Brathay 10in10 – Soggy Clothes
Another day and another very wet marathon, in fact more wet than yesterday, which is hard to believe but I suppose it is the Lakes and you need lots of rain to make lakes. It was also a very windy day but even though it is a hilly course and windy most of the course is quite sheltered and the wind wasn’t much of a problem. There are a few exposed places along the first half of the course with the wind in our face but on the way back up the lake the wind is behind us and not an issue.
The rain was another thing and I found it quite an issue. Even my Gore-Tex Jacket couldn’t keep the water out and when it got particularly heavy at mile 8, I could feel it quickly pouring through on my shoulders making them very cold. I was just about able to keep warm enough.
At mile 15.5 I started to feel a bit faint. It is something I have experience only a few times in the past but rarely. I think it is my body running out of energy. I had taken on my usual amount of food running around and eaten plenty this morning and last night. I think I am going to put down to the weather, the rain was making me cold and I think I was burning fuel to keep warm and hence started to run out of energy. I stopped for a minute or two at the water box at 16 miles, had a little rest, fort my way into a fudge bar which was a struggle with my cold numb hands. I had to get my teeth involved to finally fight my way in. Thankful this got me going again.
I started to experience the same problem at mile 25.5 so I walked for a minute and then felt good enough to run again. Not idea but more than manageable for me and it got the job done.
At the finish I felt a little sick, thankfully this was short lived and it didn’t halt me enjoying my recovery shake and managing a bowl of soup, all necessary for my recovery in preparation for going again tomorrow.
Dare I mention a bit of chafing, I’ll not given any details but hopefully Sudocrem will work its magic before the morning!
There were some pluses to the day, my right knee is hardly an issue and my right groin although sore seems to be manageable. Zak my Physio and Katie his tutor have assessed my groin and suggested some Rock Tape to support it. This seemed to work and I was able to run smoother than yesterday. Downside is I’ve had to shave the inside of my thigh all the way up to my private bits! Other positives are, due to the fact I am running relatively slowly for me, none of my muscles have any issues at the moment, long may this continue. I know Zak needs experience but from my point of view, I want to keep his workload nice and light.
In all a day of ups and downs, a bit like the hilly course but it is another day done without much damage. Finishing time, a few minutes quicker than yesterday with 4:10:56.
Looks like more wet weather tomorrow, hopefully we will get a dry day at some point.
