It was a record breaking entry for the race today - nearly 500 runners!

There was a spectacular atmosphere, very friendly but with an edge of competitiveness about it. We lined up for the start and I kept myself fairly near to the back along with a couple of other Busfield joggers. My running pal George went further up the front. Running conditons were great!

The gun went and it took a few seconds, which actually felt like minutes, until I crossed the start line. I set my watch off at that point and tried to find my pace. I was a bit distracted by all the runners in front of me and had to do a bit of weaving in and out to find my place. I think next time I will start further up the field. As I got to the first mile marker I set the split time but mis-read it and thought it said 9 mins +. I had been hoping to do under 45 minutes so I panicked a bit and decided to push it a bit harder. I ran on and saw George up ahead and managed to catch up with him. By the time I got to him I was in the mood for pushing it and he decided to stay back a bit. On reflection, I probably should have stayed with him!

I was running the race a little bit out of my comfort zone, my legs felt good but my lungs were definitely having to work hard. By the time I got to mile 3 - mile 4 I had a funny little turn. It was the same as when I had finished the Half Marathon - I suddenly found it hard to draw my breath and I can only equate it to what it must feel like to have an asthma attack. I tried to keep panic at bay and slowed down a bit. I did some deep breathing and eventually managed to get back into the swing of it. I just don't know what that is all about - I think I may wear a heart rate monitor for the next race and see if there is anything there to give me a clue.

As I reached Mile 4 George had caught me up. We stayed together for a while and I really appreciated his company. With half a mile to go and a small but steep hill George pulled away. Once over the hill I tried hard to keep on his tails. I never caught him but I was very close.

I think for the next race I am going to stick with George. We run very well together on our training runs and he slowly cranks up the speed - something which I think I am better suited to. I am very pleased with my times but know I can get a whole lot better!

Mile 1 8:09

Mile 2 8:14

Mile 3 8:21

Mile 4 8:22

Mile 5 8:35

On looking at these split times I am very surprised that my time from Mile 1 to Mile 2 is slower than the first mile. I definitely felt like I was pushing it a lot harder yet it shows it as being slower. Again, I am surprised that the time for Mile 3 to Mile 4 isn't a bit slower as I slowed down quite a bit to catch my breath. And, finally, I think the last mile time says it all, I was exhausted!

Time: 41:43

Distance: 5 miles