As previously suggested in the 'All Change Part 1' blog, I have had a packed July of racing. Scotland's racing calender appears to have stalled. I suspect the politics of fear have had everything to do with this. However, down here, 50 miles south of the border, I have, in recent weeks, tucked 3 very satisfying performances under my belt. With the Sunderland 5k, my original target the re-commence the season with, I bookended a run on either side of the Sunderland run to spice things up. The track meeting in Middlesbrough on the 10th July went ahead in warm but overcast conditions. They were ideal for a good run. After a 2 mile warm up, I felt a little slothful and apprehensive. However, I was in a slow heat and around 12 of us started in Heat A. Gotta start somewhere, right? I tucked in 4th on the first lap and felt surprisingly lucid as I commenced the second lap, so I tentatively moved up to 3rd on the 2nd lap and moved to 2nd on the 3rd lap, sitting behind a high kicking female. However, I still thought the pace too easy and, as I was after a time, I moved to the front and never looked back. I lapped the field at the end and crossed the line in 19:11. This sort of malarkey is very good for the ego, but really only revealed that I should of, perhaps, been in a different heat. I was given the race winners wooden or bamboo medal and had the minimum of a race warm down, before high tailing it back up the A19.
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North of England Champ Speedy Joe (courtesy of Stuart Whitman)
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After 3 days walking the Fife Coastal path between Kincardine and Lower Largo with Mrs Mac in glorious weather, it was backdown for the Sunderland 5k on the 22nd. This was the North of England and North East England 5k champs and there were some proper athletes present for the 2 lapper with the ski-slope start. I had been looking for a sub 20 time, but after Middlesbrough, I was really hoping for a sub 19. Some of the family were also running and it was Cats (aka speedy joe) boyfriend, Ant's first run in a Morpeth vest, him in the process of re-locating down south of Hadrians Wall. I was in the first race for the m50's and women and competing against Catmac and Mrs Mac. I glimpsed Cat powering ahead across the course some way through the event but never saw her again as she won, beating a Rotherham runner in a time of 17:20. I landed sometime later sprinting hard to beat a Newton Aycliffe runner at the end for a time of 18:44, which was just the job. Mrs Mac came in 9 minutes later. It was a happy car load that returned to Morpeth, with everyone running well in ideal conditions.
Three days later it was down to Redcar for the New Marske 5 mile Penguins race, a new race comprising 2 laps of the esplanade. Ant and Cat decided to join me armed with camera and after collecting my number, we all jogged up the course. We didnt reach the turning point, however, as the course had been taped off by police due to an accident apparently involving joe public and a car. After a little re-jigging, the race organiser still managed to get us underway, albeit that the course had been changed to 3 laps with a reduced distance of 4.75 miles. This was a little disapointing as the original course looked good and had been properly measured. However, I was happy to get underway with 120 other runners in hot conditions, cooled with a light whispy breeze coming in off the sea. There were plenty of punters out taking in the sea air so a good crowd of onlookers. The air quality might have been a different story 50 years ago as the course basked in the shadow of the former British Steel plant.
I found myself after the first lap tucked in behind the Aylciffe runner whom I had managed to beat 3 days earlier. I had borrowed Ant's Saucony carbon plated trainers to see if this new fangled sole technology is for me and I can report that I fairly bounced my way up the tarmac. We were joined on the 2nd lap by the 2 leading ladies, Kay Neasham and Dawn Richardson who were having a battle royale. I took advantage of this to tuck in behind the duo and out of the headwind until the final turn, at which point I unleashed the Kracken and took to the front with the aim of putting time and distance between me and Aycliffe man who was still hanging on in there. It was only Neasham who managed to keep in contact with me, and, after running a very measured race, it took me a good 50 metres of application at the end to keep her from coming past. Aycliffe man was 10 seconds or so behind.
At the end, having not been aware of the shorter distance, I thought I had won the pools when I glanced at the time (29.04) on my garmin. However, I realised then that it was a short course; but extrapolating the performance, it was still 90 seconds faster than my run at the Cupar 5 in 2020. There was a goody bag at the end, but alas it didn't contain a new pair of Vaporfly's. Cat had snapped some great fotos from the sidelines and I had been spurred on by the support. We concluded the days extravaganza by tracking down a chippy in Ormesby for the passengers. I myself, being an athlete, could not entertain a wholesome battered fish; but, I admit, I did have a few chippies. Well, even athletes have to eat.....
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