Race 27: 13 The Hard Way

Saturday 26th August 2017

13.1 Miles

2 Hours 31 Minutes

It was time to start racing again! I had had over a month without any planned events but had kept myself busy with training for the Beachy Head Marathon. I think I would of been in pretty good shape for this race had I not spent the preceding week coughing up my guts. I had a terrible cough and I was exhausted from it. I had rested for the week as any sort of exercise appeared to aggravate it.

Parking up at the bottom of Ditchling Beacon on this beautiful misty morning and seeing just a handful of hardy competitors did not make me feel much better. This race was not going to be easy… I mean,.. It’s called 13 the Hard Way and I’m not feeling well- wah wah wah. I was a right moany negative pain!

After sulking around the field for 30 minutes - the race started and a small yet determined group of us runners started this hard half marathon. We followed a country road to the foot of a tank track that would lead us up onto Ditchling beacon. It was a very steep gravelly path- and I started with my 30/30 technique but soon slowed to a walk when my cough made me. Once up on the beacon we met up with the south downs way path and it became undulating and I started to enjoy myself a lot more. It was a spread out race as there wasn’t many of us taking part so I took in the sights that ditchling beacon/ the south downs way have to offer- these include- fearless sheep that don’t move when run towards them and fields of very scary looking bulls who I was very glad to see were on the other side of a fence. (phew).

The race was out and back and the first half ticked by pretty quickly, I was enjoying myself and not struggling too much in the unexpected baking sun of this August bank holiday weekend (what!?). At one point the lady that was plodding a long in front of me stopped to let me pass her at a gate. “Noooo” I wailed, “you were pacing me”. It was also at this part of the race that the front runners started to pass us coming back the other way. Unfortunately it was also a particularly narrow part of the race and the front runners were not getting out of our way… this meant lots of jumping up onto steep verges / stepping into brambles/ stinging nettles to let them pass- It annoyed me a bit I must admit…. I always cheer on the front runners but when I’m spending a big chunk of what is also my race (not just theirs) getting out of their way I do get a bit cross. Maybe one day i’ll be a front runner and I’ll have right of way… (yeah right… keep on dreaming average Steph…. That kind of pace increase will actually involve a lifestyle overhaul as well as more than 3 days a week of training…. Never gonna happen small fry)

I tried to shake myself out of the negative mind set by cheering on every runner that passed me and also by giving the lady front runner a big cheer! The race had a pretty mean woodland climb at the almost halfway stage but it was nice to be out of the sun for a few minutes. We then entered a very steep field and I shimmied my way down the hill passing lots of walkers coming back up the other way…. That would be me soon I guess!

The half way aid station was at the bottom of the hill and was delightful. I topped up my water and enjoyed one of the best slices of watermelon I have ever had. I turned around and started the plod to the top reassuring the runners still making their way down the hill that the aid station was worth it and well stocked with treats!

This hard slog up this hill was only the beginning of this challenging second half. I started the second half feeling strong and ready to get the race done but climbs just seems to give way to more climbs and I found myself walking a lot- it was tough and it was getting hot under that bank holiday sun. My pacer from earlier on the race overtook me again and I tried to keep up with her. I then overtook her on a downhill and we switched and swapped the whole way back to the finish line. In the end she took off into the distance as the last couple of miles really took it out of me and I had to walk again before finding some energy for a final push on the steep downhill.

The finish line appeared round a corner and there were just a handful of people there… I knew I was in the final handful of runners to finish and I tried not to be too disappointed in that. I shook hands with my pacer friend and we had a little chat. I told her that this was good training for the Beachy Head Marathon that I was running in a few months time and she told me that that was her first marathon too and her friends thought she was crazy…. Turns out we don’t just run at a similar pace- we also pick crazy hard marathons to run as our first one. That was nice to hear :)

Time to enjoy the rest of this unexpectedly HOT bank holiday weekend. Camping fun with friends ahoy!