I'd been looking forward to this race for ages. Having not run a 10km since the Leeds Abbey Dash in November I was hoping to get under 39 minutes for the first time. However I hadn't eased off training at all because the main focus is on the English Duathlon Champs in a few weeks time, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel on the day. I'd done a hard track session on Tuesday as normal and my standard Wednesday night Run-bike-run session before taking it easy on Thursday with a steady 6 mile run. I was struggling to walk upstairs on Thurs though and to be honest I think this helped relieve any pressure of trying to run a good time.
I also decided to test out my new pre-race fuel plan in preparation for my next duathlon. For the first time I tried the Hi-5 energy gel and 4:1 energy drink as part of my breakfast. I wanted to see how my stomach would deal with these in race conditions and of course the best way to get race conditions is an actual race!
We (support team and me) got to race HQ, found a place to park, registered and then I went to change into my race kit. After pinning my number on my vest, I found I'd left my racing shoes at home! Luckily my house is only 10-15mins from the race start, so we drove at speed back to get them! I got back to the race ten mins before the start, managed a short jog warm up and then took my place on the start line. The field for this race was huge! Aware that I wasn't fully warmed up, I slotted myself in a few rows back, not wanting to get caught up in the early charge and tire myself out before I was fully warmed up.
I started steady, moved through nicely and after 3km I was lucky to find a man running at about the same pace as me and also overtaking people gradually - I used him as good motivation to keep me going for the next 6km. There were times when he pulled ahead a few yards and I had to work hard to keep in touch. I went through the first 5km feeling comfortable, in 18.50 - a 5km pb! Knowing I was on for a good 10km pb I pushed on and with just 1km to go, I spotted a couple of ladies further up the road and really put my foot down.
I crossed the line in 37.54 - a HUGE pb!
Absolutely can't believe it! I think I just had one of those days where everything feels great. The whole race I was working hard but felt in control, and felt strong.
Hopefully I'll have a few more of these days!
This race has a reputation as a fast course with lots of good times set here every year, so it attracts a really strong field.
It was great to catch up with a couple of old Shropshire runners who finished 2nd and 3rd - Ali Lavender and former Telford AC clubmate Tessa Walker
1 Rebecca Robinson Kendal AC 00:34:20
2 Alison Lavender Oswestry Olympians 00:35:22
3 Tess Walker Salford Harriers AC 00:35:27
4 Siobhan Evans Eryri Harriers 00:36:44
5 Dionne Allen Leigh Harriers 00:36:51
6 Kirsteen Young Leeds City AC 00:37:12
7 Sarah Jarvis Liverpool Harriers 00:37:16
8 Jo Buckley Bingley Harriers 00:37:37
9 Sarah Mackness Altrincham & District AC 00:37:54
10 Amy Green Keighley and Craven AC 00:38:08
I can't wait for a 5km road race now to get an official 5km pb - after running a 5km duathlon split of 17.54 and clocking 18.50 at half way today, I'm keen to see what an accurate 5km time for me is!
After a good run at the National XC, it's great to be getting the results that go with all the ridiculously hard training I've been doing so far this year!
I feel like I owe a huge thank you to my boyfriend for his endless support - it makes such a difference to my recovery to know dinner will be on the table when I get home from training, plus it saves me so much time, meaning I can cram even more training into my busy days. I'm not sure he's too keen on the amount of time I spend training, but it's great to see how happy he is when I have a good race. Time to recover and enjoy the Easter weekend together now!
Here's a snap from February's warm weather training trip to Spain - wish I could do more of my Winter training in the sunshine!
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