So, after a full month of ‘real’ training in January, I was looking forward to building on those foundations in the short month of February. As my fitness has increased, it’s been fun to go out and choose my pace. I do follow the plan like it’s my new religion, however, there is some flexibility between the top end and low end of the training paces so when I’m feeling fresh, I’m naturally running easier and faster. A total of 113.6 miles done in February and my parkrun time has dropped to mid 27 minutes.
For the last two years now, Vale of York has made dressing up for the PECO Relays our own little tradition. Inspired by our University of York members who have their “challenge week” at the same time as the relays, raising money for their University Athletics and Running Club as they run in fancy dress. The rest of us? We just got swept along, and now it’s just too much fun to miss.
And 2026 proved to be the best year for fancy dress participation we’ve ever had.
The standout costume this year had to be Bananaman, A.K.A James Leadbeater, father of Ewan and Isabella. His full length costume as the 1980s TV cartoon superhero, was accompanied by three giant size bananas (Sarah, Beverley and Steve) for good measure.
04
Mar
Mar
At Vale of York, we like to encourage all our young athletes to perform at the best of their abilities. We’ve seen league wins, national qualifiers, personal bests and solid commitment from children across all age groups. But medals and times are not the measure that matters most to us.
Athletics is a long-term development sport.
Children develop at different rates, and while some mature early and look physically dominant at twelve or thirteen, others develop later and quietly catch up. Some balance athletics with football, hockey or other sports. Others just enjoy turning up once a week to work out and be with friends. All of those pathways are valid.
Our responsibility as Vale of York Athletic Community is to protect long-term development, wellbeing and enjoyment so that young people stay in sport for a lifetime.
01
Mar
Mar
Vale of York athlete Henry Henderson was awarded his junior parkrun 100 wristband this Sunday by the volunteers at Brayton Academy Junior parkrun.
Now nine years old, Henry has been running junior parkrun since 2021, starting as a four-year-old as soon as Covid restrictions were lifted. Since then, he has turned up regularly on a Sunday morning with his mum, dad and younger brother to complete the 2km run.
His consistency over five years at his age is impressive in itself.
24
Feb
Feb
It has been another strong PECO cross country season for Vale of York Athletic Community, and at the forefront for the juniors has been Archie Hadfield.
Archie finished 1st U13 boy in the league, with a string of consistent podium performances that never saw him finish outside the top three across all five races in the series.
His commitment to completing all five races mattered. Our junior squad of forty athletes were all chasing the “merch that money can’t buy” for completing every race in the series. Not everyone can win their age category, but everyone can do their very best to take part and earn their own reward as a result.
23
Feb
Feb
I was back to 40+ miles last week of mostly easy running. It felt good to see the mileage return to something that would see me back on course for 2026 miles in 2026, although I’m not entirely back on track yet and will not be chasing any bigger totals just yet.
16
Feb
Feb
I’ve been full of a cold since last Wednesday when I led a 300-600-300 wave interval session in the pouring rain at Bubwith. It’s likely my immune system was under strain anyway due to back-to-back 40-mile weeks and a 19-mile-long run the previous weekend.
As a result of the cold, which has been accompanied by a fever, I have had to curb all running, including missing the last of the PECO cross country race on Sunday. Running would have been reckless, and this year is supposed to be about thinking longer term for me — towards London in April and, more importantly, towards longevity of fitness and health.
09
Feb
Feb
On Saturday 27 June, Vale of York Athletic Community will be hosting a Funetics Multi Challenge (FMC) Quadrathlon at the University of York athletics facility. The event will give U10 and U12 athletes from schools and clubs across the region a chance to take part in an inclusive athletics competition designed specially for younger children.
02
Feb
Feb
I’m attempting to run 2026 miles in 2026. I’ve never managed to run the year in miles before. The closest I’ve come was in 2022, when I ran just over 1,800 miles — that also happened to be the year I ran my sub-3 marathon at Boston. That was a good year, but I’ve never actually broken 2,000 miles across a calendar year and would like to make a serious attempt in 2026.
31
Jan
Jan
Beverley’s training continues to go well as she progresses on her London Marathon journey. She reflects on another month’s running under her belt:
“January went like a flash, and a full month of training has been completed. It’s been a mixed bag of slow jogs, long runs and community fun, with the added bonus of a cross country swim — and not forgetting the Brass Monkey Half Marathon!