So yesterday I failed once again to beat my 10k PB.  Yesterday I failed to run faster than We Own The Night which was only 4 weeks after the London Marathon so I really should have been on better form.  It was a bit windy, and there was a tiny bit of congestion on one of the paths, but I’m not sure either are a valid excuse.

The problem with 10k’s, I’ve discovered, is that they’re hard.  They’re hard because you practically have to sprint the whole way to get a good time.  You can’t give yourself an ‘easy’ mile, you can’t ‘hold back’ in case you run out of energy and you can’t let your focus slip.  You go hard, and then you go harder, or you might as well just give up and accept that you’ve already achieved your best.

Yesterday was the Ranelagh Harriers Richmond 10K.  As a Surrey Road League race it was about 90% club runners and there was a pretty good turnout from the Chasers – 11 boys and 7 girls.  My usual race strategy is to pick someone in front who’s faster and try and keep up, however, this only works when they’re consistent…  Yesterday I seemed to overtake all the people I was hunting down which made it all too easy to fall into my own comfortable pace.  I say comfortable, it wasn’t comfortable at all but it wasn’t pushing myself to the nauseating limit which is where I needed to be for a sub 45.

 Lauren, Ruth and I.  A little bit sweaty and a little bit rained on.

The race was 2 flat road laps through Richmond, it was a nice course but it was quite windy in places.   I crossed the line in 47.34.  It’s not bad, but it’s not good, and it’s most definitely not a PB.  My self pity was relieved slightly when I realised I was the 3rd Chaser girl home and got a mention in the newsletter this morning, but I’m still disappointed.

So the quest for a new PB continues, but there is really only one more opportunity this year to smash it before I’m back in marathon training.

Sunday morning.  Clapham Common.  Flat, fast & all too familiar.  Bring it on…