Leeds Abbey Dash 10k

drewdrew ✭✭✭
Weather conditions - light to heavy drizzle with a slight tailwind out to the turn at Kirkstall Abbey. Earlier rain had, however made parts of the course quite wet. The course was meant to be dead flat.

This was my 1st race since middle of October. As I haven't done any speedwork since then I wasn't sure what to expect today.

Probably one of the best quality fields I've run against and was looking to finish in the top 100, rather than my accustomed top 20.

Plan was to run an even paced 10k, not to go off too fast and to use my HRM for some feedback.

Here's what happened:

Very crowded start made getting to the front very difficult but started off about 2 or 3 rows back. Checked my watch at the 1k point - 3:25. HR at 162 (93% MHR), which was also higher than expected. Bit fast but not too concerned as I felt in control. The next 3k's were pretty uneventful and were passed in 3:38, 3:39 & 3:44.

At the 4k mark this hill appeared and I thought, "this shoudn't be here" but it was. The 5th K also went through the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey. A marshal shouted, "Watch out for the puddle". If there's one thing I hate doing is running with sodden shoes, but it was too late. The puddle was about 6" deep and about 3 or 4 metres long.

Passed through 5k in 18:15, which is probably what I expected to do.

6k split was 3:42. 7k marker was in the wrong place as I had maintained my pace and went through in 4:04. 8k marker was in the correct place - 3:22, which meant a 3:43 average for 7 & 8. Started winding it up a bit over the final 2k and pulled away from a few other runners.

9k split was 3:38. Final 1k is uphill but still managed a 3:41 split to finish in 36:43.

Overall, although not a PB, I was quite happy with the result. HR was extremely consistent throughout at 93% MHR, peaking at about 95%. Pace was very even, apart for my 1st split.

I thought the course was quite well marshalled, however I don't think that would be the opinion of those at the back as the roads were opened pretty quickly, requiring a lot of runners to switch to the pavement.

The reason this event has had some remarkably fast times in the past is probably due to the quality field rather than the course.

Would I do it again - definitely, although next year I think I'd take my 2 week break and stop the speedwork after this event!
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Comments

  • Congratulations Drew, nice report, your speed puts most of us to shame! What was your position in the end?

    Wish we'd had km markers today as it does make for easier pacing than mile markers.

    What's next?
  • drewdrew ✭✭✭
    Don't know my position and I really wasn't paying enough attention! May do a 10k just before Helsby!
  • This was my first ever race today and i completed in 54.49, i too got caught in the big puddle at the abbey. I saw km markers at 1,2 and 3 but then not until 7,8 and 9.
  • WardiWardi ✭✭✭
    Drew..agree with you about the 7k marker, it had me worried until I reached the next one! Wise man say..beware of kilometre markers fastened to highest convenient erection!
  • I'm jealous. Were it not for injury I was supposed to be running this race. :(

    Oh well.. see you all next year ;)
  • I finished in 63 minutes, despite the rain! I didn't notice any distance markers until the 5km one at the Abbey (although I managed to avoid the puddle!), but then saw all the ones on the way back. I agree about the number of cars trying to pull out of or into side streets on Kirkstall Road, especially on the home leg, but I don't know if they'd ever get enough marshals to put one at each junction. Maybe they should look to close the roads for the period of the race, seeing as it has got so big? I thought the support was great, from the marshals, the public and the other runners, and I will definitely be there again next year. My only gripe was that I obeyed instructions after the finish line to keep moving, then found I had to walk all the way back to get a t-shirt, which weren't signed at all.
  • Actually, my other gripe was that I couldn't hear a word of this pre-race briefing that we were warned not to be late for!
  • Well I didn't notice any kilometre markers so they can't have been that visible. It was a bit of an odd race for me. Perhaps because I had no idea of the pace I was going at, I thought I was doing really badly and really felt like I was labouring especially in the middle part of the race. Lo and behold, as I crossed the line I had knocked a minute off my personal best. 47:21 for me - strike a light!
  • My club mentioned another club who were running 5 abreast at the beginnig holding everyone up. Once I find out they were, you'll be the first to know. Unless anyone out there knows.

    I made the mistake of starting toward the rear. One of my gripes about the race is its a bottleneck start, so whereas, its a good place for a pb, its a bit of a lottery. I had to walk pretty much all the way to TGI Friday by which time any hope of a pb had gone out of the window.

    Unfortunately, apart from the hope of a fast time, the race has litle to commend it so I spent the remaining time trying to catch up my, failing miserably!! The weather didnt help my spirits either.

    Cant agree about the marshalls though. There seemed to be a higher quotient of knobhead drivers this year and the police and marshalls did a good job in difficult conditions.

    I'm sure I read on another thread that the field was larger this year. Anyone know if this was the case. It certainly seemed a lot more crowded for longer to me.

    Not a bad t-shirt though.
  • I did say on the other thread that i thought the marshalling was poor. But i don't mean that the marshalls that were there were poor. These are people who give up their spare time to help the event and hats off to all of them. I think there
    could have been more help from the police.

    There were loads of daft drivers as well. How can they expect to pull out of a side street with so many runners.

    Fishy has a good idea in closing the road.

    There were supposed to be 2700 runners which is up on last years although i don't know by how much.
  • Drew,
    nice one mate ;-) that is a great time.

    I knew you were making it up the other day when you said you'd lost all your speed, yeah right, lost all your speed and ran 36:43, so what's the low down on the Turkey Trot, will I have the pleasure of your company next Sunday??
  • Forgot to say CONGRATS to everyone else that ran including Martin, Wardi, Fishy, Gareth, LKotN and Paul, sounds like everyone had a cracking day out.
  • HillyHilly ✭✭✭
    Congratulations all who ran!
  • I'll add my congratulations to all - and particularly to Drew - for his time & remembering to start a new thread!
  • Too crowded by far at the start, I can only agree about the initial walk! Because of this I only managed to knock about 1 min off my Kirkstall time - disappointing.
    Funny how everyone seemed to notice different distance markers - I didn't notice any after 4k.
  • Yes I only managed to knock about a minute off my Kirkstall time. Bizarre really when you think of the those two long uphill drags on the kirkstall 10k.
  • well done everyone who got out of bed and ran in that weather. I was stood at the road as you came out of the abbey and was rather disappointed that the other spectators didnt clap so much. I felt a bit of a wally sporadically clapping and shouting. My jaw dropped when i saw the chap who was running and pushing a guy in a wheelchair, whadda guy !!
    apparently there was an incident with the road closure - after about 2 thirds of the runners were through the police came up and said some cars had entered the marked off area on the road by the abbey and were driving through, so they had to get runners to stop to let traffic through and change the route to the other side of the road on the pavement. I would have been rather annoyed at stopping.
    I really enjoyed watching and was jealous of everyone that could do that run - watch out for me next year !!

    well done everyone!!
  • I agree with earler comments about the marshalling. Something must be done in future about cars from the side roads trying to weave through runners. These guys are crazy and it's amazing someone wasn't injured. There weren't nearly enough road closures or police in evidence to stop this lunacy
  • To be honest, I just wonder if the race hasnt got too big for its own good.

    I do have a certain sympathy for residents in areas where a big race like this being held. There was hardly any advance publicity for the race (that I saw but then I never buy EP) and I'd be pretty hacked off if I had to wait for up to an hour to get out of the street where I live.

    Why didnt you wave penguinette? (sob)
  • Drew,
    not a PB but a very good time, well done. & well done to everybody who took part.
  • This was my first 10k race and despite the weather, the traffic and not noticing a single one of the kilometre markers, I had a great time. I got to the halfway point in 31 mins bang on (good by my standards!) but then someone I was running with started having problems with an old injury as we scrambled up the muddy bank at the Abbey (by this time the puddle was out of bounds) so I shleped the rest of the way with him and only managed 1.06, but I'd definintely do the race again next year, hopefully at full speed this time!
  • I did my first 10K in 1h06 too in September!
    WELL DONE Claire!
  • im sure i clapped and mumbled 'well done' at you chimp!!

    i know ill have seen you as i saw the first and i stayed til the last person got past.

    i was the devastatingly gorgeous girl just as you got out of the abbey on the main road with the devillishy attractive kenny (south park) bobble hat on! surely you saw me ??!!!
  • I only missed the markers at one and six, they were yellow and blue. Could have done with massive black and white ones. The big question is at Kirkstall Abbey did you choose water or mud?
  • I choose water, my trainers are still soaked.
  • Well, I must of been still asleep - I didnt see any markers at all! Mind you, it was my first ever race and didnt quite know what to expect. I read Chimps thread about first timers feeling like an Olympic Gold Winner when passing through the finish line - sadly I didnt feel like that. Think I did it in 63 mins. Where do you find out times/positions? What was the winning time? Well done to all :-)
  • drewdrew ✭✭✭
    Winning time was 30:00. The following link gives you the full results for the 2344 finishers.

    http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2002/abbeydash.htm
  • Sorry about that Roots (the impression I gave about the end that is). It was a bit of a mess at the end yesterday I thought. Seemed to queue for ages to get numbers checked, then to get t-shirt, then to get a drink of water. Amd all the time it was p*ssing down with rain.

    I thought the race was a lot less organised and a loss less enjoyable than last year but I'm sure thats a combination of the increased numbers (a mistake IMHO) and the weather.

    Dont let it put you off roots. That was a good time for a first-timer and there are many more enjoyable 10k races in the running calendar. Dont be fooled by the top 100 billing RW give it. Its not a BAD race as such but there are loads better.
  • Cheers to my wife & baby, who are still talking to me despite having to get up at an ungodley hour to accompany me from Middlesbrough to Leeds & got completley soaked whilst waiting for me to complete the run in a stange city. She did all this so I could take a minute off my PB!!!

    Also thanks to the other anonymous race widow who helped my wife with the pram & had coffee with her!!!

    Overall a Good run, but missing kilometre markers & no water stations!!!!

    Also jeers to the unknown club runner who elbowed his way to the front before the start!!! He almost knocked some female runner ouf his way!!! Then he took off without an apology. Liked to see him do it to someone his on size, as he would not have got a PB had he done it to me!!
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