In stark contrast to Haweswater 2 weeks ago, I began the journey to the lakes in very heavy rain! I picked up another club member (Zoe) and we arrived earlier than anticpated at Cartmel Racecourse. The rain still hadn't eased off any and it was freezing so we just sat in the car and prayed for it to end! A few other club mates turned up just before the start which lifted our spirits a little, and I swallowed my first Gel as per the instructions at last weeks track session.

We set off on the race course and it wasn't long before we hit some deep sticky mud which really sapped what little energy I had. My clubmates powered on past me as I struggled on and before long it was just me and 2 strangers running in our little pack. We started a long climb up above lake windermere and the rain stopped, the sun broke through a little and I started to feel a bit happier. It's hard trying to take in such wonderful scenery as you have to concentrate on where your feet are landing as your running amongst some big rocks! At the 6k point we were stopped in our tracks as a small group of people were surrounding a man on the floor. At first it looked like he had fell, but as we got nearer it seems he was having some sort of fit and was convulsing badly. It took us 12 minutes to get to the next marshall to notify them that something was wrong. This really shook me up for the next few miles, by which time I was running alone in the middle of nowhere (you could have heard a pin drop!). I had to stop at a junction of paths as I couldnt see any runners in front and I had no idea which way to go. Eventually I got back on track after discovering some little flags and ran the next couple of miles through, what can only be described as, a bog! I cant wait to see the photos as they picked the muddiest spots to say 'smile please'!

I finished, muddy and knackered, in 2hrs 9 minutes. I was very confused though when my club mates started to pile through the finish line after me (turns out they took the wrong path at the aformentioned junction and ended up running a half marathon! Still, looks good for me as the leader board will show I came in 2nd  ha ha

The new shoes did the job although they look a little sorry for themselves after their first outing was so brutal!

Before:

After:

I'm awaiting the official results and photos but these were a couple from the day, courtesy of Zoe