On Sunday I ran my first race in a very long time and it felt good. It was in Dunbar and it was the latest and penultimate leg of The Borders XC Series. It seems like a very long time indeed since I last pinned on a race number and since I blogged something that wasn’t just waffle. So here comes my race report….
The Dunbar XC was a very different sort of race and unlike anything I have ever ran before, mainly because for a large part (about 4km of the 7km distance) it as run on a beach. Kata and I arrived just in time to make our way to the start line on the beach. It was pretty cold and I was wearing a long sleeved top, a t-shirt on top of that, a buff as a scarf, gloves, and a hat. I was told by someone from Kata’s running club that I was wearing too many layers, but I laughed off this advice. About 2km in I had to admit to myself that I was wearing a long sleeved top, buff, hat, and gloves too much. 3km in I didn’t care anymore.
Dunbar Beach (post race)
We got underway and ran about 500m away from the lighthouse that was a beautiful course landmark. After 500m we turned 180 degrees around a flag and ran back the way we came. I wasn’t sure of the purpose of this at the time but someone suggested later that it served to spread out the pack before starting on the main part of the race. This seems like as good an explanation as any. I passed Kata going the other way and she gave me a nice big smile and a wave J. Running on the sand was very tough and the not inconsiderable amount of seaweed and large stones added to the challenge. On a few occasions I took a longer line just to stay on the wet sand and I think that tactic worked quite well. At one stage early on, despite running on a very wide beach indeed, I was running three abreast with two other runners and we were all touching shoulders. The racing line with the wet, grippier, sand was much coveted!
Lighthouse just visible
A lot of the race was a blur, I was trying hard and concentrating. I’ll bet the course was beautiful but I didn’t have much opportunity to lift my head and take it all in. The one exception was when we passed the lighthouse and I looked up then. It’s a great landmark and added to the character of the race. I remember thinking it was very white and must have been painted recently. Everyone that I spoke to expected the distance to be about 4 miles (or 6.5km) so at 4km and we were still running in a straight line away from the start, I was wondering when on earth we were going to turn aback and how long exactly WAS this race?! Fortunately about 200m later we did indeed turn off the beach, onto trail, and start heading back. The trail was at first a welcome change from the sand as it afforded a lot more grip and I could almost feel the blood rushing back into my legs. The respite was short lived as the trail was very difficult. It was very bumpy in parts and I needed to concentrate hard. We crossed a few stiles, ran through few gates, and jumped a few streams. I settled into a rhythm of following the bright yellow Inov8 footsteps of the Portobello runner in front of me. I eventually passed Portobello runner at a gate in a fence and she kindly congratulated me. This made me feel a bit guilty about earlier on when I deliberately sped up to get to a gate earlier so as it would be closed behind me before the runner behind me got there and so slow him down! I’m a bad man. The runner that I tried to keep behind me at the gate eventually passed Portobello runner too and at the end I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. This spurred me on and I did succeed in finishing ahead of him. I’m never going to win a race outright, but I and every other runner run their own personal races.
Heading back I have never been so grateful to see lighthouse in my life. As it came back into view I knew we only had about 1.5km to go. The trail section of the course was very bumpy and it wasn’t too often possible to see very far in front of you. The lighthouse, being tall (a defining characteristic of lighthouses everywhere), helped with judging my position on the course.
Stunning landmark - and tall!
Results are in already and I finished in 00:31:51. A result that Kata later deemed, not good enough and stated that I could do a lot better!!!! I averaged 4:30 per km and much of it on sand so I think that’s a bit harsh! J In her defence (and mine) I think she was referring to my potential rather than my effort on Sunday. I actually jogged back about 200m from the finish to cheer on Kata as she finished. While standing there I chatted to HBT founder and living legend, Robin Thomas. He apologised for not cheering me on but noted in his defence that it was because I wasn’t wearing a brown vest and was therefore effectively invisible. He said he’d give me one but didn’t have any with him that day. I am dangerously close to losing my independence and joining a club! Kata even thinks it’s a good idea if for no other reason than to train with better runners.
We drove home. Brian and Carrie RAN home!
So thanks to everyone that made Dunbar XC the brilliant and unique race that it was. It was marshalled brilliantly and there was a luminous vest at every turn to make sure no one got lost, and at every stream to make sure no one broke an ankle. The course is challenging but flat(ish) and fast(ish) and the weather was kind to us. The soup and cakes at the end was also very welcome. I’m really looking forward to the final run of the Borders XC series in three weeks at Berwick Upon Tweed. Might even see if we can get the train to that race and make a day of it.
Wearing too many clothes
