My fifth race in five weekends and after four PBs... no fifth. I missed out by 59 seconds, posting my fourth best ever HM time.
We arrived nice and early, and had a wander around the start area, which was on the edge of a caravan site by the lakes of Bosworth Water Trust. A very nice venue, spoilt only by the cold wind!
We resisted buying new running shoes from the stall set up in a marquee - I've only just bought my new Kinvara's, haven't even run in them yet. £30 a pair did seem a pretty good deal, although they were probably all last year's models.
Somewhere around a thousand runners collected together, most seeming to arrive just a few minutes before the 10:30 start, but I suspect many had been sheltering from the wind in their cars.
We got off bang on time, and were soon turning south along the country lane leading towards Shenton. The course from the start was mildly undulating and very scenic, and the sometimes narrow country lanes were very quiet, at least until we all arrived!
As usual many had started too far forward, and though I started in the 1hr 30min pen there was no way I could get up to anything like 1hr 30min pace for some time. The first half mile took me 3 mins 42 secs, but the second mile took just 6:52.
Near the staggered junction of Fenn Lanes with Foxcovert Lane on the right and then Mill Lane on the left, a marshal told us we were past half way and then, as I passed him, added "Hey, don't start sprinting yet!" I wish I'd had the breath and wit to come up with a response!
The first eight miles were pretty uneventful but very pleasant, and took 58 minutes and 11 seconds - an average 7:16 pace and only slightly outside my 1 hour 35 minute target. The eight mile mark brings the start of the first of two hills. I'd squeezed an energy gel down my throat just before the canal bridge, knowing that there was a water station just after it. I'd been a little caught out by the weather and found myself alternately wearing and carrying shades and/or cap - the cap being to keep the rain off my face but unwearable when running into the wind.
The first hill didn't feel too bad, but that ninth mile took me just over eight minutes. Coming out of Sutton Cheney over the crest of the hill we were heading north on Bosworth Lane and the pace picked up a little - the tenth mile completed in 7:24, but I'd hoped that the downhill section would bring my average back on track - it didn't!
Just after 'The Duckery' was the next water station, signalling the start of the second uphill mile, and slower than the first at 8:09. My main target was by now forgotten and my hope was for a Personal Best, by however little.
Coming into Market Bosworth a marshal cheerily advised us that we should turn left in the town after which it was downhill. I already knew this, but it was still good to hear! When I reached the turn, however, I found that the road barely dipped below horizontal, and the wind, which seemed to have picked up was suddenly right in my face, which made this stretch feel worse than the hill I'd just climbed.
That feeling was perhaps a little deceptive, as the next mile passed by in 7:30, but even so I felt that a PB was slipping away. The sun was shining brightly now and the rain banished, but the wind was definitely slowing me down.
I gradually upped the pace and between 12½ and 13 averaged 6:38 pace. The finish sprint slipped through a gap in the hedge into the caravan park and although I daren't look at my watch I knew I could be close to a PB, so I put everything into that sprint. I saw two guys ahead of me having a bit of a race between themselves, but I was catching them fast and took the shortest, straightest route - right between them. As I closed in the gap narrowed, but there was no way I could go round now so I had to literally elbow my way through! As soon as I was safely over the line I turned to apologise, but I think they were both too exhausted to care, or perhaps just to short of breath to vent their anger!
I had my timing chip removed by a chap who made some joke which I thought funny at the time but I cannot for the life of me remember. Next stop was to collect my T-shirt from one young lady and a banana and some sort of recovery bar from an even younger lady, then it occurred to me to check my watch... 1:38 something... Bugger!
I grabbed a cup of water and wandered aimlessly for a minute, then headed back toward the course to watch the finishers coming in. Another check of the watch... and I realised it was still running! I must have pressed the wrong button. So, maybe... just maybe (I ran through the post-finish action in my mind) maybe I'd done it, but I wouldn't know until I saw the results. Ah well, there was nothing I could do but wait for Joe cheering in a few others. Joe had clearly had a bad one as I was waiting much longer than I'd expected to, and sure enough he reported later that he'd had difficulty breathing, his chest feeling tight. He's mentioned this a couple of times in recent runs, but we'd trained pretty well so had both thought little of it.
After the drive back and a couple of beers in my local, I got home and started checking for the results. Eventually a provisional set was published, confirming my time as 1:37:03. The results have since been amended with the addition of two late finishers, making 998, but are still provisional. I will of course keep checking, but it's unlikely that my time will change.
Never mind, maybe the Humber Bridge Half Marathon will be the one where I break 90 minutes! And tomorrow I get to run in my new shoes!
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