Just thought I’d post my 10k run report finally, after having needed a few hours to recuperate! The 10k is part of our collective efforts to break another record of most runners having run a remote 10k in one day! 🤩🤩🤩🏆
There is bling involved and a certificate, so great motivator for this runner!
Four weeks ago I wasn’t sure I was going to make it in my training back up to 10k, but the last couple of weeks were good in terms of runs, so I felt much more confident. Admittedly I probably broke the 10% rule, but as it wasn’t my first 10k, and as I had run consistently 5-7k throughout the year, with only the last two weeks increasing to 8.5k, I knew I’d make it with a bit of walking if need be.
Went out in the morning without too much faffage, made sure I had water (which I needed) and some Gummi Bears (which I didn’t). I had had only a large glass of lemon water before heading out.
Hubby did ask if I wanted a protein drink before heading out, but I wanted to keep everything the same as I usual before a long run. No new experiments that may have unforeseen consequences.
I had chosen a route that was a figure 8 loop around my home location, which gave me a sense of safety. First loop was ca 7k, flat, shaded with two grassy sections around a playing field. It had just stopped raining when I headed out, and last night I had accepted the possibility of running the whole time in wet socks, as the playing field gets quite dew-y in the mornings. So I lifted my feet as best as I could whilst running, just to keep my socks from getting too wet. It must have looked like doing running drills… in slow motion! 😂
I have ordered one waterproof pair of socks recently, but they had not arrived yet, and I am not sure I would have used them the first time on this run. Wanting to minimise any risks of unknowns, I donned my hilly double-skin socks, and they were brill.
Still quite fresh as I started on my second loop, now in the last 3k. I noticed how this time it was me managing to pass all dog walkers, rather than vice versa. I immediately started to worry that I was going too fast! 😂
The second smaller loop has two hills in the beginning, and those did feel a bit of a slog. (They’ll have to feature in my future hill sprints for my next training plan) But once on top of those mountains (at least that’s how they felt), I knew it was down all the way back home, and only the navigating of various nettles at various heights, including shoulder heights (!! 😱) was a bit annoying.
I made it to the last 200m before my house gate, but looking at my Runkeeper app, it suggested I had still 800 meters to go! 🥵😠😩 I had measured my route wrong, it seems, or my Runkeeper paused at some point during my run!!! (I immidiatele remembered all those recent races from HU runners, that were measured too long! 🤣 Now I know how that feels!)
So I had to run on down the road, past my house, just to make up the rest of the 600 meters, and believe it or not, those last 600m were the most challenging! 😰🥵🤯😨 Runkeeper tells me I burned 839 calories on this run, but it felt most of these were in those last 600 meters! 😅
Finally back home, water, stretching, shower, PANCAKES!!! Hubby had made pancakes and teenage sun got finally up right at the time I came all showered down to join hubby and son-y for a yummy pancake breakfast.
It did take me a few hours to recover, my overall energy levels being quite low, feeling overall exhausted so I just had to sit or lie on the couch reading and playing video games with son-y for a bit as I drank gallons of water, it seems. But remembering the time of my first 10k, where I headed to bed to sleep the rest of the day, this is a massive improvement. And knees feel fine, my calves feel like they could have run on, my back is completely pain free! My pre-running weak spots seem to have all but disappeared!
So now I’m sitting in my favourite chair, nibbling grapes, having just put in my 10k into the world record site. It happens to also be a 10k personal best… ok, so best only out of four 10ks that I’ve run with Runkeeper, but feeling quite chuffed!
Evening dinner will be ham chowder, which is bubbling away in the slow cooker. Runner Sundays,- how good are they!?
Now I feel ready for really wanting to consolidate the 10k distance, I want these to feel more normal! So my motivation for devising the plan for the next stage of my running journey has just jumped up a notch!
Happy running everyone!
NRC ‘Another 10K Run’
Runners world training plan
