Burton 10k Race Win
14th August, Burton 10k. My second race back after crashing out and spraining my shoulder at Outlaw Half Nottingham Triathlon in May. With big goals ahead in September I wanted to get a race under my belt before my A race for the season. My intentions for Burton 10k was initially to attempt to beat the course record time. However, with the weather setting to be hot it probably wasn't going to be possible.
With this being my first race in 2 months, I was excited to be back racing. It was nice to talk to the local running community before the race with everyone asking me if I was going to win the race. Well, I guess no pressure then! A 3km warm up done and I was ready to go! With temperatures between 26 to 28 degrees during the race I knew it was going to be tough so the aim was to go off feel rather than pace.
So, off the gun went and I ran to the front setting the pace. I managed to bridge a good gap within the first 1km flying up the steep Denton road. With the 1st mile being all uphill I went through in 5.44. With the next few miles being rolling hills I decided to settle into a good rhythm on the downhills and then push the hills. Got through 4km at the water station desperate for a drink. Ran past to pick a cup of water and half of it had come out.
I then pushed on through the next couple of hills to the 6.5km mark where most of the tough hills were out of the way and now onto the downhill and track finish. Once I reached that 7km point I was starting to really overheat and the mouth was dry so desperately needing a drink. Unfortunately no water stations left so I just had to get through it. With a gap of around 150m at this point I backed off the pace slightly just so I could actually get to the finish. Good encouragement from the lead biker to get me through this point and encouraging me that I had a big enough gap even though it looked far closer to me. I made my way through shobnall and onto the track with some great support as I came through the line in 34.04 in 1st place. Averaging 5.27 min per mile which overall I'm happy with considering the tough course and weather conditions. It's always a pleasure to wear the super comfy 2XU Aero apparel supplied to me by Running Form.
Sara Cobley
Awsome Matt love the blog. You are incredibly dedicated and committed wishing you all the success in upcoming races