I was quite apprehensive about the Cannock Chase 10k at first. It was the first off road race I had signed up for, and I had heard too many horror stories about the hills! But, you'll be pleased to know I was pleasantly surprised and ended up having a very enjoyable race.
The start line was a little tricky to navigate given the impressive turnout, so we took off with the last wave of people, which seemed to be the best option to avoid the crowds and set a more enjoyable pace. After we started, I can clearly remember the race being split into three sections for me, and they are as follows: the first time I fell over, the second time I fell over, and the time I fell over a dog. The first time I fell over: The beginning of the race put you immediately on to some rocky terrain, the path wasn't the widest so people were on top of each other for a while, and the journey started uphill. As soon as we had started I was impressed with the views, even more so when we rounded a corner and there was a small stream you had to use some rocks to hop over. That was until the first fall, I lost my footing over the stream, got caught by some poor runner and heard audible gasps. If I needed motivation to run faster and far away from that slight embarrassment, I just got it! So onwards I went, carrying on uphill and into even narrower places for a good while. The first 5k was full of hills, so grassy and steep that everyone had to walk up them. The second time I fell over: About 5k into the race I remember seeing a much wider passage coming up on the trail, and a nice steady decline approaching the water station. This was where I decided to try and gain some speed back, however it turns out that the downhill was just as tricky as the uphill. I came across so many loose rocks on the way down that I was pretty sure I was going to slip over any second. Also, there were some rogue cyclists that kept crossing my path making it all a little more difficult. Nonetheless, I really began to enjoy the second part of the race, as people had spread out a lot more and there was a lot more opportunity to take in the Chase in all its glory. I started to think I could get use to this kind of running, of course that was until I tripped for the second time over some pesky loose rocks and sticks! The time I fell over a dog: After the nice downhill, it came towards the end and then to a nice flat stretch which was on 'almost normal road'. I began to pick up the pace again here, thinking it was close to the end and thinking that I just wanted a cup of tea! However, as I began to speed up a St Bernard doggy barrier got in my way out of nowhere. I carried on again anyway, and could finally see the finish line, wrapping up in 1 hour 10 minutes. To sum up, Cannock Chase 10k was a really good race but a lot more work than I had anticipated, however I would definitely do it again next year! Although next time I might invest in some trail running shoes to keep my balance, and be more on guard for rogue dogs.. |
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