Laps Glorious Laps !
Having run the 20 mile in September I knew what to expect but still hopeful the conditions would have improved from the high winds back in September. Sadly this wasn’t the case and it was set to be a very cold and windy race.
For the marathon it was 11.5 laps this was going to be tough in cold wet conditions and my friend Trevor was doing the half marathon, when seeing the weather conditions did think Id rather done shorter distance. The races went off like clockwork and I got into a good rhythm and wore my music to block out the distraction of the wind. Sadly, like with the 20 miles one side was averaging 5.55 – 6.05 comfortably and then around the back 2 miles it was 7.05 it was a nightmare fighting the wind and also dodging the other runners on the course.
By the time I had got to the 10k mark the half marathon joined the circuit, then beyond this the later stages the 10k & 5k flew around the course. I had to accept that the time wouldn’t be what I wanted due to the cold conditions and watched the pace fluctuate depending on what side. Also ended up weaving so much I completed in 2nd place with a time of 2.53 which was slower that what training had dictated. I think for many running that distance it was difficult the more laps you did. My friend Trevor needed wrapping up due to finishing earlier than me and started to get hypothermic. What a day we had, the tea at the end was the blessing for the journey home. Itching now to get back to racing already.
Never did I expect for most of my 2020 races to consist of circuits or consist of laps.
Beyond this race this was the start to many cancellations and then lockdown 3 from the 26th December until present date.