ow ow ouch ow... and that's just typing on this keyboard!
Great report Rich, thanks for setting the scene.
I distinctly remember the period of sanity after the Burnham half, saying to Rich that I didn't think I should run the Exmoor Stagger, especially with how my leg was. But next day insanity returned and as I looked at the vague details of the race again (
2000ft of climbing in 16 miles of Exmoor National Park) I thought, actually I would quite like to do that
Spurred on by the knowledge that there
would definitely be cakes at this one, we packed our kit bags and headed for Minehead, actually looking forward to a notoriously tough event on what was turning out to be a lovely day.
We did wonder briefly why there weren't any of the usual Somerset Series faces there at the start line...but now we know, they had learnt the hard way, just as we were about to
Safe in the knowledge that we had our cake reserved in the car, we set off with a spring in our step. I was ok with the first 3 miles of climbing, but the ground was very rough and mostly a combination of large rock and loose stone so it required constant concentration. While other runners appear to cover the ground with ease I always seem to pick the worst route, and twist and stumble my way through.
The down hill sections were at best treacherous and at worst like coming down a cliff! It frightened me to death because with the momentum it was impossible to stop and you just gathered speed the whole way until either the ground levelled out or you crashed into something/someone.
Everyone was mostly walking the steepest climbs and I stopped to let Rich catch up a couple of times. Then he told me of the injury he'd picked up on the stile and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to leave him, but I wanted the nightmare to be over as soon as possible. He told me that I should go on and reluctantly I agreed to.
The view from the very top of the course was amazing, and if you had any breath left, the scenery took it away! You could see for... well, for ever.
That could very well have been my last memory though, because on the descent from Dunkery Hill (strike
Hill and replace with
mountain) in trying to trot down, my foot slid from under me and I landed hard on my back and then slid a bit further. The shock waves that went through me gave me an instant headache and I'd also hit my arm so hard that I thought for a moment that I'd broken it. There was some concern from runners as they ran around me but mostly everyone just carried on. That was my lowest moment and I just wanted to cry, but I told myself to just get on with it and simply focus on surviving to the finish.
I had the same problem as Rich with focusing on the ground, which almost made you feel dizzy. But I put it down to the fact that it required so much concentration, and that I was becoming tired.
I was actually relieved to see the half way sign, knowing from looking at the course profile before the race, that the worst was over...I'd forgotten about the almost vertical grassy hill followed by the even more vertical muddy, rocky hill.
Getting to the top of that was bliss...for a while. But shortly after I felt that familier old pain in my leg, and there was still about 4 miles to go. On the down hill stretches where I could have made up some time, I was forced to walk because running down hill, no matter how slight, is pure agony. So I made the most of every incline, until my leg didn't like that either. I struggled on toward the finish, watching everyone pass me who I'd left behind way back in the course.
It was a long downhill to the finish and while other runners flew past me enjoying the easy part, every step for me became more and more painful.
As I turned the corner to see the finish ahead I could hear another runner behind me, instinctively I knew it was a female runner so I picked up my legs, gritted my teeth and ran for it. I wasn't going to let yet another place go. The pain was so intense that I felt nauseous but I didn't stop until I got to the finish line. My time for the 16 mile nightmare was 3.12.28, over twice as long as it took me for 13 miles two weeks before!
My first thought was for Rich, I didn't know if he'd pulled out of the race or was still battling somewhere out there on the course. I felt so helpless and all I could do was wait, so I went into the presentation, amongst all the smiley happy people, just to keep warm, and waited for him. I was so relieved when he tapped me on the shoulder. My next priority was food because by this time I wasn't feeling very well at all.
An hour later, fed & watered, showered, and fed again, we were on our way home vowing never to return.
Like Rich said, it was a good event, well organised and well supported, but just not for us. We'll leave those events for the nutters
Oh, and I was 37th lady and 5th LV40. Rich was 17th MV50.
) that I could have done better than my 1.53.57. Trin's observation was backed up last week when we did an 11 mile training run at the same pace as my early Burnham pace, and the training run had hills in it!
