It’s crazy when you think about how fast the past year has gone. Last year’s Hereford 10 Mile Race feels only yesterday, but here we are, one year on, ready to go again.
On what was a relatively overcast morning, a decent number of Crofties, all in their Sky Blue attire, made it to the start line at Hereford’s Rugby Club, situated alongside the River Wye. Many were using this race as just that, a race. But, others, such as myself, were using it as a training run, integrated into a marathon training plan. It was going to be difficult to hold back the urge to race hard, push myself and most likely end up crumbling under the pressure I unnecessarily put myself through, which seems to be a running (pun not intended) theme for myself as of late.
3, 2, 1. The race began at 9am, nice and early so that there was still some Sunday left to enjoy afterwards. Over 150 runners from clubs all over made their way across the start line, thundering down the Rugby Club driveway onto the road, ready for the first of many ascents. It was at this point I questioned as to why I was doing this, when instead I could have been in Wetherspoons, having a Sunday breakfast with my grandparents. I quickly managed to diminish these thoughts and before I knew it we were running in the countryside, already hitting the 3rd mile marker.
The sun had made an appearance by this point, making me forget all about the wet and windy weather we have experienced as of late. So, you can imagine my surprise and dread when we hit a very large puddle, aka a flood. If you know me well, you’ll know that I hate running in mud, water or anything that would make me cold, wet or dirty. And, to top it all off, I had my favourite and very best running shoes on. Alas, I had to man up, as I spotted our very own Mike standing on the edge of the water, with his trusty camera in hand. Regardless, I’m not sure that I managed to run through the water. It was more like a hop, skip, and a flap…? (See picture below)
The second half of the race was a little more “undulating” than the first, but that’s part of the challenge and training, right? And, these were hills I had ran before. However, it didn’t stop me trying too hard up one hill, burning myself out quite quickly. I knew I had to reign myself in a bit, otherwise I’d be replicating scenes from the year prior and making it yet another challenge just to get to the end. However, I conserved my energy, even trying out a new brand of gel to help me along my way, and actually enjoyed the final couple of miles home. Yes, that includes the final hill – Broomy Hill, that we’ve all come to love.
I managed to cross the line in 1 hour and 29 minutes. A much slower time than last year’s, but expected when I was purposely pacing myself at around 9 min/mile. Regardless, despite my initial “ughs” and “why am I doing this?” I enjoyed myself out there. Was it because I didn’t put myself under that pressure to do well and beat last year’s time? Quite possibly so.
Every CARC member ran a brilliant race today and there were plenty of PBs to go around, as well as awards. Sam J crossed the line in second place, with Gareth joining him in the top five. Gareth also went home with the Senior Male Award. Ian was another age category winner, with Sue P finishing 2nd in hers. The Croft Mens Team – made up of Sam, Gareth and Joe, managed to claim second in the team results, with the Croft Ladies – Mia, Steph M and myself, in 4th. All in all, I did somehow manage to achieve something in the end. Well done all!
