Author Archives: Sally

Lincoln 10K Road Race

After doing the Rutland Alps then the Daffodil Dawdle my next day out was going to be a running one, The Lincoln 10K Road Race.

photo (34)I don’t do running events very often because I get so nervous but when my number arrived and I discovered that it was Purple I just knew I was meant to do this run.

Doing it with 2 friends who had tons of confidence in me certainly helped the nerves too.

5000 runners entered the Lincoln 10k and it was totally amazing, the whole route was lined with people cheering you on and the finish was spectacular even though the cobbles were hard to run over.

I did this run to experience the crowds, running with 5000 other people and the medal, which is pure bling, what I never expected, was getting a P/B time of 57.31, as I ran up towards the castle I could see the finishing clock and thought they must have the time wrong !!!

The Lincoln 10K will be a hard run to beat for the crowds,atmosphere,organisation and the pure joy of getting a P/B, but this weekend I am doing the Kings Lynn GEAR 10k another fabulous run with record entries of 2000

and yes I am just as nervous as always 🙁

LDWA Daffodil Dawdle Challenge Walk

For the second year running I had arranged to do The Daffodil Dawdle 26.5 mile walk with my friend Gina.

DSCF8064-001The route may have been the same as last year but that was the only comparison that could be made, last year we walked in snow and blizzards this year it was sun and t-shirts 🙂

Its called a challenge walk as the route is not marked, your given 4 pages of route instructions and off you go…. last year there were so few walkers that we had to follow the instructions word by word.

This year how ever there were many more walkers and with out realising it we just followed the walkers in front, which is not really a good idea because I never really knew where we were up to in the instructions.

Over the 26.5 miles we had 3 check points where great food and drink was supplied at no extra DSCF8065-001cost, it was amazing to see the 100 or so people of all ages and sizes running the route and lovely to bump into other walkers I now know and have a chat on the way.

After 8 hr and 20 mins (20 mins quicker than last year) we arrived back in Kirtling to be greeted by my friend Jayne who had been busy cooking the finishers food, delicious soup and crusty bread followed by crumble and custard…  all this for the £8 entry fee 🙂

The time just whizzed pasted in fact it felt more like an 8 hour chat with Gina than a 27.5 mile walk 🙂 and a great way to spend Mothers day.

The only disappointment was that Geoff didn’t pop up in the middle of a field !!

The Rutland Alps

Topping Abbey Hill

Topping Abbey Hill

Some time ago SWNC posted about an event they were having out to Rutland to ride the Alps….  so called because it was a 63 mile very hilly route.

The distance would not be a problem for me but the thought of so many hills put me off going.

Every one had a different story to tell about these hills, never ending ,steep, killers, and the one I hated most was “you will have to walk up Launde Abbey” but then others said its great you will love it and do it easy…..So in the end I decided there was only one way to find out and that was to go and see for myself.

To say I arrived at Rutland car park feeling a little nervous is an understatement but It wasn’t long before 17 members of SWNC were all gathered together ready to go.

The hills started almost immediately,the funny thing is that no one had mentioned the downhills and I was so focused on the hills that I had not thought about the fact that if there was a hill there must be a downhill !! and these downhills were fast and as amazing as the uphills.

It seemed like in no time at all we were enjoying coffee and cake at the Windmill in Wymondham where amongst the chatter and laughter Launde Abbey hill soon became the topic of conversation. I don’t think I was the only one that left the Windmill feeling a little apprehensive !

I saw the sign post for Launde Abbey just as someone was wondering how far away the hill was, I just replied by saying it would soon all be over…. then I saw the hill and thought OMG but amazingly with a lot of shouting swearing and grunting I made it to the top, once I realised that I was not going to die I felt ecstatic and had the biggest smile that stayed with me for the rest of the ride.

A fabulous day out with a great bunch of riders who worked great together as a team and supported and encouraged us girlies all the way 🙂

The plan is to do this ride again on June 21st and maybe Geoff will be around to join us and my friend Gina too 🙂

and I need to start some cadence training and learn to spin more !!

A few photos, taken by Glyn Smith can be seen here

Wiggle Epic Bike Sportive

Thanks to SWNC and KLCC for there Go Ride training sessions I knew 1st march was going to be a day I would never forget.

Its the day I was going to do my longest ride to date, The Wiggle No Excuses Sportive.

As it was my first Bike event I was a little nervous and unsure about what to expect, what worried me the most was the weather, but someone was looking after us as we had perfect weather conditions, dry cold but sunny.

1484-1031-WNOEX02The event was amazing, so fantastically organised I think it would be hard to beat.

Arriving at Huntingdon race course just before 7.30 am we were quickly  shown where to park, and easily met up with the other riders from SWNC.

We then made our way to registration, this was so organised you were in and out in no time having had your timing chip attached to your helmet, collected you bike number and picked up some free samples of bike oil.

By this time we had seen many other riders, in fact 2 guys asked us where we were from as we seemed to know everyone, that just shows how many Kings lynn riders were there, everyone was so friendly and the excitement was beginning to grow.

After attaching our bike numbers giving the bike a quick check over and making sure we had everything else needed,we made our way to the start.

Riders doing the Epic 80 could start from 8am, the Standard 40 from 8.30, considering over 1.500 riders were doing this event everything went like clockwork, you just made you way down to the start and aprox half a dozen riders were set off every 2 mins, after a quick reminder on route information

From the second you crossed that line it became a fun filled social ride where you just wanted to do your best but most importantly enjoy the day and atmosphere, the route was so well sign posted you never had to worry about which way to go and there was so many recovery  vans about you knew you would be looked after if a problem occurred

As its a bit flat in Norfolk I was waiting for or should I say dreading that first hill and I had been told there would be many but it came and went and all was well so then I relaxed.1031-WNOEX08-001

25 miles in and we hit the first feed station and it was fabulous, lots of eat me food, flap jacks Jaffa cakes, jelly beans etc  and  then lots of take me food as in gels and high5 zero, also urns of ready made energy drink for your water bottles…. there was also a  bike mechanic on hand for any bike problems.

We were soon on our way again embracing the hills and chatting to other riders along the way and this is where I had my first real experience of perfect group riding and it was magical :-) the next 30 miles just flew by and we arrived at the second feed station to find it just as full of goodies as the first one.

Then your mind thinks thats it we are on our way home and you realise your actually going to do it !!

When You cross the finish line and get your medal , I felt really emotional , I had expected to feel worn out but I didn’t I felt on a high, must have been all those flapjacks I had eaten and Amazingly I think I am also falling in LOVE with those hills 🙂 🙂

Who would have believed I could do this when Seven months ago I lay on the kitchen floor thinking I was going to die after my first ride out with SWNC but with their help advice and sheer determination I have come along way and I am not finished yet !!

A fantastic day, a great group of riders, a brilliant event and one I would certainly recommend.

Here is my Strava

Wiggle_No_Excuses_Epic___Strava_Ride

 

 

 

 

and Great Photos taken by Sportivephoto.com can be seen here

KLCC Reliability Ride

Yesterday was my first reliability ride, organised by KLCC, I was not quite sure what to expect but it was fun 🙂

Basically you have 2 routes to choose from a 100km and a 50km and you choose the time you expect to do it in.

photo (32)

100km Cappuccino Target Time <4hr10 to 4hr45>

100km Espresso Target Time <3hr30 to 4hr05>

50km Cappuccino Target Time <2hr10 to 2hr40>
50km Espresso Target Time <1hr40 to 2hr10>

I really wanted to do the 100km but as I have been poorly decided to be sensible and choose the 50km.

There was 10 in our little group including Pete from Wisbech Wheelers , he was a great group rider and put the slower riders (and lets face it we all have off days )  in the front so us faster ones did not push the pace too fast which would result in splitting the group up.

This worked really well, the only time we split, was up the hills then the first up waited for the rest to catch up before setting off again.

We also rode in pairs,when it was safe to do so, chatting away, switching partners every now again which made it very sociable and fun.

We easily finished in our estimated time doing 32 miles in 2 hours 14 mins.

Having perfect weather and a lovely group to ride with made this a great day.

Next week we are going to do the 50 mile social ride with the Wisbech Wheelers from Sandringham Then its the epic  Wiggle No Excuses sportive 🙂

Lincoln 10k Road Race

BlingI don’t part with my money easily and sometimes because of this I miss out on some fun with my friends

When the Lincoln 10k was mentioned I didn’t pay much attention

Then I was shown the medal you get and that was it, I could not resist 🙂

All paid up with a race number of 2670

Should be a great day out  and good practise for the GEAR 10k

CRC come to Norfolk

These days I don’t walk as much as I would like too, mainly because I have to drive so far to get a decent walk and with the cost of fuel it becomes expensive.

photo (31)This weekend though I had no excuse as The Cambridge Rambling Club had booked to stay at The Old Red Lion Hostel in Castle Acre for a weekend of walking.

So I Invited a walking friend to stay with me and swapped my Purple bike for my walking boots and my Purple ruc-sac.

Saturday was a lovely bright sunny Norfolk day if a little windy and we walked 17 miles along some of the Peddars Way and Nar Valley Way, although we had to make a few diversions due to heavy flooded paths at times.

Today was a bitterly cold and much windier day but we  still managed 14 miles along the Nar Valley Way keeping away from the flooded fields and was grateful for no rain.

Nice to see so many snowdrops on our walks this weekend 🙂

After both walks we enjoyed tea and cake at the Churchgate Tea rooms where we were well looked after 🙂

My next walk is planned for 16th March with the LDWA who are walking from Sandringham and then The Daffodil Dawdle at the end of March…..

Hectic !

Life has been pretty hectic since I came home from Les Gets, not that I am complaining, as I like it this way 🙂

I started back to work with a 10 hour shift, have seen many lovely massage clients, biked over 100 miles and ran 11 miles…

Something new is a 7am Yoga fitness class at the Fitness studios Kings Lynn, which I am hoping will improve my flexibility just a little but mainly stretch me, in many ways, especially as its on a

Tuesday morning after a midnight shift at Tesco on the Monday.

I took the plunge and went for my bike fit, which resulted in my seat being put up a foot, well not quite but it feels that way, most importantly though I have progressed to clip in pedals, which I am told will make a huge difference, so watch this space …

We had another British Cycling Go-Ride ladies only training session, which was really fun and enjoyable so I have booked in for the next 2 sessions as well.

This weekend Its off to Cambridge to say hello and goodbye to Geoff who is just home long enough for a massage and a hair cut before he’s off on his travels to Vietnam

Next weekend a walking friend is coming to stay and we are having a walking weekend at Castle Acre with the Cambridge Rambling Club.

Then a biking day In Norwich with another friend is on the cards and the big one is the Wiggle No Excuses Sportive on March 1st followed by the LDWA Daffodil Dawdle on March 30th A fab way to spend Mothers day 🙂

If I am not knackered after all that there are plenty more plans…………..