Having booked myself in for the new Wirral half marathon on 13th October, I wasn’t expecting to do one the week before. However, Gordon decided that when both Heather and Tony were unable to do the trail run, he volunteered us both for it, insisting that it would be easy…it was all down-hill!
So early on Sunday morning, with me behind the wheel, (well Gordon’s no good before 10am), we drove
across to Ashborne with the autumn sun burning through the mist that was
settled in the valleys; beautiful. Well I enjoyed it; not sure Gordon was
awake.
On arriving at the leisure centre, the organisation was
running smoothly and runners were milling around getting their chip timers and
waiting for the buses that were to transfer us to the start at Parsley Hay. It
was around then that my stomach decided to get all excited and nervous so a
quick visit to the disabled loo was required (well the girls were queuing for
the ladies). Then it was off to the buses. Gordon said I was like an excited 5
year old out on a school trip and seeing what I thought was a path up to the
buses, attempted a short-cut only for Gordon to take charge and steer me in the
right direction! Maybe he’s not the only one that’s not quite awake before 10am
on a Sunday morning.
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A short bus trip up and down dale, through the glorious
Derbyshire countryside, soon had us at the start where I, yet again, queued for
the loo whilst Gordon ordered a bacon bap. This was just 10 mins before the
race!
As Gordon scoffed the remains of his bacon butty, the first
wave of runners was dispatched with him amongst them. I quickly followed in the
second wave and the race was on. 406 runners soon filled the trail and
bewildered walkers and bikers were besieged with the panting, sweating mass.
The sun had now burnt through any remaining clouds to leave
a clear blue sky and unseasonably late summer heat which soon started to take
effect. Thankfully, the trail wound through wooded areas and through gorges
which had been blasted when the railway had first been made, so any exposure to
the sun was frequently relieved.
As far as the down-hill bit was concerned, I actually think
that the first 2 to 3 miles slowly took an upward path and any down-hill was so
slight as not to be noticed…at all. But it was a glorious way to run through
Derbyshire and I’m glad that we did that route and not the one the bus took.
Because the start went off in waves, there was no crowding
on the trail and apart from keeping a watchful eye out for ramblers and
oncoming cyclists (2 or 3 of which I nearly bumped into as I had my head down),
the route was open to go as steady and fast as I could. If only my legs had
registered that and taken the opportunity.
Thinking that I was doing well, I kept up the pace, pushing
to get a good time. So on arriving at the finish and realised that I’d only
managed 1:54:13, (a minute off my PB) I was cross and disappointed. The only
thing to do was console my-self with a handful of Jaffa cakes, fig roles and a
big mug of tea from the café. Gordon had blasted the course in 1:31 (PB I
think) and cheered me on for a sprint finish. At least there’s one reason for
coming in later…there’s always someone to cheer you home. Although disappointed
with my time the results show that Gordon came 3rd in his category
and I came 4th in mine.
After our refreshing cuppa, a friendly spectator pointed us
in the direction, back to the leisure centre which took us through a long, cool
tunnel. This gave us opportunity to reflect on the event. Lovely! It is a
friendly, well organised event through stunning scenery. The marshals were fab
and the weather was exceptional. Would we do it again…you bet ya!
For more information, visit the website.
Cheryl and Gordon
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