Hereford 10k 2023 /// Racing During Christmas Week!

A few weeks ago, I saw that there was a race during Xmas week, within a 45 minute drive of where I live…

I forgot to take into account that Christmas is basically anti-fitness for me.

Have a watch and see if I can put the potatoes and brussell sprouts into a PB.

Let go of your limits!

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/running_withandy/
Follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/40111602

Laura on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/laura_and_daisytherescue/
Laura on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/27954233

My GNR Fundraising Page: https://greatnorthrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/andy-maguire

Hello welcome to Herford it’s race day today I haven’t said that for a long time so Mega excited to race a 10K today I don’t think I’ve ever said that I’m excited to raise the 10K but here in Herford it’s Christmas week I’ve eaten I’ve eaten way too much food drink way

Too much alcohol so I’m not really in a Pak performance shape but but we are here we are racing today we’re not taking it easy so I am going to try I’m going to at least try and see if I can get close to my PB which is

459 so that basically what I’m looking for today is a sub 45 to make sure and I want to try and stay close to about a 427 428 per kilometer average uh in miles is I don’t know 7 15 or something like that I think so I’m capable of going

Quicker but at the peak of my powers like about 3 months ago in September when I was really you know I was feeling quite Speedy then since then I’ve just dropped off a cliff a little bit all the time my fitness has is just I’ve got no

I just can’t seem to match those speeds but we’ll see what happens today I’ve got my Vapor Flies on so yes you never know I could I could come up with the goods today so apart from the horrendous amounts of Christmas food and alcohol I’ve drunk this week

Conditions are actually quite good today but there are forecast 40 mph winds so this could be the Calm before the storm but at the moment it’s quite a temper 8 9° but yeah I think the wind is going to pick up but anyway everyone’s got the same disadvantage today say pointless

Morning about that yeah let’s just see how we got on today should be a bit of fun um and yeah I can see how close I can get to that PB I’m trying to go sub 45 we’ll see how we do 2 yeah so far not so good basically the rubby Club is

Completely flooded so no toilets no teas and coffees no BD drop so not an ideal start and it’s just started peeing down which is interesting and I’ve got to try and get my tag it looks like I’m literally I’m on tag so it look like

Some sort of offender but this is how we chip time in this race and I’ve got to get that around my ankle uh got to remember to do that Al I won’t getting official time and I think that’s how you do it how do you actually I just

Literally I ain’t got a clue what I’m doing here is that V so there’s Herford behind me and this is the river y down there and it’s a little bit high today to say they leave East I can feel the weather start to turn the wind’s picking up a

Bit and the sky’s gone a hell of a lot darker so yes it’s going to be a lovely one I’m going to get I’m going to get try and get warmed up I think uh probably just do I don’t know 15 minutes easy or something like that uh maybe

Throw in a couple of speed a couple of strides or something but I’m going to switch to the Head cam now so yeah let’s crack on let’s see how we do let’s chase down that sub 45 but don’t put your money on it the amount of pigs and blankets I’ve had this Christmas

Enjoy want good luck everyone do it see you later Great so far okay okay car what je me jez oh is this the loot bit I know where we are I know where we are nearly back nearly Home 1K to go don’t SH now Andy negative split is on come on it’s on Andy it’s On Oh took out a bit wi come on and come on Son Hey took that coold way too fast the last corner I then you went into the trees so we are done and I’m pleased to announce new owner of a new PB so we got round in total in 44 37 which gave me an average an average time of

4:26 and just Mega pleased that I managed to negative split that so Sam said at the start I’m going to Pace 45 is that because you didn’t really fancy go much faster or you doing me a favor or a bit of both I could I don’t know bit of both and I

Had a good Christmas a very Merry Christmas basically Sam was the head of me the hallway and I could see him and he was getting further and further away from me at one point but towards the end I think we both felt that we pasted it correctly

Yeah Bang on because we were both moving quite well towards the end weren’t we so kicked on a bit to last 5K I haven’t seen my splits yet but it felt like a negative split um first 2K for me I went out quite conservatively and then uh yeah the final

4K uh yeah everything felt a lot quicker but it was interesting course wasn’t it yeah it’s not not a PB course but no it’s uh yeah for for anyone that’s got a fast pe uh F 10K PB this probably wouldn’t be the course no got p on but

For me I’ve only done a handful of 10ks and my previous 10K was in like what 25° heat it was yeah back in June wasn’t it yeah so um so slightly easier for me but apart from the the wind wasn’t too bad I didn’t think no and the rain held off it

And the rain held off so it was actually all in all quite good raining uh sorry quite good running conditions it was a little bit wet and muddy under foot up in places but apart from that decent race yeah that yeah yeah good M them Pal so made it back new PB returning like a soldier from Battle with a new PB so looking at my splits I’m really really pleased with that I managed to almost execute the race plan I didn’t talk about that beforehand partly cuz I forgot but my plan was to go out nice

And slowly nice and conservatively not slowly but not go out too hard because I knew that it was almost like a pyramid shape it had a big hump in the middle and at 5K just after 5K there was a nice downhill all the way to the finish with

A few stinkers of hills in there but uh the the majority was uphill first half second half down so I my first 3ks were 434 434 435 bear in mind I needed to finish with a 430 average or less and that’s if my if the course doesn’t run

Long or if my watch doesn’t measure short um so then from four I picked it up slightly to 428 five and six 434 4 4 434 432 and here is where I put my foot down I did a 420 and then a 422 for S and8

And then nine start to just jump off the pace slightly there was a stinker of a hill there on the 9th K which was um which was difficult and that was a 427 and then I closed with a with a 4minute case I was really pleased uh with with the way that I

Managed to sort of execute the race all came it all came into fruition and this time yesterday I actually did a training run and it didn’t go to plan I did try to do 2K at race pace and I couldn’t even get near race Pace I was doing 440s

Or something and it just felt really labored really hard but race days are funny things aren’t they and I just managed to put out of the bag went with the Vapor Flies in the end and they did the trick so at the race itself I

Managed to have a catch up with a lot of Runners which is great I met Andy Forest of Dean Runner the fod runner amazing what a really nice guys just as affable as you’d imagine he years in real life and he said that he had a really good

Race as well well he didn’t say that but he he did I think he came seventh uh overall so I’m not sure of his time but uh so sounds like he had a really good strong and solid race as he’s prepping for London in Spring um Sam as well big

Shout out to Sam Sam is my sort of unofficial Pacer today he he said to me at the start look mate I’m going to do a 45 minute I’m going to try and go for a 45 minute 10K just keep an eye on me the

Whole way and if you want to try and do me at the end then you’ll know that You’ got a 45 he ended up coming in about 4420 cuz I think he got a sniff that I was pushing on as well and the last K as

It was all nice and downhill we both went for it um so yeah thanks to Sam uh man of your word got me in sub 45 so thank you thank you dude and yeah we we had a really sort of nice coffee afterwards with Sam and Lou Laura and I

And Daisy went out for coffee in Herford and we just thought wow why do we never come to Herford it’s so close it’s a really nice little place so I think we might come and do the the park room one day one Saturday morning morning and then have a a morning in morning

Afternoon in Herford because it’s a really lovely little city so hope you’ve enjoyed this one I’m so glad to bring you the good news of a PB finishing the the year with another PB in the 10K which is it is my my most hated distance cuz I don’t really enjoy 10ks cuz they

Are really really hard but feeling good so I’ll see you on the next video thank you so much everybody for watching this one Merry Christmas and I hope you have a prosperous 2024 hope you’re looking forward to setting some goals and hit some targets next

Year I certainly am I’ll see you on the next video take it easy wherever you are in the world and I’ll see you soon T