The 100 Marathon Club AGM Marathon, 29.5 miles, 22.02.2020

Well that was a fun day! Wasn't thinking I was going to make it last night - have had a cold for 10 days now, and haven't slept much for a couple of nights from coughing, and just felt knackered etc et etc, blah blah blah. Plus, the thought of getting up at 04:35 (ON SATURDAY) was not appealing. 

But I'm so glad I did! Even if the weather was, um, windy. Very windy.

It started off in a nice way, when I ran into Eddie at the train station and he let me share his taxi to the  start. It was almost exactly a year ago that the same thing happened at my 100th marathon, when he did exactly the same kind thing. Such a gent. Thanks Eddie, and good to see you.

Phoenix has a new headquarters in the new Sports Hub outside the leisure centre. Very nice there. Very fancy. Coffee bar any everything! Thanks to the surprise lift, it was nice to have time to see lots of people at the start, warm inside and sheltered from the wind.

Today's run was the 100 Marathon Club AGM Marathon and Timed Event, including handicapped race. Splendidly organised, as always, by Rik and Team Phoenix - thank you for looking after us all today!

Lovely to run with Sarah today, thank you for the Girls Day Out (and the 100 MC nail polish)! I got promoted to a Princess, purely by association of running with Sarah (who always looks amazing), which was very exciting, especially as I was a complete state from a) feeling ill, and b) the wind.....

We started with the mass start at 08:00 and did 9 laps (29.5 miles). Very lovely to see so many (SO MANY!!) people today, and it was very sociable and much fun, and everyone seemed in good spirits. The people doing the handicapped race were starting at all different times, so I was completely confused as to what was going on and who was where, but everyone else seemed to know who they were and what they were doing, and everyone did super. Well done all! 

It was very windy today though, did I say that already? Just making sure. The first half of the lap, westwards, felt like someone was pushing us backwards, which became quite tiring/ trying after a while. The second half with the wind behind (behind-ish, why does wind change direction when you do?), of course, was easier, but still not that easy. I felt pretty tired really and it seemed quite hard today (especially running under The White Bridge Of Doom, which made a special appearance of replacing the Blue Bridge, as worst bridge of the day). Thank you Sarah for dragging me around and sticking with me all day! All this training against the wind must be good for something, right? Anyway, it was a bit tough, but it was a lot of fun and I loved it.

Off to paint my nails and work on being a princess...

The Bullock Smithy Hike: a weekend with Storm Dennis (The Menace)

Just had a training weekend in the Peak District, following roughly the route of the Bullock Smithy Hike event, 57 miles. Organised by my friend Alan, and with Andrew coming too, we were joined by a special bonus guest, Storm Dennis. Dennis had terrible wind, put such a dampener on everything, gave everyone the cold shoulder, and had such a stormy temperament. But although he hung around for the WHOLE weekend, he didn't spoil it.

Usually the route starts and finishes in Hazel Grove, but because of trains and getting there, we started and finished in Macclesfield. The route started along the canal, then along an old tramway, up towards Higher Poynton, before heading east past Lyme Park. Because the forecast for Saturday seemed like the worst day, we missed out some of the hills on the second half and stuck to the lower levels, along canals, tracks and roads, close to Whaley Bridge, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Sparrowpit. I think this was a good decision, as Dennis was being a bit unpredictable, sometimes appearing in a quite mild temper, and at others flying off the handle into a frenzy. The last few miles were up over a hill pass, along a road. A man in a van drove past, and then stopped, and asked if we needed a lift anywhere. What a nice man! Declining the tempting offer of what looked like a nice warm, dry, and friendly van, we carried on, and completed our 27 mile run with Dennis, running the final mile down Winnats Pass into Castleton. This was magic, a deep, green canyon, with rocky walls rising up into the sky (which had mysteriously cleared, now we were just about finish running). I don't have any pictures, as my phone was well waterproofed within several layers inside by rucksack, but it was really beautiful - after being buffeted about all day, to have a moment of still air felt really peaceful.

Overnight was in the YHA Loosehill Hall in Castleton, a striking Gothic mansion, built in 1882 as a gentleman's residence for Squire Ashton, the son of the family who lived in Castleton Hall in the village. The village itself is around 900 years old and was built around Peveril Castle perched up on the hill, which was built by William the Conqueror's son, who was called William Peveril. Loosehill Hall is meant to be haunted, but the only thing untoward at dinner (in an amazing old dining room, with chandeleirs and fire place) was Dennis, who was just getting annoying now, quite frankly.

Didn't get much sleep, what with the wind and rain rattling the windows (or maybe, it was the resident ghost), and was glad to get up in the morning, and face what lay ahead, rather than laying around thinking about it in the dark. Sunday was the harder day, 30 miles and more hills. The forecast (checked obsessively every 10 minutes) said the rain should clear by around 10:00 and although it would feel colder, and the wind would be stronger, the prospect of a dryer day seemed a fair deal. 

In an attempt to put on some weight at breakfast, to act as ballast against the gales, we completed a hearty breakfast, before heading out. Just as we opened the door, a deluge of epic proportions hit, so we retreated back inside, until it eased off. Smug at having avoided an early soaking, we headed out, only for the rain to start again 5 minutes later....

The forecast was wrong, and the day was mostly a wash out, and involved running along paths that were now rivers...

...and fields that were now bogs. The route was the southern half of the loop, down past Peak Forest to Earl Sterndale, then past Flash, Macclesfield Forest, and back to Macclesfield, for pizza and a train back home.

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Bohemian Run - 50 km - 01.02.2020

A run with Saturn Running today, at a new venue - from the Lee Valley White Water Centre, for a few hours of some 4.4 mile laps, of a Queen themed run. 

January has been quite the disaster. Everyone else has been running every day/ going vegan/ doing dry January/ being healthy/ making new starts/etc etc etc. I've managed none of these. So, my performance today would be IN THE LAP OF THE GODS, and I'd need A KIND OF MAGIC to prevent DEATH ON TWO LEGS.

But, FRIENDS WILL BE FRIENDS, and with plenty of them around, we can HANG ON IN THERE, and run HEADLONG until WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.

It's been too long since we could say THANK GOD ITS CHRISTMAS, and after a week of feeling UNDER PRESSURE, I WANT(ed) TO BREAK FREE. A good long run felt like HEAVEN FOR EVERYONE. It took me about a half marathon to get there, but I finally started to feel like I'd stopped going RADIO GA GA, or even like I'M GOING SLIGHTLY MAD, and for the last four and a bit laps to get to 50 km, I felt like I had STAYING POWER and that I could again PLAY THE GAME.

Apart from my feet. I brought the wrong trainers. PAIN IS SO CLOSE TO PLEASURE. Or not. Just bloody painful really. I like Queen, but that is a really weird name for a song.

Excluding the footwear issues, I actually felt pretty good considering my last long run was three weeks ago. I'm DOING ALL RIGHT.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST. Thank you Saturn. I absolutely loved the course, and Saturn runs are always fun. Thanks to all my friends there for a lovely day, and Andrew for running with me! THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES!

Now it's time to go LAZING ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON....

Not really....

If there is ONE VISION to get to 100 mile running, you must SPREAD YOUR WINGS, and DON'T STOP ME NOW, then THE SHOW MUST GO ON....

...with a run tomorrow. IT'S A HARD LIFE.