SportsShoes Blog

Yesterday I ran in the Baildon Boundary Way (BBW). It was the third time I’d done this race and although the last time was in 2005 I know every step of the course as it passes within 3oo yards of my house and I train over parts of it  just about every day.

The BBW is a half marathon (13.1 miles) but it’s what’s known as a multi terrain race as only about 5% of it is on road. The rest is tracks, woods, canal towpath and a bit of open moorland. Although there are a few climbs it is generally a quick course being good underfoot all the way round.

As I said in my earlier post my aim for the day was to get under 1 hour 30 mins which I’ve never managed to do before so when the day dawned bright and sunny with light winds I knew this was my chance.

About 400 runners started the race and the mad up hill dash followed by a quick sprint down to the main road and along to the Woolpack pub at Esholt quickly strung the field out. I passed the first mile marker in 5.39 which I knew was a pace I couldn’t hold for long but as I felt good I carried on pushing hard.

After a tour of the sewage farm (nice….) and a trip through the woods we popped out onto the canal which is always a part of the race I find tough. This year me and a chap from Pudsey & Bramley paced each other well along the 3 miles to Saltaire and we managed to hold our positions (5th and 6th), which was a first for  me as the roadies usually come steaming by at this point.

After leaving the canal it’s a long but steady climb of maybe 2 miles through Shipley Glen woods and up to Harvey Smith’s gallops.

On the final part of the climb my Bingley Harriers pal Mitch came past me and he and Shane from P&B pulled out a lead of about 15 meters on me by the top of the climb.

As we started the long fast descent to the finish Shane pulled clear and I worked hard to get back on terms with Mitch. We passed the 12 mile marker and as I sneaked a look at my watch and saw 1hr 16 I knew I’d be well under my target of 1.30 - but the race wasn’t over yet.

Just half a mile before the finish there’s a short but steep climb and I really had to dig deep to stay with Mitch (what I didn’t know until later was that he was hurting just as much, if not more than me). At the top of the climb we were both caught and passed by a Sheffiled runner and the three of us started the run in to the finish.

This put me in 8th place which was a position I’d have happily settled for at the start of the race but as we charged down towards the rugby field I found an extra ounce of energy and sprinted passed them both before we hit the track that leads to the finish. From here it was just a case of gritting my teeth, keeping my elbows out and holding them off as we crossed the field to the finish funnel - a quick look back assured me they wouldn’t catch me but as I approached the finish line I couldn’t help thinking about that poor horse that collapsed and died on the run-in at the National. Thankfully I didn’t do the same but my efforts meant I had to stop and catch my breath as the other guys came in and the marshals tried to push us along the finish funnel.

I was really please with my 6th place and time of 1 hour 24 mins - Job done!!

A great race - very well organised by the guys and gals at Baildon Runners and well supported by Sportsshoes Unlimited who, along with the Saltaire Brewery, supplied the prizes and goody bags.

Well that’s been a grotty week hasn’t it….

Last Sunday morning I had a great run for a couple of hours over Ilkley Moor - it was freezing cold with ice on the ground, no mud but plenty of grip. It was the perfect morning for a long run so I made the most of my kids’ footy matches being called off and took to the hills.

Monday I cycled to work and on the way home as cold water trickled down between my butt cheeks I thought to myself “I really should have put my mudguard back on!!!”

Since then I’ve been crocked with a cold - a gift from my wife who has been struggling with a bad dose of girl-flu for the past couple of weeks.

Anyway on the postive side, it was a great time to have a cold and be laid off running as the snow and ice meant that it would have been pretty much impossible to do much anyway. I still managed my 2 dog walks each day to keep the old joints from seizing up.

It’s Saturday now and I think I’ve beaten my cold through a bout of ‘positive thinking’ I’m just at the green custard stage now - it looks very pretty in the snow!!!

I’m all psyched up again now after just talking to a chap (Rob Thackery) about his sub 10 hour Ironman so tomorrow I’m going to try another long trot over the moors - hope the weather holds.

I’d like to do an Ironman sometime soon but the training commitment is huge because of the three different events. I used to swim a lot as kid but not anymore - to get to a point where I could do 5 miles open water would be a massive challenge (and that’s before 100 miles on the bike and a marathon).