Well Wilmslow has been and gone.
Always an effort to get up in time after the switch to BST the night before, but we duly presented ourselves at the start after lounging about in the car for a bit to keep warm, the weather was bright but brisk. I kept my woolly hat on for most of the run, as well as gloves and my trusty running jacket to keep out the nasty cold wind…I suppose I’m becoming what they call in here in the frozen north “nesh” in my old age.
Fascinating to watch people before the start, as it’s the English Athletics half marathon championship there are plenty of people running (more like sprinting from my perspective) around warming up. One woman I noticed was of the exceptionally streamlined variety, even down to her long nose which I suppose would cut very effectively through any amount of weather. An interesting elderly gent had a perfectly formed hair style, an iron grey Marcel wave – you youngsters will need to look that up - to complete the look he had obviously tried to apply some fake tan to his rather skinny legs with varying degrees of streaking and downright clumping of pigment. Only in Wilmslow surely!!
Mr SW and I toddled off beeping over the start mat, slightly faster pace than I thought was necessary, we were averaging 9.5 to 10 minute miles for the first few. I suggested cooling it a little as this was after all only part of the training for the big one in a fortnight’s time. We settled down and counted off the miles. The countryside is really delightful around the area of the race and the sun started to come out too. Heard, chiff chaff, umpteen chaffinches, robins, blackbirds and rather more interestingly a curlew among others – counting birds heard or seen often provides me with a diversion to take my mind off what I’m actually doing on long runs. Legs weren’t too bad, I could feel my outer calves a bit, but tried to ignore them. My mouth did get exceptionally dry and I found it increasingly difficult to chew the Shock Blocks - I'm with you there LR-, even though we walked though the water stations, maybe I will try cutting them up into smaller pieces and perhaps taking some SIS gels too. The jelly babies were a welcome diversion. I think I might get some jelly beans to add to the mix for Brighton.
There is a rather unwelcome hill about a mile from the finish. If we had been running this as a race I would have run it, as it was, we sauntered up in a leisurely fashion and then overtook a few more people on the run in. Job done in a very slow 2.24 something. Garmin show 13.58 miles. No ill effects on my legs, it was good to get used to running with lots of others.
Felt fine on Monday too…but Tuesday – drat – came down with laryngitis which has left me feeling very washed out and with a very annoying cough but at least the asthma is still just about under control. Typical timing. I’m resting, haven’t run since Sunday although I intend to try the last 8 miler this weekend. Honestly, I could spit after all the hard work of training and I was feeling good too. Still aiming to do Brighton, I could always walk it!!
Mr SW suggested we run for the RNLI, its always been close to his heart – our best man was a RNLI crew member. So we have acquired nice yellow RNLI vests, only draw back being that I was going to wear my new RC vest that I got from Sweder :-( Never mind, it has inspired me on the long training runs.
Any chance of meeting up with anyone from the sunny south for a beer or four after the event? We are staying at the Travel Lodge at Preston Park,
If anyone is feeling generous, but please don’t feel obliged,
http://www.justgiving.com/andyandfran
Almost but not quite there
