Saturday, February 17, 2024

Carsington Water trail half

Race: Carsington Water trail half marathon
Time/Position: 1.25.51 (5th from 359 [1st V50])
Rather unusually, I found myself in an exact tie for 4th place on this race by chip time. In the race itself, I was jumped on the line by a runner I'd just spent the last three miles trying to get past! It was another very nice event, and another free entry from the RunThrough stable of events (after winning my category at the Ladybower race in October). A damp and misty day on the edge of the Peak, which was unfortunate as I had been looking forward to some pleasant lakeside views. I started off slowly, in the spirit of the 'fallow year', and found myself in 7th place after an initial 5 mile doubling back route along the western shores of Carsington. Back to the start, and then a full lap of the lake, on which I started to feel pretty good after the steady start. As a result of recent rest days, I felt very perky and enjoyed the muddy running through potholes at the southern end of the lake and then the much tougher eastern side. I hadn't really done any research but had guessed things got harder here, and they did, with several sharp climbs and muddy, wet terrain. We began to catch the 10k runners, and then I caught a pair that had set off fast. I passed one at the 10 mile mark and then embarked on a fast finish, feeling surprisingly strong and upping the pace considerably. Still not enough for a finishing kick sadly! After taking the van on its first long drive (and an early start from home) I stopped in Ashbourne on the way back for a very gentle pootle on the gravel bike along part of the Tissington Trail.

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