NightBeforeRace Prep:
18:20 - Game of squash,
19:00 - Pint of larger (its summer, I'm allowed a dirty larger rather than ale)
20:30 - Game of indoor cricket
21:00 - (mid game) Bottle of Spitfire ale (usually nice, but the bottle had been kept in the fridge)
22:00 - Pint of some guest ale in the local with my squash buddy
23:00 - Got home and did about 2 minutes of lacklustre stretching and went to bed
The race wasn't until 13:30 so I got up nice and late, pottered about in the garden and decided to have a late breakfast of muesli so I wouldn't have to eat again or be too hungry at mid day. We didn't have any milk so I poured tropical fruit juice over the cereal. Never doing that again. Looked and tasted a bit like vomit. But I was drinking as much water as possible as I knew it was going to be a hot one today. I did some more stretching got into my race gear, and started to head off. Couldn't find my wallet and the missus had no cash either, so I had to raid the the step son's piggy bank for the tenner race fee. Today isn't going well.
Got to Crich and couldn't see any signs for the fete car park so parked in a lay by on the outskirts of the village, and went to find the reg tent. This took a bit longer than expected after getting myself and 4 police officers lost by following the wrong track to the main field. Today is getting worse, maybe I should just go home and do some weeding, trim the acer, and mow the lawn. With 10 minutes to go before the gun, I found the reg desk, handed over my stolen tenner, pinned my race number on, washed an ibuprofen down with an energy gel. stretched out my ITB, went for a pee, came back and settled into the middle of the pack ready for the gun.
The gun went and the race bumbled along with the whippets at the front setting a decent pace, I made my way through bunches of runners and got into a steady pace, as we left the fete ground, there was a bit of a uphil which thinned the pack out to almost single file, we then passed my car (was too early to be tempted by sneaking off into the car and driving home), and came off the road into an open field. the field was slightly up hill and no one was complaining when a bottle neck formed and we had to stop and wait to navigate a narrow style. the course then took a more downhill turn and everyone's pace happily increased.
Once we reached Crich Chase the trail was very technical, with plenty of twists and strewn with rocks and roots. I love this type of running. Downhill, through trees, soft ground, twisty challenges. rocks and roots to leap and navigate. The two minutes of running perfection were cut short by Cromford canal. The run from Ambergate to Whatstanwell was a very long, very flat, very hot drag. Don't get me wrong, this is a stunning place to run, beautiful shallow canal on your right, perfectly maintained tow path in dappled sunlight, but its just soooooooo long, well it was probably only 3 miles but it was hard going, and I had a runner from Belper Harriers right on my shoulder, I couldn't pull away from him, nor would I slow down and let him pass me. At the end of the tow path I walked through the first water station to make sure I took on as much fluid as possible, and then started to run. the path went back into the woods, and took a steep uphill slant.
The steep hills slowed me to half walking, half jogging. I lost 6 or maybe 10 places on these hills but I just didn't have the legs or lungs to walk / run any faster. The great advantage of walking sections of the course, allowed me time to pick up my head and look around the absolutely stunning Derbyshire landscape. A short section of downhill running on the road was a very welcome rest, crazy as it sounds running was restful compared with the uphill trudging. I could now see Crich monumnet in its full glory, and I knew the path I had to run up, from walking around here. I walked through the second water station and then started the slow plod uphill. I was over taken by a lady in pink on the way up, and was determined not to let her out of my sight and try and reel her back in.
The uphill path narrowed nearer the top of the hill, and banked on either side with brambles and hedges, this acted like a brilliant heat trap and the air was thick and muggy, I now regretted being such a hairy Muppet and my thoughts drifted into weather I would be quicker if I had a more aerodynamic face, that didn't hold as much heat and sweat. the thoughts soon went as I reached the top of the course at the foot of the monument, the cheerful marshals informed me it was "downhill all the way" now, and I started to pick up the pace and close the gap on the lady in pink, she beat me to the road at the bottom of the monument entrance, she beat me through the fields, she beat me through the graveyard, she was first to cross the road. But I past her through the small estate of houses, and kept the lead past the next marshal "almost there, downhill all the way". I beat her to the 400 metres board, as I took the corner I looked over my shoulder and saw I had taken 10 metres from her. started to empty the tank as reached the final corner and saw the fete ground insight. Running hard for the final run round the edge of the field, being clapped and cheered by fellow runners who had finished was great, but not as great as stopping my watch at 1h05m19s having a drink and collapsing in a heap in the shade.
I wouldn't have ran today.
-It was too hot.
-I hadn't stretched enough.
-I had loads of other stuff to do.
so a huge thanks to the organisers for getting me running!
http://www.cacn.org.uk/news/crichmonument10k0713.htm
In summary: A very hard race with a killer 2 miles of climbing at the end of the race, great location, perfect organisation and very friendly well informed marshals
Scores (out of 10)
Course: 8
Terrain: 8
Difficulty: 8
Return factor: 10
Overall: 8.5
18:20 - Game of squash,
19:00 - Pint of larger (its summer, I'm allowed a dirty larger rather than ale)
20:30 - Game of indoor cricket
21:00 - (mid game) Bottle of Spitfire ale (usually nice, but the bottle had been kept in the fridge)
22:00 - Pint of some guest ale in the local with my squash buddy
23:00 - Got home and did about 2 minutes of lacklustre stretching and went to bed
The race wasn't until 13:30 so I got up nice and late, pottered about in the garden and decided to have a late breakfast of muesli so I wouldn't have to eat again or be too hungry at mid day. We didn't have any milk so I poured tropical fruit juice over the cereal. Never doing that again. Looked and tasted a bit like vomit. But I was drinking as much water as possible as I knew it was going to be a hot one today. I did some more stretching got into my race gear, and started to head off. Couldn't find my wallet and the missus had no cash either, so I had to raid the the step son's piggy bank for the tenner race fee. Today isn't going well.
Got to Crich and couldn't see any signs for the fete car park so parked in a lay by on the outskirts of the village, and went to find the reg tent. This took a bit longer than expected after getting myself and 4 police officers lost by following the wrong track to the main field. Today is getting worse, maybe I should just go home and do some weeding, trim the acer, and mow the lawn. With 10 minutes to go before the gun, I found the reg desk, handed over my stolen tenner, pinned my race number on, washed an ibuprofen down with an energy gel. stretched out my ITB, went for a pee, came back and settled into the middle of the pack ready for the gun.
The gun went and the race bumbled along with the whippets at the front setting a decent pace, I made my way through bunches of runners and got into a steady pace, as we left the fete ground, there was a bit of a uphil which thinned the pack out to almost single file, we then passed my car (was too early to be tempted by sneaking off into the car and driving home), and came off the road into an open field. the field was slightly up hill and no one was complaining when a bottle neck formed and we had to stop and wait to navigate a narrow style. the course then took a more downhill turn and everyone's pace happily increased.
Once we reached Crich Chase the trail was very technical, with plenty of twists and strewn with rocks and roots. I love this type of running. Downhill, through trees, soft ground, twisty challenges. rocks and roots to leap and navigate. The two minutes of running perfection were cut short by Cromford canal. The run from Ambergate to Whatstanwell was a very long, very flat, very hot drag. Don't get me wrong, this is a stunning place to run, beautiful shallow canal on your right, perfectly maintained tow path in dappled sunlight, but its just soooooooo long, well it was probably only 3 miles but it was hard going, and I had a runner from Belper Harriers right on my shoulder, I couldn't pull away from him, nor would I slow down and let him pass me. At the end of the tow path I walked through the first water station to make sure I took on as much fluid as possible, and then started to run. the path went back into the woods, and took a steep uphill slant.
The steep hills slowed me to half walking, half jogging. I lost 6 or maybe 10 places on these hills but I just didn't have the legs or lungs to walk / run any faster. The great advantage of walking sections of the course, allowed me time to pick up my head and look around the absolutely stunning Derbyshire landscape. A short section of downhill running on the road was a very welcome rest, crazy as it sounds running was restful compared with the uphill trudging. I could now see Crich monumnet in its full glory, and I knew the path I had to run up, from walking around here. I walked through the second water station and then started the slow plod uphill. I was over taken by a lady in pink on the way up, and was determined not to let her out of my sight and try and reel her back in.
The uphill path narrowed nearer the top of the hill, and banked on either side with brambles and hedges, this acted like a brilliant heat trap and the air was thick and muggy, I now regretted being such a hairy Muppet and my thoughts drifted into weather I would be quicker if I had a more aerodynamic face, that didn't hold as much heat and sweat. the thoughts soon went as I reached the top of the course at the foot of the monument, the cheerful marshals informed me it was "downhill all the way" now, and I started to pick up the pace and close the gap on the lady in pink, she beat me to the road at the bottom of the monument entrance, she beat me through the fields, she beat me through the graveyard, she was first to cross the road. But I past her through the small estate of houses, and kept the lead past the next marshal "almost there, downhill all the way". I beat her to the 400 metres board, as I took the corner I looked over my shoulder and saw I had taken 10 metres from her. started to empty the tank as reached the final corner and saw the fete ground insight. Running hard for the final run round the edge of the field, being clapped and cheered by fellow runners who had finished was great, but not as great as stopping my watch at 1h05m19s having a drink and collapsing in a heap in the shade.
I wouldn't have ran today.
-It was too hot.
-I hadn't stretched enough.
-I had loads of other stuff to do.
so a huge thanks to the organisers for getting me running!
http://www.cacn.org.uk/news/crichmonument10k0713.htm
In summary: A very hard race with a killer 2 miles of climbing at the end of the race, great location, perfect organisation and very friendly well informed marshals
Scores (out of 10)
Course: 8
Terrain: 8
Difficulty: 8
Return factor: 10
Overall: 8.5
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