(After the brief departure to explore the Duchy 20 and Marathon course, we return to chronological order, with this run from Christmas Eve 2010...)
After returning from New York - and getting clearance to run from the Doctor - I continued my rehabilitation with this short outing on Carn Brea.
(I do like to run up Carn Brea at Christmas, if I'm at home. This time, Christmas Eve was the closest I could get).
Considering that a run on the Carn in the snow had been one of my main inspirations for this site, I was disappointed that my illness had cost me the chance to run in the best/worst of the weather, but there was at least still a token bit of the white stuff around!
Oh, and sorry about the silly hat.
As you can see, it was only a titchy little run. And in truth, I'd recommend you find a slightly different route back down...
Here's a quick guide to what you can expect - including a couple of sneaky hills they don't tell you about!
In a brief departure from my normal, chronological running blogs, I've hastily compiled a video to help competitors in the Duchy Marathon and accompanying Duchy 20 miler.
Please bear in mind that I wasn't able to compete last year, and haven't paid close attention to the course details, so this is based upon my recollection of the Duchy 20 course from 2009 - I'm pretty sure it's accurate to that, and if there have been any major changes, nobody's told me!
*** Sod's Law alert! I've since checked, and they HAVE made a small change this year, so the final mile takes a different route. The finish is in the same place, though. ***
If you don't know the course, hopefully this will give you some idea of what to expect... although, in truth, the character of this race is all about the weather. With a long, very exposed clifftop section, any change in the wind, rain (or - heaven help us - hail) will make a real difference.
I run these cliffs a lot (although usually the footpath along the cliff's edge), and I can tell you: on one day you can be moseying along enjoying the stunning sea view... and on another, hardened marathoners are crying for their mummies. And, with the race in March, the weather could be literally anything (and that's all part of the fun).
If you're taking part - good luck, I'll see you there (assuming my gammy shin clears up...).
As you can see from the map below, I haven't run the entire Marathon course - it follows the big clifftop loop twice, so there would be no point in showing you all of that. Instead, I've stuck mostly to the 20-mile route... with the exception of the little out-and-back detour around 13.5 miles. Trust me: there aren't any real surprises there.
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