Dorney Lake 10km – Race Report

Describe the route in three words: ideal PB route

Dorney Lake 10m – Race Report

I had a plan. I had tactics. For the first time ever I was going into a 10km with a very clear goal to smash all previous PBs out of the park. I knew that this was the perfect race to do it. Everything was perfect. I had trained well over lockdown, I was the fittest I had ever been in my life. The race was local and it would be the first time I had run a race under COVID conditions. And I have to admit, COVID secure races REALLY suit me. I suffer terribly with nerves so generally avoid entering ‘races’, I love ultra running because there is no pressure to compete, it’s all about completing. The COVID way to run races suits me as there is no mass start time, there are barely any spectators and you have no idea if the person in front of you is actually in front of you or behind you. There is also no pressure to be on the start line at a specific time, you have a generous start wave, in their case, I had to cross the start line between 10.30am and 11am meaning that there was no need for me to feel stressed as I parked the car, wondering if I had allowed enough time etc. I also knew that running laps meant there would always be someone for me to overtake, especially as it wasn’t just a 10km taking place, but a 5km, 15km, half marathon and 20 miler. It was exactly how I imagined too, I stepped out the car, all warmed up and ready to go. I was wearing my bib as that had been posted out ahead of time. I joined the one way system and before I knew it, I was snaking back and forth through the queue line leading to the start. I could see people ahead of me being counted down from 5 seconds, the marshals were letting people go every 15 seconds. I arrived at the start line and before I knew it I was off! Not a single nerve in sight.

As I started running thoughts were flying through my head, remember to stick to the plan, you’ve got this, you’ve trained for this…. I kept glancing at my watch. Coach Kevin and Hannah (Blaze fitness instructor and my sports massage therapist) told me to rein it in at the beginning, I have a habit of starting too fast and this always catches up on me at the end. The goal was to stick to 7 minute miles, give or take 5 seconds either side. It was really hard on the first half mile to stay at that pace, I was so fresh, I felt like a coiled spring with so much energy! I soon settled in to the rhythm and was distracted by the many signs, there were so many races gong on and each seemed to be marked so there were be mile and kilometre distance signs everywhere! Initially it felt quite windy, I hadn’t considered the wind coming off the lake on a flat course but it didn’t matter, it didn’t slow me, I felt so good. I came up to the turning point and shouted to the marshal to check I was going the right way, one of the other races had to take a slightly longer way round the corner there to make sure their distance was accurate and I just wanted the reassurance I was going the right way! The ‘home straight’ section is quite long, about a mile and half but it’s good as you can see the Boathouse at the end and I knew on my second lap that would be on my mind a lot as that would be the finish. The miles ticked by and I was ecstatic to see that mile 3 and mile 4 were 6:58 and 7:08 as these are usually my slow miles. As I rounded the corner for the second time down the home straight, it dawned on me that all I had to do was keep going. Keep going at this surprisingly comfortable pace and I would smash my PB. And then a funny thing happened. I started to feel sick with nerves! The pressure was enormous, quite ridiculous really but I couldn’t take my mind off the fact that I was on for a PB. But what if I got a stitch? What if I fell over? What if I suddenly slowed down? I was tormenting myself. Coach Kevin had said to maintain a consistent pace the whole way, he’d said open the tap a little in the final 2 km and only consider racing someone in the final 1 km and if I felt like I could. Well all that was running through my head, my stomach was doing knots and I thought I would just stay as I was, and go for a sprint finish ‘at the bridge’. I then glanced down at my watch and felt very confused. It was showing 6.2 miles and it was showing under 44 minutes. What? I wasn’t over the line yet! That really threw me as I will always go off my Strava distance as that’s what I use for consistency. It meant I’d not pushed the pace harder when I should have done. I still went for my sprint finish but felt a bit deflated that I crossed the line knowing that the 10km had been over already.

I collected my medal and goodies and headed back to the car. I chatted to some fellow runners on the way back to the car park and they told me what I had suspected, the course was inaccurately measured, their watches had also both shown longer routes. An email was sent out that evening to apologise for the course inaccuracy, it was to do with a last minute decision that morning to ensure that the course was wide enough for social distancing and complied with government Covid regulations. My chip time was 44 minutes 40 seconds, but that was over a 10.4km course. My Strava time showed a new 10km PB, 43 minutes 15 seconds, I was absolutely delighted. It earned me a podium finish too, third lady!

What’s in the snack pack?

None required.

What I wore: Saucony Triumph 17 road shoes, Stance socks, Garmin Forerunner 35, sunglasses, buff, Sweaty Betty Zero Gravity leggings, Blaze tee shirt.

Lead up:

I had inadvertently trained for this over lockdown as my 10 km times had gradually been getting faster and faster. Lockdown had comprised of many long runs, hill sprints, hilly runs, 1 mile best efforts, Blaze online workouts three times a week and every few weeks a fast 10 km to see if I could beat my previous time. I entered this race a couple of weeks before the event as thought this flat, local course would be the ideal opportunity to get sub 44 minutes. In all honesty, I was already over the moon at my 44 minute time, but an opportunity to run under race conditions on a flat course I felt confident that I could do it. I’d got some last minute advice from coach Kevin and followed it to the tee. I had a 1 hour sports massage two days ahead of the race.

Morning preparations:

Breakfast was 40g porridge, 200ml Alpro Oat milk with a mashed up banana and frozen berries. I completed 30 minutes of stretching and then headed over to my friend’s house at Eton Wick. I did a one mile warm up run around her house and a final wee then headed over to Dorney Lake which was just a few minutes away in the car.

Summary

An ideal course for anyone looking to get a PB due to the flat nature of the route and the fact you can familiarise yourself with the laps. I had worked hard for this PB and was so pleased with how everything aligned to ensure the perfect race on the day.

Lessons learned

• Pacing yourself will reap rewards.
• Believe in your training.

Results

Chip time: 44m 40s

Strava time: 43m 15s

Overall: 19/56

Lady: 3rd

Dorney Lake 10 km September 2020 – click here for results