Alan from Backworth is a novice but his runs and fitness are building by the week.
He loves the challenge of seeing how far he can get along the coast in North Tyneside.
He loves the challenge of seeing how far he can get along the coast in North Tyneside.
I came across this website after a friend told me about it after a Parkrun I done one day at Newcastle. Now I don't profess to be a top runner or anything like that but I do like the idea of sharing your favourite training run with others.
I've only been running a couple of years and just got into it when I realised that I was getting lazy, overweight and out of breath after just walking up the stairs at work. My runs have gone from 400 metres around the block to 15 miles a week which includes my weekly run around the coast, North Tyneside.
I live in a place called Northumberland Park, near Backworth. It's not far from the coast so as soon as I was fit enough I knew I wanted to run there. The plan is to get to the coast, run as far as I can before ringing my wife and asking her to pick me up.
I normally walk to Sainsburys at Northumberland Park (it used to be for a mince pie but not any more) and head straight towards Earsdon then along and down Monkseaton Drive onto the coast. Once I'm there it feels like a different world. It's busy, which I know some runners dont like but I love to take in the atmosphere, it's fresh and it's undualting. I think that part of the enjoyment of a run is to have an adventure and I certainly get that! As the months have gone on I'v got further and further along before I have to stop.
I've only been running a couple of years and just got into it when I realised that I was getting lazy, overweight and out of breath after just walking up the stairs at work. My runs have gone from 400 metres around the block to 15 miles a week which includes my weekly run around the coast, North Tyneside.
I live in a place called Northumberland Park, near Backworth. It's not far from the coast so as soon as I was fit enough I knew I wanted to run there. The plan is to get to the coast, run as far as I can before ringing my wife and asking her to pick me up.
I normally walk to Sainsburys at Northumberland Park (it used to be for a mince pie but not any more) and head straight towards Earsdon then along and down Monkseaton Drive onto the coast. Once I'm there it feels like a different world. It's busy, which I know some runners dont like but I love to take in the atmosphere, it's fresh and it's undualting. I think that part of the enjoyment of a run is to have an adventure and I certainly get that! As the months have gone on I'v got further and further along before I have to stop.
The reason I decided to share my story with North East Runner is because last Sunday I made it to Tynemouth before I stopped and was thrilled! It was great to be able to look back and think that I'd ran past the Leisure Pool and old Spansih City in Whitley Bay, seen the groups of 'stags' and 'hens' staggering outside the numerous B&Bs recovering from a big night out the night before, come through Cullercoats and the smell of the fish n chips then made it up that last hill by the Grand Hotel in Tynemouth and up to the Gibralter Rock pub.
I've mapped the route on the internet and it comes to about 6 miles, I know that's not that long for some people but I know I will get further. I want to get further next week and would love to do a loop all the way round and make it back home one day. The thought of not even having to take my phone to ring the wife to pick me up is a massive incentive, I'm sure that day will come!
I've mapped the route on the internet and it comes to about 6 miles, I know that's not that long for some people but I know I will get further. I want to get further next week and would love to do a loop all the way round and make it back home one day. The thought of not even having to take my phone to ring the wife to pick me up is a massive incentive, I'm sure that day will come!