Forest tracks 1, Flat tarmac 0

Wednesday was a two-race special.  I had a day's leave to represent Ordnance Survey at the Civil Service 10k championships in Battersea Park in London, and in the evening I ran the 8th RR10 of the season at Janesmoor Pond.  Guess which I preferred?

It was hot and humid in London - around 26 degrees - and the course is 4 dead-flat circuits.  Two others - Paul and James - were planning to pace it for a 37:40 time, which sounded perfect.  The gun went off, but within seconds it was clear that I wasn't going to keep up with them.  I heaved around, and with one lap down was in quiet despair at having to do the same three more times.

But then anatomy reared its ugly head.  I started wishing I'd visited the lav beforehand.  It got worse.  I thought about taking a detour to the bogs in the changing area, but that would add minutes to my time.  I considered which bushes I could dive into, and then thought about the implications of dire consequences in a heavily used family park.  With a lot of focus I kept going... but it wasn't fun.

I finished in 38:50, a pretty ropey time.  I wasn't feeling well.  Others in the group were also suffering in the heat, although 2 of us managed PBs - amazing.  Paul L threw up and Alex E had heart palpitations... not very clever.

My friend Matt drove me back from London.  We stopped home for a cup of tea and then went on to Janesmoor Pond.  There we met Mick and Mark A, both of whom who had also run in London.   'What are we doing here?' we all wondered.

We set off and it was a big relief.  Forest paths with mud, roots, overhanging branches and plenty of hills are so much more fun than the hot hamster wheel of the afternoon.  I became very weary in the second half but it was infinitely more enjoyable.  Janesmoor Pond has a fun little sting in the tail - a tough hill to the finish - and I finished a bit of a wreck in 37th place.  No cigar, but I was quite pleased on the whole.

Next RR10 stop is Itchen Park on 7 August... I need to beat my worst scoring position of 27th... and I'll be a lot better primed than I was today.