April Challenges for Rockinghorse

 

April this year was a busy month:

April 2 Brighton Marathon:

For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to take on Brighton Marathon with a Rockinghorse costume to publicise the fact that I was running for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity. Many people know that Rockinghorse is a charity very close to my families hearts, my eldest son was born needing immediate surgery and was rushed to the Royal Alex Children’s Hospital in Brighton and was undergoing his surgery at only 9 hours old. He was then in and out of ICU and many more operations for the next 6 months. Throughout this time and longer the team at Rockinghorse were always around to support and guide us as new parents.

Amanda and her sister Sandra are a very artistic pair with very different skills, Sandra is an amazing artist and can make a painting look like a photo, whereas Amanda is the first to admit that she can not draw at all but she has a great eye for crafts and making things, so between them getting a 2D image made into a 3D creation was great teamwork.

I was approached by BBC Radio Sussex and also BBC South East to talk about my challenges, in particular Brighton Marathon. When the reporter from BBC South East turned up and saw “Rocky” in my lounge his face was a picture and he loved the idea of me running around Brighton with him.

We did a quick interview in my lounge and then out on to the road to record me running with Rocky, this proved a bit problematic as it was quite windy and his legs flapped about a bit, so I had to think about how I could strengthen them for race day.

Come the big day and I drove down to Brighton having found a parking space not far from the finish, it was about a mile from the start but I figured better to have a walk before the event than after, I did get some strange looks along with a lot of good wishes as I wandered through the city to get to the start at Preston Park.

When I entered the start pen I was conscious that I didn’t want to get in peoples way so hung around at the back. When the wave started things seemed to be ok and we were getting on quite well, the extra bits of wood that I had added to Rocky’s legs were working, that is until about mile 1 when the first bit dropped off, never mind that wasn’t an important part so we carried on, then at mile 2 his front legs parted company with his body, the screws I had used had vibrated loose and fallen out. Now I was reaching over the from of his body to hold his legs on whilst trying to run. At about mile 6 I found a Sainsbury’s and had some very strange looks walking round looking for some string to try and put him back together. With the help of some spectators we managed to tie his legs back on and I was off and running again.

Unfortunately the wind got up on the top road and his legs were still flapping around, with the runners at about ankle level this was a problem, so I was running holding on to the bits of wood attached to his front legs, this did not do much for my shoulders which were absolute agony for most of the race having to hold then in one place throughout.

Having stopped for a quick chat and photo at the Rockinghorse cheer station it was on to the far end of the course, coming back to the road out to the port which I was expecting to be a very short run up, turned into a longer section that I had been led to believe. Coming back on to the promenade I was disappointed that the ice cream van was not there so I couldn’t get my ice cream for the final couple of miles!

One draw back of having Rocky was that I couldn’t really stop and look round the finishers area but just wanted to get back to the car and deposit him off! Still will have to spend some time making up for it next year.

April 8 South Downs Way 50

Then a mere 6 days later I was on the start line of SDW 50, minus Rocky, that would have just been silly!

This would be the longest single run that I had ever taken on, I did Race to the King a few years ago but that was 53 miles over 2 days. I was quite nervous going into this, would I make it before the cutoff, I had heard that as soon as the clock hits 13 hours they switch it off and anyone who finishes after that is deemed DNF and no medal or T shirt.

My plan was just to take it easy and not try too much for any kind of speed, as long as I hit the finish before the clock hit 13 hours, I would be happy.

I started wearing compeed on both my heals as I had blisters from Brighton the week earlier and my feet were not in a good state so that was another concern. I met up with a couple of the Henfield Joggers at the start, there was supposed to be a whole bunch of us but over the weeks leading up to the event they dropped like flies!

I had all the aid stations listed with the distance between them and the cut off time for each, yes not only did you have to finish within 13 hours but each check point had a cut off! This was a good way for me to break it down, I was not looking at running 50 miles just the 10 miles or 7 miles etc between the aid stations.

After setting off from an aid station it was time to tackle Truleigh hill so plenty of walking! Part way up the track there were a group of the Henfield Joggers out supporting which was a good lift to the spirits, even if Mark did call me a rude name for taking SDW 50 on 6 days after Brighton!

I hit half way and was pleasantly surprised at how the time had passed, I was slower obviously than a normal marathon but the scenery, other runners, aid stations and rude club mates seemed to make the time fly.

Amanda had arranged to go to Alfriston to see me through as it is close to her parents, so at one point I had a text to say that her and her dad were in Alfriston waiting. I had to reply that was great but I may be some time, I was just about to reach Southease Aid Station some 8 miles away from Alfrston.So she took her dad home and then spent some time there before coming back.

As I came into Alfriston I was greeted by Dave, at which point I asked him to remind me whose silly idea it was to take on SDW50, yes it was his, he had talked me in to entering and then had to drop out, or pull a Kingy as I call it!

A bit further on and Amanda was waiting with Jennie, which was another lift that I needed, my legs and feet were really beginning to hurt.

After leaving Alfriston there was a mere 8 miles to go to get to the finish in Eastbourne, but there were some nasty hills to contend with and the infamous gully of doom, before hitting the street of Eastbourne. Coming out of the gulley I saw an arrow on the opposite side of the road pointing left so duly set off, then after a while thought I hadn’t seen any other arrows, fortunately it wasn’t far and I went back, crossed the road to the arrow I had seen and found another one taking me off right!

Amanda had met up with one of her friends who actually lives in a house that backs onto the route so she got to spend some time with her before both of them went to the finish to wait for me. I believe that at one point Amanda’s mum text to see how I was getting on, Amanda replied that I was at the DGH (Hospital that the course passes) Lorna pointed out that she may want to expand on that rather than her mum think I was actually in the Hospital!

A lap of the track and that was it I had finished in 11 hours 48 and achieved my medal and T shirt!

April 23 London Marathon

After 2 weeks rest, doing nothing but the club Naked 5K on the Wednesday before the marathon I was in London again with Rocky, traveling up by train seemed to be a bad idea given the number of people who would be cramming onto the trains and the size of Rocky, fortunately George was able to drive me, Rocky and Dave up to Blackheath where the roads closed and drop us off to walk a short way up to the start area. Whilst waiting to start I had a lovely message from a friend and also a mention on Facebook, she always used to be out on the course but has since moved out of London and was working so couldn't be there but it was great to know she was supporting from afar, thanks Coral.

I must have put down a very slow time as I was in the last but one wave to start, hanging around the start wearing a big yellow Rockinghorse definitely got a few looks, including the guy with the microphone telling us all where we needed to be and interviewing random runners in between, so I had a few words and got on the big screen in the start pens.

Then it finally came my time to enter the pen, meeting a few runners who wanted a photo and chatting to a few other runners whilst we waited to actually start, then the time came and we were off!

The first few miles ticked over quite well and not that much slower than my usual runs, at Cutty Sark I heard a shout of “Andy” now normally in marathons this is not unusual as I have my name across my vest, however for this one no one could actually see this, so it must have been someone I knew. It was Jeremy my Brother-in-law’s Cousin who was running his first marathon. We had a quick chat and then as usual I lost track of him although apparently we were running at the same place throughout the run.

At one of the Water stations some Henfield Joggers were helping out and I managed to grab a quick chat with Pugs from the club who told me that Dave was only a couple of minutes in front of me, I was never going to catch him as I was getting slower by the step, my shoulders were starting to seize up from holding my arms in the same place for the entire run, something that Jeremy commented on after the event, he is an osteopath so really noticed that I was struggling with my upper back.

I checked my phone at one point and a friend had posted a video taken from the BBC coverage of me crossing Tower Bridge so that was quite cool.

I knew that the second half of the run would be hard so I had saved up a few episodes of Runpod to listen to so that it would take my mind off the pain. The first episode was with Kirsty Gallacher who was running for Royal Marsden, a really moving episode and also quite a surprise when Jenni brought up the subject of people running in fancy dress and specifically mentioned my Rockinghorse costume. Now I wont lie I had a bad week leading up to the Marathon thinking was I good enough should I call myself a runner had I raised enough money for my charity and a host of other thoughts, so when Jenni mentioned me on her podcast I almost broke down in tears, it was just a really emotional moment for some random reason, but it also gave me a massive lift to get on and finish the run.

As I mentioned my shoulders were becoming really painful so I was in a bit of a pain haze for the last few miles when again I heard someone shout Andy at me, I was so confused but it was Laura from the RunPod Run Club Facebook page who was out supporting and the fact that she was there gave me another boost even if it may not have looked like it at the time.

Coming down the Mall  towards the line was an amazing experience, I have completed the London Marathon 8 times now but only once dressed as a Rockinghorse, then to top it off as soon as I crossed the line I was accosted by the legend who is Big Fletch a big man hug and then he demanded my phone, no he wasn’t robbing me just making sure I had a photo, something that I usually miss getting on my runs, so big thanks Fletch really appreciate it, even if you did give me grief for not smiling!

Anyway now I have a couple of weeks rest before I get the bike out for NC500 a 500 mile cycle ride around Scotland, at least I get to sit down for that one!

My Justgiving page is still open if anyone has any spare pennies justgiving.com/rockinghorse1

 

Happy New Year and Challenge 2023

 Here we are having started 2023 so Happy New Year to all.

As we move in to a New Year I have again decided to try and raise some much needed funds for Rockinghorse, for those who may not have followed me and heard about my story please indulge me while I recap.

2nd September 1994 is a date that will always be remembered for so many reasons, Amanda and I welcomed our first son into the world , yes Eddie made his appearance.

Eddie was a healthy weight 7lb 12oz but had quite a major complication, fortunately for us  Amanda's waters had broken quite a number of hours before Eddie was born which meant that that the medical team had to run some extra tests, these included passing a naso-gastric tube to test the contents of his stomach. Whilst trying to pass this tube they found that they could not get it to his stomach, an X-ray confirmed that the tube was doubling back on itself in his Oesophagus to confirm that he had a condition called Tracheo-Oesopageal Fistula (TOF) where the lower part of the oesophagus had attached to the Trachea and Oesophageal atresia where the top part of the oesophagus just leads to a pouch.

This required immediate surgery as obviously he could not feed, a place was found at the Royal Alex Children's Hospital in Brighton but the Drs were trying to get him a space in Great Ormond Street. At this point I dashed home to get some clothes and bits as we were obviously going to be transferred from the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath. When I returned I was told that Amanda and Eddie were just getting into the Ambulance to go to Brighton, this did pose an issue for the team as at 7lb 12 Eddie was quite a large baby for the incubator that he needed to travel in to keep him warm and safebut they did manage to shoe horn him in! At this point I was concerned, as why would they be trying to get us to GOSH if we already had a place at the Alex, my thoughts were that GOSH must be considered a better option hence my concern.

As it turned out we could not have been better looked after by the team at the Alex and supported by the Rockinghorse charity. One issue was that being a Children's hospital they were not equipped to have Amanda in, this is where the charity first stepped in, they helped us find a room in a house for parents of sick children at the hospital so we could be close and not constantly worried about the travel and time it may take us to get to Eddie should we need to.

At 9 hours old Eddie was already having a major operation to disconnect the lower section of his oesophagus from his trachea and connect it to the top section, at this point he was a very poorly baby and in intensive care covered in wires and tubes, which meant we didn't really see his face for many weeks.

Over the next few months he had to have many more operations to stretch the join as the scar tissue constricted, on one of these stretches the procedure didn't go fully as planned and a whole was made into his chest cavity from his oesophagus, when his surgeon came out to tell us he looked broken and obviously felt bad that Eddie was now back in intensive care and in a very bad way. He even asked us if we wanted to transfer to GOSH as they had "caused the issue" at Brighton. I have put that in "" as I want to confirm that at no time did we feel this way, it was a risk of the operation and could just have easily happened at GOSH as at the Alex. We decided that we would stay at Brighton, we could not fault the care that Eddie had been given or the way that we as his parents had been supported.

Eddie finally came home after about 7 months although he was back in regularly, he still had a gastric feeding tube until his first birthday when something happened to it and we had a couple of trips to the hospital before finally actually removing it as it would not work correctly. 

Eddie was still under the care of the Alex even when it moved from the Old building in Dyke road, that we first visited, to the new building at the County until he was 19 and apparently became an adult. We are still waiting for him to grow up though, not sure that will ever happen!

Over the years we have completed a variety of challenges as fundraising efforts for Rockinghorse which is our way to in some small way say thankyou to the amazing teams at the Hospital and the charity for the support and care that they provided us as a family for many years, this year I have taken on April as a challenge month, which has just recently been extended into May.

April 02 Brighton Marathon
April 08 South Downs Way 50 Mile Ultra
April 23 London Marathon

Then the new one May 5 - 13 The North Coast 500, a 500 mile cycle ride around the coast of Scotland which includes ascent of about 2,000 meters more that the height of Everest over 7 days!

I have a fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/rockinghorse1 if anyone could spare any change, every £1 really will help and assist me in saying thankyou to the Hospital and Rockinghorse and in turn allow them to continue to provide the same amazing support that we were fortunate enough to experience.

Thank you for reading.

My Personal 6 Star Medal

With the onset of the Covid pandemic many races were cancelled or postponed which meant that the ones I had entered all seemed to be re-scheduled to similar dates, indeed 2 were resceduled for the same day.

So I thought about what to do and if to cancel some but ended up deciding to do them all even though this led to packing them all into a short time frame:

London Landmarks Half 01 August:

I had run the initial race but had been unable to get a space through the ballot for the next couple of years but this was a race that I really wanted to do again, I enjoyed it so much that first year. Rockinghorse which is a charity really close to my heart had some spaces but I was unsure if I could generate the kind of sponsorship that they would require. Eventually the date of the event was getting closer and they still had spaces so I bit the bullet and tool one of their spaces.

This was one of the first races that took place after the lockdown eased and it was a bit strange after so long being so close to so many people all running around London but it was good to be back

There was obviously many changes to a “normal” event to account for Covid but everything ran smoothly, I dropped my bag in one of the London Busses and made my way to the start line finding myself at the very front of my allocated pen. This was a bit of a problem as I went off way to quickly especially after not having run in an organised race for so long. So in the later stages I really struggled and came in just over 2 hours. The race itself did not disappoint, as previously the evnt had a great course and I thoroughly enjoyed running around London.

Brighton Marathon 12 September:

I have run every year at Brighton and this was one of the events that clashed with another, The Great North Run. I have entered the ballot for GNR several times as it is one of those runs that you just have to do and this time I secured an entry only for Covid to hit and then the rescheduled date not be possible, I couldn’t choose GNR at the expense of giving up my ever present status at Brighton.

I have bought a membership for Brighton which means I have an entry for the next 9 years, this membership also came with some extra perks such as receiving my number and start park by post, a special area at the start to meet up, have a coffee, drop my bag and get priority entry to the start pen. Most importantly though shorter queues for the toilets.

I had been suffering with a calf injury and had not run at all for two weeks prior to Brighton to try and give it time to heal, no such luck and as I started to run over the start line I could feel it being sore. I pushed on and probably ran a bit differently due to this and soon my hip on the other side was painful.

Brighton being the home of Rockinghorse meant that the team were out on the course around the half way mark, it was good to see them grab a banana and set off for the second half.

I knew that the section out by the power station at Shoreham end would be difficult, it is a bit out of the way and not many spectators venture up that way, so I had saved a few episodes of runpod to listen to for this part. However at about mile 15 I was in quite a bit of pain and pretty much had to walk from there to the finish. So I had to resort to the runpod emergency episodes earlier in the race.

As I was coming back from the power station end I felt a blister on my heal and was seriously questioning if I could get to the end, coming onto the seafront with about 3 miles to go I really thought I only had about 300 metres left in my legs. When I came to the end of the sea front section where the course moves back to the road at mile 25 I was feeling a bit feint so stopped to rest on a barrier. A member of the event team asked if I was ok and if I wanted a gel, I said I was ok and started to try and run up to the road. The next thing I know I am on my back with people around me someone holding my legs up another checking that my Garmin had notified Amanda that I had a problem and a medic being called. I had a graze on my arm and chin so had obviously collapsed as I tried to move on.

I tried to get up to start again telling them I was OK, I was worried that they would pull me out and I would loose out on that medal and my place as an ever present. They assured me that they would let me finish but that I should rest for a few minutes more and walk for a while, I told them that I was OK and would be walking all the way! As I started off again I phoned Amanda to reassure her that I was ok, thinking she would have had the notification from my Garmin, she hadn’t but it was good to talk to her along the next half a mile or so to get me through. I did finish and maintain my ever present status but in a time of 6 hours 50 by far my slowest marathon, slower even than the ones at the end of iron triathlons.

I have to say that if it was any race other than Brighton I would have pulled out and recorded a DNF

Berlin Marathon 26 September:

2 weeks after my horror of Brighton I was off to Berlin for another race that I have tried to get into a few times only to succeed and have it affected by Covid.

After Brighton I went to see my Physio who, as usual, despaired of me. She gave me some Ultra sound treatment and some exercises to do with an instruction that if it got too much I must stop. I had already promised Amanda that if Berlin went the same way as Brighton I would pull out.

We flew to Berlin on the Friday night after Amanda had finished work, arriving quite late so it was just getting to the hotel, checking in and booking breakfast required before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning came and after breakfast at the hotel we set off to the expo and collect my number, getting there quite early was good, there was still quite a queue but nothing like it was when I came out.

After collecting my start pack we wandered up to the Brandenburg Tor to check out the start and finish area, arrange where Amanda could base herself, get coffee etc.

Then a walk back to the hotel grabbing some food on the way, an afternoon snooze before wandering off to look at the Eastside gallery, the artwork on the section of Wall that is still standing. Far too much walking really for the day before a marathon!

Sunday arrived and we walked up to the start, grabbed a coffee and managed to find a space to sit on a bench to take in the atmosphere which was buzzing. I had a message from one of my Aunts just before the start to say "Run Andy with Uncle Jim on your shoulder" We lost Uncle Jim this year and his funeral was the week before. Reading this message before the start brought me to tears but when I was out on the course and feeling the pain it really helped me get through.

As the time approached for me to get to the start pens I walked up to the park area with Amanda before returning to get into my pen. It was actually a bit further to walk than I expected and I was a bit late getting to the start which meant that I was in with the wave behind the one I should have started with. I could see the stragglers of my wave just In front so managed to escape the barriers and join the back of my wave.

The route in Berlin is fantastic, I knew I wasn’t going to be troubling the timing charts so just enjoyed the atmosphere and scenery around. Again my hip was painful but not as bad as Brighton, I had again kept some episodes of runpod back to get me through the tough times, and what better episode that Eliud Kipchoge. I also had the start to run app going as it gave me updates every five minutes with how far and what pace etc, which was all very well until it told me that I had run for 300 minutes and completed 42.2km this at the point when I still had 2km to go to the finish!

As I came up towards the Brandenburg Tor for the finish I was looking around to see if I could spot Amanda in the crowd, unfortunately she was on the left hand side and just before I came up the marshals moved us over to the right had side to allow spectators to cross the course, she did get some video of me going through the gate though so that was quite cool.

As I got through the gate and started the downhill section to the finish I felt a second wind and felt like I was positively sprinting towards the finish tape!

Passing through the finish and into the runners area in the grounds of the Reichstag which is an amazing venue, I collected my poncho, deposited my chip and headed out to find Amanda. I had finished in about 5hours 15, so a much better result that Brighton!

London Marathon 03 October:

I applied through the ballot for London as I have for many years, over time I guess I have been luckier that some and have got a place in London through the ballot twice but not this year. I have also run in London with a charity place on 3 occasions.

Having not been successful in the ballot I entered the virtual, which I also ran last year so was looking to beat my course record this year!

As I usually do I entered every competition that I found to win a place in the marathon but didn’t hold out much hope, then out of the blue I had a call from Virgin Red to say that I had won a place through a competition with them that I had entered. Turns out I was about the tenth person that they had phoned as all the other people had refused the prize, apparently the entry conditions was to buy something through Virgin Red app so many people who had been entered in the competition had no interest in running a marathon!

London being only a week after Berlin meant I had limited recovery time, wouldn’t have been so bad for the virtual as I could take all day and regular breaks at my house! Anyway it was too good a chance to pass up so come race day I made may way up to London and the Blue Start.

Once again I ad a couple of episodes of runpod to get me through the tough times (Bit of a theme going on here). Again I was only planning on finishing and was not worried about how long it took me.

About 2 miles in to the run I was passed by one of the Rhinos, now usually I see them later on in the course as those costumes are heavy and difficult to run it, but not for this guy he was flying. I believe he is the record holder for running a marathon as a Rhino!

At the point where the starts come together on the course or just after I saw a familiar face on the side of the road, Tim who is the Chair of the Scout group that I used to be with was there, is wife is a bit of a runner, so I ran over to say hi and then back on to the road and running.

I was still suffering with my painful hip but decided that I would continue my strategy from Berlin of Walking for 100 steps and then running for 200, then whilst in one of my walking stages I passed one of the many pubs on the course, the customers cheering everyone on. One guy, who was holding a pint, said something to me so I asked where my pint was, at this point he gave me his pint and I downed a couple of mouthfuls, thanked him and ran off!

 London is an amazing marathon and that trek down Birdcage walk before rounding the corner in front of Buckingham Palace onto the Mall is an amazing experience, then the run up to the finish line and I was done, just in time for the heavens to open and about a 10 minute downpour! Finish time 4hrs 44 so I got faster with each marathon completed!

I had set my phone to the virtual app, well I had paid for the entry, but noticed that even after collecting my bag and getting to horseguards that I still hadn’t finished the virtual event so had to keep moving down to the other end of horseguards before it registered as me having run 26.2 miles!

Royal Parks Half 10 October:

The week following London I was again heading back to the capital, this time for a half marathon. The Royal Parks is another half that I have run before but not managed to get into the ballot until the Covid year and again delayed!

I was lucky enough to be selected as 1 of 10 inspire runners, you can read about us all here https://royalparkshalf.com/studies/ if you really want more reading as let’s face it if you have made it this far you are doing well!!

Being in this group gave us access to a VIP tent at the start and finish, we also had a photo call on the start line and lined up towards the front of the event, this may not have been such a good thing as I went off far to quickly and paid for it towards the end!

Shortly after the start I passed Sally Gunnel, yep I had overtaken and Olympic legend! Still she had obviously paced herself better as she re passed me about half way and ran off into the distance, oh well.

About the same time Jenni Falconer past me and said hi, unfortunately I had left my aftershokz in my bag so no runpod to get me round this one.

A while later I heard someone shouting my name, actually loads of people do as I have it in big letters across my chest, but this one was different, I looked up across the road and saw Amanda cheering me on, this from across completely the other side of the road through Hyde Park.

A bit further on an I cam across Jenni who stopped to walk for a bit, I asked if she was ok and carried on, but not for long as I too then had to walk, my hip had flared up again. At this point Jenni caught me again and checked if I was ok, then suggested that we run together to get to the end. So I had no runpod but I had the club leader to run with.

As we rounded the corner on to the home straight, which is about 1km long Jenni suggested we pick the pace up, then promptly left me behind as I had nothing left in the tank, she has a mean sprint finish at the end of a half!

I made my way down the finish lane, stopping with the inspire team to do a piece to camera, get me with professional speak!, before getting my medal, T shirt and teddy and making my way to the VIP tent to meet up with Amanda, then after a bit of food and drink it was time to make our way home.

Oxford Half 17 October:

It was here my final run of the 6 and allowed me a trip home to see Mum and Dad, they live near Oxford so it is a much shorter drive from there to the start.

Arriving at the start village I was a bit early so not too busy, quick trip to the loo while there was no queue, then have a look around and found the selfie wall which had the names of all runners on. Yes I did manage to find my name amongst the thousands of names.

The start at Oxford is quite a way from the start village and there are no toilets once you leave the start village so trying to time it right is a bit of a mission! Something that I didn’t get quite right so ended up queuing at the first loos which were about 4 miles in.

I love Oxford Half, running round the city and sights that I spent many an hour in during my youth.

Yes I had 3 episodes of runpod to get me round and it just so happened that the timing was perfect with the final episode finishing just after I crossed the finish line after 2 hours 4 mins.

Back in the village and I was starving so the burger van was a most welcome sight!

That was it I had completed my 6 events, 2 of which are part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors but I feel that is all I am going to manage in that series. Finances will stop me from getting to New York, Chicago and Tokyo and lets face it I am never going to be able to run a qualifying time for Boston!

I have to say a very special Thanks to Amanda who has supported me through not only this challenge but all of the events that I have taken on over the years.

Lakesman 2019

This is a post that a few weeks ago I didn't think I would get to write, I went to a body conditioning class with Amanda at our local Scout hut and somehow managed to sprain the AC joint in my left shoulder. The GP that I went to see advised against trying to do the Lakesman half and I got as far as completing the initial claim to get my entry fee back using the insurance that was included. Fortunately I had to wait to get the Dr's note so didn't get to the submit stage for a few days and in  the meantime my physio had advised that rest and a few light exercises should have me able to take part.

Having decided that I wasn't going to take part but would still go up to support, Amanda agreed to come up to Keswick with me, normally I would have left earlier on  the Friday while she was still at work. Even when I changed my mind and decided to try and give it a go we stuck to the plan that we would drive up after Amanda finished work on the Friday.

So at about 4.45 we set off on the long trip north and boy was it a long trip, it took us about 3 hours to get to the M40 junction some 60 miles from home! We eventually arrived at our camping pod at about 1am so there was nothing to do but crash immediately into bed and get some sleep, once we had rearranged the beds!

Saturday arrived all too quickly and I decided  to go and register in the morning to get the bags and stickers etc so I could get prepared before going to rack the bike and bags later in the afternoon, then back to the pod for a quick nap! We arrived at Keswick about 3pm to meet up with Andy, Nicky, Dave and Jennie, also met Nicky's sister Katherine who was also taking part.

Having racked the bike and bags it was onto the briefing, as we were sat in the tent we heard a bang come from transition shortly followed by Phil, Race Director, advising that if anyone had pumped their tyres up to race pressure that they may wish to go and let some air out, yes the bang was someone's tyre exploding due to the heat!

Following the briefing it was back to the pod for some food and yes you've guessed it some more sleep!

4am Sunday and the alarms went off, time to get up have my porridge and pack the car to go back to Keswick for the event.

Pumped my tyres up, put my nutrition on the bike and joined the queue for the loo. At this point Jamie, the race ref, was walking round telling us we had 10 mins and then we would be kicked out of transition. having visited the loo it was in to the tent to finalise my dry bag and get my wetsuit on. As I arrived in the tent there was Jamie again advising us we had 10 minutes, strange as this was about 5 minutes since the last advice, anyway about a minute later we were being told we had 5 minutes, time flies when you're having fun!

Wetsuit on it was time to line up with the rest of the athletes to make our way into the lake. First off was the full distance swimmers which we saw from the shore, then it was our turn. The water was colder than in previous years, about 2 degrees colder according to Phil when we spoke to him at the finish!

Doing the half this year meant that the first turn buoy was much closer something that made me happy! as I rounded the first buoy I could see the next yellow buoy to aim for, that one seemed very close too. The reason it seemed close was that it was only half way across and once I got to that one there was another one further away which was the final turn, Damnit.

As I headed for the finish I was suddenly aware of some faster swimmers around me, had I slowed that much during the swim? No it was the leaders of the full who had caught and passed me!

My swim was slower than usual, something I was worried about due to my shoulder injury which I did feel a bit in the swim but more because I have been neglecting my swim training. Anyway I made it within the time cut off and was back in transition to change and head out on the bike. Amanda told me after that of the group of 5 of us doing it I was last out of the swim, this wasn't a surprise, but she went on to add "by some margin"

As I headed out on the bike I was feeling good and my legs were strong, I was soon in a rhythm and my shoulder did not hinder me getting on to the tribars so I was happy. After a while I caught up with Dave, wished him good luck as I carried on my way, next up was Andy a few miles later, last time we rode in the same bike leg of a triathlon was the Outlaw when he was part of a relay team. At that event he caught me and passed me as if I was standing still so I was happy to have caught up with him as it meant my legs were going well.

The bike was more up and down than I remember the full course but nothing major which is quite a feat given the area that the race is in, it could have had some major hills!

Towards the end of the ride I passed Katherine, although I only realised this after so didn't manage to say anything at the time, sorry Katherine. As I came back into Keswick the bike course and the run course go side by side for a short while and it just happened that as I was coming in Nicky was on that run section, a quick shout of encouragement to her before I concentrated on negotiating the traffic through Keswick and back to transition.

I had gone quite hard on the bike and was worried that I would have no legs left for the run but as I left the change tent to head out on the run I wasn't feeling too bad, I even managed to run the whole course, well except through the feed stations but then you have to walk to be able to drink properly right?

As I came through the finish area at the end of lap 1 Amanda and Jennie were there cheering us on, Is stopped for a brief moment but Jennie advised me to not stop!

I saw Dave on the run as we came past the finish on one of the laps, things were a bit congested with spectators around quite a narrow section as we turn to head through the park again.

As I came round my final lap down the hill towards the finish I seemed to get that extra kick at the end of a race and was in full flow down towards the carpeted finish chute and over the line to complete the Lakesman Half!

As usual the event was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it, well after I exited the lake anyway!

The marshals around the course were amazing as always and a huge thanks must go out to them for the amazing work that they put in to make sure that we as athletes (and I use that phrase when describing myself very loosely) can do what we do and enjoy a safe and fun event.

Thanks again to Marie and Phil an all their team who manage to put on a fantastic event that has the athletes at the heart of everything!

Congratulations to Nicky and Katherine for taking 2 steps on their age group podium

Thanks to Dave, Jennie, Andy and Nicky for their support and lastly but most importantly thanks to Amanda for all your love and support not only during the event but in the lead up to it and all the mad events that I do!

Run Gatwick

I had vaguely heard of Run Gatwick last year but missed entering it, however this year Nicola Hume and Jack the Lad from Heart Breakfast mentioned it a while ago which gave me enough notice to be able to run.

Living near Horsham it is a very local event and I had heard good things about it so I was really looking forward to the event, I am usually up early on Sundays anyway as it is my usual morning for running listening to Heart Sunday Breakfast with Jenni Falconer. So getting up early was not a problem. I was a bit concerned about getting to Crawley and finding that I couldn't park, however I arrived at The Hawth where there was an agreement through the organisers to use their car park for a charity donation and there was plenty of space, it was really convenient with a footpath through the woods at the back straight into Southgate Park and the event village. I had planned on getting the train to Crawley rather than drive but the engineering works meant that trains were not stopping at Crawley.

It was slightly misty morning when I left home but by the time I arrived at Southgate Park it was a glorious morning with sun shining, so good in fact that I was changed and ready really early so I could deposit my bag in the marquee and wander freely around the village, a nice coffee to drink and soak up the atmosphere.

I was allocated a number in the Purple wave as I was hoping for a time between 1:45 and 2:00

During my wander around the village I bumped into Anna, amazing how many people you regularly bump into at events around the country, it was only brief as she was a pacer for the event and had to check in and collect her flag. I also nearly bumped into Nicola and Jack from Heart but they were getting a coffee and I thought it would be rude to interrupt their morning coffee, Nicola since replied to an Instagram post that I should have asked for a photo, I wont be so polite next time :-)

After a couple of trips to the loo, between which I returned to the stage to listen to Colin Jackson, Dina Asher-Smith and Helen Skelton talk about the event, it was time to line up in our start pens for the event. There was a bit of a delay to the start, something about a motorist on the course but soon enough we were off. I was a tad confused about where the actual start line was as we went under an arch that seemed to have timing equipment around it but then seemed to go under another one a little while later. I started my watch at the first one and it was telling me each mile was a little way before the mile markers so I guess I chose the wrong one.

The course was great and the mile markers quite quirky in that they were signposts to other destinations, its a small thing but it kept me amused as I ticked off the miles, at one point I heard a couple of other runners talking about a hill between 8 and 9, now I don't like hills so I wasn't looking forward to this. As it happens the hill wasn't too bad for me, I was actually running up it faster than some of the people who had passed me on the flat just before.

Before too long I was into the final mile and heading back to Southgate Park and the finish, as I crossed the line our names were being called out and I had passed the finish before I realised that the person on the mike was Susie Chan, thanks Susie for welcoming us back across the finish line.

I collected my medal, shirt and banana and made my way back to the village for a bacon butty and a wander around again to see what was happening, there was quite a buzz around the park the weather no doubt helping!

Just as I was about to leave to head home I bumped into Anna again for a quick chat and it appears that I wasn't the only one who was confused about where the actual start was.

All in all it was a great event and I am really pleased that I took part, I had hoped to get under 1:50 again but realistically was aiming for under 1:55 so my official time of 1:53:39 was about where I expected to be.

The marshals all around the course were fantastic, full of cheer and motivation so thanks to all of them who really helped us all around the course.

The only 2 comments I would have on the event that could have made it better are:
1) The confusion around the start line, is it possible to make it more obvious which line is the actual start line? this may have been something to do with the 5K that was also being run on the same day.
2) The loos, there was quite a queue for them but I did notice that the Urinals were mixed in with the rest of the loos and were not getting used very much. It may have been better to place them separate and make it more obvious that they were there to lessen the queues by taking those who could use them out of the main queue?

Overall the event was fantastic, the course was great and the weather certainly helped make a great day for running, thanks to all that made it possible.

Brighton Marathon through the years

I first heard about the Brighton Marathon from Dave, I had missed the entry but as it was the first year and the race was a week before London the organisers had a deal where if you entered and then got into London you could get a refund. They then sold these places in a second phase and I managed to grab a spot.

Working for one of the Virgin companies I was then given a place in London so I ended up having 2 marathons a week apart. My first Brighton Marathon was completed in 5 hours and 12 seconds, I was so disappointed to miss the 4 hour bracket by such a small margin.

Having run the first event I felt compelled to enter again in following years and it became an annual trek to take part in what is a wonderful event.

It was at Brighton that I first met Jenni Falconer, she was there working for Channel 4 who were covering the event. I knew she was running London the following week and wanted to say good luck, she was so friendly asking about how the run was. I follow Jenni on social media and am amazed by the energy that she has for running and keeping fit, really inspiring.

I think it was the following year that I really struggling with an injury and collapsed as soon as I crossed the line but somehow I had managed a PB

So fast forward to year 9 and I had a really tough time at both Brighton and London to the extent that I decided that I was not going to run many more. I had to take part in Brighton number 10 though having completed the previous 9.

Those of us who had completed the first 9 events all had an email before the event to say that we were getting special silver numbers to signify we were 10/10 runners, an extra bonus was that we didn’t have to queue at the main number collection point. We were all allowed into the VIP area before the start which was great smaller queues for toilets and a fast track area for the start.

Arriving at Preston Park I saw Anna from the running channel interviewing Pikachu followed by 3 of the characters from Sesame Street, we had a quick chat before she had to head off to drop her camera kit at the media compound ready for her to run the Marathon as well.

I managed to catch up with Martine and exchange good lucks as well before she headed off to the start ready to take on the 10K.

I found my way to the VIP area which all the 10/10 runners had been given access to, grabbed a coffee had a mill around before meeting up with a group of fellow 10/10 runners that are part of the Brighton Marathon Ever Presence group on Facebook for a group photo.

Then drop the bag at the special bag drop and over to the start area, which being in the VIP area meant we were moved to the start line in front of our coloured coral. Then it was time for the off and we were treading a familiar route now for the 10th year.

Martine had finished her 10K and was out on the course supporting the marathon runners a quick high five and on I went.

From the start I was feeling quite good and around Mile 7 I caught up with Anna and had a quick chat, I was feeling quite good at this point which was an improvement on last year.

Then I got to half way and things started to hurt a bit, as I went out towards mile 15 my legs were telling me they had had enough and what was I thinking! Anna came back past me at some point, giving me some encouraging words, we then leapfrogged a bit for the next few miles before she finally left me behind going out towards the Shoreham end of the route.

Turning to come back towards the finish was hard, the wind was in our faces and it was a real struggle to keep moving forwards, coming towards the end of that section there was Martine again giving encouragement and a hug to give me a boost to get on towards the finish.

Eventually the finish was in sight and I crossed the line in 04:29:58 just breaking the 4.5 hrs mark that I was aiming for when I started to struggle just after halfway, at the start I was hoping to get close to 4 hours. Crossing the line and I was ushered to a separate area to be given a special 10/10 finishers shirt and Medal before heading down to collect my bag.

So having run one event I had 2 medals, result!

I had signed up to be part of a medical study which had involved giving blood and wee samples at registration and then again after the finish, so I headed towards their tent to be suitably drained of a few tubes of blood, this meant sitting down which was really hard, not the sitting but the standing up after!!

As I left the finish area and into the village I called in at the Running Channel's tent to have a quick catch up with Anna again before finally heading for home.

So that was it 10 Brighton Marathons completed, over the years there have been quite a few changes, hydration provided in bottles to pouches to the cups that have been used for the last couple of years, changes in the start corals and a few minor changes to the route. I have enjoyed most of the time at Brighton but I have to say my legs are starting to complain about the distance, nothing to do with Brighton just the Marathon in general. My PB is still from Brighton, I think that was the year that I had an injury and collapsed at the finish!

The crowds at Brighton are amazing all out lining the streets armed with various Jelly Babies, other sweets and oranges, without them I would not have got around all of the 10 events, it is amazing how much of a boost they can give you.

As always a massive thanks must go out to the Organisers and Marshall's who make the event what it is, thanks to Martine for all her encouragement in the lead up to the event and on the day especially at the end of the "Highway to Hell". Thanks to Anna for her encouragement before and during the event! Thanks to Dave for getting me into the first running of the event and for always being there supporting me through the running either in person or through messages. Thanks to Jenni for her encouragement on social media and for not laughing when I collapsed over the line in front of her that year!

Finally thanks to Amanda for putting up with me doing these daft events and then not being able to walk properly for a couple of days afterwards, I think it is time to listen to her and my body and stick to Half's. That is unless Jenni takes me up on the I'll do it if you do challenge for MDS, although I will need to find a sponsor to pay the entrance fee for that one!!

Deloitte Ride Across Britian

So after a year of challenges for the Rockinghorse Appeal to celebrate turning 50 it came to the final one and also the biggest. Thanks to entering a competition with Cycling Plus Magazine I found myself lining up in Lands End with my bike and about 860 other mad people about to set off to cycle 980 miles up to John O Groats over 9 days! The Deloitte Ride Across Britain

Apologies if some of the timelines are a bit messed up, I had every intention of keeping notes of what happened when but that all fell by the wayside on arriving into base camp on day 1!

I do know that Day 1 started at Lands End and tackled some rather big hills on the way up to Okehampton passing by St Michael's Mount on the way, there were to be many more stunning views on the way up to JOG, not many of which I captured on camera, partly because you can never do justice to them in a picture and partly because I was too exhausted to stop and get my camera out, I may never have got going again.

During the ride a fellow rider noted that I was in Didcot Phoenix kit and commented that he lived in Wallingford, I had enough time to tell him that I no longer lived in Didcot but that my parents did before he sped off and left me behind. Later as we arrived at base camp we caught up again and realised that we had been at school together and that his sister was part of the group that I used to hang around with in sixth form!

I did have an enforced stop as part of day 1 though when going up one of  the many hills my left hand crank came off. I managed to get it back on and get to the pitstop where the mechanics sorted it out properly. I think there must be something about my peddling style as it seems every bike I have had has had issues with the left crank coming loose!

The days are generally broken down into 2 pit stops and base camp, this is how I was tackling the challenge too, it was always so many miles to the next stop. The pit stops were amazing with all sorts of food and snacks to top up your fuel levels, the guys with the water bowser to top your bottles up and a full house of cheery Team Threshold to lift your spirits and cheer you on your way.

On arrival at base camp all the tents were setup ready and waiting as were the showers and food, quite a remarkable logistical feat to get all this ready and waiting for almost 900 riders each day.

My routine each day seemed to fall into the same process, find my tent, find my bag, empty my bag, shower have some coffee, eat dinner have a pint or 2 and listen to the briefing for the following days ride before hitting my sleeping bag about 8.30pm!

5.30am was wake up time which gave enough time to get a hearty breakfast in, sort out kit for the day, pack, drop bag off at the lorry and fill your bottles for the ride ahead. Then it was onto counting down the miles to the next pitstop!

Day 2 was on to Bath where we would be treated to a bed for the night rather than a tent, other than that the routine was about the same. Although at Bath it was my turn for a massage, every other day you could get a 10 minute massage from a great group of Students who were doing this as part of their course.

This was also my first visit to the Medical team, I had been getting a sharp pain right across my knee and down the side, the medic checked me over and nothing was painful when he was pressing it so the diagnosis was inflammation of the cartilage. All I could do was some stretching of my Quads, take some anti-inflammatory tablets and try to adjust my pedalling style, maybe this would help my crank too!

Day 3 and we headed off to Ludlow where we would be back in tents at the racecourse, my knee was still quite painful and I was being careful not to take more than the allowed amount of pain killers.

One highlight of this day was the crossing of the river Severn, using the cycle path on the old bridge, it really was spectacular to ride across.

On arrival at the racecourse Dad was there waiting to great me in, I'm afraid I wasn't much company as I proceeded to dismount my bike and fall to the ground as my knee gave way beneath me. Dad helped me get my bike to the racking and to find my tent before heading off to the station home, as much as I didn't really get to speak to him much it was great to see him there.

Heading in to the food hall and sitting at one of the tables feeling a bit sorry for myself with my pain I started to talk to one of the other riders and we chatted about how things were going which cheered me up and took my mind of my pain, only when she got up to leave did we introduce each other by name and I found out that I had been talking to Mimi Anderson who I follow on Twitter amazed by her running exploits, I felt so honoured to have met her, she is a wonderful friendly person.

I bumped into Robin again having lost touch on day 1 at tent allocation and not seen each other on the ride to Bath, I wasn't sure I would recognise him casual wear. Anyway we had a catch up over the Cheese Board supplied by  the Deloitte team.

Day 4 was from Ludlow to Haydock which was supposedly quite flat so I hoped my knee would have time to recover a bit. During the ride I met up with a rider wearing a Castle Triathlon top so we chatted about which events we had done for a while. As we left a set of traffic lights something went in my knee more so than before and I was really struggling. A few miles later and it was agony even to turn the pedals without putting any pressure on my right leg. I was only about 4 miles from the 2nd pitstop and was determined to get there rather than call the medical team out.

A mixture of walking, pedalling with my right leg hanging lose and only using my left meant that I managed to get to the pitstop and see the medical team there. They gave me some Ibuprofen and told me to stretch my quads a bit, they also said that they thought my saddle was too low.

I have ridden this bike with the same setup all the time and never had any issues. I called Amanda and was distraught as I thought I would have to pull out of the ride completely, I really couldn't see how I could continue with my knee as it was.

I rested for quite a while and did some stretching, I also raised my saddle about 5mm, something quite drastic to do midway through a long multi day ride like this but I figured I didn't have anything to lose as I was on the verge of giving up anyway.

I managed to get to the base camp at Haydock racecourse and then into the routine of camp but this time included some rather fabulous cupcakes courtesy of a certain medal winning cyclist, Becky James!

Day 5 started early as I couldn't sleep that well, my mood improved though with a mention on Heart radio's 4 o'clock club with Jenni Falconer, this was alongside many good luck comments that I had received from friends and family which really spurred me on. Today would see us tackle Shap and would certainly be a test, although from previous experience I knew that it wasn't that steep it just went on and on and on! At the pitstop before we attempted Shap there was a nice banner to recognise  that we were now half way!

As we arrived at base camp I came across another rider who seemed to be struggling pushing off the ground and then freewheeling before pushing again. As I passed I noticed that his chain was missing so I turned round and went back to push him in to the finish rather than him have to struggle as he was.

Having racked the bikes it seemed to be a major hike to the tents compared to usual, something that was referred  to in the nightly briefing, to do with tracking and getting the lorries in and out, I told you it was a logistical feat to get everything in place.

Day 6 meant that we were to cross the border into Scotland and head up towards Edinburgh, according to my Strava this was only 91.8 miles with only 60ft elevation gain and in a dead straight line, hmm my legs were saying otherwise! It was actually 115 miles and several thousand ft elevation!

Day 7 and we headed out from Hopetoun House and across the Forth bridge another fantastic experience before we headed up into the Cairngorms, again I wasn't sleeping well so was up and part of the 4 o'clock club with another mention from the lovely Jenni on Heart set me on my way nicely.

The 2nd pitstop of the day was at the top of Glenshee an amazing climb, you realise how high you are when you are riding past gates that are used to close the roads when they get blocked by snow, the posts on the side of the road that have reflectors on that are higher than your head when out of the saddle marking the edge of  the roads and ski lifts around you.

It was a little windy and cold at the top so I grabbed some food and a coffee and set off on my way, really chuffed to have managed to complete the climb in one go.

A little sad that my Strava again said it was a dead straight line and only 89.6 miles with minimal elevation gain but the main thing was that it was an amazing ride with some spectacular views!

Day 8 was the longest of the ride at 118.4 miles apparently starting fairly early on with the climb up the Lecht, it had 3 pitstops one of only 2 days that had this extra power pit stop. My Strava did work today and told me that I completed 120 miles!

Again the views and the ride was amazing taking us through some beautiful places before arriving in Kyle of Sutherland for our final night in camp.

Day 9 and final day. The start was early at 6am, I was a bit worried about how long it would  take to complete the 104 miles up to John O Groats so I was up early and in the first batch of riders to leave. The day started well but with a few hills, arriving at Pit stop 1 I grabbed some food and stayed for a short time before on the bike and away again.

Then the descents and the wind hit, we apparently had a 31mph tailwind and rather than my usual speed of between 12 - 14 mph I was rattling along at 22 - 28 mph having an absolute ball of a time again through some amazing scenery.

I caught up with another rider at one point and discussed what a ride it had been so far, I mentioned that I felt sure that there would be some more hills to come and sure enough we turned a corner and headed up hill!

After a while we were back on some descents and even on the uphill bits with the wind behind us these didn't feel too bad.

Taking the final corner and heading down to the finish line was amazing coming across to be presented my medal by the medic who I had seen in Bath was incredible and made his prophecy come true in that my knee would not stop me getting to John O Groats and he would see me there!
Ignore the fact that the signpost says 874 Miles to Lands End, clearly Andy Cook didn't get that map!

There are too many people to thank individually but everyone at Threshold for the organisation, logistics, food, medical, massage, mechanical support and route deserve all the thanks that can be said, they put on a truly amazing event.

To everyone that sent messages of support that got me through my dark times, thank you so much just seeing a message or a like on a social media post lightened my mood and helped me get back on my bike each morning.

The only person that I must thank by name is Amanda, she has been totally supportive of not only this event but all of my challenges over the last year, so now I think it is time to take some time out to recover and reflect.