To many people doing an 8-mile run in an hour and ten minutes will not sound very impressive, but I was pleased: particularly after my performance at Hawkshead.
Running Friend A and I, plus a friend of hers, arrived in Langholm about 45 minutes before the run began. Having all admitted to many trips to the toilet before leaving home, we then proceeded to go again about 3 times each in that 45 minutes: until the run was about to start and Running Friend A wasn't allowed back into the building!
For some reason I had expected a trail run but in fact the first 4 miles or so is all on road, albeit quiet, winding, country roads. It starts with a hill: the first bit is short and relatively steep and is one of those hills which tricks you into thinking you're at the top when in fact you have another but less steeply graded phase to go. There was then a downhill section on where I told myself to keep it steady, despite the fact that plenty of people were overtaking me, as we were only a mile or so into the run.
Fortunately I'd seen a very sketchy profile of the run so knew there was another hill around the 3.5 mile mark. By then my shoulders were absolutely killing me and, being used nowadays to running on trails rather than roads, I was also getting rather bored with tarmac, despite the fact that my watch was indicating to me that I was going more quickly than I had anticipated I would. I also kept telling myself it couldn't possibly be as bad as Hawkshead and what's more was an entire mile less.
Halfway up the hill I walked for a bit to rotate and stretch my shoulders and then started running again. Before long there was a water station and then, to my joy, the route turned onto a track. All of a sudden I felt happier: this was the sort of terrain I was used to, and it was fairly well-compacted with smallish stones so fairly easy running. After an open section it started winding through the trees and the final few miles seemed to go a lot quicker than the first few had done.
Stepping on to the footbridge which led back into the playing field where the finish was located I saw Special Friend M, her husband and son waiting at the other end: her father 'invented' the route and her parents still live in Langholm. My spirits rose and I waved, them waving back and cheering and clapping me on. A quick 200m or so round the field, running as fast as I could as I could hear someone behind me trying to overtake (and I was blowed if he or she was going to), and over the finish line!
Post-race there was soup, a bread roll, a flapjack and a cup of coffee for every competitor (in fact they even paid us the compliment of calling us 'athletes'): plus we each got a medal and a little shot glass. The goodies must be some of the best from any event I have completed, and it wasn't even expensive to enter.
So a third success of the weekend and I am so glad I did it: thank you to my friends for encouraging me. Maybe Bassenthwaite Triathlon is on the cards for the summer after all.
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