Michael Holliday - Ambassadors during Lockdown

I'm a self employed joiner in our family business making handmade kitchens and bedrooms. I've been running since 2012 but this was only a couple of times a week whilst playing cricket and hockey. I entered Scafell Trail Marathon in 2014 and got round (barely) on the back of a 9 mile run and a road half marathon. Since then I've gradually focused more of my time on my love for running and getting out on the fells, finally focusing solely on running in 2017. I've completed several 50km and 50mile races and have 2 Lakeland 100 finishes to my name as well as a couple of the smaller races at UTMB. I'm also a run leader and male club captain of my local club DH Runners in Carlisle.

What are your personal bests?

5K        17:20

10k      35:20

1/2      1:18:05

50M    8:11 (Lakeland 50)

100M  24:25 (Lakeland 100)

What have you been doing during lockdown?

I've been pretty lucky during Lockdown, I work with my brother making kitchens and we managed to stockpile a load of material and kept working, I finished slightly earlier than normal to get back to help Rosie entertain our 1-year old son, Alf. Rosie has taken up nearly all of the pressure of spending 3 months with a 1 year old who just started to walk/run before lockdown began!

Did COVID-19 affect many events / training?

Like most people I have had a couple of events cancelled, Kielder 50km in April and Scafell Trail Marathon in August. On the whole I wasn't too disappointed. I picked up a virus in March and didn't run for a few weeks and just took the chance to have a rest and build up my running gradually while getting in some more walking and yoga.

How did you cope with training during lockdown?

I enjoyed training during lockdown, I discovered a few new local tracks that opened up some more trails to me. It only took 5 years to realise that they were there.

How have you found being an ambassador for XMiles?

It's great, I love the monthly nutrition subscription, I was getting it monthly but moved it back to every other, so I don't get swamped with gels. I've met a few of the other guys on the team from recognising them at various events.

What do you have planned for the future?

Plans for the rest of the year are still to run Kielder 50km in October, it's still going ahead at the moment. And I've given myself an early Christmas present to run the Tour de Helvellyn on 19th of December, 38 miles of Lake District trails and bog. At least I'll have earned some extra helpings over Christmas!