Sunday 29 May 2016

Druridge Bay 10K

I planned to go for a little run at some point earlier in the week after work but a combination of finishing late, tiredness, hayfever and panto preparation (don’t ask!), I just haven’t had time. The night’s when I haven’t been doing anything I have decided that I needed to just rest. I feel like it’s been a list of excuses but I do feel better for having rested so I’m not going to feel guilty about it.
I wasn’t going to Parkrun yesterday as I knew I was doing Druridge Bay 10K today but a last minute decision found me on the start line at 9am. I was tired and grumpy, but by the time I’d finished I was glad I’d got up early and made the effort. I made the mistake of telling my running partner Tony that I didn’t think I’d been putting enough effort into my running recently and he made sure that wasn’t the case yesterday morning. We talked less and pushed each other round and we did the fastest 5K I’ve done in a long while (and Tony got a fab personal best!)
This morning I woke up bright and early eager to run 10K. That is a sentence I never thought I’d say! My brother in law (Craig) and niece (Toni) arrived at my mam and dad’s at 8.30am. Craig and I spent the next 20 minutes trying to put our race numbers onto our t-shirts with event clips. By the time I’d finished attaching mine it was so crumpled it looked like I was just re-using a number from last year!
Craig, Tony and I travelled to Druridge Bay together and my parents and Toni came and met us there a little while later. My friend Katie and her two boys also came and met us there to support us.
My favourite supporters :)
Before we started we spent time chatting and catching up with friends, and my dad asked about the route so he knew where he could stand to take photos and cheer us on. We then made our way to the start line ready to begin.
I don’t think I’d had enough water yesterday and I felt it in my legs when I was running but I still made it round. I wasn’t looking forward to running on the stretch of sand as I have previously not enjoyed beach running. However, I actually quite enjoyed it, mainly because I could see the sea and breathe in the gorgeous sea air. I never tire of the seaside and I have really missed it while living in Leeds. Half way along the beach I did think I’d had enough of running on sand but we tried to focus on the view instead. Towards the end of the beach I could see my family and friends there to support and started to smile as my dad had his camera at the ready! It was difficult coming up from the beach, the sand was soft and the slope quite steep and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to get there. I put one foot in front of the other, (complained a bit!) and we made it to the top and back onto the road, where my dad had appeared again like the paparazzi pointing his camera at us. I forced a smile as we ran past but smiling was the last thing I felt like doing. Once running on the flat again I felt a bit better and knew the bulk of the run was behind us. We’ve even decided that we might incorporate this stretch of beach in some of our training runs for the Great North Run.
 
As we were running round the lake (just like the parkrun route), Tony and I were saying we didn’t think we had a sprint finish left in us. My knee and hip were hurting from running on the little bit of soft sand and I was really ready to find the finish so I could stop. As we began to approach the final kilometre I began to think I had a little bit more energy than I originally thought. Once I could see the finish I decided maybe, just maybe, I did have enough energy to sprint finish after all. I began to run faster and I built up speed. So did Tony. I absolutely love running with him and I love how we are training together at the same speed as each other but when I could see the finish line, competitive Julie surfaced and I gave it everything I had. I could hear everyone shouting and it spurred me on even more. We ran almost side by side getting faster until we crossed the line. I wasn’t sure my little legs could carry me any further but we made it…and the official time says I beat him by 1 second! (who knew I was that competitive?!)
Sprint finish!
It was so much fun: the company, the supporters, the scenery and the sprint finish. A perfect way to spend a Sunday morning on a bank holiday weekend, and we even got a lovely medal and a fabulous goody bag!
Craig, me and Tony with our medals :)
I can feel it in my legs now and think I may have overdone it this weekend. That said, to say I’ve ran 15 k over two days, it doesn’t feel as bad as I’d expect and I know I’m getting fitter all the time. I know I need to keep putting training in and I need to increase my effort over the next few months to get me to the Great North Run, but I know that I can do it. Bring it on!
 
Thank you to my dad Paul Carr for the photos xxxx

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