You know those races where you plan only to run and have a good time. The races when the weather is hot, the competitors are low and you’re treating it more like a training session rather than a chase for a decent time, maybe even a PB.
Yesterday’s 10km Run For Ronald was one of those races. With a 3pm start at the The Spit in Main Beach, the temperature souring to the top twenties, it was going to be a hot one. We sought shade waiting for the race to start.
There was a choice of running in a team of two relay where each person got to run a 5km lap or an individual race of 10km for the keener and more experienced runners. We chose the 10km as we recently ran the 5km last month, and it’s been a while since we ran a longer one.
It was tough. Two laps, only a little bit of shade here and there, scorching asphalt and a great atmosphere with a clear blue sky, sunshine and lots of smiling (and cringing) faces of all ages. It was tough, but it was fun.
I told Jarek to run ahead and not worry about me. He’s faster and stronger and I didn’t want to slow him down. Surprisingly, I only finished four behind him. He finished in 47:44, and he said it was one of the toughest runs he’s done in a while.
The first lap was hard. I tried to get into a rhythm, pounding the pavement, one step at a time, focusing on my breathing, keeping good posture and letting my arms loose. There was lots of mental talk going on. Lots. I didn’t want to walk, and I didn’t want to slow down even though my body was screaming for shade, cold water and a rest stop.
Fortunately, I didn’t give in. By lap two, the rhythm came and in parts the run got easier. I even managed to speed up towards the end. When the organiser announced my name and time as I crossed the finish line I couldn’t believe it. I finished in 49:23:5 (13 seconds PB!!).
I was stoked! Given the heat and minimal running in recent months, it was a pleasant surprise to run a PB. In the final kilometres I was thinking that it would be nice to work towards a PB soon. The PB came sooner than I imagined, I seriously thought my time would be closer to 52mins.
Average Pace: 4:56 mins per km
16 / 36 overall
5 / 22 female
2 / 15 age group 21-35
