My first 10k

Well, it’s over….

I wasn’t expecting a hugely fast time, after all, it was my first race for any reason, except cross country at school, which is an ever faster rapidly fading distant memory.

This event, was part of the Blenheim Half Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation, which also has a 10k event and a 2k Family fun run course.

I was “talked” into doing the 10k by my work running buddies, and the furthest I have run in recent times, (and by that, I am talking at least 10 years) is 5 miles, or 8k, so a 10k, whilst not *that* much further, when one is used to doing 5.3k, is quite a jump.

I started ok, and for the first mile, things were a learning experience, as hadn’t run in a body of people like that before; it takes some getting used to because it’s so different than either running on you own or with a a couple of running buddies, it’s so close, and some people are obviously quicker than you and will try to go round you, and, conversely, you are quicker than a whole host of others, which you try to go round as well.

The second and third miles we’re really ok, just keeping the pace ticking over, and at a slightly reduced pace than I am used to training at, I’m normally doing around 9 minute miles training at the moment (which is a hell of a lot better than 10:30’s when I started back again seriously doing some mileage back in June) , but for this race I was doing ok at about 10:00’s, which made the magic hour for the 10k quite possible – just.

Mile 4 was hard work, and a fair bit slower, but is was mile 5 that really hurt me.
Around the 4.5 mile marker, I felt me right knee go a bit funny, and I knew then that ITBS was a potential for coming back, but there was no way I was stopping now, so I eased off a bit.

This did help until one of my running buddies caught up with me, and we kept going together for the best part of the next mile, however at about 5.6 miles my knee just stopped functioning properly, and I was forced to a walk, which was more like a limp.

I could see a corner, and knew that the end of the race was the relatively short uphill to the finish line, just round that corner, so I said bugger it, and put in a final push to home and over the line, and the very nice people lining the finish straight, including the very special Cath, were cheering us all as we ran down this last little bit, I even got a mention over the PA system to help me over those last few metres.

My official time was 1:05:38, my iPhone time was 1:05:41, so a good correlation there 🙂 and although it was outside the hour mark that I was really hoping for, even a 59:59 would have made my day, I guess a first attempt, especially in the light of an injury sustained whilst doing the race, it’s pretty darn good, so I suppose I can’t complain too loudly.

So to the injury.

Well, the 5miles/8k runs I had done were in the 3 weeks preceding the 10k race, as training runs, and had got on “ok” with them, no issues or injuries, and only the normal “I have used my muscles ache” the following morning, which is, as far as I am concerned, a good thing.

However, in the last month and a half, I had done a 4 mile course a couple of times, and on the second occasion, had run into problems with pain in the outside of my knee, with an anatomical part known as the iliotibial band, a problem known as ITBS.

It’s rather painful, and stairs make it quite a challenge, however, it is rather mild, so I won’t complain, but I will now start to look at fixing myself to make sure I don’t have issues with this piece of body next time I do a 10k.

Yup, you read it right, I am going to do another 10k, but I am going to go quicker, and I am not going to break doing it, as I will be fitter and stronger when I do it.

I’ve already done some reading about the causes, and rehabilitation, and training to Fix, and prevent ITBS, and, after a day or two of rest, I’m bloody well going to start on those training things to get me ready for the next one.

Don’t know when I will do it mind, but, definitely got the race bug now….