A relatively early start to the day, was met by thick fog, as we drove over to South Walsham. Fortunately, the Sun came up and the fog had all burnt off by the time we arrived.
Registration was orderly and well organised, as was the marshalled parking at the Village Hall.
With my number and chip in hand, I was left with a bit of a dilemma as to what to wear for the race.
Do I throw caution to the wind and run in a vest, or err on the side of caution and wear a base layer under the vest...
I ended up opting for the latter, and donned gloves too, for good measure!
A quick (ish) couple of laps of the football pitch, and I was warmed up.
There was the mandatory, but well humoured Race Brief at 9:15, then it was time for a short walk, to the start line.
In the lead up to the race, and following the Freethorpe Ten, I had wanted to run a 1:30 HM, but, as the race drew near I thought that may be a little too much to expect, so decided to just use the same ten mile race pace, but hold it for the 13.1 miles. Hoping that the slightly lumpier route profile wouldn't affect that plan...
I was a little apprehensive at the start, trying to judge wear about to position myself at race start, so I wasn't being hindered by slower runners, but likewise, I wasn't getting in the way of other faster guys.
I had noticed a few familiar faces at the start and knew that, if I was struggling with pace, I had a few visuals to help keep me straight (As long as they were running well!).
I'd also decided to take a couple of gels with me. Not that I felt I would need them, but more of an experiment to see how my stomach would handle them in race conditions, prior to the marathon!
Without delay there was a 3 - 2 - 1 countdown, and we were off!
I settled down quickly into my rhythm, and felt comfortable at my chosen pace. As the race settled down, the road cleared and it was easy to look around and who I was with.
I was soon upon the first water station, and disappointed to be handed a cup of water!... I had just expected a bottle, as that's the way most races seem to be heading, now.
No big deal, I grabbed a mouthful of fluid from the cup, then dumped it.
Just before the second water stop, I took my first gel onboard (a PowerGel Hydro). Not that I felt the need, but it was part of a strategy to see if I absorbed it well, or not...
A gulp of water at the 6 mile Water Station.
A few runners had passed me over the first few miles, but non had disappeared out of sight and I had decided to keep them in view and haul them in from mile 11. I felt strong approaching an uphill section in Salhouse and hit it quite hard, which brought me back up on three runners ahead. I kept just back off them, running my pace, but knew I could pass when I wanted.
The second gel and a sip of water was taken at around 9 miles, and this is where I began testing to see how strong I felt.
At about 9.5 miles, there was a group of supporters, including John Burton and John Scott. It was good to hear my name being shouted and, with a 'high 5' from Mr. Burton I felt a new lease of life and hammered up the short hill, from where they had stood, passing 4 runners.
Approaching South Walsham, at about 11 miles, I decided that I did feel good still, and now was the time to push on. I could see a few runners ahead, all struggling to some degree, one was walking up some short rises, so I upped the pace.
Picking them off, one by one, I ran through South Walsham, up the little rise and into the teeth of a stiff breeze! The long, slightly uphill drag to the turn seems to go on forever, and two of the guys I had just passed got me back!
Left turn, off Acle Road and I was running downhill again. Taking my time to compose myself, I kept in contact with the two guys and also sighted another couple of runners that passed me around the 2nd mile.
Just before the bottom of the hill, I upped the pace and passed the two. Some words of encouragement form one of them, but I knew they would try to hold on to me. Quickly catching the next target, I decided that, with about 400m to go, I should just 'open the taps' and go!
Not daring to look back, I ran hard, all the way through the line.
Finishing in 1:33:33, I can't help but feel disappointed! Even with the sprint finish, I felt ok, immediately after the line. Had I have pushed on, from 9 miles, would I have got the 1:30 time that I initially sought!?...
Great race, with a beautiful scenic route, I'd definitely run that again.
Running through Ranworth:
Next stop Manchester Marathon!...
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