Suz West reports on the Worcester mid-week 10k in Hagley

Worcester mid-week serious started last wed at Hagley. I arrived quite early after nearly getting us lost and late at the dk race a few weeks ago!! Plenty of time to warm up, however on warming up my hay fever decided to get quite bad, thinking this may not be such a great idea, I carried on anyway, well I done the hard work of getting there!!

We were assembled at the start which was a T-junction and I’m sure there were a few unimpressed drivers who came up against 200 runners having a meeting in the road! Anyway myself and a few other teal clad runners set off on this two laps of 5k course. The very first part was road, this didn’t last long and soon began following a trail path that slowly narrowed meaning we had to Queue to go through or jump the fence, not being blessed in the height dept I opted to wait to get through. We carried on into some woods were the path split so some runners went one way and others the other I followed the crowd, but seriously wandered if the runners going the other route new something I didn’t! This was getting steep I kept on going it then started to even out and enough room at last to overtake, I decided to up my pace, running past Barry he told me to relax. Maybe he knew about the next big hill, which apparently is part of the Stourbridge stumble or stagger course, not having done those races or this one before I was oblivious to what was next. We started climbing again on a sandy path getting steeper the person in front of me gave up walked and I got stuck behind him, secretly grateful of the rest. The route continued back out into fields which was pleasant, however my hay fever at this point come back with avendgence, I remembered at the start the guy saying there is st johns ambulance around the course, I couldn’t see any when I thought of this remembering Barry’s earlier shout of relax I decided actually that was very sensible so I did. Coming back through the school area and onto the road the first 5k was over, at this point I didn’t know if carrying on was sensible but I also knew I wouldn’t be happy if I dint!!So back out on the road I knew I could make some time up now slightly more relaxed I seemed to find my pace, no Queue this time for the gate and coming up to the split path I opted for the path I never tried first, this I’m not sure if it was a good idea or not as it was muddy, very muddy but did seem less steep. However this time there was just me and an older guy who choose this option he decided to tell me that we are both idiots, we both found this amusing and carried on!!The next hard bit once again is that hill were the last time someone walked in front of me, determined I was going to run up it I became very self-conscious that my breathing from the effort and hay fever had started to sound like Darth Vader, unfortunately the woman in front of me had to put up with this up the hill, which may explain her very quick pace away from me at the top or it may just be she was clearly sporting a fell runner top and was obviously use to this terrain either way she was determined to get away from media came to the conclusion she was good at this and I’m going to keep her in my sights. So back out to the fields and then a Marshall just before the turning back onto the school informed me I was tenth woman I was actually quite shocked as I knew this wasn’t my best race and I’m not really a multi terrain runner. I upped my pace thinking once we got back to the road I can catch the fell runner, however the end was a bit closer than I anticipated. So I sprinted to the end in 48.29 this was my second attempt at multi terrain 10k I knocked 10 mins off my last one which was roughly this time last year. I would imagine not many people would have got a 10k pb on this course.

There was water at the end, Im not sure if you get goody bags on these races. Anyway the changing facilities were great as they were in a school.

This is first of four races I was surprised to find I finished 2nd in my age cat and happy that it was Sarah Rock who finished first. The other BvH Barry Robers, Stuart Pearson and Ed Harley all finished with impressive times too.