The hardest 10k yet!

I DID IT!!!!

I completed the 10km non-stop at the Race for Life last Sunday in a decent time of 1 hour and 11 minutes!

The atmosphere was amazing at Victoria Park in Leicester; there were over 1000 women dressed in pink, all ready to run, jog, walk, skip, dance or complete the distance however they trained for or desired, in order to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

It was also emotional but made everyone more determined to complete the 10k when you read the messages on women’s backs, who they were racing for: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, friends and so on. I did the Race for Life in memory of my grandmother, but also for those in my family who have kicked cancer’s butt! You can read more about this in my blog Lucky to be alive.

Before the race

Before the race started at 2pm, we were split into two groups: runners and walkers. I thought that there would be a group for joggers, so I went with the runners.

I am so glad that I kept to my own pace. If I started at the speed that the women at the front were, I would not have completed the route in the time that I did, and I would’ve most likely had to have stopped. Because I was towards the front, I heard someone say, ‘I thought runners were going first?’, then someone replied, ‘Jogging is running, isn’t it?’

As I was jogging the route, many women were having to stop, and subsequently continued to stop several times for the rest of the route. I managed to stay at a comfortable pace without over exhausting myself or without having to stop or walk.

The route was one of the most challenging I have done so far, as the gradient was very varied. It was mostly gradual and not too steep, but these lasted for a considerable time so that you felt it in your legs. I took it steady when going uphill, and took care going downhill as well.

My parents and my dog Barney were waiting at the finish line, which was wonderful to see. I ran for the last 250 metres and was thrilled to see that I had completed the route in the time that I did. Considering that my best time so far has been 1 hour and 8 minutes, I think I did really well last Sunday at the Race for Life!

Almost at the finish line!

The weather was ideal as well. It wasn’t too hot and it was cloudy as well with sunny intervals. I just finished the race in time because about five minutes later, it started raining heavily for about 5 minutes! It wouldn’t have bothered me too much if I was jogging when it rained, but it was satisfying that I completed the race before it rained.

I wrote a blog a few days before the race, stating that I was worried about my legs. My muscles were hurting from a day out on Wednesday, but they were completely fine by Sunday, and there was no pain at all!

I would like to say thank you to everyone for your support, and a special thank you to Controversial Cook for their advice on training and dieting. Also a big thank you to everyone who had sponsored me so far. I am almost at the £200 mark, and there is still time to sponsor me if you want to on my justgiving page.

I would definitely like to participate in another 10km Race for Life, but also I’d like to challenge myself further my increasing the distance. The route that I had been training on can be extended to 12km. Next time I go out for a jog, I will attempt that distance!

 

As always, happy reading and blogging!

Many thanks,

Clare Bear

 

P.S. I have only been able to write this blog recently because I went to Berlin for a mini break the next day with my boyfriend- a blog about that will shortly follow, so watch this space!