365jimbarron Running Challenge: Day 306/365 'Over the Hills'

'Over the Hills' a scenic 12k run, starting and finishing at the historic Tithe Barn in Bradford on Avon. This run was an off road race quite hilly in places but combining canals and riverbanks with woodland and some very muddy trails and footpaths after last nights rainfall. At about 5 miles just before going through Ilford Manor there was a river crossing at Avoncliff Aqueduct.
A very well organised race organised by Avon a Valley Runners with good turnouts from all the local running clubs. Arrived nice and early with my mate Steve, the changing rooms were in the cricket pavilion and we set about getting changed as I pulled on my runners I felt my back twinge not a good start. It had rained hard all night but it was quite mild as we lined up on the start line, a quick health and safety briefing and the race was started by a firework. We started to run my back was painful and my legs felt lethargic and heavy, I don't think I was really up for this today. The route went along the canal path for about a mile, Steve had already ran on and others just seemed to be passing me. The route then went into the countryside which was quite slippery in places another mile and my back eased up, each stile we reached there was a tailback of runners waiting to get through it was very stop and start my time of 1:07:48 last year seemed to slip away very early on in this race. I started to find my rhythm a bit after 3 miles and started to overtake people, running up the hills and passing folk who were walking, some of which would pass me again on the flat. I would pick a runner in front of me and try and catch them once I did run after the next and so on. With a field of over 300 runners the course was well churned up at about 5 miles we had to run through Avon Cliff Aquaduct last year the water was up to your waist and the swell very forceful you had to pull yourself across by a rope, only up to your knees it was quite a comfortable crossing but once you had got out it was hard to get your legs working again especially as it was up hill along the drive of Ilford Manor. Along some very muddy bridal ways and then back onto the canal paths to bring you back to the finish. The canal boats were covered with pumpkins for Halloween and you could smell breakfast cooking on them the bacon was most a overpowering smell. I pushed the pace for the last mile along the canal path chasing runners in front of me finishing in 1:05:00:04, I was happy with that 2.48 minutes quicker than last year and on the whole not really feeling like it.