My fourth 10k - but the first ever *planned*... - Bridge to 10K

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My fourth 10k - but the first ever *planned*!🗺🧭

GailXrunning profile image
40 Replies

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!

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GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning
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40 Replies
Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10

Wow, what a lovely run! I know exactly what you mean about the 10K through the back door, I’ve done a lot of runs like that myself. Congratulations for this planned 10K, complete with gorgeous photo and your trademark beautifully written observations.

Well done indeed 👏👏👏👍

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toJools2020

Thanks! That’s so kind. 💕 And (I know you’ll appreciate this) I’m now supposed have a ‘fitness age’ of 25! 😂 Actually, I reached that earlier in the week with my speed run, but Garmin seems happy to keep me there.

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10 in reply toGailXrunning

Haha, 25! Excellent. I think I I managed 21, which was just ridiculous but very amusing 😊

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toJools2020

Hilarious, isn’t it! Mind you, being a Garmin newbie, I have to admit I felt (Okay, no, ‘am feeling’ - let’s be honest) a great sense of satisfaction as that figure worked its way downwards. And getting that VO2max-ometer thingy across the threshold of a new zone… 😂

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10 in reply toGailXrunning

I know 😊. Even though I knew it was questionable at best, I was still unreasonably pleased! I even felt younger 😂

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toJools2020

True. Very powerful that effect! It’s led me to buy a bike - and I’m now having to relearn my younger self’s road skills.

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10 in reply toGailXrunning

Oh, me too! My beautiful bike is in storage but I’m hoping to get back to my cycling career just as soon as I have my own place 😊

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toJools2020

What a coincidence! Data analytics-inspired enthusiasm has much to answer for. Yesterday’s test ride (testing if I could stay on a bike and navigate a few quiet roads) also allowed me to also test the cycling function on Garmin, which has fed through to Strava, providing two sets of stats to analyse.

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate10 in reply toGailXrunning

Brilliant! I can’t wait to get my bike back. I bought it in November I think and I was using a nearby track to practise. Winter arrived and the track was soon under water for the rest of the winter. By the time it cleared I was spending most of my days sorting and packing.

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toJools2020

Oh, that waiting must be frustrating. Here’s to your future cycling adventures!

Congratulations on your 10k 👍🏼⭐ . I like your early morning urban landscape photo too, very seasonal - you can certainly tell it is September.

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply to

Thank you. I agree, that unique September air is palpable, isn’t it. I love it. As I left the house, the forecast was threatening heavy rain, perhaps catching the last part of the run. But the low sun was breaking through. In the end, the rain didn’t manifest until this afternoon and has been light.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate

What a lovely run, a fab 10k I hope the record is broken, love your description and the photo is superb

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toSueAppleRun

🤞🤞🤞Thanks, Sola. I think it’s a week before we have the official results confirmed.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toGailXrunning

It’s time I ran my third 10k but not today

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toSueAppleRun

You’ll know when the time is right.😉 Going at it without any pressure to improve pace (indeed, if anything, with pressure from CB to do the opposite and slow down) makes a big difference to the whole experience. Guess we should know that already, but having my coach say it through the run seems to be important.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toGailXrunning

I love the NRC guided runs, but i’m thinking i may jeff it next time i run alone and see how far i get

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toSueAppleRun

That’s a great plan. I think jeffing is a brilliant approach - not just for ‘surviving’ a run; I’m convinced that it makes one stronger - perhaps by making the heart rate go up and down.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate1060minGraduate in reply toGailXrunning

I jeffed a 5k recently and was surprised how fresh i felt at the end 😀

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toSueAppleRun

Win-win!😉

CBDB profile image
CBDBGraduate10

Brill!!! I have yet to do the Coach Benett 10k guided run! And I know how a hill on the 8th km feels like, my 10k route today also included 2 hills, which by that time felt like mountains to me! 😂😂

Happy World Record!

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toCBDB

Haha! ‘Dance’ your way up those hills. 💃🏼💃🏻 (That’s in another session.) It sort of works. Otherwise, today was all about relaxing or slowing down, and then slowing again.

Frenc profile image
FrencGraduate1060minGraduate

Ah what a great run - I love your little dancing steps up the hill! Smashing photo as well, how fun to peek at people’s barges too. Well done you! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toFrenc

Thanks, Frenc. There are so many barges - a semi-permanent community. It’s fascinating to see how much is fitted into such small spaces. These are all homes rather than touring boats. Ingeniously creative.

Fionamags profile image
FionamagsGraduate10

Great post. Loved your description of the run. Well done on taking part in the record attempt!!

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toFionamags

Thanks, Fionamags. That’s very kind of you to say so. We now await the record outcome. (There are surely more 10k-ers now, I’d estimate.)🤞🤞🤞

Congrats on your first planned 10K, I guess there will be many more to come now? Had to laugh a bit at the part of the small steps / dancing. I kinda do this too when having to 'climb' in a run. I always wonder how it must look like to other people 😂

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply to

Haha! Thanks. I think there will be and the experience has made me much more confident about the >10 distances coming up in my plan. (Tbh I don’t think I’d realised I was feeling a bit trepidation’s about the longer distances until the moment when I though this.)

+Yes, we must look very odd to the uninitiated. 💃🏼💃🏻

What a great run and fantastic read. I hope one day to have those feelings you are getting from running 10k.

I take many things with me on my runs from people on this forum and I will be putting dancing up the hills into my locker to pull out when I need that extra push. Brilliant.

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply to

Thanks, Alan99. You will! Especially if you embrace your slower self.😉

Remember, for the hills: Teeny quick steps, but otherwise there’s much scope chose your personal style: 💃🏼🕺🏻👯‍♂️

in reply toGailXrunning

Brilliant 😃😃

RunBrianRun profile image
RunBrianRunGraduate10

Loved that report 😊 Well done on completing a relaxing 10k and contributing to the world record attempt. 👍👍👍

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toRunBrianRun

Thank you, BrianUK. It was such a lovely outing. All the stars came into perfect alignment.

Peter44 profile image
Peter44Graduate10

Well done Gail, look at you smashing those 10k's now!!! 🏃‍♀️😀

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toPeter44

Amazing. Dare I say, it’s becoming ‘like a walk in the park’?? 😆

Sulley101 profile image
Sulley101Graduate10

10k before breakfast! WOW! A great buzz to start the day!Sounds like a lovely scenic route too.

Congratulations 💪🏃‍♀️😁

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toSulley101

Thanks! 😂 It’s definitely my favourite running time of day. And, yes, that lovely buzz persists. A 10k before breakfast is feasible on non workdays; a bit tight (for me) otherwise.

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassador

Fab post and photo Gail!

Well done on your “planned” 10k and participation in the World Record 10K 🙌🏼👍👏🏼

GailXrunning profile image
GailXrunning in reply toLottieMW

🙌 Thanks. It really was great fun. And I’ve got my certificate now. We should know the outcome in the coming days.

Mind you, today was my hillwork session. And I know you know all about hills! 😉 My 15s 10/10 efforts proved to be slower than my 45s 6/10. How could that happen? I definitely thought my 15s full efforts were faster.🤷🏼‍♀️ Have to laugh! 😂

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWAmbassador in reply toGailXrunning

😂🤦🏻‍♀️⛰🏃🏻‍♀️

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