Monday, 19 June 2017

Race Report - Caerphilly 10k

Hot... I could do this report with a single word... HOT.

But I'm vaguely professional so I won't!

So yesterday, it was time for my short notice entry into the wonderful Caerphilly 10k, twice the elevation of Treforest! Due to the late entry for both me and my oldest we had to pick up numbers on the day... I don't that often go into pre-race organisational stuff, but today I am. It was horrendous!

Long queues, unhelpful  marshals (and also some super-helpful one who pretty much fixed the whole situation) ensured the junior race was late going. I queued along with daughter right up until the start and just about got her turned around and pinned up. She had teh worlds shortest warm up and was off. On the plus side she ran well considering the pre race stress and heat taking 4 minutes of her time from last year. Bravo girl.

Then it was my turn to queue, the wife did most of it, me taking over once the juniors finished and I'd located the child. I get to the front, give my name (keenly aware of less than 15 minutes til the start), to be told they've not got me as the print outs start at the end of D (after Driscoll!) so they need the laptop... which is broken...

I stand there and wait, hearing the announcer trying to get people to start getting in the pens, until they give up trying to fix said laptop and give me a brand new number, I grabbed and ran (no warm up for me!) but got to the start on time, if a little further back than I'd have liked.

So the race...

I thought it was too hot at the start... as soon as we were off, I knew it. This combined with the course having very little flat on it... joy! 

It starts with a climb, there's a climb in the final k and there's a climb at half way I didn't even remember from last year. The route is fine apart from that, all closed or part closed roads and well marshaled. 2 water stations were very welcome but I shot myself in the foot losing my energy gel in the frantic run around before the start.

Cheers for the photo Sian!
At 7k (the above is at about 9) I honestly contemplated giving up, but I appear to have grown some determination from somewhere!

Also god bless the people out with hoses!!

I didn't do a prview for this and that's a good thing as my targets moved when I realised how hot it was. They were: A: 46 (which I moved in my head to 48) B: 50 (beat last years 50:50) C: 52.

So how did I do:


I'll take that. I really will, 2 mins off last year and lost 32 stone of fluid based body weight on the way round...

Did I mention it was hot?

On to Swansea Half next weekend where I will pay cash if someone can arrange some cloud cover...

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