My first road race in the 2016 calendar came along at Dewsbury, having ran it last year it was a firm favourite of mine having recorded a then personal best of 39.13, I had always planned this been my first one of the year thus avoiding the popular Brass Monkey half & Ferriby 10. My focus in January was working on my speed so made an effort to get myself to Costello speed sessions on Wednesday nights & Parkruns at weekends & throw in the three cross country races I had done things were going well.

The course is an out & back one with a gradual incline for miles two & three up to the turn for home, throughout the week the forecast hadn’t been that good with showers & a strong winds predicted. A 9am kick off meant an early start but I woke up feeling fresh & ready to race. I met up with some lads from city of hull to car share & the usual banter was had on the journey to the race HQ, on our arrival we were greeted with more favourable weather conditions a tad chilly but not the hurricane Imogen like winds.

My target for 10k this year is to dip under 39 minutes & I was in confident / buoyant mood, Dewsbury was my first assault on this with Gainsborough 10k & Hull 10k also booked in for a crack at it. After the usual pre race speech from the race director we were off just after 9am, I knew I had to go out fast so around a 6 minute mile was key, I clocked a 6.05, as I’ve mentioned the next two miles are a gradual incline to the 5k point. I reached the turn quicker than last year so was in bullish mood about a sub 39. The next two miles seem to fly by & I reached 5 miles in 31.20 which I believe is my quickest 5. The last mile was a stinker from nowhere a head wind picked up & it slowed me down a bit, quite frustrating but you have to take the conditions that are presented on the day. My eventual finish time was 39.09 which was an equal PB & a 4 second course PB. I was slightly disappointed not to reach the promise land of a sub 39 but know it’s out there.

Special mention to three Hull runners, firstly our very own Tony Cross who under 40 minutes for the first time, a well deserved finish time of 39.38. I’m really pleased TC has cracked the sub 40 as he’s been putting plenty of hard in. Next my good friend / rival Chris Monk who went under 39 minutes for the first time with a cracking time of 38.42, I’ve had some great battles with Chris over the years & I nearly always end up been the bridesmaid. Last but not least Kingston’s Gregan Clarkson who finished 13th in a great time of 33.13. Well done Gregan

As I write this I’ve had the good news I don’t need surgery on my back so just need to look after myself better but I’m looking forward to achieving my 2016 running goals.

Mike Petersen