Stratford's Big 10k - 13 September 2009...

Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)

In a time of...
hh:mm:ss
00:34:33 Personal Best!!!

Finishing Position: 2
Number of finishers: 315
Putting me in the top: 0.63%

Training for this event had been going brilliantly, and I seemed to be coming to form just at the right time. The taper before the race left me frustrated though, after regularly running 55-60miles each week I suddenly felt like I wasn't running at all.

I'd run this course twice in training, to give me an idea of what to expect on race day. The first 4km was to be along a flat chalky/gravelly path, then onto the road - a hill at around 5km, and another hill somewhere around 7-8km. In training it seemed like a good course for a fast time - so hopes were high.

The sun was shining brightly at Stratford Racecourse as the start of the race drew near - not ideal for PB attempts, but I guess it could've been a lot worse. I lined up at the start and spotted a few other fast looking runners, none of whom I recognised, and after wishing familiar faces from the running club good luck, the race was underway with a countdown from the Town's Mayor, and the firing of a gun.

Three of us immediately took to the lead and within seconds a strong headwind developed - I tried to shelter behind the other two leaders but it didn't seen to make any difference - we battled on into the wind over a variety of surfaces, ranging from grass, dried mud, hardcore and gravel, until we took a sharp right hand turn onto the greenway (which I believe used to be a railway line many moons ago). The thin gravel layer on top of a dried and hard packed dusty chalk like surface giving a distinctive sound with every footstep - it felt quick, but you could feel your feet just starting to slip each time you pushed off with each foot.

I settled into 3rd spot, a few paces behind a young & thin runner in a white/green vest with ginger hair - with the red and yellow vest of a Godiva harrier starting to open up a gap in front. My head was all over the place as I tried to settle into a rhythm - I'd found it so easy in training and in club races to find a comfortable pace to maintain but with other runners around me, I couldn't seem to judge whether I was being pulled along by them, held up by them, or running at a comfortable pace.

After around 3km we were still on the Greenway and I was starting to settle into a rhythm; I edged past second place and steadily started to pull away. First place had opened up quite a gap so my target was to hold the gap rather than letting it increase.

The 4km drinks station was reached and I received some unexpected support from someone who went to the same school as me many years ago. Finally we were off the Greenway and onto proper road; I could feel myself travelling faster already. I looked ahead into the distance, first place was slowly pulling further away, and the road started to incline gradually - I hadn't noticed this at all on my training runs but at race pace this gradual incline was starting to sap both my pace, and my energy. The gradual incline soon turned into the first hill - the heart rate began to rise and breathing became laboured, thankfully it wasn't long before the incline was over.

The hill may have been and gone, but the laboured breathing and elevated heart rate was set to stay for the rest of the race, even a nice downhill section didn't allow enough time for recovery before the second (and final) long climb for the day began. It wasn't steep, but went on for a good while and is where I could feel my pace dropping quite a bit - I also believe this is where I lost a lot of time to the first placed runner.

Not knowing how close the third place runner was I tried to push on, but things just weren't happening as I wanted them to - thankfully we were getting nearer to the end, and came onto the pavement away from the main road. I took the opportunity whilst taking a sharp left hand turn to look back and see what sort of a gap I had... nobody in the 30metres or so behind that I could see, so I carried on. "Why don't you just slow down?!" my body was telling me, I knew I wasn't having the best of runs, but the thought of a new PB willed me on to "Just keep going... it's not long to go and you'll kick yourself later on if you ease up!". My brain had a good point, so I kept on going, one foot in front of the other until I reached the River Avon.

The riverside seemed incredibly busy, and I was weaving my way through the general public who were enjoying a lovely sunny day out. Mother was positioned on the right hand side of the course and cheering as I approached:

"How far behind is the next runner?" I shouted.
"No-one as far as I can see" replied my mother.

"Great stuff" - I thought, second place was in the bag, but for some reason, perhaps by coincidence, but more likely my central governor telling me there's no need to push hard anymore, my legs started to feel really heavy and I felt that my pace was slowing dramatically. I forced a smile as I ran past my partner Emma who'd also come along to support, and managed to pick up the pace one final time when I new I had under 200m to go.

The finishing straight was on slightly uneven grass, I looked around nervously to see a timing clock as I approached the finish at pace, but there wasn't one to be seen. I finished, caught my breath and wandered over to the race winner to ask what time he'd managed. He'd clocked 33:34 by his reckoning, and I estimated I was about a minute behind. Official results show I wasn't too far off!

On reflection it was an enjoyable race, though I'd perhaps put a little bit too much expectation on myself, and the course, to achieve the fast time I'd hoped for. I'm a happy with the result, and also happy knowing I have more to give - as my dad later said "32 seconds off a 10k previous best is awesome, especially considering how long you've been running, PB's are normally scarce by now!"