Current PB - 80:39 (Maidenhead) (6:10 per mile)
I had raced Wokingham back in 2012, and had set a then PB (80:42) on the course. I loved the route, a very flat scenic course through the countryside, and a very fast field to pull you along. Phil Wickes (63 mins) and Liz Yelling (71 mins) got course records that year, so that gives you an idea of a) the sort of calibre competing, and b) the times it takes to win!
Conditions on this occasion were fine - very cold, but sunny, and very little wind. Just how I like it to be.
I had a strict race plan of sticking as close as possible to 6:05 min miling - I had blown up in a recent training session at 4 miles holding 5:55 pace, and wasn't confident that I could hold that pace over a half. I also had the disappointment of Cabbage Patch at the back of my mind!!
I was fortunate enough to have two buddies from the club to run with - Shaun and Luke. Luke has a PB of 75, but had run a hard cross country league fixture the day before, and had also notched up a long 12 km warm up as part of a session, and wanted some marathon pace milage, so decided to run with me. Shaun was also looking for a sub 80, and while his previous best was slower than mine, he has been running exceptionally well of late.
So the three of us ran together at the start.
The start is actually quite narrow, so we made sure we got a good position.
The first mile came in at 5:57 - a little quick, but there was a slight downhill, so didn't panic. Mile 2 was previously the fastest mile for me in this race, and coming in at 6:01 was pleasing - I felt I had found a good rhythm and was totally controlled.
The three of us were running abreast, stride for stride, and it felt great. My legs felt good, and the next 3 miles came in around 6 flat. At 5, Luke was beginning to flag, but both Shaun and I felt strong, so continued to press. Whilst I was a little scared that at this point we were averaging 5:59 per mile, I felt I had committed and wanted to hold. Part of me thought maybe the reason that the pace felt comfortable was that there could have been a tail wind - would we get it back on the long run in?
At 10km Shaun and I went through at 36:56, at which point Shaun put in a 5:30 mile - he was obviously feeling superb, and wanted to latch onto a group up in front. I was now on my own, but felt it way too early to be making any sort of dig like that. I gradually picked people off, got to 8 miles and saw that my pace had picked up. I was now averaging 5:58 per mile, and at this point realised that I would break 60 minutes for 10 miles if I was able to keep up this pace. That had been a long term goal of mine, so to do it in a half would be a fantastic achievement for me.
I went through 10 in 59:38, and new that barring disaster I could hold on for a sub 80.
As it was,the last 5km was actually my quickest (18:23), and though I couldn't quite catch Shaun (77:44) I managed 78:03, an average pace of 5:57. Absolutely delighted with 2 new pb's, and how I paced it. I didn't set off too hard, but at a pace that felt comfortable and sustainable on the day in those conditions.
Luke struggled home in 1:21, but considering what he had done previously, still a strong effort. He'll be looking for a 2:44 at London, so all things considered that was a job well done for him, as painful as it may have been!
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