Well as I sit here thinking about my race today it's with mixed emotions I think. On the one hand I ran just as hard as I could and given where I was fitness-wise a month ago it turns out that this is pretty hard; on the flip-side when I ran the race last year I was really flying and came in 5th overall and first V40. So this year I was eight places further back and over two minutes slower - a good indication of how challenging the course is and how much it punishes anyone unwise enough to set off too fast. Talking about the route the Pangbourne 10K takes a lovely meander around the village of Sulham - up Sulham Lane, around Sulham Wood and across Sulham Hill. It's all there, you know, if you're a Sulham fan!
As for the race it was a bit of a dash against time just getting there what with half of the family slumbering in bed while the other half made last-minute preparations this morning! So a quick dash down the motorway was required to allow even a few minutes warm-up - definitely a requirement given that the race goes uphill right from the gun - but we managed it without too many cross words. At the start line I wasn't quite sure where to seed myself but I figured that if I was going to have any chance of reprising my result from last year I had to at least be in sight of the leaders.
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| At least I know what I'm in for! |
This was a valiant aim and for the first 500 metres I got a clear view of the large group forming in front of me - almost close enough to touch but too far away to catch. Steadily they pulled away and from my laboured breathing I knew that I wouldn't be bringing them back! So I tried to settle into a rhythm although my right calf felt rather sore/tight and this wasn't helped by running in lightweight trail shoes on the unforgiving tarmac; when we turned the corner into a muddy field I was probably the only one to breath a sigh of relief! From that point I started to feel better and better; catching two or three guys very quickly and then keeping in touch with a guy maybe a hundred metres in front.
From last year I remembered the course very well and knew that the high point came between 5 and 6 kilometres in and that previously I'd pulled back a stubborn resister in just this very stretch; so it held happy memories. Well I don't know if this is the power of positive thinking or what but once again I used this part of the course to my great advantage and reeled in my opponent; a moment when you need to look strong! After this the course fell away to the finish and while I refused to falter it took an awful lot of mental strength to keep my pace high and not look back to see who was chasing. When the finish line finally came into sight I was awful glad to see it:
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| Ouch - that hurts! |
In the end though I managed to put clear water between me and whoever was trying to chase me down; no sprint finish required and for that I am eternally grateful. Almost as grateful as I was with managing to pick up a spot prize (which is one way to ensure that a large crowd remains for the prize-giving) and certainly as grateful as I was to see the massage lady with a spare bed and no queue. That's one tangible benefit to finishing at the sharp end of the field! After being put back together I even felt up to facing the press:
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| With my aunt Janet having survived the race |
Overall though coming 13th out of 251 finishers isn't too bad even it it did take me 41:16 to get round. Like last week pacing was a definite strong point since I managed to push hard most of the way and still had enough in the tank to maintain a stiff pace in the closing kilometres (even if these were downhill!). Even better the weather was absolutely great despite the gale warnings - real sunshine in a way that I haven't felt in months. To celebrate we headed off to the Beer Stampede at the nearby Elephant Hotel and it's no exaggeration to say that rarely has beer tasted so good and that's not the belly talking!
Distance: 7.0 miles
Time: 48m 44s