Well at a snip of £11 for an entry, chip timed and a nice medal to boot, I sent off my entry. With a previous 10k PB of 40:50 earlier in the year thanks in part to a snarling club chairman in hot pursuit and with 5k times dropping towards the tail end of the year, I was hoping for a good runout. Starting at the front of the masses race (runners with a previous best of sub 42 minute should start near the front), I set off with the plan of running at just under 40 min pace. Employing the parkrun tactic of flying off from the start, I steadied into my race pace, comfortable enough to sustain but uncomfortable enough to know that you would feel this after a few miles. Hitting the first turnaround on the Silkin way and still on target, it was great to see club members coming back the other way, calling either words of encouragement or must mustering up a nod or a wave due to the breathlessness brought about by push yourself to the limit. Maintain a conversation in a marathon by all means but a 10k race keeps you near that anaerobic limit.
End of lap one and the sound of bells and tambourines as the family and the rest of the non racing gang offered enthusiastic support and encouragement. Time for a smile and a wave this time in contrast to the next time I'd see them. Pushing on past the parkrun finish and up that little incline back towards Silkin Way it was starting to hurt. A young Sy Tri runner, ("Go on Sky Track!" shouted an older gent from the side, causing a giggle) was beside me as we both hung on. My call of "come on your faster than me" was enough to encourage him to drop off the pace. My own pace was dropping, now 30 seconds slower than it should have been, was the fast start enough in the bank? Probably not I had to push from the turn around to keep on target. |
Looking at the watch as a passed the 5 mile marker a decided I was going to get under 40 min quite comfortably if I could just maintain my pace....just 1.1 miles to go I thought....your brain gets tired when you run, it was not until the watch said 5.9 miles that I remembered. 10k is 6.2 miles not 6.1! I'd missed off 109 meters from the calculation! Time to leg it, "come on fellas we can still get under",I shouted to two younger chaps running with me. One dropped off and the other stepped it up, overtaking me in the final stretch. The bells and tambourines jangled and the supporters shouted. I couldn't hear them, I saw the race clock 39:50! An extra burst of pace, the clock tick on, 39:59 as I crossed. Club president told me I might have just sneaked it, a long wait until 9:00pm that evening for the official result 39:48! Get in! Just goes to show you the benefits of cross country the day before and a fry up in the morning! In summary, a good race, well organised and well supported. Could see how it could be overcrowded in amongst the masses so being in between the elite and masses time did me a favour. Well done to everyone who got involved and took part. |