Strathaven Striders "Run with the Wind" race report

Well I tried, I really did. Ever since we got back from Nepal I've been working on my endurance and speed. Indeed, I've even tried training every day with no rest days but it was all to no avail.

There was just no way that I could drink my two pints of beer fast enough to justify a third before Muriel (designated driver) had finished her one pint.

It's not that I really wanted three pints [1], but when you're drinking with a certain London fireman, it somehow seems the right thing to do. It seems to me that if he's prepared to travel the length of the country to run the race, it would be rude not to down at least three pints with him. Alas, that goal has eluded me yet again. :-(

As to the race, well, for a change, it was glorious weather, if a trifle chilly. I really had no idea how I'd do after so little running over the last couple of months but with no real expectations, I was free to run how I felt and not worry about my time too much.

The first 4km were great and if it had finished there I would have been a happy man. Unfortunately, this "downhill" race then runs uphill from 4 to 6km. Despite that, I made good progress on the uphill section catching and passing several runners. After 6km, I more or less held my position as we headed gently downhill again. Sadly, at 8km there was another uphill and it was here that I discovered that I had probably worked a wee bit too hard on those hills as I went rapidly backwards and lost 3 places very quickly.

At about 8.5km the route went more or less downhill and I held my position despite the accelerating pace of everyone. When I turned the corner to the finishing line and hit the last little hill, my legs almost crumpled beneath me until I reached the finishing straight. I tried to put on a last ditch sprint to see if I could regain a place but it was not to be. All that happend was that I crossed the line gasping like a fish out of water and retching my guts up.

I'm not sure of my time other than somewhere between 43:00 and 43:10. I guess a sub-40 will have to wait for another day. ;-)

[1] That's a lie.