Conflans 10 km - Fin d'Oisienne

Today was the big day. As I wrote during the week, I wasn't aiming for the fastest time today but just to race against François-Xavier and to see how we were both faring up.

I picked Nick up to go to the race and after picking up our numbers we went for a 2km warm-up run around the short loop of the course. It was a lovely day: sunny, totally blue sky, little breeze and not too warm. We met F-X half an hour before the race started and had a quick pre-race chat about our physical condition, as runners always do. He was in fine form mentally but suffering physically from a slight stomach upset. He told me that the race was to count officially in our challenge series for which the score currently stands at 1-1 (Conflans 15km for him last year and Paris marathon for me in April). I'd been nervous about this race all week since our last race together in Vincennes in July where he beat me by about 20 seconds but luckily for me had decided that it wasn't to count prior to running.

We lined up with another runner from St Germain, Bruno, who I'd been training with this week. I was fairly sure that he would beat me but he told me he was aiming for a time around 38 minutes which I was hoping to beat. The gun went off and all 200 runners surged forward pushing against the elastic which the starter had forgotten to drop before firing. He fired again 8 seconds later to signal a false start. This was the first ever false start I'd ever seen for a 10 km race and we were all laughing about this as we lined up again. The gun went again and this time we were off.

I followed F-X for about 500m in a small group of 5 or 6 runners at an easy pace. For once, I felt I had not gone out at full blast and the pace suited me fine. I pulled along side him and started leading the little group. Bruno had gone past and was about 30 metres in front in another small group and the distance between the 2 groups was constant. I hadn't wanted to lead as my race tactics were just to stay with F-X and race him rather than the clock. However, my zeal got the better of me and I settled into a pace that suited me fine.

We completed the first loop of 2km in 7:15 as one of the marshals was shouting out the times as we passed. Anastasia, F-X's wife, cheered us on as we went past and so I still felt the pressure from F-X knowing that he was in the group waiting for his chance to take the lead. At this point, I thought back to last year when I was already a minute slower at the same stage. What an improvement a year's training makes.

I maintained the pace now, feeling strong in my legs and not too breathless. The kilometres passed and I didn't look at the Garmin, just hitting the lap button at each kilometre marker. I had set the virtual partner at 3:45 per km pace but I was too busy concentrating on the race to bother looking at it. We finished the second loop and Anastasia cheered as we went past again, heading towards the 6 kilometre marker. One loop to go and it'd be over. This thought encouraged me and I pushed the pace up the very slight inclines, trying to split the group. This was effective and although I never looked behind me (I didn't want to give any form of encouragement ot F-X!) and knew that there were only 1 or 2 who were still there.

At around 8.5 km footsteps approached very quickly, just as I was beginning to tire slightly. A quick glance to my right and I saw with relief that it wasn't F-X. I let this runner go past but accelerated at the same time to keep with him. We caught another runner who was tiring badly and then the last slope appeared heading up to the stadium. 700 metres to go now, so I pushed on again overtaking the guy who had come past and trying to lose him up the hill. A last effort into the stadium and another acceleration to the finish line to see the clock at 37:20. I passed the line and stopped my watch: 37:27. Personal best and 10km objective beaten. I was ecstatic.

I congratulated Bruno who had finished one place in front, 20 seconds ahead and then looked around for F-X. He wasn't there. I had run the whole race thinking that he was on my shoulder and he had actually dropped back after 3 km finding the pace too fast after his semi last weekend.

He finished in 39:20 and Nick just after in 39:40. Nick was pleased with his time for the first race of the season. I've now got to decide on my next objective for the distance - what a pleasant dilemna !

Thoroughly chuffed with the result and just wondering where I finished in the veteran category as this was my first race as a V1. Looking forward to beating my objective in the marathon next.

Splits went as follows: 3:34, 3:39, 3:46, 3:44, 3:39, 3:48, 3:55, 3:49, 3:26, 4:03.
Last 2 are peculiar as 9km marker was too optimistic by a 100 metres in my opinion. Total for 2 is 7:29 which puts pace at 3:45/ km in line with the rest of the course. Very steady running.