Blimey - I did it! And on a complete high - and dare I say it I think I'm finally hooked on running!
Poor Alex got a cold so could not join me for the Long Mynd - so I asked (begged!) Matt from team Mucking Fuddlers to run with me - he did and he put up with 13 and half hours of my inane and insane chatting - poor guy needs a medal! He kept me going and told me to smile on my only meltdown (just 30 secs of meltdown when the guys we got grouped with would not sprint to the finish - no matter that they couldn't - they just needed to, to keep me sane!!!! :-) They were brill apart from not knowing all the of the route even though they had run it 20 times - agh - map had to come back out after a few wrong turns!.
The weather was not as bad as I thought it was going to be - or was that because I was on a complete high and just did not notice or was it cos my sister, her hsuband and my dad kept meeting me round the course and cheering me on - or was it that driving rain and gale force winds are what i like best???I have no idea as I just enjoyed it.
It was a hilly route so was perfect for my continuous change of pace and I loved it.
I met so many people that knew me on the few out and back routes which was great cos i just kept hugging them - maybe I should stop hugging so i could run faster - no - hugging was good!
The finish was very good - Stuart had waited up to see me in - we'd both done it!
Therefore spent till 5 am sitting in my van keeping warm and dry drinking champagne - got up at 8am for brekky - then prize giving - then the pub for some recovery wine and food - then out for curry, more wine and a pub quiz - by this time it was more like pub entertainment as i was quite pissed and loud! Then back to the van where 5 of us squeezed in, wrapped up in sleeping bags and quilts and drank more champagne - it was very hard getting to work on monday!
MY SUMMERY
- 12 races in the vasque series (471 miles)
- 3 extras (4 Inns, CCC and Duddon - 121 miles)
- Total Running Race Mileage in 2009 - 592 (plus a few bike races! and all that training - well I still don't do that - just a plod every now and then to make sure the legs go round before the next event!)
- Total driving mileage to events - 2816 miles
- Total consumed:
- Dairy milk - 12 large bars
- Banana chips - plain and yoghurt coated - 2 large bags
- Flap jack - 12 large bars
- Sandwiches - went off them so only 4
- Jelly babies - went off them so only 5
- Coffee - buckets of it
- Water - buckets of it
- Wine (for recovery purposes) - buckets of it
- Roast chickens - my favourite recovery meal - about 8
- Ibruprofen - should have been sponsored by them!
- Total friends made - all of you lot reading this right now - thank you for supporting me, cheering me, helping me and running with me and listening to me for ours on end!
- Blister total - very few but always on top of the last one! Not enough blister recovery time - but they hurt less now - must be used to them!
- Printer ink and paper for maps - too many - mind you, you can never have enough maps!
- Sleepless nights race worrying - I had nightmares on the last few races that I would break my leg and have to hop round Long Mynd! A few sleepless nights!
- Really good sleeps - 12 - one after each race! (the wine helps!)
- Sore ligaments - mostly the tops of my feet on the last 3 races - no other injuries apart from the big bash on arm at CCC
- Massages - only 3 - should have had more of them!
- Trainers - I wore out 2 pairs! But they did my feet proud!
