45 weeks, 40 races!

	Date	Race	Distance km	Distance M
1	28/03/2015	Panshanger parkrun	5
2	04/04/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
3	11/04/2015	Wimpole Estate parkrun	5
4	18/04/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
5	26/04/2015	London Marathon		26.2
6	09/05/2015	Panshanger parkrun	5
7	13/05/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
8	23/05/2015	Panshanger parkrun	5
9	04/06/2015	MWL St Albans	10
10	06/06/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
11	07/06/2015	Hitchin Relay Race	5
12	13/06/2015	Pretty Muddy 5km	5
13	18/06/2015	MWL Royston	10
14	20/06/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
15	28/06/2015	Hitchin Half Marathon		13.1
16	02/07/2015	MWL Trent Park/Barnet	8.5
17	04/07/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
18	12/07/2015	British 10km	10
19	16/07/2015	MWL Mobmatch WGC	10
20	22/08/2015	Stewart parkrun	5
21	29/08/2015	Panshanger parkrun	5
22	02/09/2015	Hatfield 5km Series Race 1	5
23	05/09/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
24	17/09/2015	Hatfield 5km Series Race 2	5
25	20/09/2015	One True Grit	10
26	27/09/2015	Hitchin Town Centre 5km	5
27	30/09/2015	Hatfield 5km Series Race 3	5
28	10/10/2015	Wimpole Estate parkrun	5
29	17/10/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
30	31/10/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
31	08/11/2015	XC2 Wooton		4
32	14/11/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
33	22/11/2015	Panshanger parkrun	5
34	29/11/2015	XC3 Wing		5
35	05/12/2015	FSOTM 5km	5
36	12/12/2015	Luton Wardown parkrun	5
37	20/12/2015	XC4 Letchworth		5.5
38	02/01/2016	Holkham parkrun	5
39	16/01/2016	Wimpole Estate parkrun	5
40	30/01/2016	Southern XC		5

Week 45, Race 40: Southern XC Championships, Parliament Hill

Photo by Martyn Annetts

I did it!! 40 races in a year (with 7 weeks to spare!). I decided I would finish my challenge with a bang and one of my all time favourite races, the Southern XC Championships at Parliament Hill. I've done this race quite a few times before, it's 5 miles of mud and hills, a real challenge! It's been a bit wet recently so I was expecting plenty of mud but the weather was nice and sunny.
The race started with a massive hill and for the first time in 40 races I was worried I would be sick mid-race. Luckily I wasn't and I plodded up and down and through the mud for the next 5 miles. I was extremely happy to finish in just under an hour and to complete my 40/40 challenge!
Over the course of the last 45 weeks I have raced just under 180 miles with 28 5km races, 5 10km races, a half marathon, a full marathon, 4 XCs and a relay. I've won a prize (Third FV35 in the Hatfield 5km series) , done a crazy obstacle course 10km and discovered the wonderful world of parkruns. Although I have done a lot of 5km races I am really pleased with myself for completing this and, most importantly, it's really got me back running again!
It's been really fun doing parkruns most Saturdays (and when I've not done one Gary often has) and it's given us plenty of practice at getting out of the house in a hurry!
So, what next? More races of course! (although less frequently as I need to let Gary have a turn too!) And more training...maybe my next challenge should be going to 40 NHRR training sessions in a year? :-)
I should probably also celebrate with an alchoholic beverage but I am far too tired for that today!

Chuffed!

Week 43, race 39: Wimpole Estate parkrun

 Brrr! Today's race was a cold one. Wimpole Estate parkrun is probably my favourite run (althought I've only run it 3 times in total), scenic, nice cafe, easy parking and fun for the children. The only downside is that it's a little bit of a drive to get to so we have to be out of the house nice and promptly which is a challenge!
There's also a bit of a hull to climb, this video sums it up quite well!
Last weeks Wimpole parkrun was cancelled due to the wet conditions and this week all the muddy rutted earth was frozen instead making it pretty tricky under foot. And it was cold. But I loved it finishing in a slow 32:57 and very much enjoying my coffee and sausage role afterwards.
The mini-Cooks also had a great time investigating frozen puddles, all in all we had a very succesful morning!
So, that was race number 39, only one more to go!!!

Week 41, Race 38: Holkham parkrun

A holiday in Norfolk gave us the chance to be parkrun tourists and we found the new Holkham parkrun to get us about and about early in the new year. It was a 1 lap course around the attractive grounds of Holkham Hall. Not much to say really other than it was a lovely scenic run (if slightly undulating) where we had to dodge deer and cows. I finished 89th in a very average 31:16. Only 2 runs to go now and if I had been less lazy over Christmas and run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day then I'd be all done and dusted by now!

Photo from the Holkham parkrun facebook page

Week 39, Race 37: Three Counties XC Race 4: Letchworth

Another XC race today, this time our home fixture at Standalone Farm. I've not done this course before so was pleased that I was able to run today. In true Lindsay style it was all a bit of a rush, my human alarm clocks failed me and I only just managed to make it to the farm in time to make sandwiches at 8am (after dropping into Morrisons to buy some cake for hungry runners at the end of the race). It was a mild morning and I enjoyed my 5.5 mile loop around the Hertfordshire countryside in the sun (it took me just under an hour).
It was the 3CXC league's 100th race and I started to wonder how many races I must have run. I don't keep a record of my runs but given I have been a member of NHRR since 1999 and most seasons I ran as many XCs as possible I suspect I have run at least 50 of those 100 races...scary!

Week 38, Race 36: Luton Wardown parkrun

After meaning to do a cross country at Shuttleworth but having to cancel due to not being able to be in more than one place at the same time I was back to Luton for my 6th visit to the Luton Wardown parkrun. Not much to say really that I haven't said before, it was a bit wet today and not particularly warm but I had some new shoes (my previous ones have been rubbing my achilles) and I also wore my orange dayglow Standalone 10k t-shirt which meant I was very easy to spot!
I was extremely happy to finish in 29:18, my best time in ages (4th fastest of 26 5kms I have run this year) and my new parkrun PB. Must be the new shoes :-)

Week 37, Race 35: First Saturday in the Month 5km - Santa Canta

Back to the First Saturday in the Month 5km this week for the first time in a few months and it was great to be back! This month's race was the Santa Canta and runners were encouraged to run dressed in a festive costume. Of course I forgot but there was a spare santa hat to keep my head warm on the way round. There were loads of runners this month and I was pleased to finish in 30:58.