Day 2 Finish
I found last autumn’s Brathay 10in10 the toughest ever. I had a few niggles when I went into the event which got worse as you would expected, making the event very painful. The diabolical weather also didn’t help, the relentless heavy rain got to me and on many of the days, I just wished I wasn’t there. The whole experience was so hard and my times over the 10 days were very poor compared with previous years. I couldn’t wait for it to be all over and go home.
Over the winter I’ve licked my wounds, rested and recovered. I knew it was time for a good rest. As this year started I got back into some easy running that I could enjoy with no pressure of events to plan for. Through January and February I enjoyed a much lighter weekly mileage than I’m used to and all at an easy pace. My injuries have slowly subsided, including a troubling left Achilles and pains in my right knee.
By March I was feeling more my usual self, upped the weekly mileage and gradually started to push my pace a bit more. I remember back to 20 years ago when I felt like this and could really push my body and muscles to run fast. This year I know my body is too old to take this amount of effect my mind likes to push it to do but still I’m enjoyed a certain controlled amount of relatively quicker running.
I had promised Mrs C and the whole family that I wouldn’t do the Brathay 10in10 in 2021 as both my children would be studying and doing their exams. This was also probably good for me as over the winter I needed the mental and physical break from it all.
Things rapidly change these days, Covid has seen to that. We have had a significant lockdown in this country through the first part of this year. This has put play to both my kid’s exams and they are getting assessed on course work and a set of mini exams by their teachers. This brought the comment from Mrs C of “You could have done the 10in10 this year”. It didn’t take much for that sentence to start to take over my mind, especially with my running ticking over nicely.
Just two weeks before this year’s event starts and I find myself talking to Scott from Brathay. I ask if I can do the 10in10 again, he asks is this for 2022? I say no this year!
And I’m in!
I do feel pretty fit at the moment but I must stress I have only run one marathon in the last six months and I haven’t actually prepared for this event in any way. I wonder how it will go. I’m just looking forward to running around my favourite lake again, supporting Brathay and the other runners who still don’t know and will only find out on the afternoon before day 1. Should be a great surprise for them, at least I hope so.
Maybe I can manage to complete my 8th Brathay 10in10 and beat my owe record of number of times a person has completed this event.
It would be lovely to try and raise more money for Brathay, I know they are finding it tough with Covid and the lockdowns but hopefully they will be able to continue to help children and young people on the other side of Lockdown, I know their services will be needed more than ever.
If you would like to sponsor this mad runner doing something made again, please go to me Just Giving page.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/malc-collins8
Thanks to Barry and Vikki for your donations today.
The forecast for Day 2, was supposed to be for rain and I had braced myself to be opening the curtains this morning to the miserable wet stuff. To my surprise it was bright with light cloud. This lasted all the way through the run with smallest amount of light rain at the south end of the lake.
I took the first few miles to Hawkshead easy as I loosened up and then found a good rhythm. I got to halfway at Newby Bridge in 2 hours and 1 minute and wondered if I could push the second half and get a sub 4 and a negative split. I found the last few miles a bit of a slog but was very pleased to nip inside 4 hours with 3 hours 58 minutes 29 seconds.
I got a wonderful surprise when my friend Chris from my local running club, Astley and Tyldesley Road Runners, turned up to support at a few locations along the course. It gives me such a lift when someone does the unexpected like this. Support like this and all the online support really helps me get through each day.
The only negative of the day was the blister I have picked up on my left foot between the ball of my foot and the big toe. I might have to take it a bit easier tomorrow to protect it.
