A look at the results from a previous race on he same course back in April showed that there was a potential for some really quick times. 4 runners went sub 15 and a couple recorded low 15's in that one. I was hoping to get in amongst a good strong pack and get pulled around to a fast time.
Unfortunately, there wasn't the same depth of quality at the front end this time around however, which made it more difficult to hold the necessary pace. The first mile of the race was pretty much bang on target as we went through in 4:50, however the pace dropped drastically in mile two - which was an uphill mile, but was disappointing non-the-less as the pace dropped to 5:10 for the mile. The final mile was back down to my targeted pace, with the downhill section seeing me record a 4:47 mile. Sadly the damage had been done in mile two however and I was left finishing off with a still respectable 15:19.
The good thing about the race was however that I managed to record an unexpected victory, running home as race winner by 7 seconds. Also, pleasingly, I found myself feeling incredibly comfortable throughout and I felt that I could have kept the pace up for another few miles - which bodes well for my next 10k races if I can maintain my current form and fitness.
Mid Cheshire 5k is a race that I would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a good quick, PB potential course. It is a 4K loop, with an added kilometre down to the finish after he first loop is complete. It is similar to Chrisleton 5k for anyone that is familiar with that course.
The first half of the week had been something of a rest for me as I had tapered down a bit ahead of the 5k. On Monday I had done 9 miles at 6:14 pace, and on Tuesday I did a makeshift speed session down in the country lanes, as I was unable to make the track. I did a reduced volume of effort to save myself for the race day, settling for 6x800 off 60 seconds rest and doing them all in an average of 2:30. On Wednesday I took the day off completely (well I still worked of course, but you get what I mean!)
Post-race I did a steady 10 miles on Friday at 6:32 pace, and decided that due to reduced mileage this week to have a go at Lytham Hall Park Run on the Saturday to give me a little bit more volume for the pace work instead. I enjoyed the course despite the twist and turns, it is a four lap course and so there is quite a lot of overtaking involved. I took the run as a bit of a hard tempo and averaged out at a tad under 5:30s to finish in about 16:10ish.
On Sunday I was racing again (!) as I did the Great Eccleston 4 mile road race, simply because is it a part of the Wesham club championship fixtures, and also to try and show support for the local scouts and Alam Taylor the organiser being a member of our club too.
It was a small turnout, and is a low key event, but it was a nice gentle rolling course and I was able to run at my own pace without any pressure as I took a comfortable win in 20:32, with an extra lap before and after to build up the run into a longer effort of 12 miles to round off the week.
Total mileage for the week: 60
Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:34
Total mileage this month (August): 274
Total mileage so far 2016: 2209
Average miles per day 2016: 9.24
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