May Review (349.80 - 458.94km)

May saw me run three races in a weekend, run my second Marathon, set a new personal best for a Half Marathon and bake lots and lots of cake. In the 5th month of the year I ran five races, collected 4 medals and added over 100km to my total.

My first race saw me return home to Norfolk for the Grand East Anglia Run, a 10k around the streets of King's Lynn. Last year I set a PB on this course, so this year I was keen to give it another go and try and break sub 40. Unfortunately the heat and some tired legs put pay to this and I ended up pushing myself harder than I perhaps should have.

In the second weekend in May I had not one, not two but three races; the Skelly 6, Zombie Run and Sheffield Half Marathon. The first race, the Skelly 6, was a six mile trail race in Skellingthorpe, a nearby village, on the Friday evening. As one of three races in three days I opted to run at a steady pace, although at points the competitively element took over and I tried to overtake the other runners in sight.

Next up on Saturday afternoon was the Zombie Run, a 5km obstacle course with the added bonus (danger?) of running through hordes of zombies. When I laid out my plans for this 1000km late last year I made the decision to not include any 5km runs, simply because they would only account for 0.05% of my overall target. However when I was offered the opportunity to run this race and I knew I could fit it alongside another longer race, I grabbed the chance. Some minor (major) difficulties aside it was a fun race and one I'll look to do again, even if I may need to wear a cup next time.

Sunday's race, the Sheffield Half Marathon, was the longest of the three and my first time running the event. A week before my second marathon of the year should have meant that I spent the weekend resting, deep into my tapering phase. What I should not have been doing is running three races in three days and running a new personal best on my third of these races. But somehow this is what happened, I didn't start the race with the intention of running as fast as I did it just kind of happened.

 

My fourth race of the month and my second marathon of the year was the opportunity to gain some retribution. Last year I ran the inaugural North Norfolk Marathon but after 18 miles I withdrew due to a combination of injury and poor training. With one marathon already under my belt I was much better prepared for the the NNM this time round. When I crossed the line after 4 hours and 20 minutes my body was in pieces, but I had won a very personal battle and completed what would be the most difficult marathon of the year.

The final weekend in May was my first race free weekend in quite a while (about 6-7 weeks), but it was a date that I had marked in my calender for sometime. I had planned to hold a Bake Sale this year as an alternate means of raising money and early on I identified the last weekend in May as the date for this. The bake sale was a much bigger success than I could have possibly predicted, raising over £150 towards my £6,000 target. On the Sunday I added another 21km+ to my total with a Solo Run.

May Stats:

1000KM Challenge Distance: 109.14km
Time Running Total: 09:47:48
Total Running Distance: 177.59km
Bananas Eaten: 39
Times punched in the nuts by a zombie: 1
Medals: 4
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1000km Challenge Stats:

1000KM Challenge Distance: 458.94km 
Time Running Total: 39:21:18
Total Running Distance: 862.55km
Bananas Eaten: 228
Medals: 7

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A look ahead to June

Confirmed Races
02/06 - Woodhall Spa 10k
15/06 - Three Lakes Classic
21/06 - Summer Solstice 10k

Unconfirmed Races

09/06 - Humber Bridge 10k
30/06 - Humber Bridge Half Marathon