Race Report - Cannon Hill parkrun Event 42 - Not Bad, Considering

The course has had to be changed for the next eight weeks. Due to closure of the main path, on the West of the main lake, between the lake and the river Rea. Instead, the temporary route uses the path on the other side of the lake, which itself has been resurfaced recently, but is narrower and a little shorter. This means that the start has been moved back, closer to the Midlands Art Centre, and the finish now involves a tight turn round a tree doubling back on the grass towards the Station.

On the first lap instead of turning left over Red Carriage Bridge runners go straight ahead past the lake, crossing back onto the usual route by the MAC. On the second lap we turn right before the bridge.

The first person I saw on arrival was Fergal and we chatted on our way to the Station. I told him how I wasn't really feeling up for it - somehow I just wasn't 'in the zone'. As usual the majority of the 151 runners turned up with just minutes to spare, but as the pre-run briefing took a little longer, explaining the changes, we started a few minutes late.

Knowing how I have sometimes returned decent performances when not initially feeling on best form, I went off hard so as to give myself a chance to shake off the negativity. The first kilometer was alright and the second and third not bad, but I was already losing places, including to ex club mate Max, but he's usually a little faster than me. I was feeling the lactate in my legs by half way, and despite Fergal's suggestion that I'd had a good first lap I had started to struggle by that point. I slipped to over 4 minutes for the fourth kilometer.

I was losing a few more places, and thinking maybe I should ease off to save my legs, but then I found Max coming back towards me, albeit gradually, so I zipped up the man suit and kept the effort going, and managed to ease past him with about 400 meters to go, when we were both baulked slightly by a lapped runner (thanks Gillan!)

My legs were screaming as I passed the funnel towards the hairpin corner, and when I rounded the tree I just couldn't keep tight to it and went several yards across the park trying to straighten up. I felt certain Max would slip past, but perhaps he had the same problem because I entered the funnel still just four seconds ahead.

All in all, even though I was struggling, I was only 12 seconds outside my PB, after a tough race only two days earlier, and finished 15th overall of 151 and first over-50, so I have to be happy with that!

After tea and a toasted tea cake, and a chat with some of the volunteers and runners in the Garden Tea Rooms, I set off on the run home. I took the direct route, but bizarrely, and completely unintentionally, ran it faster than ever before!

As I had the expected hangover this morning I've left my long slow run until tomorrow evening, a decision that had nothing to do with the horrible weather today...