When I signed up back in June, I questioned how I'd ever be able to run that far. Or why I'd entered a race at all when I hadn't even been parkrunning regularly. Main reasons were:
it's local - somewhere I've driven past daily for many years
it wasn't too expensive, and all finishers got a medal
the venue isn't usually open to the public
it'd give me a target to work towards
Also, a little bit of peer pressure. When I told friends I was considering it, Jem immediately went and entered the 10k, and Aisling and Gaz entered the 5k (though unfortunately both of them ended up pulling out with injuries).
I eventually got round to forming a training routine of sorts (ie forcing myself to run twice a week), but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I managed the full distance and it finally felt like the race was 'doable'.
The weather was dry and cool, but also foggy. Perhaps not ideal for taking in the lovely scenery! Local news paparazzi took photos of us pre-run, and I also got this delightful selfie. I'm waiting to see the official photos taken during the run, no doubt I will be pulling stupid faces.
The course was quite varied. Starting at the cricket club/church, we ran two laps of the gardens and grounds, consisting of gravel paths and various lengths of grass. One section along a lake was quite muddy with a few tree roots (and face-height overhanging bits of plant!), and there were a couple of short bits of tarmac. There were 3 water stops, and plenty of friendly marshals.
As the race was finishing, the fog cleared and we had beautiful sunshine for a bit of a wander around the church and grounds. But more on that in another post.
Now, the important bit: my result. I ran just over 1hr and 2 minutes, which I am very pleased with! This put me in 42nd overall (out of 94), and 15th lady.
Of course, it could have gone a little better - I realised my shoe was rubbing (there's a seam/fold in the insole somewhere) at around 7k, and from about 8km the bottoms of my feet started to go a bit tingly/numb. The same thing happened a couple of times during training, so maybe I just need to not tighten my laces so much?
I'm not sure what happens next with my running. I'll probably find another 10k at some point because it'd be a shame to lose all the fitness I've been working on, but at the same time I'm sad that I haven't done a great deal of cycling this summer. hmmm.
This is Blenheim Palace. We visited right at the start of August, to watch the summer jousting tournament.
There was a falconry display...
...and the actual jousting, which was very scripted and not quite as exciting as we'd hoped. I think it was aimed more at kids (with the 'bad' black knight eventually, predictably, getting his comeuppance). But enjoyable nonetheless - certainly something you don't get to see every day.
Watching all that took up quite a bit of time, and we spent another few hours wandering around the rest of the grounds. Including a trip on the little train to the 'pleasure gardens' and attempting to get lost in the maze there. I also got dragged inside the butterfly house, which didn't seem to have that many butterflies in so wasn't too nerve-wracking (phew!)
After all that, we didn't have enough time to actually go inside the palace. In theory our tickets could be converted to annual passes allowing us to go back for free, but I didn't realise you had to do it within 14 days of visiting
It's been several years since I last went mountain biking at Afan, which is a bit silly because when I do go I really enjoy it.
Yesterday morning I met up with some friends at a rather damp Glyncorrwg. As we got ready, I watched a serious of brightly coloured dots slowly weaving their way up the hillside, and soon it was our turn. Climbs at Afan are an absolute pig, but at least all the up is at the start so you get it out of the way! No shame in having to get off and push, either...
Once we eventually reached the top, the group split into two - the 'fast and fit' people sped off to do Blade, while the slow/unfit/haven't-cycled-for-years people did the shorter Whites Level. Obviously I was in the second group - and unusually for me, this time I wasn't the slow one at the back who everyone else has to wait for!
bit blurry, sorry!
The main 'problem' I have with mountain biking is steep downhill. It's mostly a mental block, and is improving with practice, but I don't like feeling I'm going too fast and might not be in control, and have a bad habit of over using the brakes.
None of that yesterday - the descent was a fairly gentle gradient, so felt controlled and everything flowed nicely. In fact, the whole thing was 'flowy' - Whites has a lot of very nice singletrack! Unfortunately one section was closed for maintenance and diverted via fire road, but there was more than enough to keep me happy. Some bits are quite technical though - rocky steps to drop off (walked most of them) and a section of boardwalk which I started doing then chickened out of.
Oh, and the weather eventually improved:
I did have one unintentional dismount - and ended up lying next to a bit of tree in the middle of a load of brambles. Arms and legs are a little bit scratched, but no other damage. Ouch.
Once we'd finished biking (and the sun had properly come out) we headed to Neath for a very nice curry at Mint Masala. Definitely recommended!
tags: Gloucester local running 
