The Nigh of the Supermile. The aim: run as fast as you can for 1 mile at Normaby Hall Country Park (near Scunthorpe). Your reward: cake and beer and the warm feeling of satisfaction.
The prep (there was some this year!)
I’d been training specifically for this race for ~6 weeks. My aim was to break sub-6 minutes. I’d been close in previous year (6:03) but the lack of running miles in my legs had made me a little slower the last few years. This year I thought I’d try and add some speed work into my training, so I found an online programme for 8 weeks and followed the interval workouts. Everything else, I kept the same as I knew it would be difficult fitting it all in.
2 weeks to go, then it saw on facebook “events near you”. Oh look, it’s Curly’s Supermile, oh no, it’s tomorrow!” What a div. So I hadn’t tapered, prepared or anything really and it was also forecast to totally hammer it down with rain.
Race day
Come Friday morning, I was 90% not going to run. I decided to go to the climbing wall and climb some hardish routes and do a bit of leading. I felt really strong and actually quite tired by the end of it. 4pm came, if I was going to go and race, I’d need to be leaving in 30mins. It was raining outside, really heavy. What the hell, I got out my overtrousers, waterproof jacket and wellies – I wasn’t going to get wet standing around in the rain! I thought a lot of other folks may have sacked it off, but there was a good crowd. The organisers (Curly’s Athletes and his team) had done a sterling job of erecting a few tents near the finish so supporters and runners could all wait together undercover.
I went for a walk of the course in the pouring rain, got back to HQ, did my warm-up just as the rain was easing. By the time my heat was called out, the rain had stopped altogether, ready for me to change my trainers and strip down to my shorts and vest. Here we go, let’s just hope I’m not last in my heat; I’d put my predicted time as 5:59 with the idea that I’d have people to chase.
The race
The gun went off, I paced the first 200m better than last year, but oh, it felt so sloooow……
I was getting boxed in, I wanted to make a racing line through the corner and through the puddle but some runners don’t think of this. I moved to the inside to take the shorter line, splashing the lady to my left. Oh well, she’ll overtake anyway.
Still running down the first straight…..this definitely feels longer than last year.
Hurray, there’s the turn around point with the marshals and music.
OK, time to start kicking in…
Going for it, going for it…
I can hear the finish…
Still going for it…
I’m trying to run as strongly as I can…maybe those intervals have paid off.
I look to the digital time clock at the finish but it’s not there; too many heavy showers had forced manual timings…
Through the finish line and I stop my watch… 6:10
Reflection
Well that was 1 second faster than last year, the course was wet and I hadn’t really prepared this week for it, so I reckon I did pretty well. Still eager for that sub-6, I think I just need to face it and put more miles in. Getting a regular 3 or 4 runs a week in at 50 plus minutes at threshold would make a difference I think.
Aim for next year: start training early, build those miles and then add in the interval work closer to the time, oh yeah, and also get the right date!
Review of the race
Curly’s Athletes organise some awesome events. I’ve done loads of them over the past few years. They’re super friendly for first-timers wanting to plod around with mates to those at the top of racing in their clubs. There’s The Night of the Supermile race and the Normanby Hall adventure race, 5km runs on trail and through Yorkshire Wildlife Park, to 10km and half marathons. All for a very reasonable price and there’s usually cake at the end with a funky designed medal and t-shirt. What more could you want?!
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