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!!!!