Saltwell 10K

Saturday, December 22, 2012

David Brown

I woke up ready for this race, I’d managed to fend off any bugs, and legs were rested from the hilly Poultry Run the previous week. I arrived at Saltwell fairly early to give time to park, and did intend to have a slow jog to warm myself up, and watch the early race finishing. The weather, however, had different ideas. Rain had arrived, in bucket loads, and it did not look like stopping. It also brought with it a fine wind, which nipped and whipped the face, ears, legs, everything.

I headed straight to the registration, the 50 yard walk from the car was enough to soak me through, and it was proper rain, good old North East weather. Resigned to the fact I couldn’t get any wetter, I stood in line, got my number and race chip. I then proceeded to attempt to attach said number and chip, whilst drenched, glasses steamed, in a crowded room with 300 other runners all elbowing for space. But all with raised spirits.

David.
photo courtesy and © Sportypix

I’ve ran around Saltwell park many times, but never ran this race. So I was aware of the ups and downs. We were shepherded into a back lane of sorts, like confused sheep, all facing different directions, bouncing up and down trying to keep warm, good friendly banter from all sides. A muffled announcement crackled over a megaphone, and we set off on the 3.5 laps.

I set off far too fast, following the herd as we roller coasted up and down the winding sharp path, by the time we had finished the first lap I had a word with myself and settled into a pace. The rain hammered as we ran, puddles and mud formed obstacles, and we kept swimming. An error with my watch meant I had no idea what time I was on, so I struggled to find my pace, also I had to remove my glasses, so I was essentially running blind. By the end of the 2nd lap I started to feel good, I was running steady, strong and comfortable. The sharp corners and slippery descent from the wet leaves meant you couldn’t pick up much speed, and what speed you did have was soon haltered as you hit the hills.

I was aware of shouts and encouragement from fellow Striders as I ran the course, and looked forward to hearing them as I ran each lap. It really made the difference and their voices were very welcome in such dismal conditions.

We undulated for 3 laps, before a final detour took us around the lake, allowing for a sprint finish. A carrier bag containing a miniature whisky & glass was thrust into our hands as we crossed the line. Like good old British we then stood very politely in a queue, in the mud, to collect our race time. I was very happy with my time of 47:54, a PB for me over 10k. A great race to end the year.

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