Race Recap: Walt Disney World Marathon 2025

It’s the fourth and final day of the Dopey Challenge… and while we always planned to take the pace easy today, a marathon is a marathon and it’s always hard, especially when it’s the fourth day of racing in a row!

It was cold again this morning and it got colder during the first few miles. We were taking a walk break once per mile but I found this section the worst, as the cold was making me lightheaded and it was just long boring road again.

Once we got into Magic Kingdom at about 10 miles and the sun started to rise, I began to feel better. The fatigue was really kicking in and so I now needed two walk breaks per mile, but I was able to keep this pattern going for the rest of the race (which surprised me, as after yesterday I thought I’d be solidly walking from 20 miles if not before).

We did visit a few of the parks, but again most of the route was road in the middle of nowhere. Disney is big! I found this quite hard, as the parks were good for distraction and the road bits very definitely were not.

We worked hard for a sub-7 finish, which is my second slowest marathon ever. This challenge has been so tough and I’m really proud that we’ve got through it.

Disney Marathon
Another pitch black race start!

From the start, I treated this challenge like a multiday ultra. What I have learnt from it is that I won’t be doing any multiday ultras in the future! It was an incredible experience and I do want to come back to Disney for other race weekends before too long, but my Dopey is most definitely one and done.

Onto training for the next race now. But I do need a week or two of recovery to start with…

Race Recap: Walt Disney World Half Marathon 2025

Day three of the Dopey Challenge, and now the hard work begins! While 5k and 10k are comfortable daily distances that we do all the time, a half marathon and a full marathon on back-to-back days constitute the real challenge of this event.

It was much warmer this morning (16ish degrees Celsius, which is normal for Florida nights in January) but it rained heavily while we were waiting to start, so we felt just as cold as the last two mornings! Should have worn a plastic covering – a bit of rain never normally bothers us at that temperature but it hits differently here for some reason.

We took the half marathon very easy, but I am starting to feel extremely fatigued from the cumulative race days. It’s not just the mileage but all the rigmarole around it (runners who do races will be very familiar with this). I am a bit anxious about the marathon as a result, but we’ll take it as easy as we need to, with lots of walk breaks.

Disney Half Marathon
Cinderella’s castle was a rare bit of excitement today – the route was a bit dull in general.

It’s the final day of the challenge tomorrow… but in terms of mileage, we’re not even halfway there yet!

Race Recap: Walt Disney World 10k 2025

Day two of the Dopey Challenge saw us running the 10k!

Knowing the logistics made it easier, and we were a bit more prepared for the cold conditions this morning. The race itself went by fairly quickly again – once you get into Epcot there’s a lot going on to distract you – but I don’t really feel in race shape despite the training. Christmas has left me feeling sluggish and overfull and I felt a bit ill for the first couple of miles today. Hopefully I’ll feel better for the big two races over the weekend, especially as we’re planning a more restful day today.

Disney 10k
Nicely warmed up about four miles in!

For day three tomorrow, it starts to get a bit harder, as we press on to the half marathon…

Race Recap: Walt Disney World 5k 2025

Here we are in Disney World, Florida, for the first day of a race weekend that’s been years in the planning!

Geth first started talking about doing the Disney races in 2019, when I did my first London Marathon and he spotted the RunDisney stall at the London expo. At first, he wanted to do the Star Wars Stormtrooper Challenge (a 10k one day followed by a half marathon the next), as he didn’t believe at that point that he would ever run a full marathon. He was going to be turning forty in 2020, and he thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate his milestone birthday. Then 2020 arrived, and the pandemic happened… and plans just slowed down for a while. During that time, those plans morphed into the full Dopey Challenge (four back-to-back days of races: a 5k, 10k, half marathon and full marathon) as we became more confident in our running.

It took a long time to get here. But here we are now! For Geth’s 40th birthday trip… in my 40th birthday month.

(He’ll be forty-five this year. We’d better start thinking about his 50th birthday trip now in case we get derailed again!)

We arrived in Florida two days ago as we needed to go to the expo yesterday to pick up our numbers and t-shirts (which was a fun experience in itself!). This morning was the first race morning, and I was glad that the 5k acted as a bit of a trial run for the next few days, as it meant we could see how all the logistics worked without needing to worry about the distance. We’re now set for tomorrow onwards and know what we’re doing.

It was very cold (not what we expected from Florida) and we were shivering at the start – it took us most of the race to warm up. After we were done it was fine though as the queues for the drop bags and buses moved nice and quickly. It just felt like the race itself was gone in a flash and over too soon! I doubt we’ll have that issue as the distances increase…

Disney 5k
Before we had to drop off our hoodies!

We continue tomorrow with the 10k for day two!

Race Recap: Yorkshire Marathon 2024

This was the second marathon of the year – something that would have been inconceivable just a couple of years ago, as my body simply couldn’t have handled it.

Following my 4:21 at Manchester I wondered if I was capable of a sub-4 this year. It was a big jump, but I had just taken more than two hours off my previous marathon time and was used to big jumps in terms of PBs at the time. I decided to train with the aim of sub-4 and see where it got me.

Training was pretty intense and I didn’t miss a session, but I did find myself struggling on the long runs – this was the first time I’d attempted to do marathon goal pace blocks during long runs rather than just taking them as easy as I liked, and I found it incredibly hard to manage the pace. This is very much a mental thing as I can manage much faster than marathon goal pace on shorter runs, but on long runs I always feel fatigued from early on and it seems impossible. Due to this frustration, I have also become more aware that my true easy pace (i.e. what I fall into when not focusing) is still very slow compared to other people I know who do similar race paces to me – and this has given me a bit of impostor syndrome in recent months, as it makes me feel that deep down I’m still a naturally slow runner and always will be.

I only did one B race (the Great North Run) during the training block, which was great as it meant things didn’t feel as disrupted as they did during the Manchester block. Going forward I’m going to be splitting training into slightly shorter blocks and mostly focusing on one race at a time.

I did a 15-week plan with a three-week taper as I had done for Manchester, but I found that I didn’t even begin to feel rested from the taper until a few days before the race. This should have been a bit of a warning sign.

Geth and I planned from about halfway through the training block to run the race together. He’d originally been aiming for a 3:45 but his training was significantly hampered by his Achilles injury, so he hoped he’d be able to pace me to the sub-4 instead.

I spent the last few days before the race really worried about the weather conditions, as Storm Ashley was forecast for the weekend. The wind didn’t end up being too bad on the day – it was the rain that was more miserable – but I really felt that because of the weather forecast, the race just wasn’t in my control anymore.

It was lovely to spend the weekend in York with some of the Benchies, as there were quite a few of us down for the marathon – and the out-and-backs on the course meant there were always people to look out for!

Pre-Yorkshire Marathon
In one of the uni buildings before the start! Photo from Alice at TMBR.

Setting off on the day, I was glad I had Geth with me as it meant I didn’t have to worry about pacing myself – I could just stick with him. I was able to manage the pace but I knew from the first few miles that it didn’t feel as easy as it should. There was an energy missing in me. We had done a faster pace together at the Great North Run – also in the rain – and that had felt easier.

At halfway, we were still on pace, but I really felt deep down that I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for another 13 miles. I tried hard, but by about 17 or 18 miles I couldn’t stay at the pace anymore and Geth had to slow down to stay with me. The aim became a PB.

This was what kept me going for the last six miles, because the last six miles were hell. I wanted to stop and walk SO badly – probably more badly than I had done in Manchester. But, just like in Manchester, I knew that if I took even one walk break, that would be it – I would have given myself permission to walk, and I would keep doing it, and I wouldn’t get my PB. So I kept running as fast as I could, even though ‘as fast as I could’ was definitely not fast anymore.

The miles ticked by so slowly at this point, and there was so much mental maths. But finally we got to the last mile, and I was surprised to find that the notorious hill at the end – the one I’d found such a struggle when I did the Yorkshire 10 Mile back in 2017 and 2018 – didn’t feel like much of a hill at all these days. Geth encouraged me on, and I managed a weak semi-sprint over the line. It was a relief to finish, but I didn’t feel elated like I had at Manchester. There was quite a bit of disappointment there.

4:16:30. Very nearly a five-minute PB – 4 minutes and 58 seconds off my Manchester time. It was a difficult race and I’m proud I kept running when it got hard – that’s two nonstop marathons run now.

Yorkshire Marathon finish line
The Yorkshire Marathon used this finish line pic in their social media promo after the race. Nice to have a free race photo!

I won’t be attempting a fast marathon again until autumn 2025 (my next marathon is part of a multiday challenge, then I’m doing an ultra, then a fast half as my spring A race), which is partly why I was disappointed – I won’t get the chance to improve on my marathon PB for a year. But it does give me the time I need to improve and think about what I can do differently next time.

I will definitely be factoring in a longer taper. Back in my super-slow days, the happiest I ever was after a marathon was when I’d done a five-week taper. For next autumn’s marathon training block, I am going to try four weeks. I think, due to the spondylitis – which does still cause a lot of fatigue even though I’m very well medicated for it now – my body perhaps just needs a bit longer to recover after the peak training period.

I think I also need to find some way of speeding up my easy pace. This is more complicated, as I really feel that easy pace should just be what feels natural (and should speed up naturally as you become a faster runner in general – though unfortunately mine doesn’t really seem to be doing that!). However, I do have some initial ideas about things to try. I’ll change a few things around next year and see what works.

Race Recap: Great North Run 2024

This is a very late race recap. It’s been a mad few months and I’ve not had much time for blogging! But I’d like to get caught up before the end of the year, so expect a few more posts than usual over the next few weeks.

In September, as ever, I ran the Great North Run. It wasn’t an A race, as it was part of my training for the Yorkshire Marathon. However, I still thought I was probably capable of a PB, as I hadn’t run a half since February’s Valentine Half Marathon. In the weeks leading up to the race, I reckoned I could probably do 1:50ish. I was in the orange wave for the first time and I felt I was capable of it.

Great North Run
On the start line… before the rain arrived!

However, on the start line, I was having doubts. The weather was not kind (it would start to rain as we crossed the start line and would continue until we were nearly at the end), I didn’t really feel like running at max effort, and most of all I thought I would prefer to run with Geth, who was aiming for just under 2 hours following recovery from his Achilles injury. I decided that I would just set out and see how I felt.

A couple of miles in, Geth was still with me, so we decided we would run together at a steady pace to try and finish in 1:55ish, which would still be a big PB for me. It felt comfortable, and the miles ticked by really quickly despite the rain. I’ve done so many slow GNRs that felt like they took all day and this was so different.

No Red Arrows this year, but the finish straight was as wild and atmospheric as ever. I was conservative in my sprint finish because Geth couldn’t go too fast with his Achilles and I wanted us to finish together, but we still made it across the line in 1:55:22 – a 4 minute 9 second PB for me, and it felt so easy. I have high hopes for this distance next year.

Great North Run medals
The medals this year were designed to be held two together with alternate sides showing to depict the Tyne Bridge.

Another bonus this year was no freak flash floods! So we were able to get the bus back to Newcastle really straightforwardly and were home by 3:20pm (also a PB).

I am currently in my tenth year living in Newcastle and so it was my tenth Great North Weekend, having started with my very first race at the Great North 5k in 2015. I got all my T-shirts out to celebrate.

Great North Run t-shirts
Ten Great North Weekends… all memorable for different reasons.

Looking forward to many more! (Especially if they fix the start area process, which was complete and utter chaos this year.)

Race Recap: Great North 10k 2024

It felt like it took a while, but on 7th July I got to the final 10k race of my summer speed training block!

I wasn’t expecting or trying for a PB. I was already delighted with my 48:57 at Sunderland in May – I’d never expected to get sub-49 this year – and so I felt like I’d achieved everything I wanted to at this distance for 2024. Besides, the GN10k is a difficult course these days – a downhill start to the river (the same downhill start as the GNR) that of course needs to come back up as we travel through town and return to the Town Moor. Then of course there’s the horrible gravel section at the end that slows everyone right down. It’s not the best race and I expect I’ll be taking a break from it for a couple of years (though I may still make use of the very convenient running shoe recycling point that they provided in the race village on the Moor).

Nevertheless, I was hoping for consistency, as I’ve been doing around 50 minutes for all my 10k races this year. I was delighted to be in the orange wave at a Great Run event for the first time in my life (the fast laddies’ wave, as I used to think of it when I was stuck at the back in pink) and I wanted to enjoy it. Once upon a time (2016) I came last in this race out of thousands of people. It’s been a long journey.

It was a long walk down Claremont Road from the race village to the start – much longer than expected – and so it was a bit of a tight thing to get into the pen before the race started! That was probably a good thing, though, as I hate all the hanging around and the mass warmup. We were off before I knew it.

I decided not to stick with the 50 pacer on the downhill to the Tyne, as it’s really a race where you have to use the hills. I knew he’d catch up with me at some point. I was impressed that we had enough room on the Tyne Bridge for the out-and-back, as they’ve been doing long-term works on the bridge – a tentatively good sign for the main event in September, I hope.

The many twists and turns on the route meant that I often saw friends going in the other direction, which was a nice distraction! It started to get really tough in the second half with all the deceptive hidden uphills and then the gravel paths on the Moor. The 50 pacer caught me with about a mile and a half to go and there was no way I could stick with him, so I knew even before I finished it was going to be a season’s worst. 51:17 was the result. Still relatively consistent and over 10 minutes faster than my course PB from last year, so I’ll take it.

A bit of a party atmosphere at the end, and it did really feel like the end of a season!

Great North 10k
A few pics with friends before and after!

I won’t do as many 10ks next year – probably just one or two. I was starting to get race fatigue this year, and I’d like to come back refreshed to some of these races in a few years’ time. Hopefully by 2025 I’ll be excited to take on the distance again!

In the meantime, though, I’m back to marathon training (for Yorkshire in October), which really is my happy place at the moment. Looking forward to getting some peaceful long runs in.

Race Recap: Blaydon Race 2024

On 9th June, I was back at this atmospheric race for another year!

Bit of a stressful start due to the unreliability of the Tyne and Wear Metro – two cancelled trains and one delayed one meant that it was a sprint from Central Station to the Gateshead end of the Millennium Bridge to make the bag drop on time. A warmup, certainly… but far from an ideal one!

Blaydon Race
Pre-race. Photo from TMBR.

This was followed by a good hour of hanging about before the race start, but there were lots of friends to chat to and the time passed quite smoothly. We were away not too long after the scheduled start (I’ve seen much worse delays at Blaydon) and it was time to focus on keeping pace. My aim was to take a full 10 minutes off my time from the previous year, which was feasible based on recent performances.

I didn’t feel as sharp as I would have liked during the race – I think this is partly that I’m just not an evening runner and always find it a bit of a struggle that late in the day. I really did feel like I was flagging towards the end and didn’t have any energy left to speed up. Sadly, I just missed out on my ‘full 10 minutes off’ goal by 12 seconds 🙁 but 9 minutes and 48 seconds off is still pretty good!

Blaydon Race
Post-race celebrations! Photo from TMBR.

I think it’ll be my last Blaydon for a while (unless the FOMO gets to be too much around entry time next year) as I’d like to come back to it in a few years with (hopefully) renewed appreciation.

Onto the last race of the summer speed training block next…

Race Recap: Sunderland 10k 2024

A week after the Newcastle-Gateshead 10k, on 12th May, I was racing again – in Sunderland this time. This is the second year in a row I’ve doubled up on these 10ks and I almost certainly won’t be doing it again next year. My spring 2025 A race will be the Edinburgh Half Marathon at the end of May and so I’ll be trying to avoid filling up my training block with too many fast 10k efforts!

It was a nice morning out as I was travelling to and from the race with several other Benchies on the Metro. I always like Sunderland as I always get a PB there – it does have a few small hills but I find it to be a fast course with a good start and not too much congestion once you get into it.

As this is an Events of the North race, Steve Cram is the race director, and just wanders around in his hi-vis doing all the normal race director stuff on the day. Runners unfamiliar with the race are often a bit taken aback by this and a bit starstruck – you hear a lot of audible gasps of recognition when he comes down to lead the runners out to the start line!

We started relatively close to the front and I was able to get away in a fairly speedy manner on the heels of the fast laddies. My first couple of miles were too fast – 7:20ish min mile pace – and I ended up doing a 5k PB at the halfway split, which is never a good thing in a 10k! I faded pretty hard but held on as much as I could for the second half, managing to get over the line in 48:57 official time. (My watch said 49:03 and I thought ‘ahhh, next time’… but then I got the results text a few seconds later!) That’s a 37-second PB following the North Tyneside 10k in March, so I was really happy!

Sunderland 10k
Club photo at the finish.

I have two more races during this training block – the 5.8-mile Blaydon Race (tomorrow as of this writing!) and the Great North 10k in early July. I’ll give them my best shot (in particular, Sunderland has given me the confidence to go for it and try and take a full 10 minutes off my Blaydon time from last year), but even if I don’t get another PB at the GN10k, I think I can still be pretty happy with a sub-49 for this season. We’ll see what happens.

Race Recap: Newcastle-Gateshead 10k 2024

I first ran this 10k last year, when it was part of the ‘Gateshead Half Marathon and 10k’. This year a full marathon distance was added, so the event is now the ‘Newcastle-Gateshead Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k’ as a substantial chunk of the course is now run on the Newcastle side of the river. It took place on 5th May this year (it’s taken me a while to do the blog – May was a really hectic month!).

I knew various other people doing the 10k, half and full distances – including a few Benchies who were running their very first marathon – so I knew it would be a good day out!

After greeting some of said Benchies at the start area at Gateshead Stadium, I waited for the marathon start to clear and made my way to (relatively) near the front for the half/10k start. I had an A goal of a PB (following my 49:34 at North Tyneside in March) and a B goal of a consistent sub-50. I was still feeling fairly slow and sluggish at this point – I had only run Manchester Marathon three weeks beforehand – but I thought I’d give it my best shot and see where I was. This was the first of four races during my spring/summer 10k season so I would have a few more opportunities.

I went off as fast as I could out of the stadium and down the hills, settling into a steady-feeling pace. I managed to stay at a consistent-feeling effort for most of the route, and my pace did remain fairly steady, but keeping up with my back-and-forth with the 50 minute pacer was getting noticeably harder. Nevertheless, every mile was under 8 minute mile pace… until the last one, when you have to climb up all those hills you sprinted down during the first mile! I wasn’t quite able to stick with the pacer up those hills, and couldn’t pick up enough of a sprint on the track when back in the stadium to catch her. I finished in 50:17, so didn’t quite hit my B goal. Still fairly consistent though, and I was pleased to manage this kind of effort for the first time since the marathon, so I can’t complain.

Newcastle-Gateshead 10k
Finished! And knackered 😀 Photo from Runthrough.

The rest of the day was really fun, watching friends finish their races and cheering in those who were doing the marathon! It was a good day out and a great atmosphere at the stadium, and I might go along next year even though I’m not planning on taking part.

Newcastle-Gateshead run event
Party time! Photo from Wasif at TMBR.

Onto another 10k the following week… blog coming soon.