Despite not fancying a run today, I remembered how stiff I became after last week’s tough race when I skipped my recovery run. So I wo-manned up this morning, pulled on my (dry) big girl pants and staggered out of the door.
The plan was 3 easy miles revisiting the scene of yesterday’s triumph race. (Not the stream, just the bit closest to my house). This is a muddy track that usually just has tyre marks from the game keeper’s pickup, a few dogs’ paw prints and their walkers’ boot marks. However today it looked like a herd of elephants wearing trainers had stampeded down there.
As I plodded I thought about the lovely t-shirt I got at the end, and I suddenly realised the revolting pink colour was the exact shade of the strawberry* blancmange we were forced to eat at school. Another reason to hate that colour. * I presume it was strawberry flavour, although I doubt it had ever seen any red fruit let alone a strawberry.
So a race morning when you over sleep by half an hour is not a good start. Nor is not being able to find your favourite running bra. At least the rush meant I couldn’t dwell for too long on the race ahead.
It was the morning of The Slaughterford 9 – a race that I swore I would never do again after I last ran it 3 years ago. The race that contributed to an injury that led to me missing 5 weeks of training for my first marathon in London 2012. Nevertheless I thought it was time to give it another go, not least because the morning saw the area covered in freezing fog so I never got to see the views from the top of the huge climbs.
The runners and marshals were as friendly as you’d expect from a small race, and my jazzy socks got plenty of complimentary remarks.
The stream we have to wade up in the last mile wasn’t as cold as I remembered – I could actually feel my feet as I climbed up the hill on the otherside. The steam WAS deeper though, stepping down into knee deep muddy water is a challenge. Wading along the uneven bottom when you can’t see where to best put your feet is more of a challenge, and how they made it go deeper as you went along is a secret only a sadist would know. The cold water reached my shins, knees, thighs and just as it hit gusset-level I heard a cry of “oo my undercarriage” from up ahead, which made me laugh.
The final steep hill was as much a killer as ever, and then it was the final slope to the finish line. I originally ran this race in 2012 because I’d had massive race t-shirt envy. Seeing as I got paint on my original shirt I was looking forward to getting a new one. Imagine my face when I saw that this year’s t-shirt was pink.
Regular readers will know exactly how I feel about the colour pink, as did the man I was running next to when I spotted the colour (apologies to him for my language).
Pink. No moe words
It had been great to see Mr. B&T pop up around the course three times to cheer me on and take attractive photos, but it was a close run thing as to whether I was more pleased to see him at the finish, or the Mars bar I was handed.
So happyStill fairly happyJust pleased to see the finish line
After a cold nearly-a-mile walk back to the car, I was most pleased to see his car with it’s heated seats. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood wouldn’t approve, but I can highly recommend heated seats on a soggy bottom.
After a lovely lie in this morning, we set off for a birthday lunch for my brother in law. A great meal in a lovely cafe was well deserved after a busy few days. Then home and time to get smartened up ready for the Chippenham Wheelers Cycling Club dinner dance. Not such a good meal this time, but I did manage to fit in a couple of dances, so I’m claiming that for today’s Janathon.
A sober evening, all due to getting ready for tomorrow’s Slaughterford 9 race. Gulp!
An even earlier start and a longer day at work meant I only managed to fit in some easy stretches. However I’m claiming extra points for once again doing them in a corset. Work, eh? Roll on the weekend.
Due to work commitments I was out at work for a very long day yesterday. The only thing I managed to squeeze in (did you see what I did there?) was some pelvic floor exercises.
Better than nothing I suppose, but do I get extra points for doing them in a corset?
After yesterday’s creaking plod, today was a better effort. 4 miles keeping the pace faster than 10 minute miles. Done, and a new series of geocaches recc’ed. Well, if Jens Voigt can do it…
Still thinking about yesterday’s race (shows it was a good one!).
1:27:30 is my official time for the Bath Skyline #3 (Racecourse course) Definitely my new 10K PW*, and I’m fine with that.
I was amused to see that Relish Running Races had published this on their website and facebook page yesterday:-
“WOW! We have never seen mud like that before, that was really something else. That has to be our toughest course ever! If you thought it was muddy for the earlier waves, the later waves was a pure mud bath! Well done to all the runners, what an fantastic achievement 🙂
It was amazing to see such commitment to the cause and seeing runners coming home plastered in mud – the Cotswold Hills are definitely a little shorter this evening :-)”
It’s official then – it was a tough one. Runners wearing ‘Tough Mudder’ T-shirts were overheard to say it was tougher than Tough Mudder. I’m just wondering now how the Slaughterford 9 (next Sunday) is going to feel after that…
I was amazed I felt so okay after running that, that I didn’t bother with a recovery run and got on with the day. By the evening though, I realised my mistake.
Day 19 of Janathon could justifiably have just been getting my kit clean again, but I also heroically managed a few creaky stretches before bed as well.
When I arrived home after this morning’s race, I told my family I felt like I’d been steamrollered. (Teen 2 promptly asked if I’d ever actually been steamrollered. I told him Health and Safety standards had been much lower in the seventies when I was little).
How I arrived home, post steam rollering.
At the last Skyline 10K I ran, back in November, I was fairly scathing about the course, the organisation, the location, in fact about everything except the medal. (Read my race report here). I am very pleased to report that Relish Running Races has acted on all of these problems and turned this into a fantastic race. It has moved to Bath Racecourse, the route is all off road and incorporates two big hills, and after the recent wet weather we had been warned it would be muddy.
I’ll notlie to you, the course was hard. Steep hills are always going to be difficult (for me) to navigate. Throw in thick, oozy mud and things get interesting. Wading and splashing through knee high mud is one thing. However slipping and sliding down a steep hill or being unable to climb back up the otherside because you have zero grip is quite another. Think cartoon running, where your legs are spinning but you don’t actually move. It was all good fun.
I love the camaraderie at tough races like this. I love that I was complimented on my balance as I slithered out of control down a muddy slope (I told my complimentor not to jinx me). I love that I was inspired to tell a strange man that he was my favourite person so far this year (he was handing out the chocolate bars at the end). I was touched that I spotted an expression of true love in the car park afterwards, when I saw a chap struggling to pull off his partner’s muddy tights for her whilst she held onto the car seat with both hands.
“Keep those expensive socks clean” was the last thing Mr B&T said as I left the housePost race snacks. Jaffa cakes, mmmmMedal. It came in a plastic bag which is why it’s not muddy
I loved the warm tent at the end to collect my medal and graze upon the snacks. I loved the sunshine which made the temperature feel warmer than the 3C it actually was. The views down towards Bristol were stunning, but I had to concentrate on where I was putting my feet so didn’t get much of a chance to savour them. I’m delighted that I think I recorded a new PW for a 10K time, and yet I still think I gave it my all. I’m loving the glass of red which is now going down very well and making me feel very mellow. However I might not love how my body feels tomorrow …
This year’s janathon challenge was to do a Dressing Gown ‘dash’ and film it (Hence *Dressing Gown Dash Video Challenge). Just to be different, I did a PJDVC and my daughter helpfully filmed it. And she operated the torch (credit where credit’s due). In a show of solidarity** she was also in PJs and dressing gown.
The stats:- 0.1M dashed, in a moving time of 1 minute 3 seconds. Smashed it!
** translation “she’s a teenager. She’s been in then all day”.
