Strathcarron Hospice 10k – 4.10.09
I’d earmarked this race a while ago as a marker on my ½ marathon training, and to see how my speed had developed through training (cheers to all at Bert’s group for pulling me along!).
This was actually my first 10k of the year (and my first since Leeds a few years ago) and I was optimistically looking to break 40min for the first time – but hesitant in my belief that this is the hardest distance to race.
How best to approach a 10k – flat out for 6.2 miles? Or try and find a steady pace, a la ½ marathon style, but quicker? It’s something I am still to resolve, but the race went like this:
Strathcarron Hospice, for those that don’t know it, is situated in Denny, just south of Stirling. I took my place along with 500-odd others on the start line, as well as Michael from Porty who we’d given a lift through.
Michael, by the time we’d made it to the start line, had begun to click that I’m a bit of a moan pre-race (I wasn’t content that the sun was shining, and wanted a bit of drizzle to go with a lack of wind) and I think he was glad to get started and away from me!
The race begins from Denny High School, taking a left up in to the town centre, and basically heading up hill for the first kilometre and a half. The first km dropped by in 3min 23secs, a little too fast, but I thought I’d be well on for a sub-40. The second km came in at 3min 40secs, so I was working hard, but the uphills continued for the next 3km.
By this point the sun was beating down too, which wasn’t ideal, and I was wishing I’d stuck on the sun-glasses. Although the race scenery is essentially just round the houses before dropping back in to Denny via the A883, the nature of the 10k meant we weren’t looking about too much anyway.
By 7km I was struggling a wee bit with back pain, but consulting the watch was still on pace, and heading for 38min. I had to dig in at this point, but felt relatively confident. I could see Michael up ahead about a minute away, looking very relaxed.
We turned the dog-leg at 9km at 34min dead. And this was where the bad news kicks in! All the club runners at the end were having a good, justified moan, as the distance of the last ‘kilometre’ was way out. Despite running just under 4min k’s all the way round, this last one took 6minutes! My pace may have dropped, but not that dramatically.
So, I crossed the line at 40min, a bit disappointed, but a PB all the same. Still, I know I can break that time, so I’m looking forward to the next race.
Michael had come in at 39min, and declared that he had enjoyed it – and I guess you can’t ask for more than that. The weather held post-race too, so we made our way back to Edinburgh in the sunshine.
A thank-you to the race organisers (although a clock wouldn’t have gone amiss at the end) and a special thank-you to the marshals, who were numerous and very friendly. To sum up – a strange race, relatively hilly and very low-key, that keeps me ticking over for the Jedburgh ½ marathon. I would recommend it as a race, but maybe not at the expense of something like Oban or Loch Ness.
Report Phil Owens
