British League Round 1 - 5000m

I ran my first league meeting of the 2011 season, competing in the BAL Premiership for my higher claim club City of Manchester.  It was a 5000m race at an impressive facility in Cardiff which I hadn’t previously visited.

My legs had felt absolutely destroyed all week since the London 10k and I just chose to run easy all week before this race.

I was supposed to be the B runner but with the late withdrawal of Antony Ford, I was the sole runner for City or Manchester.  Birchfield had Edwin Kipkorir and Jean Ndayisenga and they were the obvious favourites, but I know from past experience they don’t like to run hard or lead if they have to, especially not in windy conditions like those here in Cardiff.

It was Jon Pepper who went straight to the front and ensured it wasn’t a jog, but it wasn’t quick with a first km of 3:00 and the field still bunched together.  This felt harder than it should do.  There was a sudden pace change in the second km and I couldn’t go with it.  I was 5:58 at 2km.  Pepper and the two Birchfield lads were out in front, with in form Mark Sanford and Rowan Axe 4^th and 5^th, and then a gap to me.  I had company in the form of Kairn Stone, Hywel Care and James Mills. 

I finished 6^th, and was very disappointed with my time of 15:20 after running 14:39 just seven days earlier.