Abergele 5k

Last year I had noticed there is such a thing as the Abergele double: a 5k and a 10k in close succession. I hadn’t registered then, maybe because I was busy, or felt guilty about racing so much and not seeing Neil so much. But this year I figured I should go for it. When do you get the chance to do two races on one morning? 

I also hoped that a cool morning 5k would be just what I would need for a PB. I was still on a mission to break as many of my PBs as I could. I had managed the 10 miles and the half marathon. The 5 mile and the 10k would be difficult as I had already done these very fast, but I thought I should be able to improve on my 5k. That was my anomalously slow PB, set at 4:18/km pace. My 10k PB was done at 4:15 pace...

I wanted to be there quite early so I could do a good warm-up, so after breakfast I headed straight for Abergele. I parked right by race HQ. I got my number, did a stretch, drank some and went for that warm-up. It was cold! And I was wearing my new belt. I love it! 

Pre-warmup chat with Sion

 

The photographer (who later said he struggled to imagine a Run Wales race without me) caught me warming up. Notice the belt!

There weren’t many Eryri Harriers. I saw Gruff, the 17-year-old lad, and a guy called John I didn’t know yet. Gruff’s dad took a club pic. Then Iolo, one of the WCR runners, suddenly appeared. Too late for the pic! We would almost start. 

Gruff, me and John. Pic by Jason

I wanted to run 4:19 outward and 4:16 back. But I was feeling good! Most of the time I was going considerably faster than that. I got to the turnaround point without issues, and then managed to run less than 4:10 on the way back. That PB was in the bag! I crossed the line in 20:35. My old PB had been 21:29. Success! My average pace had been 4:07. And I had a category win. By some five and a half minutes. 

Near the start

About to finish

 

I went to drink something, and chatted with fellow runners, and then attended the presentation. The bloke who had won it had also won the Bangor 10k. He is from the University athletics club. Iolo had come 10th, which is amazing, but he hadn't won anything. Gruff, John and I all had category wins! A good race for Eryri. And I, as the only one out of us four, could look forward to another one, an hour and ten minutes after finishing the first race of the day! 

Loot! Pic by Jason