1st 10K race bling and parkrun volunteering, so why so meh?

[jeffbird]

I volunteered for my local parkrun on Saturday as I had registered for my first proper race on Sunday - The Belfast Decathlon 10K.

It was interesting to see parkrun as a relative bystander and I enjoyed cheering everyone around (the course is 2 laps) but it made me realise that lots of the speedsters who I assumed were effortless gazelles look absolutely pasted by the end.

Which brings me onto the 10K race. I really enjoyed it, and finished in a reasonable 70 minutes & it was great to get a medal but.. I feel I should be able to go faster. One of the marshalls said that I looked far too fresh at the end, which I know was meant as a compliment but that together with the parkrun the day before has left me feeling like I'm coasting a bit. Not that there's anything wrong with that

I'm not really sure what to do next, I enjoy 5K runs, but don't really feel like I'm getting into my groove until 4K and then 8K feels great. I don't have a huge amount of spare time so longer runs are a bit of a luxury, so maybe it would be more sensible now to focus on speeding up my 5K. I think I need another goal but I'm not sure what! What did everyone else do after their first 10K race, I need inspiration oh wise ones!

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Congratulations on your first 10K race and bling, well done. You have lots of options. Do more races but look for different types like hilly, road, trail, muddy, mix it up a bit or just run in races that are beautiful or different.

You can focus on speed if you haven't much time and make sure you include hills in your training. Or, you could join a running club. If it's a good club then you'll have loads of options there.

After my first 10K race I just kept entering more races as I loved the training and the actual event and the bling of course 😘 I did eventually get a bit bored with the racing thing so joined a running club.

Whatever you do, make sure you run for joy, apart from the racing days 😮

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

thanks for taking the time to reply , sorry it's taken me so long to get back and have a look. I ran for the first time since the 10K today and I really enjoyed it - & was faster than my previous parkrun PB to boot!

[Irishprincess Graduate10 in reply to jeffbird]

Sounds good, well done.

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

well done and you your plan sounds good particularly as you dont have loads of free time for long training runs!

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to ju-ju-]

thanks ju-ju!

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

..the comment about looking far too fresh sounds like a compliment to me! If it's any consolation - I graduated 3 years ago and still think I probably don't push myself hard enough! I am slightly wary of getting injured if I go too flat out ( I have had my fair share of time on the injury couch and am trying to avoid ending up there again!). That said, I am enjoying using Fartleks in one of my weekly runs to gradually improve my pace. I like IP's ideas - try out different things and find what works best for you. Good luck!🙂

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to Sandraj39]

thanks sandra, I like the interval training - it's flipping knackering though isn't it! I'm also wary about hurting my knee so I think I need to build up strength there too.

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

On “competitive” days I quite like to finish my runs “pasted”😛 but it’s only with experience of the course and/or distance that you get it just right - if you don’t, “fresh”🏃‍♂️is better than “dnf”🚶🏼‍♂️.

I reckon to increase your speed for any given distance, you need to run further slower and shorter quicker, if you see what I mean 🙄. So the odd 8 or 10, together with some interval stuff, should see you improving your Parkrun PB nicely 😀

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

thanks upthestanley, you are indeed wise! I ran for the 1st time since Sunday today and thought I was taking it easy - time was 2s faster than previous parkun PB!