I went into this one with much trepidation – I’d run an 18 mile long run the day before and making my way down the stairs that morning, my achilles tendons were screaming at me for mercy. Usually, 10k wouldn’t have bothered me after a long run; I’d take it at a recovery pace and keep fresh for Monday. But this one was always going to be different and not easy. Not easy at all…
I’d entered mainly because it fell nicely on the morning of my 32nd birthday. But also, looking further into the future, it was a perfect chance to taste what it might be like to run longer, hillier trail races, having come from a mainly flat, road racing background. I have aspirations of ultra trail races and spending more time off the beaten track and it’s certainly something I’ve been incorporating into my daily training recently, finding elevation in local woodland and getting a lot of use out of my trail shoes. This would be my first stab at a race.
The Bucks Epic 10k was the first of its kind in Wendover Woods, run by Tough Runner UK, a welsh trail race events company. And tough is definitely the keyword here – the race had three significant climbs, totalling 883 feet (at least according to Strava) and some quite technical descents which required the utmost concentration. This one was going to be fun…
On arrival, Yasmin and I parked up in the carpark and made our way to the registration tent to pick up my race number. It had been a while since I’d been in Wendover Woods and I’d forgotten how beautiful the surroundings were – forests for miles and fantastic views across Aylesbury Vale when the trees clear. The weather was absolutely sensational, too, with hardly a cloud in the sky and a cooling breeze making for brilliant racing conditions.
I was somewhat disappointed collecting my number, though. Neatly stacked behind the desks were numbers with racers’ names on them ready for collection which is always a nice touch – it adds something when your race number has your own name emblazoned across it – but unfortunately, I was told that anyone that had registered for the race over the last month would have to re-register due to a system error, meaning my number wouldn’t have my name on it. Not a terrible thing to happen, and probably the only minor negative in an otherwise super race, but disappointing all the same.
After a quick coffee in the newly refurbished café in front of more amazing views, we made our way to the start area to warm up (which was really an excuse to grab some sun and lie on the grass). The music was loud and the excitement was growing. The race was delayed for ten minutes due to some car park congestion, but the atmosphere was so good that it didn’t really matter. At around 11am, we were invited to take our places on the start line and listened to the pre-race briefing. Perhaps the most terrifying briefing I’ve had to date, the announcer gave a very detailed run through of what was to come, describing the ‘undulation’ of the course ahead in no uncertain terms. My legs were constantly reminding me that they really weren’t in the right frame of mind of for any sort of vertical, but I’m quite good at ignoring them these days. At 11:10am, we were off to a backdrop of AC/DC blaring out around us, which soon faded into the background.
The race began with a gentle descent and a few twists and turns, which soon turned into steeper and more technical trail. It took perhaps a mile for my legs to play ball, but after that I felt loose and warmed up and started to throw myself downhill will much disregard for personal safety. At about 2 miles, we hit our first hill. I’d made a deal with myself that I’d try my best not to walk any of the course, no matter how slow I’d have to go uphill, so worked hard to make my way up the first incline. I have to say, it surprised me how well my legs held up and I made my way to the top without too much difficulty, weaving through a handful of runners finding it a little tougher.
At four miles, the next incline appeared which had more twists and turns than the first and was much longer. Still, my legs felt strong and did their thing, helping me to climb the hill at a fair pace, gaining on more and more runners ahead of me. At the top of this one, I was very nearly spent, so it was a blessing to spot the water station appear at the perfect moment. My legs were becoming more jelly-like by this point which made descending a little trickier, as I no longer trusted them as much as I once did. I lost a place or two taking more time with my footing going downhill, but I was confident that I would make it up towards to end of the race, where a final uphill section would be before the finish line. I did indeed regain race position using all my strength to scramble up that final hill, and gave it my all to cross the finish line. In the end, I made it in 50 minutes and 52 seconds which I was very happy with.
All in all, a brilliant event. I will absolutely enter this one again next year and really give it a go with fresher legs and (hopefully) far more hillier miles under my belt. I don’t have any more races in mind before the marathon now, so it’s time to knuckle down and start preparations for Istanbul.
Cheers
JM
Moody Running 