Great North Run

Personnally, a bit disappointed in my time - just over 1 hour 29. Had been training for 1:25. Shame is that I made the mistake on the start line!

Every previous year I have started on the right hand side of the motorway - behind the elites. This year, as I was walking up to that pen, I noticed that the one on the left had less than half the number of the right hand pen, so I was able to get within a few feet of the front, just behind the 'celebs'.

Big mistake! Crossed the line walking and continued to walk for 30 seconds, followed by a 1 minute gentle jog, then a while of skipping around hordes of faces I would never know in a million years, but are classed as 'celebs' for one reason or another. Once I got some space I was able to push to try to gain back some of the lost time.

Got to the end of the first (fast) mile, around a minute behind target. Could either go for broke and try to run equivalent to 1:24 the whole way, or ease off for sub 1:30. Decided on the go for broke, knowing that if it failed, I should still have enough left to ease down, with an even more comfortable time window.

Around mile 8 I could see that there was too much left to do. With the weather going warmer I could have done with drinking quite a bit, but I didn't. So eased off the rest of the way. Remember looking at my watch when I hit the sea road and had 8 and a half minutes to break the 90 minute mark. Thought I was well within that, forgetting, of course, that I hadn't reached the 12 mile point and there was the little matter of the .1 mile as well at the end. Still, made it.

Must get the hydration sorted. Seems that it's scuppering a few runs recently and I am noticing the difference in long training runs. I'll have to start taking drinks on the bike and drinking at race pace during training. Else, I was wondering if I would be better off once every 4 or 5 miles taking a 30 second walk to drink plenty of water?

If you ever ask yourself which side it is best to start the Great North Run on - don't pick behind the 'celebs' if you are in an early pen and likely to want to run past all but Nell McAndrew (who finished ahead on the road, but slightly behind in time). Her and a few others certainly deserve to run from the front - in fact she should probably qualify for the elite women's start? But the majority just cause a blockade and I did witness one or two shouting at fast runners for trying to get past them. Not the spirit of a race, really.

Great North Run Charity Places

It's just been brought to my attention that the NDCS still have some charity places remaining for the Great North Run.

I've tried to help these guys over the last couple of years by publicising their places and plenty of people have signed up through my efforts! Their minimum sponsorship is only £350, which is far better than some other events! And in applying for a charity place through the NDCS you are supporting the work they do with deaf children.

Especially for those who have never ran the race before, a charity place is a good starting point. They provide you with a running vest and training hints and tips up until race day. Plus, after the race you can visit their hospitality tent for a quick snack and a welcome back. And it's far easier to meet friends and family in the charity village after the run than in other places.

At least take a look at their website!

Great Manchester Run

I accidentally found out today that the Great Manchester Run is accepting entries. Given that this has filled up quickly in previous years this was rather fortuitous. Being a member of the Great Run Club, I did think that I would be given priority entry and told a couple of days before the race opened, like in past years. Maybe this year that priviledge is no longer included, or maybe the mailing list was created before this year's entries were included.

I also noticed at the same time that the Great North Run will be accepting 52,000 entrants this year! That's going to be one busy run that day. I'm sure my first Great North Run only had 36,000 entries, or there abouts.

Well, that's 3 future races entered now. I suppose training had better step up!

Great North Run Accommodation Sorted

Well it's sorted after a lot of sweat, tears and hanging onto phone lines and trawling through websites. We're back off to the caravan site we used last time! (see link here.).

Not exactly 5* accommodation, but beggars can't be choosers - especially finding accommodation for the Great North Run. It's cheap (£91 per van), they were clean and we could get showered and dry after the race before we drove home. I'll just use some of the cash I've saved to by a heater as caravans aren't the warmest of accommodations.

Great North Run accommodation sorted - now just the training to go. Should get easier from here!

Great North Run Accommodation - How Difficult?

How difficult can it be to find accommodation for the Great North Run? Book a hotel, turn up. Surely it's easy?

It's pre Christmas. Almost 10 months to go before the race and the job isn't easy. Hotels charging £130 - £150 per room per night and we need 2 rooms, one for 2 nights and the other for 3 nights. Plus one needs to be a family room - and they can be even more expensive!

It's not fun and it will be what eventually stops me running the Great North Run. Running it is easy. Finding somewhere to stay that's not going to cost over £600 is far harder!

Still Looking For Great North Run Accommodation

Finding Great North Run Accommodation is proving even more difficult that last year! Every year it seems to get more difficult and more expensive. And every year I wonder when we'll give up entering the race because the accommodation is becoming a joke.

We started looking for caravans like last year (see links to recommendations on this page). Worked a treat then, but this year the caravan parks haven't released their availability yet. The nearest accommodation we could find in a caravan was almost 40 miles from Newcastle.

So we started to look at a short break in a cottage (again, some links on this post). There does seem to be plenty available and for a good price. It's strange that it works out so much cheaper whilst giving the benefit of somewhere to get showered and changed after the Great North Run. Why we didn't think of it years ago I'll never know! Probably because we discovered it for last year through sheer desperation!

Accommodation For The Great North Run Isn't Easy!

I don't know what people will do who enter through the ballot and then need Accommodation for the Great North Run. If our experience this, and previous years, is anything to go by then by February there's going to be nothing left!

Our problem is compounded by taking 2 spectators and our daughter. Needing 2 rooms makes it a bit harder, but most places can sort that out. But is seems that none of the hotel websites can cope with booking a family room. The usual website (see yesterday's posts for a link - I don't want to plaster this with links to other people's sites) was great when there was just the 2 of us and it does display prices for 'larger rooms', but there doesn't seem a way of booking them. Maybe they are working on it...

I don't want to go direct to the hotels, that's far too expensive. Using a third party website for accommodation is much cheaper and has saved me loads of cash in Great North Runs in the previous years. But it looks like the only way to book a room for 3 is to go direct. And needing a couple of nights, that makes it very expensive.

I think it's cottages & caravan parks for me today. Hope I find something cheap!

Great North Run Accommodation

Finding accommodation for the Great North Run is getting harder by the year! The first year we used Nirvana because we booked late and were put in a nice B&B in Morpeth. It was convenient for the bus transfer, but it took ages to get back there after the race. The following year we saw the prices had gone up, so we did our own thing.

So we then used Active Hotels a few times. These were great - one year we tried to book directly with the hotel and they asked for far more then Active Hotels asked for. Best of all, you don't pay a penny when you book - just when you checkout. And the hotels we've booked through them can be cancelled until the day before arrival. So if you are thinking of running the Great North Run, save yourself the hassle of finding accommodation for the race in February when the results of the ballot are announced and book with Active Hotels now. Check the T&C of the hotel and if you don't get a ballot place then you can cancel the booking without charge. But looking for Great North Run accommodation once the ballot opens is always hard work. Once the results are announced...

The problem with Active Hotels is that we haven't found how to book a triple room. It meant having to go direct to the hotel - and loosing those great discounts. So the last couple of years, since our daughter & other relatives have been coming with us, we've started to look elsewhere. So last year we started using at Hoseasons and Cottages4You.

Now these last 2 might seem a bit daft, but to be honest, we are finding them an excellent alternative. Last year the caravan site was a hive of activity on the morning of the Great North Run - obviously we weren't the only runners to have thought of that idea. And the fact that the nearer sites were booked up early shows that's true.

The thing is with a cottage / caravan etc is that you can do a short break. It's not hard to find one that costs less for a short break than a hotel does for a night (we paid less than £100 for our 3 night stay in a caravan last year - most Great North Run hotels seem to charge £130+ per night). You then arrive Friday after work, have a leisurely day Saturday and after the race you can go back, get showered and changed and either head home or spend another night there. We really enjoyed that. Just a pity the place we stayed in is fully booked up.

So we're left in the hunt for Great North Run Accommodation. Only December and everywhere is filling up already. What will it be like when the ballot opens???

Great North Run

Well we are both entered for next year's Greatn North Run, with guaranteed entries for the following 2 years as well. Not cheap, but it allows us to get accommodation (especially for the following years) early, before all of the cheaper rooms are taken. Also get some sort of technical t-shirt - still to be seen!