Let's get back to some of that running thing!
I was originally meant to be running in the GUCR this weekend but had to withdraw as I lost my support team. Jenny is away with work until Thursday evening and then again from Monday so it seemed somewhat unreasonable to expect her to spend the weekend looking after me.
Instead, I am now running in the Hardmoors 110 - the Cleveland Way. Starting from Helmsley in Yorkshire, the first half goes through the Yorkshire Moors reaching the coast at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The route then follows the coast through Whitby and Scarborough, before finishing in Filey. The race starts on Friday at 17:00, and Jenny is going to keep an eye on me through the evening, then sleep at a hotel before finding me again in the morning, hopefully somewhere down the coast. She is looking forward to fish & chips at Whitby!!
I've done 3 recce's over the past few weeks. Essentially, I have covered the section from Osmotherley to Saltburn, plus the last few miles into Filey. I've never really been in this part of England before and it really is lovely. Although the route doesn't get much higher than 400m above sea level, there are numerous short but sharp climbs and descents. In particular there is an interesting section after Osmotherley with 4 consecutive 'bumps'. It looks like a great route but equally challenging.
I'm really happy with my post-MdS recovery from a physical point of view, having done 5 or 6 good long runs, as well as some well-paced tempo runs. Several of my Spine and other ultra friends are also competing, so I am looking forward to catching up with them. Obviously, all the other things going on don't ensure the greatest mental preparation, but I am trying to put that out of my mind for a few days (not easy!), and just concentrate on the running aspect and enjoying the experience. The power of positive thought!
Looking forward to it - it's going to be tough, which makes it all the more worthwhile
 |
| Looking up from Carlton Bank |
 |
| I found this sign at Carlton Bank - very moving |
 |
| Across the moors |
 |
| Wain Stones |
 |
| Captain Cook's Monument |
 |
| Roseberry Topping |
 |
| Saltburn-by-the-Sea |
 |
| The end of the Cleveland Way above Filey |
 |
| Filey |
No comments:
Post a Comment