Run 18: Flitwick 10km

Sunday, 17th April 2016 (10:30am)

 

Well advertised by Tesco

Run number 18 took me to the little town of Flitwick in Bedfordshire. The event itself was very well advertised locally; you couldn't walk in to a local shop without seeing the poster somewhere (in fact, I wouldn't have known about the run if not for the great advertising.) As serendipity would have it, I was in Aylesbury the night before for a birthday party, so combining the weekend with the Flitwick 10km was perfect.

The event itself is organised by the Flitwick and Ampthill Flyers who really outdid all expectations I had of the event. The collection point was incredibly well-staffed and the course was professionally marshalled by the many volunteers all throughout the winding run through nearby villages. Much like the Glynneath 5 Mile, there was an incredibly friendly atmosphere as if old (and new) friends were coming together for a fun little jog around the local villages.

Hordes of local running clubs catching up and chatting

While waiting for the run to start, I saw a great deal of uniform running shirts, different running clubs from the local area; Flitwick Flyers, Bedford somethings, Leighton Buzzard something elses, this and that A.C, and so on. I looked for the garish red, white and black striped running top of my own kind of but not really running club, the Saint Edmund Pacers but didn't see any. I had, in fact, in all the hurry to make sure I had my costume for the party the night before forgotten to pack my own Diabetes UK running top and wig. I was beside myself with panic. I felt naked running in my normal t-shirt. As a compromise and to affirm that I was still running for a good cause and not just running, I made myself a little sign to wear on my back.

Unfortunately not enough people run and text nowadays so I received no new donations!

There were over 700 participants in this year's Flitwick 10km and the race began with the similar mad scramble to get past all the slower runners. There was a lot of support in the streets too, before the run went out in to the back-country roads. I was worried - mostly because I'd bought shiny new trainers but also because it is my weakness - that the run would go cross-country and I would have to slip and slide in mud, but the course was entirely over roads (apart from the last 30 metres or so). These roads were well marshalled and diversions were expertly put in place during the event.


Beautiful day for a run said 700-odd people

Having been training for the London marathon at a slower pace, I pushed myself in to race-pace (closer to 7 minute miles than my 9 minute marathon training miles). Owing to an increase in training, a much slightly fitter body, new running shoes or an increase in adrenaline, I ran the first few kilometres with no problems at all. In fact, there were no problems to speak of - except the hills!

The route took us up and down quite a number of elevations and the hardest part wasn't running UP the hills per se, but controlling momentum on the way down. There were a lot of hills but for some reason, they didn't pose the same problems they would have a few months ago - were they nice hills? Maybe.

At 5k, I noticed I was hitting 23 minutes and, feeling my body wasn't in too much pain, decided to push myself to try and hit a good time. My marathon training has made me an energy gel junkie so I popped some of the good stuff at 6k and pushed on forward, hitting the last kilometre particularly hard and sprinting the last few hundred metres (being careful not to slip in the mud at the end).

As I rolled past the finish line, I forgot to look at the clock but shortly after completion (mere seconds after) I received a text message stating my time was 44:06 - which means I smashed my Personal Best by 22 seconds!

Surely the donations for Diabetes UK will come rolling in now?

My only gripe about the run was that there were no medals at the end - but I did get a shiny new running t-shirt (perfect for those runners who realise they left their running top at home!)



Well chuffed with my new t-shirt (and the PB is good too)!