This was the fourth time I have run the 10K at the Milton Keynes Festival of Running. It wasn't my fastest time but it could have been. For some reason I only arrived at the start ten minutes before race time. I could have made my way closer to the front, except I met Lynne, a friend from our village. So I had a nice chat with her and her husband who wasn't running.
So when we started, we must have near the back of the 1300 runners. This meant I had a very slow first mile (9.35 pace) where I lost a minute trying to pass the slower runners. And then a (probably) too fast next two miles (8.30 pace) trying to make up time. The first four miles are overall slightly downhill so I needed to be ahead of schedule before the uphill section.
All I know is that at 8K my legs and heart rate were telling me no more fast stuff. In the end I finished in 56 minutes 48 seconds (9.08 pace), my second fastest of the four, my fastest being four years ago. If not for that slow start, I may have made it a PB under 56 minutes. But I would much rather have stopped to talk to Lynne.
When the results arrived, I actually found I was first (out of five) in my 70+ age group, so I was very pleased with that. And 432 out of 1321 finishers, so within the top third. (All the above just for future reference).
It was great that Alison came to support me, seeing people from her club running and supporting, Lynne before and after the race and the nice couple we talked to in Patisserie Valerie where we went for lunch.
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