Run > Race

Wanstead Flats parkrun. Aiming for 25 minutes. Very very hot day so was painful running the bits of the course with no shade! Course measured 3.05 by my Garmin but as with last time that may because parts of the course have a lot of tree cover. Hopefully...

Started off at 8mm and actually felt ok and got 7 seconds ahead. I was running with a lady in purple just ahead of me all the way around the first lap but apart from her I was pretty much on my own. Gradually lost the 7 second advantage as the heat took its toll and passed half way dead on time but definitely suffering! The lady ahead of me gradually got further and further ahead until she was largely out of sight and for the first time I actually had to navigate my way around the course rather than following the person ahead!

By this point I was almost 30 seconds behind target and very tempted to slow down further but I kept going remembering that the course measured short by my watch last time so 25 minutes might still be possible. I managed to accelerate over the last half a mile and caught and overtook two guys who had been ahead of me the whole way, one of whom had had to stop and walk. I finished the course 17 seconds behind by the virtual partner, but as the course was 3.05 by my Garmin I managed to beat 25 minutes, so a successful run though very hard in the heat! Thinking about it nobody overtook me the whole run so that suggests I paced it well.

8:05, 168bpm
8:08, 180bpm
8:09, 188bpm
(7:20), 193bpm