The weeks before were not ideal prep for any of us, but we were cheerful enough as Dave rocked up 10mins early on my drive and we got to Ken's 5mins early and as Dave described something to me by waving his hand around he hit the horn and half the lights on Shakespeare came on as we woke half the street up. Opps.
We got down to the start very early and there was a hive of activity. Buses for the runners and tractors and forklift trucks going in every direction clearing the place up from the fireworks the night before. On my second visit to the portaloo I was a bit worried about the forklift truck zooming straight at it and even with Ken and Dave offering vast bribes to the guy he would not lift it up and take it away with me in it. Ha Ha very funny guys.
At the start met Chris Burfoot, veteran of this blog, as he tends to start the hound and hare a few seconds behind me, catch me quickly and then drop me through Horseguards. He was aiming for the low 90s.
Ken produced a silly hat, a bit like a swimming cap black with a yellow super hero flash on it. I should have kept my mouth shut as that would have been hilarious to see it on the photos.
Dave and Ken both required ibuprofen gel from my magic race bag. Dave's gel application was something to behold. He'd known this would be a hard race, so the gel offered the necessary relief.
Alexi, a top bloke we met on the bus, with minutes to the start was still wearing jeans and a jumper. If he'd run the race in that kit he'd have been well hard. However, he'd made the same kit selection as me and was delaying exposing it until the last second, in fact his skimpy shorts beat my gear - he actually wore less kit than me.
Ken pulled a pro trick by having his bag pre-tagged so he just chucked it in the van while Dave and I panicked in the slow moving queue. He disappeared and we all split up, but with seconds to spare we all found each other again right on the start line. Chris behind me, Ken in front, Dave to the side, Alexi to the other side. Felt like a club event where you know everyone.
Minute's silence before the hooter was a nice touch and it was well observed.
My race plan was to let 30-40 go then move up through the field. As I turned at the top of the field I counted, one, two, three, KENNY!!!!!, what was he going there? Seems he was actually in the lead for a few seconds after the hooter. Dave in 11th then me with Alexi and Chris behind me.
There is a narrow gate we clocked on our warm up run and I'd decided to avoid it completely and go canal-side, I executed this and closed a few more meters on Ken who by now was dropping back like a stone. Got past Ken in less than a mile.
I was working the lock gates exactly to plan. Driving the knees to the top and recovering fast on the other side. Caught plently of people doing that through the first 3 or 4 lock gates and while not comfortable was no longer cold and begining to find a rhythm. First mile was a shade fast a 6.45, and by mile five was going ok with each mile either just over or just under 7mins. At five miles Chris caught me. He was going really well and very chatty. I was thinging gel one, but decided not yet. I watched Chris pull away that annoyed me a little bit.
Felt good at 10km, went through in 42:30 which was a shade fast - but hey I needed the speed if something like a good time was going to happen.
I was caught by a lady in bright green top and we raced from 6 to 8 miles. I nibbled the gel and by the time the third water station happened I decided to eat the rest of the gel and let her pull away. At this point I new I had blown it. I was tired, breathing was fine, heart rate was low and not straying out of zone 4 - but somehow it was not happening for me. I was moving backward through the field and there was nothing I could do about it. Did a 7:30 mile then the 9th was better again as I visualised the hound and hare route and picked it back up to clear that mile in 7:13.
I got soaked as I dropped my water down me over my glove, vest and shorts going through a water station so as gel two went in as my reward for getting to the 10th mile marker and I flapped putting the wet glove back on two blokes went past at speed. I could not believe it as one of them was Ken. I decided to test him and drew level, I immediately attempted a McIntyre ratchet but he burst out laughing and kicked to near sprint speed grinning like a Cheshire cat and bouncing along with ease. I contrasted that with my tired state of being and decided three miles of hell were simply not worth it. He said "Come on, lets get the white top."
As the water station approached I knew I needed a drink and so I wimped out right there and then (where the marker is on the graph) and I stopped racing. I'd burnt my self out from 6-8 and was paying for it now. I walked through the water station and had mixed emotions watching Ken put daylight between us. It was great to see him going so well and to have been some part in his progress, but as with all great gurus the pupil will inevitably eventually take their master's place as the alpha male.
I later caught sight of Dave in the distance, but the long slog up the tree lined avenue was sapping and draining, I focused on form - I might be last, but I'll be certain to look good.
Actually got a second wind at around 12.5 miles and accelerated home to finish in the worst time of all the people I knew. 1h 36min 05s or ave pace 7min 20s. Lost 3 mins on Ken all in the last 3 miles. In the end it was Ken's day. He was looking good and strong, smashing 11 minutes off his PB with 1h 33mins.
Dave rocked home in 1h 34m, but after the race he looked as washed out and ill as I felt at mile 10.
My saving grace is that in 2007, over the same route I did it in 1h 32. Did I mention that?
I have my 2007 speed over five miles again, I'm going at my fastest ever for 10km and today was a bad day. Who knows what the future holds. Once thing that is certain is that both of us will do a half in under 90 sometime very soon.
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