Here we go again then, by some strange quirk of timing I've managed to squeeze two 50Km runs into July and that's on top of cycling to the Peak District and back for our holiday! Sometimes even I think that I'm nuts. But then again, I'm going to be a long time dead, so I might as well make best use of the time that I have got.
This weekends main event was the Round Reading Ultra Marathon, a run that had been on my radar for a while and one that I'd even got as far as entering, but never made the start of, during my injury ruined 2019 summer. Despite the Covid kerfuffle this one had gone ahead in 2020 too, somehow managing to fit itself into the summer loosening of restrictions, but I guess I must have had other plans as it didn't feature in my running calendar last year either. 2021 was going to be the year when I finally managed the round Reading loop then, and as such, an early start from home saw me ready and raring to go for my planned 07:45 start. In order to maintain some social distancing, we were set off in groups of 10, with a couple of minutes between groups. Not a mass start with its unique atmosphere, but a good idea in my opinion, not only keeping everyone safe and apart, but stopping the mad rush to the first bend and the resulting bottle necks when everyone gets to the first gate or style together. From the start at Sonning (to the North side of Reading) it was straight onto the Thames path for the first leg, taking us across the top side of town. In the cool, early morning air, this proved to be a nice, easy start to the day, giving the old legs a chance to loosen up, allowing the pace to settle down and with the path wide and flat, allowing plenty of space for runners to pass each other and find their natural position.
With the river for company, slowly carving it's majestic way through the Thames valley, lined with canal boats, river cruisers and further up the riverside, the homes of the wealthy London over spill, there was plenty to occupy the mind and distract you from the task in hand and despite a few spots of rain early on, it was already showing the makings of a great day out.
Like all good things though, eventually the easy running came to an end, with a turn away from the river to start the South Bound leg. The turn also marked a distinct change in environment with the serene riverside being replaced with an interesting route through housing estates, parks and the odd bit of more open countryside. Left, Right, Squeeze through the anti cycling barriers onto a footpath, negotiate a gate, mind the dog walkers stopped on the path for a chat, back onto the road for a short section, cross the railways, stop for a major road crossing and start again for what seemed like forever, yet never seemed dull or problematic. To be honest whoever came up with the route had done an excellent job and considering the area we were passing through it was well thought out and made excellent use of the footpaths and open spaces which permeate our towns and cities. Eventually, just after the half way point, the housing came to an end, to be replaced with the landscaped office spaces and more industrial areas of Green park and the first crossing of the M4 to take us to the leg back along the bottom. Steady progress through Three Mile Cross, saw us back into more open countryside, a welcome change after the housing and endless twists and turns. Past the sprawling housing complex which has replaced the old Arborfield Garrison and onward towards Winnersh. A quick checkpoint stop to top up my water and grab a chocolatey treat to see me through the last few miles (nice one Tunnocks, these could be my new favorite running snack) and onto the last leg. North we go, heading back towards the start and finish. Coming into Winnersh, with almost a Marathon in my legs, the heat and humidity started to take it's toll and despite getting plenty of fluids on board throughout the morning, the first twinges of cramp started rippling through my calves. Dropping the pace slightly helped, and when the 26 mile mark appeared at 3:40 I knew that maybe I'd gone out a bit fast for the conditions. Not to worry though, my slightly slower pace was helping and with only 5 miles left to go it was just a case of plodding on. A short rain shower helped wash the salty sweat from my face into my eyes. But, further on it looked like I'd had a lucky escape on the rain front, as the roads still had rivers running down the gutters, with large puddles littering the path, yet I'd barely got wet! A final short uphill section saw the end hove into sight and with one final push I was across the line, another 30 miles in my legs and another Ultra Marathon ticked off. A Finish time of 4:21 was good enough for 16th place from the 233 finishers and to be honest I'm pretty happy with that. I could probably have taken another couple of minutes out of it if I'd paced things a bit better at the start, but there's no point in killing yourself. I run for the fun of it, not to win and I'd rather enjoy myself than push myself to the limit. Maybe that's not the right attitude and probably explains why I'll never stand on the podium, but at the end of the day, it's my choice, I'm happy, and despite the protestations from my legs, I'm having fun!
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
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