Yorkshire Ultra

Created a flickr account now so have uploaded it there.....Warning, dont click link if you have eaten recently 

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/75448386@N04/6781656295/in/photostream

Hello, didn't get home until quite late last night so no time to catch-up. Blinding time for you Tim well done. Phil, I think I may have spoken to you on the way round, well I asked a guy who was sitting down looking a bit injured if he was OK, he was very chipper and adamant he was going to make his way to the finish ... he definitely had a 50-miler in him.

Alistair - you  must have been just in front of me then at the finish ... my finish time was 12.40 apparently, it would have been a few minutes quicker but I waited for the couple of guys I did the last section with as we'd done such a great job of enjoying the last section together (I hitched up with them after the 2nd visit to the moorland checkpoint). 

1. Yes, I had one hours sleep on Friday eve ... my flight was delayed by five hours so I didn't get to Manchester until 12.30pm, I then had a number of other problems - closed motorway junctions, map reading on my own round Manchester in the dark in the early hours to find new route, A64 pitch black so missed the travel lodge hubby had booked me into as a last-minute solution to not getting to Whitby that night, so then the game of getting back on the right side of the dual carriageway to get into the Lodge. So that took me to 3.15am.  I sorted my kit out and downed several mugs of tea and at 4am set my alarm for 5am. Was out the door and on the road by 5.30 and felt soooo sick and tired I wasn't sure what to do ... do the marathon instead, not bother and go siteseeing in York ... no, had to be done. So felt pretty dreadful for the first 15 miles and then perked up massively. Definitely feel the travel and lack of sleep killed my ability on the day a bit but am still pleased with my time as wasn't sure I'd hit the start, let alone the finish!!!

Adventurehub do run a great set of races I think, suitably challenging but their checkpoint support is fabulous and the glowsticks were wonderful!!  Hitting the coastal path a bit later on was great as I think a lot of the mud had solidified, I had a real picture in my mind of it being much worse than it was. The other lady staying in the same B&B as me came off much much later and said the mud was definitely better off the moor later in the evening when it was freezing.  So back to the realities of school run etc etc today. Not feeling too bad actually, bit stiff but feeling quite sprightly!

Hi Cragchick

Can confirm it was me sitting on my arse trying to adjust my shoes to make them a big more comfortable for the ankle lol.....Thanks for stopping and checking I was ok it was much appreciated

You have noooooo idea how jealous I was seeing you all running off through the lush green fields round that area before the vile ascent up onto the moor back to checkpoint 4. As soon as I started to run I was in a lot of pain although managed a few sections of jogging later on....Despite injury hit last checkpoint in around 11 hours so would probs still have had a half decent finish but my ankle was in utter agony by that point and didnt wanted to be stranded on the cliffs ha ha.

Despite the DNF at 45 miles I have got the ultra bug big time and learnt sooooooo much from this experience.....Looking to the Hardmoors 60 in September I think which will give me a couple of months to get the ankle and shin splints sorted (my mrs thinks I am taking a break cause she is due to give birth in a few weeks ha ha) before starting a 6 month programme for that race...Definitely need to get some weight off as realised every ounce extra you carry is magnified 10 fold round brutal courses like that....On the whole though, injuries apart feel surprisingly spritely considering.

Great to meet you all and hope we bump into each other at other events in the near future

Ironically although it was agony at the time and is badly bruised now it isnt painful at all....The shin splints on my right leg however are a whole different story, never had them before and they are hellish ha ha.....I guess thats what happens when you miss your 4 big weeks of training and then jump into at the deep end by doing a 50......Have to say though, wouldnt have missed it for the world and cant wait till I am fit to start training for the next one. Gonna use my time out to shed a few pounds, diet starts in the morning

Keano and proud mate