Turning up the heat

Race four of this year's interclub series saw Thornton Cleveleys hosting for the first time in hot and humid conditions, which were incomparable to anything that many of us had encountered before.

The Mercury had tipped 30oC and despite a stiff breeze, it was far from cooling. At work during the day I had heard it described, quite brilliantly, as a "holiday wind" the kind where hot air just hits you flat in the face.

Set on the promenade in blisteringly bright sunshine, the backdrop for the race was quite spectacular, warming up I managed to really appreciate and take in the views across the beach and sea, despite already literally dripping with sweat before we'd even began racing!

It wasn't only from the sun that I was feeling the heat before starting though, knowing that a win would see me clinch the championship, on the basis that it is your best 4 races to count and I already had 3 race wins in the bag.

My chances were aided by the fact that Dave Rigby was absent due to racing at a track meet, however 3 time interclub champion Rob Affleck was there so I knew I would still have to be at my best if I wanted to claim the victory.

I was slightly unsure of how I was to approach the race due to the extreme conditions, in two minds as whether to go out and attack from the front, or wait until later on in the race to make a move in case the heat effected my endurance.

As we lined up on the line before the gun, in truth I still didn't know how I was going to go about the race tactically, but as soon as we were off and running my feet made the decision for me. I reacted quickest setting off and was immediately on the front foot. Within the first strides I must have opened up a good couple of metres length lead.

I still had a few little concerns in my mind that I might have set off too quickly, but decided that since I had made the move to set a quick pace early on, it was now up to me to push through with it and run hard.

I made a conscious decision not to look at my watch throughout the race and to just run on feel. The first mile was fairly flat, but into a stiff head wind which made it a little more difficult. Looking back on my watch I recorded 5:10 for this mile.

Mile 2 saw a couple of undulations and an overall climb, whilst still into the head wind. I had tried my best to keep the charge on, but it had felt like a slightly slower mile, so it is unsurprising to find out that I ran 5:25 for this mile.

The third mile started off into the same head wind still, but after about a third of this mile we came around the end of the promenade and dropped down an embankment to be running back alongside sea level. I had expected to have the wind behind me on the return, but a combination of the fact we were now hidden from it by the promenade wall and the temperature made for stifling conditions.

I had sneaked a look over my shoulder as I came around the corner of the out and back course, and saw that I had opened up a good 20 second or so lead. My pace for the mile was back to around that which I started the race, recording 5:09. I followed this up with a 5:12 for mile four, but I was really having to dig deep by this point to keep up the pace.

Knowing that I was now so close to clinching the championship spurred me on somewhat though, and  I finished with my quickest mile - closing with a 5:05, despite easing up over the final metres. I finished with a pb time over 5 miles of 26:04. I was surprised to find how big a gap I won by in the end, perhaps the heat playing a part, as Affleck came home in 27:10 for a comfortable second place.

So there we go, I have done enough I think and should now have claimed the interclub title for 2015. Some people have questioned the importance of the competition recently, but to me I could not be clearer. This has always been a top target for me to achieve, ever since I came 17th in my first ever interclub outing 4 years ago. Stuart Robinson won at Wesham interclub that day, from Steve Littler in second, Affleck in 3rd and in a race that also featured Rigby, an in his prime Gethin Buttler and Steve Hallas. 

Robinson went on to win the Interclub crown that year. Affleck has since won it three years on the bounce, so I am in good company here!

Yes it has been questioned just how competitive it is at the front end of the championship right now, but anyone who has seen how Dave Rigby has been performing this year, and knows how close fought the two races I have had against him so far this campaign will know that I have not had it easy. Rob Affleck is actually running similar, if not quicker times to his previous seasons - it's just that myself and Dave have improved.

To question whether the top runners of the clubs involved in this competition should compete in it is wrong in my opinion. If newer club runners, inexperienced against higher standard fields don't get the opportunity to race against better quality here, then when will they? If we genuinely want to improve the standard of our sport, then segregating runners entirely into races by ability would be a poor move. You only get better by running against and with better runners - and that goes through the field, not just for the boys and girls at the front of a race.

It is my belief that the interclub series provides an important stepping stone for hopefully future success. I would have always regretted it if I hadn't have managed to win it at least once, and now I can say I have. It is an achievement that I am proud of. The fact that I have done so whilst representing the club that first gave me the opportunity to run makes it all the more satisfying.