Sunday 4 April 2010

Hartlepool 5m & North Tyneside 10k

It's been an interesting week, firstly starting with a rather 'breezy' race at Hartlepool last Sunday. It was the Hartlepool Marina 5 mile, incorporating the VAANEE 5 mile championships, so I thought I ought to go down and give it a go. When Frankie and I arrived it was blowing a proverbial hooligan, so I thought I ought to just pick a time and hope for the best.

37 mins was the target, but after a bit of a battering during our warm up, I knew it wasn't going to be every (wo)man for themselves, but everyone verses the elements.

The course itself is a cracking little out and back route with a few switchbacks thrown in where you can see who is in-front and behind you. If it wasn't for the savage crosswind it would have excellent pb potential.

We got started and I could see there was going to be no getting into a decent pace, so it was just a case of pick a person and hang on, try to pass or use them as cover. This tactic seemed to work pretty well overall, and I felt quite strong going round the second switchback and return back to base. I'd counted 20+ ladies in-front of me, but I knew a couple didn't have numbers (the race quickly filled up the last remaining places on the morning of the event), and so I spent the last couple of miles trying to catch and overtake some of the ladies in-front of me.

I caught a couple and managed to hold on to 19th lady overall coming through the finish in 36:54. Very happy with that considering the conditions.

Results are available here

The rest of the week wasn't to great though. On Wednesday I somehow managed to get food poisoning, amazingly not from my own cooking, but from a shop bought sarnie Undecided, so three days in bed and more than a few trips to the bathroom didn't really make for the best preparation for the North Tyneside 10k.

Still...looking on the bright side, I did manage to watch an inordinate amount of crap tv including some random FBI dog movie, Flash Gordon, infomercial tv, and The Sound of Music which I saw for the very first time, and..I lost 4lbs - life doesn't get much better :P

I left it until this morning to decide if I was up to the task of actually getting round the NT10k (rather than actually racing it), and I'm glad I did.

It's a pity I wasn't fit, because the conditions were perfect - little wind and a nice cool clear day. Andy (my hubby) dropped me off and headed off to see me en-route, and I did my warm up with Micheal Bunn from my club, then met up with a few folks I know online, and then Jenny from Heaton at the start. I'd promised a couple of folks I wouldn't go mad and I did'nt :)

Unlike previous years I didn't hurtle off like a whippet, and I feel better for it this afternoon. I met up with Catherine - CC2 speedygoth (she caught me) on the quayside and we had a bit of a chat & natter until the water station at the 3 mile point, then she headed off and I settled in for a bit of a bimble through to the finish.

I was hoping for any time under 48 mins, and by my watch I managed 47:30 so I'm not at all unhappy with that.

Cracking goodie bag as ever - cheers NT council & Start Fitness!


Happy running folks :)

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