Racing on a Shoestring :)

Many charity fundraising events, from parachute-jumps to walking the Great Wall of China, appear to be nothing more than cynical ruses to allow people to ask friends and family to fund them to have experiences and holidays that most of us can only dream of. I can see the point of contributing if someone is also going to push back the boundaries of human endurance like Sir Ranulph Fiennes, or even to give their own limits a stringent testing. But trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro or running an overseas marathon ... just don't ask, please. All you'll get out of me is a sincere expression of hope that you have a good time.

The Ten Marathons in Ten Days Challenge is gleamingly free from such tricks. Each participant has paid £500 in advance towards accommodation (which won't be luxurious) and infrastructure. The training weekends are a bit extra. It doesn't involve big carbon footprints or worry over environmental damage. Running the same road marathon every day isn't a holiday even if the scenery is delightful. And I think it passes the "stretching boundaries" test for all 15 of us in one way or another.

Having blown most of our recreation budget for the foreseeable future on two pairs of skis and the deposit for a week in Wengen with five of our children next year, Leon and I have had to be sensible about our race choices. For example, we had a notion of doing the 39.3-miler in Connemara next month, but decided to do two 20-mile races closer to home that weekend.

When someone on Fetch tipped us off about the Keswick/Buttermere 34k, it sounded just what we needed. A long run on Cumbrian road undulations, adequate but not lavish support, and only £5 to enter. I took a nervous look at last year's results, and was reassured to note that the last finisher took four-and-a-half hours. The "for experienced senior club runners" comment on the Keswick AC website, obviously didn't mean that the event was only for fell-whippets.

We started the weekend early on Saturday morning. Leon had arranged to meet Neil, who is helping him with his new business website, in Cheshire. Neil was planning to do the Bramhall Park Run, so we decided that a short speedwork session in company would be good for us too. What a well-run event it is, and, like all Park Run events, entry is free. A pleasant, interesting 5k course, partly on tarmac and partly on trails, with a couple of challenging little climbs. In a pleasing bit of symmetry, Leon was 11th overall and I was 11th female (and 94th overall). My time of 25.14 was a PW for the distance, but I ran at a tempo-run rather than at a 5k-race effort level, so I can't complain.

In the afternoon we went up to Keswick and met Stuart, who took us on a run around Latrigg, followed by a trip to the Lakeland Pedlar for crumble and custard. Portion sizes were such that I DNF'd. It's possibly the first time in my life I have failed to get to the end of a pudding.

We stayed overnight at Cragwood B&B, on Blencathra street, where Janet looked after us very well and gave us an excellent breakfast.

The main event of the weekend was, of course, that appealing-looking circuit of the Honister and Newlands passes. The Keswick/Buttermere 34k may be quite unlike the Park Runs in terms of its target population, but it is similarly uncomplicated and basic. Entry is on the day with a simple entry form that doesn't ask about ethnicity or preferred Sunday newspaper, and costs £5. There is a distance-marker and a water-station every 5k, and the "marshalls" are orange signposts with arrows on them. And the course is just mind-blowingly scenic.

The threat of rain had drifted away. We lurked for a while in the cricket pavilion, chatting to people, then followed the other hundred or so runners up to the start at the Moot Hall. When the starting signal was given, we let everyone go. We weren't racing.

The first 7.5 miles of the race are benignly undulating and we trotted them out easily at 9 - 9.30mm pace. Then the course turns right towards the Honister Pass and our splits became a little more interesting ...

Mile 8: 14.44
Mile 9: 12.29
Mile 10: 7.49, including a pause at a water-station.

We LOVE downhills!

We took the rest of Honister Pass at an easy pace, conscious that we still had half of the race to do. Mile 15 was the ascent into the Newlands Pass and the only wholly uphill mile. We walked, passing someone who was running. 15.29 minutes. Not bad, considering!

By this time, Leon was offering everyone we passed a handful of Werthers Originals and sounding irritatingly fresh. And we were. Our legs were fine and we were loving every step of the way.

From the top of the Newlands Pass, the route is all downhill to Keswick in an undulating sort of way. At some point I mentioned the possibility of going under 3:30.

We blatted the descents - no point holding anything back now. About two miles from the finish, Leon, who had stuck close to me all the way, suddenly went ahead. Not out of sight, just about 10 metres in front.

What's that all about?

Aha!I know! He's pacemaking!

He half-killed me. For those last two miles, I had to get out of my comfort-zone. My legs stiffened up in protest. My head said, "Hey, remember your mantra! Pain is horrible, sub-3:30 is just a number."

We did it, though. 3:28:55. We were still a long way down the field, but we'd expected that. Next year, Leon can race it instead of running at my pace.

At the finish we were provided with draught isotonic drink and SiS Go Bars in my favourite cherry-vanilla flavour, tea, biscuits, and soup, and we chatted with people we knew from Fetch and the Runners' World website and people we'd met on the day. It's SUCH a friendly event!

In theory, my time yesterday should predict a sub-3:45 at the Draycote Water Marathon next weekend. In reality, I run far better on undulating courses than on flat ones (we measured 670m of ascent and descent yesterday) and, well, what do I want sub-3:45 for anyway? Having decided not to take up our GFA places at London this year, I can't see us wanting to do it again.