The Torbay Half is a high profile event that always attracts a decent number and a good quality of entrants. You even get the smattering of elite athletes who make the trip down to it from the more prestigious clubs, such as Bristol and West, and you even get a handful of Kenyans toeing the start line. This is of course due to the generous prize money on offer (£450 to the winning male and female). There are mixed feelings as to whether it is fair or not that athletes from outside the area who wouldn't normally bother coming to Devon to race suddenly rock up the minute there is cash laid out on the table. On the one hand, to say that it isn't fair would be discriminatory, but on the other, from the point of view of a devoted local athlete who supports many local races throughout the season and runs hard to try and sneak a victory whether the prize at the end is £450 or just a £5 bottle of wine, it is frustrating that the one chance we local runners get of winning some decent prize money is denied to us because top runners from elsewhere in the UK swoop in to claim all the spoils. But that is a separate debate really...
Anyway, I started Torbay with the Dartmoor Ultra still very much in my legs - it having taken place just 2 weeks before. Most of those 2 weeks were spent recovering and certainly not doing any quality training that would get some speed back into the legs, so I started this race very much in the frame of mind that I would go out hard and just try to hang on!
After the initial 1 mile lap of Paignton Green we all slotted into place and I found myself in the 5th female spot, working hard to gain a distance and open up a gap on a young female runner from Erme Valley Harriers. This girl and I are pretty evenly matched over the 10 mile / half marathon distance. On the shorter stuff she would have the advantage and on the longer marathon distance, the advantage falls to me. I just managed to hold her off at the Plymouth Hoe 10 mile in February and our half marathon PBs are within 10 seconds of each other, so I knew she'd give me a good race... however, she had the fresher legs!
I managed to increase my distance on her over the first of the 2 laps on the course but the gap between myself and the lady in 4th place also increased as she became harder to spot in the distance. By the end of the 1st lap at the 7 mile mark my legs were beginning to feel heavy and keeping up the tough 6:20m/m pace I had set for myself was getting harder. Shortly after leaving Paignton for the second time, on the climb up towards Torquay, 2 women passed me together. They were both from Erme Valley, one of them being a strong female vet runner. I tried to stay with them but just couldn't and so suddenly I found myself sat in 7th place. The remainder of the race became a mental battle to stick to the task and hang on in there as all my muscles tightened and I'd had enough! I passed Tarq at the 10 mile mark, just as I approached the final turn around at Torquay, and he was having as hard a time as I was after having gone off too hard and blown up.
In the end I easily hung on to my 7th spot (I was 3 minutes ahead of the next female) and I finished in 40th place overall out of nearly 1300 runners. My time: 1:25:48. Over a minute down on my PB which, granted, was set on a totally flat course, but I was a bit frustrated as part of me wants to keep getting quicker with every outing and if I couldn't place in the race then it's a nice boost to be able to set a PB instead and thereby still have something to take away from the experience... (besides the memento tee-shirt and medal!).. That didn't happen! I did place top in my age category (female 25-29) and this race is a rarity in that they offer prizes to each 5 year age cat, including seniors, so that was at least something positive to take away from the day. I know my legs were tired, I haven't been doing the speed work as I have been concentrating on marathons and the ultra for the past 3 months, but I still felt frustrated and like I'd had a bad race. But I guess that just means that I am competitive and push myself to achieve the very best and anything short of that is simply not good enough. Attitude: 10/10, performance: 5/10. Could do better!
Running with Stu at the end of the first lap. I ran most of the Crewkerne 10k with him and he just got me at the end; here at Torbay though he was far too fast for me to hang onto as he stormed home in 1:23 for a new PB! It's nice that the same friendly faces keep cropping up on the circuit!
Approaching the finish of the Torbay half by Paington pier.
4 days after Torbay came the chance to redeem myself at the Sidmouth 'Beat the Bus' race. Organised by our neighbours, the Sidmouth Running Club, this is a 5.75m (9k) off-road funsie that requires you to 'beat the 157 bus' from Otterton to Sidmouth and back again. The bus takes the main road route and has to make stops, of course, whereas runners go across country and take fields, farm tracks and the coast path to try and cut a short route to beat it. In reality beating it is quite easy as it takes a rather sedate 56 mins and the first runners back take under 40 mins. This is one of my favourite local races and I had the fortune to win it last year in a time of 44:12. I was hoping that as I am comparably fitter this year that I would be able to shave some time off that and win it again. I achieved only partial success in this as, yes, I did run faster (43:43 this year and on a much slower course as this year was a total mud bath and some parts of the route were entirely flooded with thigh deep muddy puddles) but I did not win. A veteran lady from the host club, Sidmouth, stole my crown. On fitness alone, I came out top and I would pull away from her on the flat stretch and the uphill climbs. The first half is mainly uphill and by the time I hit the turn around point in Sidmouth I had a 100m (roughly 30s) advantage. Sadly though this was not sufficient to compensate for this lady's tremendous descending skills. Downhill running has always been my, well, downfall! I have conceded many places on steep downhill sections: the Snowdon International Fell Race being a prime example! It's not just a question of nerve as on steady, neat grassy descents I do dare go faster, it's just that my legs will not tick over any quicker. I guess that more speed work involving shorter, faster repetitions is the key to improving here, but I do so hate that sort of thing!
In the end I finished just 11 seconds adrift of 1st place and a comfortable 3 minutes ahead of 3rd. I do hope that is not to set the tone of my summer season: improving in terms of time yet being beaten into lower places that last year! Without a doubt, as more and more people take up the sport, the standard of local club running is getting higher, so it is getting harder to place and you have to fight more for those placings. This is no bad thing. At the end of the day, if I want to have any chance of being really successful, these are all people I will need to beat to do so.
So yes, these two experiences coupled with the fact that I have been fighting against multiple niggles in my as-ever obstructive left leg all week have left me feeling rather frustrated. I guess an outsider would say I am doing too much and need to do less competing and continually hammering my legs on races to allow more recovery time between competitions and thus allowing for more structured training. I can see this myself! However, when I do not get much chance to compete during term time due to having to work weekends, I do like to make the most of every (or almost every!) opportunity to race in the summer. I'll just have to endure a few more ice-baths and sports massages to help me cope with my hectic summer schedule!
Approaching the finish of the Sidmouth Beat the Bus race in 43:43 (last year I ran 44:12)
This is what you have to beat - the number 157 bus from Otterton to Sidmouth and back!
The photo does not show just how muddy I was! I had to wash in the river Otter before I was allowed back in the car!
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