I thought about calling this blog "chasing the elusive sub-40 10k" but I think someone has copyrighted that one!
After doing the 3 Esholt 5ks I decided to have another go at the Greenway 10k. I ran 19-30 in the last Esholt and had a further couple of weeks of good training so wondered if I could break 40 mins. A bit of a tall order but you've got to have a goal.
Heavy rain was forecast but it was reasonably fine. Chris Drake gave the pre-race talk and 2 points stick in my mind:
1) Its downhill all the way back so you should manage the 2nd half a minute faster than the 1st.
2) A heavy downpour is forecast for 8-00 hrs so if you want to stay dry you need to run 30 mins.
The whistle went for the start (have start guns been banned?) and I managed the first k in 3-52 and was still on target at 2k. I try not to spend too much time looking at my watch but at halfway I was 20 seconds down at 20-20. Chris's words were ringing in my ears - I was on target for 39-40! There was a lady runner from Stainlands 10 yards in front. Took me 1.5k to catch her. The next target was an old guy who looked like he was in my age category - 30 yards in front. Could I catch him? At the bridge over the motorway I didn't seem to be making much progress but he kept looking nervously over his shoulder - surely a good sign he was struggling?
The problem was my splits so far were consistently about 4 mins. I still worked hard and at 9k was 10 yards off him but I had to run 3-40 to go under 40 mins. I caught him with 300 m to go and pushed on with some else breathing down my neck. I finished in 40-10.
So I only managed the second half 30 seconds quicker than the first. I overtook 2 runners on the second half so feel I paced it OK. The heavy rain didn't start until 8-15 hrs so Chris got that wrong as well!
All in all a race. I worked hard, thought I ran to my potential, met a few old mates from Spen and didn't get too wet.
Just another point, I was allocated race number 1 by Chris. Is it a bit sad but this made me feel a bit special? It brought a smile and an extra cheer from some of the younger spectators which gave me a bit of a lift. Thanks Chris.
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5 comments:
Well done. It's not too much of a tall order - just 10 seconds off. Keep up the training.
when hazel and saw you i thought you looked good and in control, well done on the time! Ihate the greenway and think its just as hard comming back.
you will soon get back under 40 its only 1 second a k
well done Vic. The comeback seems to be on-track. Maybe we can work on that sub-40 together. I'm thinking about targeting the Prince Of Wales Hospice 10k in September at Pontefract.
Chris,
In principle it sounds fine to target that race in September. Only problem is I've booked a walking holiday in the Lakes the week before. The last time I got talked into running a race after a holiday was the last time I ran slower than 40 mins, so not a good omen. Mind you it was the first proper race I ran. I'll pencil it in.
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