1003.35 - 1010.37KM: Ascension (Silkstone Shuffle)

On Sunday 24th November I completed the 1000KM Challenge at the City of Norwich Half Marathon. So what was I doing in the middle of a field outside Barnsley last Saturday morning in my shorts and a vest? Well there is still the small matter of my personal quest to run 52 races this year, starting with the Silkstone Shuffle.

The race was the fourth and final event in a series hosted by the Barnsley Harriers running club. After a little bit of confusion with finding the place and then where to park, I eventually made my way across to the registration to grab my number. The field seemed to be made up almost entirely from local running clubs, with myself being one of a few mad enough to spend their morning on a cold, November day in a field without being invited.

Geography has never been a strong point of mine, so whilst I was fully aware of where the race was, the course took me a little bit by surprise. With it being in Pennine country I really should have expected a hill or two as I knew enough to being my trail trainers with me, but any hope of an easy race was just wishful thinking. The race started with an immediate big 400ft climb for the first couple of miles, though thankfully it was only a short race so the remainder would be spent slowly making our way back down.

Desperately trying to not look saggy

Although I have completed the 1000KM challenge I still have a few more races left in the year to get through, including the Marathon on New Year's Eve, so I took a slower pace and hoped to reduce the impact on my knee. After running the City of Norwich Half Marathon on one knee, the Shuffle was a good test to see just how much it had recovered in the 5 days I had taken off from running. Not just because of the hills, but also the uneven, off road terrain would be sure to seek out any weakness it still had and for the most part it held firm. Whilst the other week I took the reckless approach of trying to finish the race as fast as my body would allow to bring the quickest possible end to the pain, I was a bit more careful this time round.

Coming back with the finish in sight

The good news is that my knee survived, there were a few twinges around the course, but that was to be expected and it was certainly much better than the weekend before. Just because my body likes to troll me, for the past couple of weeks I've been suffering from a persistent pain on the left side of the jaw. Numerous trips back and forth between the dentist and hospital, complete with a full facial X-Ray has left me none the wiser as to what the issue is. All I know is that it hurts to eat, which naturally is a biggie, and the other morning it was a touch painful on the run into work. Not bad enough to stop me running, but with Christmas looming round the corner being in pain for the season of eating is far from ideal.

If you're feeling generous in this season of giving my JustGiving page is still open, so please visit http://justgiving.com/shanes1000km. 

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Distance: 7.02km | 4.36 miles
Time: 00:34:57
Official Time: 00:34:59
Average Pace: 04:59 min/km | 08:01 min/mi
Playlist: N/A
Goody Bag: N/A

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