Easter was early this year and the weather was distinctly chilly. This was the fifth time I ran the Maidenhead Easter Ten that is always held on Good Friday. It was my third best time (1 hour 37 minutes 41 seconds), but probably my most pleasing as training had been interrupted by my dental surgery two and half weeks ago.
I ran to a plan, as near as I could get to 9 minutes 50 seconds a mile. A little faster in the first half, but keeping my heart rate around 150 bpm. It was this that pleased me most. My overall pace had increased above the 9.50 by miles eight and nine. However, as we come out of the last field crossing onto the main road of Woolacott Way, it becomes slightly down hill and you hit the nine mile mark. The last mile is on the main office park roads and for some reason I was able to increase my pace to, what I calculated later, well under nine minutes.
So, in the end, my overall pace was 9 minute 44 seconds per mile at an average heart rate of 158. But after my first place (out of five 70+) at Milton Keynes 10K, I was brought back to earth coming 7th out of 14 in this category. Compared with last year when I came 2nd out of only 5. Overall I came 974th out of 1,239 runners, outside the top two thirds compared with inside the top third at MK. But this race in a county championship and mainly attracts good runners.
But that last mile was amazing; perhaps not like other races, I had left something out on the course.
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