I had in my targets list that some time this year I should
"Run a 5k under 21mins 30, or 10k under 44mins, or half marathon under 1hr 48." And that " Finding a race I can go to and take part in is going to be the hardest part of this one."
If there is a race that I was going to be able to go to and take part in without having a panic attack, then one hosted by my home club was probably my best option. But it was much too early in the season to be running a decent time. So the main reason for going was just to try and do a race, to get through it, deal with any anxiety problems that come up and get a feel for what options I have for the rest of the year.
I did not prepare well. On Saturday I did a double session of swim and cycle. Neither particularly hard, but enough to just empty my legs a little and leave them fairly stiff on Sunday morning. Before leaving for the race I did a rollering and stretching session to ease off some of the worst aches but in hindsight I could probably have done a lot more on my quads.
Once I got to the race it was much less busy than I had feared. With a changed route and following an incident with a car last year the entry limit was reduced so there were a lot less runners about, and more than a few of those that were about were people that I had known for decades.
I suppose at some point in this ramble I should get to the actual race.
As I was looking more toward just using this as a test to see what I might be able to do later in the year I was expecting, if I had a good run, to go somewhere about 46-48mins. I started off quite far back with more of the fun runner crowd with the intention of just taking it easy early on and maybe picking up a bit in the second half.
The first mile or so is uphill, not a huge clim, just a bit of a rise out of town. As I approached the mile mark I had a quick check of my watch and it said 9:51, and while I thought I was going quite easy I didn't think it was as slow as that, and I still recognised some of the other club runners around me, so I had another look as it buzzed for the mile split, 6:56. Now something in the 6's is even more stupid than something in the 9's so obviously there is something wrong with my garmin. I decided to just ignore the watch, and I would check the official time at the end.
So I settled into the long stretched line of average runners, still with a few people I knew hanging about just in front and just behind. And I am convincing myself that in the 3 years since I last did a road race they have all aged and are maybe not training well so it isn't a surprise to be around them. And things still feel easy enough, despite the tight quads. And at the 2 mile mark the watch buzzes again and I look again, purely out of habit, and it says 6:46 for the second mile. But that still can't be right so just ignore it again.
At the 3 mile mark the new race course goes onto the old railway line and does and out and back section. And I start passing the leaders going the other way but a mile ahead. And this time when the watch buzzes it says 7:21 for mile 3. But now I can compare against the fast boys, and they are at 4 miles in the same 21minutes. And that is exactly where they should be. So the watch is not wrong, and now I have to start on the mental arithmetic. 7 min / mile x 6.22 that is about 43:30, and I know my annual target is 44:00 and the last section is downhill back into the park.
So now I start wishing I hadn't been attacking on the climbs on Saturday's bike ride and I have to keep a 7 min/mile pace for the second half of the race. And it is getting hot. I had been comfortable up to this point but I was overdressed for the 15 degree temperature and the sunshine. I took a cup from the water station at 4 miles, had a mouthful and tipped the rest on my head, and checked the watch for a 7:03 mile. At 5 I looked and it was 7:13. So I have dropped 16 seconds That puts me at 43:46 if I can get back to 7:00's but outside 44 if I stay anywhere near the 7:10 mark. And the downhill mile from 5-6 is a lot less downhill than I remember but I need to be there by 42 and a 6:49 puts me at 42:06.
Less than 2 minutes for about a quarter mile. I picked up as much as I could, and my quads were really burning as I came in to the finish. As I crossed the line I heard the timekeeper read out "38" to his scribe and I was ecstatic knowing that it had to be 43:38.
For not racing over 3 years I am really happy with the time, and even more so with the run after poor preparation. I like the new course, it is obviously still fast and flat.
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