Ellesmere 10k - 28/08/2011

Top two thirds of me (473) with new streamlined hair in the charge at the start
Pic from http://www.racephotos.org.uk/

I feel dirty. Today I committed un-natural acts with tarmac. Instead of driving or riding my bike on it, I used it as a surface to run on. OK I used my trail shoes and I tried to run on the grass where I could, but it's still a horrible thing to have to admit. Also, where were the hills? Someone told me there was 91 feet of ascent. I just thought that must have been a misprint, and there should have been 910', but no, they were probably right. I did manage to overtake people on the two short uphill sections though!

I entered almost on the spur of the moment having come really to support friends. I had no idea how quickly to go or anything like that, having only done one 10k before (and that was advertised as a trail 10k and had climbing in it). I guessed I'd be pretty happy with around 8 minute miles (i.e. anything under 50 minutes).

The registration and set-up was very efficient, with loads of marshalls and all the traffic stopped, and timing was electronic, with chips on our shoes - a change from dibbers, although there might have been a queue if there had been 500 runners with dibbers...

I started way too fast, doing the first kilometre in 4:02, and gradually backed down to a more suitable speed.

Nice to find myself in friendly company, a few hundred metres in

By 4km my achilles was hurting and I thought I'd probably just run to the 5km marker and then retire. It eased a little though, and I kept on going. I took splits at 5km and 8km (5 miles near enough).

Running around the Mere - strangely concrete setts were easier to run on than
the loose gravel on the path. It was getting quite hard at this point (7.5km)

The sections round the Mere and along the canal towards the end were quite hard going - I was wearing my old trail shoes and they were slipping on the loose fine surface gravel a lot. I think I was also getting tired.. I tried to keep going with a bit of the old Chi Running technique, mobilising my core muscles, but I was getting cramp in my left glute and had to back off a little (I think that's the hangover of overusing it to compensate for the ankle I injured at Sedbergh).

Coming in to the finish funnel.

I did find the whole thing a bit boring too, all there was to look at was the km markers (crumbs 4 to 5 minutes seems a long time between them) and my watch.

Nonetheless I think it's probably pretty good training, although I might do a 5k rather than a 10k if I was looking for flat speed for fellrunning.

I obviously have new PBs as below:

• 5km : 23:34 [4:43 per km or 7:35 per mile]
• 10km : 48:00 (chip time) [4:48 per km or 7:43 per mile]
• 5 miles : 37:53 [7:33 per mile]

The PB splits are quite interesting - I think that I had a real struggle from 8km to 9.5km into the wind along the canal, but managed to pick it up at the end. I finished 171st of 427, and 23rd of 41 MV40s. A good morning's run really. Perhaps I should have a nice recovery run tomorrow!