This was the amazing view shortly after midpoint. It’s my urbanite version of those drop-dead gorgeous rural misty-morning images being shared by our lovely VRBs. (I thank you all mightily - your photos always give me such a lift and a moment to swoon 💕.) And look at this one: not bad, eh? Almost like a Turner watercolour!!🎨🖌
I’ve achieved 10k three times before today, but I’ve always suppressed the ‘I’m running 10k’ thought and let it sneak in through the back door, so to speak. Today was different. Today was planned. Maps. Forethought. Contingencies considered. Coach Bennett’s ‘10k Run’ podcast downloaded. A fully intentional 10k… on the day designated the official world-record attempt for the number of people doing 10k. I was pretty relaxed: I knew I could walk if I wanted or even take a pause. In the event, I ran the lot, apart from the brief moment taken for this photo opportunity.
The run was steady and relaxed. So here I am finally thinking ‘10k is quite easy’. That definitely snuck up on me! This was a new route for running, requiring me to venture a bit further afield. To get there and back includes some stretches of street running, but once at my destination I could run along canal and river, around marshes. I admired the barges moored along the towpath with their rooftop gardens and bikes strapped to their sides; some had solar panels and eeked out more storage beneath. Across the water, coots were arrayed, each standing on its own island - a miniscule stick pile just poking out above the bright-green water. One barge was very slowly chugging south, leaving a wake free from the algal bloom. I passed lots of other runners and walkers, and most smiled, acknowledged and said hi… some even beat me to it. I ran through woods next to the river, listening to birdsong. I spotted a full-size tree that had toppled into the river, baring its huge rootball to the path. I then traversed the top of the marsh with its football pitches to rejoin the canal.
Because my planning hadn’t quite been as logistically tight as I just made out, I added on the hoof a further stretch of river with views across to more marshland, more wild than the first one. Here were swans with their large cygnets and mallards, and more narrowboats. The sky grew even more expansive. There was a pleasant riverine aroma in the air. And a half-sunken boat.
Around the 8k mark, I had to take on a very steep hill. I wasn’t meant to be pushing myself, but having gone further than ‘planned’, it had to be done tonclimb away from the water and orient myself homewards. So, I did the tiny fast steps and thought ‘dancing’… and, yes! I got to the top. I even found myself recovering quite quickly once on the flat above the escarpment, just in time for CB to remind me to drop the level of effort from 5 to 4 to 3 out of ten. Gosh, I must be getting fitter! It was now back to the streets as I sensed my way like a homing pigeon, putting in a bit of extra but controlled effort on the final straight. Very happy. That was great fun. And all before breakfast.
Have a good day, everyone!
My First 10K Completed!!
My First 10K - Oh Bullocks!
Tah-dahhh … my first ever 10k!
I did it! My first ever 10k race!
