Great Cumbrian Run 2009
Catherine Willis sends this report..
After completing the Coast to Castles back in August, my body pretty much fell apart! It was injury after injury which meant missing training and races. It is true; there is nothing worse than an injured runner! I also had to miss out on the Great North Run, even though the results pages may suggest otherwise. Ahem... It was only in the late days of October that I finally got back to the club nights and then within days on October 25th, I found myself on an early morning drive with Paul Brown and Dave Daniels to compete in the Great Cumbrian Run 2009, staged in Carlisle and its neighbouring towns and villages. The little voices in my head the previous night told me maybe it wasn’t a good idea, maybe I should wait a few more weeks, but I’ve been so desperate to run again! And with my entry already in, it seemed a shame not to at least try! ...
We left sunny skies in Newcastle, to be greeted with wind, rain and dark clouds on the A69. A tiny blot of blue sky appeared in the distance and we hoped it would greet us in Carlisle in time for the starting gun at 10am. But of course, it wasn’t meant to be! After a quick change at the Sands Centre, we went back to the car to leave bags before jogging over to the start line at Carlisle Castle. But “just 5 more minutes?” in the car seemed so much more appealing, than to head out into the elements in only our shorts and club vests. It felt absolutely freezing. Sideways rain, combined with biting winds made the waiting time before the race very uncomfortable. At the start, we saw runners in long pants, tee-shirts, jackets, gloves, woolly hats. I even saw a girl wearing a scarf!
The gunshot fired and off we went, in my head wondering what on earth I was doing. Just fresh out of injury and thinking maybe today wasn’t the best day to head out and try my ‘new legs’. Oh well – too late now. We ran through the streets of the city centre and already Dave Daniels was nowhere to be seen, and within that same first mile, Paul Brown was off like a flash. David Rowe and I started off similar pace to begin with so I tried to keep with him for a while –but I just thought it seemed a bit too keen so soon, so I dropped off into a steadier pace.
Out of Carlisle and into the winding narrow lanes, heading out into the country, the crowd were evenly spread by now. The route took us through some great little towns of Cumwhinton, Wetheral and Scotby where the support was brilliant. Neighbours out on walls, waving, cheering and creating a fantastic atmosphere as we all ran by.
The weather seemed to clear up and it was turning out to be a great day! Unfortunately the rain and the winds returned at Wetherall and you could hear the grunts of annoyance from runners around but as quickly as it showed up, it soon cleared away again. At this point, I finally gave in to the burning blister that had started a few miles back, I had tried to ignore it and think about how tired my legs were feeling instead but that didn’t work. I decided to check if the ‘second skin’ plaster was still intact and thought how sandpaper would have probably done a better job.
There wasn’t much I could do about it, so sock back on, I started running again – at the same time a Heaton harrier lady was running by. A quick hello as we passed and off I went – the race bug returned in that very instant! I had happily plodded to this point but now, there was someone in my sights or rather, someone I wanted to make sure stayed behind me!! The blister no longer registered, I picked up the pace and made sure I didn’t see her again – in the nicest possible way of course, you understand.
Recognising the roads of Carlisle as we approached the last few miles, was a great feeling. I knew I was nearly there and nothing could go wrong, fingers crossed, I’d get over that finish line. I picked it up at about 10miles and befriended a guy who had done the race many times before. He began a commentary of the last stretch and told me about a ‘small hill’ coming up. I spotted the incline ahead but the way he described it, I thought it’ll be over soon enough. However, I think he went to the same ‘School of Hills’ as Terry, as this was no small hill, it went on and on...and continued over the brow. What a killer at the end!!
The weather and strong winds also returned at this point, just to make sure we had a tough finish. The last mile or so took us around a carpark, before heading over to the Sands Centre for a lap of the track and over the timechip mats. I was so pleased to have finished, still able to walk (apart from the blister pains), greeted by Dave at the finish we shook hands and laughed about that ‘small hill’. Tsk!!
Off we went to find Paul and Dave. Sweat free, looking calm and collected in the reception area they awaited our arrival. Dave’s finish time was a fantastic 1:22:33 and Paul took an amazing 2 ½ minutes off his previous half marathon finishing with a new PB of 1:31:03. I was just happy not to pick up another injury and reached the finish line in 1:41:29. And yes, this time it really was me running!
Great results had by all and everyone happy with their race, we braved the weather one last time to get back to the cars to get jumpers and hats on as quickly as possible!
Times of the day:
Davey Daniels 1:22:33
Paul Brown 1:31:03
David Rowe 1:39:19
Catherine Willis 1:41:29
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