Last Sunday I travelled north up the M5 to partake in a 12 mile run up and down and up and down and up and down the countryside around Dursley. Unlike the year before when the weather was dull and miserable, this year it was a lovely winter’s morning with clear blue skies and sunshine.
The plan was to get a PB, but I knew this was going to be tough given two factors, 1) I’m not as fit as I would like 2) Conditions underfoot are horrendous when off road at the moment due to a wet winter
Its funny what you remember about a route from one year to another. I remembered the up hill start and the rope you needed to use to get up the last hill at mile 10, but I did not recall much else in between which is why I was at the start line again! Maybe it would be an idea to record each run on a Go Pro but there again if I did that I would probably never do any run twice!
The mud was as expected, I tried to adopt a new approach and that was a role of ‘mud slayer’ and instead of avoiding it trying to find my way around the edge, I waded through the middle, swearing and sliding as I went.
The Precipice with the rope at mile 10 was so much harder than recalled, my legs, arms and lungs were screaming by the time I got to the top and the photography who wanted me to run so he could take my photo got a terse but polite response (the desire to say **** off at this point was great!) Fortunately at this point it is pretty much all down hill to the end and I tried to leg it to make up some time.
My time was two minutes slower than last year, but I was fine with that, after all who could not be fine with this as a finishing time…..
another great event, with another great t-shirt
Last year it snowed whilst I was running and this year snowed when I had finished and as this is pretty much the only time I have seen snow since moving to the South West I can only assume it always snows in Dursley, going to return next year just to check!
shazruns 
Only 2 minutes slower, that sounds pretty fit to me! You are a dynamo Shazza! Did your old shoes stand up to the mud slaying? Have you chucked them yet? You could cut all the cloth bits off and convert them to harruches! (Have I spelt it right, yknow like the Mexican barefoot type thing)
The old shoes did me proud, but fear they will not be ‘chucked’ until they resemble Mexican barefoot thingies! Love them too much and really want to get the full wear out of them, besides which don’t want to get the new cheap ones dirty yet!
“Mud Slayer” you are a legend Shaz! Good on you!