Here we go again then, in more ways than one, as I've just written this once and then accidentally deleted it, one more big run to wrap up the year. The last few years I've run the The Gut Buster 10 mile in the gap between Christmas and the new year, but this year I decided to set my sights a bit higher and signed up for the Winter Cross Ultra on the 28th December.
Because, contrary to popular belief I'm not completely bonkers, I thought it sensible to only do the shorter of the two distances on offer, signing up for the 50 Km run (that's 31 and a bit miles for all the old folk). Working on the premise that as it hasn't stopped raining for the past 3 months it was unlikely to be dry, it's one of the shortest days of the year, and traditionally its pretty grim on the South Downs in December, the 45 mile option just seemed a step too far. In order to make the most of the short daylight hours it's an 07:30 start and whilst being an early riser it's 45 minutes from home to the start, 45 minutes that could be better spent sleeping. So I took the van down the night before and made good use of my extra 45 minutes, squeezing in a bit of extra shut eye and an extra brew in bed, before wandering across to the start and registration. So, race number collected and pinned on, safety pin pulled back out of my finger, shoes tightened, pre-race briefing noted, socks pulled up, nervous wee, watch started and at the stroke of 07:30 we were off, straight into a puddle of sufficient size and depth to qualify as a lake! Despite a break in the seemingly never ending rain and a dry start to the morning, wet feet were obviously still going to be the order of the day. The route consists of 3 out and back loops (4 for the 45 mile lunatics), all of which center on the start location, ideal for this time of year, when access to dry kit and an option to bail out if things turn nasty is sensible. The first leg (North) follows a disused railway line, which now forms the Meon Valley Trail. Like all old railway lines, it's flat and well drained, so despite the wet feet from the initial lake crossing, the first leg was dry underfoot and easy running, an ideal warm up for whats to come. With the first leg quickly dispatched it was on to the main course and a turn to East. The second leg picks up the South Downs Way for the climb up to Old Winchester Hill and onward along the South Downs Way towards the turn around point just before the The Sustainability Centre. The last couple of miles before the turn proved to be the muddiest of the whole run, with some deep muddy puddles and very slippery underfoot in places, all part of the fun and to be expected at this time of year. Back at the start with 19 miles done, there was just the West leg to go. Still feeling good and managing to hold a fairly steady pace, despite the ups and downs, I grabbed 1/2 a banana and a couple of biscuits from the well stocked table at the start line, had a quick chat with the lovely marshals manning the start and pushed on. The West leg has the longest road section at a couple of miles, the majority of which is uphill, climbing steadily back up to the South Downs Way at Beacon Hill, there are some pretty impressive views from here if the weathers good, looking towards Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, no time for admiring the view today though, onward, following the trail towards the turn around point at Holden Farm. A brief stop at the turn to thank the marshals and grab a Jaffa cake and away for the final few miles. Helpfully my watch, which records time and distance, decided to pick the 28 mile mark to run out of power, not to worry though, the last couple of miles are all down hill, so just a case of plodding on. And plod on to the finish I did, getting back in under 5 hours (results here once finalised), a time I'm really happy with. It was a great morning out, well organised, plenty of mud, lots of hills, a great route with some lovely views and the weather managed to not rain for the first time in forever. Only 363 days to go to the next one!
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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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