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.