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"If I'm not out there training, someone else is."
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With the race being an early one to avoid the midday heat meant an early start. 6.30 am was up but to be honest it wouldnt have made much difference what time i could have slept till as nerves had kept me up half the night (thankfully i had managaed to get a siesta during the day:D Breakfast comprised of bowl of porridge, two small brown bread slices and a banana then on with the mp3 and tried to get my head focused.
8.30 am taxi picked us up from the apartment and brough us in to the race start. Temperatures were ideal for running bout 15 degrees and overcast so was perfect for running. There was a very good party atmosphere around the place and with 15 of us from the club it was kinda relaxing. 10 min jog and a bit of light strecthing and we were ready to go for the race but people hadnt started to file in to the start till it dawned i had mixed up the translations and was at the finish so 100m around the corner we were in dismay to see 100s of people already lined up so a few fancy manouevers and we managed to get pretty near to the start just behind the elite field which was perfect.
Bang and we were finally off 6 months training came down to the next hour and a half. My training partner shot out a bit ahead of me but i kept very easy the first mile the plan was roughly 3.40 for the 1st k (had found out no mile markers only ks in the race so had to make a few calculations on the sat) as i hit the mark clock ticked 3.40, 3.41. Perfect. rather than go crazy counting k splits i decided to go with my gut and only check after each 5k. The plan was to hit 5 k in about 18.16 roughly which would put me on target just to dip under the 77 mark. 18.20 but was very happy with how i was feeling this was easy. I then noticed a Spaniard on my shoulder and realised he had been there for a while so said to myself took in behind and let him do a bit of the work. As the next few k went on we worked off each other swapping the lead every 1200m roughly without saying a word to eah other for the whole thing (i guess running is its own language) and it seemed to be working as we passed runner after runner eating up the ground.
Hit 10k in 36.28 (13 secs off my 10k PB). I knew i was running well but didnt realise that i had picked it up that much with a 18.08 5k split thinking to myself maybe i would suffer because of this but kept going. I then saw that i was on the shoulder of my training partner which was kind of alarming as i knew there must have been something up as i knew he was in 75-76 shape and i shouldnt be with him. I beckoned him to latch on to me and hopefully work together through the second half of the race but this was not to be as he let me go on and was forced to pull up with stomach cramps.
15k and i was starting to lose ground on the spanish friend which i had picked up so was slightly worried i was slowing. 18.07 once again negative spliting so i was delighted with how it was going. At this point i was in no mans land with no one around me and with a long straight stretch out and back along the promenade. Here i began to suffer but kept pushing on.
20k with one to go i was hurting and had slowed to a 18.34 which i was slightly disappointed about but i was still delighted with how i was going and was still pretty much on pace for a very solid time so i battled on. Came to the final straight and i saw the clock ticking into the high 76s so i said i would give it everything hopefully try and break the 77 mark so i began to sprint. While the mental strength was still there the body didnt want any part of it and made me remember that i had abused it for the last 20.5. the legs completely shut up shop and cramped up something fierce stumbled over the line in 77.09 (my watch had me 77.06 which was confirmed with my chip time later)
Finding my Spanish friend who had pushed me on to such a good time i congratulated him (between my pidgeon spanish and his pidgeon english). I was shocked to see that results were printed out within ten min of my finishing. All my focus on my time i had completely forgotten there was an u23section in the race and i wa shocked to see i had managed second.
All in all I have to say the race was amazing very well organised great goodie bags including loads and for the price of 15e for the race it was nothing and live bands and music throughout the course. The people around the course were really supportive (this could have been the fact that my club colours are the spanish colours so i say alot of people assumed were were spanish
)
Splits
5k 18.20
10k 36.28 (18.08)
15k 54.35 (18.07)
20k 1.13.09 (18.34)
21k 1.17.06 (3.57)
Finishing time: 1.17.06
Total distance:13.26 miles
Average pace : 5.48 min miles (3.39 min kms)0 -
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