So in my build up towards the Great North Run my trainer and I decided that I should get some race experience. Mainly to acclimatise myself to normal race surroundings and see how I would fair in my first competitive run. After much deliberation we decided i would test my metal in the Blaydon 10k Race. The Blaydon Race is a six mile course set after a famous song in the North East written by Geordie Ridley, the song is about a journey from Collingwood Street in the centre of Newcastle along Scotswood road to Blaydon. The song is also used by several sports teams over the North East including Newcastle United.
A little bit about the race The 1862 Blaydon Races Song is the National Anthem of Tyneside. The words of the song are used as a basis for everything in the race where possible. For example the event takes place every "Ninth of June" in accord with the song's first line:- "Aa went to Blaydon Races t'was on the Ninth of June"
The runners assemble at the public house "Balmbras" in central Newcastle (just as the travellers to see the Blaydon Horse races did in 1862) and are started on their run with the actual handbell mentioned in the song, which is brought out specially, under guard, from The Discovery Museum, Newcastle and "away they gan alang Collingwood Street" on their way to Scotswood Road and Scotswood Bridge to finish in Blaydon itself .
If you are interested and would like to learn more about the race please follow the link provided.
http://www.blaydonrace.org/
After a few months of training it was finally race day Sunday 9th June. I awoke early to a grey and cold looking day perfect conditions to run? With uncontrollable butterflies in my stomach thoughts turned to my first big race! What to expect? What time would i finish? Would I be able to finish? all these kept running through my head. I sat try to calm my nerves and ate my normal breakfast thinking this might help which it didn't. I did the final checks in my bag to make sure i had everything i needed and it was time to leave.
With a small supporting crowd who included my fiancee, my future in laws and the fiancees brother and sister in law, We headed up to Newcastle for the start of the race. I had arranged to meet my trainer who was also taking part in the race along with several of his other clients outside St Nicks Cathedral close to the start of the race at 2pm for a pre race chat and warm up.
With a final goodbye to my cheering support who were heading off to the finish the nerves really started to kick in. With the race due to start at 3pm the weather had totally changed from a damp wet and grey morning into blue skys and 18 degree heat. I would just like to point out i have never ran in such temperatures before, all of my training had been in typical english conditions of freezing cold with plenty of wind and rain thrown in, so how would I fair in such glorious conditions?
At 2.50pm we lined up near the start line, the buzz of the fellow runners around me was something I had never experienced before and started to ease my nerves, At roughly 3.06pm i crossed the start line activating the time chip on my shoe and I was off. The start of the race was a little cramped with thousand of runners all trying to get off to good starts through the winding route out of central Newcastle, I composed myself not to fall into the runners curse of sprinting for the first mile then slowing right down as the race went on. I faired well for the first 3.5 miles of the race going at a nice steady tempo, I was set to complete at a time goal I had set myself. In a slight error of judgement I took a glass of water from the drinks station as I passed and in trying to consume while continuing to run I took in far too much air which proceeded to give me a stitch. I did have a water bottle with me but with it being such a hot day I thought the extra water might help oh how wrong I was! I dug deep through my stitch and would not let it slow my pace, by the time I reached the 4 mile mark my stitch was gone and I was ready to push myself for the final 2 miles.
The 5th mile went rather quickly and the end was in sight, the closer we got the more people there were on the sidelines cheering us on. As I came down the exit ramp of the Scotswood bridge I started to look out for my cheering support, about 500 meteres from the exit to the bridge I saw the first part of my cheering crew my fiancees brother and step father. Giving them a cheeky wave as i passed i used there encouragement to push my pace on and get to the finish. As I entered the final stretch of the race I could see the finishing line in the distance and there was the face I was looking for my gorgeous fiancee cheering me on with the last of my cheering crew, I mustered all the energy I had and started to sprint towards the finish, dodging in and out of the runners on the final stretch I crossed the finish line.
My official finishing time for the 6 miles was 47.33 a great time and a great achievement in such hot conditions. With my first race complete I can look back on it with found memories and feel very proud of myself.
Now the real training starts!!!
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