I love running. Training hasn’t been ace this week but my enjoyment of running this week has been sky-high this weekend.

On Saturday I was doing the Pride 10k with some of my runners. Five of them were running it as their first ever 10K having started in my beginners group 19 weeks ago and progressed from running for 1 minute at a time to running 5k.

For the past 9 weeks they’ve been coming to my Improvers group, doing some hill sessions and interval training. I’ve been really impressed with their attitude to getting runs done and racing. But mostly that they’ve banded together and support each other. It really does help to have friends who run.

I’d been planning to run the Pride 10k a bit faster than I did. My 10k PB has sat at just over 45 mins for so long I think it might have gone rusty, so with my 5k, half and marathon times all telling me I can run faster at this distance, I wanted to give it a shot.

On Monday, though, I hurt my back at the gym. It’s an old niggle that was agrivated my not paying attention picking up a weight. I tried running on it on Tuesday and that wasn’t a good idea. By Thursday I was able to run slowly with just a dull ache and so my race was saved but I knew it might not be a time I wanted.

I was still very excited about the weekend – I’d get to cheer on my runners, hang out with friends and watch the Olympics. What’s not to love?

Saturday morning I headed to the race (it started at 11am on a Saturday which was kind of perfect – no early start and no work the next morning). I found my runners and my friend Cathy and we did a brief warm-up before the start. My back felt fine so I lined up with Cathy around the 45 mins marker.

We ran together for all of 30 seconds, in which time someone farted really loudly, we both laughed hysterically and then Cathy zoomed off ahead. The route was three flat laps of the park which ticked by quite quickly. I got to see Laura and Nick cheering three times and on my last lap I saw some of my runners.

As my watch beeped at the first mile marker I saw that my pace was around goal half pace rather than 10k PB pace and I just let that happen. Breathing and heart rate felt fine throughout the race and I didn’t get that sick feeling of pushing hard until the last 500m sprint for the line, but my legs just wouldn’t go any faster.

It would be easy to say ‘I was just here to run for fun’ or ‘I was just using it as a training run’ and save face, but I wasn’t and I’m really annoyed at myself that I didn’t run faster. I don’t know if I was mentally reluctant to push or just not fit enough on the day but as I came towards the finish to collect my medal there was no shiny PB to go with it. I finished in 46:46 – pretty much bang on half marathon pace, so at least I know what that feels like (for less than half the distance).

I headed to the pub for pizza and pints with Cathy, Laura and Josie after the race, then went home for an evening of baking and watching the Olympics with Cathy. We woke up at 1:30am to watch Mo run his 10K a little quicker than mine, I was still awake to watch Jess finish the Heptathlon at 3am, and then we got up early to do a few miles before breakfast.

The early miles were a warm-up for the Olympic marathon that I had a group of marathon running friends over to watch. A perfect Sunday afternoon.

And that’s why, despite being injured, despite training not going to plan and despite not getting the race time I wanted, last week was a brilliant week running wise.

Week in miles

Tuesday – 4 miles, a 12x400m session cut short

Thursday -7.5 miles through Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park

Saturday – Pride 10k

Sunday – 6 easy miles with Cathy pre marathon

Total: 29 miles (inc coaching miles)

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