Sheffield 10K 2022

 This Sunday Rory and I were back in Sheffield to take on the 10k for the first time since 2019.  I think I've mentioned before that I have a soft spot for this event.  I think of it as 'my' race because it was the first 10K I ever did, my first experience of the sort of atmosphere you can get when a road race is well supported and the townsfolk come out in force to line the route.  I'd been looking forward to it and as I've been working hard and have seen some significant improvement in my pace over the last few weeks, I felt ready to go out and try to get a new course PB. (Currently 53 minutes from 2018)

Unfortunately, on Saturday morning when I came upstairs after giving the cats their breakfast, I noticed a twinge in my left calf.  It was weird, because I'd not run since Thursday and I hadn't noticed anything amiss, anything to suggest I might have picked up an injury.  It would be exaggerating to call it an ache, because it was more like a crampy sensation, where you have to be really careful how you position your foot in case it turns into 'proper', full-on cramp.  It didn't get any worse so I decided I would chance parkrun and see how things went.  Thankfully, my leg was fine during the run although I noticed later in the day that the crampy feeling returned whenever I got up after sitting for a while.  I obsessively iced and foam rolled throughout Saturday and I put a compression sock on.  I told myself that it was just a bit of stiffness and would probably be fine, something that I could run off, but it made me anxious about Sunday's 10K.  What would happen if my calf went when I was halfway round the route?  

Not surprisingly, I didn't sleep too well on Saturday night.  I woke up ridiculously early and couldn't get back to sleep (partly worrying about my leg but also because our cat, who has a purr like a tractor, decided to join us).  Lack of sleep the night before a race isn't that unusual for me, but it's usually pre-race excitement that keeps me awake on these occasions rather than the fear of having a dodgy calf for race day. Anyway, I got up and the twinge was still there but the leg didn't feel any worse, so I decided just to get on with it and hope for the best.  I didn't really want to be doing a 10k where I have to 'keep an eye' on my leg the whole way round, but that was how it would have to be. I would need to be sensible and stop if the twinges got worse.  

Rory and I drove to Meadowhall where we caught a tram into the city, something that we have done on all three previous occasions when we've entered the race.  We both thought it felt a bit different this year, however.  Usually there's a great atmosphere on the tram, loads of people doing the race.  There definitely didn't seem to be as many this time and we didn't feel much of a buzz.  Once in Sheffield, we went to McDonalds, as usual, to have a quick coffee and stay warm until it was time to go to the starter pens.  Usually on race day McDonalds is heaving with runners, but it was quite empty this time.  We wondered if this is a reflection of the cost of living crisis.  Maybe people are just being more picky about which races they enter.

Once we got to the starter pens, the music boomed, people danced and jumped about and the atmosphere did improve.  I joined the sub 55 pen which meant that once we were off, I set quite a quick pace (for me).  Gradually, as I eased into the run and realised my leg was coping okay, I began to relax a bit.  I started to think that I might still be able to have a crack at that PB.  Unfortunately, I misjudged how much the hilly section around the 5K mark would scupper my pace.  I was doing fine but when we got to the water station and began to run downhill, I assumed that this was the end of the hills.  When another incline suddenly appeared, the psychological impact was probably more damaging than the physical impact.  It was the worst point of the race for me.  I just suddenly felt that I couldn't do it.  I was so close to walking at that point, something I hate having to do (nothing wrong with it, I know) but I somehow dug my heels in, got through that tough stretch and then we were downhill again and I knew that the worst really was over.  But this brief spell had cost me some precious time.  When I look at my splits I see a 6 minute kilometre sticking out like a sore thumb.  That's rare for me, even on my easy runs.  Fortunately, the lovely long downhill section let me recover and the pace picked up nicely.  

We must've been about 7K in when I realised the sub 55 pacers had caught up with me.  It was at this point that I decided that I was going to get ahead of them and stay ahead of them.  I was tired and it took everything I'd got, but I knew that if I could get a sub 55, I would be happy with that.  Not having run this route for 3 years, I had forgotten all the details of it.  In particular, I'd forgotten that you are treated to one last incline just before you hit the finish line.  It feels brutal when you're as tired as I was and you just want it over.  But I held on and I really did push as hard as I could.  I made it home in 54.30, which is exactly the same as the time I got at the York 10K last year, which was a much less challenging course.

So, a long way off my course PB but a good bit faster than I managed at the Penistone 10K back in June, a sign that I've been putting some effort into my training.  I'm quite proud of myself. I'm also relieved that my calf didn't bother me and in fact I've not had any twinges since, so perhaps the run did it good!  I waited for Rory and enjoyed the thrill that comes from changing into my new finishers' T-shirt and medal.  I do love the Sheffield 10K medals.  Purple is very much my colour but I also love the engraving on the medal.  It's not tacky looking like so many others I can think of.  

Looking at the official race photos is not always the most uplifting experience, as they are mainly awful, but sometimes you're lucky enough to get one that you like.  I had a flying feet photo, which is always a joyous thing for me, meaningless though it probably is.  It just makes me feel a bit dynamic and cool for a few minutes, and we all need that, don't we?  It's funny how a split second can make all the difference between good posture and a sack of potatoes.

So, I now have a lovely quartet of Sheffield 10K medals.  The question is, will I add a fifth next year?  We shall have to see.  When I think of all the locals lining the streets, hi-fiving the runners and shouting encouragement, it warms my heart and I can't wait to be part of it again.  But when I think of those hills, I'm not so sure.