From Jean Sullivan…
Having not raced since early in 2024, I thought it was time to add a race to my diary! Using the criteria of; hilly, road, somewhere scenic and a challenging distance (for me at least!), the Coniston 14 seemed to fit the bill nicely.
Described as ‘probably the most beautiful road race in Britain’, it certainly delivers. The route involves running round the perimeter of Coniston Water, with stunning views along the course. It is very well organised by the villagers in Coniston, with funds raised being distributed to about 30 local charities and causes. All finishers receive a lovely slate coaster, having crossed the finish line to the sound of a lively local band.
A few weeks before the race I felt like my road shoes weren’t delivering. When I checked, I had actually purchased them in 2021, so VERY remiss of me not to have replaced them! New shoes were duly purchased, but after a few runs they seemed to be hurting the side of my foot. Despite shoe lace adjustments (thanks Clare & Iain for the advice), changing socks etc the ache continued. For some reason I decided to look at the actual shoe & realised there was a fault in the foam cushioning at the top & there was a big chunk of foam pushing into my foot! A quick trip to the running shop late on Friday afternoon (where the customer service was excellent!) saw me emerge with another pair of the same shoe. I know it’s far from ideal running a race in new, never-worn-before shoes but luckily it paid off! Running shoes have definitely come on over the last few years; the cushioning & bounce in my new shoes seemed to cope very well with the Lakeland roads, and my feet remained ache free throughout!
I really enjoyed my run (despite having to give myself a talking to on a few of the hills!). The excellent Tuesday winter club road runs organised by Jane & Becky definitely helped massively too, thank you both!
[1 Daniel Connolly – 1:12:11]
528 Jean Sullivan – 2:00:41
1228 finishers