Spar Craic 10K Belfast- freezing but fab

[jeffbird]

My second 10K race after also competing ju-jus fab 10K plan for the second time.

It was horribly cold & at one point the rain turned to hail but I really enjoyed it. I got to 8K & thought I could easily have carried on forever. Strava was misreporting distance though & I somehow missed the 9 marker so didn't speed up enough for the last km, but I finished in 1.05 which I am v happy with (5 minutes faster than the last time).

I think I might try and keep at 4, 5, 10 for my 3 runs a week, as long as I have time for the longer run. I am quite jealous of folk who are able to incorporate longer runs into their week. If anyone has any tips of how to do this then please let me know as I think I could go longer distances now.

Also thinking it might be time to splash out on a garmin or similar so I can trust distance updates form strava.

happy running everyone!

[Deals1 Graduate10]

Well done,that's a good time I'd say!! 👍🥇😀🏃

I have no tips,sorry. Hopefully the lighter nights and mornings might help with that

Happy running

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to Deals1]

Thanks deals!

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

Congrats on a great race in less than ideal conditions!

Finding time for longer runs is definitely a challenge at times but if it is important to you then you need to make the time for it. I leave my long run for my day off and try to get to it in the morning as a great way to start the day. However as the runs get longer, sometimes it feels like all I managed to do was run, stretch, shower and eat, but that is ok. I struggle more with the midweek runs, trying to get the runs in after work, but as the days get longer and daytime highs get warm enough to melt the snow and ice, after work runs will get easier. I also realize that some weeks work messes up my run schedule and I just run what I can. It is important for me that running stays fun and not a chore since it is my sanity saver. So far I still look forward to the thought of getting out and running for 1 1/2 - 2 hours on my long runs.

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I only started C25K in May so was lucky then to be able to fit in runs before work. I signed up for yesterday’s 10K to keep me motivated through the winter so I’ll maybe look to see if there is another longer event I can aim for.

I get what you mean about keeping it fun, running is really helping my head space.

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Well done on the race and the time, that's great!

Now that the days are getting longer hopefully you'll be able to squeeze in longer runs early morning or in the evening or your days off. I'm retired so can't give you any practical advice as I'm lucky enough to be able to run any time but like everything else in life I guess it boils down to priorities and if you want to run a longer run, somehow you'll find the time to do it.

I'm over in NI next week and am hoping the weather is going to be warmer by then 😕

[jeffbird Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

The weather forecast is much better for the next fortnight so you might be in luck!