A very late report for this event as it took place on 14th April, but I thought I'd share it on here.
Although my 1st-year runniversary was back in January, I've been a bit slow at entering organized events. I've done 3 Park Runs and wanted to do a 10k, but wanted to wait until I felt able to do one in a fairly good time.
Since graduating C25k I had been running 10k at least once a month until I suffered from Plantar Fasciitis in October last year. This lasted for many weeks, scuppering my running and stopping me from doing anything much more than 5km at a steady pace. I finally recovered from that in January and started up doing the 10k distance again, this time once a week.
On 14th April I took my next step and entered the annual Flitwick 10k race. Although I had been running a solo 10k every week since February, I was very nervous about running this distance in an organized competition. Would I manage the distance at a reasonable speed? Would I look silly amongst real athletes? These doubts and others were going through my head right up to the point the race started.
The Flitwick 10k is a popular event attracting more than 700 runners every year. It is held on public roads, starting from the centre of the village and running a loop on rural roads back to the finish line in the park. It was a bright, sunny morning with a real chill in the air as we arrived at race control and I collected my race number and timing chip. Feeling very nervous, it was great to have my partner and our 7-year-old daughter there to support me. With 10 minutes to go before the start, we were called to the start holding area, which was divided into segments for estimated finishing times. As I had been running 10k in around 50 minutes, I planted myself at the 50-minute marker.
After a quick safety briefing, the 731 entrants walked to the start line and counted down to the start. I quickly regretted my finishing time estimate as I spent the first kilometre in a very large crowd with little space to overtake and found myself being held up. With villagers lining the streets cheering us on we very quickly reached the 1k marker and headed out onto the main street with the field of runners already spreading out nicely, creating more space to get into a nice steady rhythm. The 2k marker saw us run past the leisure centre and reach the edge of the village, turning left toward the village of Steppingley. At this point I remembered the advice of our running club coach at work and started looking for someone who I thought was running at my kind of pace to tag along with, so I singled out someone in a yellow Bedford Harriers running club vest and ran alongside him, striking up some small talk along the way. 3k and we passed the pub – so tempting to grab a pint! Past the pub and out of Steppingley we ran along a narrow twisting road which headed downhill past the 4k marker and on to the drinks station at 5k for a very welcome beaker of water to rehydrate my dry mouth. The road then turned again and we ran alongside the M1 motorway until the 6k marker, where the road suddenly became quite hilly with the daunting prospect of the 7th and 8th km being pretty much all uphill.
By the 9k marker, the hills had been dispensed with and the final kilometre to the finish line was a very welcome flat/downhill stretch. By this time my running buddy seemed to have used up all he had on those hills and dropped behind me.
As we approached the park and finish line I saw one of my daughter’s friends and her mum cheering me on, giving me an extra boost which had me speeding up for the final 100m to the line. The atmosphere at the finish was great, with lots of spectators including my 7-year-old daughter cheering us on. I gave it all I had for the last few metres, overtaking a few runners just before crossing the finish line and being handed a very welcome beaker of water and a flapjack!
Any doubts I'd had before the race had disappeared within a few minutes of the start and I really enjoyed the whole event. My official race time was 46:40 with a chip time of 46:26 (meaning that due to the volume of runners it took me 14 seconds to cross the start line after the race had started). I was placed 152nd, which doesn’t sound great, but there were 731 runners so I was fairly high up the field.
I am now looking to enter at least another 2 events this year and my next target is to do a half marathon.......
Written by
MikeJones68
Graduate10
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Fabulous read Mike, I've entered a 10k race in September (first event ever😆) and reading your report, including all your self doubt and misgivings and how it all turned out is just what I needed to hear.
Well done on a great run, and your first event bling!
Good luck for your next events and that HM is in your sights!😊xxx
Wow you are fast! Congratulations on your first organised race and your time. I find running with others annoying if I can't overtake but I run at a slower pace than you! The atmosphere is fab though. You will do a fast half!
I'm running a 10k on Sunday and I'm hoping to do it just over an hour, so your time was amazing! 👌😊🏃♂️
That was an epic run Mike, and what do you mean, 152nd out of 731 runners doesn’t sound great? You bet it does - in fact it sounds amazing. 👏👊👍 What a gazelle you are! 🏃🏃🏃
I finished in the 9,000’s out of 13,000 or so runners at the Bristol 10k on Sunday! Hey, there were around 4,000 slower than this 🐌 so I was pleased! 🏃♀️😀
Are you tempted do to more races now? I certainly am. 😀
Thank you! Yes, when you realise how many were behnd you it does feel good. I am tempted to do the other 2 events organized by the same club; Marston Forest 5k and the Ampthill Trophy Cross Country 10k. I think I'll look at HM next year.......
Fantastic stuff! Isn’t it fun planning ahead? 👏👏👏 I have 2 x 10ks to look forward to (Race for Life in June and Severn Bridge in August) and I’m going to start creeping my distance up I’ve decided ..... because I’ve entered into the London Marathon 2020 ballot! What? 🤦♀️😅😳😩 I almost certainly won’t get in, but a friend of mine told me last night that her pal got in first time. 😳😳😳😳😳
Thanks! Yes I’ll need to work up through the distances - 10k being my farthest to date. 10 miles is next in my sights. Then definitely a HM! 🏃♀️ I’m bats, clearly! 🦇 😳🏃♀️🤦♀️😀
That's an outstanding time Mike, I don't know why you were so anxious when you're that fast... That must have been an exceptional field of runners. Well done.
A brilliant run you did there Mike. The first official 10k is really special, and that is a brilliant time. You are obviously a natural born runner.
I was having exactly the same doubts when I did my first chip timed race on Sunday, would my legs remember how to run that far. But completely loved being part of a race with 13000 people.
Maybe one of the Great runs for you next - I couldn’t believe how well organised the one in Bristol was. The Great South run is 10 miles if you want a stepping stone to HM.
Stanley is. I’m still not sure if I want to go that far, but never say never. Some of my parkrun RBs are doing it so we’ll see. No aches and pains after Sunday, how about you?
It's nice to see you back on here. Looks like you've been bit by the event bug 😂🏅. If you post on the pinned event post on the Marathon and Race support forum we can cheer you on 🤗🤗🤗
A great time for your first “proper” 10k 😀. You might actually have your slow start to thank for your fast finish - I know I tend to go off too fast, so people getting in the way is curiously helpful 🤔. Good for practicing sidestepping too!
Excellent time MikeJones68 you got round sub 50 by a good bit, perhaps the next 10K you can go along with the 45 minute pacer and achieve a sub 45 minute 10K, congratulations.
Thank you! Our coach at work said I should have placed myself in between the 40 and 45 minutes markers. I should have listened as he obviously has more faith in me than I do!
Congratulations MikeJones68! Everything and I mean everything about this sounds great to me. 10k in 46 minutes is phenomenal in my eyes. What an amazing run! 🤩🤩🤩🤩❤️
Wow, amazing time Mike. What a great run for your first timed 10k. Having faffed around getting the obligatory medical certificate, I’ve just entered the inaugural Intersport 10k in Bergerac, France on 19th May. Starting to feel the same as you did -what if they are all serious runners and I come in last looking silly. The pacers start at 40 and stop at 60 (my previous time was 1:05!)😬
The faffage is more scary than the running (we know how to do that bit). Well done on getting the first event under your belt. First of many I suspect.
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First 10K event completed
First 10k running event 😊😊
First 10k race event, DONE!
Yey hey! My first 10k!!!!
