Distance : 20 miles
Total Training Distance (since beginning Jan 12) : 242 miles
Route & Stats : Wymondham 20
I was getting a bit worried that my lack of mid week training was meaning my sub 4 hour objective was slipping away from me. A decent 18 miler last week in near perfect conditions was good but inconclusive either way in terms of whether I was still on track or not.
So, I decided that the Wymondham 20 mile race was going to be the test of whether I was on track or whether I should just forget it and just focus on getting round in a half decent time better than the 4h 34m that I managed last time.
I felt good on the morning of the race, almost confident. The weather was OK at 8am, but the outlook for later in the morning was not good with heavy rain and blustery wind forecast. Hmmmm, that presented a conundrum .... what to wear? Too many layers and I risked getting too hot and/or too wet, too few and I would get cold and possibly not warm up again, which is OK for a shorter run but not for 3 hours. I elected to go for a thin long sleeved base layer, vest and running tights. I put the gloves in my bag just in case.
Nutrition and hydration strategy next. I had my usual pre long race breakfast of porridge, Immodium, a couple of Nurofen and a Lucozade sport isotonic drink. I grabbed a banana for just before the start and 3 SIS Go-gel carbohydrate gels for during the race (one every 5 miles) and finally topped up my Camelbak hydration pack with a litre more of Lucozade sport drink. The Camelbak has been a great investment and I really benefited during the race by not having to stop for a drink at the drinks stations, which in the past I found breaks my rhythm.
Having registered and got my timing chip and race number, it was almost time to head to the start. There was a good buzz about the hall, most runners looking happy and relaxed, joking about the weather which had started to take a turn for the worst. On the way out I decided to buy a proper running cap - this turned out to be a very good decision. The rain had started to fall.
I had set myself a target of under 3 hours, which would mean just under 9 min miles for the full 20 miles. Previously in 2010, I completed this race in 3h 12m and found it a real struggle, experiencing lots of lower leg pain in the last 4 or 5 miles.
Following a short pre-race briefing in the market square we were off. There was a decent sized field of about 250 runners. I got off to a good start. More often than not I can tell if I am going to have a good run within the first few minutes. The first mile flew by in 8:11. The next mile was even faster at 8:03. Even though I was over pacing, I was feeling relaxed and comfortable so decided to just go with the pace for as long it felt OK. Just after mile 3, we passed the 11 mile marker, which was a reminder that there was a long way to go. The course is basically 2 miles out, then 2 loops of 8 miles, then 2 miles back in which mentally I found tough to deal with last time, but this time it didn't seem to bother me.
For the next few miles I settled into a pace just under 8:30 which I maintained for 10 miles and then slowed a little to 8:45 ish (which is my target pace for the marathon). The weather gradually deteriorated but having the cap meant I could lower my head and the peak kept me protected from the driving rain. I felt pretty good all the way round until the last couple of miles when I started to get a muscle strain in left thigh and my right ankle started to feel sore. However, I managed to maintain my pace, in spite of the nasty steep hill at the end and crossed the line in 2h 52m - 20 mins better than last time!!
I was pretty exhausted at the end, but reckon I could have carried on for another 6 miles if I needed to and with a cushion of 68 minutes that's nearly 11 minutes per mile to get round in under 4 hours - GAME ON!!!
BREAKING NEWS - as I sit here and write this blog entry on Wednesday evening, my legs have just about recovered and the soreness in my ankle has all but gone, however I am giving myself the week off, but hope to be back out on the roads at the weekend for another 15 or 16 miles.
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