Coventry New Year 5 mile road race

After cutting my previous day's run short with a very tight buttock / hamstring I was a bit worried I wouldn't even make the start line in Coventry Godiva's annual New Year 5 mile race.  I really enjoy this race as it's local to me and a good opportunity to have a good workout after the Christmas / New Year indulgences.  I started my warm up quite cautiously and luckily my leg loosened up enough to be able to run on it without hobbling.

The sun was shining, although there was quite a cool breeze as we lined up at the start.  It felt like a sprint as we set off on the first of 3 laps around the Warwick University campus.  The course is flat and quite fast, although there are a lot of tight corners and some narrow sections where it can be tricky to get past people.  At the end of the first small lap I was lying 3^rd in the women's race, having started steadily to make sure my leg was OK.  I then started to pick up my pace and pulled back both the girls in front of me on the second larger lap.  I eventually finished 1^st lady (18^th out of 180 finishers overall) in 28.29.  Although it was about a minute slower than my PB I was really pleased with my effort, especially considering I was doubtful about even starting.  It's a good start to my 2012 race campaign, and I can enjoy at least a short time at the top of the 2012 Power of 10 rankings for 5 miles!!