Percy Pud 10k - 55.06
It was back to Sheffield today for another crack at winning a Xmas pudding, and for another attempt at breaking my personal best for the 6 mile distance which I set in Derby back at the start of April.
This race was supposed to take place last Sunday, however, due to the snowy deluge from the past couple of weeks, it moved to today - this made it clash with the Lincoln Santa Run which I had also entered. There was then a decision to be made, and a real no brainer really - the Santa suit remains unopened, and a trip to Sheffield beckoned.
The Percy Pud 10k is an annual event which sells out very quickly due to its reputation of being well organised as well as being a quick and relatively flat course (relative to say Heanor !!) We arrived at the start with half an hour to spare which gave me ample time to warm up (that bit before the start where everyone jogs up and down and tries to look like professionals!) whilst also giving Heidi the opportunity to check out which coffee shop she would be spending the duration of the race in !!
The course was rural and a straight out and back, and we appeared to be finishing on the brow of a hill again (d'oh!), and all I could see in the distance was countryside, it was stunning really and I knew that whatever happened, given that I had only been able to treadmill run for the past week or so, I was going to enjoy running in such a location.
We were started (or everybody just started moving as there was not a horn or anything) at just after 9.30. The first couple of kilometres were slightly up and down, and as always, I tried to keep an even pace and not go to stupid (I'm daft enough already) - and achieved this best I could. The third kilometre took us along the edge of a reservoir and was my favourite part of the race as it was flat and very scenic. My pace picked up a bit for the rest of the first half of the race and the seemed downhill as we made our way to the turnaround point at the pub.
On the way back a strange thing happened, I again passed a bloke that I had flown past 3 kilometres earlier - the cheating
******* I thought, he clearly must have decided to turn around and head home at 4km or so, and I nearly said something to him as I passed him, but then I thought what if it was his twin etc. Looking back, it was the same bloke, and I suppose the only person he cheated was himself in the end.
I kept a steady good pace back along the side of the reservior and made sure that I took advantage of any downhill sections and by the time I reached the flat bit again at 7km, I knew that I had a shout at beating my PB. Indeed, if anything I was running as strongly as I had during the run at this point and was keeping a good pace up even though I was at the point of the race where I usually start flagging badly.
8km, then 9km, the wheels still didn't fall off, and the last kilometre felt the best of all knowing that, bar a muscle pull or fall, that I was going to do it a week earlier than planned. I literally sprant the final 100m (a first!) in a fruitless effort to break 55mins, but at 55.06 I couldn't have asked for more.
To celebrate I went to Decathlon on the way back which is my most favouristest place in the world !!
The day was fantastic, Sheffield Striders really do put on a great event, and I got another Xmas pudding to boot - classic !
