This week I competed in the New Zealand Secondary School 4km road race championships. Going into this run I hadn’t given myself very high expectations as I haven’t been feeling my best through my trainings and just my body physically. So I haven’t been able to feel myself reach the points I felt I needed to to be at my best.
I have seen more appointments on my feet but still haven’t resolved it but hoping some time soon it will recover or will find a way to begin the healing and recovery process.
Going into this race I already knew from the cross country earlier in the year that my age group was going to be big and hard and I was right, there was 64 competitors entered but just 48 competed due to other track events and various reason getting in the way.
The juniors that I ran up against last year were all moving up into senior with me. While the senior age group stuck meaning we had 2 groups of highly competitive runners together so I knew I couldn’t have as high expectations on where I was going to place compared to last year’s race, as this was completely different.
The day started out as forecasted and was freeezing and raining constantly at a consistent amount. I was hoping it would clear but it didn’t leaving by the time I raced it was puddles on the corners and dips.
My race consisted of four, 1km loops so already not the most interesting course but it did make it go by fast and meant more cheering from the supporters as you ran past which definitely helped boost the mood in the conditions.
It started out hard and fast as every race I have done and I managed to get myself at the back of the front pack before we all evenly spread to our own paces meaning I sat where I wanted not too fast and not too slow and stuck behind.
The first lap felt terrible the cold made my body feel like it was already fatigued but it was the cold that was making my muscles seize and feel sore from the pace I started to move at. Then my arms and hands throughout the whole race felt the same and numb from being the most unused part during the run.
I warmed up slightly and held my pace and picked it up naturally in the last lap bringing me closer to the girls in front, I was going into the race hoping for a sub 16-minute but again had no idea what I could do. I finished in a 15:52 so I was pleased with that, and finished in 24th, this was not my best feeling race but I was pleased with how I did go and that I managed to reach that sub 16 so now I can aim for a much faster pace in the following year with hopefully more consistent training and more time focusing on my running than triathalon.
The girls I was finished up around was probably my most proud feeling as when I see them I always feel like they are amazing and think of them as way above me and each time I race I seem to get closer and closer to them to the point where I was within 5 seconds of some. I think this helped me see my progress the most as it gives me a comparison to past events and results.
Now I need to rest and try recover my foot as I have already been missing the training I was doing and having done this race and a pre race run just keeps reminding me that running is something I love and want to keep doing and improving on.
So I know rest is the only option as that is the way to recover and get back onto my feet and running again and hopefully pushing myself further and reaching bigger goals in the future.
– Jessica Bray