So close...
The genuine 8 minute mile/50 minute 10k/40 minute 5 mile goal still eludes me, but only just.
First, back to basics. The information I got sent says, in bold no less, "please be aware that this is a hilly and demanding multi-terrain course which includes estate roads, tracks, paths and rough grass". Going into it I was hoping for an improvement on my PB (previously 59:19), but more doing it because it would be a nice course and a good experience rather than because I expected it to be an ultra-fast course.
I got there nice and early as usual, which was good for the toilet queue. Come on people, 8 toilets? That's nowhere near enough! I decided to brave the elements despite the showers and just run in my 3/4 length tights and event t-shirt, leaving my jacket in the car.
The warm up seemed very easy compared to the warm ups at events I've done before. Maybe it's a sign of my increasing fitness that a warm up is just that, rather than a challenging workout! The lovely Nell McAndrew was there doing her motivational stuff again. I wouldn't say that I'm interested in her for her modelling career or anything like that, but she's clearly a keen runner and always turns up to Yorkshire runs and runs with everyone else - and managed an elite time in the London marathon a year or so ago, which isn't bad going for a "celeb"!
When I did my first 10k, which was also a Cancer Research run, I blogged about realising that it was serious runners now, not like Race for Life.
Well, today in a strange sort of role reversal, I realised that there were a lot of people tackling their first 10k, fun runners, and not the sort of serious runners that I was running with at, say, the half marathon. Now, that really is improvement.
And, what's more, when they asked for people expecting fast times to go towards the start, holding back the slower runners, I headed straight for the start. I don't feel apologetic or fraudulent any more. I realise that I have as much right to a fast start as the next person, and that I am actually quite fast.
So, I made the best start I ever have done at one of these things - over the start line before Nell finished blowing her hooter (I think she put it down and then started the race just behind me, but she didn't overtake me. I'd like to think it's because I'm faster than her, but I suspect she was taking it easy because I think she's pregnant).
And off I went. The start was paved, and for the first 2k or so I was running solid at a solid 5 minute/km. That was pretty much what I was aiming for, so I was happy with that. Then between 2 and 3k there was the "challenging bit". Just before the warm up they'd warned us about this hill. It was uphill on grass, and it was muddy by the time I got there. I dread to think what it was like for the later runners. If you tried to run it, your feet slipped around and it was hard work. I walked up it. I didn't want to risk injury for the sake of a shortish hill. Over that km I slipped down to a 5:30/km pace.
The next few km were mainly over grass. It was still fairly slippy, but by running down the edges of the track it was possible to avoid the worst of it. Again, I don't think that would have been the case further back in the field. I got back to 5 minute/km pace, and pretty much stuck there. It went up and down, but nothing that I couldn't handle without changing my pace too much. Some bits on roads (and it felt so strange coming off the mud/grass onto the paved surface!), then more grass, and so on. The course was actually really nice to run for a change, so I'm glad I went up there.
The whole thing was surprisingly uneventful. I seemed to be pretty much in the right place, I didn't get overtaken too much, and I wasn't doing too much overtaking. The field spread out and left me in pretty much the right place, so I just ran.
I hadn't been intending to get under 50 minutes on this run based on the course description, but I did start to wonder whether it might be possible with a strong last couple of km. I don't know whether it's because the course was less demanding than the description suggested, or whether it's because I'm a good enough runner that I could handle it, but I was surprised at how well I was going.
In the end, I just missed out. I finished in 50:32, or I think 8:08 min/miles. But still, that's an improvement on my pace in my 5 miler 2 weeks ago, and an improvement on the time that the race calculators would predict from my (much flatter) half marathon (which is about 52 minutes). My last 10k was in November and I finished in 59:19 on a much flatter course. The other Cancer Research 10k I did, which was more comparable to this course, took me over 68 minutes. That's a 9 minute improvement between each of the 10ks I've done.
I may not have got under 50 this time, but based on that I know that I can do it. I don't think I'll be expecting another 9 minute improvement before my next one though - it's in four weeks!
First, back to basics. The information I got sent says, in bold no less, "please be aware that this is a hilly and demanding multi-terrain course which includes estate roads, tracks, paths and rough grass". Going into it I was hoping for an improvement on my PB (previously 59:19), but more doing it because it would be a nice course and a good experience rather than because I expected it to be an ultra-fast course.
I got there nice and early as usual, which was good for the toilet queue. Come on people, 8 toilets? That's nowhere near enough! I decided to brave the elements despite the showers and just run in my 3/4 length tights and event t-shirt, leaving my jacket in the car.
The warm up seemed very easy compared to the warm ups at events I've done before. Maybe it's a sign of my increasing fitness that a warm up is just that, rather than a challenging workout! The lovely Nell McAndrew was there doing her motivational stuff again. I wouldn't say that I'm interested in her for her modelling career or anything like that, but she's clearly a keen runner and always turns up to Yorkshire runs and runs with everyone else - and managed an elite time in the London marathon a year or so ago, which isn't bad going for a "celeb"!
When I did my first 10k, which was also a Cancer Research run, I blogged about realising that it was serious runners now, not like Race for Life.
I also noticed that whereas Race for Life was a run/walk for all the family, with lots of walkers, young, old, fat, slow, this was very definitely a run. Everyone looked at least vaguely fit (or clinically insane), and I realised how much my fitness has improved that I could even consider running in the same company as this lot.
Well, today in a strange sort of role reversal, I realised that there were a lot of people tackling their first 10k, fun runners, and not the sort of serious runners that I was running with at, say, the half marathon. Now, that really is improvement.
And, what's more, when they asked for people expecting fast times to go towards the start, holding back the slower runners, I headed straight for the start. I don't feel apologetic or fraudulent any more. I realise that I have as much right to a fast start as the next person, and that I am actually quite fast.
So, I made the best start I ever have done at one of these things - over the start line before Nell finished blowing her hooter (I think she put it down and then started the race just behind me, but she didn't overtake me. I'd like to think it's because I'm faster than her, but I suspect she was taking it easy because I think she's pregnant).
And off I went. The start was paved, and for the first 2k or so I was running solid at a solid 5 minute/km. That was pretty much what I was aiming for, so I was happy with that. Then between 2 and 3k there was the "challenging bit". Just before the warm up they'd warned us about this hill. It was uphill on grass, and it was muddy by the time I got there. I dread to think what it was like for the later runners. If you tried to run it, your feet slipped around and it was hard work. I walked up it. I didn't want to risk injury for the sake of a shortish hill. Over that km I slipped down to a 5:30/km pace.
The next few km were mainly over grass. It was still fairly slippy, but by running down the edges of the track it was possible to avoid the worst of it. Again, I don't think that would have been the case further back in the field. I got back to 5 minute/km pace, and pretty much stuck there. It went up and down, but nothing that I couldn't handle without changing my pace too much. Some bits on roads (and it felt so strange coming off the mud/grass onto the paved surface!), then more grass, and so on. The course was actually really nice to run for a change, so I'm glad I went up there.
The whole thing was surprisingly uneventful. I seemed to be pretty much in the right place, I didn't get overtaken too much, and I wasn't doing too much overtaking. The field spread out and left me in pretty much the right place, so I just ran.
I hadn't been intending to get under 50 minutes on this run based on the course description, but I did start to wonder whether it might be possible with a strong last couple of km. I don't know whether it's because the course was less demanding than the description suggested, or whether it's because I'm a good enough runner that I could handle it, but I was surprised at how well I was going.
In the end, I just missed out. I finished in 50:32, or I think 8:08 min/miles. But still, that's an improvement on my pace in my 5 miler 2 weeks ago, and an improvement on the time that the race calculators would predict from my (much flatter) half marathon (which is about 52 minutes). My last 10k was in November and I finished in 59:19 on a much flatter course. The other Cancer Research 10k I did, which was more comparable to this course, took me over 68 minutes. That's a 9 minute improvement between each of the 10ks I've done.
I may not have got under 50 this time, but based on that I know that I can do it. I don't think I'll be expecting another 9 minute improvement before my next one though - it's in four weeks!
posted by YP at 6:36 PM
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