My first 10,000 m outside run
I have done a few 10ks on treadmills before (see 10k in 45:35 blog) but they were a while ago, and let’s be honest it’s not a true measure. The speed often depends on the specifics on the individual treadmill and ‘it uses different muscles’ (I don’t know if that’s true, but I’ve been told it a couple of times, and it’s a good excuse for being much slower outdoors).
It all started off well, I did the first 5k, a distance I’m much more used to, in about 27 minutes. This was slower than normal but I was trying to keep slow in order to pace myself. My longest ever outdoor run is about 6.5k, so I was moving (or more accurately running) into new territory.
After about 7k the sharp shin-splint-esque pain started. Now I know for all those iron-men and women out there who’ve done marathon’s this isn’t a long distance, but for a once little, fat boy at school, for me this was metaphorically a mountain to climb. Then it was onto the last kilometre which had quite a serious incline on it and by then that mountain felt like less of a metaphor.
Anyway I spluttered through, hit stop on the watch and saw the 57:45 – ok it means the last 5k was 3m 45 slower than the first – but now I’ve a target for the next time I try it (maybe 2021 the way my legs feel right now!). I shall of course be updating my running records graph (see How many spreadsheets do you have? blog).
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