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James Young

@welcomebrand

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Last weekend I ran the Heights Ultra 50k here in the UK after entering at short notice a week or two before and enjoyed my first ultra finish in a good number of years. The last 5-6 years for me have been a catalogue of achilles injury issues and I always wanted to do the Heights because it’s on my doorstep, organised by friends and is on some lovely trails around the area I have run for many years with a nice mix of challenging elevation, open moorland and much more runnable sections. I’ve never really been one to enter a race knowingly undertrained to try and half-ass a finish but this one was an itch I’ve needed to scratch for the last few years. Worst case, if I DNF’ed it was only a 15 minute drive home and not a huge entry fee down the drain! Training Woeful - my longest run this year has been 11 miles with a weekly average of somewhere around 20-30 miles running and about 3-5 hours of cycling. Hardly a base to suggest an easy day on a 50k course with 4000ft elevation! I also wasn’t really sure how my achilles would hold up over more than a couple of hours running so the plan here was purely to finish and I had in mind anything under 6 hours would be a decent day out. A long way from when I fitter several years ago when I ran a similar course in the area in 4:15. Race The course is quite neatly manageable in 3 sections, the first 14ish miles are where most of the climbing is done, then there’s a section in the middle of open moorland for about 5 miles in total over the highest point of the course and then from about 20 miles barring one climb it’s a lot of downhill back to the finish More in comments 👇 taken in Broad Oak Cricket Club by @welcomebrand
3
25 days ago
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Highbury Fields Weekend trip to London as the dude was down to see The Weekend at Wembley so a quick visit from King's Cross. Plan was just to jog there from the hotel, have a reasonably steady run around the 5 lapper then run back to the hotel via the home of the best team in the world. Highbury Fields it's fair to say is a busy one! 5 small laps get congested fast and I think it wasn't as busy as the normal 700 they get (570 maybe) so just went off a little quicker than planned but still comfortable. You end up lapping people quite quickly and it's just busy. Ended up pushing a little in the last lap and ran in 16th and 19:44 so not bad after 5 pints the night before too 🤣 123rd location, 222nd parkrun Event info Tarmac path so road shoes fine Toilets in the park I believe but didn't use There's a water fountain near the start finish too which is handy Not sure about local parking #parkrun #parkruntourist #parkrunreview #london taken in Highbury Fields by @welcomebrand
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2 months ago
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Q ✅ Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. Bit of early start to get down to Lincolnshire for this one and as a rare 5 lapper around the school fields its perhaps not the most exciting course weve toured to but its still fun to tick off somewheree new and this one was a Q for the Alphabet challenge too. Flat and fast on the dry grass but honestly not too much else to say about it other than the usual friendly volunteers cheering everyone on in the increasing heat at 9am. Event info Course is on grass around playing fields. Road shoes fine when dry but might want some trail shoes in winter. Plenty of free parking at the school - be aware though thst its locked at either 10.30 or 11am so you cant stay too long after (they do warn you during the brief) Toilets in the pavilion right by the race brief/finish I believe its NOT dog friendly as its a school. 122nd location, 221st parkrun #parkrun #parkruntourist #parkrunner #running #runnersofinstagram taken in Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle by @welcomebrand
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2 months ago
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Tail walking last weekend at Barnsley. Been a while since my last volunteering stint and they're quite often on the lookout for volunteers so we both had a nice chilled wander although to be fair, there did only seem to be two people walking and everyone else was running 🤣 Handy that tail walking counts as a run and a volunteer job in one although never been one of those "I can help but I must run too" folks. 44 volunteer credits / 220th event #parkrun #volunteer taken in Locke Park Barnsley by @welcomebrand
0
3 months ago
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Tøyen 🇳🇴 A lovely week in Norway during the world cup rounded off with Tøyen parkrun in Oslo. Spent a few days in the mountains at the stunning Gausta ski resort. Quiet and landscape that's a mix of lake district and some of the smaller mountains in the alps before heading to Oslo for 4 days. The world cup was still on while we were there and not only that, the fates had conspired for the Norway vs England match to be played too! The whole country was absolutely nuts for their national team and after watching the following games with the world's worst winners and loses Argentina it was always a pleasure to see the good natured Norwegians enjoying their world cup ride. Lovely holiday and if you're looking for some peace and quiet with great hiking and outdoor activity the mountains have you covered and if you want a truly walkable small city with an incredible amount of activities like museums etc then Oslo is ideal although obviously everything is extremely expensive! parkrun: It's a fairly small park and so 3 laps which have one significant uphill drag on each lap with a out 210ft total elevation. It was already hot and humid by the time we arrived and I must admit even after a short while I felt absolutely gassed in the heat so eased back a bit given we had a full day of sign seeing ahead. The parkrun is mostly tourists but plenty of friendly and chatty locals too and it's run on almost entirely concrete paths with just the start and a short section of grass on each lap. Not sure about toilets but I'd expect there are some in the nearby botanical gardens and those and natural history museum over the road are well worth a visit while you're in that park area. There's plenty of parking on street although we walked from the Radisson at the station which was about 20 minutes. 20:02 for 5th place and 121st location / 218th parkrun #parkrun #running #parkruntourist #ukrunchat taken in Tøyen parkrun by @welcomebrand
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3 months ago
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Fountains Abbey This one has been on our to do list for more than 10 years, we nearly did it once years ago when we camped nearby but our tent failed and we went home the night before. This one is said to be the most picturesque parkrun in the country and it's definitely up there for the stunning grounds although my personal faves are still Woolacombe and Mount Edgecombe for views and more interesting courses. It's a simple 2 lapper on concrete paths and quite a fast one if you fancy a pb although the start was very congested when we did it as it was bank holiday weekend but it is narrow so be warned if you want to go faster! Event wise, it's super easy - tons of parking (it's a big national trust property), lots of clean toilets and a cafe. It is about a 5 minute jog/10 minute walk to the start from the car park. It's all on concrete paths so road shoes are good and dogs are welcome. We spent the rest of the morning exploring the grounds and the Abbey a bit more after our coffee and it's well worth a visit if you're a national trust member. 120th location and 216th parkrun #parkrun #parkruntourist #parkrunuk #ukrunchat #running taken in Fountains Abbey parkrun by @welcomebrand
0
5 months ago
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Temple Newsam We've done this one before but the normal course last time, this weekend was on their winter trail course because the venue has lots of concerts etc over the summer so their normal course isnt available. The plan after a heavy week was to run at a fairly easy effort and just cruise round but it's hard to resist sometimes 😀 Didn't go full gas by any stretch but pushed harder each mile from a steady start on the long uphill drag a nice steady rolling mile along the higher point of the course then a fun descent (with a little kick). Overall finished 5th which I was a little surprised at but good in context of a heavy weekend cycling the weekend before then 2 Norwegian Singles intervals sessions in the week. One thing that really pissed me off is the shocking number of people who can't respect the first timer and event briefing and just talk right through it. Event info: - Mostly easy single large lap on trail with some concrete paths. Road shoes would be fine on dry days but light trail might be best if wet - Plenty of parking (pay and display) next to the start - Toilets are by the cafe which is a couple of minutes jog in the opposite direction to the start - Cafe is decent although my breakfast muffin was a little uninspiring #parkrun #parkrunreview #parkruntourist #running #ukrunchat taken in Temple Newsam by @welcomebrand
0
5 months ago
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What a bloody brilliant event! 108 miles and 11,000ft of climbing and descending around some of the Lake District's most iconic climbs and passes. 10 hours 28 total time, just under 9 hours of riding, 2 punctures and a broken tyre lever but a fantastic adventure. Walked up some of the steep passes including Honister (not much fun getting a pinch puncture descending that!), always figured I'd walk the steep start and finish of Hardknott and Wrynose passes since the second half the ride is way harder than the first and then a little stretch of Blea Tarn before a nice cruise back to Grasmere. Given I've done a single 9 mile road ride this year I'm not sure you can call that training 😅 all my training for the year has been focused on running. I knew it was a big event but my word was it good to see that many people on the road. I was literally never on my own the whole time! Organisation and the sheer number of marshals, volunteers and support around the course was amazing. Thank you to everyone who puts the event on. I gave it a good effort and I'll definitely do that one again 🙏 #cycling #fredwitton taken in Grasmere, Lake District by @welcomebrand
1
5 months ago
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OK, that was a bit unexpected! I've decided to focus in on trying to get a bit of speed back as I edge towards turning 50 this year, the 45-49 age category has been one of quite a bit of injury and life changes so I won't be sad to see the back of it in running terms. When I was running well I felt like it would last a long time with relatively minimal loss of speed if I just kept consistent but that obviously hasn't happened. My next step is a 10 week plan trying the Norwegian Singles Approach with more speed work but sub threshold to try and avoid injury while staying consistent. For that, I needed a baseline. I was actually pretty pleased with my run at Armley last week of 19:51 on a slightly undulating and partly grass course but obviously felt that a fast course would potentially worth something like lower 19 mins so we drove up to Selby as it's pan flat out and back on tarmac and on a beauty of a day with no wind it's ideal for a PB. I was going for it full gas this time, I don't really look at my watch much when running because I'm confident enough I can pace at an effort I can hold but I was a little surprised to see 5:45 pace a third of a mile in I must admit 😂 so just eased off a fraction but from the first mile it was full commitment and hanging on for the final half mile is as hard as I've run for a very long time. Couldn't believe it when I crossed the line in 4th and 18:34. Easily 20-30 seconds faster than I expected and a great baseline to build on. The goal originally for the training plan was to perhaps get to 18:30 but I feel sub 18 is definitely back on the cards when we return to Selby next time! @runhappyally also had a great run too, both of us finished first in our age categories so a positive morning all round. We've run Selby before so for the event info check the older post in my feed. #parkrun #parkruntourist #running #training #ukrunchat taken in Selby parkrun by @welcomebrand
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6 months ago
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Armley Quite enjoyed that one, a nice relatively fast 3 lapper in Leeds with a mix or tarmac path and playing fields. It's quite flat generally speaking and while I wasn't necessarily planning a hard effort after 4 pints Friday evening I figured I'd start off at an honest effort and see how it went. While I do run with a watch, most of the time these days I rarely look at it. My finishing times aren't going to break any personal bests these days so I run to effort and have a good idea of what I can sustain. I'll usually have a glance or two in the final half mile and for this one coming around the final bend to the last little incline to the finish area still under 19 minutes was quite a nice treat and so a push to the finish and 4th position in 19:51, I was quite happy all told. We didn't have much time to hang around so in terms of event details: Route: 3 and a bit laps mixed tarmac paths and playing fields. Road shoes would be fine in summer, you might want some light trail shoes if it's been wet though Parking: plenty of free on street parking around the park Toilets: I think there are some by the start but didn't use 🐕 friendly course Cafe: Didn't have time to stay but I don't think there's one in the park itself 211 runs, 118 locations #parkrun #parkruntourist #ukrunchat #parkrunreview #running taken in Armley Park by @welcomebrand
1
6 months ago
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Hunstanton Promenade Nice Easter weekend trip to Norfolk and a visit to Hunstanton since our original plan for Holcombe Hall had to change due to there being an easter event there. Quite liked this one to be fair, 3 and a bit laps on their summer grass course on the top of the cliff (their winter course is on the lower concrete promenade) on a nice April morning with a little breeze but nice temps and if you had to pick a parkrun with an ideal visitors set of amenities then you’d be hard pushed to beat this one! We were camping at Deepdale campsite for the weekend so getting to parkrun was a bus trip on the 316 coastliner (dogs allowed) and a 30 minute ride along the nice quiet roads and getting off at the Lincoln Square stop right next to the start/finish point (for the summer course at least). Worth noting if you’re doing a similar visit that the bus is quiet at 8am on a Saturday and it actually turned up 2 minutes early at our stop and didn’t really pick anyone else up en-route and so if you arrived at the bus stop on time, you might have missed it! In terms of amenities, there are free public toilets right next to the start/finish and the Salad Bowl cafe was a decent enough (if a little pricey for standard fare) stop although dogs are not allowed and we had to sit outside. Hunstanton town center is only a 5 minute walk though so other options available. For the run, I gave it a good effort but my word it’s getting harder to remain even remotely fast - a minute a mile slower than what marathon pace used to be is becoming a hard run these days so 20:23 for 6th (1st MV45-49 though) wasn’t a thrilling time but the effort is still there I guess. It’s a fairly flat course over 3 and bit laps entirely on grass, not the fastest perhaps but decent enough if it’s not too windy on the cliff top! 211 parkruns, 118th location #loveparkrun #parkruntourist #running #parkrun #instarunner taken in Hunstanton by @welcomebrand
0
6 months ago
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A little weekend trip to Southport in the van 👌 Kew Woods is a fun 3 lapper on hard pack and dirt paths. Considering how flat the general Southport area is, this one has a few bumps but coming from a hilly area in Holmfirth the "hell hill" bit you climb 3 times isn't as scary as the name might imply 😂 Running wise, the heavy weights leg session at PT on Friday morning wasn't optimal and 20:42 for 3rd finisher felt like a proper slog! Event wise, it's a nice fun course and there's plenty of free parking just near the start at Dobbies Garden Center and we stopped for breakfast after which was at least reasonably priced if somewhat slow in being served. Dogs are also welcome both at the parkrun and the garden center. I don't think there are any toilets available before the event as the garden center opens at 9 so bear that in mind or double check. Light trail shoes are probably best but if it's dry road shoes would be fine. 209th parkrun, 117th location. After parkrun we had a lovely weekend wandering around Southport, worth a visit for sure. #parkrun #parkruntourist #ukrunchat #strava #running taken in Kew Woods Park by @welcomebrand
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7 months ago
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