Well the race day has now come and gone, and although I was slightly disappointed that I did not run as fast as last year(only 7 seconds slower) I survived injury free and managed to achieve my main time target for the race.
My training up to the race was OK, the Sunday before I did my longest run so far 9.25 miles according to Neils wonderful watch thingy. My not so wonderful legs were telling me it was nearer 19 miles, but rather than be called a Luddite again I only logged 9 miles in the diary.
The next few days were taken up with a couple of steady runs, however after getting home on Wednesday Meredith (my wife) told me she wanted to run with me. She has never run before, but I decided to throw her in at the deep end and take her up to Hainault Forest. Well never having run before she did pretty well and managed to follow me around a muddy slightly hilly 3/4 of a mile route, only stopping twice once when she was the plaything of a dog called Benson who suddenly bounded out of the bushes and once because she was tired. If she keeps going like this I've told her I'm entering in a race by the end of the year.
Thursday night was meant to be a big beer session, but Mr Crowe and the RMT had other ideas and whilst I probably could have got across town, I did not fancy the hassle of trying to get home on buses and stuff with a massive hangover.
I've taken on a huge job looking at the Ilford AC Road Race Best ever times and after looking on the Internet and e mailing members I'd run out of information. It was suggested the library might have copies of the local paper, so I spent 2 hours looking on a micro fische machine for Race Results, it was very interesting even found a mention of myself. However in 2 hours I only managed to look through a year and a quarter of papers. Going to be a long job.
The Race
It was the London Chest Hospital 10k and it took place in Victoria Park. I like racing in Victoria Park and back in the good old days I did a lot of my best times there. I went to the race with Meredith and my mum to give me support. We left about 9.45am and already it was beginning to get warm. Luckily I only had two pints the day before, prior to switching to multiple pints of vimto in the evening.
As we walked into the Park there were some guys from British Military fitness using this huge industrial machine to inflate the start funnel, I imagine there are old military types who would say back in our day we used to blow that up with our own breath and then run the race with backpack on and boots. How times change.
Made our way down to the registration point to get my name ticked off so I would have a chip time, all very professional these days and based on the results(more later) I don't mind paying a extra few £ race entry fee. Then it was time to warm up, warm up it was 80 odd degrees why did I need to warm up so I just stretched the hamstrings and calves. God I felt terrible, what was I doing here, I should be in bed.
Right no going back now despite feeling dreadful, put on my new Adidas racing vest which is an extremely bright yellow, I hope I have a reasonable run , or else I'm going to look a right idiot in this vest. Maybe jogging down to the start will make my legs better, but no they are both still not responding.
At the start line the military have done a great job with blowing up the giant starting funnel and we then have to move about a bit to position ourselves for the off. I tend to hang back a bit these days and let people go haring off, but when a couple who are dressed as the two guys off the 118 adverts try and start in front of me I realise I'm a bit to far back and move slightly forward.
Well the gun or hooter went off and I was almost flattened in the stampede to get over the starting line, but just managed to stay on my feet and start my stopwatch. The leaders went flying off soon to be out of sight, also those people who had clearly no idea about running made flying starts. I just jog across the line sniggering to myself that a lot of them would fall into my grasp as the race went on.
The first kilometer was spent zig zagging people who had blown up already and trying to get myself in contention with a group so that I could be pulled along. There were a couple of members from my former club just ahead of me , and I was trying to latch onto that group, but my legs would not respond. I hate looking at the Kilometer markers along the side of the course, but was worried when the 2k mark, did not show. Was I really feeling this bad already ? We then turned a bend and the 3k marker was smiling at me, those damn marker thieves must have been up to their pesky business again.
Going past 3k we were back onto the home straight and I was given words of encouragement from Meredith and Mum, by this time I was in a little group of three or four. The old guy in yellow shoes from Phoenix, Little Blue T Shirt Boy and Someone in a white t shirt with loads of small writing that I could not read on his back. God I still felt awful, and I was already counting laps, 3k done so that's 7 to go. 2.5 laps per K so therefore 17.5 laps of the track to go. Agrrh.
Just before 4k we pass the guy with the microphone telling how great we are going(tell my legs this) at 4k is a drinks station, I don't normally take drinks but its so damn hot I need one today. Phoenix guy also decides he needs a drink and shoots in front on me almost stopping to get his drink. I manage to get one also and pour the whole lot over my head, not sure if this was a good move as I'now soaked and the water has got between my sunglasses and my eyes so cant see where I'm going. The group is now beginning to break up with Phoenix and Blue shirt pushing on, I manage to go with them. We start to catch the group in front which contains a guy as old as phoenix guy(maybe he has risen from the flames more than once) the new guy in royal blue kit is so annoying every time we get level with him he puts in a little burst. approaching 5k now time to have a look at my watch 20.15 wanted to be quicker than that under 20 at least. Oh well 5k done, only 5k to go 2.5 x 5 only 12.5 laps left.Work damn you legs.
Getting to 6k now and past the football pitches again, ahhh the lapped runners are starting to appear now, and we have to begin to pick our way around them. Phoenix is still with me and Royal Blue is still putting in his annoying bursts. Why cant he either sprint off or drop off the back of the group ? Back down to the home straight and Meredith and Mum are still at the same point offering advise. I'm now at the front of the group with royal blue and he is still annoying me, I put in a little burst of my own and he does not respond neither does Phoenix. I'm Free yeahhh.
Back past the announcer again now and he is still talking. What does he find so interesting? Maybe he is watching telly instead of the race. 7k now and we are at the drink station again. I decide more water is needed and again pour it over my head, soaking for the second time. I'm now virtually on my own and rapidly catching people in front of me. There are more and more lapped runners and I have to weave in and out of them. There's Mr and Mrs 118, they did well to get this far, but think it will be a while before they finish. I wonder if they are scarred of Goats?. We all know Ray Parker Junior isn't.
Along the back straight now and I'm still passing people, I think somebody is hanging on with me unless its the Goats or maybe Phoenix has risen again. Now at 8k time to look at my watch again 32.49 mmmh OK, I wanted to be there at sub 32.30,so I'm further adrift of schedule. I'm still not feeling great, but am going past people all the time, but its increasingly difficult to get past the lapped runners and pick out the faster runners ahead of me.
Past the football pitches for the last time, Why are people playing football in June anyway?. Its the cricket season, it should be the gentle sound of willow on leather reverberating through the park, instead its footballers abusing a ref. anyway back at the race we have reached 9k, not far now. I've finished going past people now, and someone is still sitting on my shoulders. Into the long finishing straight and everyone gets ready for the big finish. I cant be bothered with that these days, 15 years ago I may have cared if anyone came past me, but not now. So ita maintaining my pace up to the finish, possibly losing 2 places and stop my watch at 40.56. Not bad, the aim 3 weeks ago was sub 42 mins, so that was achieved. but then I start thinking I ran 40.45 last year so would like to have run quicker. That's a typical runners response never satisfied.
I picked up my medal, which is destined for the bin, grabbed a bottle of water and then was almost overcome with the fumes from the burger stand, I had to get away quickly or else yesterdays Vimto was going to make a quick reappearance. I jogged a little bit to place where Meredith and Mum had last been, and eventually found them. We took a slow walk back to the car passing two pubs on the way which looked very tempting, but sitting outside in wet Lycra leggings was probably not my best look so we decided to drive straight home.
On getting home I logged onto to the race website to find out where the race results would be published, I read something about a text being sent if you had given your mobile number with your entry form. I switched on my phone and immediately received a text telling ME I had run 40.57 for 40th place. It also gave the correct website for the full race results and I was then able to confirm my position, my chip time 40.52 and that I had finished 11th in the over 40s category.
Ok enough for now next race planned a 5k on 24th June at Dulwich, so look out for next update.
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