Ever since signing up to a team alongside fellow Wymondham AC club mates David Powles, Gareth Seville and Jamie Harris for the Great Stampede, I knew I had to be a little careful in a flat out 5K so soon.
But I couldn’t resist – part of me likes the temporary pain/deep discomfort of a 5K whilst I’ve been learning to love the grind of a marathon.
I certainly wouldn’t really recommend anyone doing a flat out 5K effort so soon but then again, I find these kinds of events great fun… and that’s ultimately what we’re all in this for, aren’t we (although I’m guilty of forgetting that sometimes!)
My legs felt a little tired, but everything felt pretty strong still and I’m pleased so far with how I’ve recovered (even managing to avoid the cold that seemingly EVERYONE has at the moment).
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I think a lot to do with that is the nature of being thrust back into daily routine life so soon afterwards – it’s felt like there hasn’t been a great deal of time to digest what happened in Berlin.
I’ve been meaning to take some time to write down what I felt went right and wrong about the training block towards Berlin and the weekend itself. If I don’t do it soon then I’m worried I may forget!
I’ve also hugely prioritised the strength and conditioning side of things since all the Achilles trouble I had midway through the year. I actually quite enjoy doing it now; not being able to run is still fresh enough in my mind that I’ll just about do anything if it means I can keep training and running with friends.
That’s what Sunday was all about at the Stampede, once again superbly organised by the Norfolk Gazelles. This has become one of my favourite events, offering the chance to run in a team of friends with plenty of cheer points around the Norfolk Showground course.
I was on the anchor leg to ‘bring home the win’ in the words of team skipper David Powles…
As I stood waiting for Gareth to complete his leg, I really didn’t know how my legs were going to feel. It had been a long time since I had undertaken a sustained 5K effort with intensity.
However, inspired by my wife Alison’s sub three-hour marathon at Berlin the previous weekend, I wanted to gamble and see what was in the tank. It’s been a long time since I’ve made myself properly uncomfortable during any sort of run.
In a bizarre twist of fate, I went off too fast. I glanced at my watch to see that my pace was around the 3:41 minutes per kilometre pace… spicy (for me).
The Showground loop is pretty fast but for one slight incline and the fact there are a few corners to negotiate which can interrupt your rhythm and momentum.
I felt pretty good on the first of the three loops; keeping pace with a young lad next to me and I thought how I wish I could have run like him when I was his age.
He eventually dropped away, and I was left to start picking my way through runners whilst the odd rapid competitor would also burn past me.
I managed to maintain pace in kilometres two and three at around 3:44, undoubtedly helped by the awesome cheer zone on the course.
Then comes crunch time in any 5K race – kilometre four. Suddenly it felt like a grind and my legs weren’t turning over as easily as they were a few minutes before.
I tried not to let myself think of my efforts in Berlin the previous weekend; I didn’t want to give myself an excuse to slow.
The fourth kilometre clocked in at 3:53, slower but not a disaster by any means. The fifth kilometre normally takes care of itself; the end was in sight and as I came through the cheer zone for the final time I knew that a sub 19-minute timing was on. It was going to be close though.
I gave it everything on that home straight and as I crossed the finish line I desperately searched for a patch where I could slump to the ground.
I recovered my senses enough to take a look at my Garmin: 19:01.
I hadn’t quite managed it, but I had taken a few seconds off my personal best and you can never be too disappointed at a new PB, can you?
It has helped keep the fire burning bright although I know I still need to take it relatively easy for the next week or so to properly recover from the marathon.
If I can exercise a bit of patience then I know I can make more progress but there isn’t any need to be greedy and rush things.
But it’s certainly time to start thinking of some more goals for 2024…
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