In training for the Shakespeare/Stratford half in April, I wanted a 10 km ‘tune up’ race in the build up to check in on training. My weekend availability is low so, although not ideal for several reasons, I opted for the Oundle 10k, a “gently-undulating” two lap course, which has been added, along with a 5 km, onto the more popular 20-miler that they offer.
My ultimate goal for the 10 km is sub-40. It’s a goal I’ve had for some time and, in all honesty, I’m not overly fussed on going any quicker. In my mind, once I hit my target, I’ll start running more for enjoyment rather than chasing race times. Enjoyment being long, slow miles. Ideally off road, and preferably in the mountains. I’m aware that I’m not quite at that level just yet, but I did complete a 3 x 3 km session a couple of weeks out from Oundle, around a hilly loop, at an average pace of 4:00/km. So, I thought, why not at least try? At the end of the day, if you never try, you’ll never know. I made peace in the fact that I might blow up and have a painful final few km’s if I went for it and failed. So off we headed on the hour (ish) long drive to the Peterborough countryside.
I was warned that parking might be an issue, with no official car parks on offer, so we headed over early, getting there an hour before the start. There seemed to be an abundance of parking spaces so I decided to have a quick drive of the course. It’s basically an upside down triangle as you head north from the C of E school in the town, out towards Cotterstock before turning left, and then left again into Glapthorn, heading back into Oundle to complete the tip of the triangle. I glanced at Rebecca as we’re doing our little recce and noted her whincing. “It’s only a short, sharp one.” “Oo, oo, look, this bit is downhill.” Yes, quite right, but it comes after a long slog-looking uphill section. The windy conditions, the imminent threat of rain, this course, maybe 40 minutes isn’t on after all. Still, if you don’t try, you’ll never know… right?
A two-mile warm up, followed by some drills inspired by the club track night coach, and I was stood on the start line, waiting for the bellowing South African RD to count us down and get us underway. It was a small field, and there was the opposite of the usual jostling for position that you often see at the start of a parkrun. I was nervous about where to line myself up. Aware that there were three races going on (5 km, 10 km and 20 miles), all starting at the same time, I didn’t want to start right at the front, but I didn’t want to get held up by any of the longer distance runners either. In the end, I needn’t have worried. People were dotted around the start line almost like they were socially distancing. There was so much space, it really didn’t matter where you stood. It was hard to tell if everyone’s movement was last minute race preparation or if they were simply trying to stay warm in the low temperatures. At least the rain had stopped, for now.
The Race
Km 1 – target 4:03
Prior to the race I had set up a PacePro strategy in Garmin Connect. If you’ve not used this before, you can upload your course, set a goal time and then say how much of a positive/negative split you want to execute and how much you want to back off (or hit it hard) on the hills and it gives you a set of target splits depending on your mile/km preference. I went with a slight negative split and chose an easier effort on the hills. My watch isn’t new enough to receive the output, so instead I created a standard workout, using the splits from the strategy to create “run 1 km in 3:58-4:03.” I was aware that the first km was a fast one as we started half way down a hill, but I’m also aware that it often takes me a while to warm into a session, so I decided to stick with the plan that I had devised before seeing the course. Given the space, we got away cleanly, with the only issue being a couple of large puddles that required dodging. I overtook a few people and settled into position, backing off slightly when my watch buzzed to tell me that I was going too fast. Now is not the time to be pushing it. Few races are won in the first km, but many are lost.
Actual – 4:01.
Km 2 – target 4:09
The end of the first km is coupled with the end of the nice downhill section, and we’re straight into the short, sharp hill that my girlfriend mentioned earlier. I always remember reading in a book once that the best way to tackle a hill in a race is to speed up the legs and shorten your stride, in a similar way to how you wood gear down on a bike. It feels strange (and often a little silly) doing this, legs pounding away at speed but not seeming to make a great deal of progress. Anyway, we all have our own, unique styles of running, and only the elite ever look elegant, so I roll with it. 8 m of climbing in the first 200 m before turning left and onto the top section of the triangle. If any part of this course is “gently undulating” it’s this road between Cotterstock and Glapthorn. Minimal ups and downs for the rest of km 2.
Actual – 4:06.
Km 3 – target 4:06
The aforementioned long uphill slog, followed by a short and sweet downhill after taking the second left turning. Despite the climb, my legs are feeling good, and being able to open up on the 200 m downhill section allows me to claw back any time lost during the climb. The final 200 m of the km sees another 7 m of climbing, but I know the worst is to come.
Actual – 4:02.
Km 4 – target 4:06
The first half of km 4 is flat. The second half is all uphill. It’s not a particularly steep hill, but it is a long one. By this point I’m pretty much running on my own. I can see a few people in the distance, and two runners around 300 m or so ahead. It’s difficult to know who you’re racing; who is running the 5 km and who is running the 10 km. I’m only really racing myself, but having someone to chase does help to give you a bit of a marker. I’m also wondering if this hill ever ends…
Actual – 4:08
Km 5 – target 3:56
Back into some downhill, but the downs never feel as easy as the ups do hard. Still, a handful of seconds ahead of plan, nothing needs to be chased just yet and I can enjoy the respite. As I turn the corner at the bottom of the triangle and head back towards the start to begin my second lap, the marshalls shouts of encouragement help and there’s a small injection of pace. This is increased further when I see Rebecca just outside the school. Shouting and cheering isn’t really her thing but she blows a couple of kisses and I march on, back out into the countryside.
Actual – 3:59
Km 6 – target 3:50
Km 6 is easily the fastest on the course, as we head down the hill where the start line was. Carrying the momentum from seeing actual people, I ride the hill, with my watch confirming an increase in speed. One of the two runners ahead, a young lad, peeled off into the school for the 5 km finish. It seems like the older guy he was running with might have been pacing him as he now sets off on his own, picking up the pace quicker than I am able to. He is the only person I can see at this stage. I’ve no idea if I’m in second place (I’m aware that I’m not) or 20th.
Actual – 3:54
Km 7 – target 3:57
The point where that negative split idea starts to feel like a bad one. Back up that short sharp hill where a speeding up of the legs doesn’t feel at all possible. I’m supposed to be going quicker now than on the first lap but it’s just not happening. The marshall shouting encouragement at the top of the hill gets an out of breath “thank you” as I turn left. I’m not sure if it had only just started, or if it was starting to get heavier, but this was the first time that I had noticed the rain. The decision to run in just my club vest, and without gloves, was starting to feel like a poor one.
Actual – 4:06
Km 8 – target 3:54
If you want to run fast, you’ve got to be comfortable with getting uncomfortable. The Wednesday night track sessions have really helped with that, but there you’re thinking “just one more lap to go.” Here, I had another 3 km. And that hill again. Oh that hill! I could feel the pace slowing and a glance at my watch confirmed it. I could hear the coach in my head shouting “commit, commit!” I dug deep and picked up the pace as much as I could. The guy in front, who had opened up a bit of a gap at the start of the second lap, was starting to come back to me. The lady marshall at the next left turning was not as encouraging as on the first lap. I really needed it now.
Actual – 4:07
Km 9 – target 3:55
The good thing about a 2-lap course is that you know what to expect on the second lap. But then, well, you know what’s coming. Two hills which now felt a lot more significant than the first time round, and I was done. Even the group of spectators clapping and cheering was doing nothing for me. The guy in front was now ‘only’ about 100 m ahead, and we were pretty much running at an even pace. Glancing behind, I could see other runners but they weren’t close enough to threaten. I wasn’t going to catch the guy in front either so this was probably it now, in the same position as I was at the end of the second km. I just had to chase him into the finish.
Actual – 4:13
Km 10 – target 3:47
Sub-40 was now clearly a plan that was dead in the water. Or more, dead on the hill! The ups were over now though, and there was even a bit of down to come. Could I still muster a PB? (40:30). At the final left turning, there was an earlier finisher (maybe a 5 km runner) who was overly enthusiastic in his words of encouragement. This time it did work, and I powered towards the school and the finish. In reality, it was likely far less dramatic than that, but I did notice a difference, so let’s stick with “powered”! I changed my watch screen from lap to overall and I’d just ticked over 40 minutes. Where is that school entrance?! I’ve never really had a sprint finish in me. I’d like to think that’s because I leave it all out on the course and I have nothing left by the end, but maybe it’s something that I could work on. I turn into the school and shed whatever energy I have left; shear relief as I finally cross the line.
Actual – 4:05. Chip time 40:50 and 7th place out of 92 runners.
Reflection
I am cautious in expressing my disappointment. I’m aware that there are many who can only dream of running a 41-minute 10 km. I’m also aware that there are some who would consider that to be slow, and would run a similar pace as part of a weekend long run. We are all on our own, individual running journey, each having our own goals, targets and constraints. We should try not to compare ourselves to others and enjoy the journey that we, ourselves, are on.
In hindsight, if you’re going to go for it and see, it’s probably best to go for it from the start and try to hold on, rather than to try and execute a perfect negative split. That’s hard to do in a 10 km though. You might be able to get away with it in a 5 km, but start off too quickly in a 10 km and you’re going to get found out at some point, hence why I tried to implement the race strategy that I did. You live and learn, and that’s part of what a tune-up race is for. Onwards we go towards Stratford, and operation sub-90…