Well I finally did it. After setting out on my C25K journey last July and joining this forum on Week 4 of that journey, when I was struggling to run for 16 minutes, I just completed my first ever 10K and ran for 81 minutes non stop. I would expect that time to come down considerably over the next weeks and months.
I entered to run the Hackney Half Marathon (which is set to take place on May 16th this year) in a moment of madness. Despite my monicker of Dodgylungs and still being a bit wheezy in the mornings, it is clearly not stopping me from progressing. I was actually less exhausted at the end of this run than I was for the 8K a few weeks back.
I ran 3 small circuits on the Heath which was very hard on my legs. My original plan today was to run the longer circuits around the ponds but I could feel that it just wasn’t in my legs. I left the Heath at 4K and continued my descent towards Kentish Town and for the last 4K ran with my troublesome right hamstring being tight. I thought about stopping as the last time it tightened like this I actually tweaked it and was out for a week. However, this time it felt more achy than damaged and given the last 4K was on the flat, I just kept going and hoped it would hold up, which I’m pleased to say it did.
This is a major step forward for me and I’ve always wanted to run 10K. Today I achieved my goal. Now for the half marathon...
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Dodgylungs
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Well done, such a great achievement for you- I'm aiming for 10k and have got as far as 7k with a bit of a twinge in my knee so I've got to pace myself now as I don't want an injury to stop me moving forward. You've done so well in a short space of time, a great inspiration for me.
Thank you! You will do it. Nurse your injuries because running on them will make them worse. If you can do 7K, its not a huge step to 10K. You'll get there - but do it at your own pace and safely.
I'm hoping to hit 10km next month. Dodgy knee has knocked me back this last fortnight. I'll have to work back up again to the 8km/60min I'd reached at New Year. Storm Christoph is going to add to the delay, too.
One thing I find is that a week or two's rest does often allow the body to build back better.
You'll get there. I think any injury has to be rested. I'm nursing ongoing ankle and hamstring issues. The ankle has been good recently as I strap it up when I run. The hamstring was tight during and after the run today. I won't run on it again until it's back to normal. I don't want that putting me out for a month or worse. Good luck with your knee.
Fantastic run and huge congratulations on your first 10k! 👏👏👏
I did my first (and so far only!) 10k for the London Vitality 10,000 back in October and I used that NRC 10k Head Starts guided run. I found it really motivating
HM is a great aim - I'm sure you will get there. 👍
Good luck for your HM in May, that will probably be virtual as I can't see any race or event runs taking place anywhere before Autumn.
Congratulations on running your first
10K in 81 minutes.
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Yea that’s my fear, but who knows what will happen once we are vaccinated to the extent where there’s some kind of herd immunity. I’m hoping there will be distanced running but I appreciate that’s unlikely.
Thank you. The climbing aspect of it was tricky. I didn’t spend as much time on the Heath as I wanted but it’s tough going when your legs are aching. Wonder if that ever gets easier? Good luck with your running.
Congratulations, another massive hurdle, you've got over, feels so good 😊 even more so when you think back to the early c25k weeks, that's not a bad time either, my first 10k was about 90 mins 🥵 have gone on a bit further, but still pretty slow, i'm finding the extra km's after 10k, feel easier than 5-10k, so i'm sure you'll get to that HM! 💪💪
Thank you. I read my C25K posts again and one thing that shines through is the struggle. Much of that is due to my faulty breathing but it’s been a struggle from start to finish, so I feel extra proud of what I’ve achieved. I think 5-10K felt easier than C25K and I’m not surprised to hear you say that beyond 10K seems easier too. I’m looking forward to it. Good luck with your running.
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