Hurray for 10k!

[EmilyReads]

Very happy to say that I did my first 10k run today! We had a homework day from my swedish class (because yesterday was a bank holiday and when it falls on a Thursday most swedes take the Friday off as a 'klämdag' (squeeze day). So I could make my own schedule and set out at a leisurely time to attempt the big 10k. My boyfriend lent me his shiny new Garmin so that I could get an accurate distance as the gps on my phone is pretty unreliable and I wanted to know when I had definitely done it!

I decided to do roughly the route of the 10k race which I've signed up for on the 15th of June. The route map on the website is pretty vague and full of little pictures of landmarks which get in the way of the actual route (not helpful!) but I had plotted out what I thought looked about right in advance using endomondo. It includes a couple of parks that I run in regularly as well as part of the local parkrun route so it all feels nice and familiar!

Everything went pretty smoothly until about 6 km when I had to do a loop which went right through the middle of the busiest/most touristy part of town. It was getting on for lunchtime so I had to do a lot of speeding up and manoeuvring to get around the pedestrians! That km ended up being a good 35 - 50 secs faster than all the other kms and I could definitely feel it! First time running on cobbles too (occupational hazard of taking a route through the old town which is full of pretty squares and quaint little side streets).

I was feeling pretty knackered at 7k so I decided to have a couple of bites of a cereal bar I had brought with me. I've only just started to experiment with fuelling on longer runs so I'm playing about with whats suits me. This was not a good fit! I felt instantly much thirstier and struggled with that for the next couple of km until I could detour to pass a water fountain and gulp in a few blissful mouthfuls! I'm going to try to find something less dry (more in the style of a nak'd bar) to see if that works better for me.

The last km seemed to pass achingly slowly. That was when I started to find the watch a bit distracting - very easy to keep looking at it when you desperately want to be finished! But I made it in the end and I'm really happy with my time as I am aiming for anything under 1hr 20 on race day. I am a bit concerned about how thirsty I felt as it wasn't even very sunny (although it felt quite muggy and I could definitely sense the pollen in the air!) I can't seem to find a water bottle that I think I could carry comfortably so I may have to rely on the 5km hydration point on the day - just crossing my fingers it isn't too sunny!

Thanks for the support and inspiration all, which has definitely kept me going to get this far!

[DebJogsOn]

Yay 10k! Congratulations 🎉

[Deals1 Graduate10]

10k 😊 😊 👍 👌

Well done

I like the sound of a squeeze day

Cobbles Couldbe dodgy

I've not experiment with fuel much yet.. But I have a little bumbag for water bottle and phone.. And sometimes carry water.

Happy running 🏃

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Well done on your first 10k - a very special milestone! 😀 As for water, have you tried looking for a running belt that you can keep a small bottle in?

I don't tend to drink on a 10k unless it's very hot and then I like to have a little with me (probably more psychological than anything). It's really down to what suits you though - we are all different. For events, there is usually plenty of water, so no need to carry it if you don't want to.

Good luck with your event on the 15th - very exciting!🙂

[Tinker5393 Graduate10]

Fantastic. Well done . First 10k done and dusted. Enjoy your 10k race you know you can do it now. 🍾🍾🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Congratulations on your first 10k Emily. 🏃‍♀️👏🏻👏🏻🎓🍾🥂

I don’t tend to drink water during a 10k but I do carry a small bottle in a flip belt just in case, and for straight after . Are you drinking enough on the day before the run? That can make a difference.

[Couchpotato2]

Well done! Massive congratulations 🎉 I looked at my watch about 20 times in the last km... at least...

[Teresa1632 Graduate10]

That's brilliant! When out cycling I use gels. Light to carry and ingest. So, maybe try a gel for refuelling? I'm hoping to make 10k by the end of the month at a similar time. So your post has spurred me on. 👏👏

[Wimborne]

Whoooohoooo👏👏🥳🥳👌. Such a fabulous feeling. Enjoy your 10k glow.

[Slinkymalinki Graduate10]

Well done!👏🎇 A great time too - same as me! A friend did the Paris marathon this year and said the worst bits were the cobble stones. I have a running belt with a collapsible water bottle from Decathlon - it's perfect for longer runs and so comfortable and light you forget your wearing it. Wishing you many happy runs. 🙂

[JonathanP Graduate10]

Well done on your first 10k EmilyReads! Sounds like you did it despite lots of distractions and obstructions!🎉😀