While looking for a couple of short races to keep me in training I stumbled across this rather enticing list of events known collectively as The Somerset Series.

I've worked out that I can do most of them...just two in the summer are out because of foreign holiday.

The races are:

25/2/07 Babcary Road Race 7.5 mile
4/3/07 Butleigh MT 7 mile
9/4/07 Easter Bunny 10k
6/5/07 Glastonbury 10k
9/5/07 Yeovilton 5k
3/6/07 Crewkerne 9 mile
1/7/07 Quantock Beast MT 5.7 mile (I'm in Croatia so can't do this one)
15/7/07 Wellington 10 mile (I'm still away so can't do this one either)
1/8/07 Haselbury Trail 10k
26/8/07 Battle of Sedgemoor 10k
2/9/07 Burnham Beach 10k
9/9/07 Ash Excellent 8 mile
7/10/07 Burnham-on-Sea half marathon
21/10/07 Exmoor Stagger 16 miles in Exmoor National Park (sounds lovely!)
10/11/07 Cheddar half marathon
25/11/07 Brent Knoll 5.5 mile


16 events in all, and very reasonably priced!

Anyone else fancy going for it...

Me me me me me!!!

Forms for the first three are in the post

Well, we did the first race in the series last Sunday...

It was a blustery/windy day and the 7 mile 933yd course was most definitely undulating, but also quite enjoyable through the Somerset country lanes

I finished in 55.34, 2nd LV35 and 6th lady overall

Leg held up quite well, just started to let me know that it wasn't happy in the last mile.

Yep . . it was an enjoyable race to take part in . . I managed 1.03.57 so finished a little way behind Trin . .

Since neither of us had raced 7½ miles before, it means we both achieved pb's

The homemade cakes afterwards were lush

I was 92nd overall (think there were 150 finishers) and 15th V50 (I think) . .

Now we're looking forward to the 2nd race in the series . . the Butleigh Multi Terrain 7-Miles Approx!!

It says it's a scenic, undulating course, over some road and bridle tracks and with 2 hill climbs. From the look of the weather forecast we'll mostly be swimming round!!

Better take my water wings then

So... the second race in the series was Butleigh multi-terrain 7 mile

As we left home in the rain yesterday morning I suggested to Rich that we only need 8 races to count for the series, so this didn't have to be one of them... but he just said "we're up now, so get out there"
I guess I could have argued the case and said that we didn't need to stay up, but the thought of the post race cakes had more influence.

To say it was wet and muddy is the understatement of the year! The 7 mile race was mostly through ankle deep squelchy mud (over which I was doing my best impression of Bambi on ice), and huge deep muddy puddles. We ran through muddy woods, accross muddy fields, climbed over muddy gates and styles, and slid and skidded up and down muddy hills, which really made you appreciate the very short stretches of lovely smooth and even, although slightly uphill road.

I was mostly concentrating on staying upright and finishing in one piece with both trainers still on my feet, which I mostly managed, apart from one fall...on one of the least muddy parts of the course

My poor trainers are recovering in the airing cupboard.

However, the results are now up and amazingly I replicated my placings from the previous weeks road run... 2nd LV35 and 6th lady overall in a time of 1.05.05

Rich was very close behind me... but I'll let him post his report

Good one Trin......glad you didn't do an impression of Bambi's mum!!

__________________
I need a break!

Thanks Steve... me too!

Good point Steve!! Hadn't thought of that!!

Well I really enjoyed that!! Hadn't done a wet multi-terrain race for many years and I managed to pace it right so that I was still strong at the finish and therefore I enjoyed it, despite slipping whilst climbing over one of the metal gates and very nearly splitting my difference. Not sure if I'm bruised as I've not been able to look there for years!!

Moving on . . as Trin said, we opened the door and it was filthy outside . . but not only had we got up specially to travel down to the race . . we'd also left a party early on Saturday night because we wanted to race . . so I figured it was a shame to waste a sacrifice like that!!

The course was pretty arduous and wearing off road shoes didn't make a huge amount of difference as it was so wet underfoot . . Trin's description is spot on. Three long climbs but only one long downhill . . and I loved that downhill!!

It was great to finish with a time of 1.08.31, in 57th place, 8 places behind Trin. I doubt if I'll get that close to Trin now that she can throw her "Soggy Multi Terrain" 'L' plates away and she knows what to expect. I was delighted, and relieved, to see Trin grinning broadly at the finish as she waited for me.

We weren't aware that there were showers available (we were in a new building which the builders had only just handed over 2 days previously) and so Trin got changed in the car and I bared and cleaned all discreetly in the road . . before we returned to Race HQ for more cakes!!! Splendid!!!

Looking forward to the Easter Bunny 10k now . . although that'll be a different kind of race becuse it's so popular with probably around 300 runners taking part intead of the 76 that ran yesterday.

Tsk.... Rich assured me that he would post in here with a report of the most recent race in the series

men eh....


The third race in the series took place on Easter Monday and was the Easter Bunny 10k
It was a lovely course...99% flat with one baby hill in the middle.
I decided that as I got so close to my 10k pb during a 16 mile training run the previous week, I would try for a shiny new pb at the race.

I went through the first mile in 6.35...oops, maybe that was just a little too enthusiastic I thought...so I slowed it down. Second mile 6.49

Legs had obviously made an executive decision without consulting lungs and pushed on going through the next few miles in 6.39, 6.40 and 6.38.

In the last mile I paid for going off too fast at the start of the race and struggled with a 6.54, although that was actually closer to the pace that I was intending for the whole race.

I had a little left in the tank and sprinted for the line, finishing in 42.19.

There was a little argy bargy on the finish line where one lady finished a fraction behind me but decided to place herself in front of me.... no race etiquette at all! And it was lucky that she wasn't in my category or I would have taken it further.

So, I was 4th LV35 and scored a PB by 1 min 24 sec and got an Easter egg at the finish... I was a very happy bunny


Rich did well too, but I'll let him report on his race

So glad to see that things are going so well after all your problems Trinity.

You deserved that egg.

I`ll be glad to break 50 minutes this year....................