Its Sunday morning, I had talked Nagging Sister into doing the club members 10k run today, as well as Hitchy, and she even talked her hubby into running it as well. But like I say, its Sunday morning, 9 am, I could have been in bed for another hour before going to a nice warm church. But it's my club and I do like to support it and join in everything that belonging to a club entails.
9 am, Sunday, and p......... pouring down with rain! It has been now for at least 10 years, ok slight exaggeration, but at least for the past 5 days or so. But I am still keen, and it seems the two ladies are keen, along with Hitchys hubby. So at Willet way we all headed to register, hand in cakes and biscuits, for after the race, see what cakes there to motivate us to get our carcasses around, and then........jog to the start.
The start is about half a mile from where we are, and the group 3 to 7 runners took off like we were all ready starting, and not just for a warm up. Who does a warm up jog anyway? Mark was ready on the whistle, after getting a group photo, probably the only time we all will look fairly human on todays run, because by the time we get to the finish we we all look like drown rats and smelling like wet dog!
Three, two, one, GO! Again, all the faster runners take off, and it's difficult not to run a little faster than usual. When I looked at my Garmin I was actually running at 9:17 m/ml, a little fast for me considering I have 6 miles to jog today. And the relentless rain is going to make it seem like 12 miles.
There are tons and tons of puddles to to jump over, but as we were running up Blackbrook there seemed to be a river forming, coming out of the driveways, flooding the pavement. I was already fed up of hopping and jumping over the puddles, and as for running on the grass verges, well, that was a big fat no! they were all water logged as well! So straight through the middle of them. It's surprising how warm your feet can stay even though they are soaked!
At the turning to go through the park our illustrious Leader, Anne,of group one was ready to tag along to the last of the runners to be the sweeper, after making sure all the front runners headed in the right direction. Here there were even more puddles, and these ones were edge to edge, and deep! And now, for the first of the demoralising bits, we are passing the place where we first started, well almost, but we are heading on over the bridge.
I shall be walking up and down, no way am I jogging up these slippery stairs! And another chance to catch my breath. Now our finish point is just not that far from here, but we still have to run for another 4 miles! We head on up the hill, passing the road that has the entrance to the park and the finish line (along with tea and cakes) and up and up to the end. Demoralising point no.2!
At the top of this hill we turn right, along the flat until the roundabout and then....... its all downhill, I do love these bits. Another turn right, on to the the road with the entrance to the park! Demoralising pint no.3! "Why" I hear you ask! Because now on this road we turn right again. Away from the entrance to the park, We still have about another 2 miles to cover before we complete todays run!
This bit is also a hill! Up and UP, around the horseshoe road! Yes, horseshoe, which means that we will be popping out of this road virtually opposite the entrance to the park, to the finish, to the biscuits, and the cakes, and the tea and the awning.......sigh! Still not finished though, instead of tuning left we turn right, away from the entrance, demoralising point 4, and we run to the top of the road and turn left, and back on to the same road that we went down some half hour or so ago, demoralising point not 5!!
Not far now, straight up to the memorial hall, up the last of the hills! I could feel a blister forming on the back of my heel. Is it because my feet are soaked, or is it the silly trainer socks I have on, or just a combination of both! But I chose to ignore it, and deal with it later if it gets any worse.
And the turn left. Just another short flat road to do now before at last we get back on to the road with the entrance to the park on it! Oh for a lovely cuppa, Just a short jog now, I must remember not to blast this bit as we still have to run around the perimeter of the park to make it an official 10k distance. I, of course, was the last, each marshal that we we past we let them know, so that they could get on up to the tent and some tea.
Into the park now we can see everybody huddled under the awning, just the park to do, come on Old Girl. "Are you going to do your sprinting thing" says Anne, our illustrious leader "I don't think I have it in me" I said to her as we start the first quarter of the circuit. The ground was sodden, we were splashing and squelching through the grass, mud splattering everywhere, but when we got about half way, something kicked in! I started to pick up speed, I pushed it as hard as I could, I managed to get around to the last quarter and then I flagged. I could hear everyone calling to me, "Come on, come on!" I came to a walking pace again, and then tried to pick up the pace, run, Old girl, run! Oh Done It!!
Stop my Garmin! 1 hour and 12 mins and 34 seconds. I believe a PB for this distance!
I must say a big thank you to the marshals, all have stood outside in the pouring rain directing the runners which way to go. Big big thanks to you all!
Geeky stats from Garmin,
This is me coming in last with our sweeper, just look at the face, that is not a smile!
And again, just at the end, trying not to think about chucking up!
Which two ladies were keen? I certainly wasn't being dragged out of my nice warm cosy bed on a SUNDAY which is supposed to be a day of rest. Early morning as well, still grumping around the house now lol x
ReplyDeleteYou loved it sis, you know you did, and you did a great time too, well done :-)
DeleteWell done on the PB and braving the rain x
ReplyDeleteThanks Liz, its was just a quagmire on the field!!
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