This weekend I put on a race bib and timing chip for the fourth week in a row and managed to snare a rare victory at the West Australian Marathon Club ( http://www.wamc.org.au ) Peninsula 10k.  As the photo below shows it was perfect conditions with a cool starting temperature and no wind, which for Perth is a big bonus this time of year. After my warm up with Mike K. I got to the start line with less than a minute to spare and a quick look around revealed none of the usual suspects lining up against me. The last few races I had managed to snare a 4th place finish which is always frustrating as it’s the first person to win nothing. (assuming the top 3 get medals of course) Looking back at race results over the years this seems to be my favourite (?) position to finish, the joys of racing.

The Peninsula 10k is a favourite  race of mine as I have made the podium on two previous occasions and ran my 10k PB there in 2016 (34:18) . On Sunday there was a lack of depth in the field and I felt if I could run well there’d be a chance of another podium place. My race plan was simple , as all good race plans are, run as fast as I could for the first kilometre and try and break the field , go like the ‘clappers‘ to the half way and then try and hang on for dear life and stumble over the line, see simple. I executed the first part perfectly and ran a 3:11 first kilometre, probably my 1500m pace.  It had the desired effect and I have some distance between me and the pack who were probably thinking I’d started the 5k race early ! After that I couldn’t see the chasing runners (as you all know a cardinal sin of running is looking behind you, a big no-no.) until the half way turn around when they were probably a good few hundred metres behind me but closer than I’d like. I had thought of cruising home to a comfortable victory and was already reciting my winners speech. Not to be unfortunately, if I was to win this race I was going to have to work for it.

I put in another big effort for the next couple of kilometres before relaxing a tad for the finish as the job was done and I ran in for my 9th career race victory. As these overall victories are rare it makes the feeling so much better and I’m still smiling like a Cheshire cat with a new set of teeth, even while I type this post. Best bit was I even managed to sneak in under 35 minutes , finishing in 34:55. Overall a perfect day, makes all those training runs in the dark, the heat or early mornings well worth it and also hungry for more success. We’ll see, as I moved into my fifties I have certainly noticed the training is becoming harder and although the last four weeks of racing have produced good times they are not PB’s.  No worries the bar has been set over the last four weeks and I know I have to work harder to raise it even higher and maybe nudge the odd PB this year. I have a few ideas involving diet and my Elliptigo ( http://www.elliptigo.com.au ) that may help me gain a few more seconds and there’s always a new pair of Nike Vaporfly 4% ‘s(in red of course because they will be faster!)  if I can find another pair anywhere ? (If anybody knows any for sale please let me know.)

So what is the point of this post ? What I’m trying to convey is you’ll never run as fast as you do when you’re racing, be that at the front of the pack, in the middle or at the back. The point is you’re either being chased, at the front, chasing the leaders, in the middle or just running to make sure you’re not dead last. Either way there is pressure on you to perform and this is what makes you a better runner. Race enough and you’ll see the benefits in your training and racing with the pain threshold rising and the pace increasing. I understand racing isn’t for everyone but for a guaranteed way to improve it is up there with losing weight and training more, the two pillars on which the runner builds his career.

The last month I’ve raced four times, a 16k, 5k, 21k and last weekend a 10k. All have their own challenges and truth be told I ran off too quick on all of them and held on. Is this the way to run a race ? Probably not but my ‘scolded cat’ start has done me well over the years and I have the experience and training history to hang on and stumble back over the line, normally. These four races were all difficult but in the case of racing familiarity does not breed contempt it breeds acceptance and confidence. Acceptance of what is to come and confidence that you will overcome and excel, or least complete in a reasonable time. I missed out on PB’s but was close enough to give me hope that , given good conditions, I could have a sniff at maybe one more PB or more. This is enough to keep me honest but really I love running as much now as I did when I started  10 years or so ago so even though my PB chasing days may be behind me I can still justify putting myself in the pain box because, well truth be told, it’s a place I enjoy being. Sounds masochistic but you only really feel alive when you are either close to death or putting yourself in testing situations where you ask yourself some serious questions and need to be able to answer them honestly. Racing gives me that runners high when you achieve a set goal, set a time or just finish. (in the case of ultra marathons etc..) It does make you feel alive and its nice to once in a while really see how fast you can run albeit over a set distance. Basically running fast is fun and even more fun when you’re racing, trust me on this.

As is my way I’ve posted on the benefits of racing before. Let’s face it people after nearly two years of blogging I’ve covered most things running, I mean really running  it isn’t that hard. (but don’t tell anybody.) Anyhow if you want to read more on this subject feel free…