So another year, another Two Castles 10km. An amazing race. Regardless of the great ordeal of actually registering your entry... A minor blip, due to the change over of website organisers and online entry peoples, of who's servers could not deal with the influx of feisty runners sitting on their computer/tablets/phones wanting to gain a place. It only seemed like yesterday I awoke at 8-9am to make damn sure I'd be able to get into this run again. After all, its one of the all time favourites for the Warwickshire Road League race calendar.
Praying and hoping we'd swiftly avert from horrid humidity and heat (like last year), I got up at 5am on Sunday to look out of my window and see over casted, grey skies (Bliss!!). Hmm I thought perfect running conditions- I was also Cold and Cough free this year. I arrived promptly at 8am to be meet by runners in their herds of hundreds, an estimated 4000 runner were to take to the start line this year. Warwick Castle grounds only allowed runners access as per, which meant my awesome supporters would have to park up temporarily and say goodbye for what seemed like eternity until I met them again at Kenilworth Castle for the finale. No Granddad this year either- sad times. A very lonely start to my morning I must say, I had well over half an hour to kill and worry about things that could go wrong. I'd had my infamous dodgy stomach to greet me with no tablets to help the situation. For the past week prior in training, I kept on getting this horrible shooting pain up the back of my leg into my right glute. Upon googling profusely, I self diagnosed with either ITB Syndrome or more likely Piriformis syndrome. The latter would make more sense, as I had tried out some different routes, which included running on fairly long grass or uneven ground, so I'd obviously niggled it then and dismissed it to the point it became increasingly painful. I just hoped with two days rest, It'd hold out for a jaw dropping performance. I was hoping for a sub 1:00hr 10km time, but my training runs seemed to suggest otherwise. But as always, I am a suborn little shite, I WANTED THIS SO BAD- today was GOING to be the day.
This year there was no access to the start until 10 too 9. Some people liked it, some people didn't. To be completely honest being contained in a smallish area was fine... after all I got a bench to chill on. We got lead through promptly as stated. As always, due to the start being changed this year too, it was naturally going to be a little more congested with a delayed start. No fear- it didn't bother me, I'll get there eventually! Absorb the atmosphere I say!
THEN... NO...
My stomach had behaved up until this point. I thought toilet stop? No, I'll be fine. Near to the start I was like maybe not, so I started making my way backwards getting funny looks as if to say
"love you're going the wrong way! The starts this way."
To the point whereby I said screw it, It's raining... I want to start the race. I hoped this wasn't going to be a Kelly Holmes/ Paula Radcliff loss of dignity type of run, going to the toilet at the side of the road. Surprisingly, once I got running, I was completely fine. I used a pace calculator prior to race day which said I'd have to get an average of 9:35 minute per mile to get my year goal of a sub 1:00hr 10km.
1st Mile in - 9:20. I felt refreshed, the rain was light, my pace and breathing did it's usual levelling out. All in all a successful 1st mile. Fair few hills out of Warwick to get onto the Coventry Road.
2nd mile in - 9:16. A mix of unduladingness, but after all, where there's a hill there is a lovely recovery period downwards... Optimism at its heights. I also want to apologise to the woman that ran past me at the wrong moment, when I opened my hand bottle (with a hydration tablet in) it had a spaz attack and squirted her on the arm... She didn't look too impressed at all as she ran, flicking her arms to attempt to get off the stickiness. Good job it was raining! Again success. My Piriformis wasn't hurting, my legs still felt fresh.
3.1 Miles in - 9:46 (29:29 5km). O, deary me... a SIS gel for these hills dude. My legs were a bit tired now... Thoughts going through my head like... No Coley, You've screwed it already. Well done! We'd now turned off the Coventry Road onto HILL Wooton. Don't know what it is, but names in Warwick like to emphasise the HILL part. Haha! There was no mistaking it though, they were most definitely present!
4th Mile in - 9:59. My worst mile of the race, which to no avail came to me as a surprise. Logically, maintaining this pace, I knew it'd bite me in the arse at this stage. But I just kept on going. By this point, my leg pain was starting to become more evident. I tried thinking happy thoughts- Pain is in the mind after all!
5th Mile in - 9:24. Oooh, I'm not good at maths, but this is looking okayish... Maybe I can still reach my goal. John O' Grant road.
Amazing supporters and sugary treats being thrown left, right and centre. Love it. God bless you all for still sitting outside in this cold, wet and miserable weather- I salute you people of Warwick and Kenilworth!
6th Mile in - (57:11) 9:14. I'm happy, I'm Soaked, I'm in pain... OMG I'd partially forgotten about the incline into the Castle grounds. Erghhh, Yucky! How long does it normally take me to do 0.20 miles?... I don't know :(.
I gave it all I had after I past the photographers, I sprinted my hearts content. No joke, I think I sprinted as fast as I'd ever had before. I past quite a couple of people which surprised me. All the spectators looked at my little chunky legs in, what seemed oar! I past the line (unofficially) in 59.08. I couldn't quite believe it. What made it even more memorable was a gentleman, older than myself came up to me after the finish and said:
"Thank you for that, you got me over the finish line in that last little bit"
I felt famous... Such kind words from a fellow runner! This event made me feel like I could finally categorise myself as a runner, not a jogger or anything in between.
Once again Mr. TomTom was accurate. Making my OFFICIAL time 59:08! I done it again. I met one of my year goals of gaining a Sub 1:00hr 10km- On, may I say, a hilly course!! Safe to say I was on a major runners high for the next couple of days... Until I got hit by my partners disgraceful cold >8-L (my angry face).
