At the start with Patron Joss Naylor, the Game Keeper and the Support Car
Over my past three 10in10’s I’ve only managed very few sub 3 hour 30 min runs.
These were:-
2011 None
2013 One
2015 Two
I would like to do some or at least 1 this year but with my lack of training coming into the event it looked very doubtful. For this reason I decided to take day 1 more aggressively than I probably should and aim to make it a sub 3:30 while my legs were fresh. Even if this affected my times over the next few days, for me it would be well worth it.
The weather was surprisingly nice, sunny and warm, in fact a bit too warm but it made the scenery look stunning, lighting up all the new young leaves on the beech trees like they were fluorescent. I’m never going to complain about nice weather in the Lakes, it doesn’t happen enough.
I started off at a pace that would get me comfortably under 3:30 without getting too silly, getting myself to half way in 1:43. The next 5 miles are a hilly section of the run, probably the toughest section of the course and in the warm sun took it out of me and I slowed. My dream of a sub 3:30 faded. I pushed on to a hill on the far side of Bowness with an ice cream van at the top (which we all affectionately call Ice Cream Mountain) where I was resigned to walking for a few yards. The dream faded some more. I put all that was left in the road to Ambleside and knew I was so close to my target. With only a mile to go I got a huge shout from a man on a bicycle, it was my friend Chris from Astley & Tyldesley Road Runners, my local club with his wife, Lyn.
They spurred me on as I came into Clappersgate and the last half mile. I was desperately tired and knew I was within seconds of 3:30 but which way would it go? I legged it up the drive of the hall and down on to the front lawn to the finish. Exhausted I collapsed on the grass. Finishing time 3:29:11, job done, I’m so pleased. Chris and Lyn were there to greet me, which was wonderful. I really appreciated the fact they had taken the time to come and see me.
I don’t know how much this will have taken out of me but my physio session with Bruce and Eunice was painful. Think it will be a tough and slower day tomorrow but I think it was worth it.
Being stretched out after day1 by physios Eunice and Bruce
