JOB DONE
PODIUM 5K
The nerves had started to kick in for Podium. It's that strange jumbled up sensation of self-doubt and excitement which stimulates continuous trips to the loo. That Saturday I awoke as my usual lethargic self. I've never been a morning person. But I never really got out of morning mode all day and so worry about the evening's race intensified as the day went on. I travelled to Barrowford via the running shop in Clitheroe to give Ben a lift in. When I told him I'd spent all day yawning and had even taken an afternoon nap, Ben referred to the great David Moorcroft who apparently knew he was in good nick to race if he felt awful on the day. I tried to take a positive from that!
Podium run two 5K races. An 'A' race for the sub-18 minuters down to the classy sub-16ers and beyond, whilst the 'B' race is for the 18 minutes and above class. There was no doubt I was going to enter the 'A' race even if I finished last. Despite pre-race twitchiness and tiredness I knew I could muster the bare minimum 17:59 - even if I collapsed at the line. So I was a little bemused to find the 'B' race won in 16:39 and indeed the first four all sub-17. I know the time categories are just a guideline, but those guys at the front must have realised that even on a bad day they would have smashed 18 minutes. I didn't quite understand why they didn't wait up for the 'A' race and test themselves against some of the North of England's finest. I still don't understand. Surely it might have pushed them to even better times? To me, that wasn't a win or a podium finish. If the 'B' race is run by somebody who cracked 18 minutes for the first time or, like myself coming back in to the game with a time in mind then that's a victory. It seemed half a dozen or more were seeking some sort of positional glory and in the end, what was the glory? I was about to line up with Gateshead's Chris Parr, most of the North West's regular race winning names and internationals such as Eilish McColgan, Dutch star Jamie van Lieshoot and Helen Clitheroe. How could they miss an opportunity like that?
Line up with those big boys and girls I did, although they didn't hang around for long! The pace was frantic. A couple of miles warm up had eradicated the tiredness and got me in the frame of mind to race and so I settled down to concentrate on my own job which I managed to do despite the distraction of checking my pace at about 400m thinking 'hmm, that's not bad', and then checking my shoulder to discover I was second to last!
It's a fabulously flat one kilometre track. A smooth surface with a couple of looping bends at either end and straights running parallel to each other in close proximity. This makes for a good atmosphere
as spectators get to see the runners flying through twice per lap. After a couple of laps I'd got a decent average pace of around 5:40 per mile and I was feeling pretty confident of sustaining it if I didn't do anything rash. Two runners ahead were possibly catchable but I concentrated on consistent pace than be drawn in too early. Having run nothing under a 6:20 average in recent times I was already punching above my current weight so to speak, but felt encouragingly comfortable. I was beginning to realise that the miles in the bank this year had given me enough strength to run faster, at least for a modest distance such as this. There was no chance of me blowing up if I kept my concentration. After three fairly lonely laps, it appeared on the fourth lap that the two catchables were starting to show signs of real catchability. Their running form was just starting to break up and after sitting behind one of them for half a minute to pressure some extra effort out of him, I took him on the outside of a bend for extra psychological advantage. It was around the same place on the final lap that I finally caught the next guy and then fairly powered to the line from 300 metres or so to clock in at a very satisfactory 17:28. My kilometre splits read 3:28/3:36/3:35/3:34/3:15 and whilst as harsh a critic of myself as much as anybody that hates my guts, I have to say that the way I ran that race, I wouldn't have done anything different if I could have run the Hindsight 5K straight after it. Job done.
What a great race to be part of. Well, I say 'race', I was never really going to be in the actual race in that field. Organiser Chris Barnes is on to something out there in a quiet corner of East Lancashire with just a little cycle track and a barely lit disused freight container to play with. More and more classy runners are coming from far and wide to take on the Podium challenge. Whilst Podium 5K attracts increasing numbers of elite runners, it also does great service to the comparatively more average club runners who also benefit from this super fast course. I can say without much doubt that fitness prevailing, I will definitely be back for another taste of Podium action.

Sat. 5th March 2016
PODIUM 5K   Barrowford, Lancs.  
1st Man - Chris Parr (Gateshead) 14:49  
1st Lady - Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill) 15:57
My Stats - 17:28   37/40