A Gift to Myself – The London 10 Mile

I entered this race way back in February, as a treat for myself and to make sure that I  would honour my dream of living in London for a sustained period – or as my daughter so aptly put it my (not quite a) gap year in London.

My training focus for the last 6 months had been on two other races Building Strength For What Lies Ahead – the Motatapu Off Road Marathon One Marathon – two stories and the Great Wall of China Half Marathon What an experience – The Great Wall Half Marathon

This meant plenty of hill and distance training for the first, and stair training for the second. Training for these events was hard work, and often not very pleasant at times – especially all those stair repeat sessions, but it did mean I was probably the fittest and strongest I had ever been.

Another major part of the attraction of this race was to experience running in Richmond Park, one of the world’s truly great running parks with its beautiful and historic surroundings. In may ways this was a ‘tourist’ race for me, and when Bevan and I discussed my approach to this race, this was how we decided I would run it – just enjoy the experience rather than going for a time goal. He didn’t want  me putting additional pressure on my body after my injury prone year last year and the tough training regime I had been putting it through.

I knew that to enjoy this race I would need to approach it as I do all my races, and the big thing I had learned from my Motatapu experience was to make sure I was well planned and  prepared. Perhaps the biggest challenge for me in terms of preparation would be getting there on public transport, so I made sure I did a reconnaissance trip earlier in the week to check out where to go and how long it would take.

The day dawned fine and warm, and I set out for Richmond by train, train and then a pleasant 20 minute walk.

Setting out from Croydon

I was there early as I had to pick up my bib and I didn’t want this causing me any stress. I undertook my usual pre race ritual – toilet (no squatting loos this time thank goodness!) and stretching/warm ups. I was just about to drop my bag off when my daughter, son and his girlfriend arrived – it was so cool to have them there.

The start for this race was problematic – it’s the only race I have entered where they have started late. We were kept waiting in the starting pen for a significant period of time – everyone thought it very appropriate to have a minute’s silence for the victims of the terrorist attack the night before, but asking us to do a Mexican Wave after the advertised start time was a bit ridiculous. Finally there was the count down to the start and we were off, except we weren’t – there seemed to be a staggering system, and it was a further 4+ minutes before I actually got over the start line.

There were a lot of people and it seemed to take an age until we spread out enough to get a rhythm going. My time at this early stage of the race wasn’t good, and I remember thinking to myself I’m going to be well over the 1 hour 40 minute time that I had thought I might be capable of.

By the time I hit the three mile mark I was into my race rhythm and it was a real lift seeing my support crew which had grown with the addition of my other daughter and a sign!

The race route for me was a sheer delight. It was a good running surface which meant it didn’t require the concentration needed for my previous two races where the terrain was quite tricky. I could just run, and the scenery was amazing- beautiful wooded areas, and wide open fields. I even got to see deer on a couple of occasions.

Richmond Park is noted for its hills, but they were nothing compared to the hills I had been running. It was hot, but nothing compared to the heat I experienced in China.

I needed a toilet stop at around the half way mark, but I was feeling good, I could tell from my watch that if I kept up the pace I was running at I would make my 1 hour 40, and at this stage I decided I could push myself, and this is what I did. As other people struggled with the hills I was able to gain on and pass them, and because the down hill bits were not steep and the surface was good I didn’t lose the ground here I had in my other races.

By the last hill at around the nine mile mark, I was beginning to struggle, not in terms of needing to walk, but because I was pushing myself it was definitely hurting. What a buzz I got to see my support crew at the top of the hill – loudly cheering me on and waving the Team Karin sign they had made. I have always run on my own, and apart from the New York  marathon in 2015 when my daughter was there, all my races have been just me. What a difference it makes having this level of support – I knew at this stage that I could keep pushing myself and that is what I did.

From this point it was all downhill to the finish, and I knew from my watch that I had nailed it. Bevan had often talked about conserving energy so that you have a strong finish, and this was the first time in a long while that I had the ‘petrol in the tank’ to do this. It was an amazing feeling, and 3 days later I’m still on a runner’s high.