A GOOD week

This past week has been a very good week of training.
As planned, Lorna and I significantly loaded the front end of the week, with the aim of another mini-taper to have a hard run race at the Friends of Mick 'n' Phil Half Marathon at Draycote Water on Sunday.

On Friday we just turned our legs over with 5 miles and didn't run at all on Saturday.

We had friends arriving on Saturday too :o)

Stuart has been training really well and is running fantastically, and he was looking to obliterate his PB. Teasing his plan out of him showed that his early race plan was going to be a little quick for my blood in the context of running this race hard enough for it to be tough, and with enough in reserve to ensure that I could be training again the next day.
So going WITH him wasn't an option!

Beth - who has the tools to run FAR quicker IMO - was looking to run as much as she could and finish in one piece :o)

Lorna created a sumptuous feast for us and the children to dine on - It really was magnificent :o)
And I prepared my "I'll be up early and pacing about all nervous in the morning" cauldron of porridge.

Unusually, we were going to be taking 5 of our children to the race, and they had been allocated water station and Goody Bag Giving Out duties, to keep them out of mischief. So the was no time to get nervous in the morning!!
By all accounts - and from what I saw myself once I'd finished - they did a great job in really quite 'challenging' conditions!

The race itself - organised by a group of like-minded folk who'd not organised a race before - was SLICK!
A huge amount of hard work had gone into making it happen, and the folk (all of whom we know) had really pulled out all of the stops to make it a quality event.
There were enthusiastic Marshalls EVERYWHERE (it seemed) and given that it was windy and cold - and about 1:50 in, the venue was hit by a brutal squall, they were magnificent.
Running was definitely the easier option......

Hmmm.... more of that in a moment.

The sailing forecast had suggested winds of 16-21 knot (of around Force 4-5)
That's windy!

The Wind direction meant that there wasn't going to be much shelter from it on the 'harder' far side, which also had the 'undulations'

When we set off - I found myself in a very unfamiliar position - with only about 10 people in front of me.
"That can't be right" I thought.

But I aimed for my target pace (6:24 - 6:30) and in that first mile hit it reasonably easily. Stuart shot off, and I didn't even try and go with him - too hot a pace for me at the moment.

When we rounded the bend that took us into the wind, I was hoping that the trees would shelter us. They didn't!
There was 2½ mile stretch that was into the wind here - and it slowed me, and most others it turned out, by about 20 seconds per mile. It was tough!

The near side of the lake was flatter - and had a tail wind - and served as almost a rest at a higher pace for the fight to come.

In the second lap I passed two fella that I'd been exchanging places with for about 6-7 miles, and set my sights on the hooped vest ahead of me.
I couldn't really close the gap, but I did notice that he was catching the runner ahead of him - and in the tail-wind section I was gaining on both of them.

The head wind for the 3rd lap had increased - and the wind direction had changed slightly, meaning that it was even MORE in our faces for the run in to the finish.

I didn't quite catch the guys ahead of me - but still finished in a very respectable 1:25:32, which is a 1 minute PB
I placed me 5th overall
And second Vet Male (by 24 seconds)

A very good days work!

Lorna and I popped out for another 6 miles in the late evening, which took both our mileages over 90 for the week.

The kids, especially our youngest girls were brilliant. Handing out goody bags with a smile and a "congratulations" to every runner as they finished - even when the heavy squall came through and nearly dissolved them and blew them off their feet.
Very Proud Mummy and Daddy

:o)