Stafford 20 - take 2

Gosh what a difference a year makes, last year I ran Stafford 20 and to tell you the truth it was my worse race of the year, but I learnt from my experience and prepared better this year. Last year I didn’t respect the distance, I got a little cocky  having nearly covered the distance in training I was thinking how hard could it be…..well it truly spanked me!!

So this year was personal, I needed to draw a line under last year and it was a good way to test how my Marathon preparation was going. Despite having a cold in the week before the race I made sure that I didn’t panic run and got plenty of rest and sleep, so come race day I was fully fit.  Also I made sure that this year I properly hydrated for at least 3 days before the race and ate sensibly, which was a big difference to last year.  

Sunday morning came around fast and it was as if we had travelled back to January in terms of the weather; an artic wind blew in and there was light snow fall…. but nothing was going to throw me off my positive state of mind....my belt was packed with 1 gel, 2 bags of Jelly Babies (a bag full of black jellies for lap 2 and red for lap 3) and 3 sugar barley sweets….Jill Phillips (fellow club runner) has a lot to answer for!!!! I dressed and then re-dressed for the conditions and headed off to Stafford.

Race HQ was a sea of people all huddling to keep warm inside the Uni buildings and there was a colour array of those brave souls in the racing singlet’s and shorts, those in full ski gear and those in between.  This year I made sure I made use of the facilities (twice), it is long and lonely run if you find you want to go half way around as I found to my cost last year. Quite understandably the small local races just can’t provide these types of facilitates on the course route, so you have to make sure you take responsibility for you own needs.

Before we knew it we were off; I had decided to try and beat 3 hours so I was looking to run around Marathon pace of 9 minute miles and I felt good (cold but good) out there.  This year I knew what was coming so I was prepared, I knew I had done everything right and miles in the bank so everything should be ok; other than frost bite, polar bears and having to help push a stranded drive that broke down at the top of the largest hill!! A poor lady had broken down right in the route of the runners and she wasn’t sure what to do, so a kind runner jumped the driver’s seat and we all pushed the car on to the side of the road and then carried on running as if nothing had happened……something only runners would do.  

My strategy was to not sit down(!!) and feel good all the way round and I achieved 99% of my goal; the last quarter of a mile really took it out of me and then Walter from my running Club  Trentham appeared to help run me home and boy I was so grateful !  But I will have to apologies I am sure the last bit I was making some rather disturbing noises as I was panting and puffing to finish strong, but I am sure he is a gentleman and not mention it! 

Lap 1

All in all I had a much better run than last year; I finished in 2:54:40, a good 30 odd minutes better than last year and nearly 4 minutes of my PB for 20miles.  It really gave me confidence for the Virgin London Marathon which is getting ever closer!