Stockport 10

Today, I made the very early morning trip over to Stockport for my first ever 10 mile race ! I was particularly looking forward to this one having seen the 'Goody Bag' viral that the folks at Stockport Harriers had posted up on Youtube for the 2009 version of the race :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQCqU6OyGEA

The race starts at the Woodbank Stadium on the outskirts of Stockport, and I had ample time to find a nice little side street to park on, and then amble down to the Stadium in the Park to collect my number and have a little bit of a warm up by doing a couple of laps of the track - well, you have to take any opportunity you can to use a track ! I had time to say a couple of quick hellos to Jon & Pete from UKNetrunner before we were being called back around the track for the race to start. I have to say at this point that despite a lot of moaning from people around me - I thought the ' motty-esque' PA announcer was doing a great job, and made me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions !

Anyhows, we were set on our way at around 10.00am, with two laps of the athletics track to negotiate. 750 people ! Two laps of a track ! Rookie error coming up !!!
I managed to get myself pinned in to the inside at a mega slow pace with nowhere to go , and crawled the slowest 400m I think I have ever completed - it was not until lap 2 that I managed to edge outwards and start to speed up a little - that will teach me to concentrate on my positioning !!

We left the park in wet and cold conditions, and twisted through urban stockport. The first three miles felt really good (no doubt bouyed by the energy saving start ) and I was about 30 seconds up on my target pace for the day (1.22). The road kicked upwards for the first of the three hills of the race, but this one was not too difficult and headed off to the left well before the brow of the hill. I was making the odd place here and there and not losing too many so I knew I was going well - I think also that we were very lucky with the wind which never seemed to be directly in our faces.

During miles 3-6, I found the perfect pacer and spent most of my time a couple of yards behind him, and as a result my pace remained strong (for me at my level !) and it wasn't until we got to the worst of the hills that he dropped me, and I helplessly saw him disappear up the hill as I struggle to keep pace with a chap who was walking up !!!! At the top, it took a few minutes for life to return to my legs, but return it did, and the speed picked up again.

Miles 7 - 9 were soggy, people nearby me were stomping in puddles and I was getting a proper bootfull ! I was mindful that I was still ahead of schedule by a minute or so, but knew that there was one hill left which had been described as 'never ending'. In fact, it came just before the end of mile nine, and was the easiest of the lot - bacause it was long and gradual just how I likes 'em - not sharp and brutal. The last mile was windy and wet as we made our way back into the park, and then it was 300m back round the athletics track and a desperate last 100m to dip over the line in 1.19.58 - just two seconds under 1.20 !

A PB by default in my first ten miler - I think I might of found a new favourite distance !