Keighley Big 10K and other bits!

Miles to date: 233 - 13 miles in hand

Races completed: 7 

I'm writing this on Mothers Day in the afterglow of my first 10km race. 

The Keighley Big 10K is in it's 5th year and now attracts about 1000 runners and walkers. It's one of the landmarks in my running plan for this year. Whilst most of my running is on the fells, and that's what I really enjoy, this 10km follows an interesting and hilly route taking in four parks and quite a few good Yorkshire hills. The last three years I've helped check runners in and out at and generally helped out a bit so to be running it feels a little alien. The race is one of the major fundraisers for Manorlands, our local Hospice and one of my two charities that I'm trying to raise funds for with my 1000 mile challenge.  

Our running club - Keighley and Craven - have the complete range of members from those that don't run at all (me since we joined as a family in about 2004) through to elite runners and athletes. I've spent many evenings watching my children at evening multi sport sessions but that stopped as swimming took over our lives for a few years. Even though I'm running now I still don't manage to get down on club nights due to my work patterns. What I do get is a network of brilliant people and a shared sense of belonging and support. I try to help out where I can so last weekend saw me in the school kitchen and tidying up after the Haworth Hobble - 33 miles around Haworth and beyond (they're completely bonkers). 

Lots of club members from different groups have been working up to this race - training hard and working out what they wanted to achieve for it from finishing through to smashing a personal best. I'd decided that I wanted to break 60 minutes. I've also spend months teasing my wonderful son, Ben, that I was going to beat him! Obviously in the real world I never stood a chance but I did have him a bit worried for a while. I've only managed to reach 60minutes on two training runs - both in London which is extremely flat - and even then it was only just. 

Rosie, my daughter, decided a few weeks ago that she too was going to enter the Keighley 10K. We recced it together last weekend and she did very well - surprisingly so since she's sat around and done very little since adolescence kicked in! So with Rosie joining in this was to be a whole family effort! 

I won't give a blow by blow account of the race (come do it for yourself next year) but the lady I finished with summed it up brilliantly;

"I'm glad I was with you at the end, you got so much support from lots of people - their encouragement helped me too"

That really summed up why I'm a proud member of Keighley and Craven - regardless of whether people know your name they cheer you on, shout encouragement and support at the first sight of the red, white and green hoops - thanks everyone, you're brilliant. 

As a family we had completely different races. Si had a flyer and ran in right behind his friend, Dick, who he normally trails a bit further, at about 42mins. 

Ben's sprint finish

Ben completely wooped me - about 55mins he really ran with the wind! 

Bit puffed! 

I missed my 60 minute target by about a minute (official results yet to come) so have spent the rest of the day kicking myself as I know I could have got it (hindsight is a wonderful thing). 

Rosie with a last push to the finish

Rosie came in at about 95minutes - an absolute star girl and possibly motivated to carry on running too! 

For the record, last weekend, as well as helping out on the Hobble, I also ran the Windmills Whizz - 68min10sec, 11.3km and 244m. It was a lovely race that I could have done so much better on but a niggly cough and feeling chesty gave me too many excuses to push too hard. 

On another note - late nights, being left in front of a computer unsupervised, credit cards are all very bad things. For some reason on Saturday night I entered the Snowdon Mountain Race,  21st July and I can run up and down Snowdon - now that's something to look forward to! I don't seem to have learnt anything from my experience at Black Combe Fell Race as I've also gone through with entering the Anniversary Waltz . So another two AM races in the diary - what fun! I'll get two T-Shirts out of my endeavours though!!! 

I'll finish with a massive thank you to Emily, Tim, Carol, Emma, Mike, Linda, Frances, Freya, Suzanne, Emma and Chris for your generous sponsorship to two great causes.