Sunday 26 July 2009

6 Moor Miles

Hi,
Fantastic race!! It was cold and starting to rain at the start, my fiance and I got small cups of tea... then time to start, i put myself at the back and said - i will prob be last! out of all these people - god how awful! there were more than 400 race numbers...
but i didn't mean it! my fiance said he didn't want me to be last - incase i got upset, or felt bad about it but i was last, and i don't feel bad
I started right at the back with 2 other runners, but i could tell from the off that they would beat me, because of their running styles and pace, i easily kept up with them for about 2 miles, running and chatting about past and future races and runs, one person had only done 4 miles previously, 10k was my max and this was more than 6 miles on Dartmoor, so I knew it was also the furthest I had ever run - my garmin told me by how much - about 250 meters - at the end!
I let the other runners drift away from me, putting this race with comfortable effort was important to me because I have another 10 k coming up in 2 weeks and not a lot of leeway with increases up until 1st November's half Marathon...
So when my heart rate went up higher than i've seen it I backed off - and then kept to 186 - 176 LOL for the rest of the race!
Surprising how much one can push oneself if the mood is right, - it was a very well marshalled course and the runner at the back was wearing a turtle suit, that must have got very heavy and wet because it was absolutely pouring with rain - i texted my fiance far too early to get out of the car and get to the finish line, I should have texted him again to get some shelter, but my time for 6.42 miles was 1:28:41 and my previous 10k two years ago last time i was a runner was 1:34:29.
So I smashed my time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but I have the real challenge ahead of me doing the same course again - a hilly 10 k in 4 weeks time.... which is even more hilly but a little shorter i think, it is one massive up hill climb followed by a nice long sloping downhill...
The 6 moor miles course took us up and down some great slopes and wasn't that muddy, most of it was near gorse or ferns, winding it's way around and a part of it was a short way through a small forrest, the views were beautiful, if misty with rain...
Having run very nearly half a marathon, I feel confident for the first time about the distance... I will have to see how i go this week but will hopefully run 7 miles at the weekend... see how my legs feel!!!!

2 comments:

Tanya said...

You ran a really great race-good job! It doesn't matter if you're last place or anywhere else. If you ran your best, then it was a good race. Congratulations!

robison52 said...

Congrats on smashing your 10k time from two years ago! I'm sure you'll do even better in four weeks, can't wait to read about your success!! Remember, your main opponent is yourself, keep striving for excellence.