Windy hilly race

[Blackberrypie]

Thankfully no dreams of getting lost in the run up to today's race, though I did find myself lying awake listening to the wind and rain lashing the windows and wondering whether a catamaran ride across the Solent followed by a hilly 10 mile race was really a sensible idea!

Thankfully the rain was dying down as I set off (with a lot of spare clothes in my bag), catamaran journey was a little lumps but not too bad and we landed at Ryde pier with a bit of sun breaking through the clouds.

The race starts with a short flat loop before the first hill - took the ups nice and steady and enjoyed fast cadence falling with style on the downhills. It is a lovely varied route - through houses to fields and never far from the sea. One particularly lovely moment when we found ourselves running along the prom with beach huts on one side and the sea on the other and I managed to get a quick photo on the hoof.

I wasn't quite sure what pace to set given how hilly and windy it was. There are six hills in all, adding up to 230m of gain. The mid point one was the only one where I walked a bit, mostly so I could get some tailwind on board for extra oomph. Somebody passed me and my competitive side wasn't having that so I quickly picked up the pace again. There was a long flat stretch towards the end but I knew there was one more hill to come. It was a tough pull but I managed to keep a good pace and pass a few people.

And then suddenly a marshal said "downhill all the way from here" which was music to my ears - had great fun whizzing down the last km and managed a sprint finish for the line. Despite the hills and wind I managed to beat my previous 10 mile race time set on a flat course, (though Strava makes it my second fastest 10 mile). Lovely rainbow on the way home to round out a good day of racing.

[misswobble Marathon]

Yay! Well done 😀👍🌊💨💥🌪🏅 I hope you’re ok after your exertions 🙂

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Thanks! Hamstrings and glutes a bit sore but all fine otherwise (ask me tomorrow and you may get a different answer...)

[GTFC Marathon]

This was so lovely to read. Huge congratulations on such a really positive run and PB! 🌟🏅

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to GTFC]

Thanks, it was a nice day!

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

Great stuff!!! xxx

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Cheers

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

Well done to you! Especially with the wind and six hills! 💪

Clearly the rainbow came out just for you 🌈

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

I think there were lots of people who deserved a good rainbow 🌈

[sparky66 Half Marathon]

👏👏👏 well done!! Sounds very tough with all those hills and to manage a PB is just fantastic 🎉

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to sparky66]

It was quite hard going I must say!

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

A run to be proud of! Wind, rain, hills ………no trouble at all. Fantastic effort Bp 👏👏👏👏👏🥂🥇

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

I was wondering as I set off why I keep doing this. And all sorts of reasons, but being proud of myself at the end of the day is a really good feeling.

[Cmoi Marathon]

What a great run for you Blackberrypie , congratulations!

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Thanks

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to Blackberrypie]

The part about not being sure quite what pace to set made me laugh! I'm just not capable of that. I go faster or slower depending on the gradient, where I'm running and for how long, that's how technical I get. So much respect for you 😀

[Cowladyrunning Marathon]

Congratulations! It sounds a great run! Well done on a PB!

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Cowladyrunning]

Thanks!

[aliboo70 Half Marathon]

Congratulations!it's a tough course especially in the wind! Xxx

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

It was tough at points, how did you get on?

[aliboo70 Half Marathon in reply to Blackberrypie]

Just thinking of writing a post!been feeling v tired and walking dog was a trek! Much slower than my last time in 2020 but didn't feel too bad considering how little I've done lately. Legs held out but v tired by the end! Enjoyed it though ! X

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

Enjoying it is the most important thing!

[RunWillie Metric Marathon]

Well done Blackberrypie ❤️🏃‍♀️

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

Thanks!

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Great race BP! Sounds like it checked all the boxes!

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Decker]

It was a good day - legs a bit sore this morning but worth it!

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Well done Blackberrypie - that sounds like a tough one and yet you still beat your previous 10 mile time! 🙂👏💪

[Blackberrypie Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

It's good to know all this training is having an impact!