60th Birthday sub-60 minute 10K

[RollingPea]

Look at my 60th birthday bling! I haven’t won a medal since I was 12 years old and came third in 110m hurdles at the inter-school championships. My official time yesterday was 57.38 at the Ely Runfest 10K. I’m blown away - it seems there is some running in me yet!

I was using this event to motivate me to increase my running distance from 5 km to 10 km. That worked - I made it to running my first 10 km in July. I can’t honestly say I found the 10 km distance more enjoyable than 5 km, but at least I could do it. I figured that all I had to do was keep training sensibly, stay injury-free and I should be fine for the 10K event in October. But then I was inspired by reading AlMorr’s post a month ago, about his Cumbernauld 10K run alongside a pacer. If AlMorr could smash 70 minutes, could I smash 60? I have been running sub-30 minute 5 km at Parkrun for a while now, so maybe I could? But keeping up the pace for twice as long seemed a very tall order.

Perhaps it was the beers and curry the night before which did me a power of good? No, that was a bad idea, verging on self-sabotage. More likely it was the added adrenalin due to running on an unknown route in an event away from home that kept my legs going. That, and the near-perfect weather, the lovely surroundings - starting and finishing at magnificent Ely cathedral - and the very friendly, well-organised event team. Did I celebrate afterwards? You bet! With a cup of tea and a large slab of lime zest and blueberry cake.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

HUGE well done to you!

Yes, our own AlMorr is, truly, a National Treasure... he has and continues to give inspiration to so, so many of us. He inspired you and you certainly did him and yourself proud!

That cake sounds so yummy... I am inspired here to go and find the recipe...!

What next in your running? HM maybe next year ?

[RollingPea in reply to Oldfloss]

The cake came from Tom's Cakes on the High St in Ely. Highly highly recommended for cake-themed running celebrations.I'm not cut out for HMs, so I'll stick to enjoying 5Ks and hoping 10Ks will get easier. Maybe, like you, I'll change my mind about HMs in a decade or so...

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Age really is just a number!! 💪😄 Great 10k time, lovely bling and a tasty post race treat - perfect!👏🙂🏅

[RollingPea in reply to Sandraj39]

You are so right. I know couldn't have done that when I was 50!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10]

Congratulations to you RollingPea on that sub 60 minutes 10K, I am so happy that I inspired you after reading my recent sub 70 minutes 10K at the Cumbernauld 10K, well done✔️✔️✔️

[RollingPea in reply to AlMorr]

Thank YOU!

[Beatlesforever Graduate10]

Brilliant, very well done! Hope you enjoy that celebration 🍰 happy birthday! 🎉

[farsouthwest]

What a lovely inspiring post, picture and celebratory treat detail. And that time was well under 60 mins too. Hurrah for you!

[RollingPea in reply to farsouthwest]

It was well under 60 minutes. It helps that my eyesight is poor these days, so I can't read my retro Casio watch, so I don't fret about time, I just chug along as best I can on the day and find out at the end what the time is. I have wondered about acquiring a Garmin - I noticed others with them and they have big, easily readable numbers - but I wondered if that would make running stressful for me? Any thoughts?

[farsouthwest in reply to RollingPea]

I didn't bother with any technology that measured actual distance until well after I graduated C25K. I did want to run 5K but was fairly sure I was nowhere near so only measured when I could run 45 mins as felt fairly sure I would have hit the mark by then. I didn't want to be a slave to it all and I didn't want to add pressure etc. I am not goal orientated but I was aware I could easily feel demotivated if I realised I wasn't hitting the marks (however much everyone says they don't matter and its not relevant or important - which I subscribe to - but still know they exist). I now look at distance OR time - but not both. I guess having the Garmin doesn't commit you to using it all the time. If it is helpful to you, or you think it could be you could have a go - but remind yourself that you control it - not the other way around and you aren't obliged to wear it at all. I think you have been more than "chugging" with that time!

[RollingPea in reply to farsouthwest]

Good advice. Thanks. I'll see if I can arrange for a Garmin to appear under a Christmas tree near me in a few months time. I thought chugging applied to steam engines, which is why I used that word, but apparently chugging has lots of other meanings. Anyway, according to Collins, chugging means a "short dull sound, esp one that is rapidly repeated, such as that made by an engine". This sound applied to my feet tracking whoever appeared in front of me, but most of all, the rhythmic breathing.

[farsouthwest in reply to RollingPea]

Ha ha - I think we are of the same generation - to me chugging along implied a sort of slow-train type pace which is why I thought you'd been going faster than that. I can't keep up with the new meanings of words or the new use of personal pronouns! Good luck with the gift list!

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Congratulations that's an amazing time

[RollingPea]

Thank you all for your kind words. I am very pleased, but also totally surprised. I even thought there must be some mistake with that time, but my retro 1970s-style Casio "digital watch" says something very similar, and the photos Mr RP took at the start and finish are about 57 minutes apart, so, it must be true.

The event was run mostly on tarmac, which will have given me a faster than usual time, as I usually stick to soft-surface low impact trail runs. I can still feel the after-effects of that long fast run on a hard surface in my legs today. I will need to sort those legs out with a recovery run asap.

[damienair Administrator]

I bet that cup of tea and large slab of lime zest and blueberry cake was the best tasting thing in the world. Amazing effort and massive congratulations on a super finish time. That is just brilliant. Well done.

[RollingPea]

Thank you. I might try re-living the moment by baking that cake at home. I think I found a recipe thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipe...