Exeter 10k 2019

I had high hopes of a PB going into Exeter 10k. My training had been going well and on the day, the weather was much cooler than the previous days.

This race was essentially preparation for the following week’s 5000m track race. However, as I hadn’t ran a fast and flat 10k for over 2 years, I was targeting a big time.

In my head I was convinced I could go sub 39mins which, given my current PB is 39.52, would be a big chunk of time to take off.

Exeter Quay

I arrived for the race in good time and made my way to race HQ. It was located in a lovely part of Exeter, on the quayside and along the river.

With a restaurant, bar and several rowing & kayaking places nearby there was a nice buzz about the area. I was pleased to see it start raining but it didn’t last and by the time I was out doing my warm up the sun was out and it was getting warmer. This was not ideal.

Once I’d done my warm up and drills I made my way to the start line. During the race brief before the start I found out it was a 2 lap course. I don’t know why I didn’t notice this before but I hate laps!

They also reminded us of a section of the course which was on “uneven ground”. I assumed that this was just a gravel surface or something but I would soon find out I was completely wrong.

Making a strong start

After the race brief we were off. I managed to make a pretty strong start and felt ok running at the planned pace. The first few km were on cycle paths but we were soon on what the event organisers described as “uneven ground”.

What it actually consisted of was a dirt track absolutely full of potholes of all different shapes and sizes. It was a nightmare to run on fast.

Everyone was weaving in and out, trying to find the best path through it. I think I might have pushed a bit too hard while trying to navigate this section while maintaining my pace. It wasn’t long into the second lap that I was starting to blow harder than I’d have liked.

Before I knew it I was back in “pothole valley” again. I managed to find a slightly straighter route through the second time round but I was struggling by this point. I was hurting physically and my mind was telling me to back off and take it easy.

It’s not often my mind gets the better of me in a race but I just couldn’t push any harder. When the 40min pacer went past I knew any PB attempt was long gone.

It’s all about the bigger picture

At this point I was tempted to back off completely and just jog it in but that’s not my style. Go hard or go home right?! I gave everything I had to try to catch a couple of people in front of me but I couldn’t get my legs moving quick enough.

I then saw the clock at the finish line and was determined to get in under 41mins but I crossed the line in 41mins flat.

Don’t get me wrong, its a great time but I was expecting more of myself. The potholes definitely made a massive difference, not just to me but to most runners by the sounds of it. The heat also played its part.

For me though, the hardest thing to take was how I seemed to tank it after about 6-7k in. My splits went from 6.20/30 pace for the first 4 miles to 7.00 for the last 2.

I’m not going to lie, I spent the following 24 hours over analysing my performance. What went wrong, was I even that fit, what could I have done differently etc. but none of that matters.

This was never a goal race. That comes next week in Bristol and this will only make me stronger for that race. Sometimes races just don’t go to plan, you never know what’s going to happen on the day. What I do know, is that sometime soon, that PB will be broken.

Enjoying Exeter

Now that the hard work was done I soaked up the surroundings before I left. I was desperate for more water to put in my protein shake. With no shops nearby I called into the Rockfish fish restaurant.

I was still in full running kit and covered in sweat but with no other options I asked if they sold bottles of water. They didn’t but the staff there kindly got me a jug of water despite knowing I wasn’t coming in to eat.

It was a lovely gesture in a really nice part of Exeter that I will definitely return to with my family one day.

As for the race itself, it was well organised with a decent level of support for a small midweek race. The pothole situation is totally out of the organisers hands and it didn’t ruin the overall experience of the race for me.

I may well even go back next year providing the potholes have gone haha!

Now its back to the last bit of training before the 5000m track race in Bristol. I’m determined to put little expectation on myself and just try to enjoy my first track experience. Or at least as much as you can enjoy a 5k!