Today Is The Beginning . . .

This half marathon starts from Carlisle castle, runs through Carlisle city centre, through some villages, then finishes at an all weather running track in Carlisle. The medal was a nice one and finishers also recieved a technical t-shirt from sponsors New Balance.

I ran 1:40:38 in tough conditions. This one as promised was for Dad.

This was billed as the oldest race of its kind still organized by the same club. I still have a lovely medal and good memories from doing this as a 25 year old.

I give myself 6 – 7 months to train with this one race in mind. In March I could manage 10k in 60 minutes. By Sept 1st I could manage 10k in 42 minutes, so training went well.
The only hiccup was a cold/infection that meant virtually no runs in the last 2 weeks. It probably meant I lost a bit of endurance, but not much.

THE RESULT
I was 105th in 1:42:15 (7:48 pace average).
I was originally aiming to match my 93 minute PB (June 1991), but on the day I’d have been happy to get around in sub 95 mins. I’d even have put money on getting under 100 mins. However I’m not disappointed, it was a respectable enough time and I learnt a lot (mainly, start slower, and run your own race – see later >>)

INTERESTING STATISTICS
1st Male = 72:50, 1st Female = 84:41, 1st Male 40 = 79:16
There were 220 finishers, about 2/3rds of those were over the age of 40. I finished in 1:42:15 and in 105th place. Of those who beat me, 21 were actually aged over 50, 9 of those were over 55, and 3 of those were over 60 (at least one was 65).

A LITTLE STORY
As I said, I was aiming somewhere between ‘dream time’(sub 90) and ‘no thanks time’ (over 1: 40), and I believed I’d get close to my PB (93 mins).
The first mile was downhill and I hit it in 6:52 which I was excited about as I knew that was the exact pace for an 89:57 half marathon.
It was at this point that another runner struck up a conversation with me. Alistair turned out to be an experienced vet 65 years old, but alas there was no M65 category in this race. He’d won 9 out of 10 races this year and ran in the Inverness Marathon.
By mile 2 (14:15 oops) realizing I’d slowed I left my friend and picked up my pace. By mile 3 he’d caught up with me and suggested we help each other. An old ultra runner’s trick he said, take turns to shelter from the wind and it could save minutes. I went along out of politeness and we were having a great chat too. At 4 miles (29 mins) I realized we were running at 7:15 pace (a 95 minute half marathon) and settled for that. However my new friend suggested changing the lead every 2 lamposts. In hindsight I think this constant change of pace took it out of my legs, but I’m not making excuses (much lol).
By 7 or 8 miles my legs felt heavy and I slowed leaving my much older friend to push ahead. He finished in 79th place in 1:37:34.
THE END / MY VERDICT
I’d been waiting so long to do this race (18 years) that I was just glad to get it out of my system and ‘move forward’. So no disappointment with the time as I know it’ll improve. A slight disappointment however was that the organizers didn’t provide medals to all finishers. I’d have gladly paid extra for this. Instead we got a mug and a bottle of lucozade.
The 2 Best Bits: YouTube – Dumfries Half Marathon 2009

I was laughing from page one, roaring with laughter by page 9. It’s a long time since a book made me laugh out loud but ‘Pull Up A Sandbag’ by Jonathan Smiles did many times. Well written collection of anecdotes. It was almost like being there, sometimes painfully lol.

On the banks of Loch Skene, surrounded by breathtaking scenery and the sounds of running water, I couldn’t resist an attempt at the ‘exhaustion test’, even though I’d just climbed the UK’s 5th highest waterfall ‘Grey Mare’s Tail’. and was about to ascend two more summits. I had 35+ push ups in me but straight after an energy sapping climb and with my palms pushing into the jagged grit I’m happy enough with 33 for now. Yes keeping in shape can be fun, this was exhilarating.

Watch The Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-LfRBmECZI

What keeps me positive?

The knowledge that everything IS going to be alright, and Gratitude.

Another thing that works, and I’ve not heard of anyone else who does this, is to make use of the calendar function on my phone to send myself notes. I entered about 200 positive messages, some I made up myself, others I got from Notes From The Universe , and set them to repeat indefinitely. It’s a wonderful way to keep positive. It’s like patting yourself on the back for a job well done, especially as a single parent because there’s not always someone there to do that.

I get a message about 10am, 11am, 12am, 6pm, 7pm, 9pm, and a couple more. They repeat monthly so I don’t know what to expect, and they often bring a smile to my face.

A few examples:
O.M.G ! How Cool Are You.
You Sooo Own Today Ernie.
I Am Inspired Every Day.
You Are The Reason The Sun Came Up Today.
Ernie You So Have What It Takes.
I Always Make The Right Decision.
I’m Just Back From My Adventures In Peru, Check Out The Awesome Pictures.

Also check this previous post:
http://erniebryden.com/wordpress/?p=74

I started the 100 pushups challenge about 10 weeks ago, see http://www.hundredpushups.com , In my initial exhaustion test I managed 20 maximum. the next test I managed 24, and this time I did 29.
The program suggests in 7 weeks it’s possible to do 100 consecutive pushups. It also says, and I strongly agree, that you can repeat any week/s. So 29 push ups puts me on week 3, column 3 . The important thing is that you are progressing. Keep training and stay positive, Ernie.

P.S: Please leave a comment on YouTube to encourage me -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDhZJA47vY8&feature=channel_page thanks.

An ambition of mine since I was at school is to cycle ‘End to End’. It’s 874 miles by road, but more like 1,000 miles if you cycle avoiding major roads, and aprox 1,200 if you walk it.
The first person did it pushing a wheelbarrow, then it became popular by motor vehicle. Celebrities (eg. Jimmy Savile, Ian Botham) high profile walks have made it famous. Most people prefer cycling because you can do it in 2 weeks, rather than the 2 to 3 months to walk it.

I plan to start training for this once I’ve got my running challenges out of my system, so hopefully May 2010, after London (or Edinburgh) Marathon and a couple of weeks rest. I’ll train for 3 months, starting off about 40 mp/week building up to 140 mp/w. The longest training cycle might be 70 miles.
I’ve begun researching equipment and intend travelling light. I’ve also sketched out a rough route and penciled in the hotels and inns I’ll be staying in.
Apparently the challenge is the weather, not the distance.
I’m really excited about this. I hope to do this with my sons, creating and sharing a memorable experience, and seeing this country in a unique way. You can follow my daily progress on Twitter.

I did some research for this last year and sent for a couple of brochures. the one that sounds best is a 10 days starting and ending in Lima, including a 4 day treck along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It also appeals because I get to avoid most of the tourists who want to see the ruins.
My cousin actualy went to Peru last year for her honeymoon and sent me a couple of photos from Machu picchu, definately the holiday of a lifetime.
It’s also important to me that I can speak Spanish when in Peru. So look out for a blog about learning Spanish soon.

Apart from the ultimate trek in Peru, I also have some challenges nearer to home that I’d like to share.

A Few Adventures On My List:

WALK THE HADRIAN’S WALL PATH 84-miles (134 Km) following the line of Hadrian’s Wall, the world’s finest surviving Roman frontier, and right on my doorstep too.

WALK THE PENNINE WAY 271-miles Made famous by Wainright, and there’s a free pint at the end (well there should be)

HIKE THE GREAT GLEN WAY 73-miles (117 Km) Fort William to Inverness, passing the caledonian Canal, Loch Ness, Castles, etc

WALK THE WEST HIGHLAND WAY 95 miles/152 kms from Milngavie (Glasgow) to Fort William. Highly recommended by a good friend.

Munro Bagging:

A munro (named after Sir Hugh Thoma Munro) is a Scottish peak higher than 3000ft. There are 284 in total. The highest is Ben Nevis, the lowest is Ben Vane. With some planning you can bag several in one day, but basicaly it’s a commitment that’ll take years to complete.