Many runners set out at the start of each year with just one goal…
Record new personal bests in all traditional road running distances, namely 5k, 10k, 10 miles, half marathon and marathon.
The term ‘Holy Grail’ was coined by my club teammate at Wymondham AC, James Heaney, who does an outstanding job with much of the social media content he posts for the club.
I’m feeling quietly proud that I managed to reach the Holy Grail in 2024…and I’ve accepted that I’m probably not going to improve on any of the moments I’ve posted this year.
It’s time to start building a bigger and better 2025.
But that doesn’t mean I’m happy to let the rest of the year go by. So when the opportunity presented itself last week to run a 5K race, I jumped at the chance.
Matt Webster is just 5km away from also reaching the Holy Grail and has been scouring the internet for weeks now looking for potential events he could improve on the 16:40 he posted at Wroxham in 2023.
He opted for the Remembrance 5K race at Debden Airfield near Saffron Walden, where other events, including a 1 mile (mainly for children), a 10k and a half marathon, were also taking place.
He wanted company… I said if he promised we could stop for coffee on the way, then I’d be there…
The weather forecast was good, crucial when planning to run around an airfield!
I’ve been trying to get some speed back in my training recently and was excited to use this as a benchmark to see how it was progressing. My fall marathons in Helsinki and Berlin had clearly given me a good endurance base, but I came away a little sluggish when I tried to increase the pace.
We arrived on time and even agreed to the bizarre concept of a warm-up.
It was a 5K – and I love the beautiful simplicity of that distance, especially when you use it as a benchmark. Tactics: Come out strong…and hang in there.
And that’s exactly what happened. After about 400m my watch showed I was running at a 3 minute 30km pace. Maybe I was a little in the dark about my current 5K pace, but I knew it wasn’t sustainable…just like that. it wasn’t for the twenty or so people in front of me.
I held back a bit and settled into a pace of around 3:40 per kilometer. Deeply uncomfortable, but somehow sustainable – treading that fine line is essential when trying to run a 5K hard.
The first 2K passed…still does. Then, suddenly, everything seems more difficult.
Lactic acid gradually builds up and the legs no longer turn in the same way.
Everything tells me to slow down. I recognize these thoughts – but I understand that they are just trying to keep me safe.
I distract myself by focusing on the next runner in front of me and start playing with how many I can catch and pass.
Somehow this gets me over the 4K mark. I think of something YouTuber/running coach Nick Bester says: the last mile never counts.
I know that, everything is fine, I have less than four minutes of discomfort. I try to maintain the 3:40 pace and tell myself that when I see the finish line, I will empty the tank.
I see the big inflatable arch at the finish line and I push hard. I tell myself not to look at my watch, just focus on crossing the line – enough time to check my watch afterwards.
I cross the finish line and desperately look for some sort of railing that I can throw myself onto. There isn’t one, so I just rest on my haunches before finally checking my watch: 6:40 p.m.
I’ll take that – a top 10, third in my age category and five seconds shy of my personal best set at Wroxham earlier this year.
Matt was incredibly close to his personal best – recording 16:45 (third overall and first in his age category). His quest for the Holy Grail 2024 continues…
Another 5k adventure could be on the horizon.
Scenic 7
I finished the weekend by driving the Stowmarket Scenic 7 the next day. Oddly, my legs were heavy from the efforts of the day before, but it was an enjoyable test on a hilly course.
Definitely another attempt in the future…maybe when I didn’t run a 5k hard 24 hours ago.