The Cotswold Way 100k Challenge pt 2
Ok, so I was meant to continue this soon after posting the first part but I’ve been struggling to find the time to blog and when I did I had other things I wanted to talk about. Anyway, here is part 2 of The Cotswold Way 100k Challenge.
We gently jogged across the start line with many other nervous runners and walkers and headed into Bath. It wasn’t long before we headed up hill. It was here that I thought my initial fears about running with Barry were going to come to fruition. He was struggling to get his breath barely half a mile in and if I’m honest it was the last thing I wanted to see. I knew he had struggled with his training but I was hoping for a better start than this. We had to walk the first hill and thankfully Barry got his breathing under control and we were able to get running.
Once we got going we settled into a steady pace. It didn’t last too long however as we soon encountered what was going to be a continuous problem for the next few hours. As we were running, we started to catch all the walkers from the earlier start times. This wouldn’t have been so much of a problem had it not been for the fact that most of the terrain was single tracks through fields. Some people happily moved out of the way while commenting on how crazy we were to be running. When we did get a clear path ahead of us we tried to make the most of it but Barry, ever concerned with over doing it too early was unwilling to run for long periods so it was stop start even when the path was clear.
So many fields!
We still made it the first rest stop in good time which was at 11k. With Action Challenge events they give you a tag to carry that has your timing chip and check in chip on it. This means you have to get your tag scanned at every rest stop even if you don’t need to stop. For this first stop we literally used the toilets, topped up our water and set off again. It was here that I rang Christine to tell her that we were making good time and that we will meet them at the 25k rest stop in a couple of hours if not less. That turned out to be very optimistic.
It was during this section that we caught more of the walkers and this time we really struggled to get past them. I was finding it a little frustrating but Barry didn’t seem to mind being able to take it easier for a while and lightly jog when we had the chance. This was also considerably harder than the first section as the hills had really started. The majority of the race so far was through fields so we lost count of the amount of stiles and gates we had to climb over and go through.
Stunning views
When we finally made it to the 25k rest stop I was greeted by an excited Isabelle who came running up to me and straight into my arms. It was just what I needed. Mentally I was fine but my legs and feet were starting to ache. I think if there was anything I had underestimated about this challenge, it was the effect the miles of walking would have on my legs. We probably stayed at this stop for too long but it was nice to see my family, eat and more importantly take my shoes off!
The moment your daughter runs up to you is priceless
After some rest and some food we headed out again. We then ran and walked with a couple who were also running parts of it and we had passed each other a few times earlier on. We stayed with them for a couple of miles then cracked on at our own pace. There were lots of open fields and beautiful views during this section and we soon found ourselves at the next rest stop.
We only stopped for a quick rest and refuel before heading off again in search of the magical halfway mark.
Poppy cuddles to keep me going
The section from 39k – 49.8k was probably the easiest of the whole race so far. We smashed through it and soon got to 45k so we knew we were almost halfway there. Disaster almost struck less than 1k away from the rest stop when Barry almost turned his ankle in a pot hole. He told me later that it would have been the end of his race and I’m glad it wasn’t as I really wouldn’t have fancied doing the second 50k on my own!
Nearly there!
Thankfully we made to halfway in piece! We stayed here for about an hour. Steph, Christine and the girls arrived about 20 minutes after we did, I’m still not sure how we beat them there lol! I was fine until I sat down and then it hit me just how knackered I was. I also had to chuck my contact lenses as my eyes were in bits so I was reluctantly going to have wear my glasses for the rest of the event which was annoying but after the issues I’d had with my eye a few weeks earlier it wasn’t worth the risk.
Knackered!
This was the last stop that Steph and the girls would be at as it was getting late in the evening and they had a long drive home so I made the most of their company before we got ready to set off on what would be the hardest night of my life both physically and mentally…….
