After having almost given up on this race due to transport issues, I was offered a seat in the lads car to Barrow.
We arrived at around 1.30, half an hour before my race was due to start and I was actually really pleased about this as usually I'm there over an hour in advance and end up warming up too early and then cooling down again before the race actually starts but today, once I had finished queuing for the toilet, I only had 15 minutes to warm up so I didn't get cold again on the start line and didn't have time to stand around getting nervous.
I felt quite good in my first mile, setting off at a decent pace but I soon found that I was getting overtaken... a lot. I started to run out of steam quite early on but then had bouts of picking up again. My first mile was done a whopping one minute faster than my third mile which just goes to show how much I tired.
It was great having all the Horwich lads shouting for me as I passed and it really spurred me on a gave me bursts. At one point, when I was feeling particularly sluggish, Suzanne's voice came into my ear telling me to 'go hard or go home' which again gave me a push.
As I came round the bend before the finish I could hear another girl fast approaching from behind and I was determined not to let her pass. A sprint finish ensued and I kept going faster and faster, determined not to let her pass. We actually crossed the finish line, in my view, at exactly the same time, but she got her number put down before me which was mildly disappointing, especially because Ali told me he thought I'd been 'diddled'. Ah well, it's not like I needed points for the team as I was the only Horwich lady there so it doesn't really matter.
I have to wonder how I can manage a sprint finish like that when I was finding it hard to even run at all just moments earlier.
After composing myself and trying, as usual, not to chunder, I went off for a cool down and cheered on the blokes during their race. I think the team came second but I'm not 100% sure as the results aren't out at the time of typing but I do know that Chris won the race and all the other lads did really well too. Woooooo, go RED ARMY!!!
Thanks again for the lift Ali, much appreciated! Sorry for having you all worried that I'd left with your car keys but I was stood where the bags had all been left and assumed you'd come back there after your cool down. Oops.
Total distance - 3.18 miles
I'm using my Garmin link instead of Strava today because Strava isn't showing the data correctly for some reason. It's showing my last .18 miles at an 11.18 minute mile pace and I have no idea why as my watch and Garmin Connect showed it at a 7.04 minute mile pace which I'm pretty sure it was as 11.19 minute mile is the slowest sprint finish known to man! It also added 45 seconds to my total time. Weird!
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/633533605
No comments:
Post a Comment