Nene Valley Harriers 5k - Peterborough - 19/8/09

After my narrow brush with the MV45 5k Club Record on 31/7, I thought I'd have another bash at this pleasant, flat, lakeside race on the outskirts of Peterborough. The route goes around a series of lakes in Ferry Meadows park.

I was feeling good in the days leading up to the race and had been bolstered by an excellent 6x 1-mile session the week before, where I ran the reps at an average mile pace of around 5:30 (17:10 5k pace). Even Sibbo must have sensed the possibility of a dramatic result, as he came up to watch (either that or he was bored)! It was good having some company in any case.

One thing I hadn't banked on was a one-day heatwave which left temperatures during the race (7pm) around 27 degC! I have a very poor track record in warm conditions, and these were the hottest conditions I have ever raced in. As a result, my recent 17:33 fell back to a much more modest 17:57. The good news was that I picked up the sole MV45 prize on offer by winning the category. I guess I wasn't the only one to struggle in the heat.

Despite finding mitigation in the conditions, I have been feeling quite tired of late, so have (finally) decided to stop PB-chasing for the time being! If one should fall my way, I'll take it, but my main focus will be a very easy week followed by a period of prioritising quality training over racing - see also previous blog item.