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81-90

Joggling Races 81 - 90

Joggling Races 81 - 90

It's into the 80's and getting closer every race. Not that they seem to get any easier mind you. The aim for 2023 is to replicate 2022 with 16 events, or a few more if possible, so I can finish the year in the low 90's. This would give me time to plan the 100th in August / September 2024.

I will try aim for some longer distants too, events 71-80 were all marathon distance, and it's good to try and push it a bit more on the Ultras's. It means the next marathon is slightly easier.

 


The video was taken at the end of the Yorkshire marathon. There was some great support along the route and I managed the throw over the finish barrier trick.

 

81 - 90 statistics:

 

  Races 81 - 90 Total (1 - 90)
Marathons 5 64
Ultramarathons 4 25
Distance Joggled 249.14 miles 2580.48 miles

 

81. Great British Seaside Challenge (27.5 Miles) - 25 Mar 2023

81. Great British Seaside Challenge (27.5 Miles) - 05:26:01

About 2 weeks prior to this event I'd invested in a pair of carbon-plated super lightweight running shoes to see if they could make me any quicker. The short answer was yes and I smashed my 5K and 10K PB's (both set over 5 years ago). However in the process had aggravated my achilles tendon.

I was still determined to do this event and loaded up with painkillers set off from Skegness heading 14 and a bit miles up the coast towards Sutton. Within a mile everything was hurting and it was a real struggle to keep going. I just focussed on each mile on the way to the turn around point, as it was a slightly shorter return leg, only by about 1/2 mile but every yard helps.

The day after the event I was booked in with a physiotherapist who said my achilles was like a giant balloon, and sent me home with a roll of kino tape (great stuff), with instructions to rest up and keep applying ice for a few weeks. In hindsight it did me the world of good to have a rest, but was frustrating at the time. Luckily I had nearly 2 months before the next marathon.

82. Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon (26.2 Miles) - 14 May 2023

82. Rob Burrows Leeds Marathon (26.2 Miles) - 04:49:45

It was good to be back on the marathon trail after a nice rest to recover. This marathon was a bit bonkers - there were over 12,000 runners; I think the organisers only planned for 7000; so was chaos at the start and trying to get sorted out. Was glorious weather, but took about 45 minutes to actually get going, so I needed a drink before hitting the start line.

Great support, a nice course, with a tough mile incline after 18 miles. Took a few hours afterwards to get back to the car - if it was about a mile close I would have walked back instead of queueing for ages for the park and ride bus.

83. Butterfly Run (28.5 Miles) - 4 Jun 2023

83. Butterfly Run (28.5 Miles) - 05:39:52

This was a lovely lapped course in Derbyshire, courtesy of Rasselbock Running.

It was a lovely warm day, and the course was quite varied along paths, through woods and over fields, so the 8 laps flew by. With the set lap distance you end up doing a couple of extra miles, so took it a bit easier today.

84. Trackathon (31.07 Miles) - 18 Jun 2023

84. Trackathon (31.07 Miles) - 05:58:05

What can be more fun than running around and around a running track for this 6 hour event from the See York Run York crew. The good thing is it's difficult to get lost, and you don't have to carry any water or food. The race becomes more of a mental challenge as it's easier underfoot than roads or cross country terrain.

I had a strategy to try and run 25 laps (10K) between stops, with the initial goal being 106 laps for the marathon distance. Towards the end I was stopping every 5 -10 laps for a drink, food etc, but wanted to push on and get to 50K (125 laps), which I managed to do with a couple of minutes to spare. It was great to see my running buddy Steve there, who sneaked in an extra 5 laps on me.

85. Great Barrow Challenge Day 5 (26.2 Miles) - 26 Jul 2023

85. Great Barrow Challenge (26.2 Miles) - 04:41:09

Back down to Suffolk to visit the ZigZagRunning team for day 5 of their 10 in 10 day challenge. This consisted of 2 laps mainly along country lanes, so was quite pleasent in the countryside. I went out too quick and did a speedy first lap before grinding to a bit of a halt in the sunshine on the 2nd lap, but managed to get round in under 5 hours.

There is always the novelty deckchair and obligatory cake, or two, at the finish for a good photo op. The cake(s) didn't last long.

86. Foxton Hound Ultra (31.07 Miles) - 19 Aug 2023

86. Foxton Hound Ultra (31.07 Miles) - 06:47:47

This was a nice 50K lap around the Northamptonshire countryside, include a 500m section through the Kelmarsh tunnel (I packed a head torch for this section, but ended up following some other runners through so didn't need it in the end - just a little bit of extra weight to carry around!).

It was a bit chaotic this one, going the wrong way several times, millions of stiles near the start so lost time queuing up, and the aid stations along the way seemed to run out of food and water at various stages, which was a struggle when the weather is gloriously hot. I'm used to carrying around enough food and drink to feed a small rock concert, but found myself wilting and thirsty towards the end.

87. Bedford Autodrome Marathon (26.2 Miles) - 24 Sep 2023

87. Bedford Autodrome Marathon (26.2 Miles) - 04:07:53

This was my 2nd time at Bedford Autodrome, which is a nice flat 5K circuit, ideal for pushing the pace, but prone to strong winds that slow you down (the tail wind is great, but never seems to compensate for any head winds and the course feels like about 80% headwind).

Was dreaming of a potential Joggling sub 4 marathon, but my pit stops weren't as smooth as Red Bulls, more like 5 minutes than 5 seconds), and the time I lost at the end of the laps refuelling etc.pushed me over 4 hours in the end. My non joggling friends can eat and drink on the go, whilst my hands are full so I have to stop unfortunately. Still pleased with the time though as it was only about 20 seconds outside my PB.

88. Monster Mash (26.2 Miles) - 22 Oct 2023

88. Monster Mash (26.2 Miles) - 04:39:22

89. Pierrepont Plod (26.2 Miles) - 12 Nov 2023

89. Pierrepont Plod (26.2 Miles) - 04:38:02

90. Portsmouth Coastal Marathon (26.2 Miles) - 17 Dec 2023