Race Date: Sunday 19th November 2023
Race Report by: Adrian Good
Race Details: Gainsborough and Morton 10k – described as a flat, fast 10k run by Tape2Tape.
After doing the Yorkshire Marathon in October my running took a bit of a turn, I was struggling to get motivated to go out running, the bad weather and a bad chesty cough which seemed to last weeks were not helping matters.
After a bit of advice from some Striders I decided to enter a few races to give me something to look forward to. I was torn between Gainsborough and Morton 10k or the Clowne half marathon but opted for Gainsborough as it was a shorter and easier race, plus the fact I got offered a lift off a friend.
I did Gainsborough and Morton last year but was coming back from my knee injury so struggled around, I knew it was flattish route so set a goal not only to destroy my time of last year (1hr 04 14) but to really push myself for a PB (55:50 Dronfield 2019). I felt like I was running well at shorter distances so really thought it might be on.
The morning of the race I wasn’t feeling great woke up coughing and spluttering and legs felt stiff. I hadn’t ran further than 4 miles since the marathon so was unsure how I’d cope with 6.2 miles.
We arrived at Gainsborough and saw the queue for the carpark and after not moving for about 5 minutes decided to find some street parking which was quicker and easier.
We made our way to Morton Village Hall where the race headquarters were and toilets. We then headed to the start where I had a chat with Andy Hinchliffe. We felt rather popular and famous as at least 5 different race officials asked for photos of us. The start was nearing so wished Andy luck and made my way to the 55 paces.
My tactics were to stick like glue to the paces and after a chat with them in the 1st mile they also knew my intention and goals. The first 2 miles felt fine but then there was a 5-10 metre gap between myself and the paces so stepped up the pace a little and soon caught up and went through 5k together in 27:20 perfect time.
It was at this point my cough decided to start and really effected my pace and running I was crying out for the water station which finally came around 4 miles but at this stage the paces were a long way in front. The water was in rubbish plastic cups so ended up wearing most of the water as the wind just blew it everywhere.
I kept plodding on there was now a strong headwind and the road had a slight incline which I really seemed to feel, this continued until about 8k then it was slightly downhill incline.
I rounded the final corner and managed my usual sprint finish and crossed the line in 56:50. I was then handed a medal and a sausage roll. I thanked the 55 paces who said they were looking out for me and even slowed at the end to see if I could catch up, which I thought was really nice of them.
Again same as the marathon I didn’t quite get the results I wanted but knew I had given it the best I could and its definitely a step in the right direction.
