Brooks Brighton 10k

Posted: November 16th, 2008 | Author: Mark | Filed under: Events | 4 Comments »

We stayed over at friends last night, who luckily live just outside of Brighton at Upper Beeding, so we (wifey and I) were chauffeured to the starting line this morning, and I also had a small cheering group which was very nice.

This was my third 10k, and as I’d run the last in 1:20 over lumpy, grassy ground I thought I’d manage this – a flat run along the Brighton seafront – in at least 1:15. But as I’d done no training specifically for this, this morning I was having doubts.

Into the pen we all went 10 minutes before, and it was quite a squeeze. The nerves started coming in, and by the time the clock started and we began the slow slog to the start I wasn’t sure how things would go.

Once over the start, through the funnel, I was able to begin a slow jog, and I surprised myself that I was able to go for 1.68k before I had to slow down to a brisk walk. One thing I haven’t managed to control yet is my pacing, which affects then my breathing and so I end up having to take walking breaks. Could it be an endurance problem, or do I just need to train more and find a comfortable pace?

At 4k we began running up a slight incline, which felt like a bloody mountain and I really struggled. By this time to lead pack were passing us in the opposite direction on the way to the finish – fit fucking bastards.

Turning at 6.5k, and I was pleased to see there were still a handful of people behind me. I picked up the pace and bit and managed to pass a few people I’d been swapping position with back and forth, and left them behind me (he says, like he was actually moving faster than a pensioner (I wasn’t – two in their 70s beat me by at least 20 mins)).

At the 9k, I stopped walking and began running again, and next thing I know a guy with a backpack was beside me on the phone, running alongside. I looked at him, and lo’ it was my boss who was also running today (we hadn’t seen each other before hand). He’d run out – after finishing 30 mins before – to find me, and so we ran together for the last 1km, him offering me advice as we ran down the hill and spurring me on. I can’t believe I ran the full final kilometer. I finished feeling like I was about to vomit.

So – finishing time, 1hr 14 min. Lovely!

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