Wessex 10k
Booking Wessex 10k was a bit of a last minute decision. I had planned to run Totnes 10k on the Sunday but left it too late to enter. So with that race sold out, I entered Wessex 10k on the Saturday instead.
The race was held in Somerton in a small recreation ground. I travelled there on my own and didn’t know anyone else who was doing it. I did see Tracey, a fellow Burnham Harrier before the race though.
Once I’d collected my race number I did my warm up and got ready for the start.
More rough terrain
When I ran Exeter 10k two and a half weeks ago there was a 2k section of each of the two laps that had ridiculously uneven terrain. It was seriously tough to run on as you were dodging potholes left, right and centre.
So I feared the worst when during the race briefing they said there was a section of rough terrain. There was also a 1k long hill from 8k to look forward to.
Before travelling to the race I didn’t feel up for it at all to be honest. It was mainly due to having come off nights that morning so I was knackered. Once there and warmed up I felt much better but I tried to put thoughts of a PB out of my mind.
The plan was the same as Exeter, start out at 39min pace which is 6.17min per mile for the first 3 miles then try to push on. As I spoke about last time out, I seem to have the speed but have been lacking the speed endurance.
We were soon counted down to start and were off and running. I made a strong start and 1km in were heading downhill. It was a pretty rapid descent that gave us all an idea of the incline that awaited us at 8k.
I was flying along and feeling good when we came to the rough terrain. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as bad as it was at Exeter. It wasn’t great mind you but it was much more manageable. I caught and passed a few people during this section but my pace did drop a little.
The joys of a hilltop finish
Once out of the rough terrain we were about 5k in and I grabbed a cup of water at the drink station. I nearly choked on it but soon recovered. I really hate trying to drink out of a cup while running hard!
At this point I was still feeling ok but couldn’t get back down to the 6.17min pace let alone push on harder. So I more or less gave up on checking my watch and instead decided to focus on catching anyone I could that was in front of me.
It worked. I picked one guy off quite quickly then I focused on the next guy who was about 200m ahead of me. It took the next couple of km to catch him but I got there just at the start of the incline at 8k.
This is where my pace slowed but I persevered as best I could. Frustratingly, one of the guys I had previously passed went back past me as I reached the top. I was determined to stay with him though so pushed on to stay with him.
He had the same thoughts as me, to push on in the last km and as we approached the finish we both went for it but I couldn’t quite catch him.
My official time was 40.26 so no PB but a big 34 seconds off of my time at Exeter. More importantly I felt fitter and stronger throughout the race than I did at Exeter. It’s a sign the hard work is starting to pay off and I’m building my speed endurance back up.
What’s next
What I love about running is the community itself. When I crossed the line, the guy who just pipped me at the finish and the guys who weren’t far behind me all shook my hand and vice versa. We then had our own little race debrief. I love that having never met we all just openly chat about the race and what we all struggled with etc.
As for the event itself, it was really good. The location and facilities were good for a relatively small race, the marshals were good and the medal was epic. And we all know I love a good medal!
So moving on, I have nothing else booked for the rest of August. My next race hopefully being Bridgwater half marathon on 1st September. I say hopefully as I’m currently on call on that day so if I can’t get it covered it will be fingers crossed I don’t get called in!
Until then it will be back to training hard. This will be more difficult than usual as I’m doing extra shifts over the next few weeks but it is what it is. Onwards and upwards!
