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| Before the start |
I was glad I did travel though. I was running the Fen Drayton 10K, which turned out to be a real community event for the village and local school, with not just the 10k, but a fun run and plenty of other activities and food on offer! The race itself was really well organised, the marshals were great and encouraging and quite a few people from the village turned out to watch and support the event, which was also really encouraging! Fen Drayton itself is a pretty village next to a bird sanctuary and Fen Drayton lakes, so a really lovely part of the Cambridgeshire countryside. In fact I found it quite surreal to have taken part in the run and to have experienced the atmosphere of the village fete, only to return home via the metropolis of Birmingham.
The day was very warm. The race also started 11.00am, which was great in terms of travel, but not for coolness as we hit the midday sun. I was feeling a little jaded after the journey, which was not helped by the 15 minute "workout" the race organisers had arranged (although i cannot claim to have really got into this!) before the start: so I started off by thinking I would just enjoy the run and scenery, and not aim to try to beat my PB.
However, as soon as I started, I knew I would try to run my best; I have too much of a competitive streak in me! I also thought this would be a fast route, as it was flat, and the conditions (apart from the heat) were perfect for running, so I did think that it would be too good an opportunity to miss. The route itself was mainly off road, with a fair few potholes early on, but was pleasant, flat, and took in some lovely scenery around the lakes and bird sanctuary. It was really enjoyable, but unfortunately, I was either too busy looking directly ahead of my feet to avoid tripping, or too occupied with the other runners to take too much of the scenery in!
At the start I had placed myself about half way back, in between the 50 and 55 min markers. This was an accurate starting position for me, as this was roughly where I finished the race. Although I passed more runners than runners passed me, I realised from fairly early on and then all the way through, that I was seconds off running 5 min kilometers, which was what I was aiming for. I did not really get up a gear, and my legs felt fairly sluggish. And although it was flat, it was warm and hard going, and I definitely needed water at the 5k stage! However, I was able to raise my pace a little at the end to provide a quicker finish, which I was pleased at, particularly as the finish line was well supported with onlookers!
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| Hot'n sweaty at the end |
So the result? A chip time of 51.08, being placed 126th out of about 360, finishing about half way. I was pretty pleased with this, although I again managed to evade the 50 minute mark, which I have been aiming for this year. I'm not at all sure if this is a possible target for me, and I'm running out of races (no pun intended) to find out. I only have two 10k races left in this series, Stoke (which i am sure will not be flat) and Woodhall Spa, which might offer me some hope.
So, onto next week, where I'm running the Sheffield Half Marathon, which I'm sure will be a totally different experience from this race. For a start it will be hilly (at least in the fist half), will begin at 9.00am (so I will have to leave Birmingham at about 6:00am or before!), and (with all due respects to Sheffield) I'm sure it will not be as pretty! However, I am hoping that it will be good fun with lots going on! When I've run this, I will have completed 7 out of 11 of the races I have planned this year to raise money for NYAS, the charity I work for. If you haven't sponsored me already, please do give it a thought and visit my BT Donate page, and if you can, give generously! The work we do helps to support children in care, children with disabilities and other vulnerable children and adults at a time when cuts in public services does not make their lives easier! Thank you!
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