After spending the last three weeks walking around like a a one legged bear with a sore head I decided to pop down to Compton and jog round the Compton 40  challenge. With my mate Wicket who is training for a Double Ironman. And wanted to get some miles in his legs. So after getting up at 5 and picking Minnie and him up we were off down A34 watching the snow settle.

So we found ourselves standing in the sports hall chatting as the start horn went off and in usual ultra style we ambled out on to the field and began the trot round the field before starting off up the hills.

As the runner stretched out in to the distance. I could the Smiffy letting out the all to familiar Catchphrase. "It would be nice to get to a hill" "so we can do some work"

It's hard to report on a race that lasts 9hrs so the best way is to cherry pick some of the things that are said or seen or done throughout the day like.

Meeting an old fellow who was the only person to have completed all of the Compton 40 races (13 I think) along with approx 120 other ultras. Every time I mentioned a race his totally relaxed answer went something along the lines of "Yep that's a nice race I've done that one 12 times"

Or running along the Ridgeway in the worst hailstorm that  have ever been in, that  then turned to a snow storm and just laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation was.

Or Realising that I can now run along eating banana bread and chocolate, without any ill effects.

Or meeting fellow GUCR runners who like us are just using this as a training run

And finally, lecturing Wickett on the fact that this was just a training run and that I would not get drawn into chasing a time or racing, then at 38 mile spotting a runner about ½ a mile ahead of us. And without saying a word both of us just start getting faster and faster till we pass him then turning to Wickett and saying "come on lets not just pass him, lets bury the B*astard" then sprinting the last ½ mile just incase he caught us back up.

All in all it was a great day out and good "time on feet" training and a PB by 6 minutes.

Well done Wickett for putting up with me and well done Minnie for coming First Lady.

Mark  

 

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