Despite having nothing to do it’s taken me almost a week to write this race report. On the 26th of December every year I go to Wicklow town for the annual 5K. It’s not the fastest but is a fast course if you can manage the hills. It’s a great way to blow way the Christmas excess and soak up the local race atmosphere. This year the weather conditions were fantastic. The scene was set for a fast race with very little breeze and a high winter sun.
I try to run this race every year but last year I was injured and unable to run. Standing on the start line in 2016 with a little over three months running in my legs I wasn’t brimming with confidence that I could repeat my only road race victory to date from, two years ago. Looking around I spotted a few familiar faces, i.e lads that I think will beat me. Doubts aside I decided I’d get a fast start because the first 2K of the race is a steep uphill, followed by a long downhill section.
Once things got going that all went out the window. Just after the 1k mark there was a man standing at the side of the road indicating that we should turn left. Surprised I said to the guy beside me they should really tell you when they change the course. He politely respond that they change the course last year. There goes my tactics! I started catching people as we wen through the first 2K including the guy wearing the GAA jersey and long shorts, a few kids, your women with the headphones 🙂 we’ve all seen them.
When we got to 3K I was starting to feel the lactic but for some reason those nagging doubts in my head were gone. I said to myself that I have ran faster than this before so there is no reason I cant do it today. Now having made my way up to 3rd position I was unsure who was behind me, or how close they were, I kept focusing on the Crusaders runner in front of me. There was a nice stretch along the waterfront to pass the time.
Once you hit 4K in a 5K race you hope to god that it’s partially downhill. The new course did not disappoint with the same finish as the old one. Anything that will distract you from the suffering you choose to embrace. With 800M to go the competitive instinct kicked in as I started to catch the guys in front and cheered on by the local crowd I felt like I was flying. With the finish in site 2nd was a step too far, a quick look behind and that was it. I came across the line in 16:09 met by a friendly face. Lucy Darcy handed me my finishing time and told me to ]write a race report. Fair play to Lucy and team and the host club Inbhear dee Wicklow Ac on the great event. A good race to compensate for the lack of a session Christmas week.
I went in to Wicklow with 16.29 as a target bit I’m now going into the new year with a 15.59 target and a new 5K PB the summer, things are going in a good direction after nothing but injuries and disappointment in 2016. The next day at the crack of dawn I headed from my parents house in Rathfarnham up to the back gate of the water works for a 25K loop with a spring in my step .
