Having been out all week with a cold caught on Monday night this was the most radical of tapers ever. Zero running from one week out. Tuesday was a nightmare at work sneezing into my computer, worked from home on Wednesday, marginally better Friday, race organised the Hound and Hare 5 mile handicap (to stop me running it) then was pretty rough on Sat. esp. after swimming with my daughter. However after a progressive meal (different house for each course) with one glass of red I was thinking it might be ok.
By race day I was 85% and rising, so decided not take the run with Kenny approach and go for my stated 1h 35m target. Weather was perfect.
First school boy error was to leave my gel belt at home. 3 gels and £10 cash. Disaster, my wife was calling the cell phones but I'd put the phone in the boot and missed the calls. I've never run more than 10mile sans gel, but hey I was about to try.
Second school boy error was deciding to wear my gloves and then promptly leaving them in the car.
Having sent clear instructions on race kit preparation to the guys I was feeling pretty dumb at this point and nervous about going through 10 miles without any gels.
Kenny went to the middle at the start I went to the semi front and just before Dave went to the very front I bumped into Justin from Rocket Lockets, who was hoping for a sub 90 which Dave reckons he got.
I ran the first mile on Justin's shoulder and then let him go as he was too fast on the second mile for me. 6:25 and 6:36 took me down and out to the mile three hill which I slowed down for and cleared in 7:46 and through the leveling off the next mile was 7:14. I push a bit to get back to 7:14 and went through 5 in 35. OK so far.
Back down was 6:33 and then it was a slog back up through 7, 8 and 9 (7:51, 7:27, 7:24) and then mile 10 up past the Ashridge House I actually had to stop at the drinks stop to finish a cup of water.
Just before the turn into Ashridge I saw something like a ware wolf dart across the road at head height, then another right behind it. Turned out to be a deer at full stretch jumping the fence and road to get from a field to the Estate. Impressive and dangerous. Hear a scream behind me as another jumped through the race. Never seen that before.
Beginning to feel the carb out coming on and so dropped the heart rate from 165 (race) to 157 hard training and got some instant recovery which gave me the confidence to get going again. Boost at 10 miles as I went through in 71 and had I had some gels I'd have tried to squeeze out 3 6:15 miles but I made the wise choice and decided to keep that heart rate out the danger zone until the last mile. 11 was an enjoyable 6:51 down, 12 back up slightly at 7:37 and then finally I let rip at the 12 mile marker clocking a stonking 6:15 down to the finish. Some prat in a silver merc nearly runs over the guy two in front of me so I slap his bonnet - what a complete muppet. Suddenly it is race on - I guy comes past me half mile out, I tuck in behind him and he knows I'm there - he kicks for the line too soon and at the 13 mile point I change gear and cruise past him - we're both really motoring now and crowd are cheering - I think of those one minute reps at the canal and I can see the finish and I know I've got him - 100m to go I change gear again and uncle Garmin clocks me doing 4:34 min miles over the last 0.1 miles. Okay so I could have gone earlier - but hey remember the gel problem.
Well all that adds up to a new course pb of 1:32:54 and only 20seconds off my best ever half, set back in 2007. So all in all very pleased.
Dave was waiting for me at the end, he'd smashed the 90 with 87 and then we had a long wait for Ken to limp in over the line. He'd hurt his calf at mile 3 and then had to use the quad to lift his leg which in turn went at mile 10. Ouch. Off to the first aid for a gel pack and some TLC for him. Then a well deserved cuppa and cake courtesy of Dave to celebrate!
Top event, top day. Here we are after the race. You can just see the top of Ken's bandage.....
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