Conflans - 15km

The objectives were laid out. I knew the course and everybody turned up and then some. I managed 2 of my 4 objectives and am globally pleased with the end result.

I drove Nico to the race and he seemed to have fully recovered from his cold. He was obviously rested, not having run since Tuesday evening but what impact would the marathon have on his legs, his mental state, etc. We would soon find out.

Having looked at last year's results and even 2010, we figured that we had a fair chance with a team result too. Ilyes, Nico, myself then Gérald or François were all running and the first 4 counted for the team result. Gérald and François are both capable of running this distance under an hour which would normally put them in the top 30 places and leave us a chance of carrying off the trophy. Fred Poirier had turned up too and he was my main rival for the day and number 2 on my list of objectives.

It was a clod but sunny day. The temperature was somewhere around 5°C but there was little wind and it was actually quite pleasant in the sun. We went out for a quick warm-up with François and then lined up for the start. It only took a few minutes to get everybody in place and we knew that the standard of the race would be higher than in previous years.

The race started and there was a little pushing but I was soon able to sort myself out and get into my stride. I quickly noted where Fred, Nico and Ilyes were and then stuck to Fred as my main objective for the afternoon. The pace felt quick but since Fred has a habit of starting relatively conservatively, I had some doubts at the start as to whether I'd be able to stay with him. We'd have to wait and see. The course heads slightly downhill over the first kilometre but even so, when the Garmin beeped and showed 3:17, I thought I was a little too fast for the distance.

Nobody showed signs of easing and Fred overtook me here and gained a few metres but as soon as the road rose slightly uphill, he came back to me and we ran shoulder to shoulder. Nico had put some 25 metres on us already and was with a small group of 4 - 5 runners. I told myself that he was too strong to envisage making an effort to catch him and resigned myself to racing Fred instead.

As you can see from the course profile above we dropped down in the 3rd kilometre to the Seine, down a steep incline., In fact, this slope is so steep that you can't gain much time in terms of pace as you have to hold yourself back to stay in control. We went through kilometres 2 and 3 in 3:32 then 3:38. Along the flat stretch towards Conflans town centre now and the pace was steady at 3:33 and then in the 5th kilometre, we started the climb up towards the museum and the little park. The pace slowed here with a succession of 2 hills and Fred and I were still taking in turns to take the lead and apply the pressure on each other. Nico was a good 200m in front now and I figured that, bar a major mishap, I would not be able to catch him before the end.

We dropped back down to the river and I settled on finding a good pace to maintain for the next 6 kilometres. This pace was about 3:42 /km and I admit that I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going any faster. Last week, I'd been running at around 3:38 pace and I figured that I should be going faster. It was still cat and mouse with Fred along the Seine. He would surge ahead and then fall back as I ran steadily. He would come back at me and take the lead again - it was non-stop. At the same time that I was racing Fred, I noticed that Nico's group of runners was getting closer and the gap was narrowing. Not sufficient to give me hop of catching him, but narrowing nonetheless.

We turned back up the Sente des Laveuses, the steep 16% incline that leads back up to the plateau and the finish. Nico was just ahead, but as I began to climb the gap grew again and when we left the slope, the distance between us was back at around 100 - 120m. Fred took off again and I focused on following him, digging in deep to my reserves. I looked up and Nico was coming back rapidly, so rapidly that I was convinced that we would catch him. We went past the 13km marker and I told myself that I wanted this and I should have no regrets so I had to push now. I dropped Fred at this point and focused on Nico and another runner ahead. Unfortunately, Nico had caught back the other runner and although the gap was closing slightly, I wouldn't have enough distance to catch them both. 14 km and the stadium came into sight. I knew that there was 400m to do on the track inside the stadium and I tried to get within striking distance but it just wouldn't be. I was at 3:33 pace now to finish and I had 2 of my objectives in hand: a sub 56' race and beating Fred. Beating Nico and getting a podium would just have to wait another year.

Gérald finished just ahead of François in 1:01:XX and with a good race from Ilyes in 54:11, we picked up second team prize behind Conflans. This was always going to be tough and without Momo or Mustapha, it wasn't possible. I ended in 21 place in 55:39, 11 seconds behind Nico. 8th vet though with the first 3 going under 54' this year. The standard of the race was far beyond previous years wher my performance would have put me in the top ten and on the podium. Tough !

A great race and I was pleased with myself for having tried hard and having given everything. This must have been visible on my face because in the changing rooms afterwards, a guy came up to me and asked if I was a V3 runner (over 60!!!!). Cheers !

Conflans - 15km

I set out to do this race easily. It's not even been a week since I ran the marathon in Florence and I told Gérald that I would run with him to ensure his podium in the departmental challenge. He only needed to achieve 90 points to secure 3rd place which amounted to around 1:05 for the 15km, so the task was not arduous. I have to admit that I also had the objective set by Nick in the back of my mind: 58:13 for the 15km but this seemed well out of reach on the relatively tough course around Conflans, especially with 42km of racing in the legs and an improvement on last year's time of some 40 seconds.

The image above gives you the profile of the course with a steep downhill at the 3km mark and then 2 sharp uphills at 5km and then at 12km. The rest of the route follows the Seine up until the confluence with the Oise, where the course doubles back on itself and heads back to the start. I've run this race twice before and love the route through town, despite the hill, and the long straights by the river where you can set a rhythm and race properly. Last year was an epic ordeal though with a fresh layer of snow that fell in the morning prior to the race, making every corner a nightmare and the last lap of the stadium was reduced to one lane.

Photo from last year's race, heading back along the Seine around the 9km mark.












I lined up at the start this year with Gérald and it was a different kettle of fish altogether. The sun was out, the temperature was not too cold and there was only a strong breeze to spoil the conditions. We decided to take it easy and not to sprint off initially. This was indeed the case; for the first 200 metres at least. We then began passing runner after runner and when the Garmin beeped to indicate the first kilometre in 3:36 I shouted out to Gérald to ease up. We slowed slightly and I found a nice rhythm that I was happy with at about 3:45 pace. This was too much for Gérald though as he lacks a little race practice and training at the moment and dropped behind me. I felt bad for a milli-second before deciding that I was enjoying the run and the pace and that Gérald should use me to pull him along.

I was watching another runner Fred at this point who beat me last year by 5 metres (wearing red in the photo above). He was running well and we'd spoken before the race and I could see that he was in great shape and that the chances of staying with him this year were slight. I was encouraged by the fact that nobody was overtaking me and that, on the contrary, going uphill through Conflans, I was actually keeping up and overtaking others while reducing my stride and increasing the rhythm.

When we went around the turning point at 8km it was bliss. The strong breeze was now coming from behind, helping to push the pace and I stretched to make the most of this. I thought about the marathon and the necessity to maintain the pace no matter the different thoughts in my head about easing off as nothing was at stake. A quick look at the Garmin and a rapid calculation and I realised that I could actually beat the 58:13 target now, if I could maintain 4:00 pace average over the last few kilometres. Admittedly, there was the steep hill, la Sente des Laveuses, to manage but if I could speed up again after this, the record was on the cards.

Amazingly, everythhing went according to plan. I used a flagging runner to accelerate before the hill, overtaking him just at the foot and then leaving him rapidly before focusing my attention on another 2 runners just ahead. I never caught them but they pulled me unconsciously as we neared the stadium and the night of free beers was a feasible proposal.

A last sprint around the track and I crossed the finish line in 57:54 almost a minute faster than last year. What's more, I'd beaten the 58:13 target time set by Nick earlier this year. I'd achieved 4 out of the 5 targets, failing only in the half-marathon which I haven't run competively in 2011. Gérald finished 3 minutes behind, a broken man, in 1:00:48. He was so upset with his race that I wondered whether I should call suicide watch or not. The fact that he could have beaten his course record if he hadn't eased off completely over the last kilometre, letting another runner from our club come past, Charles, was beyond me. He felt that he'd hadn't run well enough to deserve to beat his own time, so he slowed. Gérald has a logic from another world so please don't try to understand. The fact is now that the counter shows a 7-0 victory in my favour and he'll have to pull his act together if he wants to get closer next year.

A great way to end my racing year for me. Really pleased with this final result.

Berges de Conflans - 15km

Some days you just don't want to know. You wake up and you feel under the weather. Something is not quite right: lack of sleep, onset of a cold, too much stress from work. Choose any one of these and then combine this with freezing temperatures and the onset of a heavy snowfall and the thought of heading out into the weather with a ball and chain of other woes and concerns and frankly, any alternative is more tempting.

Paul B. called me at 11:30 to ask what shoes I was going to wear for the race. This question is normally not necessary. The 15km at Conflans is a road race with about 300m along some tracks but the vast majority is on the road, running alongside the river Seine until it meets the river Oise. However, 10cm of fresh snow had just fallen and the thought that trail shoes might actually be useful was mooted. Having discussed this possibility we also discussed our lack of motivation to participate. Admittedly, my motivation was stronger since 5 members of the club had signed up for the race, the minimum necessary for the club to score points in the championship whereas Paul B still wasn't entered. A commitment is a commitment and an Englishman's word is his honour and all that b****cks - so we went.

Picked up a mate of Paul's on the way, another Englishman named Nick and having got changed we warmed up together around the start of the course. Again, warming-up is relative and with an ice cold wind and temperatures below freezing, I was wondering seriously about heading back to the changing room and just waiting there until the last moment before the race. Nick asked me what my race plan was at this point and I explained that I only had 2 objectives: beat the hour and a guy called Fred in the process. I was going to start easily (remembered all too well my race 3 years ago where I set out too fast and suffered from km 4 onwards) and start pushing the pace after the hills around the town centre, from km 6 and after alongside the Seine.

About 550 people were lined up for the start, including one nutter only in shorts and running vest. Most were dressed with long sleeved tops, tights, gloves and hats. I'd left my hat on as a concession to the cold, but regretted my thick ski hat compared to the thin fleece affairs that the rest of the field had adopted. The gun went off, not too soon enough for my liking, and we were off through the residential streets around the stadium.

Despite all my race plan theories about setting off slowly and building up speed after the town centre, I ran the first kilometre in 3:34. I felt easy though as I was fresh from not having run hard since previous Tuesday. The first 3 kilometres are flat and I ran these more steadily after the first at around 3:50 pace, only quickening over the 4th kilometre as we dropped down the hill to the Seine and towards the town centre.

I kept my eye on the runners around me and tried not to let them distance me or be caught by others from behind. Just before the 5th kilometre, we began the climb up the hill into the town and to the castle. I was overtaken on the first steep section by a runner but that didn't worry me as my aim was to keep as constant a pace as possible and in fact as we dropped down slightly to attack the second climb, he came back to me as he suffered from his initial effort and I was able to cruise (well more accurately: plod) past. We made a quick loop of the castle grounds and as I left, I saw Paul enter and shouted encouragements to him. It was then a steep icy section downhill and down to the river again. Well, this is what I imagined but I'd forgotten that they bring you up another hill before you can finally coast on down to the Seine.

Back alongside the river again now and the serious pacing begins. There are now 5 kilometres of flat as you run to the meeting of the 2 rivers (Seine and Oise) and back along the Seine in the direction of the start before you pull up another hill and run in to the finish. I seemed to find myself alone at this point with a couple of runners behind me and some individuals ahead. I concentrated on the runners in front and began the process of chasing them down. I felt good in my legs and very steady in my pace. I was at a point, similar to the marathon, where I felt that I had the energy and the pace to go faster but knew that there was still plenty of running to be done.

I caught a couple of runners now as I got to the turning point and was heading back home when I heard shouts of "Come on Fred" just behind me. A runner caught me now and it was Fred who I'd not seen at the start of the race but was my challenge for the day. I stayed with him as he pushed on and we quickly caught another younger runner. I had time to listen to his breathing and compare it to my own: he definitely didn't sound in any better shape than me which gave me encouragement and I figured it might just be my day. I looked at the Garmin and the virtual partner showed that I was 40 seconds ahead of schedule. I figured that this was just enough to manage the hill ahead and still finish under the hour. I pushed on.

In fact, this effort was so good that it took me past Fred and I started on another couple of runners in blue tops (Andrésy and Achères). The hill to leave the river was approaching and I was calculating how much time I could gain before this last effort. I caught the 2 runners and overtook them before attacking the hill. This hill lasts for about 300metres and is around 15% gradient. I shortened my stride and slowed my pace as I ascended. I was convinced that I'd be overtaken here as hills are not my forté, but I managed to make it to the top without being caught and I made a conscious effort to lengthen my stride and get back into a serious rhythm.

Damn! I heard foosteps behind me and knew without looking that it was Fred who'd caught me again. He came past and shouted "Relance (Kick again)" as he came past. I gave all I had and stayed on his shoulder. We ran the last 2 kilometres like this with me trailing him by 2 metres as we headed back to the stadium. As we entered the stadium, I was prepared to push him right to the end and I was just on his tail as we ran the last lap of the track, in fact so close that I clipped his shoe. My problem was that there had only been one lane cleared of snow and to attempt to overtake meant running onto the snow and ice and at this speed there simply wasn't the traction to allow a burst of pace.

The inevitable happened and he accelerated over the last 100 metres and finished 2 seconds ahead of me.

So, out of my 2 objectives I had achieved the first (58:48) and failed the second by 2 metres. I was still very pleased with my run and the way I'd managed the race. The course was good and the competition was intense. I'd caught a good number of runners in the last 7 kilometres and that had felt good too. I was actually quite glad that I'd made the effort and run the race after all.

Paul finished just 3 minutes behind, having overtaken Nick in the final stages of the race, to finish in 1:02:41. Nick ended up 20 seconds behind and then promptly spent the next 30 minutes coughing his lungs up from the effort!

Good race and a new record for 15km in the process despite the hilly course.

Photo of Fred and I in the man to man battle!

Conflans 10k - Fin d'Oisienne

Stress is a bugger to deal with. This race had been on my mind for days and I couldn't relax about it. The competition and the banter with Nico had grown to a head and I couldn't spend any length of time without wondering what sort of form I was in, what sort of form he was in, and if I could improve on my best time over 10k. I thought about this frequently and told myself to relax: it was a race after all and not the end of the world. This sort of rationalising is all very logical but when you're stressed, nothing works.

Laurence was in a similar state to me and doesn't like racing because of this. We picked up Nick this morning and drove to Conflans arriving about 1 hour before the race. Several other runners from the club had already arrived and we all chatted together, pinning our numbers on and then set off on a warm-up before the start. Nico, Bruno P, Bruno W, Ephrem, Nick B had all arrived. Nick let slip a laconic "7 guys from the club and I'm going to be the last!" while we were running around. Only 3 women from the club with Laurence, Christelle and Madeleine.

After a 4k warm-up, I lined up at the start with butterflies in my stomach. A huge mixture of feelings swirled around inside me: apprehension, worry about being beaten, worry about my form, fear of the 10 kilometres ahead. It's true that I don't like 10km races. They are just too long to be able to go out and run full blast, but they are too short to run at a comfortable speed. They are simply a test of your cardiac performance, with your heartrate pumping to close to max all the way around but for over 30 minutes. Sheer hell !

The start was a bit confusing as the race was also the inter-departmental challenge for the youngsters from the region "Espoirs" and "Juniors". They started on the start line and the other runners started 5 metres behind. I was convinced that they would be trampled to death within 100m after the gun, but I was to be proved wrong on this count. The gun went and I wasn't really ready. Since everyone surged forward, I wasn't going to argue and set off at this point.

The pace was fast but I felt good and slalomed between some of the youngsters, notably the girls, while the lads remained a good 20 metres in front and were leaving me behind. There were a lot of runners in front of me and since I finished 20th in this race last year, I was convinced that I would catch up with most of them and overtake them later on. This didn't happen. I felt strong in my legs and I finished the first small 2 km loop in 7:04 as the timekeeper shouted out as I passed. This was identical to last year's race and I was pleased. The other reason for satisfaction was that I was the first runner from St Germain. I'd noticed that both Nico and Bruno W., my 2 main rivals, were behind me from the start. I was now concentrating on keeping them there.

The second large loop started well and I joined a group of runners, keeping an eye on a runner from Issou and another from Méry just ahead. I ignored my watch as it beeped the kilometre splits and the second real notion of how I was doing was when I passed the official clock at 5 km showing 17:54. This was good. I calculated that I could lose 5 seconds per km and still beat my record at this point and I allowed myself to relax slightly as I was starting to suffer from the pace. Between 5 and 6 km was a killer as it's up a slight incline (really very slight but the pace was beginning to tell) and I wondered if Nico and Bruno would catch me at this point. I prepared myself mentally to be overtaken but I seriously thought about dropping out at this point. I banished these thoughts from my mind and told myself that even if I was overtaken, I would still finish the race, even if I had to drop the pace slightly. I concentrated on finding a rhythm and staying with the guys around me.

I was running with 2 youngsters now and catching a third just ahead. I tried to pull them along and this worked for a couple of kilometres until 8k and then they stretched ahead slightly down a hill. I was shot now. The last 2 kilometres were the worst. I lost speed and let runners pass me without responding. I just wanted to cross that finish line. I wondered how I would react if Nico pulled alongside now and knew that I didn't have the energy to respond. The last uphill was agony and it was a relief to go under the starting arch and to finally pull into the stadium. I managed a semi-sprint just to keep ahead of a couple of runners breathing down my neck at this point and I crossed the line in 37:15. I was elated at being the first St Germain runner and beating Nico, but slightly disappointed at the same time that I hadn't been able to beat my record, which was on the cards until the 8km point.

Nico finished 26 seconds behind and congratulated me. I was disappointed for him too, as he's capable of doing better than this and he will be beating me soon regularly over this distance. The rest of the club finished in a bunch just behind with Nick finishing last of the 7 (as he predicted) in a very respectable time of 39:17. He was pleased that he'd managed to catch a 70 year old in the last 500m to beat him over the line ! Admittedly, the 70 year old in question is triple European champion in his age category and is till running 10k in 39:27. I hope I'm in this condition in 30 years time.

Laurence ran into the stadium in 46 minutes and I cheered her on over the last 200m. She finished in 46:49 smashing her record over the distance by over a minute. We were both thrilled.

Good race and mixed emotions. Glad to have held off the club competition but slightly disappointed to have finished 18 seconds down on last year's time. This was due to my endurance over the last 2k which I need to work on. I'm confident for the marathon now and this is the next main objective. I have to admit that I far prefer the thought of running a marathon to a 10k. How weird is that ?

Full race results here: Conflans 10k

Fin d'Oisienne - Conflans 10km

I picked Nick up and we drove to the start of the race together. Normal pre-race nerves, heightened by a lack of sleep and worries about Bruno and Nico were preying heavily on my mind. The end result was that I wasn't the best of company in the car this morning - sorry Nick. Andy had decided not to run, prefering to do some speedwork down at the track, which was a shame as there's nothing like some race practise to improve your speed.

When we arrived at Conflans, the scenario seemed to be getting worse : not only was I tired, but there was a bit of a breeze and this blew straight in your face on the trickiest part of the course, coming up a slight incline at the end of every loop. I had all the excuses already prepared for my expected 'non-performance'; I definitely was not in the best state of mind mentally.

We picked up our numbers and did 2 small loops as a warm-up. As Nick pointed out, a warm-up of 4km would have seemed enormous even a year ago, as we only used to train over 10km. Nowadays, it seems perfectly acceptable. We met up with all the other club members taking part and there was a large turnout: Bruno, Fabrice, Nico, Bruno B, Jean-Claude, Philippe, Bertrand, Dominique, Patrick not to mention the ladies: Pascale, Aude, Christelle and Madeleine. I think that we had the largest club attendance, even more than Conflans who were organising the event.

We lined up for 10:00 am and the starter gun to go off. Boom - we were off and it was a huge relief to be running finally rather than worrying about tactics and my state of fitness. I didn't feel easy to begin with, just running fast and watching Bruno in front of me. I passed all of the other St Germain runners and then heard a thump and a yell as somebody fell over (later found out that this was Philippe, tripping over a sleeping policeman). I didn't look back but concentrated on Bruno's running vest and judging the distance that separated us. He sped up a little and I let him go, thinking that I was right about my fitness and that I wasn't ready to beat him yet.

We went through 1 km and I didn't look at my watch, but as we passed 2 km I heard the times being shouted out: 7:04. I couldn't believe it - 7:04, I was supposed to be running at 7:24 to hit 37 minutes. This was too fast. Just as I thought this, the distance between Bruno and myself narrowed so I put on a little spurt and came past him. I knew instinctively that this was too much for him and that mentally he would find it hard to respond. I was pleased to think that I was the first St Germain runner in the race and that I couldn't let up now.

François-Xavier joined me on the bike at this point, shouting out encouragement. This was nice to have him there and I raised a hand in acknowledgement. I found that despite the early pace, I wasn't really tired but I settled down into a better rhythm and my breathing became more regular. I was joined by an older runner at this point who I judged to be in his early fifties. We ran together side by side, our pace matched exactly. We were on the first big loop now, and I remembered the race from last year and I applied the same tactics. Every slight slope downwards I would lengthen my stride and recover my breathing and every slight incline I would push hard.

As we passed the 5km marker, I saw the time on the clock : 18:03. This was excellent, well under the 18:30 time that I needed to beat my objective. I wondered how long I could keep this up for though, despite F-X's comments beside me that I was doing well and running regularly. The slope uphill to finish this second loop was harder this time, but I still caught a couple of runners and overtook them here, leaving my running companion a little behind. We hit the flat again and he was beside me once more as we chased down a small group of 5 runners in front. At 6.5 km, we caught these and I pushed ahead again to take the lead of this group, stretching away down the hill. Around the corner and a slight incline up and my companion went past me, taking another runner with him in the process. I couldn't follow now and I wondered how I could last until the end of the race and if I could maintain sufficient pace to beat the 37 minutes.

The 2 runners put 5 metres over me now, but then the gap stopped increasing as I used the downhill to try harder and push with my last efforts. We passed the 9km marker and F-X was encouraging me permanently now, telling me that I had plenty of time to beat my objective. He told me to give everything with 500m to go but I was already spent and the slight uphill was torture. I couldn't pull them back and another runner caught me here and overtook me at speed. We entered into the stadium for the final bend and I gave my last burst. I saw the clock now with 50 metres to go : 36:48. I pushed hard and crossed the line in 36:56, delighted to have beaten my record and the objective. Over the moon. I collapsed on the grass too tired to encourage the others at the finish. I was well and truly shattered.

Bruno finished 9 places behind in 38:13, Nico in 39:18 then Nick 3 paces after in 39:26. He told me that he was pleased with his race too as he'd beaten Fabrice, Jean-Claude and Bertrand after a close race at the start.

Official times are here: TopChrono . Official time of 36:57 for me, finishing in 20th place overall and 4th vet in my category. No regrets about the podium though as third vet finished 40 seconds before me. Love this race though and will be back next year.

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.