Portland 10mile race

Dave Pearson’s tale of mid-field rivalry

Having run the Blandford Bridges 10k in 45min-plus, I decided to improve my pace over each mile aiming ultimately for 6:30min, so I have been running faster than my current race pace over short distances and will continue to increase the distance over time, at present I can run 7:15min miles over 10k.

Entering the Portland 10 I hoped to run some fast mile times near to 7min, but also wanted to race against Ian Kennedy with whom I had a evenly matched encounter with in the Wessex Ridgeway race earlier on in the year, I beat him on the first leg and he beat me on the second run of the day ending with similar overall times! I come from a sprinting background and he comes from endurance, two totally different angles of attack for the same result. Interesting, eh!

We lined up on the start line together and his words of wisdom were ‘Do not get sucked along at too fast a pace by the leaders’. The gun went and within 400m I was stretching out ahead with a big dose of ego, etc.

The first mile was run in 6:45min, too fast considering it was mostly up hill climb, so I relaxed for Mile 2 which took 6:21min to complete. Way too fast, but it was down hill. Mile 3 was 7:31min and a better time for me. Mile 4 was uphill and hurt, 8:18min, I held my position in the running group. Mile 5, 8:14min, was down hill and I lost position within the group, but I needed to recover anyway. This was much too slow, so I started to push again heading out towards the lighthouse at Portland Bill enjoying the views etc. Miles 6-7 completed in 13:30ish overtaking the group I dropped off from earlier.

I was running well but feeling tired. In Mile 7 you come to the lighthouse and turn round and run in the opposite direction passing the chasing runners, there was Ian about half a mile behind and running well! I did mile 8 in 8:40min climbing uphill and hurting like crazy! Mile 9, and I was in trouble big time! Anything that moved (and some that didn’t) overtaking me. I had hit the wall!!! Every runner that overtook me was one less between myself and Ian, Mile 9 was completed in 9:29min.

The last mile was all up hill, the legs shot, and the will to run anymore all gone! I was running and walking, spectators encouraged me onwards with the finish line in sight, Ian must have been closing me down fast! I crossed the line, my last mile was a 10:30min one (1hr 19.47min – total), I grabbed a drink turned around and Ian had just finished (1hr 20.27min) less than 400m behind me. 10miles and nothing between us, so I will call it a draw!

Watch this space as the next re-match is the Sturminster Half Marathon.

 

Dave Pearson