D33 Ultra – Saturday 16th March 2013

Headed north on Friday night with my pal Carole Fortune (Gala Harriers) for third visit to the D33. Overnight stay in Banchory at my cousins (which is kind of handy) and an earlyish night.

The D33 is the first in a series of ultra races which take place is Scotland every year and like all areas of running, it’s getting ever more popular – there were over 250 finishers this year. It starts in Duthie Park (Aberdeen) and is 33 miles out and back to Banchory along the Deeside Way. It’s very flat with just a few wee rises here and there, only a few hundred yards on roads with cars and very picturesque (on a nice day anyway).

I guess if one has done a race for past two years and been blessed with glorious sunshine as one trots along the banks of the Dee then there is a tragic Scottish weather logic that says it will raining like nobodies business sooner rather than later. Needless to say, sooner was Saturday. It was just above freezing, it rained continuously – sooooo cold! That said and to be honest, if you have done the training then finishing a run like this is more of a mental challenge than anything else – especially at the speed I run at. My main reason for being there was as part of my build up to the Fling at the end of April. Tomorrow, I will face the Alloa Half as part of a strategy the real ultra guru’s call back-to-back training. It’s based on the idea that your body will learn what it’s like to be made to keep on going – relentless forward progress they call it. Anyway, finally arrived at the finish and was offered an opened bottle of Stella – nectar or what!

Day topped off with a mad dash down the hill again, washing on and dried ready for another 06:00 hrs rise . . . Run and Become 🙂

Links

D33 : http://deesidewayultra.webnode.com

SUMS : http://www.zen31010.zen.co.uk/sums/