#bookofpilx 2018
‘Be an inspiration to yourself, not just to others. Create your own journey’.
At the beginning of 2018 I planned a few runs, couple of holidays, focused on a couple of blogs and what a year it’s turned out to be. I personally think this year has made me. I have found out what I am good at, what I enjoy, what makes me free my mind and achieve my goals and what I want in life (well kind of). My year has consisted of trail running, fell walking, fundraising, event organising, family and friends, St Catherine’s Hospice and time away. What I have learnt about this year is to keep smiling, enjoy every minute, just run, just walk, just ride, mind over matter, let the journey begin….
Fell Walks with family and friends
This year I have managed to fit in Coniston Old man 4 times with surrounding fells including Swirl How and Wetherlam from various directions and paths, Priests Cave and Dove Crag near Patterdale, Hodge Close and Tarn Hows, Rydal Caves, Pendle hill a good few times, Langdale Pikes and Jacks Rake, Hellvelyn and Striding Edge from Glennridding, and Malham Cove in Yorkshire for our festive family walk. All these walks I have done with close friends and family, some on my own. Stay safe and always think before you ever go on your own and take the correct kit with you.
Trail Races
My trail races over the year went from March through to December and these are all of them in order. Cartmel, Hawkshead, Staverley, Coniston, Ambleside, Keswick, Coniston, Hellvelyn, Ullswater, Langdale, and Forest of Bowland. All events totalling 122 miles and climbing 17,674ft. To complete all these and come 4th overall in the 2018 Lakeland Trail series just shows that consistency is key and when you dedicate your year to running and still have the same social life is a massive personal achievement. This has made me hungry for more.
Fundraising and Running for St Catherine’s Hospice.
To begin my year, I started to trend myself #bookofpilx and begin a journey for everyone to follow and something to look at and hopefully inspire and motivate people on my way. I decided to get in touch with my local hospice and set a plan up of my blogs. St Catherine’s has inspired me to do more for the hospice, support them and represent them as much as I can also raising vital funds through the journey. I am involving a couple more charities this year and linking them all together on my website and Facebook page. My friends Gareth and Tracey have opened a whole new world for me by setting me up with a web page which has blown my mind. This makes it easier for me to blog and link everyone together as well as my upcoming events and other events through the local charities which I am supporting and representing. To end the year with all the tools needed to grow in 2019 with the help and support from the local community. This year is the beginning of a new chapter in the #bookofpilx.
Moving Forward into 2019.
My personal goal for next year is to complete my first ultra-run in Ambleside in June which is 35 miles and climbing 7,000ft. Hopefully after doing this I will enter more and see how much ground I can cover in a limited time and look to make my runs even longer and enter a 50miler and then a 100miler. I’m not bothering with a marathon I’m just getting the correct advice and stick to my training plan and go from there. My core of my training will consist of lots of running (back to back runs), swimming, yoga and strength workouts in the local gyms. All this focus’ on breathing techniques, core and endurance. I will be doing other events around this ultra all in the Lake District through-out the year. My family are getting involved more as next year we will all go together and my dad and sister taking part in Hawkshead 10k. Both fell walk and they have never done a running race before.
If you have never run 3 miles, if you have never hiked a mountain, or if you just want to set yourself a goal its never a wrong time. Get involved with your local events and motivate yourself to do it and involve family and friends and enjoy it even more. If you need help, ask, if no one listens, shout, if you want to walk, walk, if you want to do anything, just do it, believe in yourself and enjoy it. Like Joss Naylor quoted, ‘It’s a hill, get over it’.
My Advice.
I am not no personal trainer and I haven’t got qualifications in life coaching, but I have an opinion and outlook on things I do. Whether the are right or wrong it doesn’t matter. All I know is I went to college and I learnt far more than the qualification. I began living my life to how I wanted and admit I am full on at times but that makes me who I am. My advice is to just get out there, get in the hills, do better than you did last year, set yourself a goal, if you need to talk to someone, talk, if you want to go out, go out, if you want to stay in and chill, you do that after.. Make sure your happy and remember to never put too much pressure on yourself. Keep smiling. So, what if your life hasn’t gone the way you would have liked it, do something about it. Life’s too short. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
My Blogs Next Year.
People who inspire me are my family and friends, also I have a part of my Uncle Damien that I am growing into slowly, (my mum agrees) but have followed in my dads footsteps all through my life. Other inspirations are local trail and fell runners who join me and some who I ask for advice and knowledge. This year I will be in touch with local runners and clubs to inspire me on my way.
Steve Birkinshaw and Joss Naylor also are inspirations of mine. After reading both their books I went through the journey with them and the pain they went through to fill their dreams in running all the Wainwrights. Finally, the one person I am going to involve in all my journey who inspired me a few years back when I studied, taught me life in many ways and a bigger outlook on everything. If it wasn’t for this man called Dave, I don’t think I would have the knowledge and determination to make all this work. This is bigger than any qualification.
Other blogs will be focusing on my Training, Events, fitness, Health and Hills. I will be looking at the stress-free way to train and time-management, how I get motivated and I have set myself a goal which will be focusing on running, walking or hiking over 1000miles this year and climb over 150,000ft which is about 6 times the height of Everest.
Conclusion – Thankyou.
I couldn’t have got through the past few years without my family and friends. I am lucky to have these incredible humans around me. My dad has supported my every race and he plan’s his walks while I’m running and is always at the finish line at the end. My mum and sisters have recently come to a few of my races and loved them all. We will get more involved as a family next year and share our same interests on hobbies in the hills.
A big thank you to my mates who must put up with me daily and have first-hand experience from the BookofPilx with all my Pilxism’s and my adventures.
To follow my journey please visit my website www.bookofpilx.co.uk, also my Facebook page #bookofpilx and help me raise vital funds for the hospice over the next few years with more inspiring events and achievements to come. Please also follow the Leyland Trucks Helping Hand Charity page on Facebook for upcoming events. All links are through my website. Thanks for your support. The local community, supporting their local hospice.
More info will be on my page about the Guild Wheel Walk 2019 which will be on Good Friday again over the next few weeks. Any information or advice don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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