My First 10k

My First 10k

The Beginning

The beginning of my 10k came at the end of my first 5k.

How I arrived at the end of my first 5k is another story!

The endorphins were running high for quite some time after I touched the finish line.

The feeling of high was so intoxicating and as would soon find out, addictive, that could not wait to get more of it. It was not surprising that that very evening I started looking for a 10k race. It did not take me very long to find an event that ticked the boxes for me- the distance, the place, and the season.

Formula: Find a race, Enrol yourself, And train!

With that in mind I completed the first two stages within half an hour on the evening of my first 5k.

While doing the search I also came across the advice that a runner’s body needs rest. A runner should not exert themselves beyond their limit. After a race the most important thing to remember and do was to allow your body to recover.

Eager to learn from the experts I did not hesitate to follow the advice. With 5k under my belt I felt that I needed to take running seriously and heed the advice. So that is exactly what I did. I rested.

For one week.

In that week I also found out that the training plan for my first 10k would be 10 to 12 weeks long. My 10k event was not for another 6 months. So, I had time.

After the first week of rest, I took another week off running. The training for 10k did not need to start for another three to four weeks at least so there was no rush. Give your body all the time it needed to recover from its 5k, I kept reminding myself.

Eye Opener Number 2

So, it was after four weeks after my 5k race that I put my running shoes on one fine evening and dashed out of the front door. It was going to be a trial training run, an easy 5k.

Little did I foresee the shock and the disappointment that awaited me. The reaction from my body was shocking similar to the reaction it had given me when I had made a dash for the dentist almost a year ago. My breathing had become laborious even before I had crossed 1k and soon after crossing 1k, I was so out of breath that I couldn’t carry on and was forced to slow down. In fact, I had to stand still for nearly one full minute before my breathing returned to what seemed normal without my chest going up and down

This is when I realised that this was a game I had to keep playing. I had rested for too long. And worse still had underestimated the importance of taking it slow after a break.

To say I was disappointed would be to put it very mildly, but I was also more determined than ever to run the 10k and train for it. I said to myself I was going to make up for the lost time by running more and running every day. I continued to go out every evening and pushed myself to do 100 meter extra every day. And there came another lesson, a more important one.

Don’t do too much too soon.

What is true for most things in life is unsurprisingly true for running as well. Doing too much too soon led to shin splints, soreness and calf pain. It took another two months for me to get to a non-stop 5k, again.

I had a decent pair of running shoes, but I could have done with a better pair with cushion to absorb the impact. Whenever the weather permitted, I ran in the nearby farms, parks or greens where either the grass or the soil softened the impact. And when the rain had left all the other routes too muddy to run, I pounded the pavement. I invested in cushioned running shoes.

I stayed on course with my training. Listened to my body and planned my training around other commitments. A few weeks later I completed my first 10k in an hour and 6 minutes and some seconds. A pace I was happy with.

Just like after the 5k race, the endorphins were urging me to commit to another race.

The evening of my 10k race I spent browsing the web. This time it was not for the next race. Instead, I for two new goals:

· Running 5k consistently under 30 minutes

· Running 10k consistently in less than one hour and 5 minutes.

Come summer I stuck to my routine and made sure that I got at least two 4 to 5k every week. I was satisfied with the progress. I could run for just over 30 minutes. It was not effortless but was within my ability.

The next goal was already set. To run for one hour. This goal actually was complimenting another goal of running 10k.

These two came in close succession almost 18 months after my first 5k.

The list had started getting longer

· Running 10k in under one hour

· Running 10k in under one hour consistently

· Running for more than one hour

· Running 10 miles

· And the top aim was running a half marathon!