Parkrun Flooded Out

Doing the Townley 5k Park Run has now become part of my training programme and what a great bit of fun it is. To say that this has been going for ages and I have only ever spectated and cheered on the TAC army, young and old, I feel that I have been missing out on a great way to get your Saturday exercise out the way before most of the world has even surfaced or begin to grill their bacon!

So Saturday 1st February was my third effort at the Park Run and it was not without incident. The morning was frosty and windy resulting in some of the course being covered in ice and following a course inspection by the reliable Darren and Kaz Holland part of the course had to be diverted onto the grass. It was either this or everyone get back in their cars and go home without a stride run! With everyone in agreement with this decision the masses huddled to the start and tried to get together as much group warmth without committing any offences. The usual faces were there but there was also some notable absentee speedsters and I had a tiny thought that maybe I could give this one a go!

With a quick show of hands for any newcomers, and yes each week there seem to be more people deciding that this could be for them, and 3,2,1 we were off. We headed along the straight tarmac path that then became cordoned off due to ice and we diverted to the grass, not easy to get purchase on as it was still slippery and soft underfoot especially in road shoes, the pace slowed on this part and as soon as we were allowed to go back on terra firmer the grip was instantly better. Anyone who has run with me knows that I am not without a comment or too, be it encouraging, advisory or just for a laugh! As we got back onto the tarmac and we could put our feet down with confidence I shouted to the group, “Right, lets go!” and set off up the avenue towards Townley Hall and I opened up my stride.

It was at this point that I realised a most bizarre sensation……I was actually at the front! I had never been here in a race before and this was a feeling that was totally alien to me! Had I set off at a sprint way, way too early, where was everyone else?? I was totally unnerved by this and it totally put me off my stride. We got to the top of the avenue and turned right across the grass and I looked behind me and I had about 5yards on the group. Weird!

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For those who, like me, have never been in this position before, have you ever wondered what it is like to lead out in a race? It is not as easy as you may think. You look at race photos of people coming home in first and they look ecstatic, one of the main reasons for this is that they have been putting themselves through mental torture for the full time they were at the front and as they cross the line it is finally over. You ask yourself questions you would never ask yourself if you are in the chasing pack like: when are they going to pounce? Have I gone wrong and taken a short cut? Are they still behind me or am I the only one running here? Am I the fastest or stupidest person in the race? Will I actually be able to finish never mind finish high up the standings? I am going to blow up and pack in any minute now, it is inevitable! Yeah none of this, I am feeling comfortable and happy and looking forward to a well-earned bacon butty nonsense, your mind will not allow you to see any further than the next bend and glance over your shoulder when you see the pack running with what appears relative ease as opposed to your forced and tortured run to maintain where you are!

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The small loop done and then the wind tunnel of the long straight was arduous and like dragging sand bags behind, it was near impossible to get any kind of speed going. This is it I thought, the pack will cut through this wind like a hot knife through butter and zip by me. You seem to think that it is only you who is facing the elements! However as I entered the avenue up to the Hall for the second of three times I realised I was maintaining and even increasing my lead. This really was unchartered territory!!!! You then ask yourself that question that is sent to deliberately distract you: “Can you actually win this race?”

Again I had never won a race before, and the thought consumes you and distracts you from forcing a pace and remembering that you have a group of runners wanting to catch you like a cops n robbers game! It is as if the group are sending messages to your mind that you have to fight off or you will slow up. Another of those stupid thoughts that I had never thought of in a race until this morning!

Last lap now surely all I have to do is not walk and I will be safe?? Nope!! Your mind says you need to run faster or these lot will do you in a final sprint, how demoralising will that be when you have lead from the beginning. I would be the laughing stock, they will be-little my race tactics and inability to maintain the pace I set from the off and know that they can beat me each week! You mentally accept that finishing in the top five is still good and maybe just accept that, and if you get beat it is OK? Never!!!! You shake these thoughts out of your head as quick as they came in and start striding out more, empowered by the previous 4k (yes I did think ALL these thoughts in such a short race!!) I began to remember that a win is a win, regardless of competition, you can only beat those that turn up!

I turned the last corner to go up the Avenue for the third and final time and saw I had a good lead of 20-30 seconds, WOW I was amazed and powered on to the finish line! Stop the garmin and Strava and any other tracking device I run with, and accept the congratulations from the TAC lot doing the finishing tunnel duties, barcode scanned, I really must pin it somewhere better than on my shorts, the scanner was not overly impressed fishing about down there for it!!! Quick turn around and cheer on the runners that had me in their sights for the majority of the race and congratulate them for their mornings efforts. This was nowhere near a PB but in the conditions I was very happy with what I had achieved and the lessons I had learnt!

It is then that you reflect on what you had been thinking off for the last 5k and how much harder it is to run at the front of a race as opposed to in the chasing pack. Your mind and body develop a mind of their own and test you in different ways. Just imagine how long distance runners must feel, I had only had this for the best part of 20minutes and it had tested me!

So next time you are in a race and trying to chase down that leading runner who you think is finding the race all too easy and has this race in the bag, think again. They will be having their own war with their inner devils that you may not be having. Use this to your advantage and during the time they have switched their mind off the race to have a stand up fight with their body and inner monologue get past them and get ready for your own battle!