Stage 1 (Dorset) Complete!
Nov10200910:37 p.m.
I have to say - the Dorset hills make the South Downs look positively FLAT!!
Don't know how nearly two weeks have passed since I last blogged - but the first of my half marathons is now complete 
After a very much less-than-optimal buildup in the week before the race (working 14 hour days, doing no running whatsoever, arriving at our accommodation at 1am on the Friday night and then getting no sleep thanks to a combination of nerves and my other half grinding his teeth with stress!!), Saturday's race surprisingly wasn't a complete disaster.
I left James in bed (he’s been working bloody hard and was exhausted!) and headed down to race HQ on the coast early Saturday morning. I knew I wasn’t in the best shape ever, but I also knew that I could last the distance on willpower alone if necessary!
Right from the start the course took us either up steep hills, or down them with very little in between! The downpour on Friday night meant the trails were boggy and very very slippery – I did well to stay upright for most of the race though I did land on my butt at one point in a very unladylike manner (think Bambi on ice!). Bad idea to try and run these races in road shoes – trail shoes are now number one on my Xmas list!! There were more stiles than I've ever seen before (also covered in mud, making them slippery death traps!) The only real flat part of the race was a 1.5 mile section along a shingle beach. Killer!!
As tough as it was, as always it was awesome to be out in the fresh air early on a Saturday morning. Feeling the cool sea breeze on your skin as you slowly crawled along the waterfront was pretty damn invigorating! I finished the 13.6 miles in 3:09 (which shows how tough the course was considering I normally run a half marathon in under 2 hours!). Still waiting on the official pics but will post them when available.
Four weeks until race number 2 – am feeling much more motivated now. I even dragged myself out after work tonight for a very chilly 3 mile recovery run. *pats self on back*
Happy running peeps!
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Comments (7)
simonedumergue 'What an exciting sounding event! Cracking effort with all those hills. Pats on the back indeed :-) ' added 10th Nov 2009
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themrsbutts 'Welcome to my training ground, I live just by the area the race was held and it makes my training interesting to say the least! The race sounds great, I've looked at them with interest and did think maybe next year....! Well done :-)' added 11th Nov 2009
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peterb 'that does sound a toughie , well done .' added 11th Nov 2009
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Account_closed 'I think Exmoor will probably be an eye opener then. It took me over an hour longer than usual to complete it, and the hills ....... oh god the hills !! However, it was great fun. Big well done though, top achievement.' added 11th Nov 2009
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RuddysMarathonEffort 'Why would you do it? Countryside yes I can understand, but hills? Nooooooo! To change subject, my expensive moggy! The hip that was pinned (after the RTA), the ball of the hip is "dissolving" based on the x-ray the vet showed me....so he is having a hip replaced next week. I won't quote you promise but is this just "one of those things" that can happen or is it a cock up by the vet? Either way the bill just gets bigger and bigger!' added 11th Nov 2009
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Shaun 'Wow, tough race, well done! Good luck for the next one!' added 11th Nov 2009
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Keith_L 'Tough tough race - well done Hills are an acquired taste but you must love them really!' added 11th Nov 2009
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