Not as Good as I thought I was

After some seriously wacky posts which not everyone seemed to understand (don't worry; you have to be fairly deranged to plug into my humour,*) this weekend, it was back to some serious race walking.

On Sunday was the H.S.B.C. I.O.M. 10k Roadwalking Championship combined with the last round of the Winter Walking League. After a 2 & 3/4 hour jaunt around the old Boundary Stroll course at an easy 5.5 miles per hour average on Monday with Mark Hempsall and David Mackey, my only other preparation was a 3 x 1 mile (two laps of the N.S.C. for each rep) on Wednesday when I really couldn't quite judge the pace correctly and my times were wildly varied but I did manage to average 7 minutes 40 per lap which was my target speed.

So, by the weekend, everything including the Manx weather for once was perfect and I had no excuses for not achieving my aim which was anything sub 48 minutes.

Peter Kaneen, according to the man himself had not quite been in his usual form and I even harboured vague ambitions of keeping up with him for a while if he was hanging around.

Indeed, I wasn't too far behind him for the opening lap and a half and I was bang on where I needed to be on the clock but then inexplicably, I lost 10 seconds on the next one and try as I might, I could never regain the necessary momentum.

By the time I hit 5k (thanks to Dave Griffiths for shouting out the split times,) I had dug in but at 24:21, I was still off the pace but try as I might, I was unable to accelerate and recorded 22:11 for the second half of the race to finish 1:06behind Mr K. at 48:32. That is still a personal best by 37 seconds but I really thought that with all my extra training and with tapering for the race that I would have been faster. I half expected that I'd tire, trying to do 3:50 laps and perhaps fade towards the end but to not be able to keep up right from the off surprised me.

Obviously, I am not so good as I thought I was!

Well done to Peter, to Jock Waddington in 3rd place who also set another P.B. and Lauren Whelan for picking up her first Senior Lady's title. Also congratulations to June Melvin who won the 10k league and all the other category winners who I was going to list but I can't find the results and am too 'chicken' to give you them from memory for fear of repercussions or concussions.

It was good to see Judy Morrey, Bernie Shimell and Steve Taylor receiving awards for all their hard work over the winter but it would have been even better if Bridget Kaneen, Elizabeth Corran & Allan Callow had also been rewarded for their efforts. However, they'll have to make do with my thanks on behalf of you all as I'm too tight to buy them anything.

That's all for now and I hope to see as many of you as possible at the H.S.B.C. Manx Harriers Open Meeting 1st March whether you be racing (go on get your entry in,) spectating or helping out (Speak to Bridget Kaneen.)


*For those of you not in my solar system and Mark Hempsall who is but still didn't get it, I helped my daughter Lucy with her IOM Courier round and I realised that some may think I'd invented a new training routine if they saw me.