The offer of a meal at the finish was all I needed.
All was well and I was running with the usual suspects right up until I fell into a bog and lost both fell shoes. A comical situation then took place seeing me wading around in the bog trying to pull out the shoes. It took ages and the problem was I was in an area that I didnt know and had been following the runner in front. Shoes back on and I was on my own. Not a problem until I went wrong and ended up losing about 10 minutes. This wasnt good and I was also aware that my left leg was starting to trouble me again. I managed to retrace my steps and gain contact with a few of the other runners and kept with them on the climb up to Stoodley Pike but my head had gone as they say. I hate getting lost and my heart wasnt in the race anymore. By the time I reached the top my left leg was in agony and it was clear that it was a long way back to the finish at Harworth.
I was helped by a fellow runner for a few miles and this kept me going until the climb to Heptonstall. I lost the plot after that and on the run in back to Harworth I could barely run. In fact I walked for a while in severe pain. Never before have I experienced that much pain but there was no thought of giving up.
Anyway bang on 5 hrs I limped back to the community centre and sat and had a cup of tea and some stew.
Not the best race Ive ever had and maybe the 33miles was a bridge to far after the High Peak Marathon but who knows.
I think I will stick to medium length races in future for a while but then again Ive said that one before.
Brilliantly organised race this one and all fellrunners should do it once.
Not looking my best and feeling even worse. I blanked most of the second half of the route out of my mind.
Stoodley Pike.
The route, set off from Harworth, head for Todmorden then up towards Hebden Bridge and back home.Travering the gritstone moors as you go.
nah, stick with the long ones. i bet another 10m would have perked you up ;)
ReplyDeleteBloody well done on the effort!
ReplyDeleteVery funny Kate! Sounds like a 'mare. Still there at the end though. Well done.
ReplyDeleteDaz,
ReplyDeletewell done, sounds like you had to grind that little baby out, well done for digging in, literally! to find them shoes,
Maybe a little to much after the Derwent, felt the same at Grindleford to be honest after i had covered the 36 miles of the Sandstone Trail two weeks earlier.
See you round soon!
Well done Daz, amazing time. I bet you were just having a short breather when I took that photograph at the last checkpoint. You must be unstoppable when you're not suffering.
ReplyDelete