Hills, hills and more hills - The Windermere Half Marathon - Challenge 1!

After a slightly dodgy beginning with Ally Bally and a perished fuel line, finally Windermere Half Marathon was in sight! A beautiful sunny evening and Hazel, Rhona and I headed to Brathay to register for the half marathon. Brathay in Ambleside is such a beautiful place, right on the banks of Lake Windermere.

Last year Hazel and I ran the marathon so there was a slight pang of "wish we were doing the marathon again" as we saw some of the 10 in 10 runners sitting enjoying the sunshine. But still, my marathon is still to come (in fact 2 one walking one running).

We collected our bags, bought our t-shirts, bagged our free beer! and then headed down to the lake for a short photo shoot. It has to be done.

After a nice evening meal and a wander around the town we headed to bed, numbers at the ready, for our early start.

 Our race didn't start until 10.30am but we had an awesome friend, Christ (Rents) Renton from Fetch Everyone who for a fourth time was tackling the 10 in 10. This is the marathon route, which I can vouch for being one of the hardest routes I have ever run, round Lake Windermere, and he does it ten days in a row. He is one incredible man! It was a privilege to watch him start his final lap (they call them laps - 26.2 miles laps - bonkers!!!). 

Then it was our turn. We were led down to the start line by an amazing band of drummers. Completely got the adrenaline running, the sound of the beating drums. Hazel and I don't get to run that often (Hazel is a hang sight faster than I am but Hazel graciously said she would run with me and we could have a catch up).

So the gun went, a real starters pistol, much to the shock and surprise of us all! We headed off up the first hill. The first of many! The half marathon followed the marathon route to 7 miles and then turned around. Which in our heads meant that it would be down hill on the way back, The marathon felt like up hill all the way last year! Oh how wrong we were. We forgot that the route was massive undulating hills, up and down, up and down. So by the time we got to the turn around point, we knew we were in for a tough second half. And the sun came out, it was roasting. Made running hard, hot work but the views were absolutely worth it. We were coming back up the hill into Hawkshead and Hazel shouted out "Oh look an Osprey", now there are Osprey's in the Lake District so it absolutely, probably was an osprey but at the point all I could see were my feet and the road as I was absolutely spent and just hanging on. Hazel is an amazing runner and I was most definitely holding her back, but we are best pals and it was great to hang onto her for just a bit longer, we don't see each other that often! And that is my excuse for taking ages!!!

After many marshalls and spectators telling us that it wasn't much longer now (like we had no idea how far we still had left to run??? We knew exactly how far we still had to run) and my favourite "this is the last hill", "not it isn't!!!" we finally got to the last corner, with one hill into Brathay left to go. Just as we rounded the corner we passed a Mum and a child (who must have been about 3 in a buggy). The little boy gave us a big smile and said "just around the corner and you are finished". We laughed, thinking there is a child that has been at races since he was born. And then as we got around the corner we said "he was right, first person not to lie to us!". 

I am not a fast runner any more, never was really, but I have a wealth of miles and races in my legs, around 30,000 miles since I started running, my strength is just to keep going. It has helped me mentally in all areas of my life, so my goal for this run was to keep going, not to stop and walk. I have had a tough three years and keeping going is all I have been able to do. But in my races I have succumbed to run/walking but for The Yard, I wanted this one to be a challenge, get me back to being a proper runner. And I did it!!!! I did not walk one single mile of those hills. And let me tell you it was very, very hard. But to get back to AB and a cup of tea (after the one Rhona and Hazel went and bought me) was bliss. To let you know just how hard it was. I lay down on the grass when I got back and then felt very lightheaded until I had been fed tea, sat in the shade and ate flapjack. I gave it everything out there in Windermere.

I need tea....

I've had tea.....

That was really hard work, but it was great!

Medal 1 - challenge 1, two to go!!!!

So that was my first challenge of Two Tackle Three Take Two. The next one is the Moonwalk. Obviously the moonwalk is for Breast Cancer which is close to my heart to, but I have other things going on for fundraising for that, but absolutely wanted to include it in my three challenges, walking 26.2 miles is no mean feat! Especially when I should be sleeping! My lovely daughter, Rhona is joining me for that one. I am really kind of terrified about this one. Running 26.2 miles is something I know I can do, which is why challenge three is such a tough marathon, but walking it is going into the unknown for me. So please if you are impressed, inspired or just think I am plain daft, bonkers, crazy then if you can spare a pound or two please go to our justgiving site.

It must be nearly Tracey's turn for a challenge!!!

don't worry, be happy :)

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/2T3T2?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=2T3T2&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Tracey's Triathlon Tale

Off I scooted for a nice wee trip to Aberfeldy this weekend. This will be the sight of my second challenge.....the big one! The half Ironman.  The weather was fab, lovely and sunny and only a wee bit windy. My swim was good (for me) and so close to being under 20 mins I think I can start to believe that one day....maybe I could do it!  The bike route was great and I felt really strong especially on the way back as I passed 3 people!! Then the run....oh dear! Up a near vertical mountain for 2 and a half km with a very cruel run round a traffic cone at the top which, quite frankly, wasn't necessary at all!  A good race though! Might even go back in August to do a wee bit further!

Tracey's Triathlon Training Tales

Today was a beautiful day for a 7.3 mile run....so that's what I did! Me and my friend, Fiona, who is doing her own set of challenges this year are half of the 'Completers Not Competers' relay team for the Hairy Haggis marathon along with Jane and Fiona's cousin Elaine. So this morning we ran across the Forth Road Bridge in beautiful sunshine. Fiona's not a runner but she is doing really well in building up her distances. We stopped a few times to take photos and to chat to various people. ...it's amazing who you meet! One guy on a bike with a huge trailer ...:what's inside?" I ask " a tuba" he replies....of course!! He is cycling from John O'groats to Lands End trailing his tuba and playing whenever he can! And you think our challenges are madness! ! I get a bit childlike when I see these magnificent structures and there is something so special about crossing over them, driving,  cycling or running....it never gets old!

Hills, hills and more hills.

I think me and Tracey might have had separation anxiety when we decided to revisit Two Tackle Three! Tracey going off to her new job and we had to make sure that we would be able to keep in touch! So unlike normal people who agree to meet for a glass of wine and a blether once a month we signed up for stupidly hard challenges! Well, why change the habit of a lifetime?

So naturally right after I resurrected the Blog my training almost ground to a bit of a halt. No excuses just lazy. I have however managed to fit in some sort of training so here it all is!

Keswick Half Marathon

I was due a 14 mile training mile but on the Saturday night I was looking at the events page in the running magazine and I noticed that it was the Keswick Half Marathon on the Sunday. So naturally the right thing to do was drive all the way down in the morning, enter the race on the day and go and run/walk 13.2 miles.

It wasn't an easy run but it was fun, and stunning as always. I met a woman on the way around who was at least 74! She was amazing, she had been a winner in her 40's and was still a fabulous runner. We talked about how running and walking were very different motions. She made the point that running is a forward motion action whereas walking, as she said, involves making every step as an individual step which is much harder. Which makes perfect sense, pay attention next time to your running motion. We chatted for ages, she was fascinating. 

After the race, Rhona and I had a lovely lunch along at Grange before coming back up the road to Penicuik.

The following weekend Rhona and I took Ally Bally up to Aberfoyle to the David Marshall Lodge and took Kobi for a long 12 mile walk up in the hills of the Queen Elizabeth Country Park. The weather in Penicuik was not great but we could see on the weather forecast that the temperature was going to hit the 20's in Aberfoyle. So we filled AB with loads of food and tea and headed up the M9. 

The weather was stunning, we had a lovely walk, might have gotten a little bit lost but eventually found our way back to the Lodge and had a iced biscuit and a drink of juice. Beautiful views from the top of the hill. 

So that brings me to today, Friday the 13th! A three mile walk followed by a 750m swim. Going down to Windermere next weekend to run the Half Marathon with Hazel, the first of my challenges. 

Between then and now I have to try and get out for an 18 mile training walk for the Moonwalk! Lots more blogging to come.

Jane

x

Tracey's Triathlon Training Tales

16 weeks until Aberfeldy and at last I get around to doing a training plan, with help from my expert coach Linda, of course!  So it's all in place.....just need to do it!