Run > Race

Bonfire Burn 10k. Misheard D when he was talking about this race and thought it was all on-road. Decided to aim for sub-50 but be happy with sub-51 given current 5k best and lack of racing/distance. Start was delayed by 15 minutes so many of us were out in the rain, ready to run for ages. Was frozen before we started and never really thawed out properly for the rest of the day. Tried to hold sub-50 pace for as long as possible but suddenly bonked at 5k and couldn't open gel properly, so didn't manage to refuel when I really needed it. Off-road section was for over a mile between 6 & 8k, when it was impossible (for me) to maintain the same pace. Kept working and was surprised to find I was only just outside sub-50 pace when we got back on the road. Thought 'oh b*****, I'm going to have to try again now' and tried to pick it up for the last 3k. In the end, I managed to scrape under 50 minutes (official clock said 50.03 as I crossed the line but I knew I'd taken about 10s to get over the start line) and official time was 50.40, so I'm going on my Garmin time for this. This hurt, partly because of the foul conditions, and partly because I'm so out of the swing of racing, but I'm pleased to have hit my target and to have kept the pace fairly consistent throughout, even finishing with my fastest k and a bit of a sprint finish (as much as the soggy grass would allow). This was good mental training and I now feel confident that I can chip a reasonable chunk off this time a) in better conditions and b) on an on-road route.