Here is my report for the Newcastle Under Lyme 10K which I ran today.
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| Liz with only a few hundred yards to go at the Newcastle 10K |
What
can I say, the weather was absolutely fabulous, just ideal for a nice
10K run. I felt really good as it was the first time I wore my shorts
and vest and sunglasses on in one hit.
The
start was moved this year, a few hundred yards to the main entrance of
Newcastle Under Lyme College. There was no entries on the day but
there was chip timing this year. As I stood on the start line I saw a
few familiar faces. This race is always a tough one because it is hilly
and then there’s the dreaded black bank. That goes on for about a mile
and you feel as if you are going to shake hands with God at the end of
it. Soon the 3, 2,1 shout started us all off and then it was a sharp
turn towards the black bank. A few of the “F” runners which I normally
pass were sprinting ahead of me. At this point I thought I should have
perhaps saved my energy yesterday and rested instead of doing a work out
at the gym. Ah well I know the race and knew what was ahead of me.
As I
got to the top of black bank my old buddy Malcolm was just passing me
so I had someone to work on. I kept a steady pace on this undulating
course and at 6K Sue from Cheshire Harriers caught up with me. We
played a game of cat and mouse for the next 4 Ks with me leading and
then Sue coming past me. I could see Malcolm up in front and willed my
little legs to go faster but alas I could not get him today.
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| Liz still smiling at 6km |
The
good part of this race is that the last 3 K is on a shingle and tarmac
path so you can pick up a bit of speed. I got home in a time of 57
minutes, knocking a minute off last years’ time.
I’d
recommend this race but note it is hilly and you can’t really compare
it to your normal 10K time. It’s well organised and you get your
t-shirt beforehand so you don’t have to hang around.
For more information visit the Newcastle 10k website.
Liz