But a great day!
Last night I went to bed at 10:30 which would give me 8hrs sleep. Last night I woke up at least 5 times and turned my alarm off and started to get dressed at 3:10! At which point I realised it was pitch black outside as it wasn't time to get up! So I was tired!
Anyway when I did get up it was breakie and final sort of kit then off at 8. The journey there was fine and traffic free and I didn't get lost once! What I did notice was that the country around was somewhat undulating!
Anyway got there in one piece and it wasn't quiet as cold as expecting! The next 30 mins or so was taken up with team manager Beanz sorting us all out. I was to do Leg 2. Looking around I noticed several Ivanhoe Runners (my club) and I got a few glares! One lady (Eve the former Ladies Captain) did say hello and ask how I was doing and I took the opportunity to explain I wasn't down at the club as I was 12mm just now and too slow for them! She pointed out she had hardly run and hadn't been for 3mths either! No one else spoke.
I was driven to the start and my planned warm up was thrown out of the window due to a road closure! I got to the start just in time to take off my long sleeved top, tie it round my waist and set my watch before we started! Having already run up the road (yes UP as in hill) and climbed UP a wall to get to the trail before hand I was already puffing! Hardly an ideal start!
We set off and all I could see was HILL! Sorry I mean "slight incline for the 1st 800m". I refused to walk (Eve who was also doing this leg did walk) and for a fleeting moment I was second last! At the top of the hill I took up my position of last (which I held to the end of the leg!) and crawled on. Legs aching, breathing awful (end of cold phlegm stuck in throat (sorry!) making me wease as such) and I just wanted to stop. But I didn't and I somehow managed to get to the end without walking!
The scenery was wonderful (being slow has it's advantages!), the surface was perfect, the weather was cool but about right for racing. I kept on reflecting back to my last race.... FLM with 35000 runners and every inch lined with support. Here there was 48 runners per leg and not one supporter just the occasional walker and non-racing runner (yes the runners passed me!)
I struggled on trying to estimate where I was as I hadn't put on my GPS (good job really as I wouldn't have had time to get a signal anyway!) As I got to 20mins and the front runners started back on their cool down I thought "10-15mins to go just keep running" as my estimated time was 30-35mins. Suddenly as I rounded a corner there is was! The finish! I couldn't believe it! I felt like I was crawling, like I was at 13-14mm pace and slowing yet there was the finish! My watch 28:14 official time 28:20. Now this meant either it wasn't 2.5m or my exhausted legs were due to me running harder than I thought! Yes I was last but Eve was 2nd last so I felt a bit better!
I took a few mins walk/breather then headed back. In my head I had it as 2.5m for my leg then 1.5m to the start.
After about 5mins I bumped into my club chairman who was chatty and lovely! A further 5mins of trotting (legs totally shot (maybe I had run hard after all!) ) and I was getting cold. The wind was suddenly very noticeable. The trail was suddenly very exposed and high up. I stopped and put on my long sleeved top and told myself to run to stay warm. A short while later with legs still saying NO I had to stop and remove grit from both shoes. With no fence or tree to hold on to I almost fell over as I wobbled on tired legs.
I made the return leg to the start of Leg 2 in 34 mins including all stops. Incidentally that "slight incline" well at the top there was a sign "cyclist dismount. Steep decline 1:14"
Then on to the start. As I had it in my head it was just 1.5m I was thinking 30mins max. Oh no!
Leg 1 was actually 3.8m and included steep hills from hell! (1:18) which had what can only be described as concrete curbs running across the diagonal every 30-40' which when added to the flint made running hard but also the slope was so that I couldn't easily stop! I stumbled a few times (partially due to the terrain partly due to wobbley legs!) and finally made it to the bottom.
It was now that I started asking walkers if I was in the right direction for Cromford as I was sure I had done much more than 1.5m!
Finally I asked a forest worker and he directed me back to the mill (the start) via the main road. More running down hill (Cromford Hill had road signs saying "low gear 12%" and again it was run 'cos I can't stop! After 10mins of running down this damn hill I finally recognised where I was!
Crossing the road took 5mins. I arrived back 53mins after leaving Leg 2. As I didn't have my GPS I guessed at 4m making todays run 1hr 57 and 9m including all stops (about 10mins worth!)
I'm delighted to say that our team came 44th out of 48! Last year the team was last! I will be back (if poss!) as it is a lovely if somewhat exhausting run! No medal or tee just the glory and pride and a great team spirit!
Thanks Beanz for organising it!
Last night I went to bed at 10:30 which would give me 8hrs sleep. Last night I woke up at least 5 times and turned my alarm off and started to get dressed at 3:10! At which point I realised it was pitch black outside as it wasn't time to get up! So I was tired!
Anyway when I did get up it was breakie and final sort of kit then off at 8. The journey there was fine and traffic free and I didn't get lost once! What I did notice was that the country around was somewhat undulating!
Anyway got there in one piece and it wasn't quiet as cold as expecting! The next 30 mins or so was taken up with team manager Beanz sorting us all out. I was to do Leg 2. Looking around I noticed several Ivanhoe Runners (my club) and I got a few glares! One lady (Eve the former Ladies Captain) did say hello and ask how I was doing and I took the opportunity to explain I wasn't down at the club as I was 12mm just now and too slow for them! She pointed out she had hardly run and hadn't been for 3mths either! No one else spoke.
I was driven to the start and my planned warm up was thrown out of the window due to a road closure! I got to the start just in time to take off my long sleeved top, tie it round my waist and set my watch before we started! Having already run up the road (yes UP as in hill) and climbed UP a wall to get to the trail before hand I was already puffing! Hardly an ideal start!
We set off and all I could see was HILL! Sorry I mean "slight incline for the 1st 800m". I refused to walk (Eve who was also doing this leg did walk) and for a fleeting moment I was second last! At the top of the hill I took up my position of last (which I held to the end of the leg!) and crawled on. Legs aching, breathing awful (end of cold phlegm stuck in throat (sorry!) making me wease as such) and I just wanted to stop. But I didn't and I somehow managed to get to the end without walking!
The scenery was wonderful (being slow has it's advantages!), the surface was perfect, the weather was cool but about right for racing. I kept on reflecting back to my last race.... FLM with 35000 runners and every inch lined with support. Here there was 48 runners per leg and not one supporter just the occasional walker and non-racing runner (yes the runners passed me!)
I struggled on trying to estimate where I was as I hadn't put on my GPS (good job really as I wouldn't have had time to get a signal anyway!) As I got to 20mins and the front runners started back on their cool down I thought "10-15mins to go just keep running" as my estimated time was 30-35mins. Suddenly as I rounded a corner there is was! The finish! I couldn't believe it! I felt like I was crawling, like I was at 13-14mm pace and slowing yet there was the finish! My watch 28:14 official time 28:20. Now this meant either it wasn't 2.5m or my exhausted legs were due to me running harder than I thought! Yes I was last but Eve was 2nd last so I felt a bit better!
I took a few mins walk/breather then headed back. In my head I had it as 2.5m for my leg then 1.5m to the start.
After about 5mins I bumped into my club chairman who was chatty and lovely! A further 5mins of trotting (legs totally shot (maybe I had run hard after all!) ) and I was getting cold. The wind was suddenly very noticeable. The trail was suddenly very exposed and high up. I stopped and put on my long sleeved top and told myself to run to stay warm. A short while later with legs still saying NO I had to stop and remove grit from both shoes. With no fence or tree to hold on to I almost fell over as I wobbled on tired legs.
I made the return leg to the start of Leg 2 in 34 mins including all stops. Incidentally that "slight incline" well at the top there was a sign "cyclist dismount. Steep decline 1:14"
Then on to the start. As I had it in my head it was just 1.5m I was thinking 30mins max. Oh no!
Leg 1 was actually 3.8m and included steep hills from hell! (1:18) which had what can only be described as concrete curbs running across the diagonal every 30-40' which when added to the flint made running hard but also the slope was so that I couldn't easily stop! I stumbled a few times (partially due to the terrain partly due to wobbley legs!) and finally made it to the bottom.
It was now that I started asking walkers if I was in the right direction for Cromford as I was sure I had done much more than 1.5m!
Finally I asked a forest worker and he directed me back to the mill (the start) via the main road. More running down hill (Cromford Hill had road signs saying "low gear 12%" and again it was run 'cos I can't stop! After 10mins of running down this damn hill I finally recognised where I was!
Crossing the road took 5mins. I arrived back 53mins after leaving Leg 2. As I didn't have my GPS I guessed at 4m making todays run 1hr 57 and 9m including all stops (about 10mins worth!)
I'm delighted to say that our team came 44th out of 48! Last year the team was last! I will be back (if poss!) as it is a lovely if somewhat exhausting run! No medal or tee just the glory and pride and a great team spirit!
Thanks Beanz for organising it!
Comments
:o)
fanks everyone