Start of 2020 to Present

Linda Franks 5

For some reason I always seem to peak just after xmas. Most of my PBs in the past have been set in Feb. Not sure why as I don't do anything special over xmas. Maybe the fact that there isn't much racing in Nov/Dec has freshened me up. I trained well over xmas and didn't over-indulge, but also had a good rest from work and was able to train in the daylight which helped.

I started doing a few training sessions that were feeling very easy to go under 5 min mile pace.  Suddenly I found myself in good shape and was probably peaking way too early. My resting HR was down to 38 bpm, measured first thing in the morning. These facts told me I should probably get in a race. This year I wanted to lower my 5 and 10 mile times. There isn't many of these about but I found a couple of local ones in Cheltenham. They were both full but I was in the waiting list. A week before the Linda Franks 5 I got an entry. No pressure for a 5 mile, I just ran how I would feel on the day. I wanted sub 25 min, which I knew was possible as I had done that last year within a 10km race.

The race started on a frosty Sunday morning. From the gun I was running alone, but had the lead bike to set pace over the 2 laps. No wind and only one slight incline allowed for even paced running. I averaged 4.48 pace and came in at 24.11, to top the UK rankings for the year (Its only Jan though!).

Staverton 10

The following week was double the distance. The course was around the outside of Gloucester airport as part of the Staverton 10. A little more undulating and breezy. Again, I had a lead bike to help. I wanted sub 50 min. This would be a good barrier to break but would also be within the England qualifying standard of 50.15. It was a 2 lap course so I thought if I could do the first half in sub 25 min I may be able to hang on for 10 miles. There was a 400m muddy section that I would have to do twice. This gave me concern for my pace and my shiny new Next % shoes I didn't want to get muddy!

My pace was good, but a little uneven due to the undulations and wind. I got to 3 miles on 4.58 min mile pace. so had a bit to spare, but didn't feel confident running another 7 miles alone. I got to the muddy section and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The pace was fine and I got to the halfway point 10 sec under what I wanted. I knew at this point with some time in the bank that I should break 50 min. However, experience told me u can never be sure if the legs will last. It wasn't until around 2 miles to go I knew I had sub 50 min and eventually crossed the line feeling strong in 49.29. A time that still remains top of the UK rankings for this year as I write this.

Chichester 10km

My last race up until the present day was Chichester 10km. A race a had done previously, but not since it changed the course to Goodwood Motor Circuit. I knew it would be a fast race, but I was in good shape. Another Breezy day with water on the ground. The start was rapid and the first half was downhill. I was in the lead group and hit 2 miles in 09.40 min and through halfway on 14.45 min. I felt good and in control in the first half, but the second half had more hills. We returned to the race course but still had a 4 km lap of the circuit to finish. I still had a couple of runners around me which was good as the circuit was exposed and hard mentally as you could see all the way around and what you had to run. My pace had dropped a bit and I didn't think I was on sub 30 min pace anymore. I had a pack chasing me down. A sprint to the finish line with a couple of other runners saw me come in just over 30 min, officially 30.01 for 8th place.

I was very happy with the time, in not the best conditions. I had a 37 sec PB and was 29 sec under the England qualifying time. Nick Goolab won the race in almost 29 min. I was 2 placed behind Andy Vernon and finished ahead of some good runners. I had also achieved a place on the England Age Group team (V35), who will be competing at the Bristol 10km in May.

After 3 weekend races in a row, I will recover and build up to the next race. Next up is the London Vitality Big Half on 01 Mar which is the qualifier for the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland.