It may seem a little self indulgent writing a blog on a 10k but hey, self indulgent are my middle names.
I seem to have been injured or recovering from injury for ages now and it's been made worse with friends going off and doing big race's i should have been doing(and doing them very well).So i was a bit apprehensive about what would be my first race in 6 months,being that i had done well(for me)in it last year.
There had been a couple of hill races that maybe i could have taken part in but for 1 reason or another i hadn't.
1 of those reasons was my nephew Daniel who 2 months ago suffered a massive brain trauma and at the weekend when the Cheviot summit race was on he was being allowed home for the afternoon for the first time since his accident.I knew i had to be at his side rather than fannying about in the hills and in a way watching what he and his mum have been through and still going through has put everything into perspective.I can hardly greet about not being able to run when i see a young healthy (i wont say fit because he's what i call a "non sporty")lad almost taken away from us and now fighting to get back to the life he had, 1 small step at a time.
Having a vested interest in the kids 3k beforehand helped me take my mind off my race and Brandon,Nathan,Owen and Ben all did great so before i knew it we had to make our way to the starting line.
Leanda was doing the race to so off she went with her running pals while i,well-got ready on my own.
The race starts with a bit of a climb,i don't think it can be described as a hill but in a 10k the merest slope feels like Ben Nevis.I was relatively pleased with where i was but as the ground leveled off i wasn't seeming to recover as well as i would have liked.
I had decided not to look at my split times for the first few markers ,but ahead i caught a glimpse of a marker,i could just about make out the number 3 on it,great i thought,3miles!But no,as i grew nearer i could see it was the 3 k marker.
I looked at my watch and was keeping up with my 4minute kilometres but still my head went down.I've said it before but i think it's your mental strength that gets you through a race and mine was being severely tested here.I had 2 choices,take it easy and just finish the race or see if i could keep going at a decent pace.I decided to go for it.
A Morpeth Harrier came up along side me and we ran the next 3ks at about 3 and a half minutes each,we got past the water station and he started pulling away from me,i had no answer to it but was happy with my time's and the fact i wasn't getting overtaken so i just kept on going.
As i got to the 9k marker my time was bang on 35 minutes,so i set a goal of under 39.I stepped it up a bit and was making on the lad in front.The marshals along the way and the people cheering as you're getting near the finish line is a great help and i felt good hitting 37 minutes.Just then the lad in front stopped running!i couldn't believe it,he was only 300metres from the finish.I shouted as i passed"come on"and beckoned him to run with me but he could hardly speak so i kept going and finished the race in 6th place in a time of 38.41,taking 2 seconds off last years time.
I looked for the lad that had stopped but couldn't see him,but to have pulled out so late in a race he must have been in a bad way.I felt bad for him,not that bad i was going to stop and carry him to the end, but bad for him all the same.
Plenty support at the end from the "Raes"and even managed a word with the winner who has went even higher in my estimation after he told me he was a Rangers supporter(don't worry Adam,your'e still my hero)
It took Leanda longer than she wanted but for 1 reason or another she hasn't been doing as much as she would have liked,but these things aren't easy and just to finish is a massive achievement so big up Leezy.
Where to now?Do i up the miles and risk another injury,my calf still feels tight after a longer run and i have a slight problem with my heel,or do i concentrate on this type of shorter faster runs?After crossing the line last night i thought of Daniel and his ongoing problems so-what will be,will be.
