Just Wonderful weekend......

This past weekend I travelled up to Birmingham in order to take part in the JW Ultra a race that has been important in my calendar for 4 years now.

I first did the race in 2008, having heard about it being really good in it's first year 2007 ....... I didn't really know anybody involved in the running of it at that point but was into runners world and so was aware of them and other people who would run this sort of thing. I remember travelling up on a Friday to stay in a hotel in Brum, after a horrible day at work and not feeling well. I had argued with Mr H because he was supposed to come and then decided last minute he didn't want to. (on reflection, maybe I WAS being unreasonable asking him to come). So next day which was race day didn't start the best and tbh it didn't really get any better. I didn't feel well and had a pretty awful run. At 20 miles or CP2 I could have easily thrown in the towel, but met up with Dick who was having a bad run too....we decided to finish together and just moaned and ranted our way home :) I think the time was something like 5.50.

I hung around for the presentation and despite being pissed off with my performance realised that this was actually a pretty special race, where the organisers knew everybody and cared that they had a good day. I had a train booked that evening but realised lots of people were staying and going out that night. I decided that in 2009 I would do that too.

2009 - 4.45 much better, got pissed after....even better ;)
2010 - 4.40 ran most of it with Matt and had a really enjoyable run that ended with a PB. Got pissed after. brilliant.

2011 special 5th run of the race and social run.

This year I went up Thursday and shopped. Sometimes I do act like a girl :) Ate in a pasta place and went to bed early. Friday got picked up and went to Rowheath to meet up with Mark, Matt, Gavin and Sharon and Gus. Sharon drove us to the start of the race at Stratford, and we started the first JW social run which was also a chance for Gavin to run the race for the 5th time (he had run every year before) as he couldn't make the Saturday.

We basically ran walked the whole route, with banana cake stops at the checkpoints (Thanks for the cake Sharon, I am a fan) It was a pretty fab way to spend the day with friends, and different for me than always worrying about how long I was taking and if I was doing better than last year, yeah all that rubbish Anyway, we finished in about 7 hrs and then it was a quick dash back to the hotel to eat and shower before meeting back at Rowheath for traditional night before drinks. I decided to try 3 pints this year (bearing in mind I had covered 30 miles already) and some vegetable pizza. I think I was quite well behaved and I did apologise for throwing the money :-D I was asleep pretty much before my head hit the pillow.

Race day (official)

Woke up feeling ok. Lifted the sheet, nothing had fallen off in the night. Slight blister on one foot.

Got a lift to Rowheath with others and got on the coach with Matt. He said he felt ok too but tired. Yeah I guess I felt a bit tired too but nowhere near as bad as I felt some days on the 10 in 10. Arrived at Stratford and did all those stupid faffy things you have to. Tried to work out who the lunatic who kept smiling at me was (I am soooo sorry Jules you must have thought I was very rude at first......) and finally lined up. I said to Matt 'I'm just going to start steady and see how I feel' and then suddenly we were off. And I had that thing......that race thing. My head said just effing go and my legs seemed to concur. So I did, thinking at any minute I was going to blow right up.

I was sure that any minute it would all go wrong and I know how long 30 miles is. I also knew very well which were the parts of the race I disliked the most it being fresh from the day before. Well that spurred me on because the only way to get those bit over quicker is to go faster.

And so it went. CP1 didn't stop just grabbed water. The run to CP2 seemed as long as ever and I promised myself a special tablet when I got there :-D I also got to see Meldy waving her pint at me which truly warmed my heart...................not!!! But it did make me get running again, sadly losing my water bottle top almost immediatly and therefore giving my knees a lovely drink but not me. I knew this wouldn't be good, so some time later wasn't suprised when I started fantasising about lying down and dipping my face in the canal. However, when you come off the canal onto the road there is a shop so I got some coke which was as usual the best coke I have ever tasted and spurred me on to the finish.

Finish 4.42 and something. Absolutely delighted and presented with the best goody bag ever.

Found out that Matt had stopped at CP2 and was going to stop but obviously somebody knew which buttons to push because he had a pint of cider and then set off to finish (do you think that's what happened to Haile yesterday? Cos I do) which he did....legend ;)

Didn't think the weekend could get any better really but then me and Matt were presented with fantastic hand painted mugs for 'doing the double' (Sharon they are absolutely beautiful) AND THEN I WENT OUT FOR BEER.

I will post a picture of the mug when I remember to take one, currently I appear to only have pictures of chafing on my phone (why? I have no idea) and you dont want to see those.