New year!! New goals & New running group

Well it's been a while since my last blog and once again lots of things have happened, I have know sold my house ( fingers crossed it all goes through quickly) and lots of races have been entered for 2016 already,

One of the main focus for this year is to get some speed back into these ultra legs and so far so good , by using the Brilliant Kingsbury water park run as a speed session since Christmas it's worked really well & my 5k times are falling whoop whoop 22 mins is not too shabby for an ultra runner ( hoping to get around 21 by The end of the year, don't worry still got quite a few ultra's planned too lol)  the park runs are now on hold for 8 weeks as me and David have set up a little company called chaselifeuk with the main aim to get more people doing what we love "Running "

On And around the gorgeous Cannock Chase.

We want to help and support new people get into our sport in a fun & enjoyable way , we also will be offering workshops and some night running courses with our first course starting today (8 week walk to run) and we are so pleased to be full with 15 new people joining .

Thank you to everyone who has supported us with our new venture.

Please check out our website www.chaselife.uk & please follow us on 

Twitter & like our new Facebook page .

I have a feeling 2016 is going to be a good year and I look forward to seeing how it all goes.

But for now I'm going to be wishing you lots of smiles and lots of miles, see you all soon.

Snowdon Marathon 2015

Well it's the morning after the Snowdon Marathon and I'm wide awake , so I thought I would do a little blog as it's been a while since my last one.

So sit back and enjoy the ramblings from me.

This marathon is and I think will always be my favourite , yes it may not of been perfect weather conditions but in some ways it made the race more special.

If you have never done it I highly recommend that you try it , I'm not going to lie it's a tough one but it will be so worth it and after all as the Buff saying goes "Flat is Boring".

The race started at 10.30 am and it was wet as you can see from my photo not everyone was as happy as David about it.

For some reason I'm never nervous about this race I feel at home running in such beautiful surroundings and me and David always enjoy this one.

We started at a good pace , well I think it was good as I lent my Garmin fenix to my dad before the start as his battery had died and it felt good not to have a watch to keep looking at.

The first 4 and a bit miles slowly climb and there were quite a few runners who were paying for it early on , 

Me and David ran together and we were both feeling good it's amazing how the miles just go by and we were at the first bit of down hill in no time at all.

David was excited about the views or he had just heard someone say they were handing out food lol !!

Now it was about now that I was bursting for the toilet and for some daft reason we both thought we remembered a toilet around the 5 mile mark , phew or so I thought , we eventually found a proper brick toilet at about 10.5miles and we both made a dash to use it lol .

We both couldn't believe how good our legs were feeling and the miles were coming around quickly , the ultras these past few months have really helped us loads and the hills in training on Cannock chase have too.

We got to the half way point at bang on 2 hours and we were both fine ,by now the weather forecast had been correct and the rain had stopped.

We kept plugging away and we were passing quite a few runners , we had a plan for when we hit 22 miles and that was to keep on running and to keep smiling.

If you haven't done this race before 22 miles is where u hit a rather big climb and it just keeps on going until about 24 miles and lots of runners walk this bit us on the other hand kept going.

As I posted on Facebook earlier when the going gets tough team buff get going and to my surprise David decided to play this out of his phone as we were running up the climb, brilliant it was and it made a few other runners smile to.

The trouble with going up is you have to come down and it was very slippy and greasy from the earlier rain so you had to tread carefully.

As we hit the 25 mile point I thought we were in to beat last years time but it was just too slippy to go to mad and lots of people were falling over.

As soon as we were on the flat we went for it and we had a great finish our official chip time was 4.hours 19 mins and we were pleased with that.

So now it was time for a quick cuppa and change of kit as we were going to run back along the course to find Buff Daddy aka Les my dad who was also running,

It was really cool to run back and shout on everyone and it also gave us some time to grab some photos of the views on the course which you don't always have time to do.

My dad ran awesome and we got a few snaps of him between 24 & 26 miles 

 

So I think you can tell from this blog that me and David love this race & love running.

There were some awesome performances this weekend from our running friends at this race and it was lovely to see you all , the running community is a brilliant community to be a part off and thank you to you all for been a part of our extended family.

I also have to say a massive thank you to Buff uk www.buffwear.co.uk for all your continued support and kit and we are loving the new hat range.

Thanks also to Al pepper and Liz pepper from www.theoriginalpowercookie.co.uk for my race fuel cookies.

Next races for us will be in the USA in November whoop whoop Las Vegas baby here we come .

Running update .

Firstly let me apologise for not writing my blog earlier , but lots have changed in my life and now the house is up for sale I've been a bit busy , hopefully I will keep more up to date with my blog .

So what's new ? Well I'm really lucky to have found out that I will have continued support from Buff in 2015 and I have been signed up for my 4th year on the Team Buff UK team ( well chuffed ) so a massive thank you to the guys for having continued support in me .

www.buffwear.co.uk 

So if any one needs any advice or help on the best buff's to wear for ultra running or to just look cool please pm me and I will help.

Last weekend I competed in the London marathon this was my 20th London and at the last count my 70th I think Marathon , I loved it and was really impressed with how I felt, ok I went a bit quick in the first 10k but I felt good and sometimes you just have to run to how you feel ,the brilliant support I got was out of this world too.

The main thing about London this year was to enjoy it after my dnf last year ,(the first time ever I have not finished a marathon ) 

So I was chuffed to bits to run a time of 3.46 ok this isn't a pb for me but after only doing ultra training and not much speed I was pleased .

Massive thanks to my chap David & my mom and dad for all the support on the day and for all my friends who kept us entertained the whole weekend .

So what's next ??

One week later and we are off to Catton park to run solo in the 12 hour conti Lightning run .

I love this race and I can't wait to start ,

And this year I seem to have convinced a lot of my friends to get into ultra running & a lot of my running family will be there , remember folks the main thing about this  race is to enjoy the atmosphere & run with your heart .

So that's it from me till after the race see you all later along with my chap & buff daddy also running solo , look out for the Buff flag in the solo field & good luck to all my friends racing this weekend .

The Beyond Marathon millennium ultra pre race blog

I've not done a blog for a while so I've decided to do two on this race a pre race one and a post race one , just because it's a special race for me as it's the last race before my 40th birthday and this race is 38 miles and as an ultra runner what more would I want to do to celebrate ( oh yeah me and a few of my fellow nutters are making it up to 40miles) 

So firstly I must thank all my family & friends who have entered this and I hope you all speak to me after its finished as I know for a few of you it will be your first ultra .

This is the course starting in Newport & running across my home county of Staffordshire. 

It's going to be such fun & even though it's a FLAT course it's pretty interesting with lots of mud , stiles & gorgeous views along the way.

I must thank my sponsors Buff www.buffwear.co.uk for sending me some cool reflective Buff's for my closest friends to wear on race day & they are a little thank you from me for running and celebrating my birthday with me on this race ( even though my official day isn't till the 9th March ).

So that's it for now & to all my crazy fellow running friends enjoy yourselves tomorrow & keep going and remember this quote .

Part 2 will be published after the race that's it from me for now #ultrabuffgirl #teambuffuk 

My top 5 Buff's for runners ideal Christmas presents .

Well it's coming to that time of year again & I love Chrismas so I thought I would share my top 5 or 6 favourite Buff's perfect for the runner in your life.

#1 The Reflective Buff @ £18.50

This Buff is based on the original Buff but with the addition of vertical stripes of retro reflective scotch lite on each side , 

I think this is a must for any runner as it ensures you are seen on early morning runs or at night or in poor light conditions.

#2 Polar Buff @ £25.00

This is one of my favourite Buff's for the winter months as it has a section of polartec Classic 100 fleece on the bottom section which keeps you toasty warm while running, it was worn by me on Sunday while I was competiting in a fell race and it was a bitterly cold morning and it did a brilliant job of keeping me warm .In the picture im wearing the polar buff as a hat .

#3 The Buff knitted Headband @ £23.00

I love my Joop knitted headband & recently I have had loads of comments about it , as ive been wearing it before & after races & it keeps your head & ears really warm & the added benefit of looking pretty cool in it too.

There are Ladies & Mens ones available in these.

#4 Neckwarmer wool Buff @ £25.00

This is made from Merino wool and is reversible and it keeps you warm very warm , great for running in but also great to wear with normal clothes , 

#5 uv Buff headband @ £12.00

Out of all my Buff's you will probably notice me most in the above uv logo headband , it's lightweight , comfortable and brilliant for us girls with long hair to stop our hair going in our eyes when running , I love mine and ive noticed its beginning rather popular among us ultra runners .

All of these Buff® items and lots more  can be found online at www.buffwear.co.uk or at the Buff pop up shop at the Bluewater shopping centre kent .

I hope you have found this useful and you now have some stocking filler ideas for Christmas.

The Equinox 24 hour race done 2014!! Ultrabuffgirl is back

So for once I'm writing my blog early  mainly so I don't forget anything from the awesome weekend at Belvoir Leicestershire,

The first thing you notice when you arrive at this event is the stunning location and there are  not many races where you have this awesome sight in view .

We arrived quite late on the Friday evening but luckily for us we had a great spot saved for us by our awesome friends & fellow Team Buff athlete Duane ( aka Buffjedimaster ) & Lorraine aka (super support crew) 

It's fun putting tents up in the pitch black in a field of cow pats lol but we did and we got organised quite quickly , 

Our little area was now taken over by Buff® & it was looking good.

Next morning we woke quite early to sort out our very important food & drink area for the race , and I can say we were without a doubt well prepared , we were not going hungry !! 

So who was in our crazy gang of solo 24hour runners !! 

We have Buff daddy Les , Buff Jedi master Duane , Kath Buffy doddy ( new name given to her this weekend ) new boy (smiler) David Hetherington & me ultra Buff girl .

All of us been looked after by Lorraine ( Duane's wife ) .

When I put crazy gang I mean my extended family , we all look after each other & it's so nice to have brilliant friends with the same interests that you can help & support & most importantly have a good laugh with , we certainly keep each other entertained . 

Us lot before the 12 o'clock midday start.

The Race.

So what was my plan for my 5th 24 hour race ? I didn't really have one , as since my last 24 hour race in June I've had a on going shin injury ,a big thank you to www.rocktape.net for sorting me out with some Gb rocktape it was amazing and it stayed on the whole 24hours .

I've also had a nasty cough ( sorry for keeping you awake in the tent Kath with my coughing Friday night ) so I really had no pressure on me at all although I had a aim of how many laps I wanted to do 😉. (Yes I know I'm competitive ) 

The course is made up of 10k laps & there was a lot more Tarmac road sections than I expected , the first hill was at about 3k on road & was very gradual with a horrible leg sapping hill at 6k on grass which certainly slowed everyone down.

So this is how my race went :-) 

I always start my ultra races listening to music to get my head in the right place and to concentrate on the first few hours and to relax , at the last 3 24 hour races I have worn a iPod but the battery life and the weather has killed 3 now , so I was lucky to be brought this  awesome sony waterproof headphone mp3 and it kept me sane for the first 7 hours of the race .

I can highly recomend them and they are so comfortable but not to loud so you can still hear people or traffic around you.

Back to the race .

The race started at 12 midday on the Saturday & looking back I went a little bit to quick for the first 7 / 8 hours of the race but I was feeling good & sometimes you just have to go with it , for the first time in a 24hour race I was racing in my ultimate direction race vest so I didn't have to stop very often and I always had my drink & some food in it , I'm sure it looked like I was eating all the time but I find eating little bits often keeps my energy levels topped up and it certainly worked for me. 

I have to comment on how good the 5k drink station was & the volunteers on here were awesome nothing was too much trouble & every lap they would fill my bottle up and have some cool goodies for you to eat , I have never done a ultra where they had a mini sweetie box with retro sweets in , to some this may not sound like much but to me it was brilliant & I couldn't wait to reach 5 k each lap , I was also told by the lads on it towards the end of the 24hr that I was cool and hardcore as no one else would eat this 

Yes you guessed it I had popping candy and blooming loved it , so Laura and Johny please keep this in for next years race, I'm sure some of the other runners wondered what the hell was going on when I was coming up behind them while eating this lol !! Let me point out I was taking this race serious but you can still enjoy your running and have a good laugh as you go.

Back to my race , 

I was really looking forward to the night stage as it's so peacful , so I took of my mp3 player ( this was for safety too ) & I put on some warmer Buff gear and headed off with my head torch on I was feeling a bit sick & I hoped this would pass quickly so I slowed down a bit & luckily after a 10 min sit down & a hot drink prepared by my brilliant support Lorraine I started to feel better, 

The rain started quite early in the evening and thank god it didn't last to long as I got so cold really quickly & the next lap around I put on my omm waterproof jacket & my Buff balaclava .

This really kept me warm & snug & I'm really pleased that I packed it.

Please check out www.buffwear.co.uk 

I must admit I felt the temperature change a shock to the system & I found it mentally quite tough running on my own in the dark , with just seeing the odd flash of a head torch now and then. 

I think it was about 2am when I met up with Kath & David & it was brilliant to have some company for a couple of laps & we kept each other amused with silly stories & if anyone thought they were hallucinationing or going mad you were not when you heard someone who could of easily been mistaken for Terry Wogan yes David was doing his impersonations as we were running & I've never laughed so much in the early hours.

By 5 am I was literally falling asleep while running & I made the decision & so did David to have a 45min to a 1 hour power nap, this did the trick and when we awoke the next lap was so much easier & a hell of a lot faster.

It was lovely having someone else to run with & I was so proud with how David was doing as before this race the longest distance he had ever run was a marathon & he never moaned once and was loving every min of it with a smile on his face.

A true super ultra runner , who has the will power & strength to push & keep going when the going gets tough.

We continued running together until we met up with my dad on my 15th lap.

This picture was just before I sped off into the distance (well as quick as I could more like a quick shuffle / run ) as I was told I was in 3rd solo women's place & I was chuffed to bits & looking at my watch I knew I could get another lap in & hopefully keep my place.

Luckily for me I got around the lap in time to get one more in & with a quick grab of chia charge drink & a original power cookie in hand I went out on my last lap. (Number 16.)

My last lap was very enjoyable & I got a nice pace going considering I had been running for 23 hours, 

I was chuffed to bits with my 160k ok it's not my best for a 24hour race but I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable one with the added bonus of been on the podium  ( I kept my 3rd place ) yes I am highly competitive but I feel the most important aspect of running is to enjoy it and that I did. 

So how did the rest of my awesome Team Buff uk friends & family do. 

Duane Aka Buffjedimaster did brilliant running 17 laps (170 k)

David Aka Smiler had the most impressive race to run 15 laps (150k) up until this weekend the furthest he had run was marathon distance. A awesome ultra runner in the making & we were all very proud of him.

Kath Buffy doddy did 14 laps (140k) to finish 4 and did great , ( next time both of us on the podium Kath )

And my dad buff daddy did 10 laps (100k) he ran brilliant considering he had a dodgy stomach Saturday morning.

A big thank you goes out to Lorraine for been our support at the race & she did an awesome job of looking after us all the whole 24hours. 

A big thank you also to Buff® for there continued support & help it's much appreciated and it's a honour to run in the Team Buff uk kit. www.buffwear.co.uk

I nearly forgot to mention about squiggle & moo for those who don't know about them me & Duane both had a challenge at the buff epic 100k to buy something to carry with us in the race for 2 euros ,

I brought moo & Duane brought squiggle they are now our good luck charms and part of our team , I ran with moo & Duane carried squiggle. These now come with us on our ultra adventures & so far they have worked well .

Equinox 24 hour race

I've been a little slow with my blogs lately so I thought I would get a little pre race blog done .

So here goes tonight me , David & my dad Buff daddy les will be traveling up to Belvoir castle in Leicestershire to meet up with our ultra family .kath , Duane & Lorraine & to pitch our tents ready for a weekend of fun ( I'm guessing my fun is very different to others but 24hours of running is FUN ) 

If your at the event please come and say hi we will be in the solo camping area (look out for the Buff® Tape ) and Team Buff Uk kit. www.buffwear.co.uk

This will be a strange 24hour race for me as normally I have full support and I don't have to worry about anything but for my 5th 24 hour race , I'm going to be a lot more self suffient so it could be interesting , I just need to remember to eat lots and drink lots and wear warm kit when it gets dark ( Lorraine don't forget to tell me ) .

So what's my plan for the race ?

who knows how this will go , I've been having physio on my leg since the endure 24 in June I must thank www.Rocktape.net  for sending me some tape for my leg & hopefully all will be well.

I've also had a nasty cough for over a week !!! Not a ideal build up to a race , but I'm not making excuses , my head will be in the zone and I'm hoping for some big miles , but more importantly I'm going to enjoy the weekend with my family & friends & I can't wait to see how David gets on in his first 24hour race .

 So for now I'm going to leave my blog & carry on packing & I would like to thank everyone who has sent me good luck messages & I thank everyone at Team Buff uk for the continued support .

Good luck to all my friends racing this weekend .