Round Rotherham 50 Mile, 20 Oct 2012

Third time's a charm, and this will be the only race that I have managed to do every year since moving to England.  (I really just do it for the T-shirt although this year it was bright orange, making it virtually unwearable unless I find myself running through hunting season!).

As a side note, the streak will have to stop with just three, as I won't be around here next year.  I am switching careers and trying out something new. Finally I will also have a job that I can talk about without getting thrown in jail, but even better will actually have something to do with the outdoors.  A lot actually.  More on that later.  Hmmm.  Anyway, we are moving out of the UK in March 2013, to Utah in the States still known as the Colonies for some of my teammates.  Really excited to move out west.  Sad to leave the UK and the wonderful racing scene here.

Back to the race, I was feeling rather unprepared for this year's Round Rotherham.  50 miles is a long way, and with my big adventure races and a few niggling injuries, I hadn't run more than 6 miles at a stretch for almost 6 months.  But I had done a lot of walking.  I hoped that walking fitness would carry me through. 

It didn't.  As I write this a few days later my legs are still terribly painful, and the last 20 miles of the race was a lesson in the value of proper preparation.  An acute, painful lesson.

The race started off kindly enough.   I met up with Karen, Nick, Roger, and Mike before the race, in the tradition of friends who only meet a few times a year before and after big runs! 

It was a beautiful day with a great forecast.  Not cold, not windy, not rainy, why do I always feel the need to list all the things that could be bad? and quite sunny.  Once the sun came up, anyway.  It was warm enough that a light shirt was perfect the entire day, and I never got hot or cold.  With no required kit list to speak of, my lightest pack contained only food, a few bandaids, and a windshirt.   After the heavy packs of adventure racing I hardly knew this one was there.

Since the job change requires me to move, I will essentially saying goodbye to all things British over the winter as I make my last visits to my favorite places.  I found myself doing the same during the race, but this time I was noticing all of the places where I got lost the first year!   There must have been at least 5 or 6 locations where I added a little mileage to the already long 50 mile route, including the major detour which made it 60 miles instead of 50.  Ouch.  I managed to stick to the route (even in my head I now pronounce this word as "root" like the Brits, thanks Gavin!?!) this year, although it still seemed like a long way around.

I was faster through the first half this time, even with the added mud and sticky clay from all the recent rains.  My shoes acquired a layer of the goo which managed to stick on the entire race, I'm sure it must have weighed a pound or two per foot!   I'm not going to rave about the field crossings...they were slippery as snot and quite a few people were sporting muddy spots on their bums by the end of the race.  I managed to fall only once but keeping my balance in the mud took extra effort. 

Still, a very pleasant route (root?) by streams, canals, neighborhoods, overlooks, parks, etc.   I was starting to think of a PB at 30 miles when we got our halfway bags.  Perhaps I felt faster than I really was, after seeing Nick Ham at the checkpoint, as he is usually far in front of me.  Unfortunately I left my pain medication in that bag, thinking I wouldn't need it.  About 10 minutes out of the checkpoint, I realized that I really did need it.  There went my PB and here came the needles in my muscles with every running step.  Ouch. By the last 10 miles I couldn't run a lick, the best I could manage was a fast walk.  The volunteers at all the checkpoints were always very cheerful and helpful, (and well stocked with good eats) but by the last one it was all I could do to say "thanks" before continuing to the last 3, painful miles.  Finally time was 10:46, which was almost 45 minutes longer than my time of last year.  But still 3 hours faster than when I got lost in 2010! 

After Nick posts his photos (I'm sure that's what slowed him down so I could catch him), I'll borrow a few to add to this post.  It really was a gorgeous day, and luckily I even finished in full daylight because I forgot my headlamp in my halfway bag, too!