Beat the Clock - Sparks

It was a real day to remember yesterday as I did 9:52:27 finally beating the 10 hour mark at Rowbotham's Round Rotherham 50 miler. I did a very frustrating 10.03.31 back in 1996, some 14 years ago when I was a lot younger and at my prime but yesterday's PB brought has brought it home to me that I am running with renewed vigour.

With a posse of Mike Blamires (the most energy giving chap you could ever wish to be with) and PT Clients, Wendy Goldthorp and Chris Whistler, we set off into the gloom of Rotherham's industrial estates. The event is quite unremarkable in a way and yet it has a real romance to it that I find totally alluring. My seventh circumnavigation was a clearly planned running and a 5mph run was the order of the day.

We set off too quickly, but it didn't matter and we used the time to get some miles in the bank before the latter miles really, really hurt. The rain that seems to be ordered for the day duly turned u and hit hard just before the half way. Eventually I ran out of gas at 35 and was on my own to walk a couple of hills before getting a second wind to drive thru all the pain barriers to catch Chris and Wendy again with 5 to go.

Getting back with them helped and our sub 10 target was all we could think of. That 9:52 was just pure magic... I am SO pleased, especially at 48.

The moment of the day was a chap with a 'Hardmoors' Vest on and all he said was 'You've run  a very good pace today, well done'. That's all a Coleman needs you see.

More tomorrow as my quads are killing!