This race needed to be against the clock though. This was my one opportunity to do a 10k to assess my fitness ahead of the Wolverhampton Half Marathon in 2 week's time. This was a time trial. As I entered though, I couldn't help thinking that I had a chance of placing in the prizes. I think I'm becoming a bit of a pot hunter! This was a low key race with only 150 entrants. My chances were good!
Everton is a village just outside Lymington on the edge of the New Forest. It's nothing to do with the 'blue half', OK?
As we waited around on the playing fields before the start I sized up my opposition. It's funny how you pretty much know who the main opposition are just on initial inspection. There was a young lean woman in a Southampton vest - a definite possibility. Then there was the seriously lean woman in the non-descript vest - not a club vest as far as I could tell, but you just knew this one meant business. I could tell from that wiry frame, minimal body fat, purposeful expression - she had a rather 'elite' look about her. She looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place her.
We lined up ready to start. I was 2 rows back: ambitious but realistic. I looked across and there was Southampton girl. There was also a Hardley woman in her purple club vest who looked like she knew a racing flat when she saw one. Seriously lean woman was lined up right on the start line shoulder to shoulder with the fast men. Either she was hopelessly optimistic about her abilities or she was a top 10 contender. I suspected it wasn't the former!
We were off in the usual mad scramble. I was determined to run at what I felt was an even pace and not do the mad sprint start, which resulted in a few people coming past and a gap opening up ahead of me. Southampton girl was well away, but I found myself in what was probably 5th place behind a tiny woman in turquoise and purple Hardley girl a little further ahead.
The course was a loop out from Everton of around 4km, back through the village and out the other side for another loop of 6km. The first half is fairly flat but I'd been warned about some nasty little ups and downs in the second half as the course crossed a small river.
The first km was slightly uphill, so it was just as well I was sensible, unlike tiny turquoise woman whom I passed at 2km as the course turned back towards the village. Hardley purple girl was still visible up ahead maybe 100m away.
I was maintaining a brisk pace but the fatigue of 83 miles in the previous 7 days was showing in my heart rate which was lower than I would have expected: I just didn't have the energy to push the heart rate (and the pace) higher. I kept pushing as best I could and tried to keep the km splits near to 4:10, my target for the day.
As we passed half way I was exactly on schedule having kept a fairly even pace. We started the second loop and crossed the river that we would meet coming back in. My pace immediately started to suffer, but at least the uphill bits got my heart rate up a few beats back to where it should be. Up ahead, Hardley purple girl was definitely getting closer. The race was on.
I passed a thick-set guy (I think that's the term) as we turned into quite a breeze at the far end of the course. He immediately sped up and took the lead again blocking my way. Why do that? We weren't in the same race. Why get all man-on-man with 3km still to run? I braced myself against the wind and took him again, this time shutting the door on him so I could concentrate on closing down Hardley purple girl without having to fight his elbows. He accepted defeat.
As we turned back towards the village, Hardley purple girl turned to look back. She knew I was there!
I was now right behind her as we crossed the little river and gritted our teeth against the hill up to the 9km mark. It made sense to sit back and not waste too much energy overtaking on the uphill. Should I continue to sit behind her and take her in the run in? I reminded myself that this was a time trial and should be pushing hard. I was helped by a guy coming past whom I latched onto briefly to overtake. I left Hardley purple girl behind and focussed on a young guy ahead whom I remembered from the scrum at the start.
We now had just 200 metres to go and I was shoulder to shoulder with the young guy on the run in. The thing I'm finding a lot lately is that you don't want to get into a finish line sprint with someone over 20 years your junior. They have much faster finishing speed, these young things. I was left in his dust, but finished strongly to take what I believed was 3rd place. Result!
As I jogged back along the course, encouraging the other runners still coming in, I spotted seriously lean woman and jogged along with her. It was Kathy Bailey, yet another of the Winchester elite ladies. Finally I get to put the name to the face. She'd finished in 36:16 - wow! She confessed she'd lost a minute in the last half, and the final hill had taken all her finish speed out of her legs. It's not just me then!
I finished in a time of 42:04, a PB by 68secs, 3rd lady and first W40, getting a nice silver salver for the trophy cabinet.
It would have been nice if the MacMillan calculator was predicting a 3:15 marathon from that - it's saying 3:17:25, but given the breeze, the hills and my 83-mile week, I think I'm OK. I'll have a small taper for the Wolverhampton Half Marathon in 2 week's time and see what I get there.
Looking good!
Splits + HRs:
| 1 | 4:11 | 136bpm |
| 2 | 4:12 | 148bpm |
| 3 | 4:05 | 151bpm |
| 4 | 4:09 | 152bpm |
| 5 | 4:13 | 152bpm |
| 6 | 4:12 | 152bpm |
| 7 | 4:18 | 155bpm |
| 8 | 4:21 | 156bpm |
| 9 | 4:15 | 155bpm |
| 10 | 4:07 | 159bpm |
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