9 years since my last appearance with a bit of extra time on my hands I entered this race on the last day of entry. With the running going pretty well through the year I decided I better try and get some pb's before the legs pack in. Cardiff sounded ideal with a flat course and plenty of runners to pace.
Drove down on the day to a manic parking situation and having to use the medics toilet. With no toilet roll I had to shout outside for assistance where one of the St. John's helpers handed me a used napkin from his morning cake.
A dash to the start line I was surprised how easy it was to get up front. With 10min until kick off I was straight upfront poking my head behind the elite athletes who were being introduced to the cameras. Gun
I was top 30 starting off and determined not to get dragged away to quickly and settled into a 5.39 mile with plenty of runners shooting passed. Without noticeing the first 6 miles flew by, feeling really good and was still going nicely. Atmosphere was something I haven't experienced before and was definitely making the run easier. After a controlled start I was now picking off runners of a similar caliber but who were fighting the run. This probably gave me a boost and whilst I was catching groups of runners I would go straight passed them without a response. At 10 miles I caught a runner from Newquay Cornwall who was keen to push on. For the last 4 miles we really put the hammer down and kept the speed all the way home with us crossing the line together.
1.14.03.... was expecting something around 1.16 so a huge pb of 7 minutes was well received. Amazing day. Will try and do it next year.
