Fewer familiar faces were in evidence this month, in fact fewer faces. Just 101 runners, rather than the usual 130 or so. Some may have been at St Andrews to see Birmingham City parade the League Cup, but I suspect it was more to do with conflicting races - the Shakespeare Raceway 10km, Droitwich, Bath and Llanelli half marathons, Gloucester 20M and of course the UK Cross Challenge Final and World Cross Trials at Cofton Park, all on the same weekend.
It certainly couldn't be down to the weather, as conditions though a little chilly were better than in previous months.
Chris was not racing today, and as I'll miss the April race we'll have to resume our little head-to-head in the postponed race in May.
My pal Joe was also absent, recovering from a wedding yesterday, though Jim was there looking for a good performance, and a couple of ex club mates and a few Cannon Hill parkrunners were also present.
After my performances last Sunday and in training I was feeling quietly confident - I even held a slip of paper with planned half-mile splits written down culminating in a planned finishing time of 33:50 - a PB by 3 seconds!
I positioned myself a little nearer to the front this time which meant less overtaking in the narrow first few hundred yards.
I set off too fast of course, my Garmin telling me I'd completed the first half mile in just 6:08. I found myself behind a chap I remembered passing me later on in last months race, so I tracked him for a while (a Centurion called Ian, judging from the shouts from the sidelines). My thinking was that he might help me set a sensible pace early on, even if he left me behind later. I think that worked to an extent, but he accelerated away rather sooner than I'd hoped, or perhaps it was me slowing down, as I did the second half mile in 6:24 and the third in 6:40!
Checking my Garmin regularly I found I was managing to keep my pace reasonably steady, between 6:40 and 6:55, which after the fast start was pretty much on target for the 33:50 I sought. Crossing the road bridge at the end of the park (at 3.7 miles) the marshal called 'Thirty-One'. I knew I'd finished 41st in February, but as the field was larger then this didn't really mean much, and as there was no-one within striking distance in front or behind I wasn't likely to change position. Over the last mile and a half I pushed on from 6:54 to 6:40 and then 6:36, and stopped my watch at 33:36. I allowed myself to spend what little breath I had left on a tiny shout of joy, but as ever I didn't like to get too carried away until I saw the official results. When I worked out that that I was provisionally faster by 17 seconds I knew that the official time must be a PB.
I just had time to get a cup of water and wander back toward the finish before Jim appeared. just five places behind me. I felt sure that he was closer than last month, so figured that he must have got a PB too. As it turned out he'd improved by almost 2½ minutes.
We went to the pub to celebrate...
Checking the Centurion RC web site later confirmed my time.
Next stop Perry Park, for the Masters XC Championships. I'm looking forward to getting the spikes on and seeing, and yes, racing against, some of my old Sparkhill club mates!
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