15km / 9.32 mi New PB Distance.

As I'm currently in training for my very first half marathon I thought it best to push past my normal 10km distance. From what I understand it's best not to trial run the full distance of which you will be racing as the recovery time is too long. Instead, it's recommended that for every mile you run you should allow a day's rest, so a better option would be for me increase my mileage slowly each week. I'm hoping to complete 16km before The Great Birmingham Run (21ishkm) on October 18.

On Monday I went out with a plan to run at least 10km. I normally like to set a clearer target than that but I really just wanted to see how far my legs would let me go. The first kilometre is a steady incline towards the high street. From then on it's pretty much downhill until I begin the next lap. The route is all road and fairly quiet (aside from the small portion which is ran through town) so there's plenty of opportunity to pick up the pace if required.

I set out at 6.48pm in reflective clothing, complete with my Garmin Forerunner 220 and a bottle of Lucozade which I'm currently training with. The first 5km felt unusually sluggish - probably due to the change in sports drink and a high-protein dinner. Not my best idea, admittedly. I started to feel myself after the first lap, and found it useful to remember my ABC's - Attitude, Breathing, Cadence. After the second lap I'd established a comfortable pace to maintain and started to focus on my technique.

Towards the end of lap four I felt my left knee starting to twinge, and at that point it was already pitch black on some of the more rural roads. I feel like I probably could have continued, but in terms of recovery it wouldn't have been worth it. I completed exactly 15km in 1:28:11 which makes the distance a new PB, and means I can maintain my 10km pace which is fantastic news. I'm still recovering at the moment so no long distance runs for me until next week, but I have speed work training tonight at my running club, and an OCR on Sunday to help keep my strength and stamina up.

Upcoming races: 

• Ram Run, Sunday 4th October 2015 
• Morrison's Great Birmingham Run, 18th October 2015

Worcester City 10KM (20th Sept '15)

Officially my second ever race. I signed up rather last minute to this 10km as I unexpectedly came into some money. I left myself just two weeks to train but thankfully the distance isn't foreign to me. I run weekly with the Malvern Joggers and we average between 7km-10km depending on the terrain and weather. This race was more a chance for me to beat my pb and use it as a way of training for an upcoming half-marathon.

The route.

My fiance (who also participated) and I arrived at Worcester Racecourse an hour before the race to check our bags, find the toilets, and warm up. We recognised a few faces as we wandered around, including local legend Jenny Nesbitt. At around 8.55 we made our way to the start line and I managed to bump into a friend from my running club. Some friends of ours also found us and wished us luck before we set off. Knowing they were there supporting us really helped fuel the adrenaline! The claxon sounded and as we crossed the line I set my watch (Garmin Forerunner 220) to track my time, distance, and pace.

Moving off from the start line was slow at first as obviously there were a ton of people, but after the first bend everybody seemed to fan out, some even taking to the pavement to get clear of the crowd. After the first km my body started to relax and I managed to maintain a steady pace dipping between 8.15 and 8.55 per mile. I didn't really pay much attention to my surroundings, and I only spotted two of the 10 kilometre marks as I was focusing much more heavily on the stats my watch provided. A water station was situated at the 6km mark so once I passed that I knew I was well over half way. It was at that point that I knew for sure I'd finish the race in under an hour. The 8km mark was where it started to become difficult. The sun had just started to break through the clouds and as my body got hotter it only felt heavier. I let the cheers from the supporters on the sidelines carry me through until I heard my own friends screaming my name. From there I found the finish line and let my limbs take over for a sprint that allowed me to cross the line with a time of 52:17, my new pb!

Every bit of the race was phenomenal, and really set the bar for me. I have no doubt I'll be signing up for this event again next year, hopefully smashing this year's time. Thank you to everyone involved in organising the Worcester City 10km, and congratulations to everyone who participated.