Run > Race

This was never part of the portfolio for this year - but with Sylvia pulling out through injury, and us coming home from holiday a day early due to other reasons, I took the opportunity to buy her place from her and support Mel through her first 100km race.

It was good having some time off beforehand, meaning I was fairly well rested - although doing Go Ape in Thetford Forest late of Friday afternoon wasn't necessarily the best prep.
The race itself went fairly smoothly. Very hot and humid for much of it, a bit of rain just after the start, and a couple of very violent storms - with some huge hail stones thrown in for good measure.
Course was very well marked, but the going underfoot was quite tricky in places, e.g. with very rutted tracks, or lots of tree routes - which slowed us down a bit. After the storms there was also some flooding with turned the track into an ankle deep stream.
Mel was perhaps a bit conservative with the pace in the first half, but did some great powerwalking in the second.
Feet particularly were getting sore towards the end (running in fairly worn out shoes didn't help, and wet socks with bits of grit in them) but felt there was plenty left, which bodes reasonably well for three weeks time.