Keswick Round the Houses 10K 22 April 2015

Race no. 6 Keswick Round The Houses 10K

My sixth race and I am on schedule.
This race took place in the Lakeland Holiday town of Keswick, Cumbria, one of my favourite places in the world. I have been coming here for over fifty years, first camping with my brother, Bill,  and friend, Ronny Leedham, when I was about twelve years old. We had taken about four buses to get here from Sunderland all those years ago. You just cannot imagine parents allowing kids to do such a thing these days. Three years later I was back in Keswick, this time properly supervised by (Bede Grammar) school teachers at Derwent Hill, an outdoor centre owned by Sunderland Education Authority. I was passing through Portinscale (the precise location) recently and found that it was still in their hands. It's  great that youngsters can still enjoy the outdoor life there, as fifty years after my first visit I can still remember the wonderful time spent under canvas. One highlight was a ten mile hike circumventing the lake and climbing to Watendleth, before the downhill stretch back down to Derwentwater.
But back to my challenge. Wednesday evening and the sun was shining over Derwentwater as I sought out registration in Fitz Park. A £7.00 on the day entry fee was pretty good value after some whopping fees which are charged these days - I know they often include a free t-shirt, but just how many t-shirts can my cupboard hold?
Come seven pm and the runners were lining up for the start. As summer had finally arrived in these parts it was vest and racing shorts for me and away we went. My training partner, Brian Stonehouse, was also doing this race, well done Brian having already travelled to and from York on business earlier in the day.
 The first two miles were fairly easy and I was averaging just under seven minute pace but not really feeling on top form. Maybe the seven consectutive days exercise, including Saturday and Sunday's 5K races were taking their toll, as was the previous night's swim followed by a run around Hexham. Anyway, who said this challenge was going to be easy? And then we hit the HILL! Yes a b.....y hill which saw a climb of 350 feet and my pace drop down to exactly nine minutes. So I had lost (or gained) two minutes to my pace. Of course an uphill section is always followed by a downhill stretch and I did enjoy dashing down the Ambleside road back into Keswick. Subsequent downloading from my GPS watch told me mile 3 was 6.44ins, but it felt faster at the time. Back through the centre of Keswick then a slight uphill section before turning into Fitz Park for the last half mile. I would have loved to say that I really raced this bit, but truthfully I was tiring and the pace was just below 7.30 mins. Through the line in 46.12., a reasonable time.
Calling into race HQ, I asked what prizes were on offer at V65 level, back came the answer "well, there's a prize at V60 and another at V70" , "that's my answer" said I.
On my return home I was pleased to find that I was actually 3rd V60, a good result in what was a strong field made up almost entirely of wiry, Cumbrian Club Runners - they are a hardy bunch in this neck of the woood.
Brian Stonehouse was 5th V60 in 48.06. Well done Brian.
A final note on my visit to Cumbria. At the caravan site at which we stayed, Burns Farm, Threlkeld, I was chatting to a Fireman from Newcastle, Lee Greener. Lee said that he used to be a good cross country runner as a boy. Well Lee, are you going to accept my challenge to take up running again? If you do, and join us at the Park Run, Newcastle, you will have helped me to achieve one of the ambitions of this challenge 'to inspire even one person to take up running and thus improve their lifestyle'.