Dead Runners society race report
"Mota-vation" race number 1,
Charlton-on-Otmoor, 4 miles 31 yards - thursday 4th May
2000.
Here's the report on my first race as
part of the Oxford running scene as I entered a midweek race
series.
Tony here in Oxford (back to the beautiful
Shelley in Cambridge tomorrow :-)) after doing his first race in Oxford which
didn't involve university competition. Kidlington Road Runners, one of the local
clubs here in Oxford, organise a 5 race summer 4 mile series around Oxford and
tonight was the first one of the year. I travelled with one of my Mansfield Road
Runners (OU staff running club) colleagues out to the little village of
Charlton-on-Otmoor about 5 miles north of Oxford for this race. We arrived in
plenty of time and paid a pound for the privilege of parking in a bumpy field
before getting our race numbers.
About 15 minutes before the start on with
the race gear and jogged out to the start. I did about a mile jogging before the
race to warm up, a bit chilly before the start as it was a rather cool and windy
night. My back was feeling rather sore as I started the warm up although it
eased off a little as I jogged. Off to the start, there looked like a good turn
out, about 150-200 runners including at least 8 from MRR. I deliberately lined
up near the back, after going off far too fast in my last 2 races I didn't want
to go off too hard this time.
Bang and off we went, immediately started to
work my way through as we ran through the village to start our tour of the
country lanes. Felt reasonably good as I gradually picked up the pace and worked
my way through, 1 mile in 6.38 and feeling reasonably good. Kept working my way
through, I could see one of my wednesday lunchtime training partners ahead and I
had visions of catching him (but I didn't). By 2 miles (12.59/6.21) my position
had come to some sort of equilibrium. I had caught MRR member Everard, a very
good V60 runner by now but he gradually pulled away after that. By now my back
was feeling sore and I was feeling rather tired but I kept pushing on. Now
running in a bunch with a lady in red and yellow and a young man in red and
yellow, tough going to hang on, we were gradually closing on a young lady in
blue. 3 miles in 19.32/6.33, very tired by now, hanging onto the bunch but only
one more mile left. Really tough into the wind in the last mile, got ahead of
the young man but the red/yellow lady just got ahead. Now running with the blue
lady back into the village, passed an older runner in yellow and black in the
last 1/2 mile. Desperately hanging on for the finish now, I tried to speed up in
the last 1/4 mile but the blue lady zoomed away as we turned onto the sports
field to the finish, I got some encouragement from MRR eurodead Bob Wells as I
turned into the finish, Bob had finished well ahead of me. I couldn't raise much
of a sprint at the end. Crossed the line in 26.27 to finish the 4 miles 31 yards
race distance (this distance is certified accurate, why they couldn't move the
start or finish 31 yards to make it 4 miles is a mystery!!!!).
Very tired on
finishing, I would have preferred to have broken 26 minutes but I was satisfied
with my running today, I ran it pretty hard all the way. I think I went through
5km in about the same time (20.15) as the 5km I did in London on 31 March and
kept going for another 0.9 miles. Considering the cool windy conditions and my
sore back not a bad run. I jogged 1/2 mile very slowly back to the car to
recover. I think I shall do more of these races during the summer although some
summer weather wouldn't go amiss for the next one.
bye tony.....
Dr Tony Bell
Tony@shells.demon.co.uk
tony.bell@chemistry.oxford.ac.uk
Weekends - Milton, Cambridgeshire. Midweek,
Dept of Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford University.
<http://www.shells.demon.co.uk/tonyweb.html>
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