Highlights,Lowlights and Aims - Hello 2017!

Firstly, I apologise for lack of blog action recently, One of my New Years Resolutions is to update it more frequently (but not too often, I don't want to bore you all to death!). Secondly, here is a brief round up of 2016 followed by my aims for 2017.

Highlights of 2016
There have been loads of highlights, when reading back through my blog posts I find myself going - ooh I loved that and I want to do it again!  Here is a (very) condensed list of my favourites...

• OMM Ambassadorship
• Running Snowdon
• 5k, 10k and half marathon PBs
• Hathersage Hilly
• This blog!
• Biking ladies - making new friends and (hopefully encouraging others)
• Learning to front crawl - thanks to Super Suzie!
• Equinox 24
• 2nd Place in the GVS Championship (Ladies category)
• GVS Fell Series Champion (Ladies)

Lowlights..
There haven't been many, but if you asked me during any of the races I would probably tell you it is hard and I am hating it! But these were the actual lows...

• Falling off my road bike - self explanatory! (although improved my riding no end)
• Cheadle 4 - just not a great race, reinforced my dislike of road racing - won't do it again
• Ankle injury and weakness - Went over on it at Longshaw Trust 10k, created a weakness - bugger
• Winter stomach bug preventing me doing the 3rd MACCL race and kiboshing my training!

Some 2017 Aims..
This is not an exhaustive list!

• GVS Fell series - defend my title (eek, I wanted a no pressure year!)
• Some of the Hayfield series fell races (short, hilly ones!)
• The Slateman (as part of a mixed team "The High Peaky Blinders")
• Grindleford Gallop - OK so I said this year I wasn't going to do any races I didn't enjoy - i.e. anything over 10 miles, road races, etc.  I then took the challenge of entering the GG (it is notoriously hard to get a space and fills up quickly) damn my competitive streak - got a place in the first 6 mins, now committed to do the race.  Balls.
• Another triathlon (sprint distance) and definitely the Hathersage Hilly again
• The Grindleford Goat (the longer "Billy" course this year)
• Improve my Mountain Bike Orienteering skills!

And I think that's it, although more will be added frequently no doubt!


In the meantime, I have the 2nd Trailquest event with Dark and White Peak events this Sunday, with teammate Caz, followed by XCountry at Kenworthy Woods on Saturday 14th January.

Perhaps the most exciting thing happening in 2017 will be the introduction of a new family member/running partner, a four-legged kind!  She hasn't even been conceived yet but, if all goes to plan I will have a canine training buddy to run with in 2018/19! Canicross here we come!

Training will now be aimed at the Grindleford Gallop with longer hilly runs in the fells and testing out my new Garmin watch and turbo trainer!

Happy New Running Year!


TLF