Back to the Bridge Inn 5k
Mike | Add a comment! At long last I made a return to the Bridge Inn 5k, which is by now an old favourite much missed of late. I can’t remember when I ran it last - I’m sure a quick search here would reveal the answer.
Anyway, great ride out on the Bristol Bath path - 10k exactly from my front door to the top of the bridge. It’s a nice warm up if done gently.
Lovely to see all the familiar faces - Daves Taylor and Austin especially, JT who did some blogging on her once, Bob etc etc.
Today, my gripes and grumbles are relatively few - just a bad back and a very sore above-the-ankle-on-the-outside, so was feeling pretty chipper and keen to get under 19:00 mins, having done 19:11 at Bitton two weeks ago.
It was very warm and I was worried about that. I set my Garmin for 19:00. Off we went, and I didn’t feel too bad really, and thought the leaders were looking not to intimidatingly fast up front. I was surprised to find I ran the first 1k in 3:29. “Oo-er” I thought - not bad.
Off course that was as good as it got, but generally I think I got the pace about right as there were a fair few of us vying with each other for most of the race (at least I was vying - trying not to look too obvious about it).
In the end, I think I was out-vyed by just about everyone I’d vyed with, but hey - thanks for the ride everyone. I remember running alongside one guy for quite a while and our breathing fell into exactly the same rhythm, and that helped me find a groove for a while, which was nice.
But, the thing about being out of practise is that the confidence isn’t there, and when the going gets tough it feels, well, tough - and I ease off - I know I do.
However, I came in at about 18:40 I think. 30 secs faster than 2 weeks ago. So I’m happy.
If I can get another 30 secs off, then being a vet, I might be in with a chance of winning some tins of beer like in the good old days.
However I did win beer tonight, in the raffle. Everyone’s a winner at the Bridge Inn 5k!
A great evening: 20k of cycling, 5k of running, a cold lager in the balmy summer evening air outside the pub, some nice chats, and back in Bristol I dropped into The Climbing Academy on the spur of the moment for a few routes of bouldering. Great night out.
Races and Bridge Inn 5k
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