The weather forecast for Compton was the best for a long while so I decided to be optimistic and run in long-sleeve top under Vegan Runners vest, shorts and gloves carrying a windshell in my bottle belt just in case. I trusted my feet to my almost new Inov8 295s as my 315s, while nowhere near dead yet, have worn a lot on one side of the sole and I didn’t want to tempt fate with a wonky gait. My usual plan – get to the start, collect number, return to the car to faff – was blown when I was directed into the overflow parking which was further away. Instead I carried my stuff up to the start and made use of the free bag storage while struggling to pin my number on to my vest whilst wearing it – another task made difficult by my frozen shoulder but not quite as difficult as getting the vest off and on again. Many of the other runners were swaddled in full bad weather gear but standing at the start with a bit of sun and not much sign of that freezing wind I reckoned I’d got it right.

I started near the back and took it very easy, the woods at the start were a walking bottleneck as usual but the mud wasn’t too bad. A slope to walk up after a mile but mostly easy running to the Hampstead Norreys checkpoint. I washed down the gel I’d just eaten with the water provided then it was a walk up the steep footpath, through some woods, then out onto a high and windy airstrip. We ran past a small biplane which a couple of runners posed by for a photo. My only real aim was to finish in under 4 hours with the minimum of pain while enjoying the scenery. I left my Garmin on the course page and just had a look when it buzzed once a mile to tell me the last mile pace. 11:25, 11:26, 9:25, 9:25, 11:59, 9:34, 10:10, 11:51, 11:13 reflecting the regular ups and down but comfortably under the 12:00 mile minute average I hoped for.

There was an extra checkpoint somewhere I think. The long climb up above Streatley came a little later than remembered and became my slowest mile, I didn’t see anyone run up it like I foolishly did during my first go at this event. A lovely descent over grass with the Thames way down below on our right and Didcot Power Station in the distance on the left (though a Didcot Runner had to tell me where it was as I was looking the wrong way).

Then up and up to the Bower Farm control, I remember this climb as long and gentle – I was right about the long but didn’t find it that easy. Getting tired now a few walking breaks found me at the top after 2 slow miles. Still feeling good I drank squash and ate a couple of orange segments before trotting off to see the errant baby calf we’d been warned of wobbling about on the path outside a barn. A farm worker came and took it away.

Compton 20 Profile

Final stage but I was knackered now having run further than any time since last October. I walked all the up-hills and ran the down-hills, still under 12 minute miles except for mile 19 much of which I spent wandering along reminding myself mile 20 was mostly downhill. I was pleased that my shoulder hadn’t set into a block of concrete as it had earlier threatened. I think it helped that I made myself dangle the arm loose then wave it about a bit every couple of miles rather than letting it settle into the usual 1 dimensional running groove. Much of this last stage is on the Ridgeway and similar chalk tracks parts of which had been turned to white, clingy, mud by the recent weather.

Then down and down on a fine bit of single track. Past the place where the 20 and 40 mile routes usually diverge, though this year the 40s were being treated to 2 laps of what I’d almost finished as their usual route had suffered from weather. I wrongly remembered the course as being 19.9 miles on my Garmin, it was more like 20.4, so my will power finished about half a mile before the rest of me resulting in a couple of walk breaks even on the flat roads of Compton with the finish round the corner. 9:54, 14:56, 9:41, 11:03, 14:03, 13:16, 11:15, 10:58, 12:42, 10:50, 5:42. I did run most of it though including the playing field and the final field then over the line to finish in 3hr 50m 13s 118th of 168 – a personal worst for this event but feeling pretty good and still smiling.

Compton Harriers always do a good finishers shirt but this year they surpassed themselves – I had to use Google translate to find out what it said 🙂