Is running a cheap sport??

Well it depends on your goals really or at least does for me

 It’s human nature to want to get better at the things we do completion is natural and engrained into us, now you can do this basic (pen, paper and stopwatch) or you can go full hog and get all the gear but have no real idea if you will enjoy the sport for me it’s about the right balance I started out with a watch or running app and basic kit and gradually overtime have built up what I feel I need to make me better

Running T-Shirt £6

Baselayer Top £11

Running Leggings £11

Saucony Running Shoes £70 – for road/pavement

Inov8 Trail Shoes £45 –for trail/mud

GPS watch with Heart Rate Monitor (was a gift from my cousin)

High Vis Vest £14

High Vis Armbands £6

Headtorch - £14

Total £177

Money spent since 2012 on races

Santa Dash 5K -£5

We Love MCR 10K - £15

Tough Mudder - £90

Birchwood 10K - £15

Trail Half Wales £22

Tough Mudder 2015 - £60

Total £207

Yet to be spent

Grim Reaper 40 -£58

Birchwood 10K and English Half Marathon  £45

Hell Up North £30

Total £133

Overall Total £517 (not exact might be slightly more)

There is a cost as with every hobby if you follow you football team costs can running upwards of £1000 for tickets not factoring in travel

Rugby is in the £300 range and again not factoring in travel

Golf is very expensive and Cycling is now the new Golf

So when you put it like that running can be quite cheap in comparison

There are thousands of events every year some ranging from £15 and some very pricey £140 sometimes more it’s about finding what you want to do and adapting it your own goals

If you want to run and are not bothered about times or splits or Personal Bests (PB) then find a route and run it but how you would know if you were progressing getting better find a mile or shorter and run it and time it then run it again and keep comparing the times over weeks or months you will get better if you want to get deeper in then there are resources out there to help you do this

It’s really about making sure there sport is right for you before going out and spending your hard earned money I wouldn’t recommend buying £70+ pair of running shoes and £70 GPS watch if you haven’t run before as you might not like it

Running should  be fun kids don’t run with all the gear they run free so before you jump in work out if it’ll be for you

#EnjoyYourRun

Why go Ultra?

Well I don’t really do things in moderation, I always have been an “ All or Nothing” type of person

I can become obsessed and have a lot of focus on things that interest me (sometimes to my own detriment and am trying to focus on the right balance)

So back to the question

Why go Ultra?

Well when I first started running I looked ahead to where I wanted to be before really getting started and I discovered JOGLE orJohn O’Groats to Lands End a 969 mile supported Ultra

JOGLE has been covered many times from bikes and other methods of transport and this peaked my interest you could say I put this desire to the back of my mind as 969 is some going and I was still learning to run but it lit a fire in me that has burned for 3 years and is only growing

After reading Born To Run by Christopher McDougall this completely changed my outlook on UItras and it seems more and more events have been popping up else where there is a boom (which I’m sure many of us are grateful for)

Born To Run tells the story of Micah True or Caballo Blanco (The White Horse) a ultra runner that lived in the Cooper Canyons in Mexico and also the story of the Tarahumara the true Ultra distance runners who think nothing of running 100+ miles easily as it is their only form of travel. 

The book is extremely well written and informative, you learn about some of the original races Leadville, Badwater and Western States 100 mile while being introduced to a cast of characters such as Barefoot Ted and Scott Jurek (the latter has his own book)

You are also introduced to the Barefoot running trend which has created a Billion dollar industry for shoe companies and you also learn about why we are built for running compared to other animals 

**I think every runner should read this book**

Once I finished BTR I then discovered Eat and Run by Scott Jurek for those that don’t know Scott is a very successful Ultra Runner has won Western States 100 multiple times and numerous other races,consults for Brooks regarding their running shoe line, his book is also very well written and explains about his journey and also the fact he is a Vegan (doesn’t eat any animals or animal products) this opened my eyes to the other types of nutrition and options available. 

After Scott’s book I stumbled on Finding Ultra by Rich Roll and his endeavours as a Vegan and Ultra Endurance Triathlete his book is the one I related to the most because the struggles with alcohol and recovery and transition into fitness resonate with myself not on the same scale as him but I have battled with drink and drugs (not touched drugs in 5 years and never will again)

The main running distances are 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), Half-Marathon (13.1) and Marathon (26.2) for most that start out running 5K is the normal starting point ,

I signed up for a 5K race and at the time it was a big challenge but over time it became easier (as it does with regular training) and 5K became one of my training runs then I set my sights on 10K and hit that target and then moved up to Half-Marathon and have hit that in training frequently (race to be completed in 2015) and the next normal step was Marathon with sights set on Manchester 2016 and then an Ultra, but after talking to William Robertson that all changed he changed my outlook on how I approach my goals and I realised a normal escalation doesn’t always have to apply you can think outside the box and jump up as you please the choice you make is 100% your own

Also the fear surrounding Ultra doesn’t intimidate me I look on the long distance with excitement the further the better so my plan

2015/2016 plan originally

Trail Half Wales – 20/06/2015
We Love MCR 10K -12/07/2015
Tough Mudder – 12/09/2015
Birchwood 10K -16/08/2015
English Half Marathon – 20/09/2015
Hell Up North -17/10/2015
Manchester Marathon -19/04/2016
Lakeland Trails

2015/2016 plan changed

Trail Half Wales – 20/06/2015
We Love MCR 10K   Grim Reaper 40 miler -31/07/2015
Tough Mudder – 12/09/2015
Birchwood 10K -16/08/2015
English Half Marathon – 20/09/2015
Hell Up North -17/10/2015

Not Confirmed

Manchester Marathon -19/04/2016
Grim Reaper 70 or 100 miler -30/07/2016

       

The Grim Reaper Ultra has become my main focus as I feel it is everything I could want in a Ultra 10 mile loop ran either 4,7 or 10 times in the lovely location of Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire

I can see this Race becoming a regular event in my running career and leading to more Ultra races hopefully

#EnjoyYourRun

Why are you running??

I got a Facebook message the other day asking the following

1. Why are you running?

To answer I have to break the question down

1. Why are you running?

Why did I chose running it never interested me until 2012 when I wanted a cheap way to get fit (not so cheap now but that's for another post) so I started C25K for 9 weeks did my first 5K in 30 mins got slightly better some weeks and others not so much but when out 3 sometime 4 times a week to pound the pavements why? 

Because for me I found something so easy to do shoes one and out I went..............I was free

Free from work and money worries,family stuff and loads more it did and sometimes does still enter my head but doesn't control me during my run and over time I've been able to forget any issues that are bothering me for the length of my run and sometimes find a solution running gives me clarity and focus

I've played many sports over the years and tried my hands at most fitness things weights,fitness dvds all the fads but running was something I fell in love with ( I have my off days as we all do) but I love to run plain and simple I enjoy it if I could I would run everyday but that's not viable so I stick to my 3 days a week and put time into my plan and work my schedule around work or family to create the least impact on both family life and my running it's all about having the right balance in your life, I struggle with running as it is my passion but also my obsession I am present in my running endevours sometimes more than my other ones and I tried hard to make sure it doesn't take over and create disharmony in my family life it's still a work in progress but that's the point I'm working on it

So fast forward to 2015 and I have 2 x 10K's under my belt 1 x Tough Mudder with the following planned

• Trail Half - 20th June
• Grim Reaper 40 Mile - 31st July
• Tough Mudder North West - September
• Hell Up North

Where am I running towards? 

I have one goal to become an Ultra runner and run far and long (I'll do another post for that aswell)

#EnjoyYourRun