I have done a lot of runs by myself or raced others but still on my own. The Sheffield 10k was different. I would be running with Fi to get her a 10km PB. Both being at the University of Sheffield at the time, me as an employee and Fi as a PhD student, we decided to sign up and fundraise for Motor Neurone Disease Research.
We lined up in the milling throng around the 1:10 pacer, Fi’s target for the day. Before we knew it we were off, immediately being funnelled into the narrow, barrier lined road that marks the start of the run. And no sooner than we started we were walking again as the hundreds of runners around us squeezed through the narrow gap. This is the worst part of the Sheffield races is if you’re not near the front, you will inevitably have to walk once you have passed the timer, adding valuable seconds off your official time.
The route starts down Arundel gate, skirts by the Moor, up Ecclesall Road to Hunters Bar Roundabout, along Rustlings Road to Riverdale and down Brocco Bank, before returning the way you came back down Ecclesall Road. Fi ran very well, moving to just in front of the pacers and only going faster from there. Outwards is pretty much all uphill, with the steepest section just before halfway. We had a steady pace which slowed in accordance with the hills, and then ramped up the speed on the downhill return. Despite a brief stint of walking at the steepest section, Fi managed to muster a surge of speed towards the finish, reaching 4:00/km in the final hundred or so metres. This surprised me and it is the reason she stepped over the line a full two seconds before me. I didn’t expect it and couldn’t negotiate the crowd quick enough to match her lightning pace. This got her a new PB over 3 minutes more than the target at 1:06:24.
(I may update this entry as and when I remember more…)
Stats
Elapsed time: 1:06:26
Moving time: 1:06:26
Distance: 10km
Elevation: 115m
Average Pace*: 6:36/km
Average Speed*: 9.1kmph
Average HR: 138bpm
*from moving time