Race 10 was to have been the Bushy Park Time Trial on Saturday, but my train out to Teddington broke down on the platform. So, Plan B, a training jog around Victoria Park, was executed. Later on my housemate mentioned she was running a 3K fun run around the park the following day, and on checking the website I noticed there was a 10K too. Perfect – only 15 minutes walk from my house.
This was my first formal 10K race – I had done a 10K trail challenge in 49 minutes a few weeks ago, but this was a flat, fast race without breaks. My 5K pace is currently around 4 minutes, so I aimed to try to keep to that but give myself an extra 10-15 seconds for each kilometre, aiming for a time of 42 minutes – not coincidentally the time Alex B ran at the London 10K last week. The course was three laps of part of the park. I don”t normally like lap races as it’s more boring, but it was good for this race as you could plan your strategy ahead.
In the end I did the race in 42:09 – I sprinted the final 500m but wasn’t able to make the 42 minute mark. It might be a little while before I will be able to contend this time again, as the course was extraordinarily flat and fast. Reigate Priory on Wednesday is a hilly course, although Regent’s Park next Sunday should be quite good.