This led to me jokinwith many (though I didn't find it particularly funny!) about my "10k curse"...the biggest disappointment, of course, being the Podium short course debacle some 16 months ago. Outside of that however, I have also under-performed on the back of good training, but over-racing in the build up to last year's Abbey Dash, seen Ribble Valley cancelled, missed Trafford due to a clash with Intercounties cross-country selection and Salford as I was away doing the Half Marathon in Cardiff. Most recently of course, I was wiped out by a dog when well on course to break the 32 minute barrier at Preston 10k six weeks ago.
Well, this weekend I was hoping that the stars would finally align for me and I could string out the perfect performance to put to bed that jinx and free my mind of all the nagging feelings of doubt and frustration that has gradually built up inside my head. I knew I was coming into Cheshire 10k potentially in the shape of my life, but I had to go out and prove it.
I have learnt valuable lessons from some of the disappointments over this spell. I pushed myself way too hard last autumn with back to back half marathons in successive weekends in October 2015 effectively killing my form through November, when I should have been in far better shape on the back of some really good sessions. This year, I tweaked my approach, still racing the half in Palma, but stepping back away from racing either side of that race in order to keep myself as fresh as possible ahead of what I hoped would be a bumper November (with Preston 10 mile and Wesham 10k to follow in the next few weeks).
Also, last year I probably pushed my limits a little too close to the edge in training, almost racing my sessions and performing in training to a higher level than I was actually racing!
This time around, I have tried to approach things a tad more sensibly and have held back just a touch in the last couple of tempo sessions.
I had a much reduced week of training in the run up to the race, running an easy 12 miles on Monday, followed by a session of 8 x 2 minute efforts at race pace, off a 1 minute jog recovery, on Tuesday. Wednesday was an easy hour run of 9 miles. On Thursday I took a rare day off training, instead resting up and getting myself booked in for a massage to try and make sure my legs were feeling in top condition. Big thanks to Vicky Birkett for fitting me in and taking care of me! Friday saw me do a final loosener with an easy 6 miles in order to just turn the legs over and get the blood pumping.
I had been fired up and raring to go all week and the race day just couldn't come quick enough.
Arriving at Arley Hall, in Cheshire, the weather was slightly better than forecasted during the week. Despite being wet, the rain was more constant drizzle rather than any downpours, another big plus being the lack of any real noticeable wind. The start of the race was delayed by ten minutes by a backlog of traffic arriving at the race venue.
When we finally did get going, Mohammed Abu-Rezeq flew off into an early lead and went on to dominate the race from the front and was never challenged on his way to take the win in 30:27.
Behind him though, the battle for the remaining positions was far closer, with 6 of us involved in a tight pack and sharing the workload really well in a way that made it so much easier mentally to keep up the pace.
I felt as though I ran a far more controlled and patient race than I have ever done over a 10k before, content to tuck in towards the middle of the pack in the early stages of the race, as I kept hearing the words of all those that have pressed the importance of not setting off too quick in the back of my head. Too many times I have been guilty of starting like a nutter and blowing up. But yesterday I managed to resist the temptation to push the pace.
As usual I chose not to use my watch for pacing, as I have struggled in the past mentally when it has become apparent that I am off the pace I'm targetting, instead I ran on feel, confident in the knowledge that if I was in amongst the likes of Ben Fish, then the pace was bound to be quick anyway!
Almost before I knew it, we were soon through the 4k mark, and I was still feeling fresh, and the group was working together and taking turns to lead it out in a way that worked extremely well for me, each time I took my turn at the front, I made sure to drop back at regular intervals to catch a breath and come back again with a fresh approach.
The pack was still tight and 6 man strong through to 6k, and I was starting to become wary of any of the other runners starting to try and break away and push the pace on, making sure I was prepared and able to react and go with them if they did so. At around this point, Ben Johnson came up the outside of the pack and made a little move. Whether consciously, or sub-consciously, myself and Ben Fish seemed to react to that and push on a little bit from the rest of the pack. At about the 7k mark we began to put a small gap between us and the rest.
It wasn't until we got towards the 8k mark though that it started to sink in to me that I was now well underway in the race, feeling unbelievable compared to how I was anticipating I would be doing at this stage, and running toe-to-toe with a runner that I have always seen as something of an inspiration to me since I came into the sport. I have the utmost respect for Ben, and his achievements he has earned. Previously I probably would have felt a little bit over-awed and out of my comfort zone to find myself in this position. But this time around, I felt comfortable, and as though I wasn't hanging on, but I was genuinely contending for position. I would like to think that our little battle helped us both and having Ben to work alongside definitely pushed me to keep driving on all the way through to the finish.
I still was anticipating the kick to come before long, but as we came through 9k and towards the final corners, I decided to try and strike first and made a break for the finish line. I managed to find a strong finish and went through the line in 31:14 to hold out for 2nd place and a massive personal best.
Sunday I finished off the week with a steady 12 mile long run with Luke Minns, and my legs felt surprisingly fresh!
I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone that has helped and supported me on my quest to become a better runner so far, from my Wesham team mates, my family and friends - especially my brilliant girlfriend Moll - who have stayed supportive and understanding of my training, and everyone I have trained with at the track. Helen Clitheroe's group has definitely helped me move on to a higher standard, and Chris Livesey and more recently Luke Minns have also been great to work alongside for the top end pace work I need. But more than most, Rob Affleck, who has been with me through most on my little journey. This performance just goes to show that despite some others doubts, what we have been working on in training has been setting me in the right direction and the patience has finally started to pay off. Hopefully there is still more to come.
Total mileage for the week: 61
Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:30
Total mileage so far this month (November): 124
Total mileage so far 2016: 2955
Average miles per day 2016: 9.35
