Werrington 10km

 I don't tend to do many road races these days, but when I saw that my old running club was hosting the Werrington 10k on the same weekend as our arrival in the UK prior to the World Championships, I ended up registering for the race.

At the start of the year, I set myself 10 goals for the year, one of which was to run a sub 45 minutes 10k. My PR for 10k was set many years ago and stands at 37.06 so there was no point in aiming for a PR - I'm unable to run anywhere near that kind of pace these days - and in all honesty, even 45 minutes is a push given that I train for much longer races these days. But having a goal keeps me motivated and so going into Werrington, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give it another try (I'd ran the St Albert 10k and the Hypothermic 10k earlier in the year, and had ran around 46 minutes for both).

One thing to note is that Staffordshire is not flat, and that the roads around Werrington are definitely undulating if not hilly. Going sub 45 would be challenging and in reality I knew it would be unlikely, but if nothing else, it would be a good warm up for the 24-hour race the following weekend, and it would be great to see some old running friends, if indeed any of them still remembered me.

I arrived at the start on the Sunday morning feeling somewhat jet lagged. We had arrived the previous day, so a 9am start was like running at 2am in the morning back home given the time difference. I saw a few familiar faces, and it was great to have a quick chat with former club mates Chris, Rose, Malcolm and Stan from Trentham RC.

One thing that was noticeable straight away was the difference between trail races and road races, and certainly for North Staffordshire, that close knit community thanks to the North Staffs Road Runners Association and the league they organise every year. I used to compete in that league many years ago and have many race victories to my name, but today, there were lots of new faces and I didn't really know anybody else.

Once we got going, I didn't really know how to pace myself. I didn't know the route and I am so out of tune with faster paced races that I was worried I would go off far too fast and fade within the first mile. I decided to just settle into a comfortably hard pace and just hold onto that for as long as possible.

8km and heading to the finish PC: Bryan Dale

I've always found running in Staffordshire very picturesque and I do love those twisty, turny, hilly country lanes that are bordered by dry stone walls and hedgerows, whilst being surrounded by lush green farmers fields. Seeing all the quaint cottages highlighted some of the things I do still miss about the UK, and I couldn't help but admire the beautiful gardens as I ran past. Although a road race, there was very little traffic which was quite nice, and although it felt like I was way at the back of the field for the first couple of miles, my steady pace saw me gaining on several runners at the mid-point. I wouldn't say I was feeling strong nor fast, but I was doing ok and I went through 5km in around 23 minutes. At that point, it was very unlikely that a sub 45 was on the cards, so I just tried to maintain the pace and not flag too much towards the end.

Before I knew it, I was making the left turn back towards the high school, and with around half a mile to go, a few people started to sprint past me. I certainly don't have that finishing kick anymore, but I ran around the corner and saw the finish line in the field just ahead. I attempted a sprint finish in the last 50 metres or so, managing to hold off a late surge by a couple of other ladies from behind and I think I finished in around 47 minutes which I was ok with, and it was certainly good enough to claim the 1st place position in my age group - whoo hoo!

Heading to the finish line PC: Bryan Dale

I do enjoy running 10k races, if enjoy is the word. They are great race sharpeners and I always used to benefit from them when preparing for the bigger races many years ago. Unfortunately in Alberta, the racing season is much shorter due to the harsh winters that we generally encounter, and so the races available do fill up quickly. I'm sure I'll do another 10k again at some point next year, but I think I have to admit that the sub 45 minutes for 2025 won't happen, and that's ok.

Less that 2 hours after our arrival in Werrington, we were already heading back to the hotel - I just ain't used to races being over so quickly but it sure was a nice feeling to know that the work was done for the day. Next up - the World 24-hour Championships in France :)