Glynneath 5 Mile Boxing Day 2013

This race report was kindly provided by Chris Armstrong who had a fantastic run on the say as you will soon find out.

Over to Chris.

Travelling down to Glynneath with Lee, Louise and Donna, I was a little apprehensive with what I was about to do. Deciding only the night before to run and after a good few months of taking it easy and indulging in beer and whiskey, I did not really know how I would get on. I checked out the route on the internet the day before to see it was a fast flat course, which made me feel a little easier. Arriving to register and relax early I started to feel better and was confident on a sub 50 minute run. I got my number and pinned it to my club top and started to relax a little more. We again got in the car to get to the start and I announced I would be happy to run 10 minute miles. At the start it was freezing and getting quite busy, meeting Simon and Sara and some of the Dragons we moved into a position closer to the front of the pack. Without warning a whistle sounded and we were off. Starting fast to catch Louise who had gone like a rocket, I was running faster than I thought I could. Myself and Lee looked at the pace and decided it needed to slow. Instead of slowing I ran faster and faster, fearing that I could not hold the pace and my body screaming to slow I pushed on and on. Soon I realised that it was not flat and on the way back would have to tackle the inclines I enjoyed running down like a lunatic. Hitting the turn I started back for the 2.5 mile return leg and was soon met with a shout from the other side of the course of “ten minute miles my bottom” or words to those effect. The sound of laughter spurred me on a little more and soon I came to the inclines and slowed slightly. Sara and Simon came past with words of encouragement as they started to put a gap between them and me. Finally seeing the 4 mile sign I managed to go a little quicker then came the signs I had been waiting for, 800 meters, 400 meters and then 200 meters. A little push and I managed to put a final sprint in at the finish to achieve not only the sub 50 minutes I had been looking for but something I never though possible, a sub 40 minute run!!