Sunday, 14th March – 42 days to go

Up early for brekky as I want to get some fuel on board for the run later today. Couple of slices of toast with beans and a small bowl of porridge. It’s got three hours to digest so I should be ok. Had my first real alcohol test as Liz’s niece and young gentleman came over yesterday evening and prepared a sumptuous meal. Wasn’t really tempted to drink but didn’t sleep brilliantly well as I’m still not sure whether running an organised race is such a good idea.

Drive over to Lancaster and see the 13 mile marker at Caton on the A683. Seems an awful long way out of Lancaster. It’s a fabulous morning and there are lambs in the fields which is an encouraging sign in the battle against winter. We make good time and I make use of the facilities at Asda and top up on our supply of jelly babies. There are no problems in picking up the number and transferring to my name. Thanks to Gill for giving me her place.

The Eccleshill girls arrive and fellow bloggers Kay and Michael are also running. After a couple of warm up laps of the race track I begin to relax and shed several layers of clothing. Michael is aiming for a 2:45 run while I’m hoping to come in somewhere between 2:30 and 2:40. I ask him if it’s ok for me to run with him for the first few miles and he’s happy with that.

We start on time and although it feels like we’re running slowly, we go past the first mile marker in 7:40 so try and rein it in a bit. We are able to chat reasonably comfortably and settle into a pace of just over eight minutes. I have the opportunity to try out three different gels en route and I’ve got to say that High Fives win it for me. Not only are they less sticky, but they’re the only one of the three that I can get the top off properly. It’s a lovely sunny day and there are plenty of water stops to keep us hydrated. I utter the magic phrase “I’d better eat these jelly babies before they get stuck up my ass”; make a mental note to carry jelly babies in a bag and not loose in the key pocket of my running tights next time. We go past the half way mark in 1:21:30 and become aware that we’re running up a slight slope as the leading runners come storming past us down the slope. The leader is a couple of minutes ahead of the second guy who in turn is a couple of minutes ahead of the chasing pack.

Michael and I run together to the twelve mile mark when I decide to push on to see if I can run the last eight miles at marathon pace. I’m soon passing other runners and feeling pretty good. I see Julie, Sophie, Kay and David as I head back and figure that Lisa and Joanne must be not that far behind me as there’s a two mile loop in the course. I go through the half marathon mark at just over 1:45 – I find out later that the winner of the race has already finished by the time I get to this point. I’m still feeling good and going past other runners as I up the pace a little more on the down slopes.

There are no hills either up or down so it’s not difficult to get into a rhythm. There’s a confusing zig zag bit in the last mile where twice you go past the entrance to the running track before you finally get onto the track for the last two laps. I’m pretty tired by this time but manage to keep the pace going for a 2:35:34 finish.

As I recover I realise the track is some sort of wind trap and I get very cold and stiff very quickly. Throw on some clothes and try and remember some of the stretches Mick has shown us. Have to lean on Liz as I can’t stand and stretch without support. Michael comes in bang on time - the man’s a metronome. Liz is scurrying around making sure she gets photos of everyone and we wander back out to cheer people in as they enter the running track.

Everyone looks strong at the finish and has posted an encouraging time. Liz has dashed around the course shouting encouragement and taking photos. I’ve had a really positive run at a time when I was dreading the next long run. Running with Michael, seeing other runners I know on the way round, being part of a race and running somewhere different have all combined to give my training a real boost.

I slumber in the car on the way home (fortunately Liz is driving) and then have half an hour in a cold bath and a warm shower before piling into the pasta (gluten free) and drinking loads of water. I don’t feel too stiff, though the feet are a bit mashed.