Chirk Castle Half Marathon

We have visited Chirk Castle before. It was completed in 1310 and is the last Welsh castle from the reign of Edward 1 that is still lived in today. I remember the beautiful grounds, the manicured gardens and the hill up to the portcullis.  So I should have known that the half marathon would be a little hilly.

We can't say we weren't warned. The organisers even sent us a map of the hills.

"The course is undulating" they said.

But oh Lordy, whose idea was it to enter this?!

Drake wasn't with us when we visited Chirk Castle last year so she had no idea just how undulating it might be. 

We arrived at silly o'clock and were surrounded by running club vests.These  people looked serious and keen like they were ready for a challenge. WE, on the other hand , were merely on our way to Stourbridge to meet Glynny. 

But we were up for it. 

We were still on a high after our Chester half marathon when we were fabulous.

So we set off.

Oooooh look! The start is downhill. How very amusing.

This meant the finish would be very uphill. After 13.5 miles of other hills.

(The flat equivalent was actually 14 miles)

(Were we crazy??)

"Good legs", "Good heart", "Good lungs", we kept saying to each other as our thighs began to throb and every step got shorter and shorter. The first hill had finished me off for the rest of the race, the downhills were like running with your brakes on to save you going head over heels and the uphill finish was pure torture but hey when we saw the official looking photographer we totally milked it. We weren't going to let our faces show our pain!

(Is it just me or do we look like we are sprinting here?!!)

100 yards to go and I told Drake to go for it.

She tried.

It was all I could do to raise one arm...I couldn't lift my feet any more at all.

 I could barely breathe and was beginning to feel sick. 

We had run it in exactly 2 hours :)

There are no words to explain how we felt at the end.

Would we do it again?

Maybe. 

I've recovered now.

And I was 2nd in my age group.

And Drake was 13th in hers :)

Whether Husby will let me is another story.

I couldn't walk for a week afterwards, ooops.

This is what mapmyrun made of it all. 

I need to frame this.

WE RAN THAT!

And still managed to plank with our medals in the castle at the finish. 

We were feeling very pleased with ourselves.

And then we went to Stourbridge. It took a couple of pots of tea and 9 bar to revive us but we went to Stourbridge to the Himley House Hotel and Glynny and I relived a scene that had happened 53 years previous. It was so so good to see her and Hannah.

Han Nem Al Fi Glynny Lid Natash :)