Sunday 3 March 2013

Norton 9 - Race Report


Before this race, I was apprehensive for a number of reasons.
1) The distance (had previously only run 8 miles)
2) It was an undulating course, and there were HILLS!
3) Headphones were not allowed


And here I am to say, that it was a great race. There was a warm, friendly atmosphere, it was very well organised and it was fun (if you like running - which I do!) As a newbie runner, I have only run the Sheffield Bupa 10K and Leeds Abbey Dask 10K. This was the first race where I rocked up and thought "Oh, these are serious runners!" The majority of people were Club Runners. I saw t-shirts from Hull, Scunthorpe, Barnsley, Wakefield and Tickhill, and of course, the group of Sweatshop runners. It all started off at quite a pace too - 8.03 min/mile. I knew this was too fast for me, especially if I needed to tackle hills at 5.5 and 7.5 miles, so I slowed to just below 9, which is where I usually run.

I love the feeling of having challenged myself, and come out the other side - alive! (That said, I'm not sure how I'll feel tomorrow...let's just hope the 'skins' I'm wearing do their job!)

The lack of music to motivate me was my main worry, but it really didn't bother me today. I think I do need music when I run alone, because it can be very boring, but in a race, there's so much going on to distract you.

So, yes, I would certainly recommend the Norton 9, and I will do it again - but maybe not tomorrow!

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