Haweswater Pics

Feeling a bit achey but found the pics from Haweswater (general pics here). Think the results are a bit off but I did at least find the name of my nice lady and sent her a wee thankyou on faffbook.

Haweswater Half Marathon: Race report

Well I have to admit that when my alarm went off this morning and all I could hear was the rain on the caravan roof, the idea of going out and running was not really at the forefront of my mind. Temperature in Keswick was about 3 degrees and I hadn't brought my running jacket. Probably just as well I had Grandad to get me out the door! After breakfasting on toasted tea cakes - as the race didn't start until 11.30 - I had a mosey on facebook to see what was going on in the world of Good Run Wall etc. A friend who lives quite close by in Johnby had written some Winnie-the-Pooh reference to snow (he does have a nearly-three-year old) but we laughed it off. That was until we drove out of the campsite to see the surrounding hills COVERED in the stuff - Henry hadn't been joking ....

After a quick trip into Millets for some emergency gloves, and having dodged some road closures we were finally on our way to Bampton where the race was to start. Heavy rain overnight had obviously affected their parking plans as it was a tad chaotic, but we did manage to find a space. Toilets though were definitely lacking! For a race that was expecting up to 500 runners, they'd provided 6 toilets in 2 locations ... the queues were terrible and as Grandad offered to take my layers back to the car (after registration) he pretty much missed the start of the race - I only made it by the skin of my teeth. However, he ran as close to the start as he could and then waited for me to come through ... rather than bunking the whole course off as lost.

As my aim was simply to get round, I started nicely out of the way at the back of the pack (where I did of course stay!) and plodded off at a steady pace. After a tiny downhill, the course was flat for most of the first mile, but from then on it was a pretty steady (and steep in some places) climb up to the Haweswater reservoir and along it. Being a there-and-back route of course meant that much of the return was downhill apart from a couple of steepish climbs. Water stations were reasonably frequent (4, 7 and 10ish miles) although the runner who promised us jelly beans at the turnaround point was LYING!!! Luckily I had my own supplies.

There was a vet at the back of the pack who I was told (by his lovely chatty daughter-in-law who I will call kind lady as I never asked her name) was usually whizzing off ahead but hadn't done any training so was finding it a bit hard. His son and daughter in law stayed with him the whole way round, and she was great at encouraging me - especially in the middle of the course - by chatting and running with me. They ended up finishing about 5 or 10 mins after I did, but he got round (79 and not run since January!). 

Made a slight jelly bean mistake somewhere around 9 or 10 miles - I had been restricting myself to a couple at a time, but in a moment of madness scoffed about 4 or 5 in one go and ended up getting a stitch that was with me until the finish - meaning I walked rather more of the last 3 miles than my legs really needed. I got a second wind somewhere around 8 miles, and in fact miles 9 was my fastest of the lot (it was on one of the downhills!).

The returning pack were great at being encouraging as were all the marshals - although there was one on a bike who was annoying the hell out of me for some reason - partly because he kept whizzing past me (in both directions). The finish was getting a little difficult by the time I went through, as the cars were starting to leave, but cheekily it was quite handy getting a short breather before sprinting the last 400m - I know that's slightly cheating but hey ho!

Gift/treat/whatever at the end was a mug (thankfully full of water) ... and I stayed to watch the last few runner coming in behind me - so I wasn't last! Obviously being a lesser known run, and blinking hilly, the field was smaller than it might have been, and kind lady said I would probably have been in the middle of the finishers at a bigger race. Grandad came home in about 1:45 he reckons, but was slightly surprised (and nearly missed) to be presented with a prize for first vet over 65.  

Got one large but not sore blister under my foot again, and a diddly one on my toe - which frankly I don't think is too bad considering how blinking damp it was (got hailed on at least twice - and ran through several puddles). Now looking forward to some posh beef ready meal, a bottle of red wine, and the gin and tonic what's in the fridge cooling .... THAT'S what I call a good post-race treat!

Stats from Garmin Connect

The Calm(ish) before the Storm

Tomorrow is D-day: decision day really. It's Haweswater Half Marathon time and I'm writing this from a campsite in Keswick where Grandad and I are staying before the big event tomorrow. Of course pre-race nerves are compounded by my complete run fail last Saturday when it turned out that I wasn't just feeling queasy because of the prospect of running 12 miles - I was actually feeling sick! Gave up after just 2 miles and got the bus: didn't want to risk being sick with an audition in the afternoon ...

Been taking it easy the last week, partly because of slight bug, and partly in mind of the whole half marathon to taper down to (added to which I had yet another crazy week). Went for a 2 miler from parents' house to try out the new trail shoes I got in Sweatshop's sale ... turned out it had a 39 m/m climb rate and my tendons are definitely complaining.

Tonight we've stuffed ourselves with pasta and chocolate cupcakes (courtesy of a recipe from Go Faster Food via Runner's World) and are settling in to watch Oh Mr Porter on the laptop - we're not quite posh enough to have a telly in our caravan. Went to the New Balance factory shop in Keswick earlier and got myself a top and some new shorts - might wear the top tomorrow but not the shorts as they need testing first!

Need as much luck as I can get!

P.S. Will write a post on Go Faster Food at some point - great book!