20M incl 13.1M in 66m51s (5.06min/M; 23rd)
Today was just one of those days when I knew it was going to click. My light-ish (90M including today) and day and a half rest meant my legs felt great. But it was the excitement of my surroundings that really did it.
I shamelessly got a snap of myself with Kenenisa as I pitched up at the start and felt like I needed to keep pinching myself during the warm-up. Farah heading off one way, Bekele running up and down (very slowly) on the same patch of road as me. And Haile doing the same plus having a sneaky piss by the side of the road.
I had to bite my lip to stop it trembling on the start line. Mo and Bekele got away freely but Haile was boxed in right in front of me for the first little bit. It was surreal. I had my Casio on me and looked at it a few times, but didn't really pay it much attention. I slowed fractionally after 800m or so to join a group with some guys I knew would be aiming for 65-67 pace (the group in front was already heading away and I didn't want to work to hard in the crosswind that we had at that stage.
The pace felt right. As usual, I struggled/fell back on each hill bit caught the pack again on the downs. By five miles (the highest part of the course), the group started to fragment and I was pushing at the front while we began to catch stragglers from the group ahead.
The splits are a bit hard to interpret because of the hills and changing wind, but I sped up from 10-15K (1st 2 5K splits roughly 16.00, 3rd was 15.40ish) and overall my 2nd half was faster than my first by 24 seconds. At eight to nine miles there was another hill and, though we were catching more stragglers and I was still moving well, the two remaining guys in my group pushed on and gained about 20 seconds on me over a couple of miles.
At 10 miles my split was 50.55 and I knew 66 minutes something was possible if I really pushed. Added to that carrot, I could see Meucci (European 10,000 Silver medalist) looming ahead. I passed him just after 11 miles and buried myself all the way to the finish, knowing I was keeping the pace up despite the arrival of the rain and the return of the crosswind (it had been behind us from about 6-10 miles).
As usual for me at the moment, I was left heaving from the effort as I crossed the line and fell on some convenient grass gently sobbing with delight. I would have been happy with 67-anything. 66.51 combined with the chance to meet (I chatted to him v briefly afterwards) and race Bekele was just magical.
I think I've written more than necessary. But I think in about ten years I will re-read this and still smile.
Today was just one of those days when I knew it was going to click. My light-ish (90M including today) and day and a half rest meant my legs felt great. But it was the excitement of my surroundings that really did it.
I shamelessly got a snap of myself with Kenenisa as I pitched up at the start and felt like I needed to keep pinching myself during the warm-up. Farah heading off one way, Bekele running up and down (very slowly) on the same patch of road as me. And Haile doing the same plus having a sneaky piss by the side of the road.
I had to bite my lip to stop it trembling on the start line. Mo and Bekele got away freely but Haile was boxed in right in front of me for the first little bit. It was surreal. I had my Casio on me and looked at it a few times, but didn't really pay it much attention. I slowed fractionally after 800m or so to join a group with some guys I knew would be aiming for 65-67 pace (the group in front was already heading away and I didn't want to work to hard in the crosswind that we had at that stage.
The pace felt right. As usual, I struggled/fell back on each hill bit caught the pack again on the downs. By five miles (the highest part of the course), the group started to fragment and I was pushing at the front while we began to catch stragglers from the group ahead.
The splits are a bit hard to interpret because of the hills and changing wind, but I sped up from 10-15K (1st 2 5K splits roughly 16.00, 3rd was 15.40ish) and overall my 2nd half was faster than my first by 24 seconds. At eight to nine miles there was another hill and, though we were catching more stragglers and I was still moving well, the two remaining guys in my group pushed on and gained about 20 seconds on me over a couple of miles.
At 10 miles my split was 50.55 and I knew 66 minutes something was possible if I really pushed. Added to that carrot, I could see Meucci (European 10,000 Silver medalist) looming ahead. I passed him just after 11 miles and buried myself all the way to the finish, knowing I was keeping the pace up despite the arrival of the rain and the return of the crosswind (it had been behind us from about 6-10 miles).
As usual for me at the moment, I was left heaving from the effort as I crossed the line and fell on some convenient grass gently sobbing with delight. I would have been happy with 67-anything. 66.51 combined with the chance to meet (I chatted to him v briefly afterwards) and race Bekele was just magical.
I think I've written more than necessary. But I think in about ten years I will re-read this and still smile.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment