A personal best

Just wanted to make a note of the run I did today as it was my first run in double figures. Not much of an acheivement for most but a big one for me having never fealt like a runner.
Joe my son had promised to take me on this run for some time. Its a run he did with my brother and really enjoyed it. The route takes you through Chatsworth grounds and the scenery is second to none. Theres a great mix of terrain and hills so you really do get a great workout. The first section of the run feels like its mainly up hill so it took its toll on my legs early doors. Decending down into the village of Beeley though was a welcome relief and gave me enough recovery time to carry on. The route past Chatsworth House is long strait and flat and all on grass and rund along the side of the river. I ant imagine a nicer setting and that in itself boosts you on. The final leg is up hill again but you know the cars at the end !! Really enjoyed my first ever 10.15 mile run in 1 hour 57.

First ever triathlon

I completed my first ever triathlon, Esendex last minute tri in Southwell Notts, on Sunday 18th Sept and loved it ! It was a sprint distance so 400m swim 10 mile bike and 5k run.
I was worried about the swim mostly, although it was in a swimming pool I didnt think my front crawl was efficient enough to do comfortably over 16 lengths and decided to do all of it in breast stroke. My time was 10.36 mins which included the run out of the pool to the bike. Not the fastest swim ever but I was more or less as fast as the front crawlers swimming with me.
Transition 1 was a bit of a struggle . I had ordered a tri suit but it hadnt arrived in time to wear for the race so I had to wear a normal swimming costume. This meant I had to pull on Lycra cycling shorts and a top onto my wet skin. I got a bit stuck and it wasted time (will be better with my new tri suit next time) My time in T1 was 2.29
I was looking forward to the bike although I realised how much I had neglected my training. The route was quite hilly and road surface was bumpy too. My legs were really feeling it and I just couldnt go fast enough ! still I was soon at the finish and only the run to go, my strongest leg ! Bike time was 38.48
Transition 2 ran very smoothly as I only had to change shoes. Time for T2 was 50 secs so happy with that
Run was fine but the big hill you have to do twice was a bit of a grueller. Time for run was 26.22
Overall happy to finish with a time of 1.19 346th overall and 9th out of 30 in my age cat.I now have a time to beat !!
I was glad to finish this event as I had trained hard for the one earlier in the year and had to pull out due to injury.

Ryedale Rumble

The Ryedale Rumble cyclo sportive 49 miles 2011

This was a brilliant event. My husband, son and their work colleague also entered so it was a good team effort ! They also gained around £200 of sponsorship for help the hero's, the nominated charity for the event.
Weather was kind to us thank goodness, it wasnt looking good as the day before were really bad storms and torrential rain. We drove some of the course in the car and were worried about the state of some of the lanes. Full of pot holes which were now full of rain water and very narrow. There were some scary looking descents to which we werent looking forward to on wet road. However we woke up to scattered clouds and no rain. It was a bit windy but you cant have it all !
The event starts in the grounds of Ampleforth college. It was a staggered start. Rumble 3 the 49 mile one could start any time between 9am and 10am so we set off as close to 9am as poss. The route starts immediately on an up hill....the sign of things to come I wondered ? Still once I'd got going All nerves left me and I really started to enjoy the route, its just so scenic up there. Many of the road were very quiet, in fact other than one main road stretch we hardly saw any traffic. I knew there was a killer climb that we would reach around the 2o mile mark and as you approach you can see the "mountain" appearing. Its vast and very steep. Its called Blakey Bank and it rises from a village called Church houses. I managed to get half way up then my back wheel skidded in some gravel and I lost all momentum and stopped , I had no choice but to get off. It was so steep I wasnt able to get back on ! I walked a little bit up the hill and there was a slightly more level patch so managed to get back on and finish the cycle upwards. Almost all cyclists walked up the hill at some point so I didnt feel too bad ! I knew a long wide road section was coming which was mainly downhill and the feedstop was at the bottom. I was looking forward to this bit ! However the wind was so strong it was a total battle to ride along ! The wind battered me from the side and great gusts took my breath away ! Finally arrived at the very welcome feedstop which was well stocked with home made cakes , sandwiches and chocolate. After filling my face I set off again. Many more hills followed but the worst was over. The end of the route was tough too though as for the last 2 miles its uphill, right to the finish line back at the college !
Overall I did really well, I finished in 4.01 and got a silver for it. I came 3rd out of all women entered for that distance so really happy. If I do it again I will speed up the feedstop bit (got carried away with the lovely grub !) Lee finished just behind me and my son Joe missed a gold by only 4 mins...he finished in 3.24 !

Joe, me and Lee sporting out Ryedale Rumble T's !

York 10k 2011

Jane Tomlinson York 10k 2011

I ran this event last year and loved it so much I did it again only this time roping Lee in too. Over 6ooo people ran and what a cracking day weather wise it was too. The route is superb, its almost totally flat and winds through the city centre along the river bank and past the minster whilst the bells chime. You cant really get much better than that !
Had a bit of a mare at the start as I was busting for the loo. The queue was enormous....

.....so I never got there and had to start the race busting ! After 3 miles I saw a sign to some loos and nipped of...I wasnt the only one so had to wait a min or so but I didnt care. That was such a releif and I felt great then, I knew I'd blown my chance of a PB tho so just did what I could.

Finished with a time of 56.16 not good really as last year did it in 51.42 but I guess the pit stop really didnt help !

Great event , would deffo do it again.

Deep tissue massage

After struggling along with this wretched hip flexor injury for almost 9 weeks, I decided to take the plunge and go to see a sports physio.
I didnt have one recommended to me, I just did a google search and went for the first local one that came up. The lady,Jane Watts,company name optimum, was home based and only a couple of miles away so thought I'd go for it. Her price list said it would be £35 for an hour or £20 for half, (good value if it works I thought).
I was slightly nervous having never been to one before but I needn't have been. Jane was very friendly and easy to talk to. She chatted to me first about my injury and the associated pain. I then got onto the massage bed (set up in the front room) and she went straight to the hip. Within a minute she had located the exact point of pain. I nearly went through the roof it was so sore but she worked it and worked it, it felt good even though it hurt ! She explained that the strained ligament had scar tissue in it, it felt like grittiness to her. She had to manipulate it to encourage it to disperse. My doctors advice was to rest and stretch but Jane explained that if I had continued to rest it, the scar tissue would have calcified and may have lead to tendonitis. Therapy at this point would have been harder as it would have been more difficult to manipulate.I had been good with the stretching though thank goodness.Jane also gave me a few more stretching exercises to do and recommended I do them daily. She also recommended I use a heat pad as often as possible.
I can honestly say that after only one 1 hour visit I have been pain free at the point where the injury was. I was generally sore in that area as a result of the massage but after 2 days of rest and some good stretching I had a go at a run. I decided to do a 2 miler on my treadmill. I felt that it would give me a bit of support not being as hard as trail or road. It went well, no pain during and more importantly no pain or soreness afterwards. I am hoping I may now be on the road to recovery !!
Next steps: I am going to try to get back into my 3 runs a week pattern increasing mileage very slowly and see how I go. I will probably mix treadmill in too but i get so bored on them I cant see it lasting for long.I have also ordered a foam roller and intend to incorporate that into my stretching exercises. Jane said I may not need a second visit but I will definitely go back and see her if I do !!
I can reccommend Optimum, Jane was superb !

Cheshire Cat 2011

Race complete and hip held out thank goodness !
The route itself was a really good introduction to cyclo sportives. This being my first I didnt really know what to expect. I was surprised by the size of the queue of bikes waiting to start. The event was supposed to get the first riders off by 8.30 am but they seemed very delayed. Lots of hanging around wasnt good in the cold but we were off soon enough.


Em, Lee, Rob and Joe
Waiting patiently at the start !!

I had chosen the 45 mile route so was pleased to see the bright pink signage was good.I quite envied the people veering off to the medium and hard routes as they get to challenge themselves on "Mow Cop" a very steep incline that you get a medal for if you go up without putting a foot down.



Below:Mow Cop

However It was early on in the ride and was still feeling strong so doubt I would have felt that way had I chosen to go the longer route ! Only thing I missed along the way was the feed station. I saw a sign to say feed station 1km then never saw it.If only they had put up a final sign to say feedstop here with a large arrow ! Many riders decided not to stop so was misleading to follow them really but never mind. Decided just to keep going and have my own stop at the side of the road should I need it. I had packed a few energy bars and had a sports drink in my bottle so all I really needed was a wee ! (Had to hold it till the end as couldnt find anywhere suitable to stop)The route wasnt too difficult, any hills were over quickly. Very scenic mostly country lanes so really enjoyable. Got tough about 5 miles from the finish due to road closures. Traffic was awful and bikes were weaving in and out of traffic queues. This part felt quite dangerous and was glad to get through it. I felt a last boost of energy kick in knowing the end was in sight and then I saw it...the finish !!

I was really pleased with my time too 3.08 only 8 mins of a silver (next year !) I came 16th out of 111 women and 139th overall out of 491 finishers.Not bad at all for my first attempt. My Husband and Sister in law had also competed at this distance and we all crossed the line within a minute of each other which was lovely.
Kilo to go, the event organisers had laid on pasta for lunch and tea or coffee which was complementary and very welcome. You then had to queue for your goodie bag and certificate. Free massages were also on offer for a charitable donation.
My son had entered the 67 miler and my brother the 100 so we waited for them to finish. Couldnt believe how the queues had built up. There were a lot of riders finishing at the same time who couldnt get over the timing mats. This was really frustrating for them. They also had another hour long queue to get in to collect their mow cop medals and certificates. Many people skipped this and went home. Shame they didnt just post these out.
We were thrilled to see Joe come over the line, it was also his first sportive and he completed the 67 mile route in 4.54 an excellent time. Next over the line was my brother who had done the 100 mile route. He got a silver and his time was an amazing 6.00 Well on form for "le Marmotte" that hes competing in this summer !
All in all I loved it and definitely plan to do it again next year.

Me and Lee looking very pleased with ourselves !