Sunday, 1 May 2011

Race Report - Centurion Grand Prix 5-Miler Series - Race 2 (postponed) - PB!

I was optimistic of a good performance this morning as I set off for Archbishop Grimshaw School, race headquarters for the Centurion Running Club's GP5 series, but by the time I arrived it was warm and getting warmer, and windy and getting windier. I started to think a PB was perhaps not so likely.

There didn't seem so many present as usual, perhaps because of the Godiva Mayday 5 miler tomorrow in Coventry, or maybe folks had better things to do on a lovely sunny Bank Holiday weekend. No Joe or Jim this time. My pal/nemesis/thorn-in-side Chris was there as expected, and I had a bit of a chat with him and with the three Sparkhill Harriers who showed up.

I'd spent most of Saturday afternoon studying my pace charts for my last three appearances here, and had settled on a pacing strategy whereby I'd go out fairly hard but try not to get quite as carried away as in March, then drop to around 6:40 per mile until around half way. I'd then allow myself to slip to 6:45 and then 6:50 by four miles, but then try to crank it up again, aiming to finish at 6:30 or faster for the last half mile.

Of course, having decided that a PB was not on the cards, I took no notice of the slip of paper I'd prepared with my planned splits and just ran as hard as I could!

My pace by half-mile slots compared as follows:

March
May
 Split 
Actual
Cumulative
Planned
Actual
Cumulative
0.5
06:09
03:05
06:20
05:56
02:58
1.0
06:25
06:17
06:30
06:20
06:08
1.5
06:39
09:37
06:40
06:30
09:23
2.0
06:43
12:58
06:40
06:53
12:50
2.5
06:42
16:19
06:40
06:39
16:09
3.0
06:55
19:46
06:50
06:51
19:35
3.5
06:54
23:13
06:50
06:54
23:02
4.0
06:54
26:40
06:50
07:00
26:31
4.5
06:40
30:00
06:40
06:28
29:45
5.0
06:36
33:18
06:35
06:37
33:04

05:58
33:36

05:57
36:06

(The bottom 'Actual' pace figures are for the additional few feet according to my Garmin)

So, I actually set off faster than in March, and was faster on most parts of the course. I'm not sure why, but I seem to have been slower at each end of the course and faster on the back straight and on the start finish straight (I should explain that the course starts with one short lap of a little over a mile followed by two laps of a little under two miles).

I think it looks like Nessie

I shall no doubt spend hours poring over the details trying to work out how it happened, and almost undoubtedly reach no proper conclusion, but when it all shakes out - I got my PB. Not just that, I improved my PB by 30 seconds. On a morning when I thought the conditions precluded any PB-threatening performance! Go, as I believe they say, figure.

I don't understand it, I can barely believe it, but I'm very happy about it!

To top it all off, I received a message from Chris letting me know that I was due a prize!

I'd got home and realised that in my giddy hysteria I'd forgotten to collect my 'memento' for completing four of the six race series (I have last year's memento by my side with a drop of scotch in it by way of celebration - I've already had my chocolate steamed pudding and custard). It seems I get a cheque or voucher or something for coming in third in my age group! I haven't ever won anything for running before - it's terribly exciting!

I hope this doesn't affect my amateur status...

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