GOSFORTH AGAIN BUT WITH A PIT STOP
June has come round fast and that
means Angela, my Mum and I did our annual pilgrimage to
the Gosforth 10 miler up in lovely
west
Last year we went up there with next to no
mileage in our legs and both of us really struggled with the hills. I was quite
pathetic over the last 3 or 4 miles, I had slowed down so much that I was
worrying that it may go dark on me; well it is an evening run. We hadn’t really
done any serious running for the previous month or two and badly suffered
because of it. I had to run walk the last section I was that totally knackered,
we had done an eight hour day at work before we set off on our long drive if
that is a good enough excuse?
This time we had decided whatever happens
physically, we would try and enjoy the beauty of the area. It also helps that
we have got loads of miles in our legs this time as we have started our
training for the Great Langdale Marathon
in September. We also knew that this
kind of run was a very important piece of our training schedule for the marathon.
The drive went well, no torrential rain or
traffic chaos this time, so we arrived in plenty of time without being overly
stressed out. We went straight to the pub and got our numbers once we had
parked and prepared ourselves for the race. We had a mile walk nearly to the
start with the other eager competitors, all chomping at the bit to get under
way (or finished).
The start soon arrived and we both trotted
off at a steady pace through the heart of Gosforth village, no stupid overly
fast paced start this time! We weaved gently downhill to the main coast road
and headed south. The coast road is nicely undulating and really warms you up
for the last 6 miles, as we found to our cost last year. This time it was a
steady well controlled pace that helped us turn off at mile 4 onto lovely
country lanes towards Wasdale.
I was feeling good at this point and Angela was going very well not far
behind me, then I suddenly started getting a vicious griping pain in my
stomach, oh dear! For the next mile I desperately tried to fight the urge not
to have a major accident in my shorts, the runner’s trots I believe it is
called. I became like a caged animal looking for an escape route, by the end of
mile 5 I had to find a place for a serious pit stop.
I was checking every farmer’s gate for a
suitable area to explode by this point and thankfully spotted one up ahead. I
had managed to force a decent gap between my nearest competitors, so I took my
chance and slipped off the course for a brief comfort break.
Once that was done and cleared up, thanks
to a few handfuls of grass, I listened for another quite gap to sneak out into.
I could only hear one pair of footsteps, so I let them pass and eased my way
back onto the course. To my surprise there was Angela running along ahead of me, so I chased after her and gave
her an explanation of how I had managed to be suddenly appearing from behind
her.
From this point I tried to quickly pick the
pace up and try and claw back a few of the places I had lost while I was
fertilising the local fields. Slowly I picked off just about everyone who had
gone past me and then ran the last 3 miles to the finish totally alone amongst
some of
Into the home straight I noticed my Mum just getting out of the van, this
was a good sign that I had run a good bit quicker than I had told her to expect
me to do. Once through the finish line I shot off to get my biscuits and juice
before waiting for Angela to storm
in. I didn’t wait very long as she shot past to claim 4th lady and 1st vet 40. Not bad to say she
wouldn’t talk to me after the last visit here, as she felt I hadn’t fully
explained how hilly it would be. She even finished with a huge smile in her
face this time round.
I was still stunned I had to stop in a
field halfway round that was definitely a first for me! This made it more
amazing that I had ran the race about 4 minutes quicker than last year. We both
fully enjoyed the run though and there was even a barbecue on at the pub while
the presentations got under way. After another quiet drive home we got to bed
not long after midnight, ready for the following days 5 am start. It was worth
the tiredness and tummy upset to run in such a gorgeous part of Cumbria, though next year we may stay
over in a hotel for the night. If anyone likes local, friendly and very scenic
races, this would be great fun for you, just take it easy on the hills and
enjoy the view. I might even put on a nappy next time round!
Written by Charles
Colby
Submitted; 18th
June 2011
Edited by: Brenda J
Earnshaw WRR Editor