Road to Pontevedra: Boddington 10-Mile Race reflection - Women’s Endurance running

Boddington 10 Mile was never meant to be a peak race.

It was meant to be information.

A checkpoint on the road.A chance to practise execution.A moment to test whether the steady, unglamorous work of winter training is actually doing what it’s designed to do — build resilience, not just speed.

This race sits squarely in the middle of my Road to Pontevedra journey. Not the start. Not the destination. But an important moment to ask: are we moving in the right direction?

Why a 10-Mile Race Matters

Ten miles is an awkward distance.

It’s long enough that you can’t fake it.Short enough to tempt you into going out too hard.And just uncomfortable enough to expose cracks in pacing, fuelling, or patience.

From a training perspective, it sits beautifully between endurance and intensity — making it a powerful test of aerobic durability, pacing discipline, and mental restraint under pressure.

Exactly the qualities that matter when you’re building toward championship racing later in the season.

The Goal

My goal for Boddington was clear and specific:to break 8-minute miles consistently for all 10 miles.

It was ambitious, but realistic. A stretch goal that would tell me something meaningful either way. It excited me because the last time I was touching on these paces was my pre-triathlon days. I was just running, less intentionally, not at all strategically, 7 years younger and sub-4 hour marathon-fit. To revisit these paces with intention, strategy and knowledge, and to mix them with two other sports, plus strength training for long term health and perimenopause management is new territory for me, and it's exhilerating!

I started out slightly faster than target pace — not dramatically, but enough that I struggled to fully settle in the early stages. The first three miles felt unsettled, so I eased back toward goal pace and found a brief pocket of comfort.

But then my heart rate — and my internal signals — started telling a familiar story.

This was probably not a pace I could hold today.

Execution, Environment, and Effort

The course itself added another layer of complexity. A four-loop format of 2.5 miles meant repeated exposure to a long section that effectively acted as a wind tunnel. Holding a consistent pace and effort simply wasn’t possible, even though the course looked flat on paper.

And this is something I always find fascinating:

On a flat course, when you’re already pushing yourself, every slight incline and every headwind is suddenly magnified.

At halfway, my heart rate was touching 175 bpm — a number I know well. For me, that’s the point where, without careful damage limitation, burnout is knocking on the door.

So I made a decision.

Rather than forcing the pace and risking a complete fade, I used the final four miles to monitor my heart rate closely and ease back just enough to stay in control.

The Result — and the Frustration

I crossed the line two seconds per mile slower than my goal pace.

On one level, I should be pleased.That margin tells me the goal was right — ambitious, but not unrealistic.

On another level, I’m frustrated.Because I was so close. Close enough to question whether it came down to execution, conditions, or simply not feeling quite on top form on the day.

But this is also the point of races like this.

They don’t just test fitness — they test judgement.

And sometimes the win isn’t forcing the outcome you want, but recognising where the edge is, managing the damage, and walking away with enough left to keep building.

What This Race Really Showed Me

Progress doesn’t always announce itself loudly.

Sometimes it looks like:

• better pacing awareness

• fewer emotional spikes when things feel hard

• confidence in not reacting impulsively

There was no dramatic blow-up. No desperate hanging-on.Just a growing sense that the engine underneath is stronger than it used to be.

That’s the kind of progress you can build on.

The Bigger Picture

While this race sits within a competitive goal — arriving prepared for World Triathlon Championships — the principles behind it go far beyond racing.

This is the same approach I encourage inside Data Driven Wellness:

• train with intent

• use data as feedback, not judgement

• respect recovery as part of performance

• build fitness that supports your life, not consumes it

You don’t need a race number to benefit from this mindset. You just need a reason to pay attention.

Onwards

Boddington was a tick in the box — not because it was perfect, but because it was honest.

It confirmed what needs work. It validated what’s improving.And it reinforced that consistency, restraint, and curiosity are what move you forward over time.

The road to Pontevedra continues — steady, patient, and quietly confident.