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In the short run
Having started back again training with Lewes AC (track and as of last week around the streets of Lewes too), when their plea went out for runners to sign up for a club event at Hickstead (turn up and run and you earn the club a point ..) I felt I should show willing. I even contemplated doing the Twitten Run first and then hightailing over for the 5 mile flat route. But wiser heads prevailed. (Not mine I should make clear.)
So I merely showed my face - enjoyed a superb Ground Coffee flat white - took pic of CharlieCat and David Stacey (only duo on the TR this morning with regulars running elsewhere or overseas) - and then set off on the short 20 min drive to England's premier show jumping course.
Organised by Haywards Heath Harriers, this is part of the West Sussex Fun Run League (the F word is misleading) which is taken pretty seriously by local clubs competing for the league title. Lewes AC have been edging it over Burgess Hill for the last 8 races or so, both having sufficient members turning out to gain maximum appearance points, and Lewes just having slightly quicker top 6.
My first time in a club vest and meeting up with fellow team members beforehand I felt more nervous than I had expected. (The only person using iPhone rather than Garmin this tipped me towards that route for recording things in future ...) Other clubs have flags to mark their gathering points - Lewes just gets on with it, which is quite nice. Plus our red and yellow-stripe tops are the best looking. However, running in a vest is unfamiliar, so I had running T underneath.
Having run a full HM+ in training my legs were a little tired and foot a little sore. I convinced myself I merely needed to get round - times were irrelevant. But of course I wanted to put in a good performance.
Quite a bunched start, I tried to keep up with the Lewes AC club coach who is just coming back from hernia op: "You'll probably go faster than me today" he said. Bad mistake for me to believe that.
The first 3k were good - I felt fine, and there was a group of runners moving ahead and behind each other, including a Burgess Hill group whom I looked at and thought I could beat over the 8k.
The course was over grass and compared to any Lewes route virtually flat - with one sloping section up a field.
But at around 3k I felt myself going backwards. The Burgess Hill crew started leaving me. Other runners passed me. My 26k yesterday was starting to tell.
An interesting psychological effect kicked in - as I had no idea what pace I was doing, but felt bad. I knew I would get round, but didn't want to give any more ground. So I set myself target of going quick for last K or so and trying to finish strong.
When a fellow Lewes AC runner past me I thought the plan was going to fail. But using the last uphill as a spur, I moved through the field (well I went past 5 people ..) and saw my fellow Lewes AC runner ahead. Pushing on and harder I caught up and with the BH runners in my sights I accelerated again.
Sadly I ran out of course (indeed it looks like the course was only 7.8km) before I could reach them, but a nice sprint finish with two other Stenning club runners led to handshakes and feeling of satisfaction as we passed the finish.
Looking at my runkeeper, I had logged just under 40 mins for the just under 8K - and averaged just over 5m per km. My slow pace was 5m20s - so it was all relative.
Slightly berating myself that I could have gone faster, overall pleased to have turned out and pushed myself hard over 8K after 26k yesterday.
I am now actually looking forward to future WSFRL events. I may even just wear the vest. And I will definitely aim to have a rest on the day before.
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