From this…To this…To this
I’m an accidental runner, I never meant to get into running but now the bug has hit me hard and now I’m addicted to ultra marathons!
I’ve even joined Harrogate Harriers, my local running club and try to attend training when work and house decoration allows.
In December 2013 a post popped up in my Facebook feed from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation asking for people to run the 2014 Virgin London Marathon for them and I just thought why not apply, I’ll never get picked anyway!
Anyway, my marathon training started 1st January 2014 and it was awful, I did 3 miles and thought I was going to die. Not one to back down from a challenge I set myself the seemingly unachievable time of 3 hours 30 mins for my first marathon after not running for 20 years and being 3 stone overweight.
As my training progressed both the distance I could run and the pace went up until I was comfortably running at the pace I needed to in order to finish under the sub 3:30 mark. In fact, I got that confident by the time the marathon came round I had set myself a sub 3hour goal. A ridiculous target for someone only running three years.
It didn’t quite happen after hitting the wall at about mile 21 but I still came in at 3hrs 18mins which I was fairly pleased with to say I had only been running for 3 months.
I discovered ultra marathons shortly after and entered the Round Ripon Ultra in October 2014.
From here I discovered the UTMB and made it my goal to get enough points in 2015 to qualify for the race in 2016. Something I’m very pleased to say I did and was lucky enough to get a place on the start line in the draw.
Running and especially trail and ultra running gives me a sense of freedom where I can forget about all my worries and troubles and just lose myself in the moment.
It also gives me the opportunity to get out and explore the beautiful countryside in the UK. I’m lucky enough to live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales where there is limitless amounts of fantastic running to be had.
Through this blog I hope I can inspire other people to take up running so they can get the same sense of enjoyment I get from it.
I also hope that my experiences and learning curves I’ve gone through from being 15.5 stone and overweight to being about to complete a 100 mile ultra can help others as they prepare for their first race, whether it’s a local 10k or an ultra.
Running has transformed my life in many ways and this blog is an opportunity to give back in some small way to the growing community of runners and people who want to lose weight but don’t know where to start.
You can follow my progress as I train for the 2016 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc where I hope to post regular updates and advice on training, nutrition and gear reviews.
Enjoy reading and please let me have any feedback in the comments below. I love hearing from other runners.