I finished work just after 2 am and half managed to sleep I kept waking up as I was getting picked up at 8. I got up kit was laid out ready so was ready in 5 minutes. Usual pre run breakfast before setting out to wait fir Cath and Pete. An hour up the motorway and we were there at Lytham st Anne’s. We parked up at what we found out was the start line as we got out the car Darren Julie and Paul turned up we headed over to race registration and picked up our numbers. There we found breo and Adele and gaz Cath found her brother. Me and Cath headed back to the car to take of coats and did a little warm up before waiting at the start line for everyone else to come over. It was windy so I wasn’t sure to go for a pb or not or run round with Cath.
The race started it wasn’t chip timed and the starter wasn’t really loud so was a bit of a rubbish start by me. We turned a sharp corner and I almost ran into Julie I saw Paul Bryers up a head and set of to catch him I managed it and ran with him for the first 2 miles. I knew I couldn’t keep at that pace all the way round so pace dropped a little but he was always in my sights until mile 4 I saw him on the other side as he turned and came back we hit grass and the wind in our faces pace slowed considerably I hi 5’d Cath as I passed her and as we got off the grass in into back streets the wind eased Darren had passed me at this point we headed back near the lake and back round to near the start for the second Lap I saw Darren pulled up at 8 mile his hip was hurting him I carried on same again great until the grass. About 10 mile Gaz sneaked up on me I hadn’t seen him on any of the turn around and didn’t know where he I watched him pull away as I struggled in the wind I saw maz in the car and he took a great pic of me as we got to the top of the lake I managed to catch Gaz and Paul was just in front of him we decided we were finishing as a team as we took the last sharp turn before through to the top of the lake my pb had gone but gaz was still on for his we all finished together in 1:36:28 really great team feeling. I picked up my medal and water and went to meet Pete who was standing with the dogs. The crowd stood at did if lake and in the grass as one of finishers tried to go round he slipped in after a few minutes someone else did as I took my number off. So I could get to the gate at the corner and get Cath I ran the last k with and she managed a pb of 1:58 we waited for everyone else to finish congratulating everyone it was a really tough race in the wind but really enjoyable one with a great medal keep trying to convince Cath to sign up with harriers https://www.strava.com/activities/349384078
therunningpunk 