Templeton Woods 10 Mile Race 6/11/05
It was a bit of a last minute decision to head up to Dundee for the 10 mile road race. I was running out of long sleeved tops, so thought that a trip to Dundee was in order. Karen and I travelled with Alan. We arrived in plenty of time to change and got on the bus to take us to the start. The bus parked about a mile away from the start so we had a decent warm up along an extremely muddy track. I’m not sure why I was avoiding the puddles as by the time we reached the finish, everyone looked as if they had waded through a mud bath. I was pretty confident a PB was on the cards for me as when I ran it in 2001, my time was 85 minutes.
The race was about 15 minutes late starting which wasn’t ideal but I soon forgot about that and began to remember how hilly this particular route is. After the initial downhill stretch it is pretty much up hill for the first 3 miles. I was worried when I reached the 1 mile point at 6.42, but felt strong so decided to ‘stick in there and dig in’ (to quote Graham Henry). I could see Karen ‘Torque’ Young and Alan ‘I’ve got more trainers than Run and Become’ Aitchison ahead of me and to my surprise I was closing on Alan. I managed to overtake him and spent the rest of the race worrying whether I could keep ahead. Had I gone too fast at the start and was I going to crash and burn?
Fortunately I managed to hold the pace and I felt the benefit of the club hill sessions in just about every mile. The weather was perfect for us, cool and dry although the ground was far from it at the end. The final km had changed from the last time I ran this race. We ran past the start and then along a muddy forest track which seemed to last forever. I managed to overtake a few people on the track without slipping over, finishing in 72m 47 seconds and Alan finished close behind. Karen of course was already there to meet us, although I was disappointed she hadn’t managed to shower, change and get back to the finish line with the camera.
Apart from achieving a PB, the highlight of the day had to be the long sleeved tops which were available in a choice of sizes! After a hot shower and a fantastic spread of sandwiches, cakes and soup, we waited for the prize giving. Karen was 2nd vet and won a £20 voucher, not bad for a last minute entry for £8.
Another great day out and unfortunately my last race of the year I reckon. At least I am going out on a high, knocking 13 minutes off my previous PB for the course.
Karen Young 71.55
Sally Scott 72.47
Alan Aitchison 74.42
Report and photos Sally Scott
