Last weekend I ran the inaugural Newhailes 10k Trail Race. I’d not run in a race before that wasn’t solely on tarmac so it was an interesting new experience.
In hindsight my choice of road running shoes wasn’t the best but I don’t currently have any trail running ones. I was praying that the rain would stay away although kind of expected it not to.
I ran to the venue as it’s only a couple of miles away. As if the gods were out to test me, it started raining on the way there. Not knowing the exact route, I hoped that I could stay on my feet as much as possible round the course.
The Route
I was a little concerned when I saw the route of the Newhailes 10k trail race. Going around parts of the route twice, I wondered whether the signage around the route would be up to scratch. Having marshalls in strategic places on the course really helped with that though.
The race started near to Newhailes House and went around the grounds before heading along the Brunstane Burn path. Heading back through Brunstane and through a corn field, you then rejoined the path around the Newhailes grounds.
The second lap followed a similar route, apart from you didn’t do a full lap around Newhailes but cut through the grounds instead. It was a little confusing at points where both the 5k and 10k races followed the same path. Overall though it felt very easy to follow where I was supposed to go.
The only disappointing aspect of the race was that I ended up not doing a full 10k. In fact I only just managed just over 6 miles so I must have cut corners somewhere.
The Finish
Out of 179 runners, I came in 55th place. I wasn’t aiming for a personal best and based on how muddy it was in places I had no hope of getting one either! Still, for the Newhailes 10k trail race being my first race off road, the time wasn’t too bad.
I hope for next year’s race that the course will be measured a little more carefully. I even put the course into my Garmin Fenix 5X so I wouldn’t get lost or follow the wrong route. I’m not aware that I cut any corners but you never know I guess.
I enjoyed the race in any case and would definitely do it again; perhaps with the right running shoes the next time though. I also ended up getting a spot prize at the end which I was grateful to receive. It should help my running performance.
Plans For Next Year
I’m hoping to enter more races next year, including the Newhailes 10k trail race again. Since I joined a running club I’m more aware of the races in the local area. There does seem to be several I wasn’t aware of.
The main races for me will be the Edinburgh and Scottish Half Marathons. In between those two I’ll pick up as many 10km races as I can. My aim is also to finally get round to doing a parkrun. I bought myself a parkrun flatband a few weeks ago but I’ve not had a chance to use it yet.
What are your running plans for the rest of the year and beyond?
Main Photo Credit: craiglea123 Flickr via Compfight cc
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