Womens Running 10k Glasgow (not Glasgow) 2015

Women's Running magazine hold a series of women-only 10k races across the UK each year, and earlier this year I signed up for the "Glasgow" one, which is actually in Strathclyde Park, Motherwell. I knew that Strathy Park is largely pretty flat, though the route follows the loch all the way round, and it definitely gets a bit undulating for a wee bit, but generally, I should hopefully do okay. That was the plan, when I first signed up aaaages ago - just something to keep me focused over the summer. However, by the time the race came along things had changed a bit, as I'd started training for the October half marathon, and regular incorporating speed sessions into my training. So now it was becoming a "test", for me - to see how I'm doing, since getting my 10k PB of 1:07:02 back in May, in Glasgow.

I didn't have any real nerves about this race - sure, I wanted to do well, and that was definitely at the back of my mind in the few days before, and I did get a wee bit obsessed checking the weather forecast, but in general I knew this wasn't one of my "big" races, so there was little point in getting stressed. I took a full rest day on Saturday, ate well (no junk!) and got an early night - Sunday morning I work early, ate a full breakfast at around 6am (potatoes, eggs and ham) and relaxed with a mug of tea, before getting ready for the race. I left the flat at around 8, drove across to Strathy Park with my cheesiest motivational music playing the whole way. :-) Caught up with Vicky who was marshalling, when I arrived, then just readied myself until time to get to the start line.

Standing thinking how strange it was I knew nobody around me, I suddenly heard a voice: "hi, is it Sarah?" - sometimes, though I don't know anyone, one of the anyones knows me! Haha. So Lesley introduced herself, she was pacing 70 mins (and did so really well, it turned out), and after a nice bit of chat, I carefully moved a bit further forward in the crowd. No offence to her, but I was distancing myself physically from the 70 minute marker, to enable distancing myself mentally too! The 5km race at the front set off, then 3 minutes later so did we.

The first 5km was flat, with a turn at 2km. I very clearly decided it was poorly organised and chaotic around the turn and the 1km before/after, but later changed my mind on that - probably no other way they could have done things. Regardless, it broke the race up into chunks nicely. We were back at the start line by 4km, then it was a single full lap of the lake to get back to the finish - onwards!! It was hot, hot, hot though, and by the time I reached the water station at 5km (in my second fastest ever 5km time, around 32 minutes) I was definitely ready for it! I grabbed a bottle, where the marshal had removed the top, and tried to drink on the move, but the bottle was a lightweight type of plastic, and full to the top, so it squeezed and I somehow managed to spill water up my nose!!!!! I spluttered, and slowed to a walk, while I got a proper drink, and tried to calm down a bit, haha. Walking for maybe a minute, I started running again just in time for the only hilly bit of the course - approximately 1km of undulations that I managed pretty well. I was overtaking a few folk here, although I was slowing a bit myself, and I was just focussing on putting one foot in front of the other. After the hills, I had 4 flat kilometres to go, and just tried to ignore how horribly hot it was, as I ran on.

I took grateful advantage of a water station at 8km, purposely spilling loads over my hands (sausage fingers) as well. By 9km, I was cursing the fact that the race finish line was about 500m past the usual parkrun finish I'm used to - it just seemed sooooo far away, and my pace felt like I was wading through treacle now! But soon enough, the finish line came into sight, and I managed a short sprint finish to cross the line in a fantastic 1:04:48 - a new PB by over 2 minutes!! I'd worked very hard for it, in very hot conditions, and I couldn't have been more pleased. This was just the boost I needed, and pushed me into the following week which turned out to be one of the more successful training weeks I've had to date... For me, success breeds more success, and a new 10k PB was just what I needed to help me keep the momentum up, and the focus on the half marathon next month. Bring it on!!!!!