run it with him for support and general niceness. He found me in the toilet queue (I needed to go, wasn’t just there for the fun) and then (after) we made our way to the start to line up.

JUST realised I didn’t take many pics for this post so you’ll have to imagine. No wait, I did art at school I’m sure I can do the scene justice! Give your thoughts a break, stop imagining and start VISUALISING!

Now, don’t let the picture fool you. First: That’s actually a drawing and not a photo. Second: There were more people than that.

Before we knew it, it was go time. It’s always a very well organised start and this year was the same. No waiting around to get to the start line, just a nice steady walk.

We started at a nice steady pace and the plan was to keep to that and walk through each water station (which are roughly 5k apart.) 15mins in and we’re approaching the town centre and I started looking for the missus. Saw her at the side, ran over to give her a kiss (Awwwwhhhhhh) and then we ran by the minster. (Me and Paul, not me and Hayley. That’d be against the rules.)

5k: First water station. All good.

10k: Just over an hour. All good.

Carried on a bit further and then felt a slight pain in my knee. Got steadily worse until around mile 11 where I told Paul that he should bugger off on alone so he doesn’t miss out on a decent time for his first marathon, and from then on it was painful.

1/2 Marathon in 2hr 12minutes.

Mile 13 is downhill to the turn around at mile 14 and I saw Paul coming up the opposite side so stopped for a little talk and told him I was in pain and not to expect me to be at the end anytime soon after him. From here to the end is a combination of slow running and hobbling. Few minutes run, more minutes hobble.

Mile 14-16 is steadily slightly uphill so that hurt.

Mile 16 to 18 is nicely steadily downhill so that was better, but still hurt. Mile 18 turn around and go back up. You shit.

Saw the archbishop of York on the way up high-fiving the runners. He was decked out in his traditional purple robes and I honestly thought it was someone in a Magneto fancy dress costume.

Mile 20 arrived (not soon enough) and it looked like I was going to record a PW (Personal Worst) time, I was estimating that due to the speed I was going and the amount I was slowing I’d be around 5hr 20mins. Ugh. Ah well, goonies never say die and all that!

Digging deep I started to count my steps. Run for 100, walk for 100. Keep the rhythm, feel the rhyme. The crowds at Yorkshire marathon are always fantastic and the support is brilliant. The cheers of the crowd really do motivate you on. (Looking back, that is. Not at the time. At the time you want to shout “No I will NOT run faster and I am NOT almost there!” But you don’t, because it’s hard enough to breathe as it is.)

Before long the end was in sight, and so was a nice sit down.

Amazingly, I finished in 04:51:47! (Paul finished in 04:22:32 but no one likes a show off.)

Total number of Yorkshire Marathons I’ve completed: 5

Total number of Marathons I’ve completed: EIGHT!

Met Hayley at the end and also Paul and his missus were waiting too. (He’d been sick after finishing. Serves him right.)

Congratulated each other then made our separate ways. Myself and Hayley got to the pub for beer and recovery chips and then a four hour drive back up to Scotland. (I had a shower first otherwise that’d be an interesting scent to take!)

Already entered Yorkshire Marathon 2018. Standard.

100 Mile In June

In Which I Try Run 1… Just Read The Title Again

So I managed to finish May on 75 miles, which is a lot more than I expected as I’ve been a lazy bugger lately. Looking back over my stats since I started running and it seems its my second best month for miles EVER (since I started running in 2012.)

The best month I ever had was last year when I managed 100 mile one month. That month being last June…

…ooooo thats like a YEARLY JUNE CHALLENGE!

I got so giddy I made this to keep a visual motivational paper pen notebook drawing representation of my miles:

Obviously one box equals one mile. Don’t need a comment like housemate Rob when he said “there aren’t 100 days in June”….

June 1st

I worked a 12 hour shift, 6-6. So obviously you’re thinking that I didn’t run much, and honestly I was only planning on 10k at most, but ended up (no idea how) running 10 MILES.

June 2nd

Figured a short, 3.1 mile recovery run. Chuffing hurt that did though.

June 4th

A guy at work, Paul, has started running. He’s only fine treadmill runs up till now though, so I convinced him to come out on the road with me. His fastest treadmill 5km was 38 mins. We did a 5km on the road in 30:45. OooooAHHHHH!

June 6th

My day off so planned on running 15 miles. Slept in though, and stupid hot (for England) so put off my run for a day. Instead, I sat in the back garden and got sunburnt.

June 7th

Woke up around half 7. Didn’t fancy running and considered putting it off again but I’ve been reading Unbroken (about Louis Zamperini) and the things he went through with running and everything else made me realise I was being a bit sawft, so got my kit on and got out the door.

0830 and it was already 16 degrees. My plan was to run uphill for 5 miles to a reservoir called Ogden Water, lap it a few times (four) for another 5 miles then run 5 miles home to get a total of 15.

Honestly, I considered turning around at two miles. My breathing was off, both my shins hurt and I was dripping with sweat. In my head I told myself I’ll get to 5k, then I can turn and end up on 10k. Got there, and figured I’d try push on to 4 miles. Got there, then thought if I get to Ogden Water I’ll do a lap to see what its like and then go home.

God it hurt. Hardest 5 miles I’ve ever done. Got there though. The laps of the reservoir are around 1.2 miles so figured I’d struggle through one then bugger off home.

Water selfie, then got going. And you know what? The lap was amazing. Breathing sorted itself out, plenty of shaded areas, beautiful scenery and hardly anyone there. I flew round it. Decided I’d do the full four laps after all. I seriously enjoyed each and everyone. The best bit was when I ran by a mother and son (around 5 year old) and I heard the kid say “Mummy, does that man know he’s allowed to walk?”

Four laps done, ready for 5 miles home. Figured ‘sod it’, do two more. So I did. If I went home now I’d finish on 17.5 miles, 2.5 more than I thought I’d get.

But then, THEN, that voice came into my head…

“Two more laps would get you home with 20 miles…”

Looked at my drink situation, looked at the time, looked at the temperature (24 degrees) and made the sensible choice.

TWO MORE LAPS.

And I still enjoyed it. Finished those, then ran the 5 miles downhill home. God it was chuffing hot…

Dunno what happened with my camera but this is me after 20 miles, looking quite fresh!

“Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, not to mention Englishmen in Mad Dogs running shirts”

In case you don’t believe me, here: (look at that elevation!!)

Didn’t realise how dusty the run was until I got undressed and thought I still had trousers on

So yeah! 36 miles so far for June, very chuffed with that!

Next Up

Hull 10k on June 19th