Just under a couple of weeks ago I took part in the Dewsbury 10k and having had time to reflect, as well as rest my aching legs, I thought I’d write a few thoughts down.
If you’re a regular reader you’ll know that I love running. I don’t think I’m quite at ‘running bore’ stage just yet, but I’m having a good go. And if you’re a regular reader you’ll know that for around the last year or so I’ve struggled to train consistently through illness and injury. For Dewsbury I was running on the back of only three training runs, brought about because of a chest infection and sinus problem that knocked me flat for just over a month.
In my final training run I’d dragged myself around a 10k route in just under an hour. It was horrible and I felt like death warmed up, but I’d gotten round. My attitude to Dewsbury was that I needed to just get round…and try and be a little quicker and less embarrassing!
Despite it all I was genuinely excited about running the night before and I woke up feeling pretty optimistic too. Better still, I felt reasonably healthy.
Thankfully it was a decent morning, weatherwise, with the sun making a rare February appearance and the wind barely blowing at all. Perfect conditions for running!
As ever with a race it was a battle to get through the start with a crowd of us just plodding forwards as the numbers gradually cleared in front of us, but once I got through the start line and into my running I felt pretty good. I’d decided to go out steadily and then up the pace as we turned for home at the 3 mile mark, but on the few occasions that I checked my pace I was always quicker than expected and I knew that this would probably catch up with me.
The Dewsbury course is reasonably flat though, with the first half going slightly uphill and the second half heading back down. Still though, I was right about my legs! It wasn’t long before I was feeling the strain, but it helped that I knew the roads and was obviously aware that every step was getting me closer to that 10k mark. So it was just a case of gritting my teeth and getting on with it.
The final mile felt like it might never end and frequently checking my watch wasn’t helping! But I managed to stay focused and ignore the fact that one of my hamstrings was cramping a bit and kept going.
As ever, seeing my family at the side of the road gave me a welcome boost and spurred me on a bit, so as I got to the final third of a mile or so I was really pushing myself. The trouble was, I couldn’t see the finish! At Dewsbury the finish is around a corner at the end of a long straight road and if I’m honest, it was killing me not being able to see it! Even when I rounded that final bend it still looked far too far away! However, knowing that I’d be finished the race in a matter of seconds, I just decided to sprint as best I could.
I could hear footsteps behind me; obviously anyone with any energy left is trying to sprint in these circumstances, and a glance over my shoulder told me that several people were intent on getting past me. Despite my age and lack of fitness these days I’m still very competitive though, so only one person passed me before the line, a young woman who was literally flat out sprinting! Fair play to her!
In the end, despite the lack of training, I finished in just over 54 minutes and although I’d have loved to have gone quicker, I couldn’t help but be pleased with my efforts. In fact, such were my efforts that when I came to drive home I couldn’t lower the clutch without my calf cramping up, resulting in about another 15 minutes spent stretching by the car before it was safe to go home!
Next up is the Wakefield 10k on 22nd March, which gives me a decent amount of time to increase my fitness and be ready to give things a real go. Well, that’s the plan anyway!
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