Sunday, Week 7

Run: "Race, 5M to Half Marathon" - Huddersfield 10K

Total Mileage This week: 34 miles

Total Mileage So Far: 249 miles

Lovely sunny morning and I found myself on the outskirts of Huddersfield, in a park at the bottom of a valley. The only way was up.

The start snaked up past a viaduct, and I threaded my way through some people strugglingon the first hill. By the first mile marker I'd made up some time (6:38), and then the first hill started. It went on and on and on, and the second mile took me a minute longer than the first. For the first, but not last time, there was then a knee battering decline back down into the valley. all very pretty, probably.

There was another steep hill at 3 miles, a drop, then a nice long steep hill with a false crest in it at 4 miles. I'd reached here in a few seconds over 28 minutes, and just sprinted through the last mile and a half, including the long straight at the finish to end with an official 42:59

Great race. Felt a bit like the 10 miler I would have liked to have done, and gave me a bit of confidence that I can still run on strongly at the need of a race, although the extra 20 miles may take a bit out of me.

All that was left was to embarrass myself by shouting a word of encouragement at Nell McAndrew as she went through the finish. She just cut me down with her weird cat-like eyes. Never again.

Next race is in 4 weeks, by which time I hope I'll have done three 20 milers.