We had a great representation from the Warsash Running Club at this years Stubbington 10k. As usual the event was very well organised with the marshals extremely efficient and encouraging all the way round. The weather was unusual for this run however, it was a glorious sunny day. In previous years we have had snow, rain and gale force winds, but today was perfect.
Preparation for the runners seemed to go well and according to plan. Lisa forgot her banana (again!!) so normal preparation was on plan. Greg has run this course many times, so we were not expecting him to get lost today, we certainly weren’t expecting him to slip over before the start and bruise his ribs. He still completed the run however in a little discomfort, but well done for perseverance Greg!!
The conditions were perfect for a fast event and those running didn’t disappoint. Lisa and Charles had their annual head to head competition, to see who could get under the hour. Last year it was Charles who held the bragging rights, finishing 8 seconds under the hour with Lisa 7 seconds over. This year it was role reversal and revenge for Lisa as she finished nearly 90seconds under the hour to complete her fastest ever 10k, and her fastest ever run with the running club, shaving 14seconds off her previous PB set in March 2017. Well done Lisa!! Awesome! Revenge next year Charles!!
Another person setting personal bests today was Kate. Not only was it her fastest ever 10k it was her fastest run with the club and the first run under 10mins per mile, and she absolutely smashed it!! 9m 44s per mile was awesome!! Also completing their personal best 10k runs were Sophie and Rowanne, running for most of the race together the pair finished just 30seconds apart in a very quick time. Sophie actually finished with the identical time to Gemma, she is preparing for her next marathon and used todays race as preparation, running all the way home to Warsash after the race to aid her prep. Unbelievable, but amazing!! Well done ladies. Gemma’s running partner, Louise, also had a great run, her best Stubbington 10k result, a fantastic achievement considering the ladies are training for longer distances currently.
We did have a few drop outs before the race, both Katie and Nick succumbing to knee and glute injuries before the event. Carl also had a thigh strain, but decided to run with his partner Nina to give some encouragement. It worked too as they both completed the run non-stop, except to give one of the race marshals, Sue, a big hug on the way round. Well done the pair of you, and well done to Sue as well who cheered us on as we past! Sarah wasn’t feeling 100% before the race either, but the run seemed to perk her up as she finished in her fastest ever time with the running club and one of 6 Personal bests from today’s runners. Sarahs 7m 51s per mile was extremely fast surpassing her previous PB set in September of 7.55. Well done!
For me this was supposed to be my last competitive run, following my Achilles rupture running has become “challenging”. I did want to keep up my record of never losing to a client and that was going to be tested severely today by newcomer to the running club, Pete P. We stood at the start line together, Pete explaining to me that he would take it easy for the first mile and for the first half of the 2nd mile as we climb Titchfield hill, he then declared he would put his foot down and blast the rest. He obviously managed to get in to my head, as I started off with a full-on sprint at 6m 20s per mile before hitting Titchfield hill and realising I couldn’t breathe. I managed to get round the rest of the course, sucking up as much air as possible, always in anticipation of Pete to come striding past. At the finish, I had presumed he had past me without my knowledge. On the official times Pete had put in a PB of his own, a fantastic 7m 11s per mile average for the whole 10k!!! Amazing!! Fortunately for me, I also set a course PB for myself and managed to retain my honour of never being beaten by a client. Thanks for the push though Pete.
Fantastic day! Fantastic result! Fantastic team! Well done to you all.
| Name | Stubbington 10k (2018) | Speed | |
| Lisa | 6.25 | 00:58:31 | 00:09:22 |
| Pete P | 6.25 | 00:44:54 | 00:07:11 |
| Mark | 6.25 | 00:44:13 | 00:07:04 |
| Sarah | 6.25 | 00:49:05 | 00:07:51 |
| Kate | 6.25 | 01:00:53 | 00:09:44 |
| Carl | 6.25 | 01:08:34 | 00:10:58 |
| Nina | 6.25 | 01:08:34 | 00:10:58 |
| Greg | 6.25 | 01:13:32 | 00:11:46 |
| Gemma | 6.25 | 00:52:11 | 00:08:21 |
| Louise | 6.25 | 00:52:45 | 00:08:26 |
| Sophie | 6.25 | 00:52:11 | 00:08:21 |
| Rowanne | 6.25 | 00:51:26 | 00:08:14 |
| Charles | 6.25 | 01:00:45 | 00:09:43 |
