The Adidas 24hr Thunder Run 2012

What a amazing weekend this turned out to be!!

Where do I start , well firstly I have been going on for the the last few years about me & my hubby getting a campervan/race van for my ultra events & finally 2 weeks ago Ben purchased a Mercedes vito van!! Ok this isn't a camper, but 2 weeks later with me & Ben working on it we now have Bertie the Buff Mobile, this been our home for the Thunder run weekend.

So on Friday 27th July me,Ben & my dad set of to Catton park the home of the Adidas tr24 thunder run, as always I like to be early & we were there just after lunch, to get a perfect pitch in the solo field by the start/finish line.
This was one of my first big events where Buff were present & it was great to meet two like minded down to earth sporting individuals who like me love the Buff products.
Thanks Heather & Harry your support was brilliant all weekend !!

The event this year was the biggest yet & since it is the Olympic year Adidas had arranged a giant screen for us all to watch the opening ceremony!! ( This was a great idea)
We lasted about 30 mins before we headed back to our camper for the night .( not that we didn't want to watch it , but I didn't want to be tired for the race the next day.

Race day.
Up nice & early for porridge & to sort Buff kit & make sure everything was ready for my race, once again I was very lucky to have a brilliant support team consisting of my hubby, sis in law Rosie, my soon to be Bruv in law Rob, running friends Nat & Tony & not forgetting my mom & mom in law who both came along through the day but didn't camp due to looking after my dog & not forgetting my doggy mascots Hendrix & Dexter .

12 o'clock Sat race start.
This year me & my dad both had a aim of how many laps we wanted to do & we both knew if we stuck to our plan then hopefully it would work ( & I would run over 100 miles )
So bang the gun went & off we all went nice & steady not to get dragged by some of the fast relay guys & girls.
The course had been changed this year due to heavy flooding etc , which was perfect for me with my love of hills & I felt great for the first few laps & I got myself into a nice relaxed pace.
I had told My hubby that I didn't want to know what position I was in as it was such a long race & anything could happen
Once again it was a very warm day & I was really hoping for it to cool downs bit, luckily around 4/5 ish it was starting to get cooler.
My hydration & eating was going great & I felt really good , this went on till about 2/3 in the morning & then I started to get tired & I honest thought I was going to fall asleep running , my lap times started to slow & luckily my hubby told me to stop & have a little rest , this comprised of me getting in the campervan for 45 mins with a hot water bottle on my legs.
This amazingly did the trick straight away & after my power nap I drank some For Goodness Shakes & I ate a homemade lemon curd flapjack & then Ben ( my hubby) dropped the bombshell that I was in about 4 th place ( thanks) & he told me not to worry & keep plugging away at the laps & to remember the Hare & the Tortoise.
So off I set out again & I felt not to bad at all, the marshalls & the crowds were brilliant with some lovely friendly comments I had its that solo Buff girl again, Go Buffy & u look good in the Buff lol that one did make me smile after running for hours.
The next few hours I just kept plugging away until Ben suddenly told me that I was in 3rd place & I was catching the 2nd place female with every lap!!
I think it was on my 16th lap that I passed the girl who was in 2nd place & she had started to walk, So I thought I was pretty safe with the next girl been a good lap behind & time was running out.
At the start my aim was to beat last years 16 laps where I finished 2nd female & I had always wanted to run over 100 miles ( as up until this race my dad was the champion in our family as he had already done 100miles in 24 hours when he was a bit younger ;)
& I had told Ben that my ultimate would be 18 laps, so when I came in after my 17 th lap, I just had to go out out again as I had enough time ( a massive thank u to Tony Wallbank for running my last lap with me) also it looked like the girl who was winning had stopped for some reason , but I wasn't 100 percent certain so I just went for it.
You really can't believe how adrenaline gets u & my last 10k was run in 1.11 not to bad after 23+ hours on your feet.
As I came down the finish line it was the most amazing feeling to see my family & friends tell me that I had actually won 1st solo female completing 18 laps (112miles).
A massive thank you to my support team for all the help u gave me this weekend, u are all amazing & I owe u all big time.
A massive thank you to Buff for supplying me with my amazing comfortable kit & it's great to be part of Team Buff Uk .
My Dad did amazing to complete 10 laps & a massive thank u for all those training runs which we have done in the early hours & it just goes to show if u put the effort in you get results !! ( next year 12 laps for u dad ;) x

The icing on the cake for me is that I have won both of Patricks races in the same year Tr24 & The Buff Lightning 12 & then too find out only 3 men beat me in the thunder run this year with the winning man doing 20 laps & the 2nd & 3rd both did 18.

So next year boys watch out as I'm coming to get u !!!

The Holly Challenge marathon 2012

This is one of those events which I was lucky enough to have been invited to by my fellow running friend Denzil Martin.
So what's the challenge element I hear you all ask, Well it's 26.2 miles offroad & it's undulating , ( I think that sums it up) & throw in lots of mud & the fact u have to run the same course 31 times then a little bit at the end. There u have it the Holly Challenge.
Saturday 16th June 2012 I will remember this date as I think it's one of the only marathons I have ever done on a Saturday, off we set to Sunny Telford ( no that should read cold & wet Telford) to find the race , after a slight problem finding it we eventually found the start down a lovely lane in the middle of a nature reserve.
I was liking the look of the course straight away as I always seem to run better on undulating courses :)
We were set of at 11.am & straight away Charlie Sharpe went into the lead , a place he stayed for the whole race & he finished in 3.34.
When I mentioned earlier that the course was undulating I wasn't lying, 1st lap u went down a little hill then up a longish steady climb, then down again, & then up again u can see how this went on, I honestly don't recall any flat bits at all :)
I was very lucky to have my mom & dad at the event as my hubby was working in Denmark, and they made for a great support team, passing me drinks & sweets when I needed them.
I was passed quite early on by the leading lady who was running very strong!! I continued on & kept plugging the laps out & me been me chatting to fellow runners as I passed/lapped them ( thank you to all the runners who spoke to me as I passed) especially the chap who kept calling me speedy Gonzales . You all did really well on a demanding course.
I finished in 2nd position in the ladies & I was really pleased with my performance as I was catching the leading lady with every lap ( if only it had been a ultra lol)
My time was 3.57 pleased to get under 4 on such a tough course & more importantly I felt fine & could of continued, which was my main aim of me doing this race, for some good training for the 24hour Thunder run at the end of July & the good news is it also gave me chance to test my Team buff kit out, which of course was very comfortable!! My new Hoka shoes were awesome & I am really pleased to have spent the money on them now!!
A big well done to Sarah Turner & Karl Randall who both got injured quite early in the race but grit & determination got them both to the finish.
Last but not least a massive thank you to Denzil & Lucy & of course my new best friend Meg the marathon running springer spaniel for organising a lovely event & we will be back maybe in December ;)

The 2012 Buff Lightning run

The buff lightning run,
Saturday me & my dad were dropped of at eastnor (malvern) to pitch our tent ready for the following days 12hour Buff lightning run,
You would not believe how much stuff u can fit in a small car & we were only going to be there for a weekend!!!
Tent up,kit sorted and a lovely gentle run around the course with my Dad & our welsh buddy Carl Maus , to check out what we had let ourselves in for!
A lovely course with a great first 2k straight up hill ( good job i like hills) & mostly off road.
I was really looking forward to this event & this course looked like it would suit me down to the ground.
Bring it on!!

Sunday 25th March,
Race day.
Alarm clocks were set for a 4 a.m start to give me & my dad time to have some porridge before the race briefing at 5.30.
Kit on, food eaten , table set out , trackside for quick food & drink retrieval !
The race started At 6.am in pitch darkness , so we all needed our headtorches on for the 1st lap.
& we were off , i had decided to run the 1st few laps with my music on to concentrate & not got to fast, this worked perfectly and i got into a nice steady rythmn, which i kept going,
5 hours into the race & my support team turned up.
Unless you run a ultra u really dont realise how important support crews are, mine once again were superb, passing me sweets, drinks, my hat when it went really hot & they also kept me informed on how the other women were getting on.
They also give u a kick up the arse when u are knackered & i rememember my hubby Ben & sis Rosie telling me after my 9th lap to go on u still have time to reach your goal and get 10 laps in !! The exact words from Rosie were grab your hat and do another lap!!
At this point in the race i was 2nd female , not knowing how far the 1st female was in front i was determined to keep my 2nd place as i knew the 3rd place female was a strong runner(louise Clements),
So off i set , at this point there were not many runners left on the course, so i went for it ( well as much as anybody can after 50+ miles) & i didnt feel to bad ,determined not to be caught by Louise,
Its amazing how adrenline kicks in and after about 8 & 1/2 k of the last lap i looked in front and in the distance i good see a female who i reconised from her pink nike trainers & i knew i could catch her the runner was Brigid Browne who was in 1st place & she was walking , i really dont think she realised it was me when i past her , but i wasnt stopping & went for it , with shouts from my hubby , dad , sis , i knew i had won & i was loving every last step.
So i thank once again my amazing family for been the best support crew & my dad for been the best training partner & getting up at all hours for our training & not forgeting my mom for her famous secret recipe flapjacks which kept me & my dad going :)
my dad also had a great race & completed 7 laps .
The race was sponsored by Buff www.buffwear.co.uk & the prizes were brilliant , this was a great organised race by Patrick & his team ( the guys behind the 24hr Thunder run) & i would recomend this race to everyone.