2019 REVIEW

2019 REVIEW 

To explain 2018 I have to go back to sept 15th 2018. While on my 2nd running of the Cumbria Way Ultra. At some point during the event I had my light bulb moment and decided if I was to lose some weight then I could hopefully make this running lark a tad easier for myself. It was also decided that all my training would be done by heart rate. So on September 24th 2018 the weight loss & HR training began. At that point I had been running for 5.5 years and I had only cracked the Marathon sub 4 twice, which nearly sent me to my maker. By the end of 2018 I had got Marathon pb's three times, the new PB was 3:43. 

A good solid base had been made and it was time to crack on with 2019 with two aims in mind, to go back to the Thames Path 100 & Cumbria Way Ultra  and prove the weight loss and HR training has paid off. Also another crack at the Marathon pb would happen, though improvement on the two ultras was the main goal. 

2019 started with day 2 of the liverbird double, was actually the 3rd Marathon day on the trot for Sharon & I.  Day 1 of the liverbird double was how 2019 finished.  In total there has been 

14 Marathons 

4 ultras, 100k Canalathon,  100 mile Thames Path,  73 mile Cumbria Way & 50 mile Round Rotherham. 

18 in total. 

On the 100 Marathon/ ultra quest I'm on 67. 

The weight loss and HR training was going well, I was chuffed with both and even more chuffed that virtually all my XXL size clothes went to the charity shop. The aim was 12.5 stone and I got there, losing 3 stone along the way. Some of my clothes are now a medium and waist size has gone from 36 to 32 and I still need a belt, unbelievable.  The weight loss hasn't actually been that hard, just need lots of willpower but a new eating habit soon became the norm. It wasn't done by anything amazing,  just by calorie counting. 

The first test of this weight loss and HR training was the return Thames Path 100. The previous year Sharon ran the 2nd half with me, this year was to be on my own and to beat the 2018 time. The run went perfectly and I got a time of 20:45:36, the previous year was 25:33:45, that's nearly 5 hours improvement,  job done. 

The next thing to attempt was a Marathon PB,  all was looking good in training but on the day i failed, i should know better than to attempt a mara PB on one of the hottest days of the year. I failed by 2 mins, wasnt too amused at that as i had worked pretty hard leading up to it. Exactly a week later we went to an event that Sharon was doing two days on so I thought I'd plod around a Marathon on one of the days. On the start line I thought, just go for it and see what happens, expecting the legs to give up after 10 miles due to the PB attempt 7 days earlier.  Turned out all went well and for the first time I found myself in the lead on an event, maintained it and got a new PB of 3:36:12, a PB by 7 minutes.  That was very unexpected.  Worse thing about this was Sharon started talking sub 3:30, no way I thought, PB attempts hurt too much. 

Next up was the return to the Cumbria Way Ultra,  my 3rd time at this event and this is the one that I really wanted to go well considering it was on this event 12 months earlier that the light bulb moment occurred. Despite picking up a knee niggle on the run all went really well and I got a time of 16:33:47 which was a huge improvement on 2018's 19:54:11.

Both the TP100 & CWU have been put to bed and I wont be returning in 2020, though who knows for 2021. 

The last few months of 2019 was leading up to a Marathon sub 3:30 attempt.  It was to be be attempted at Oulton Park on December 1st though as things were going well it was first attempted on November 10th at a new Marathon in Strathclyde.  On that day I got a 3:31. At Oulton Park I got a 3:33 but the course was long, had it been correct distance I would of got an official sub 3:30, but it was a long course so i haven't got my sub 3:30. That is something to aim for in 2020. 

The year has ended with a busy 10 days. A Christmas day run in the lakes, and marathons on December 29th & 31st. The last 2 being official marathons.  We ended the year at the liverbird Marathon which is how we started the year. 

Some stats for 2019.

14 Marathons 

4 ultras 

Distance ran :   2,162.53 miles, that's from where I live to St John's, Newfoundland,  Canada. 

Time running : 368:48:20 

Total elevation  104,776 ft

Average Heart Rate 136 ( zone 2 )

The Christmas day run was 26.2 miles over the hills in the lake district.  Was slow going and rather scary in places. But a great day was had, a fine way to spend Christmas day 2019.

I think my best running moment this year was the decision to ask Sharon to run the last few miles with me on the Thames Path 100. I was fully intent on running every step on my own but thought sharing the finish with Sharon is far more important.  Definitely my highlight of the year. 

Best actual run was probably the Canalathon 100k.  Definitely the best all out running I did throughout the year. It came after having the lurgy also.

I'm also pleased with sticking to the weight loss and Sharon's expertise throughout the year. They were the building blocks behind the successful year. Its definitely been a successful year for me, lots of PB's and lots of decent running, it's not often I think I have run a good Marathon or ultra but have felt that way this year. 

Been a great year for meeting up with friends made through running and I thank you all for the support given to me. 

No matter how well I think I've done this year, it couldn't and definitely wouldn't happen without Sharon. She writes all my plans and guides me along the way. Sharon has more faith in my ability than I do, it only seems 5 minutes ago that she was pushing me to get a sub 4 hour marathon, I thought that was daft at the time. This year sub 4's happen far more often and were now knocking on the sub 3:30 door. I feel an imposter hanging around those times but Sharon thinks that's where I should be. So Mrs S, I thank you very much for all you do with me and my running. It's one of many reasons why your simply the best XX