Allenton 10k 2006

Merrill & Shelton Striders 10k

8th October 2006

Race #1 - Report

This was my first ever race. I had no idea what to expect. I had been in training for little over two months and had spent the past week fully loading on carbs’ and getting all the rest I could so I would be in the best shape possible to reach my goal on race day. That goal was a sub fifty minute run. My training times had been an average of around fifty two minutes.
I awoke Sunday morning at 6.30 and went for a very gentle jog around the block. On my return I ate a light breakfast and checked my kit. I left for the race with plenty of time so I could get a feel of the atmosphere and calm any nerves I might have. On arrival I saw many runners warming up and getting ready for the race. I got my first ‘buzz’ when I got out of the car and realized that this was it….My first race!!
During my arrival time of 9.15 and the start of the race at 9.45 I think I went to the toilet three times. Now I never really felt any pre race nerves but I believe that my constant toilet visits were my substitute.
I did my warm up and then around 9.40 the race marshals closed the road off so we could all line up ready for the start. At this point I was completely surrounded by runners and I positioned myself right in the middle, about a third of the way back. The gun went and we were off. I could just hear the clapping and cheering from the crowd over my music as we set off. Not knowing the course I could not time each mile as in my training but as warned, I really took it steady for the seven to eight minutes. The feeling I got at the first turn was immense. The police had stopped the traffic as we ran over a usually busy crossroads. People were looking on in their cars and it felt good.
As the race proceeded down a long industrial lane the group started to spread out a little, and pace groups were being formed. I did not care about this and just kept my pace at what felt good for me. I passed a few marshals as the route went down a country path and was greeted by a “Drinks ahead” sign. This was fairly early in the race I thought, but being my first race and my first water stop I felt obliged to take the water. Though most of it ended up down me than in me!
The country path we were on seemed long but as we passed the five kilometer marker I looked at my watch and was amazed that I had run it in under twenty four minutes. I knew if I could keep this pace I would reach my goal of a sub fifty run. For the first time in the race I found someone who was going at my pace so I kept the same distance behind her. This soon became the hardest point of my race as I the pain I have mentioned so many times in my training log came back to haunt me. It’s the pain you get just below your diaphragm and it is not stitch. I believe it may be related to me being a smoker until six months ago. As in training I pushed through it and soon enough it was gone.
As we passed the seven kilometer marker the lady I was pacing started to slow so I passed by her and decided to up my pace. I was feeling good and I wanted that sub fifty finish. The seven and eight kilometer markers came and went and when I hit the nine I felt a little fatigue kicking in but by now there were people every few hundred yards cheering us on.
As I came to the final bend before entering the college grounds and getting my first glimpse of the finish line there must have been thirty people screaming “go on” and “last push”. Now I knew I had an advantage over many runners in the fact that I have a really fast sprint finish. So with this I proceeded to make a fatal error. I came into the grounds like a sprinter and passed at least seven runners. As I passed the final one I realized that there was another four hundred meter track to run and I had just used my sprint finish too early. I slowed to my slowest pace of the day and half way round the final track my legs felt like jelly. I reached the final bend and thought “this is it now, go for it”. I ‘kicked’ it as they say and ran faster than I knew possible at that point in a run, and passed another two runners. I crossed the finish line to hundreds of cheers and claps. Now not all of these were for me but as you cross that finish line it feels like they are!! I finished the race 168th out of 358 finishers. Oh and my time……forty seven minutes and thirty eight seconds…..I had smashed my target time but I now have a new goal. Sub forty five minutes!!
In closing I never knew that you could get so much enjoyment and satisfaction from running. I used to see running as a way of keeping fit or warming up before Football training. It is now becoming a hobby, a way of life. I have taken the first of many steps towards my end goal. New York 2007, here I come!!

Conditions: Cool, Dry

Time: 47.38 (PB)



“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”