10k Blog

On a crazy whim, after buying my new shoes, I decided it would be a good idea to enter a 10k race as part of training before the big day.

So we've decided to join the Kirkstall Harriers for the Kirkstall Abbey 10k. I suppose we'll be able to use it as a benchmark to see what time to expect (and beat) for the real thing the week after. Amusingly we were going to miss the postal deadline for entry to the race, so took the forms and cheques over to the Race Secretary's house. He told us we didn't need the stamped addressed envelopes, and just gave us the paperwork. However, as we were running back, we thanked him and left his house...and then posted it all back to ourselves. That'll be embarrasing if it gets lost in the post, hehe...

After getting myself a big blister from either my new shoes or the change rattling around in them on our route last night, training continues (although in different places this weekend, as J Low is going back to Ashby)...

Well, after a trip down south I found myself needing a new pair of running shoes (having carelessly left the others down south), so I took a little trip to Up and Running in West Park to get myself kitted out. They got me on a treadmill to do a video analysis of my running to be able to advise me on appropriate trainers. Apparently, I am slightly pronate (and have a comically gammy right leg after my motorbike crash in France a few years back), and the shoes I bought have some unlikely sounding features, such as 'biomechanically placed flex grooves' and 'varying durometers of thermo plastics to provide torsional midfoot support'.

Sounds like I might need it too, given that we only have 18 days left before the race. Luckily, I have now met my sponsorship target, so thanks go to everyone who has sponsored me, and for those who haven't quite managed it, there is still time left! Click here to sponsor me.

Training is going well, we have now reached the 8-9k point in our training, which should mean that we will be ready come the day of the race. It's hard to believe that we've reached this point, considering that when I started training I couldn't run for the bus! The initial 4k runs now seem very short indeed. It's almost time to start looking past the 10k towards our next challenge, the half marathon in the spring of next year... Well, I might as well get my money's worth out of these shoes, eh?

The ghettofabulous Jenny Low has now officially signed up for the 10k at Castle Howard (1 month 5 days to go), so if you haven't sponsored me, you can sponsor her at http://www.10ksponsorme.org/Jlo!

Training has been a little interrupted this week, I had to take a couple of days off due to unidentified leg pain. I can't really imagine why, but it was brought on after a session swimming (I thought swimming was gentle, non-impact exercise?) at the Leeds International Pool, whose only claim to fame seems to be that it's not an olympic pool, because when they designed it, they forgot to allow for the touch pads at the ends, not to mention the alleged cockroach infestation. For some reason I couldn't go down steps or downhill, which was a bit of a problem for running anywhere other than in the gym!

After a couple of days rest, we took our longest run yet (only 6.5k). All a bit sweaty and disgusting, but we'd better get used to it, as it only gets worse from here on. I do, however, now understand why running tops are so expensive, if they really do keep you dry!