Trail 17k

Yesterday I ran the toughest run I have ever done.  It was a hilly trail run in the Lake District and it really was challenging.  We left home at 8 am as we had decided not to camp for the weekend as the weather had been so bad.  I was really pleased we had made that decision when we got there as it had been snowing and windy in the night so I might not have got much sleep.  There had been a lot of rain recently and so people were being bused in due to lack of field parking spaces but we decided to chance getting a spot because we had the children and dogs. 

  We were very lucky and managed to park and made our way over to the registration where I met up with my running buddy M who had arrived earlier as her husband was marshalling.  We registered and also met up with two other ladies from our running club who were also running.

It actually turned out to be a really good day - ideal running weather, 10 degrees with blue skies. We were set off at 1315 to the sound of djembe drums which was fun and took off around the village but were soon climbing up for about 1.5 miles.  It was a really challenging run, definitely the hardest I have ever done, either in training or as a race.  We covered 590 metres of  ascent but were rewarded by really stunning views all over the lakes with little tarns as well as hills and fields.  The killer hill was very steep and quite challenging as evidenced by the Mountain Rescue trauma vehicle parked on a track half was up just in case!

 While we were running Rick and the children spent some time on the lake shore with the dogs and 14yos took some lovely photos of the birds, which they got quite close to.

 My running pal and I had run all the way with each other, although she probably could have run it quicker than me - however, we ran in holding hands which was really nice as it sure had been a really tough challenge and one we both felt really good about finishing.

Altogether a great run..............roll on next year! We are now down in Englandshire for a week or so.  Busy week visiting friends/family, museums and shops.  Next weekend Rick and I are travelling further south for him to run a marathon and we will spend a nice two nights in a Premier Inn.

Its great to have use of my nephew's house for a few days while here!